Chapter 770 - 126: The 10-Day Pact to Determine the Victor
Tai Heng, not taking much time, soared through the air and arrived above the Tower Pavilion. Parting the clouds, he revealed himself and cast a gaze downwards.
The Yao Yin Mountain, like the outside world, experienced the changes of dawn and dusk, the cycles of day and night. At this moment, it seemed to be the time of twilight, with a streak of radiant red sunset glow at the horizon, splendid beyond words, illuminating the glazed tiles and turbans atop the Tower Pavilion with shimmering brilliance.
His expression remained calm as he observed for a moment. Then, lowering his body, he carried a massive swell of intense black qi, like leaden clouds pressing down, descending slowly. Pausing briefly before the Tower Pavilion, he eventually drifted inside.
As soon as he entered the grand hall, he found a ten-zhang-high pavilion standing before him. Its gates were open, presenting a blatant trap meant to deceive and lure one in—an arrangement that made him slightly surprised.
He circled once around the Demon Storage outside but never stepped in.
Zhang Yan, seeing his cautiousness, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This Old Demon is indeed formidable, unwilling to set foot inside. If he had entered the Demon Storage, no matter how adept his escape skills might be, in the confined space of the hall, all Zhang Yan would need to do is seal the Gate and seize the chance to strike with the Beiming Sword. More likely than not, Tai Heng would have no way to escape alive.
If it were any other Nascent Soul cultivator here, they would have undoubtedly charged in without a second thought.
But Tai Heng was different. In his lifetime of cultivation, he had seen too many powerful cultivators tricked and killed by juniors far weaker than themselves.
Even confronted with a Hua Dan cultivator, he felt not the slightest hint of disdain.
Moreover, he believed there was no need for him to step inside. He was confident he had ways to deal with Zhang Yan without putting himself in danger.
Standing with his hands folded for a while, he let out a sharp exclamation. Instantly, a dark cloud rose, and the Demon Flood Dragon Nascent Soul escaped from the crown of his head.
Having absorbed the essence blood of many cultivators, the Demon Flood Dragon’s eyes now looked even more vicious than before. Its scale armor gleamed like black ink, thick and heavy. Under the command, it twisted sinuously, sending forth a violent gust of wind, and charged toward the Demon Storage with its head.
A booming resound echoed as layers of mysterious and intricate talismanic light patterns emerged on the Demon Storage, shimmering brilliantly, as dense as woven silk. Like a stone thrown into water, ripples spread outward from the impact point, reverberating in all directions before slowly dissipating.
The Demon Flood Dragon, seemingly unwilling to relent, collided with the structure over and over again. By its posture, it appeared intent on overturning the entire Demon Storage at all costs.
Zhang Yan remained composed, merely guarding the mechanism, fortifying the protecting array. No matter how intensely the Demon Flood Dragon raged, the array stood immovable like a mountain.
The Old Demon Tai Heng, seeing that he could not breach the protective array, had a thought and recalled the Nascent Soul.
His insight was far beyond that of ordinary men, and just a few probing strikes had already revealed that without the right Dharma Treasure, no matter how much effort he exerted, breaking through this layer of prohibition was not something that could be achieved within a matter of days.
However, what he found more noteworthy was that the person capable of holding dominion over this Demon Storage could not be an ordinary individual. Surely, traps or contingencies were laid within.
Smiling faintly, he reached into his sleeve and took out a few Prohibition Plates. Walking around the Demon Storage with measured steps, he spent nearly an hour setting up a sealing formation.
This item was in Yue Yuji’s possession and was initially intended to seal and entrap devils. At present, Tai Heng did not need to understand its methods of subduing demons and exorcising spirits. As long as it blocked Zhang Yan’s immediate escape, it sufficed, allowing him to lay out his plans more leisurely.
Positioning himself directly in front of the Demon Storage, Tai Heng sat cross-legged before the Tower Pavilion’s entrance. With a flick of his finger, a Stone Box flew out and landed steadily in his hand.
This Stone Box was one of the five Inheritance Treasures of the Yao Yin Sect. Within it lay various Dharma Treasures and artifacts, some possibly even counted as True Artifacts.
With his mana, even if he extracted just one Mystical Artifact from the box and slightly refined it, he would be able to wield it freely. By then, breaking through the protective array of the Demon Storage would no longer be a challenge. Once its defenses were removed, capturing Zhang Yan would be as easy as turning over his hand.
Refining open this box, coupled with refining a Dharma Treasure, would take an estimated seven or eight days. But Tai Heng was unconcerned. He knew that Zhang Yan, whatever method he had used to break the prohibition seal, could not rely on shortcuts to fully refine the Golden Seal. For a Hua Dan cultivator, no matter how potent their mana, it would take at least ten days to barely refine it. Thus, Tai Heng was confident he had time to wear him down.
As he carried out all these steps, Tai Heng did so openly, without any attempt at concealment. On the one hand, this stemmed from his arrogance. On the other hand, it was to ensure Zhang Yan clearly understood that even if he refused to come out, the outcome was already inevitable.
Inside, Zhang Yan watched every move of the Old Demon clearly. Under ordinary circumstances, this meticulous setup would indeed have left him completely cornered.