Chapter 165: The Trap of the Four Sages

Hearing Xie Jiu’s words, Lu Xiaoxue frowned and said, "If it were a standard magical artifact, I could easily repair it with my methods. However, the Demonic Dragon Blade might be a Heaven-Defying Spirit Treasure. To repair it, one must comprehend the True Essence of Artifact Forging, right?"

Suppressing her inner excitement, Xie Jiu asked, "Is the True Essence of Artifact Forging in the hands of Xing Chenfeng?"

Lu Xiaoxue shook her head and replied, "Back then, my father fought for a token that was rumored to conceal a heaven-shaking secret. He happened to hold one, and later heard that another existed within the Myriad-Year Ancient Tomb. He ventured into the tomb alone, only to be captured by the Zombie King, who seized the True Essence of Artifact Forging. The Zombie King did not realize its true value. Believing it to be an heirloom of the Heavenly Star Sect, he demanded that my father trade it for the Earth-Fiend Soul-Nourishing Wood. Before my father could find the Earth-Fiend Soul-Nourishing Wood, he passed away as an immortal."

Xie Jiu’s expression shifted, and his heart sank to the abyss. The Myriad-Year Ancient Tomb was a realm of zombies and malevolent ghosts—devoid of vitality, filled only with boundless deathly aura. Legend had it that it was formed naturally from the lingering energy of cultivators who had fallen in an ancient war between humans and demons, creating a self-contained minor realm. The Zombie King possessed strength comparable to a human cultivator at the Spirit-Refining stage. Moreover, feeding on the purest Yin energies of heaven and earth, his entire body was wreathed in lethal poison and as hard as a magical artifact, making him far more formidable than a human at the same stage.

It was completely beyond Xie Jiu’s capacity to contend with unless he could acquire the Earth-Fiend Soul-Nourishing Wood. Yet, two hundred years had already passed; the Zombie King might have obtained the Soul-Nourishing Wood through other means.

Going there himself would achieve nothing and might even cost him his life. This matter required deep deliberation before any plans could be made.

At this thought, he turned to Lu Xiaoxue and said, "I will find a way! The True Essence of Artifact Forging must be taken back; otherwise, I would fail the departed spirit of our master."

Lu Xiaoxue nodded as well, saying, "Senior Brother is right. We shall figure out a way to find the Earth-Fiend Soul-Nourishing Wood and plan from there. I must first recover my strength so I can forge a few immensely powerful magical artifacts for you to enhance your capabilities before we enter the Myriad-Year Ancient Tomb!"

Gently, Xie Jiu supported Lu Xiaoxue to the bed nearby and said, "Xue'er, your body has just recovered and you should not overexert yourself. Rest for a while and restore your spirit before you resume cultivation."

Graciously, Lu Xiaoxue nodded and obediently lay down, closing her eyes. Indeed, she was thoroughly exhausted and needed sleep.

Stepping out of the secret chamber, Xie Jiu sat cross-legged, his expression instantly turning gloomy. He muttered to himself, "How unlucky. After going through so much trouble, the True Essence of Artifact Forging turns out to be in the Millennial Ancient Tomb. Fortune truly plays tricks on people. I must devise a foolproof plan. Who is more powerful—the Zombie King or Shadow Mirage Qing from the underworld? If I can find a way to lure my 'daughter' into the Myriad-Year Ancient Tomb, Shadow Mirage Qing will certainly not stand by idly. When they clash, I can seize the opportunity to get my hands on the True Essence of Artifact Forging. Having paid such a heavy price to repair the Demonic Dragon Blade, I, Xie Jiu, cannot let all my previous efforts go to waste."

With that, he began to meticulously plot how to provoke friction between the Underworld Hell and the Millennial Ancient Tomb.

***

The Myriad Demon Mountain's Platform-Ascending Peak stood a thousand zhang tall, its summit a naturally formed, miraculous plateau spanning thousands of li, smooth as a mirror.

For a century, the Myriad Demon King had utilized arrays and restrictive barriers to transform this peak into a peerless spectacle.

Not far from the Platform-Ascending Peak lay the Youyun Valley, nestled in a low depression between two mountains like a bridge spanning heaven and earth, connecting the ridges on either side. Stretching for hundreds of li, the scenery was enchanting and breathtaking, populated by all manner of exotic trees and precious spiritual herbs.

