Chapter 1323
No Way Out, Returning to Zhang Donghuang
Huayang Realm, Jade Mystery Island of the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
Located in the canyon behind Yuxuan Island, a black cloud has completely blocked the canyon, isolating the two areas above and below.
Below the black mist, on a circular stone platform several tens of feet wide, sat a woman whose entire body was wrapped in a black robe.
A crimson giant axe stood before the woman in black robes, emitting bursts of bloody light as it continuously eroded a golden rune in front of the stone platform.
Not far behind the golden runes, there was a huge figure that was bound by several chains, emanating a powerful aura.
Just as the woman in black was casting her spell, a figure suddenly descended from the sky and landed beside the array platform.
The newcomer was dressed in a white robe and had the exact same face as "Liu Yang" whom Song Qingming had seen that day.
He respectfully took out a jade pendant that shone with spiritual light from his body and presented it to the "woman in black".
"The interdimensional teleportation array has been activated!"
"I know, you go down first!"
Gazing at the spiritual light emanating from the jade tablet, the woman in black robes turned cold.
The next moment, a beam of black spiritual light shot straight at the jade tablet, shattering it in mid-air.
Just as the woman in black destroyed the jade pendant, a cold laugh came from afar.
"Haha, you're really willing to go all out this time, not even leaving yourself any way out."
If you had been this decisive back then, we probably wouldn't have lost to them. The very essence of this world would have been devoured by the Blood Axe long ago; how could we have ended up like this today?
"Hmph! After all these years, you still can't accept the failure back then."
If I were like you, falling into their hands and being suppressed here, how could I possibly have the chance to retrieve the Blood Axe and stand here today?
Now that they are all trapped outside the heavens, no one can stop me from opening the spatial passage back to the Holy Realm.
The woman in black finished speaking with a hint of confidence in her tone.
The figure hiding behind the golden runes still seemed somewhat unwilling upon hearing this.
"Xie Yue, you also know how much effort the Holy Venerable spent in this realm back then in order to refine the Blood Axe."
If we go back like this, how will we explain ourselves to the Holy Venerable One when he emerges from seclusion?
"I only said I could take you back. As for how to explain it to the Holy Venerable, that's your own business and has nothing to do with me."
If you're still not giving up, you can stay there once the spatial passage opens.
"Alright! You can leave the Blood Axe to me then."
Seeing the figure behind the golden runes, his tone still carried a hint of resentment.
The woman in black nodded slightly and said nothing more, focusing once again on wielding the crimson axe in her hand.
".
Beyond the Nine Heavens, in the Void Palace.
As a golden sword light pierced the sky, dozens of figures followed closely behind, rushing out of the black mist and landing in mid-air on the mountaintop.
It was Song Qingming and Huo Feng who had recently broken into the restricted area, along with Chen Qingxuan and the others who had joined them.
Having been trapped in the formation for many years, Chen Qingxuan had tried to break free many times, but he had not succeeded in escaping due to a lack of help.
After reuniting with Song Qingming and the others, and with so much powerful assistance, he broke free from the restrictive formation without expending too much effort.
Looking at the familiar scenery around them, the people who had just escaped were all filled with excitement.
"Finally out!"
"Third Grandfather, the place where those demons are hiding is in the main hall ahead. I remember there is also a teleportation array there that leads to the lower realm."
They've probably already escaped!
Just as Song Qingming managed to escape, he heard the voice of "Song Xuanfeng" beside him. Guided by the voice, his gaze quickly fell on a cave ahead.
"Senior Chen, the lair of those demons is just ahead, and there's a teleportation array inside that leads back to Huayang Realm."
"Let's get started right away!"
"Yes! Everyone, follow the old Taoist priest."
Upon hearing Song Qingming's reminder, Chen Qingxuan quickly spotted the cave ahead and transformed into a golden light, rushing straight to the cave entrance.
Seeing this, the others also quickly followed behind the other person.
