Jade Face Guard Pacifier, Wei Qing!

The Painted Skin Ghost, Yan Ran, smiled sweetly. "Blood Eye Protector, you flatter me."

"If it weren't for the other disciples of our Kunlun God Sect causing disturbances throughout Yuan Province, tying up the Prefect and those righteous sects, how could I have taken Black Stone City so easily by myself?"

She paused, looking at the Black Crystal atop the altar.

"The grand formation has been activated, but it will take at least three more days to completely lock onto the location of the Immortality Mask fragment."

"If we are discovered by the outside world during these three days..."

"No need to worry." The Blood Eye Protector sneered. "Black Stone City has been completely sealed by the Nether Mist Barrier. No message talismans can fly out, and no one can leave."

"As for the main city of Yuan Province, other Protectors are creating even bigger disturbances, so they won't have the capacity to worry about this place."

"But..." The Painted Skin Ghost hesitated. "Last night, a burly man sneaked into the city. His Blood Essence was so potent, far exceeding that of ordinary Spirit Condensation Realm Qi Refiners."

"He didn't discover anything unusual, but my intuition tells me that person... is not to be trifled with."

"Spirit Condensation Realm? A mere ant," the Blood Eye Protector said dismissively.

"If he dares to come again, he'll just make a good sacrifice. The Blood Essence and souls of Spirit Condensation Realm humans are top-grade materials."

As he spoke, he pointed to the black vertical eye imprint on his chest.

"Moreover, the Venerable One has bestowed the God Descent Imprint. If activated in a crisis, I can borrow thirty percent of the Venerable One's power."

"The Venerable One is at the peak of Profound Connection, a being half a step into Dao Unification. Thirty percent of his power... even if the Prefect of Yuan Province himself came, what could he do to me?"

The Painted Skin Ghost breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of reverence flashing in her eyes.

Profound Connection Realm, the third stage of Qi Refinement.

Cultivators at this realm could already initially communicate with heaven and earth, wield spiritual power, and were worlds apart from the second stage, Spirit Condensation Realm.

Profound Connection Realm, unlike Spirit Condensation Realm's nine layers, was divided into only four stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak.

Each minor realm difference represented a gap of several times, or even tenfold, in strength.

Both the Painted Skin Ghost and the Blood Eye Protector were only in the Early Profound Connection stage, while that Kunlun Sect Venerable One was already at the terrifying peak of Profound Connection, half a step into Dao Unification.

Let alone in a frontier region like Yuan Province, even looking across the entire Limitless Dynasty, he was among the absolute top tier.

"With the God Descent Imprint, there is indeed no need to worry."

The Painted Skin Ghost nodded, then looked at the altar and mused, "Our sect has been searching for this Immortality Mask fragment for over a century, yet the clues have always only pointed to within a hundred miles of Black Stone City...

Are the relics of the True God Yin Extremity truly this difficult to find?"

The Blood Eye Protector's gaze was fervent. "Precisely because it is a divine relic, it possesses the ability to distort space and conceal heavenly secrets."

"But the Nine Nether Return to Ruins Grand Formation was created for this very purpose! With the blood and souls of twenty thousand living beings as sacrifice, we will surely break through the artifact's self-concealing power."

He then pointed to the growing number of vacant-eyed sacrifices.

"Once the blood sacrifice is complete in three days and the formation's power reaches its peak, that is when the fragment will reveal itself!"

The Limitless Dynasty's territory was vast, with Yuan Province located in the southwest, a region of mountains and miasma.

At this moment, a slender figure was flying with light steps, leaving only a faint trail of blue smoke in her wake as she moved between the official roads and the wilderness.

A subtle, pale green halo enveloped her, a clear sign of a high-grade Swift Travel Talisman being fully activated.

This person was Wei Qing, the Jade Face Guard Pacifier of the Demon Subduing Division's headquarters in the Limitless Dynasty, holding a rank of Fourth Grade.

She had ascended to this position at just thirty years of age, partly due to the patronage of her father, Wei Changqing, the Third Grade Commander of the Demon Subduing Division, but more so due to her own exceptional talent.

Her Qi Refinement cultivation had already reached the sixth level of the Spirit Condensation Realm, and she had condensed the Black Tortoise Dharma Idol, which was both offensive and defensive, stable as a mountain. Among the younger generation in the Demon Subduing Division headquarters, she was considered a top talent.

This time, she was heading alone to Black Stone City, a small border town under Yuan Province's jurisdiction, under the secret orders of Gu Cangming, the Deputy Commander of the division.

