“Hahahaha! Hahahaha! How could I forget? I said I would lend the Earth Demon Fiend clan a hand at the critical moment, and my demon clan always keeps its word!”
A hearty laugh rang out from the sky. Immediately afterward, Demon King Li Yan swept over with a group of men.
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped aside, revealing a figure behind him.
“Venerable Mo, I’ll leave this to you.”
The man wore a black cloak that shrouded his entire body in darkness. The back of the hand he extended, however, was nothing but skin stretched over bone, as dry and withered as the bark of a dead tree.
His palm strike carried no discernible fluctuations either, yet it stopped the Supreme Elder of the Fallen Immortal Sect outside the formation.
“Fusion Realm? You… You old bastard came too!” The Supreme Elder’s expression changed. He slowly withdrew the hand he had extended.
Seeing this, Venerable Mo also lowered his hand. “I’m here only to restrain you. As long as you don’t act, I naturally won’t act either.”
“You!” The Supreme Elder’s expression turned ugly.
The two were both at the Fusion Realm and had known each other for a long time. They had not met for several hundred years, yet the old bastard was still alive.
Moreover, judging from his appearance, his strength was no weaker than that of the Supreme Elder, who had secluded himself for many years.
Under these circumstances, he truly could not act recklessly.
The Earth Demon Fiend clan must have known of his existence long ago. That was why they had allied themselves with the demon clan and invited someone of this caliber.
Damn it!
Qu Qing’s expression shifted repeatedly. Even the Supreme Elder could not stop them—what was he supposed to do about his underground spirit vein and Scarlet Sun Flame?
“Forget it, Qu Qing. I can’t act. If you want to recover your losses, you’ll have to rely on yourself!”
The Supreme Elder sighed, but he had completely abandoned any intention of making a move.
Once a person lived to his age and possessed such strength, he would not act lightly without absolute certainty.
Elder Qiu had calculated precisely that he would think this way. That was why he had invited the demon clan over.
The two sides did not necessarily have to fight. As long as they could intimidate one another, the experts of the Fallen Immortal Sect would not dare to act recklessly.
And that would give him the opportunity to complete his plan!
Qu Qing’s expression changed several times. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only accept helplessly.
“Yes.”
The Supreme Elder thought for a moment before continuing, “This underground spirit vein and Scarlet Sun Flame were indeed brought here by the former Earth Demon Fiend. They have remained in the Fallen Immortal Sect for a thousand years, so in a way, they are tied to this place by fate.”
“Now that this fate has run its course, there’s no need to force the matter.”
“After the Heavenly Gate opens, the space within it will connect to an extra-dimensional realm filled with countless treasures.”
“If… the spirit vein and spiritual flame cannot be obtained, do your best to seize the treasures inside. That will also help reduce our losses.”
Qu Qing gritted his teeth. “Yes. This disciple understands.”
What good would it do to be unwilling? His opponent had clearly been preparing for this for a long time.
The Three-Eyed Concealment Formation and the Primordial Heavenly Gate Formation—he had only learned of them recently.
Yet these people had been planning everything from the beginning.
How could he possibly compete with them?
Qu Qing took several deep breaths before finally suppressing the anger in his heart.
Not far away, the group from the Myriad Sword Sect watched as the people who had just been on the verge of fighting once again settled into a standoff. They could not help but sigh.
“This is the might of the Fusion Realm. Just standing there is enough to determine the course of the battlefield.”
“Master, then our coming here this time…” Mu Fengyun frowned. “Wouldn’t it all be for nothing?”
They had no way of participating in a battle of this level.
Jian Ming waved his hand. “You’re mistaken. Do you think Qu Qing would have invited me if he hadn’t anticipated the current situation?”
“Just wait. Once the Heavenly Gate opens, we should be entering as well.”
Mu Fengyun’s eyes flickered with understanding. His master must have reached an agreement with the Fallen Immortal Sect!
With a Fusion Realm expert standing guard, everyone outside the formation lowered their weapons and ceased their hostility, keeping a wary eye on one another.
For a time, a strange balance settled over the scene.
Elder Qiu watched the situation outside from the corner of his eye. Seeing this, he felt slightly relieved.
This was probably the best outcome he could have hoped for.
As the controller of the Primordial Heavenly Gate Formation, he would be the first person to enter the Heavenly Gate.
That alone would be enough!
Elder Qiu quickened his efforts to communicate with the hidden passage to the otherworldly space concealed within the formation.
After approximately fifteen minutes, the dark-gold patterns on the formation grew brighter and brighter, while the fluctuations of spiritual energy intensified.
Suddenly, a gigantic projection appeared above the formation.
Within the projection, an enormous underground labyrinth materialized out of thin air. Its walls were built of blue-black bricks, while countless intricate underground passages crisscrossed in every direction, stretching beyond sight.
Everyone was stunned.
“What is this place? Why have I never seen it before? How could such a place exist beyond the Heavenly Gate Realm?”
“This can’t be real, can it? It’s only a projection. What if it’s merely an image recorded on a memory stone somewhere?”
“Wait! There are treasures!”
Amid the crowd’s discussion, a sudden cry of surprise drew everyone’s attention.
Sure enough, several palaces piled high with treasures appeared within the projection.
The palaces stood at the ends of the tangled passages, though it was impossible to tell their exact locations.
“Is that… the Mountain-Suppressing Bell? The Void-Sundering Blade? And the Heavenly Net Seal? The Glazed Jade Cup? The Frost Soul Jade Disc…”
“Gods, there are so many treasures! Are these all things found within the Heavenly Gate Realm?”
Some people were able to identify the origins of the treasures with nothing more than their eyesight.
In an instant, nearly everyone’s eyes began to flicker with greed.
These treasures were all unique in the cultivation world!
And there were actually so many of them here?
The projected scene continued to shift, growing even faster. The crowd could no longer identify the treasures by name, but the dazzling radiance they emitted was unmistakable.
In other words, even the images that flashed past so quickly showed real treasures within!
The sound of people swallowing grew louder around them.
“Yuan Shu, are there really treasures like these beyond the Heavenly Gate? What is this underground palace for? Why does it look nothing like something from the cultivation world?”
Helan Zhao frowned. While staring at the projection in the sky, he turned to ask Yuan Shu, but received no response.
Helan Zhao paused, then turned toward her. He saw Yuan Shu standing beside him with an expression of utter shock, her face filled with unease and panic.
It was as if she had seen something terrifying!
Helan Zhao reached out and took Yuan Shu’s hand. Only then did he realize that her fingers were icy cold, while her palm was covered in cold sweat.
She seemed to be completely immersed in a state of extreme shock!
“Yuan Shu?”
Helan Zhao’s heart tightened, and he applied a little more pressure to her hand.
Only then did Yuan Shu seem to come back to herself. She turned to glance at Helan Zhao.
But after only that one glance, her eyes returned to the gigantic projection, the shock in their depths not diminishing in the slightest.
Helan Zhao’s thoughts stirred. “Yuan Shu, could it be that you’ve seen this place before?”
“I…”
Yuan Shu opened her mouth, about to speak, when a sudden cry of surprise came from the crowd.
“Quick, look! The Heavenly Gate! The Heavenly Gate has appeared!”
Yuan Shu turned her head and followed the others’ gazes.
Above the formation controlled by Elder Qiu, a golden radiance slowly began to emerge.
The light then spread toward both sides, forming a towering golden gate!
Above the massive gate hung a dazzling golden plaque, on which three large characters were inscribed:
“Heavenly Gate Realm.”
