At the center of the battlefield in Hidden Moon Pool Ravine, the three Xuanyuan Sect disciples finally finished setting up their formation.
"Qian position!"
"Kun position!"
"Xun position!"
"Spirit-Congealing Form-Locking Formation! Activate!"
As the disciples activated the formation in unison, three golden spiritual lights condensed into threads, forming a triangle above the pool. A barely perceptible barrier instantly took shape.
Perhaps sensing that its room to move was shrinking, the fish demon struggled even harder, its enormous body repeatedly slamming against the barrier.
Yet no matter how it battered the barrier, the three golden Rainbow Lights remained utterly motionless.
"Lock its form!"
The three Xuanyuan Sect cultivators shouted in unison.
Hum-
At a certain instant, the trapping formation enclosed by the golden Rainbow Lights suddenly shuddered and hummed. Then each Rainbow Light split into three finer golden threads, which slowly spun and contracted toward the center.
Bang-
The fish demon gave a mournful cry and struggled all the more violently, thrashing up sprays of water in the cold pool.
The Spirit-Congealing Form-Locking Formation was not finished. Successive triangles of golden spiritual threads continued to contract until they pressed against the fish demon's body.
Within moments, Crucian Qiu's head, body, and tail were each locked in a ring of golden spiritual threads.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, if you still refuse to act now, I fear you'll waste all the hard work of your Xuanyuan Sect's three juniors..."
With a deft point of Chai Yanghui's finger, the Azure Jade Dao Talisman turned into a streak of light and returned to his pouch. He looked coldly at Wang Xi.
Neither he nor Lu Ziye was a fool easily taken in. Both knew perfectly well just how much effort Wang Xi had contributed during this fierce battle.
Chai Yanghui had originally been unwilling to expose him. After all, one less trouble was better than one more, and the Xuanyuan Sect was not something their Spirit Talisman Sect could afford to provoke. But this battle had dragged on far too long, and disciples of the three sects had already suffered injuries.
For such a simple inspection mission, giving these new disciples some practice was all well and good, but if lives were lost, it would not be worth it at all.
"Hahahaha! No need to remind me, Brother Chai. My Earth-Crumbling Mountain-Shaking Incantation comes at just the right moment!"
An earthen-yellow spiritual light flickered in Wang Xi's palm, and he closed his hand around empty air.
Boom!!!
Pure spiritual power condensed into an earthen-yellow bead. A powerful suction drew rocks and clods of earth from all around Hidden Moon Pool Ravine.
Brilliant light surged at Wang Xi's fingertips, and several streams of spiritual power transformed into sand and stone.
Within a few short breaths, a small, inverted mountain formed above the fish demon, its downward-pointing peak aimed straight at the demon's head.
"Graa-"
The fish demon seemed to sense the danger and struggled even more fiercely.
"Fall!"
Driven by spiritual power, the small mountain crashed down, smashing the fish demon from above Hidden Moon Pool into its waters and sinking along with it in a great splash...
Before long, the pool's surface began to redden. The Demon Beast's blood stained Hidden Moon Pool.
Only then did Chai Yanghui's brow relax. His Spirit-Appraising Art detected no remaining life in the Demon Beast. Without hesitation, he hurriedly flew down to examine the Spirit Talisman Sect disciples' injuries.
"..."
Wang Xi gave Chai Yanghui a long look, then announced loudly.
"Thank you all for your assistance, fellow Daoists. Now that the Demon Beast has been slain, rest nearby for a while. In a little while, return to the valley with me to report the completion of our mission."
Everyone in the ravine complied, settling down here and there to regulate their breathing and tend to their injuries.
Wang Xi's cultivation was not actually the highest here. Leaving Lu Ziye aside, Chai Yanghui had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining several years ago and should soon reach the peak of Qi Refining.
However, the Xuanyuan Sect was the overlord of the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world. Moreover, it had been the first to discover Silent Valley and had taken the lead in excavating it, so Xuanyuan Sect disciples naturally led missions related to Silent Valley.
Wang Xi waved his sleeve, and the three Xuanyuan Sect disciples who had set up the formation went off to regulate their breathing.
Shen Huai gave him a meaningful look, and the two of them headed into the depths of the woods.
Among the Spirit Talisman Sect disciples regulating their breathing, Wan Songran, who had already been watching the Xuanyuan Sect disciples, narrowed his eyes. Entirely uninjured, he too found a spot nearby and slowly closed his eyes.
The Soundproofing Formation activated.
Shen Huai said coldly, "There was no need for such a grand display just to kill a fish demon... Senior Brother Wang."
"Since when did you dare tell me what to do..."
Wang Xi's expression was indifferent. "Just do your own job..."
"Hmph..."
