Not long after, when the cultivators who had gone to inspect the other arrays returned, the situation they described was exactly the same as the first report—the arrays had been destroyed, and the disciples operating them had vanished without a trace.
At this point, everyone realized the severity of the issue. The Ye Family cultivators fell into silence.
“This area spans a hundred miles, and aside from our Ye Family cultivators, there are no other practitioners present. If someone infiltrated later to sabotage the arrays, the timing of their actions is far too coincidental. The moment we lifted the seal, someone tampered with the concealment arrays. It seems the problem lies within our own ranks,” the Confucian scholar suddenly sneered.
“One of our own!”
“Impossible! Everyone here is from the Ye Family. Who would do such a thing?”
“All from the Ye Family? Not necessarily. There’s one who doesn’t bear the Ye surname!”
After a brief discussion, someone voiced this suspicion.
Hearing this, most of the cultivators instinctively turned their gazes toward one person—a plain-looking, calm-faced individual who was actually the human form of the ancient demon.
“Elder Han was personally invited by me and has been with Seventh Uncle the entire time. Do not make baseless accusations,” the Ye Family’s Grand Elder sternly reprimanded.
“Indeed. Fellow Daoist Han has indeed been with me the whole time. We had a pleasant conversation,” the large-headed oddity added indifferently.
The other cultivators, hearing this, immediately dismissed their suspicions, trusting the words of this senior Ye Family member.
The Confucian scholar then turned to the square-faced cultivator and ordered,
“Second Brother, go to the lakebed and confirm whether anyone else is missing besides those vanished disciples.”
“Understood!” The square-faced cultivator nodded, transforming into a streak of light that plunged into the lake and disappeared.
“Elders, let us prepare. Though the anomaly here is too conspicuous to hide, no factions can pose an immediate threat. The Southern Border lacks major sects, and cultivators from other regions will take more than ten days or even a month to arrive. Regardless of what lies within Kunwu Mountain, we must swiftly uncover its treasures—especially those two Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasures. Only by securing them can we ensure our survival, even if our plans are exposed. Otherwise, centuries of planning will be for naught, and the Ye Family may face extermination. We cannot allow that!” The white-robed Confucian scholar spoke with chilling severity.
“Yes, Grand Elder!” The other Ye Family elders responded in unison, their expressions grave.
After a short wait, the square-faced cultivator and the white-robed elder emerged from the lake.
The square-faced cultivator approached the Confucian scholar with a grim expression. “Third Brother, two array masters are indeed missing—disciples from Fifth Uncle and Twelfth Uncle’s branches. Could they have betrayed the family?”
“Hmph! Betrayal is uncertain, but they may have been soul-searched and killed. When did they disappear?” the Confucian scholar asked coldly.
“About two days ago. They were stationed at distant arrays, so no one suspected anything. It wasn’t until today, when all disciples were supposed to gather, that their absence was noticed,” the white-haired elder replied, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“It seems the issue truly lies with these two. But regardless of the truth, it no longer matters. Once we enter Kunwu Mountain, all array masters and disciples must withdraw immediately. Have the seal’s fissure been located?” the Confucian scholar asked calmly.
“Yes, the array has pinpointed it—twenty miles north, underground, at a depth of a thousand zhang. There’s a fissure several dozen zhang long. The elders can descend directly,” the white-haired elder hurriedly replied.
“Lead the way. We depart now,” the Confucian scholar commanded without hesitation.
“Yes, Grand Elder!” The white-haired elder bowed.
Immediately, the nine cultivators flew northward. Moments later, they arrived above a dense forest twenty miles away, its trees lush and thriving.
The white-haired elder halted, scanning the surroundings before producing a pale silver array disk.
Chanting an incantation, he struck the disk with a spell, causing it to glow with spiritual light and reveal faint runic patterns.
“This is the place!” the elder confirmed after a brief inspection.
“Good! Ninth Sister, release the spirit beast. We descend now,” the Confucian scholar said, turning to an elderly nun behind him.
