Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

In the white mist:

Wanchuan Ancestor, Fairy Xia Guang, and Fairy Feiyin each scattered, circling around Zhang Yao ceaselessly, their expressions filled with apprehension.

From their perspective, all the mist was but a thin layer, incapable of obstructing sight or Divine Thought, giving them a significant geographical advantage and naturally boosting their confidence.

But it was precisely this confidence that led them to suffer a major defeat.

Due to overconfidence in the mist's concealment, they positioned themselves too close, resulting in being caught entirely by the Annihilation Divine Thunder, with Wanchuan Ancestor nearly perishing in the Sea of Thunder.

"Gulp."

Wanchuan Ancestor swallowed a Spirit Pill, activating Profound Skill and Mysterious Method to refine the medicinal power, rapidly recovering from the charred injuries on his body.

The power of the Annihilation Divine Thunder was terrifying; he only appeared to have recovered substantially on the surface, but the internal injuries remained severe, though such injuries didn't significantly affect the combat abilities of a Golden Core Cultivator.

"Huff!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with fury and killing intent, and immediately extended his Divine Thought to communicate with Fairy Xia Guang and Fairy Feiyin:

"Qingxu also possesses the Divine Technique of becoming like Qingfeng; we must change our strategy."

"In my opinion..."

He had only spoken halfway when he caught a glimpse of a blank space out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm?"

Wanchuan Ancestor instinctively turned his head to look, instantly widening his eyes, his entire body freezing.

Dozens of yards away, Three Evils Daoist was holding an Ancient Bronze Lamp, the pale blue flames on the lamp flickering, dispersing the surrounding mist within a ten-yard radius, creating a vast blank area.

His expression was calm. Although he couldn't see the scene beyond ten yards, he could roughly discern the direction and position.

Holding the Ancient Bronze Lamp, he stepped forward firmly in a certain direction, undeterred by the absence of any obstacles, with no sign of hesitation or slowing in his stride.

"This!!"

Wanchuan Ancestor felt a buzzing in his mind, momentarily stunned before realizing what was happening, overwhelmed with anger and shock:

"Damn it!! This Three Evils Daoist is truly cunning! We've all been deceived by him!"

"Hmm?"

Fairy Xia Guang and Fairy Feiyin, upon hearing his enraged shout, followed his gaze and changed their expressions as well.

"Not good! Stop him quickly!"

A span of ten yards didn't seem large, but it was eye-catching within this dense mist! If Three Evils Daoist continued on his path, in just a few breaths he would collide with them, and once Qingxu joined him, all would be lost!

"Boom!" "Boom!"...

Fairy Xia Guang, Fairy Feiyin, and Wanchuan Ancestor, ignoring the lingering injuries on their bodies, immediately unleashed Divine Techniques and wielded Magical Treasures, charging towards Three Evils Daoist with murderous intent.

"Huh?!"

Three Evils Daoist, already fully focused and ready, sensed them as soon as Wanchuan Ancestor, Fairy Xia Guang, and the others' Divine Techniques and Magical Treasures entered his ten-yard domain.

The speed of Golden Core Level Divine Techniques and Magical Treasures allowed them to cross this mere ten-yard gap without even a fraction of a second.

But having just that fraction of a second for reaction was enough to decide life and death.

"In that direction!"

Three Evils Daoist didn't retreat but advanced, charging head-on, his body surging with Magical Power, suddenly conjuring a gray shadow.

At the moment that gray shadow appeared, it split into black and white, each forming a phantom that cloaked Three Evils Daoist.

"Buzz!" "Buzz!"

A crimson hairpin and a dusk-colored veil pierced through Three Evils Daoist's body in succession, shattering the black and white phantoms, yet Three Evils Daoist remained unharmed.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Thousands of water arrows washed over, swift as thunder, dense as a downpour, shattering the final gray phantom covering Three Evils Daoist.

"Pfft!"

Three Evils Daoist spat a mouthful of fresh blood but forcibly pushed through the last stretch, the blue flame of the Ancient Bronze Lamp in his hand illuminating a ten-yard space, revealing the figures of Wanchuan Ancestor and the others.

"Not good!"

The faces of Wanchuan Ancestor, Fairy Xia Guang, and Fairy Feiyin instantly turned pale.

They never anticipated that Three Evils Daoist would be so decisive, risking his life to withstand the Divine Techniques and Magical Treasures. Their subsequent reactions were slow, too late for any recovery!

Because the outer edge of the ten-yard flame also illuminated the figure of Elder Qingxu!

"Three Evils?"

Zhang Yao's eyes narrowed, noticing the suddenly dispersing white mist around him and Three Evils Daoist holding the Ancient Bronze Lamp.

"I see!"

He immediately understood, leaping into a rainbow, swiftly reaching Three Evils Daoist's side.

"So it's you they were trying to deal with, Qingxu..."

Three Evils Daoist finally breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of ease returning to his expression.

"Damn it! Retreat!"

Wanchuan Ancestor and the others, with grim faces, simultaneously felt a sense of retreat, promptly vanishing into the surrounding mist.

Zhang Yao didn't recklessly pursue them; instead, he turned around, taking another look at Three Evils Daoist and the Ancient Bronze Lamp in his hand, and offered praise:

"Your methods are truly impressive, fellow Daoist, I am in awe!"

When he saw the Ancient Bronze Lamp in the hands of the Three Evils Daoist, he instantly understood everything.

