Chapter 411 - 43: Evil Spirit
Inside the spacious and tall tomb passage.
A dark mass wrapped in thick black smoke lunged toward the group.
Countless ferocious faces seemed to swirl within the shadow, its Evil Qi astonishing.
The first to face it was Zhao Wuji’s Demon Servant, Xue Jiu.
He let out a low shout and flicked his finger. A bolt of purplish-blue Demon Thunder shot out, striking the dark mass fiercely.
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed through the tomb passage. The dark mass shattered into countless deep black "bubbles." Amidst the intermingling purple and blue Thunder Light, they drifted apart like ethereal phantoms.
Zhao Wuji’s expression hardened. Seemingly recognizing the origin of these mysterious "bubbles," he shouted, "Be careful! Don’t let those things touch you!"
Everyone’s heart tightened. Given Zhao Wuji’s Cultivation and experience, how could they afford to be careless about something even he found dangerous?!
Just as Fang Cheng was about to dodge, several black "bubbles" bizarrely appeared before and behind him, trapping him.
With a wave of his great sleeve, he sent the Li Hen Demon Light surging out, intending to eliminate them.
Unexpectedly, the moment the Li Hen Demon Light touched a black bubble, an incredibly strange energy flowed back along the Demonic Light and shot into Fang Cheng’s body.
In the next instant, Fang Cheng’s figure flickered and vanished.
At the same time, the others experienced something similar. They were either touched by the black bubbles or their Divine Techniques and Magical Artifacts made contact with them, and then they too vanished.
In an instant, the tomb passage became empty. Aside from a dozen or so black bubbles floating in the air, all nine living Cultivators had disappeared.
...
Fang Cheng’s vision blurred, and he found himself in a massive spherical space a thousand zhang in diameter.
Fang Cheng swept the area with his Divine Sense and discovered the edge of the space was a layer of black, restrictive light.
His figure flashed, appearing at the edge of the space. He then threw a heavy punch, striking the restriction.
The blow felt like it had struck a soft, elastic mass of flesh.
Where he had struck, a cloud of blood mist squirmed and expanded, transforming into a giant, crimson ball of flesh in the blink of an eye.
More flesh and bone spikes grew wildly from the ball, which inflated like a balloon.
In an instant, a three-zhang-tall humanoid monster appeared before Fang Cheng.
Its body was covered in black, spiky scales, and its spine and elbows sprouted sharp, vicious bone spurs.
The monster’s savage and tyrannical eyes stared at Fang Cheng, surging with killing intent and madness.
It threw its head back and roared. A dark green Demon Flame erupted, pouring from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The intense flames instantly enveloped its body, turning it into a massive Flame Giant.
The energy fluctuations emanating from it were no weaker than those of a Life Soul Realm cultivator...
An impatient look crossed Fang Cheng’s face. Before the creature could even fully assume its stance, he struck out with his palm.
Brilliant Demonic Light surged through the void. A ten-zhang, lifelike giant hand materialized and, accompanied by the immense Demonic Light, slapped down from a distance.
The ferocious Flame Giant was immediately smashed to pieces.
Under the formless, immense force, the giant’s physical body silently disintegrated.
At the same time, the black "bubble" shattered, and Fang Cheng reappeared in the tomb passage.
’So that’s how it is,’ he thought to himself.
In the tomb passage, another figure appeared alongside Fang Cheng—it was none other than Blood Demon Zhao Wuji.
Several black "bubbles" floated between them, creating a very strange scene.
Zhao Wuji said, "These are Evil Spirits, a product of a Cultivator’s Yin Soul merging with an Outer Celestial Demon. They inherently possess certain attributes of a Celestial Demon."
This particular type of Evil Spirit clearly originated from a Celestial Demon skilled in the dao of spatial manipulation. It had mutated after devouring a Cultivator’s Yin Soul.
Fang Cheng and Zhao Wuji had killed their Evil Spirits almost instantly, which was why they were the first to emerge.
Afterward, Qianmu and Xue Jiu escaped one after another, revealing the difference in strength among them.
Then a few more bubbles burst, and Mo Wu Yong, Bing Wuyi, and Cyan Rattan Demon King emerged in succession.
Lady Wei was the last to appear.
Zhao Wuji concluded, "These Evil Spirits vary in strength. It’s best to avoid them if you can. Don’t let them surround you, or you’ll have no choice but to force your way through."
"Also, it’s difficult for us to enter an Evil Spirit’s body from the outside, so even if we wanted to help, we wouldn’t be able to."
The group walked around the remaining black bubbles and continued forward.
The contents of the murals on the wall once again captured Fang Cheng’s attention.
The jade pendant obtained by the handsome man was an absolutely peerless treasure, possessing the profound ability to make him immortal and indestructible.
Relying on this treasure, he passed through several Heavenly Tribulations in a row. His power grew ever more formidable, and he led his family to develop and expand, becoming one of the top factions in a World Heaven.
