Chapter 229

Chapter 229: Wan Nest Island Enters the Sea

The crumbling stone wall stood before them, with a deep crack leading underground. Hongmo Zheng lowered his voice, saying, “Wait a moment, something’s wrong.”

As he spoke, shadows rose from the edge of the crack, releasing a bone-chilling cold that spread outward. Qian Qiu Yue gasped sharply, quickly pressing her body to the ground, her pupils losing their luster, becoming like a lifeless log.

Hongmo Zheng also took precaution, his face turning pale, his body stiffening, skin drying up like a corpse that had been left for many years.

“Woo, woo, woo…” As the power of the formation diminished, many large shadows surged up from underground, their green eyes scanning the surroundings, before leaving with a hint of confusion, yet the two did not move.

Before long, even larger shadows squeezed out from the stone wall ahead. Suddenly, a chilling wind rose, ghostly flames spiraled, and a dreadful aura manifested, causing a layer of black ice to form on the ground, which murmured and groaned as if alive.

Clearly, something terrifying was emerging from below.

Once the chilling wind faded, Hongmo Zheng and Qian Qiu Yue simultaneously recovered, their eyes filled with terror. In such a short time, they didn’t know how much energy they had lost; it could take two to three months of hard training to recover.

“Let’s go, hurry!” The two of them leaped into the stone wall, descending six hundred and sixty-six steps to reach the fourth underground level.

At this moment, the formation was restoring itself, lights and halos illuminating many parts of the Black Fortress, thick beams of light quickly sweeping across, bringing intense feelings of danger.

Hongmo Zheng and Qian Qiu Yue dared not linger and rushed forward along the corridor, escaping at their fastest speed to the fifth underground level before the terrifying formation activated. The only thing that provided them some peace was that the marks left by Li Hui remained intact.

Countless demonic shadows wreaked havoc across Wan Nest Island, and while the formation tried to eliminate the outsiders, it ultimately became weak due to many of the demonic creatures being formless and intangible…

However, an astonishing force was brewing…

With a “whoosh, whoosh,” Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zheng landed on the fifth level, their last few steps releasing just enough power to leave them in a state of utter disarray.

“This…” Hongmo Zheng opened his mouth wide, the dazzling light streaming in, auspicious colors lighting up the surroundings, with rare flowers and odd herbs competing for attention.

The stout ancient trees in the distance were truly impressive, having grown for who knows how many thousands of years. He could smell the scent of precious medicinal herbs just from their gentle breathing.

Li Hui stood on the well platform, peering through the Sky Peeping Talismans as he watched the two enter. He shouted loudly, “Follow the winding path! I’ll cross the gap to meet you. Don’t be greedy for the rare flowers and odd herbs; this place is extremely dangerous.”

Hongmo Zheng quickly adjusted his mindset. No matter how many rare flowers and odd herbs there were, even the True Demon couldn’t satisfy greed, so how could he live freely in the future?

However, Qian Qiu Yue focused on a twisted ancient tree and declared, "This Dragon Blood Incense Tree is extremely important to me. I’ve nearly lost all hope and did not expect to encounter it here. No matter the cost, I must take a branch with me."

“Crazy woman!” Hongmo Zheng stared wide-eyed. But his glare was useless; he took out two iron balls the size of a baby fist and said, “Quick, this is the most powerful secret magic spindle created by the Hongmo Sect in recent years. Let’s see if it can disturb the formation. You need to hurry with your battle body.”

Qian Qiu Yue paused slightly, quickly clasping her fists, “Thank you!”

“Hahaha, it’s no problem. Just remind Li Hui to return the favor later.” Hongmo Zheng laughed as he threw the iron ball.

“Crack, crack!”

Amidst the rumbles, Hongmo Zheng cursed, “Damn it! These two secret magic spindles have been enhanced, and their power is enough to drag me into it.”

Before them, the Blood Clouds billowed, and purple lightning danced wildly, the power completely uncontrollable. Fortunately, the formation in this area was unusual, expanding continuously and stabilizing the overwhelming power.

