Demon Trail, Xie Yue

"Boom!"

A blinding bolt of lightning struck one of the giant trees on the outermost ring island of Kunlun's nine-layered ring islands, shattering the entire treetop, which resembled a verdant canopy, into pieces that rained down.

"It's been several days, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy is still so chaotic."

"That Yuan Tianyi is truly an unparalleled figure. We're already struggling just to repair the broken formation cores and withstand the might of heaven and earth in this area, yet he single-handedly broke our Great Sumeru Positive and Negative Nine Palaces Formation with such ease… I heard even Master was severely injured…"

About thirty feet from the giant tree, on the rocky shore, two Kunlun disciples found themselves thinking this involuntarily.

Both Kunlun disciples wore purple Daoist robes and had faces like jade, appearing to be only in their early twenties. The one on the left was named Shen Shui, and the one on the right was named Ding Yuan. Both were direct disciples of Jiuba.

Before them, the sea churned with a rapidly spinning vortex. However, the swirling currents would occasionally collide chaotically, erupting in earth-shattering waves, as if some massive monster were stirring up trouble beneath the sea.

This place was one of the thirteen thousand formation cores of Kunlun's Great Sumeru Positive and Negative Nine Palaces Formation.

Kunlun's mountain-protecting formation was composed of thirteen thousand formation cores that communicated with the might of heaven and earth to form a powerful magic array. After Yuan Tianyi forcefully broke it with his immense power that day, most of these formation cores were destroyed. Currently, Shen Shui and Ding Yuan were responsible for repairing this particular core.

A transparent stream of auspicious light rigidly blocked the crashing waves and the surging energy from the seabed, parting the seawater and revealing the dark depths below.

Wind stabilization, water avoidance. These two spells were not considered profound for Kunlun disciples. However, as they descended into the water, the pressure increased, and the fierce winds and waves generated by the chaotic Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy were incredibly powerful. Shen Shui was exerting his full strength just to prevent the transparent light shield he had conjured from being breached.

"Junior Brother Shen Shui, I'll need the time it takes for one incense stick to burn." Ding Yuan swept his Spiritual Sense across the seabed and discovered that all the five-colored jade stones, arranged according to the Positive and Negative Nine Palaces and the Eight Trigrams of the formation diagram, had shattered.

"I can hold on for the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. Senior Brother Ding Yuan, please be careful."

"Alright." Ding Yuan said no more. With a movement of his body, he plunged directly into the dark depths of the seabed.

Shen Shui also moved, no longer standing on the shore. He flew with the wind to hover above the abyss he had created, his expression grave, his gaze fixed on Ding Yuan's purple figure rapidly descending.

Although Shen Shui knew that with Ding Yuan's cultivation level, even if he couldn't hold on, Ding Yuan would have no problem protecting himself, the materials for setting up the formation core were precious. Furthermore, if the arrangement were done improperly, it could even trigger a celestial phenomenon.

In the dark abyss, a patch of greenish light suddenly appeared. "Azure Dragon Ring." Upon seeing this, Shen Shui knew that Ding Yuan was being extremely cautious and had already released his personal magic treasure.

"Done!" Ding Yuan had said it would take the time of one incense stick, but it only took about half that time. Shen Shui saw five-colored light surging from the seabed, the pressure on his light shield eased, and the surrounding sea surface instantly became calm.

Shen Shui's heart also relaxed immediately, as he knew that this formation core had been repaired!

Ding Yuan, enveloped in a greenish glow, ascended from the bottomless abyss. In an instant, he was only a few dozen feet from Shen Shui. Shen Shui could even see the joy on Ding Yuan's face, but at that moment, disaster struck!

"Heeheehee!"

An eerie, strange laugh seemed to resound directly in Shen Shui's mind. Before he or Ding Yuan could react, a black, ink-like vital energy surged out from the side of the sea, which was like a solid wall. It enveloped Ding Yuan, wrapped around him, and his body immediately withered, plummeting into the seabed abyss.

"How dare a demon dare to trespass upon my Kunlun?" Shen Shui jolted awake, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Without thinking, with a clang, Yang Fire surged, and a purplish-red stream of light slashed towards the still-circling black cloud.

This purplish-red stream of light was Shen Shui's prized magic treasure, the Purple Gold Sun Fire Ruler, forged by tempering the True Sun Fire with condensed purple-gold essence. It was specifically designed to break through profound Yin and defiled energies. Now, Shen Shui's Primordial Spirit sensed that the black cloud was filled with profound Yin demonic energy, so he immediately released this magic treasure.

With a hiss, the black cloud was split in two by a sweep of the Purple Gold Sun Fire Ruler, emitting a sound like oil sizzling on a red-hot iron plate. "What kind of demonic art is this? It's not afraid of my Purple Gold Sun Fire Ruler!" But what made Shen Shui's pupils contract instantly was that after being split in two, the black cloud did not dissipate. Instead, it lunged towards his face. "Not good!" Shen Shui's Primordial Spirit trembled violently, and this thought became the last in his mind!

Two streams of black cloud seemed to pierce directly through Shen Shui's seven facial orifices, disappearing without a trace.

Shen Shui's eyes rolled back, his body trembled, and when his pupils returned to normal, his gaze was filled with vigilance and smugness.