The nun nodded, tapping her spirit beast pouch. A streak of yellow light shot out, rapidly expanding into a hundred-foot-long centipede that spewed green mist, its appearance fearsome.
Without further instruction, all Ye Family cultivators except the white-haired elder boarded the centipede’s back.
The nun uttered a low command, and the centipede enveloped itself in a pale yellow barrier, shielding all aboard. With a flick of its body, it plunged downward.
The massive centipede sank into the ground without a sound, vanishing in an instant.
It was a spirit beast proficient in earth escape techniques.
The white-haired elder lingered in the air briefly, ensuring no Ye Family members reemerged, before sighing in relief and flying back the way he came.
Meanwhile, two hundred miles away, several blue-robed, red-turbaned cultivators stared at seven towering milky-white light pillars in the distance, exchanging bewildered glances.
“What is this? Such an astonishing phenomenon!” a young man in his twenties muttered dazedly.
“Whatever it is, it’s no ordinary event. Junior Brother Yu, return to the sect and report this. I’ll take the others to investigate!” the dark-skinned leader ordered solemnly.
One cultivator immediately complied, flying off on his artifact, while the rest followed the middle-aged leader toward the lake.
Farther away, atop a mountain peak, over a hundred low-level cultivators—mostly at the Qi Condensation stage, with few at Foundation Establishment—gathered in a small assembly. Though weak, they clearly saw the radiant pillars. Some stood on boulders, others hovered on artifacts, all gaping in astonishment.
At the foot of an unnamed desolate mountain, a slightly plump elder stood before a half-open stone door, gazing thoughtfully at the distant light pillars.
Similar scenes unfolded across thousands of miles, centered on the Ye Family’s lake. Cultivators from nearby clans, reclusive rogue practitioners—all were drawn toward the source of the pillars.
Soon, rumors of a rare treasure’s emergence spread like wildfire across the Southern Border.
Days later, even neighboring provinces caught wind of the news.
The entire Southern Border was thrown into turmoil!
As the Ye Family descended underground, Han Li found himself in an unknown location, standing atop a massive teleportation array surrounded by rough stone walls—a vast cavern resembling a stalactite cave.
He frowned at the shattered crimson rings at his feet—the restraints that had once bound the Silver-Winged Corpse.
Now broken, the rings lay scattered, and the corpse demon was nowhere to be seen. The outcome was obvious.
His gaze shifted to his waist, where a green jade talisman glowed faintly.
The pattern was familiar—a rare teleportation talisman. He had seen its paper counterpart during teleportations in the Chaotic Star Seas.
With a frown, he retrieved a blue token—the Great Shift Token he had acquired years ago.
During the teleportation, unsure of his destination and fearing spatial pressure, he had instinctively gripped it.
Yet, to his surprise, the jade talisman had materialized at his waist the moment the teleportation light appeared, leaving him no chance to evade it.
Whether this was an innate function of the ancient array or a deliberate design by its creators, he couldn’t tell.
Regardless, this ancient teleportation talisman held immense research value, differing vastly from modern versions.
As he reached for it, the talisman disintegrated into motes of light before his fingers could touch it.
He blinked, then chuckled wryly.
The talisman’s craftsmanship was meticulous—its spiritual energy precisely calibrated for a single use. The others must have met the same fate.
His gaze shifted to the nearby Weeping Soul Beast and the two gray cocoons suspended in midair, all bearing identical talismans.
As expected, these talismans also vanished the moment he looked.
The corpse wolf, meanwhile, had become a true corpse. The Weeping Soul Beast, now grown to ten feet tall, leaped atop it, pounding its chest in excitement.
The wolf had been unlucky—emerging from the teleportation right beside Han Li, who, recovering from the disorientation first, struck it heavily with Divine Devilbane Lightning.
The Weeping Soul Beast then sucked out its corpse energy, finishing it off effortlessly.
The Silver-Winged Corpse, indifferent to the wolf’s fate, seized the opportunity to escape by riding the wind, vanishing without a trace.
Now free, Han Li surveyed his surroundings, contemplating his next move.
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