Chapter 1391: Deathly Cage (Part Two)
And the room before her was no different. The old woman surnamed He actually discovered five layers of formation restrictions. There had been rooms with two or three layers set up before, but this one clearly had more.
“With this much protection, it’s possible they’re in here!”
The old woman surnamed He felt she was nearing the end of her search. The formation restrictions in this room were the most she had encountered so far.
“A few timid little bugs, do you think you can hide forever? Watching others die horribly will only add to your own fear!”
As she sneered inwardly, she could almost see the desperate faces within the formation after she broke through all the restrictions, and their hysterical screams.
Accompanied by the intense explosions from not far away, a series of “bang, bang, bang…” sounds soon came from this room.
At the same time, in the old woman surnamed He’s Divine Sense, the sound of restrictions whining and snapping echoed.
But this time, it took her much longer than she had estimated, which caused a ripple in her calm heart.
The few layers of restrictions here were quite time-consuming. Seventeen breaths had passed, and there were still two layers of restrictions that had not been broken. This made her even more certain that there was a problem here.
Inside the room, the few of them stood motionless, their voices a mixture of tension and solemnity.
And at this moment, in a room on the other side, there was another huge roar. The deck vibrated violently.
Amidst this roar, the unwilling howl of a beast could still be heard. The youth Yun Feng, who was supporting the restrictions alone, was the first to give way.
Under the backlash from the violent shaking of the formation, blood flew from his seven orifices, soaking the front of his shirt. He looked like a mad demon, rushing out recklessly.
Although he knew he was the only one in this room, the other side still had four people working together, and three of them were Late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivators.
The moment the youth Yun Feng’s figure rushed into the air, he was instantly drowned by a barrage of techniques.
Five breaths!
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Amidst the earth-shattering roars, the dozen or so talismans on his body, as well as two defensive magical treasures, only lasted for five breaths before they exploded violently.
Because he was already seriously injured, apart from the talismans that still played a key role, his body’s spiritual energy shield and defensive magical treasures were almost useless because he could not support them with his magical power.
And in the moment of his despair, when he wanted to self-detonate, his body was covered by the light of a golden circlet.
No matter how loud his roars were, amidst the explosions of the techniques, his entire person disappeared, not even bones remained.
The Immortal Spirit Realm had more ways to suppress a cultivator’s self-detonation.
With the death of this “Blood Lantern Sect” cultivator, the extra four people immediately dispersed again, joining the bombardment of the formation restrictions of the other two rooms.
It was just that there were many cultivators in these two rooms, and four of them were from third-rate sects. As direct disciples, the defensive formations they took out were not something the youth Yun Feng could compare to.
Although the rooms were bombarded with clusters of light that were impossible to look at directly, they were still holding on.
Time flew by, and another ten breaths later, the old woman surnamed He finally broke through the last two layers of restrictions in that room. This made her even more shocked and angry. The formation set up by the other party had actually taken her so long.
But what happened next, the scene inside the room, not only stunned her but also almost made her choke with anger.
Because even after the formation was broken, the door of the entire room was still wide open, not due to the restrictions, and there was no one inside.
“No… no one?”
The old woman surnamed He, in disbelief, scanned everything in the room with her Divine Sense.
Afterward, her Divine Sense repeatedly swept through the room again and again.
A dozen breaths later, her Divine Sense finally left this place, and the old woman on the deck was already cursing incessantly in her heart.
“Which sect’s cultivator lived in this room? Did they have nothing better to do than to set up so many restrictions? Do they have a great treasure or a secret on them?”
She was very confident in her Divine Sense investigation, so she immediately thought of other possibilities.
This delay even gave her more time to think, and her gaze swept around.
At this moment, there was of course no one else around her. She first raised her hand slightly and collected all the storage magical treasures left behind by the cultivators who had died on the deck earlier.
Only then did she re-examine the remaining rooms.
Inside the room, Li Yan and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief. Beads of sweat had also appeared on Jia Fugui’s forehead.
And Donglin Tingyue, who was leaning against the wall, had her back soaked through. She could even feel the bone-chilling cold coming from the wall.
She let out a soft breath and looked at the “Illusion Tail Feather.”
When Li Yan looked at the feather in the air again, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes. This magical treasure was truly extraordinary.
“If you like this magical treasure, Fellow Daoist, how about one supreme-grade Spirit Stone? Not even a Spirit Transformation cultivator can see through it.”
Jia Fugui saw the somewhat fiery gazes of the two and immediately spoke.
Hearing this, Li Yan was speechless. This magical treasure was really good, but the other party was also too good at setting prices. Li Yan would definitely not buy it for one supreme-grade Spirit Stone.
“Next, what are the plans of you two?”
Li Yan immediately changed the subject. Hearing this, the two opposite him fell into a silence for a moment.
But soon, Jia Fugui was the first to speak.