"The cultivation and magic treasures of Kunlun disciples are indeed powerful, having cut off three parts of my Yin Fiend Demonic Qi. However, these two have very little combat experience. Compared to those who have traveled the world more, like Yan Yunming and the others, they are worlds apart. It's like guarding a mountain of gold and silver but not knowing how to use it, starving to death while sitting on a fortune!"

With a snort, after scanning his surroundings, "Shen Shui" uttered this disdainful cold snort.

In the blink of an eye, Ding Yuan, who had not weak cultivation, and Shen Shui, one was killed, and the other's body was taken over by the black cloud!

"So the ninth island is a forbidden area, with thirteen restrictions set up. There must be figures among the Ten Great Golden Immortals guarding it…" "Shen Shui's" eyeballs darted around erratically, and his limbs moved without pattern, as if the black cloud occupying Shen Shui's body were adapting to it, or perhaps reading the thoughts within Shen Shui's Sea of Consciousness.

"With my cultivation, it would still be difficult to infiltrate Kunlun's forbidden area. Fortunately, Yuan Tianyi has thrown Kunlun into such disarray. Now, at least I know the method of entering and leaving Kunlun. I'll leave now and make further plans." After his eyeballs darted around, this "Shen Shui" paused, having made up his mind. But just as "Shen Shui" looked towards the sea, intending to slip into the depths and leave quietly, a cold snort echoed in his mind. "Yin Mei Luo Tian Great Law, you are Old Ghost Yuanchen of Fengdu Mountain."

Although the voice was low, it was like a thunderclap to this "Shen Shui." "Who is it!" He stiffened, his eyes darting around in shock and uncertainty, but he saw no one within his line of sight.

"A broken piece of trash like you dares to offend my Kunlun and kill my Kunlun disciples? If I don't utterly destroy your body and soul, how can Kunlun still stand in this world?"

"Shen Shui's" face changed drastically. Suddenly, seven streams of black malevolent energy surged out from "Shen Shui's" face, fleeing desperately in seven different directions!

The one who had instantly killed Ding Yuan, annihilated Shen Shui's divine soul, and taken over his body was Yuanchen of Fengdu Mountain.

Yuanchen's Yin Mei Luo Tian Great Law was specifically refined by extracting Yin souls and malevolent energy. The Primordial Spirit could attach itself to it, being formless and incorporeal, making it difficult for ordinary spells and magic treasures to harm. Once it enveloped someone, it could use Yin Fiend Demonic Qi to dissolve the opponent's divine soul and seize their body, making it extremely vicious. Yuanchen was a somewhat renowned figure in the cultivation world, but now, being in Kunlun, and although he didn't know who the voice belonged to, just hearing the tone, Yuanchen had already formed the idea that he was utterly incapable of fighting them, so he fled for his life immediately.

This Yin Mei Luo Tian Great Law allowed the Primordial Spirit to split into seven, and being formless and incorporeal, it could travel thousands of miles in an instant when fleeing desperately, much like a Nascent Soul escaping.

As long as one of the seven split Primordial Spirits escaped, it would not be utterly destroyed.

However, as these seven streams of black cloud shot out in all directions, they collided with invisible walls, exploding in the air with a bang, instantly turning into ashes by white flames that appeared without warning.

"Even this kind of trash dares to come to Kunlun and act presumptuously."

The giant tree struck by lightning suddenly split open from the middle, and a young man walked out.

The young man's clothes were tattered, and his hair was disheveled. From a distance, he looked like an utter beggar. However, as he slightly raised his head and walked slowly, it seemed as if every step he took caused a white radiance to condense into lotus platforms beneath his feet.

It was actually the legendary realm of "step by step lotus blooming," which only cultivators with world-defying cultivation could possibly achieve!

"It's actually… even the Great Sumeru Positive and Negative Nine Palaces Formation was broken!" Seeing the scene of towering waves and flashing lightning and thunder within his line of sight, the young man who had instantly annihilated Yuanchen turned his head sharply towards Kunlun's forbidden area—the ninth island, his eyes shooting out a dazzling divine light that could not be directly gazed upon!

"Martial Uncle Xie Yue has come out of seclusion!"

"...Not good, Martial Uncle Xie Yue he…!"

"..."

This young man was none other than Xie Yue, one of Kunlun's Ten Great Golden Immortals, who had cultivated the Cultivated the Perfected Lotus Platform Dharma Flower Art and had been in seclusion for fifty years!

And just as Yuanchen's seven split Primordial Spirits were instantly annihilated by him, and many streams of light surged towards this place, accompanied by bursts of exclamations, he had already, like a meteor, plunged into Kunlun's ninth island. Kunlun's forbidden area!

"Sect Leader Huang Wushen! Since you are the Sect Leader designated by Master, I will not contend with you. But you have brought Kunlun to such a state. If you do not give me an explanation, I will not rest until it is resolved!"

Xie Yue charged directly towards the forbidden area. Before he even landed, his imposing voice echoed from the highest heavens.

This resolute aura was somewhat similar to Yuan Tianyi's arrogance.

"Senior Brother, fifty years have passed, and you still have the same temper." Within the ninth island, Huang Wushen, who had been sitting motionlessly facing the mountain wall, sighed softly and stood up.