Ordinary Tribulation Realm Cultivators faced their tribulations with extreme caution, fearing that a single misstep could lead to their demise beneath the Heavenly Tribulation.
But he treated the Heavenly Tribulations as treasures to temper and enhance his own strength.
The mural depicted the grand scene in vivid detail—the magnificent luxury of the world’s number one family was truly breathtaking.
’Could the real treasure of this grand tomb be that jade pendant...?’
Fang Cheng was shaken. Subconsciously, he already considered the protagonist of the mural to be the owner of this grand tomb.
If that were the case, then setting aside the other treasures in the tomb, the jade pendant on the owner’s body alone was enough to be considered a heaven-defying opportunity that could seize the fortune of the world.
’But... how could such an immortal and indestructible figure ultimately fall?’
Just as he was pondering this, the mural ended abruptly. Another Buddha Statue appeared ahead in the tomb passage, blocking their path.
Lady Wei silently stepped forward and began to analyze the Buddha Light restriction behind the statue.
Fang Cheng also walked over and had Jingxuan observe the Array, seeking a way to break it.
The two brothers’ exploration of the Outer Ancient Tomb with Fang Cheng was new and exciting. Seeing their father’s invincible demeanor, in particular, filled their hearts with a sense of worship.
At this moment, Jingxuan was fully focused, staring intently at the Buddha Light restriction behind the statue, completely motionless.
No one else disturbed the two of them. The value of this grand tomb far exceeded everyone’s imagination.
Whether this trip would yield any gains depended crucially on the Fang Family’s young master and the Array Master, Lady Wei.
This was also the double-insurance strategy devised by Zhao Wuji and Qianmu Demon King.
They would just have to see which of the two would be the first to find a way to break the Array.
Lady Wei held the title of the number one Array Master in the Eastern Wilderness. She was skilled at setting up Arrays and had broken many Arrays in Ancient Cultivation Ruins, often using one array to break another, earning her a widespread reputation.
As for Fang Cheng’s son, their trust in him was based entirely on the words of Bing Wuyi and Cyan Rattan Demon King, both of whom held the boy in high regard.
Furthermore, the boy had broken nine consecutive Arrays personally set up by Zhao Wuji, which made Zhao Wuji and Qianmu Demon King place great expectations on him as well.
After only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jingxuan suddenly raised his hand, pointed to a spot in the Array, and said:
"Father, a flaw in this Array appears once every ten breaths, and it only lasts for a finger-snap. You must use the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd to attack that spot. When the Array changes, I will tell you the precise location for the next strike."
Everyone looked at him with curiosity. Even the usually silent, graceful, and quiet Lady Wei couldn’t help the strange light that flashed in her beautiful eyes as she looked at the young boy’s avatar on Fang Cheng’s shoulder, her face filled with deep confusion and curiosity.
Fang Cheng said to Xue Jiu, "Friend, lend me the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd."
Xue Jiu glanced at Zhao Wuji. Seeing the latter nod, he handed the Profound Flood Dragon Breaking Forbidden Halberd to Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng took the halberd. With a shift of the energy in his body, a copious amount of Qi Blood Power erupted from him, making him seem like a red-hot furnace emitting a heart-pounding heat.
For a moment, immense power surged through him. It was as if a ferocious beast was coiled beneath the Buddha Statue.
The four with slightly weaker Cultivation—Bing Wuyi, Mo Wu Yong, Cyan Rattan Demon King, and Lady Wei—couldn’t help but take a few steps back to avoid the aura emanating from Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng stepped forward, halberd in hand. He raised his arm and fiercely chopped down on the Buddha Light restriction.
A sound like the toll of a great bell rang out. The Buddha Light restriction rippled, and a brilliant golden light flared, dyeing the entire tomb passage a shade of Red Gold. For a moment, it was as if a Buddha’s Pure Land had descended.
The Buddha Light restriction trembled, and fine cracks began to spread across it.
Fang Cheng felt the rebound force from the Grand Array and secretly estimated that its power was comparable to a top-grade Third-tier Array. An ordinary Life Soul Cultivator would find it impossible to break!
No wonder Zhao Wuji had come this far only to return empty-handed.
Just then, Jingxuan’s instructions came to his ear.
The shadow of the halberd flashed. In the blink of an eye, it struck a specific node on the restriction.
BOOM!
The Buddha Light shattered with a deafening roar, as dazzling as fireworks, leaving Zhao Wuji and the others dumbfounded.
The young master of the Fang Family truly had a talent for breaking Buddhist Sect Grand Arrays!
In comparison, the formidable Physical Strength that Fang Cheng displayed was no longer surprising.
Lady Wei’s dark brows furrowed. With a solemn expression, she watched the Buddha Light dissipate into the darkness, revealing the empty, silent tomb passage ahead.
The nine of them bypassed the Buddha Statue and continued deeper into the tomb passage.
...