Six-Tailed Blood Eye Demonic Banner

Zheng Yi fled far away and saw one of the demonic cultivators holding a massive Six-Tailed Blood Eye Demonic Banner, its surface covered in eerie blood-red eyes.

He waved the Six-Tailed Blood Eye Demonic Banner, releasing streak after streak of crimson demonic light. Wherever the light struck was reduced directly to dust. Terrifying demonic qi blotted out the sky and covered the earth, engulfing an entire hill.

The other was an elderly man with a livid, shriveled face, like a zombie. He spread open his enormous sleeves, and countless terrifying Flying Bats capable of soaring through the skies and burrowing into the earth flew from within them.

These strange black bats unleashed piercing sonic howls, their astonishing power leveling a towering little peak.

In his previous life, Zheng Yi had only seen such terrifying battles on television. Now that he was witnessing one unfold before his very eyes, his mouth went dry and chills ran through the soles of his feet.

Yet at the same time, he envied that terrifying power all the more.

With an entire Apocalyptic World at his back.

Zheng Yi believed that one day, he too would wield such terrifying power.

And that day should not be too far off.

He had lived in the Da Yi Immortal Domain for more than ten years. Profound Sky City was, after all, the seat of renowned orthodox sects, where order was strict. What he had experienced there paled beside these past few months.

Without realizing it, Zheng Yi gained a deeper understanding of just how dangerous the Demon Domain was.

Concealing his aura and avoiding dangerous areas, Zheng Yi followed the markings on the map all the way. Only after seven or eight days of arduous travel did he finally reach the location marked on it.

Standing at the marked point, Zheng Yi looked in every direction. Vast wilderness stretched all around him. There was not even a single mountain nearby, so where was this sect's mountain gate?

"Could I have been cheated?!"

"No way..."

"A dignified seventh-layer high-level Qi Refining Cultivator would not give me a false route just to cheat me out of a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

Zheng Yi had his doubts, but he did not think Chen Jiu, the deacon of Blood Mist Abyss City, had any reason to deceive him.

Given Chen Jiu's status, the two of them were worlds apart.

For him to go to such lengths to deceive Zheng Yi just for the Spirit Stones in his possession simply made no sense.

"What is going on here?"

Zheng Yi could not help sinking into deep silence.

A chilling wind howled across the barren earth, where not a blade of grass grew. It tugged at Zheng Yi's robes, and cold air poured in through his sleeves and collar, making him shudder.

The Inner Sect Disciple token he had been given was clearly made from extraordinary material. It had also been refined through exquisite methods, capable of melding with blood and producing a resonance. Zheng Yi did not believe he had been swindled.

If they truly meant to deceive him, why give him an Inner Sect Disciple token and explain things to him repeatedly?

Had he taken a wrong turn, then?

That was impossible as well. He had always been cautious and meticulous. Along the way, he had followed the map's marked route exactly, without the slightest deviation.

He had even found every key landmark marked on the map for confirming his bearings.

If he could still have gone wrong after all that, it would be utterly ridiculous.

Bang...

Bang!

Just as Zheng Yi stood there in confusion, his eyes flickering as he stared at the desolate landscape and racked his brains over what could have gone wrong—

The Inner Sect Disciple token in his chest suddenly began vibrating violently.

Zheng Yi's heart jolted. He hurriedly took it out and saw the white jade token flashing with white light.

When Zheng Yi held it out, the white light pointed directly in one direction. No matter how he turned, the indicated direction did not change in the slightest.

At last, Zheng Yi felt reassured.

"Looks like I did not take the wrong direction..."

"And Chen Jiu, the Soul Devouring Sect's Outer Sect Deacon in Blood Mist Abyss City, had no reason to deceive me either..."

This Inner Sect Disciple token had mysteries of its own. It was not merely proof of identity; it could also point the way.

No longer hesitating, Zheng Yi proceeded in the direction indicated by the token's white light.

He passed through a stretch of wasteland. Apart from weeds, there was not a single living creature in sight. There was only gloomy weather, howling cold winds, and dense mist that obscured both sight and hearing.

But Zheng Yi was unafraid. The Lifebound Artifact Soul Devouring Banner stored within his body emitted a faint red glow, remaining on guard at every moment.

Should he encounter any danger, his Lifebound Artifact Soul Devouring Banner would immediately open and release the forty-nine Netherworld Soldier Vengeful Spirits contained within.

To Zheng Yi, his own life was the most important thing.

If his Lifebound Artifact was gone, he could refine another.

But if his life was gone, then everything would be over!

Zheng Yi had already died once. After finally receiving heaven's favor and transmigrating into the Cultivation World of the Da Yi Immortal Domain—

And after finally seizing the great opportunity of the Apocalyptic World, how could he possibly be willing to die?

No one cherished life more than he did.

Thus, he continued onward with utmost caution.

After advancing only five li, Zheng Yi suddenly felt his body grow heavy, while the air around him became viscous.

It was as though he had passed through a thick barrier, squeezing his whole body through a mass of foam.

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Yi entered a space shrouded in mist.

The surrounding space was completely wrapped in dense fog. The mist contained certain peculiar substances, and even a cultivator's Spirit Eye could not see farther than two meters.

"So my eyes had deceived me earlier. Before the Soul Devouring Sect's mountain gate stood an enormous Illusion Array that directly enveloped the entire sect grounds."

"It seems I was too shallow in my earlier judgment. Though the Soul Devouring Sect has declined, its origins are likely far from simple."

"Such a grand Illusion Array does not seem like the work of an ordinary minor Foundation Establishment Realm sect. If this is only one part of the sect's protective formation, then I may need to assess the Soul Devouring Sect more cautiously."

Carefully avoiding the mist, Zheng Yi's heart sank as he thought to himself.

Had he not possessed the guidance of the Inner Sect Disciple token, there was no way that someone with his cultivation and perception could have found this place.

Much less passed through the Illusion Realm and arrived at the mountain gate's exact location.

The wilderness he had seen earlier was not the true landscape, but something concealed beneath the Illusion Array. Without special guidance, ordinary cultivators would not even be able to find the array's entrance.

And after entering, he had evidently only passed the outermost perimeter of the Soul Devouring Sect's mountain gate, with the first Illusion Array merely opening its first layer.

This sea of mist should likewise be a means of verifying one's identity.

Even if someone stumbled into this place by accident, without guidance, they would likely be trapped here until they died, much less find a path out.

A sect's grounds had always been the most heavily defended place in the Cultivation World.

"Looks like I chose the right sect this time."

Zheng Yi thought to himself.

"The Soul Devouring Sect may not be particularly famous in the surrounding Demon Domain, but judging by what I see now, it still possesses considerable means and foundation."