Just as they rushed into the cave, a black light suddenly flashed in front of them, and a black barrier appeared, blocking their way.
Seeing this, Chen Qingxuan immediately cast a spell to release several sword lights, which landed above the black barrier.
A loud bang was heard, and the entire cave immediately shook violently.
".
Inside the main hall of the cave, the "woman in white" and the others stared in shock at the jade tablet that had suddenly shattered in their hands.
"This is... How could the communication token be destroyed? Could it be that something really happened to the original owner?"
What happened? Why can't even the teleportation array be activated?
"Impossible. They have all been trapped outside the heavens by us. There are no Nascent Soul cultivators left in the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent."
Moreover, given my supernatural powers and the Blood Axe in my hand, even if Chen Qingxuan were to attack, he couldn't possibly defeat me. So who else could pose any threat to me?
"Yes! Third Brother is right. No one in Donghuang Immortal Continent can stop me, and there are no powerful experts nearby."
Could it be that those old guys from Zhongyuan Immortal Continent or Longyuan Sea have made their move?
"Those old guys are all focused on ascending to the upper realm these days, they have no interest in what's going on here in Donghuang Immortal Continent, you overestimate them."
Besides, given the distance, even if they noticed something amiss, they couldn't possibly react so quickly.
"Hmph! Apart from those old guys, who else in this world can pose a threat to me? Isn't that obvious!"
".
"If none of these are correct, could it be that the original owner was never in trouble at all?"
Just as everyone was speculating, the "old Taoist in green robes" suddenly spoke up, instantly surprising everyone around him.
The woman in white, seemingly reacting, immediately turned to look at the other party with a cold glint in her eyes.
"If nothing happened, why would the communication token be damaged?"
Third brother, are you implying that the token was damaged by its original owner? Why would she do that?
When they discovered that the teleportation array could not be activated, while everyone was speculating about the various possible problems, the "woman in white" had already considered this possibility.
I just couldn't accept the answer in my heart right now, so I didn't say it.
Seeing that the other party already understood his meaning, the "old man in the green robe" sighed.
"Now we can no longer hold Chen Qingxuan and the others. If we let them escape and return to Huayang Realm, they will surely stop my plan."
After all these years, don't you still understand my style of doing things?
Ultimately, we are merely avatars of the original being; how could she possibly allow the plan to deviate from its course for our sake?
"Haha, are you saying we're already expendable pawns?"
"We are, after all, part of her primordial spirit, and she just gave up like that?"
"After years of painstaking planning, just when the plan was about to succeed and we could return to the Holy Realm, we were abandoned here. It's truly unfair."
".
"Alright! Even if I abandon us, it's not time to despair yet."
Hearing the despair in everyone's voices, the "woman in white" interrupted them and then used magic to take out a silver jade plate from her body.
The others were surprised when they saw the silver jade plate.
"Sacred Star Disc! How come you still have one hidden on you?"
"Don't worry, this Sacred Star Disc wasn't given to me by her. It's a backup item that I've been trying to refine myself over the years."
I thought that hiding this Sacred Star Disc would be helpful in a critical moment, but I never expected it would be used here.
The teleportation array has been sealed off. Whether we can escape back now depends on our own fate.
"Is this method feasible?"
"At this point, we have no choice but to give it a try!"
Having said that, the woman in white raised her hand and cast a spell to activate the silver jade plate in her hand.
The other four people beside him looked at him with some surprise, but they didn't say anything more.
Just then, another tremor came from outside the main hall, causing the expressions of the group to change drastically.
"Oh no, it looks like they're already on their way!"
".
Surprised, the group quickly activated the protective barrier outside the main hall, attempting to stop Chen Qingxuan and his companions who were rushing towards them.
"boom!"
Another deafening roar resounded, and the area around the hall immediately trembled.
Outside the main hall, Chen Qingxuan, Song Qingming, and others were present.