It turned out, all of them had been deceived by the Three Evils Daoist.

To everyone,

it seemed as though the Three Evils Daoist had acquired an Ancient Spiritual Treasure. Even if it was not of a combat type, it surely had to be a protective life-saving kind, and undoubtedly, his power had greatly increased.

Based on this assumption, he was able to suppress Elder Yuanxu and Bai Hong Sword Immortal, forming the three major Golden Core alliances and taking the lead, even Zhang Yao believed this premise and inevitably felt some apprehension towards him.

Particularly when they did not know the specific effects of the Spiritual Treasure he had, no one dared to act rashly, not even Wanchuan Ancestor and the other three major Demon Cultivators, who were also greatly apprehensive.

But in the end, this was all a facade!

The Ancient Spiritual Treasure in the hands of the Three Evils Daoist was actually an auxiliary type, with almost no assistance in Magical Battle.

Looking back now, the Three Evils Daoist neither confirmed nor denied the speculation of a group of Golden Core Cultivators, creating an optimal aura of mystery, allowing him to deceive the world.

"You flatter me, fellow Daoist."

The Three Evils Daoist shook his head, raised the Ancient Bronze Lamp in his hand, and signaled:

"This lamp is called the 'Lamp of Truth', and it can barely be considered a Spiritual Treasure. However, its effects are limited to revealing truths and dispelling illusions, with almost no combat capability."

"At first, I also thought that the fifth gate would randomly grant a Spiritual Treasure, and I felt quite regretful that my luck was so poor, not having randomly acquired a good Spiritual Treasure."

He paused, looked at the surrounding fog, and then continued:

"But it wasn't until I arrived here that I suddenly became aware."

"The idea that the fifth gate would reward a Spiritual Treasure was our wishful thinking all along. With careful thought, it becomes clear."

"Reflecting on it now, the reward for the fifth gate should universally be this Lamp of Truth, specifically for diminishing the environmental impact of the tenth gate, creating a battlefield conducive to combat."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly in agreement and said:

"The conjecture of Fellow Daoist San Sha is not much different from mine."

"To fight in such conditions, the advantage of striking first is significant, and luck plays too great a role. Once all trial takers have a Lamp of Truth, the battlefield becomes much more fair."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, his expression becoming more serious:

"Earlier, those three screams, you must have heard them too, Three Evils Daoist?"

"Fellow Daoists Yuanxu, Bai Hong, and You Quan must have fallen victim to them!"

"Yes."

The expression of the Three Evils Daoist also became much gloomier, and he slowly said:

"Ever since I realized the true purpose of the Lamp of Truth, I have centered myself as the focal point and have been exploring outwards."

As he spoke, he drew a whirlpool-like pattern, representing his exploration from a starting point, spiraling outward.

Although this exploration method may not be the most efficient, it is certainly better than blindly rushing about like a headless chicken.

Zhang Yao also nodded, showing approval of his strategy.

If the Three Evils Daoist were to encounter others during his exploration, a smooth reunion would naturally ensue; even encountering Fairy Xia Guang or Fairy Feiyin, his strength is not weak, coupled with the Lamp of Truth, he is unafraid to face two at once.

However, he probably did not anticipate that the problem was not only with Fairy Xia Guang; even 'Haihe Ancestor' is a Demon Cultivator. Indeed, if he were unfortunate enough to meet them, it would spell disaster for him.

At this time, the aura of mystery he had carefully crafted earlier played a crucial role—

Because of their apprehension about the unknown function of his Spiritual Treasure, Wanchuan Ancestor and others dared not recklessly approach him. After killing You Quan, Bai Hong, and Elder Yuanxu, they opted for what seemed like an easier target in Elder Qingxu, who they could ambush and swiftly defeat.

As a result, in the ensuing battle, they suffered a heavy loss at the hands of Zhang Yao, inadvertently giving the Three Evils Daoist enough time to team up with Zhang Yao.

"I have been exploring for a long time but have yet to meet anyone else. Hearing the repeated screams only deepened my sense of foreboding."

The Three Evils Daoist spoke with an increasingly grave tone:

"Now that the two of us have joined forces, Fellow Daoist Man Tian Sheng is likely in grave danger!"

"They will certainly not spare him, and once they deal with him, it will be our turn to face the final blood battle!"

"The final battle..."

Zhang Yao pondered for a moment before speaking:

"According to what they said, this is the tenth gate of the Jade Divine Palace, the final one."

"Does Fellow Daoist San Sha, having held the Lamp of Truth and explored for over an hour, have any discoveries?"

"Well, there is indeed a discovery..."

The expression of the Three Evils Daoist became quite subtle:

"Since my exploration routes are closely adjacent to each other and my observations are very detailed, I have observed a certain pattern."

"The foggy area we are in, which is the tenth gate you mentioned, is continuously shrinking!"

"Shrinking?"

Zhang Yao's eyebrows rose, and he understood instantly:

"So, when designing and constructing this final gate, the intention was to force the remaining trial takers into a final confrontation?"

"Exactly!"

The Three Evils Daoist nodded and said:

"The range of this foggy area is not small, and even with the Lamp of Truth, the efficiency of exploration for trial takers is very low."

"I speculate that the longer we remain here, the smaller the active area of the tenth gate will become, potentially shrinking to a cage-like size, which is very likely..."