Chapter 607: Powerful (I)
In this lightless world, yao let out earth-shaking roars one after another. Bloody slaughter was the theme of this world. Large numbers of cultivators, barbarians, sea clan members, cultists, and yao were killed and trained here. This was the depths of the demon cave. In the outside world, it was known as the Bloody Trial Grounds.
"Roar!"
A purple fist-shadow howled past, and the deafening roar of a fierce tiger rang through the void. With a wet burst, a hideous yao was smashed beneath the fist and exploded into a pile of mangled flesh.
Woo Yiyan walked out of the darkness without any expression. His face was filled with cold indifference, and an astonishing momentum qi lingered around him. His expression was detached, his gaze lofty as he looked at the yao before him, which was still struggling and trying to recover.
"Little Xuan? He has come out of seclusion?"
All at once, Woo Yiyan's cold, arrogant expression melted away like ice and snow, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. With a thought, he took out a specially made transmission jade talisman. In the Bloody Trial Grounds, ordinary Spirit Resonance Spheres could not transmit messages due to interference from the yao will, demonic qi, and the rules of another world. Only specially made transmission jade talismans could be used, and even then, there would still be delays. Real-time communication was impossible.
Brother, I successfully broke free of one shackle, and I've already come out of seclusion. Hehe, am I amazing or what...?
Oh, right, I heard about Xiao Yu. He still isn't dead. You don't need to bother with this matter anymore. I'm going to deal with him myself and torture him properly, hehe... But before that, I need to borrow your Nether-Seeking Beast. That brat is too slippery. Ordinary heavenly-secret divination and tracking may not be able to find him...
Woo Yixuan's phantom image appeared in Woo Yiyan's mind. He first showed off his current strength, chatted with his brother for a while, and only then brought up borrowing the Nether-Seeking Beast. That was Woo Yixuan's true purpose. Nether-Seeking Beast was the name of the spirit beast Woo Yiyan had carried with him last time.
This kind of spirit beast possessed a special natural ability that allowed it to see the traces cultivators left behind in the world. Even if the other party used powerful concealment techniques, they still could not escape the eyes of a Nether-Seeking Beast. However, Nether-Seeking Beasts were extremely rare, scarcely seen in the world. Back then, Woo Yiyan had only discovered one by chance in a forbidden land and brought it out.
After reading Woo Yixuan's message, Woo Yiyan frowned slightly. "This brat. He has only just broken through to the Shackles realm, and his ego is already swelling again. That Xiao Yu is not an easy person to deal with."
His Nether-Seeking Beast had died at the space-time node in the deep sea during his first attempt to hunt Xiao Yu. Woo Yiyan had regretted it for a long time. Later, when he saw Lin Zheyu leave the Martial Realm on missions many times, he especially looked for opportunities to strike in secret. But the other party seemed to know in advance every time and always left early. He was extremely slippery.
"Xiao Yu should have some kind of secret treasure on him that can warn him of danger. Otherwise, there is no way he could have avoided so many divinations. Mm... Forget it. Xiao Xuan has reached the Shackles realm now. It is time for him to grow up and hold up a part of the family's sky," Woo Yiyan murmured softly.
He no longer intended to interfere in this matter. Since Woo Yixuan wanted to take revenge into his own hands, he would grant him that chance. With a thought, he sent a message.
"I can grant you one authorization to use the Sky-Patrolling Mirror. In addition, Woo Mingkun and Wu Yijie will accompany you on this operation. Resolve this matter as quickly as possible, then focus all your efforts on strengthening yourself to face the approaching great calamity. Xiao Yu is nothing more than a minor figure, merely a somewhat talented martial artist from the Martial Alliance. He isn't worth wasting too much time on." Woo Yiyan spoke indifferently, his expression filled with disdain and arrogance.
As the most outstanding descendant of the Woo Family, an ancient, esteemed martial family that has survived from antiquity to the present day, Woo Yiyan felt fully qualified to look down upon ordinary martial artists who lacked a bloodline. Nor was it only those without bloodlines.
Deep down, he held many descendants of ancient martial families in contempt as well. Woo Yiyan was an exceptionally proud man. Only his younger brother, Woo Yixuan, whose talent rivaled his own, could earn a measure of his regard.
***
At the central teleportation formation of Demon-Suppressing City, streams of light swirled as Lin Zheyu's figure gradually emerged within the formation.
Lin Zheyu muttered to himself, "It's been more than two years. I wonder whether Sun Zhenzhi is still there."
He had never forgotten the humiliation he suffered back then. As long as the matter remained unresolved, it lingered like a thorn in his throat. The memory surfaced from time to time, preventing his mind from achieving complete clarity. Unfortunately, he had never found a suitable opportunity to take revenge.
I'll take a look while passing by. If an opportunity presents itself, I'll kill him along the way, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
His figure shifted slightly and vanished from the spot. After leaving the city, he entered the demon cave. As he passed a nearby space-time node, he deliberately checked on the node he had encountered before, the one guarded by a Buddhist sect expert. That inexplicable monk was still stationed there.