Looking at the many demons hiding in the barrier in front of him, he was surprised.
I thought they would have escaped long ago after all this time, but I didn't expect these guys to still be hiding here.
"Everyone, step back!"
Seeing that the "woman in white" was already trying to activate the great formation in an attempt to escape from this place.
Chen Qingxuan immediately dismissed the people around him and began to use magic to activate his natal flying sword to accumulate magical power.
Before long, the golden sword light rapidly grew dozens of times larger, slashing directly at the restrictive array in front of it, the sound of the impact instantly reverberating throughout the entire hall.
The "Green-Robed Taoist" and several other demons who were hiding behind the great formation and activating the restrictions were also repelled by the residual power of the sword light.
With a single sword strike, Chen Qingxuan had already cleaved a crack in the barrier in front of him, and Song Qingming and the others behind him hurriedly cast spells to activate their spiritual treasures to follow up.
The great formation that had just been holding back the crowd was now on the verge of collapse.
"We can't hold them off any longer, everyone retreat!"
Seeing that the formation could no longer stop the enemy, the "old Taoist in green robe" and others could only quickly slip into the formation platform.
The woman in white, no longer caring about anything else, activated the great formation, and white light once again enveloped everyone's heads.
Just then, the protective array outside the main hall was breached, and several figures quickly flashed to the front of the array platform.
"boom!"
Fire Phoenix, who had just arrived at the array platform, was about to cast a spell to activate her magical treasure and stop the other party from teleporting.
Suddenly, the jade plate in the "woman in white's" hand began to shatter, and the white light covering her body flickered. Even the demons beside her widened their eyes. "What's going on? Stop it!"
The Sacred Star Disc in the hands of the "woman in white" was clearly a replica. Her attempt to teleport had failed, but it had brought several demons beside her into the spatial rift.
Before she could stop casting her spell, the demons were all swallowed into a spatial rift.
Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately activated the "Boundary-Breaking Flag," shooting out a beam of black light that entered the teleportation platform in front.
The next moment, a burst of spiritual light erupted on the platform, forcing Song Qingming and the fire phoenix beside him to retreat.
When the light dissipated before everyone's eyes, all that remained on the teleportation platform were a few severed limbs and an unconscious "old Taoist in green robes".
Looking at Song Qingming who had come to his side, the "old Taoist in green robes" quickly woke up, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.
Why did your teleportation fail? Was there a problem with the teleportation array?
"You ask me why? Hahaha... no one can leave here!"
In response to Song Qingming's question, the "old Taoist in green robe" suddenly burst into a few maniacal laughs, followed by a rapid tremor of his mutilated upper body.
The next moment, his primordial spirit suddenly disappeared.
He had hoped to get something out of the other party, but the "old Taoist in green robes" suddenly ended his life.
Song Qingming shook his head slightly before turning around and arriving at the central "teleportation platform".
At this moment, Chen Qingxuan, Huo Feng, and others also gathered around.
Song Qingming raised his hand and summoned the "Sacred Star Disc," about to land it on the array platform, when Chen Qingxuan suddenly spoke up and stopped him.
"Their teleportation just failed. There's probably a problem with the teleportation station. Don't worry, let's check it first."
"Don't worry, senior. I just want to test the array first."
Upon hearing Song Qingming's words, Chen Qingxuan nodded slightly and then instructed the others beside him:
"Quickly check the surroundings and see if they have any tokens that can activate the teleportation array."
"We obey!"
Upon hearing Chen Qingxuan's command, the people around him quickly got to work.
".
Half an incense stick later, Song Qingming retrieved the "Sacred Star Disc" that had been floating in mid-air, but his expression was somewhat solemn.
"How is it, Fellow Daoist Song? Is the teleportation platform still usable?"
"The other side of this teleportation platform has been sealed off and is temporarily unusable."
The reason their teleportation failed was probably because they tried to forcibly change the direction of teleportation, which caused the problem.