According to Lord Gu, who was renowned for his astrological predictions, and who had glimpsed a corner of heavenly secrets at the cost of his lifespan, There had been recent anomalies in the earth veins of Black Stone City, suggesting that an extremely sinister and foul entity was about to break free from its seal, and it needed to be investigated as soon as possible.

However, currently, across the Nine Provinces of the Dynasty, except for the Central Province which was relatively peaceful, the occurrences of Yao and Mo rampages in the other eight provinces had suddenly surged, with a frequency and intensity far exceeding previous years.

The Demon Subduing Division was stretched thin, with its elites already dispatched to various dangerous locations. The headquarters simply couldn't spare more late-stage Spirit Condensation Realm experts, Which was why the mission was entrusted to Wei Qing, whose strength and loyalty were both reliable.

Wei Qing had no complaints about this.

Exterminating demons and upholding the Dao was the Demon Subduing Division's sacred duty.

Furthermore, she had absolute faith in Deputy Commander Gu's divination skills and set off immediately after receiving the order.

With her cultivation at the sixth level of the Spirit Condensation Realm, supplemented by precious high-grade Swift Travel Talismans, her speed was naturally extremely fast.

However, the sights she witnessed on her journey to Yuan Province caused Wei Qing's brow to furrow deeply.

Almost every city she passed through was shrouded in a miasma of blood and gore.

All the Demon Revealing Mirrors on the city walls had dim lights, and the streets showed traces of minor Yao rampaging from time to time.

The common folk were in a panic, and the local constables were exhausted from rushing around.

She was not a heartless person.

Despite the urgency of her mission, she couldn't simply ignore Yao creatures slaughtering mortals when she encountered them.

In Green Mist City, her blade flashed, cleaving a Pig Demon, nearly ten feet tall, that was charging the city walls into two halves.

Passing through Fallen Maple Town, the phantom image of her Black Tortoise Dharma Idol vibrated slightly, crushing several ferocious Yao creatures that had sprung from an ancient well into powder.

When she passed White Stone Ferry, she even shattered a first-tier late-stage dog demon that was using illusions to harm people with a single palm strike.

Judging by their auras, many of these Yao creatures were second-tier mid-stage, equivalent to the fourth or fifth level of the Spirit Condensation Realm for humans. They shouldn't have been so easily vanquished.

But when Wei Qing fought them, she always felt a strange sensation. Their Demon Power was superficial, their techniques were crude, and their combat instincts were far inferior to wild Yao demons of the same level.

It was as if... they had been forcibly nurtured and elevated by some power, possessing a realm but lacking the corresponding foundation.

"Something's not right..."

Doubts began to arise in her heart.

However, the warning from Black Stone City was like a sword hanging over her head, leaving her no time to investigate the root of these anomalies.

After eliminating each disaster, she didn't even have time to accept the gratitude of the local officials before reactivating her Swift Travel Talisman, turning into a stream of light to continue her journey.

Fighting as she traveled, it was already the afternoon of the second day after receiving the order when she could vaguely see the silhouette of Black Stone City's distinctive walls, built from the local specialty Black Stone.

However, when Wei Qing truly saw the scene before her, her eyes, as calm as water, suddenly contracted, and an unprecedented solemnity appeared on her usually serene face!

Where were the city walls?

As far as her eyes could see, the entire city seemed to have been completely swallowed by a giant, opaque black mist.

The black mist churned incessantly, exuding a chilling, deathly, and ominous aura that made one's heart palpitate.

Even the sunlight seemed to be completely devoured upon hitting it.

This was definitely not ordinary demonic mist!

And it was definitely not something she could resolve alone!

Without hesitation, Wei Qing immediately took out the high-level long-distance communication talisman of the Demon Subduing Division and directly contacted the highest administrative official of Yuan Province, the Prefect.

The talisman flickered for a moment, and before she could speak, the heavy yet helpless voice of the Prefect of Yuan Province came through:

"Pacifier Wei, Deputy Commander Gu has already informed this official about the prophecy of Black Stone City."

"However, the main city of the provincial government has also been repeatedly harassed by powerful demons recently, and the earth veins are shaking. I must remain at the central hub to mobilize the entire province's luck and magic formations for defense. I truly cannot spare any assistance."

"The situation in Black Stone City is unclear. Pacifier Wei, please... investigate first, or assemble personnel on-site to ascertain the facts."

"This official can grant all necessary permissions."

With that, the communication was cut off.

Wei Qing's expression turned slightly cold, but she knew that the Prefect's words were likely not false.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the chill in her heart, and then activated the Beacon Fire Token used by the Demon Subduing Division for emergency mobilization.

The token's light spread out at a specific frequency, covering an area of several hundred miles around Black Stone City.