Shen Huai snorted, then began listing information about the various sects' disciples. "Chai Yanghui, ninth layer of Qi Refining, with one foot already in the Qi Refining Tenth Layer."
"Besides that Azure Jade Spirit-Screen Talisman, he should have another special talisman, but I couldn't determine anything from just one battle."
"He only used some wood-element Law Techniques just now, but his main Cultivation Method should actually be fire-element..."
"Besides that, he probably has an offensive Law Artifact. I couldn't determine its exact type or attribute. No signs of a spirit pet."
"Lu Ziye, ninth layer of Qi Refining. He broke through no more than three months ago. No signs of a spirit pet, no signs of any particularly powerful Law Artifacts... Nothing beyond what's out in the open. Very ordinary."
"Heh... Poor and stupid. Dongyuan Sect disciples have always been like that."
Wang Xi sneered.
To those in the know, this joint mission was not merely about the Xuanyuan Sect extorting a few Spirit Veins and several treasures as compensation and apologies from the Spirit Talisman Sect and the Dongyuan Sect.
It was also an opportunity to gather information about the two sects' Inner Sect disciples.
In another three years, the Dragon Pool Mountain Nine Veins Grand Competition, a grand gathering of the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world, would take place.
Every sect was very "concerned" about the circumstances of other sects' Inner Sect disciples and their sect masters' personal disciples.
"I wonder whether Elder Shen is ready."
"That secret realm was going to emerge anyway. Elder Shen is merely using a spirit implement to barely keep it under control."
"But he can only delay its opening for a while. When the secret realm emerges, apart from Chai Yanghui and Lu Ziye, he can't determine who gets swept inside and who remains outside."
"Then kill them all. Didn't you also pick some unlucky wretch from the Spirit Talisman Sect?"
"What was his name again?"
"Wan Songran. A member of the Wan Lineage of Danyang Prefecture, Chen Province."
Shen Huai said, "He should have one of the Wan family's secret treasures on him. We don't yet know exactly what it is."
"Among the Dongyuan Sect disciples, aside from Gu Qingqing, either Shao Sichao or Tang Lin will do. It doesn't have to be that Song Yan."
Wang Xi waved his hand, not wanting to hear her go on at all. "Then we'll say the Dongyuan Sect and Spirit Talisman Sect disciples saw that I was injured and my spiritual power depleted, and intended to kill me for my treasures. I fought back with all my might, and they all perished..."
"My cultivation foundations were damaged, and I'll need three to five years of recuperation to recover..."
Shen Huai nodded. "Then you'll have to have some injuries on you as well."
Wang Xi frowned. "Is that really necessary? I can just enter seclusion after returning to the sect and stop showing my face."
He genuinely found it far too troublesome.
"If you're putting on a play, perform the whole thing. Besides, I'm only passing along Elder Shen's words. Whether you do it is up to you."
"The secret realm will only exist for an hour, and Elder Shen can't determine where the exit will be either, though it won't be beyond the Chu Kingdom."
Shen Huai casually dismissed the soundproofing talisman without looking back.
"..."
Wang Xi snorted, utterly unconcerned that the Soundproofing Formation had dissipated. "If I can find those two immediately, ten breaths will be enough."
Among the Spirit Talisman Sect disciples, Wan Songran suddenly opened his eyes where he sat cross-legged, a sheen of cold sweat on his forehead.
He stood up, intending to head toward Silent Valley.
"Hmm? Songran, where are you going?"
Chai Yanghui had just finished channeling spiritual power into an injured Spirit Talisman Sect disciple. He was about to ask whether Wan Songran had suffered any injuries when he saw him hurrying to return to the valley.
"Uh... Senior Brother, I'm not injured, so I'll head back to the valley first."
"Junior Brother Zhang Quan is still regulating his breathing. Wait a little, and we'll return to the valley together."
"..."
Wan Songran's heart sank.
"Yes."
He knew very well what sort of person Chai Yanghui was: gallant-hearted, righteous, and eager to help others. Yet at this moment, he could not help cursing him for meddling.
Of course he could tell him what was happening, but explaining where he had obtained the information would be far too troublesome.
If he lied, his story would be riddled with holes and only draw suspicion instead.
If he told the truth, others would learn about his treasure. That could not be allowed under any circumstances.
Hum-
Just as he hesitated, a strange streak of "lightning" suddenly appeared above Hidden Moon Pool, humming loudly enough for every cultivator in Hidden Moon Pool Ravine to hear clearly.
"So soon?!"
Wan Songran inwardly cursed.
Boom-
Before the cultivators could react, the "lightning" abruptly expanded into a rift stretching across the sky.
A spatial rift!?
"What?!"
Chai Yanghui and Lu Ziye stood up almost simultaneously.
"All disciples, heed my command!"
"Return to Silent Valley immediately!!!"
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