"So that's why these devils are still hiding here. It turns out their escape route has been cut off."
This demon is truly ruthless; he doesn't even care about his own companions.
"There's only one teleportation array here. If we can't use it, won't it be difficult for us to get back?"
While Song Qingming was inspecting the great formation, the group had already searched the entire hall.
Apart from the "teleportation platform" in front of them, the only other things found in the main hall were some empty bronze coffins and some array-setting props commonly used by demonic cultivators.
After searching for a long time, no spiritual object related to teleporting away from this place was found, nor were any other teleportation platforms discovered.
They thought this "teleportation platform" was their last hope of returning home, but unexpectedly, it also malfunctioned.
Upon hearing Song Qingming confirm that the "teleportation array" was no longer working properly, the expressions of "Baiyang Demon Saint" and the others nearby immediately turned grim.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingxuan waved his hand slightly.
This place can serve as their lair, so it should not be too far from the "Huayang Realm". Even without a "teleportation array", we can directly travel through the void to go back.
However, this makes the journey very long.
Once we return to "Huayang Realm," we don't know when that will be.
The reason that demon forcibly sealed the teleportation array was probably because he feared our return would interfere with its ability to destroy the sealing array, which is why he was willing to sacrifice them.
According to Chen Qingxuan's speculation, since there is a teleportation array connecting to the "Huayang Realm" in the demonic cultivator's lair, this place must not be too far away.
With so many Nascent Soul cultivators around, they should still be able to lead everyone across the void back to the "Huayang Realm".
Upon hearing this, everyone felt there was some truth to it, and their expressions relaxed.
"Yes! Fellow Daoist Chen is right. This demon has trapped us all here. There is no one in Donghuang Immortal Continent who can stop their plans."
Fellow Daoists in other places probably don't know about this yet.
Even if we were to encounter it, it doesn't guarantee we could stop this demon.
"Alas, this demon's scheme is so meticulous that even though we have tried our best, we are powerless to reverse it."
It seems the fate of our Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent is already sealed and cannot be changed!
Previously, the group had fought their way to the outer reaches of the sky to rescue Chen Qingxuan and the others, and the overall operation had gone very smoothly.
Not only did they successfully rescue them, but they also killed the "woman in white" and other demons. All that was left was the final step to return to the "Huayang Realm".
Little did they know that they had already fallen into the enemy's trap from the very beginning of their arrival in outer space.
Regardless of whether Song Qingming and the others can rescue Chen Qingxuan and the others, the demon hiding behind the "woman in white" and the others has no intention of letting them leave easily.
Now that everyone is trapped outside the Nine Heavens, no one in the "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" can stop them from opening the sealing array on Jade Profound Island.
The Nascent Soul cultivators in other places are mostly living in seclusion and cultivating, and have no idea what is happening in the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
By the time they return to "Huayang Realm", it will probably be too late.
Once the spatial passage connecting to the Demon Realm is opened, the fate of the Huayang Realm will be sealed in the "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent," and things will become very uncertain from there.
Just when everyone was at a loss in the face of this situation, Bai Yuxian, who was standing at the back, suddenly came to Song Qingming's side.
“Junior Brother Song, I remember you said last time that this place doesn’t seem to be far from that place. Should we give it a try?”
"You're right, that's true, it seems like we could give it a try!"
Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's reminder, Song Qingming immediately realized what she meant, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. He turned around and came to stand in front of Chen Qingxuan and the others.
"Senior Chen, I do have a method that we can try."
If this method succeeds, it should help us return to Huayang Realm quickly.
"Oh! Fellow Daoist Song, do you have any good ideas? Tell me quickly."
"If there's any way to stop the demon from opening the sealing array, we will do our best to help if needed."
“That’s right. As long as we can get back early, please feel free to ask Fellow Daoist Song if there’s anything we need to do in return.”
".