It was tranquil, serene, and deeply relaxing to both body and mind.

Recently, however, tens of thousands of cultivators from nearly a hundred cultivation nations and various large and small sects across the Xuanwu Continent had gathered here. Seizing strategic terrain and excavating cave dwellings, they had come for the sake of a grand event concerning peace between the human and demon races, as well as the generous rewards.

With a month still remaining before the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, Youyun Valley was already overcrowded. Certain sects had even broken out into bloody, catastrophic battles over prime cave sites.

Ge Qian, Qin Chuchu, and the others had tested their combined execution of the Whirlwind Great Teleportation, reaching this place in a mere three days. It was estimated that it would still take half a month for the Beast-Taming Sect and the others to arrive.

Since Qin Chuchu had brought fewer people, she excavated a cave dwelling in a secluded spot, partitioning it into four cultivation chambers.

Although Ge Qian was not a grandmaster of array formations and could not compare to Liu Qian, patching up the moderately damaged Nine Nethers Soul-Refining Ultimate Annihilation Array was well within his capabilities.

Taking out nearly a hundred array flags, Ge Qian tossed them in all directions, swiftly deploying the formation. Even a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Transformation stage would be trapped within it, utterly unable to escape.

Once everything was settled, Qin Chuchu prepared to enter meditative cultivation to maintain her magical power at its peak.

Wang Yudong also returned to his private secret chamber, as if to cultivate some sort of secret technique.

Dai Yue and Dongfang Ping likewise retreated to their respective chambers, unwilling to venture outside. With cultivators from various nations swarming the area and mixing good with bad, it was best not to invite unnecessary trouble.

Ge Qian, however, felt inclined to go out and take a look. To condense his Beast Pill, he required pure demonic Qi; he might as well go out and seek his fortune.

Thus, stepping out of the cave dwelling and sensing the pure demonic Qi, the twelve pale-blue sword qi blades in his dantian absorbed the demonic energy and grew active.

While other cultivators in this place had to rely on medicinal pills to replenish their magical power, Ge Qian could absorb demonic Qi directly.

As he walked, fluctuations of arrays and restrictions could be sensed everywhere.

At this moment, two oddly dressed cultivators of the mid-Core Formation stage approached—one fat, one thin. The fat one was tall with fair skin; the thin one was short with brownish skin, both wearing identical yellow robes.

Seeing Ge Qian approach, they immediately stepped forward. The thin one cupped his fists and said, "Li Wei of the Nine Spirits Nation's Water Moon Sect greets Fellow Daoist."

The fat one was equally courteous, saying, "Wu Di of the Water Moon Sect greets Fellow Daoist."

Ge Qian promptly returned the courtesy, replying, "Ge Qian of the Zhao Nation's Heavenly Star Sect. I am very pleased to meet you both."

With a faint smile, Li Wei said, "Likewise. We have all come here to obtain the Nascent Soul-Breaking Pill, but there is only a single pill, making the competition truly cruel. Yet, since everyone has traveled here, we cannot simply return empty-handed, can we? The Benevolence Gate has set up a marketplace nearby for everyone to exchange and trade goods. Is Fellow Daoist interested? How about we travel together?"

Nodding, Ge Qian said, "As it happens, I am looking to part with a few magical artifacts. I shall trouble the two of you to lead the way."

Beaming with delight, they said, "Easily done, easily done. Just follow us, Fellow Daoist."

And so, Wu Di and Li Wei led Ge Qian around Youyun Valley for a while until they arrived at a heavily overgrown thicket.

The two men suddenly flashed aside, and the scenery around Ge Qian instantly shifted, turning dim and oppressive. The phantom images of the four divine beasts—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—soared and circled overhead.

Watching Ge Qian trapped within the formation, the two men burst into laughter. Wu Di sneered, "Fellow Daoist, the Benevolence Sect does indeed have a marketplace open, but it's not here. Remember not to blindly trust others' words in the future—otherwise, you won't even know how you died."

In Li Wei’s hand fluttered an array flag embroidered with the pattern of the Four Divine Beasts composed of rune scripts.