“First, it’s possible that the ‘Blood Lantern Sect’ has betrayed the ‘Pure Yang Hall.’ We should have been implicated. But this Senior He is not listening to our explanation at all right now. This is the fatal problem.”
“Second, I think since we can avoid detection, we should stay here before we are discovered.”
“The purpose of those cultivators who entered the rooms was to delay for time, to drag it out until they enter the ‘Great Nothingness Tree’ area.”
“At that time, once they sense that the ‘Bone-Melting Wind’ outside has disappeared, there will be some chance of escape.”
“At the very least, we should first escape from this giant skiff. It would be even better if we could escape into the depths of the secret realm. Although it is dangerous there, there is also a chance to live.”
“At that time, we’ll see how we can contact the ‘Pure Yang Hall’ to confirm the truth of this matter. At the same time, we really don’t know about this kind of thing. So what if they soul-search us?” Jia Fugui said as he thought.
But the content of his words made Donglin Tingyue and Li Yan immediately look at each other. Jia Fugui’s analysis did have some truth to it.
But the meaning he expressed later was that Jia Fugui, for the sake of the entire “Abacus Sect,” was willing to be soul-searched by the “Pure Yang Hall” to prove his innocence. Otherwise, there would be the danger of his sect being annihilated.
However, his words also contained another meaning.
“Why do you say it’s possible that the ‘Blood Lantern Sect’ has betrayed them?”
This time, Donglin Tingyue asked with a puzzled expression.
A look of hesitation flashed across Jia Fugui’s face, but he felt that at this time, there was no need to hide it anymore.
“This… this matter is actually just my guess. Because I often do business outside, I’ve heard some rumors. One of them is worthy of suspicion.”
“The ‘Blood Lantern Sect’ has many subordinate sects. Have you two ever calculated how many years it’s been since anyone has successfully achieved Spirit Transformation?”
“And there are many veteran Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators here. But in the subordinate sects of the ‘Spirit Subduing Manor’ and the others, there have been cultivators who have successfully achieved Spirit Transformation.”
“Of course, it was only because of what happened today that I thought of those rumors that were circulating in secret.”
After hearing this, although the expression under Donglin Tingyue’s mask could not be seen clearly, there was a ripple in her eyes.
She secretly glanced at the silent Li Yan on the side, guessing in her heart that this Jia Fugui must have more to say. Perhaps several Nascent Soul cultivators from their sect had also encountered something similar to the masked, red-robed men.
And this subtle expression of hers was all seen by Jia Fugui.
“It seems they have also received some news,” Jia Fugui thought to himself.
“Then why would the ‘Seven Tigers Alliance’ betray them?”
Donglin Tingyue asked again. Jia Fugui shook his head at her words, the fat on his face trembling with the movement.
“Actually, this is all just speculation. I think it’s possible that the rival forces of the ‘Pure Yang Hall’ instigated these two families.”
“Alright, these things are too far away from us now. What I meant just now is that we have been implicated. Don’t count on Chen Xingshan now. We have to think about how to get out of this ourselves.”
Jia Fugui immediately changed the subject. Like Li Yan, he was more concerned with the most practical situation.
“There is the ‘Bone-Melting Wind’ outside. We can’t escape even if we want to now. And I feel that even if I can last until the ‘Great Nothingness Tree’ area, my flying speed is simply not enough to escape the pursuit of a Spirit Transformation cultivator.”
“This junior is also participating in this kind of competitive battle for the first time. I don’t know if there are any conditions in the secret realm that can be used to escape. I can’t provide any reasonable suggestions.”
Donglin Tingyue had also returned to normal at this time and directly stated her actual situation. In her heart, she already felt that this time, it was highly likely that she would perish here.
She had not had a smooth journey to get to where she was now. Of course, she had experienced many life-and-death situations. After preparing for death, she actually calmed down a lot.
She directly stated her thoughts without any intention of concealing them.
And at this moment, a series of increasingly intense explosions came from outside again, followed by two angry roars that shot into the sky.
“Damn you bastards, I’ll fight you!”
“I want to see Senior Chongyangzi… ah!”
It was the final, unwilling cries of the two cultivators from the “Seven Tigers Alliance.” They had only held on for a little longer before their restrictions were blasted open.
And then they were faced with the simultaneous attack of seven Nascent Soul cultivators. They had originally been seriously injured by the old woman surnamed He’s single blow, although they had escaped with their lives thanks to their magical treasures.
Now, with the formation broken, as the ones maintaining the formation, even their divine souls had been shaken. Faced with the joint attack of seven cultivators of the same rank, they were no longer able to resist.
The moment their voices sounded, they were instantly drowned out by the roar of techniques.
“Fight your grandpa, bah!”
A Nascent Soul cultivator from the “Spirit Subduing Manor” spat. The faces of the other few also showed a look of ridicule.
The sects these people belonged to actually dared to betray the “Pure Yang Hall.” They deserved to die.