At that moment, Qian Qiu Yue’s battle body moved, transforming into sword light as it pierced into the formation, breaking through obstacles and flying towards the twisted ancient tree.

The ground trembled, and Qian Qiu Yue spat blood uncontrollably; her battle body endured unimaginable impacts. Yet, driven by a single thought, she forcefully severed two thick branches from afar, throwing them out even as her battle body dissipated.

Li Hui had just arrived when he witnessed Qian Qiu Yue’s battle body burst into countless shards under the golden light, leaving her appearing weak and drained.

Hongmo Zheng sighed, “What a powerful formation! What a stubborn mindset!”

“Senior Sister Yue!” Li Hui sensed something was wrong and rushed forward at top speed to support Qian Qiu Yue to prevent her from collapsing to the ground.

“Junior brother, Senior Sister is fading fast! Thankfully, I got the Dragon Blood Incense Tree.” Qian Qiu Yue’s eyes began to cloud as she said, “You must go to the Heart Refining Branch; I entrust my body to you. Cut off the feelings and continue the path…”

Her voice trailed off, and like Lian Luosha, Qian Qiu Yue’s body seemed to lose all vitality, collapsing into Li Hui’s arms, though she still had a faint breath.

“Boom, boom, boom…” The direction of the Ancient Well trembled, followed by the sound of bubbling.

Hongmo Zheng suddenly turned around, shouting, “Which ancestor’s Blood Body has arrived? No wonder the Black Fortress is in such disarray; the malice is extraordinary.”

Li Hui secured Qian Qiu Yue and the two branches, pulling Hongmo Zheng as they fled, saying, “It’s not your Hongmo Sect’s ancestor; that Blood Shadow is incredibly strong. Previously, the formations here weakened for half an hour before reducing it to a wisp of blood light, which still lingers, and it left a vicious warning that it would return.”

Hongmo Zheng looked back, seeing blood energy surging, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Where did Chen Tiange come from? The three ancestors are setting up formations in the sky and cannot divert their attention to bring down Blood Bodies. Right, it’s that guy named Blood Moni who specializes in opposing the sect and excels at infiltration.”

The two moved swiftly, reaching the gap.

Li Hui stepped forward, leaving a trail of green light below him; fortunately, he had over three hundred steps in reserve, which meant there was little left after a round trip.

“Uh, haha, little brat, so your name is Li Hui. Tsk, tsk, the Jade Symbol Sect disciple has tough meat. The Fire Family’s cultivators taste better; roasting them would surely be more fragrant.” A rapid voice came, prompting Hongmo Zheng to insult, “Old bastard, you’re eating humans again! Go look for Luo Tianyuan’s three old ghosts; what’s so noble about preying on juniors?”

“Interesting! Few dare to call Luo Tianyuan an old ghost; which lineage are you a true disciple from?” Blood Shadow suddenly called out, “True Demon? Look what I see! Someone actually cultivates pure demonic paths in the Hongmo Sect. Hahaha, how rare. He’s just another Blood Moni who disagrees with the primordial ideals.”

“What do you mean, old bastard?” Hongmo Zheng had crossed over the gap with Li Hui, and in those short few dozen meters, the tension was palpable enough to quicken their hearts. They needed to distract the old bastard, causing their hearts to pound in anxiety.

The Black Fortress shook violently! An overwhelming force erupted from Wan Nest Island.

“Boom, boom, boom…” Purple light blazed as all the foreign demonic creatures were annihilated in an instant.

This island clearly held significant secrets, rapidly sinking into the depths of the sea, from which a frantic voice called out, “Teleportation! Recall our sect disciples and those who left markers.”

“Understood!” Following the orders, red light pillars quickly emerged from the sea, signaling that the trial of Wan Nest Island had concluded. As for how many had died, the higher-ups only cared about a number; the Hongmo Sect did not tolerate useless disciples!