Upon hearing that Song Qingming had a way to return early, "Chi Li Demon Saint" standing next to Huo Feng was the first to speak up in response.
The "White Sun Demon Saint" and others standing nearby all agreed.
Even Chen Qingxuan nodded slightly to Song Qingming, placing his hopes of returning early to stop the demon on him.
".
Huayang Boundary, the Southern Continent of "Donghuang Immortal Continent".
In the main hall of the Li family on Yunlong Mountain in the southwest of Nanzhou, Zhou Daoping led the two into the hall. Several cultivators were sitting on either side of them, all of whom were Nascent Soul elders from major sects in Nanzhou.
Since the "Xiaoyao Sect" became one of the ten major sects managing Nanzhou, the Li family of "Yunlong Mountain" also benefited from this trend due to the relationship between Li Xuanyi and Song Qingming.
In recent centuries, although the Li family has seen the passing of their ancestor, Li Boying, the Li family has...
However, they have successively cultivated two Nascent Soul cultivators, and now the clan has four Nascent Soul ancestors. Their status in the Southern Continent has not declined but rather improved.
Zhao Mengyang, the Nascent Soul Elder of the Five Thunder Sect, who was sitting in the main hall, saw Zhou Daoping walk in and quickly stood up and raised his hand to greet him.
"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly today, fellow Daoists."
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are too kind. We have come here today specifically to ask you some questions, and we have no other important matters to discuss."
"Oh! You are all old acquaintances. If you have anything to say, just send someone to deliver a message. There is no need for you to come all this way in person."
"I wonder if what Fellow Daoist Zhao wishes to inquire about is related to the Free and Unfettered Sect?"
Upon hearing that Zhao Mengyang and his companions had come to inquire about something, Zhou Daoping, who had just emerged from seclusion, was already prepared and immediately saw through their thoughts.
Seeing this, Zhao Mengyang quickly nodded.
"I heard a few days ago that Senior Song of the Xiaoyao Sect has advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. We have been unsure whether this is true or not, so we came to ask you for your advice."
Please give us a heads-up, Brother Zhou, so we can make preparations and visit you at the Floating Cloud Mountains another day.
"Uh! To be honest, I'm not sure if what happened with Senior Song is true or false, but there is something I can tell you."
Senior Song seems to have gone to the Heavenly Imperial Sect a few days ago. If you wish to pay him a visit, you will probably have to wait a while.
"Oh! I see, we understand now. Thank you for reminding us, Fellow Daoist Zhou."
Although Zhou Daoping said he wasn't sure if it was true or not.
But when they heard him addressing him as "Senior Song" so naturally, Zhao Mengyang and the others immediately understood and nodded in agreement.
Just as everyone was chatting, a disciple of the Li family suddenly strode in from outside the main hall.
"Ancestor, something seems to have appeared in the sky outside, heading towards Yunlong Mountain."
"Oh! Is another distinguished guest visiting?"
Upon hearing the news, Zhou Daoping immediately led everyone out of the main hall.
Looking up, one could see that the sky in the distance had been dyed a deep crimson.
Before long, a crimson phoenix, a thousand feet tall, suddenly descended from the sky amidst blazing flames and landed outside the protective array of "Yunlong Mountain".
His gaze swept around, and a powerful pressure instantly enveloped the entire Yunlong Mountain.
"This is... a Nascent Soul Demon Saint!"
".
Before Zhou Daoping and the others could react, a white wind wolf and a green qilin descended from the sky.
The imposing aura emanating from him was in no way inferior to that of the previous phoenix.
At this moment, Zhou Daoping, Zhao Mengyang, and the others were completely stunned as they stared at the several giant demonic beasts in the sky.
"Huh! What a coincidence, we've already arrived at Yunlong Mountain."
Just then, another familiar voice drifted down from the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a figure in a green robe broke through the void and appeared out of thin air in front of Zhou Daoping and the others.
"Senior Song!" (End of Chapter)