The purpose of coming on this trip was originally to fight them to the death. Now it was much simpler. As for the other party’s dying struggle, these people had no mercy at all.
This feeling of joining forces to kill someone of the same rank made them feel really good.
And at this time, the old woman surnamed He’s Divine Sense had also searched the last room. A look of extreme gloom appeared on her old face. She had actually failed to find the three cultivators who had not shown their heads.
At this time, the defensive formation of the room where the three “Blood Lantern Sect” cultivators were was also on the verge of collapse.
What made the three of them even more desperate was that they had used up all the voice transmission talismans that Chen Xingshan had given them. After holding on until now, they had not received any reply. This made all three of them see the panic in each other’s eyes.
They were all the core elite disciples of the “Blood Lantern Sect,” the disciples with the most hope of successfully achieving Spirit Transformation. They were unwilling to die here like this.
But at this moment, the three of them no longer had the slightest bit of arrogance. The female cultivator, in particular, had a look of resentment and hatred on her face.
In her heart, she even had a hatred for Chen Xingshan. Why did he have to choose her to come this time…
And after they had held on until this point, the eighteen Nascent Soul cultivators from the other two sects had all gathered and began their final, forceful bombardment to break the formation of their room.
Seeing this, the old woman surnamed He no longer paid any attention to the situation there. The deaths of the three “Blood Lantern Sect” cultivators were already a certainty.
“Damn it, where are the other three ‘Blood Lantern Sect’ cultivators?”
She quickly went through it in her mind, and then immediately identified four more rooms. These four rooms were the most suspicious.
And this time, the old woman surnamed He did not stay on the deck. With a flicker of her body, she arrived in one of the rooms. She would enter the rooms and search them one by one herself.
And among these four rooms, the one where Li Yan and the others were was also among her key suspects.
It was just that compared to the other three, the old woman surnamed He actually placed the level of suspicion on the one where Li Yan and the others were at the lowest.
The reason was none other than because she had suspected it before and had already used her Divine Sense to investigate it bit by bit. It was the one she had investigated most carefully before.
In addition, she was also a little surprised in her heart. This time, the few little Nascent Soul cultivators who had lived the longest were actually all from the “Blood Lantern Sect.”
Especially the three Nascent Soul cultivators who had not shown their heads all this time. They couldn’t have all been so coincidental as to have such brilliant concealment techniques. It was likely that the three of them were gathered together.
This meant that it was highly likely that these few people were not meditating in their rooms, nor were they late in coming out. They had discovered that something was wrong and had chosen to hide together.
After thinking this through, the old woman surnamed He was a little surprised.
In the room where Li Yan and the other three were, after hearing the tragic screams outside again, the three of them temporarily interrupted their conversation and instead investigated the situation.
This time, Jia Fugui’s expression became even more solemn. The plan he had just mentioned, the other rooms that were attracting attention on the other side, had been broken again. The other party not only had a Spirit Transformation cultivator, but they were also numerous.
After destroying the other targets, the whereabouts of the three of them would become the final focus of attention.
But apart from using their magical treasures to hide, what other choice did they have now? Rushing out to fight head-on would only lead to a faster death, just like those people.
“They shouldn’t be able to find where we’re hiding. We just need to pay attention to the ‘Bone-Melting Wind’ situation outside. When it disappears, we’ll look for an opportunity to leave quickly.”
“There will always be an opportunity. We’ll each use our fastest speed to enter the depths of the secret realm.” Jia Fugui’s voice was low, and the usual laughter and laziness were gone.
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the two people in front of him.
Donglin Tingyue’s body was trembling slightly. She could even hear the powerlessness and suppression in Jia Fugui’s voice.
But she still nodded immediately. She was not afraid of fighting against Nascent Soul cultivators. She still had some trump cards up her sleeve. Under unexpected circumstances, she also had a certain chance of escaping.
But there was a Spirit Transformation cultivator leading the slaughter here. Apart from despair, she felt nothing but despair in her heart.
“I don’t think they’ll give us the chance to escape into the secret realm later!”
“First of all, we are still in the ‘Bone-Melting Wind’ desert region. And their slaughter of our side is basically a smooth sailing situation.”
“At this time, it’s actually when their vigilance is at its weakest. Once the three of us are not found out, then we will be a thorn in their side.”
“The other party can only be ruthless and will be even more determined to find us and get rid of us. Their defense will only become tighter.”
“Secondly, we have no idea what the situation is on the second level right now, but according to what the old woman said, and from the Nascent Soul cultivators left now, there are at least two Spirit Transformation cultivators up there.”
“Even if Chongyangzi is seriously injured, just he alone might not be a problem for the three of us to deal with.”
“At that time, once we reach the ‘Great Nothingness Tree’ area, three Spirit Transformation cultivators, plus eighteen Nascent Soul cultivators, you two, how much chance do you think we have of escaping?” Li Yan said quickly.