The moment Lin Zheyu's gaze settled upon him, the monk's eyes snapped open. With a hint of warmth in his gaze, he calmly looked toward Lin Zheyu.
"Benefactor, we meet again. Amitabha. Benefactor, you are destined for Buddhism. If you are willing to enter the Buddhist sect and cultivate under this humble monk..." The familiar gentle voice entered his ears.
Lin Zheyu was rendered speechless. This inexplicable bald donkey was still thinking about recruiting him. More importantly, the fellow's strength was terrifyingly powerful. Even from over two thousand meters away, with Lin Zheyu actively using the Heaven-Deceiving Art, the monk had still detected his aura.
Bald donkey... Lin Zheyu cursed inwardly, not daring to voice anything harsher.
The monk could detect his aura from such a distance even while he was using the Heaven-Deceiving Art. His strength was truly frightening. Lin Zheyu did not dare linger any longer, worried that if he was careless, he might actually be abducted and forcibly tonsured into monkhood. His figure shifted slightly, and he executed the Earth Shrinking Technique, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
He continued onward toward the deeper regions of the demon cave. The space-time node guarded by the Demon-Suppressing Army, through which he had entered in the past, happened to lie along his route.
Passing by, Lin Zheyu curiously extended his senses. He wanted to see whether Sun Zhenzhi was still stationed there. After his encounter with the monk, however, he was considerably more cautious.
This time, Lin Zheyu acted with far greater care. More than ten kilometers away from the Demon-Suppressing Army camp, he made thorough preparations before beginning his investigation. His powerful perception spread outward.
Within his perception, the Demon-Suppressing Army camp was shrouded in a terrifying aura of slaughter that blocked all spiritual senses and attempts at probing. The Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness suddenly opened. Its utterly emotionless gaze pierced through the energy enveloping the camp, finally allowing him to vaguely perceive the situation inside.
"He's still there. But if he keeps hiding within the Demon-Suppressing Army and refuses to come out, it'll be difficult to make a move. There are powerful existences stationed in this Demon-Suppressing Army camp...
"Not good!"
Suddenly, Lin Zheyu's expression changed drastically.
Energy rushed through his body as he pushed the Heaven-Deceiving Art to its absolute limit. At the same time, he executed the Earth Shrinking Technique, merging into the void and vanishing from his location in an instant. A few seconds later...
Boom!
A razor-sharp blade light descended from the heavens, carrying an overwhelming aura of slaughter. It tore through the void like the sharpest weapon in existence, splitting even the endless darkness in two beneath its radiance.
A terrifying phantom, hundreds of feet tall and resembling both god and demon, appeared above the Demon-Suppressing Army camp. His entire body was wrapped in a dreadful aura of slaughter. Lightning seemed to flash from his eyes, as though he could see through the boundless darkness and void itself.
His mouth parted slightly, and he said, "What rat dares spy upon the Demon-Suppressing Divine General?"
The voice echoed through the void and exploded like a peal of thunder. More than twenty kilometers away, Lin Zheyu's body trembled as he emerged from the void, his face somewhat pale. He did not dare linger. The vast reserves of energy stored within his Divine Treasury poured out instantly, restoring the color to his face.
His figure merged into the void once more. Executing the Earth Shrinking Technique again, he sped toward the deeper regions of the demon cave.
Lin Zheyu was inwardly shaken. That aura just now was terrifying!
It was the most terrifying aura he had ever sensed. The strength of the being behind it far surpassed the Golden Core realm. It might already have reached the middle or late stages of the Nascent Soul realm. It was even possible that the owner of that aura was a terrifying powerhouse at the Deity Transformation realm.
Only after venturing deep into the demon cave, with the terrifying howls of black winds sounding beside his ears, did Lin Zheyu finally stop to catch his breath. The lingering fear was still plainly visible on his face.
In that brief instant, he had felt like an ant. Faced with that terrifying blade light, he could not even summon the slightest thought of resistance. There was only one thought in his mind. Run.
Lin Zheyu was deeply shaken. "What an astonishing aura. Is this the terrifying might of the Demon-Suppressing Army's military formation?"
That dreadful aura, as deep as an abyss and as vast as an ocean, both divine and demonic, made his heart tremble uncontrollably. Lin Zheyu had never imagined that merely peering from such a great distance with the golden Heavenly Eye would still result in him being discovered. It seemed he would need to be far more cautious whenever he used the golden Heavenly Eye in the future.
"Sun Zhenzhi's matter can wait for now. As long as he remains inside that Demon-Suppressing Army camp, there's no way to make a move against him."
Lin Zheyu temporarily abandoned any thoughts of acting against Sun Zhenzhi. With such a terrifying existence present, infiltrating the Demon-Suppressing Army camp to attack him would be no different from courting death.
Lin Zheyu slowly exhaled a turbid breath. His figure swayed slightly, merged into the void, and sped toward the depths of the demon cave. The primary purpose of this journey was to compete for the opportunity hidden within the rule fragments near that powerful space-time node deep within the demon cave, a node capable of supporting the passage of Deity Transformation realm experts.