The Second Elder was stunned.
He wasn't here looking for the Hall Master?
Then who else could he be looking for?
He suppressed the sweet, metallic taste of blood rising in his throat and asked in a raspy, probing voice, “If not the Hall Master, then who in our Nine Saints Hall could possibly warrant such a grand personal visit from Pavilion Master Ye?”
Just as Ye Chongguang was about to speak, his eyes turned sharp. He glanced sideways at the distant, dark-indigo silhouette of the mountains and suddenly raised his hand, clenching it violently toward the empty air.
In an instant, the entirety of Yunxue Valley shook violently.
Deep within the mountain walls, array patterns lit up one after another, emitting an overburdened hum. A cluster of glowing white array light hidden behind a barrier was gripped tightly by an invisible, colossal force, as if he were trying to tear it straight out of the mountain.
The spiritual energy swirled back into a fierce wind, whipping the robes of everyone at the bottom of the valley, while even the pebbles beneath their feet trembled and rolled.
The faces of the Second Elder and the others changed instantly, draining of all color.
He had actually found the secret realm's array core directly!
If he dismantled the array foundation so brutally and violently, the moment the barrier shattered, everyone and everything inside the array core would be ground into dust by the spatial turbulence!
“Stop!”
The Second Elder's eyes nearly split from rage, and the Ninth Elder could no longer contain himself. Both of them channeled their spiritual energy at the same time to stop him. “If you destroy the secret realm, everyone inside will perish, and you will get nothing!”
Ye Chongguang raised an eyebrow, clearly realizing that a forced demolition would crush the people along with the array core.
He slightly withdrew his spiritual energy, instantly easing most of the tearing force, but he kept the glowing array firmly restricted, capable of turning it into ash with just a fraction of his strength.
He looked down at the shocked and furious duo below, his tone cold as frost. “If you do not want anything to happen to them, open the secret realm.”
The Second Elder and Ninth Elder were both taken aback.
Open the array core?
The array core could only be unsealed by the person who had activated the array.
With so many sudden changes happening earlier, they hadn't had the time to care why the secret realm's array core had suddenly activated, let alone ponder why Lin Mu had suddenly appeared outside the secret realm and been captured by Feng Qing.
As this thought crossed their minds, their pupils suddenly contracted, and their gazes simultaneously locked onto Lin Mu, who was lying on the ground.
Had she activated the array core?
She had arrived only recently and had never even interacted with the Hall Master. How could she possibly know how to activate the Nine Saints Hall's secret realm array core?
Had Zhu Zhao taught her?
No, that wasn't right.
The chaotic thoughts flashed by for only a fleeting second before Ye Chongguang, suspended in midair, lost his patience.
He slightly clenched his fingers, and the force restricting the glowing white array suddenly intensified. The hum of the array patterns deep within grew sharply high-pitched.
“Do not tell me you cannot open it.”
He looked down at them, his voice devoid of any warmth. “If you cannot open it, transmit your voice inside and tell the people within to open it themselves.”
He clearly did not know the rules governing the operation of the Nine Saints Hall's array core and secret realm.
The Second Elder snapped out of his shock. His Adam's apple bobbed as he stared fixedly up at him. “Who... who on earth are you looking for?”
Ye Chongguang's gaze fell upon the trembling array, and his thin lips parted slightly.
Two words drifted down lightly through the purple mist, yet they fell like a heavy sledgehammer on everyone's chest.
“Song Yao.”
...
Song Yao: “?”
Feeling unwell and thoroughly exhausted, she had been dozing off by the edge of the crater. Suddenly hearing her own name, she snapped awake, falling into a brief silence.
The person Ye Chongguang was going to such extreme lengths to find... was her?
Her heart trembled slightly, and she furrowed her brow, utterly baffled.
The surrounding crowd was just as bewildered and astonished as she was. Even the Taiqing Pavilion elders and cultivators standing guard looked up at their Pavilion Master in sheer disbelief.
Whispers began to ripple through the crowd below. “Song Yao? The Sword Demon? Isn't she dead?”
“I saw it with my own eyes. Her soul lamp was extinguished, and the sword spirit of her blade sealed itself.”
“Could he be looking for her remains?”
“What remains? Didn't the Nine Saints Hall go searching in the Earth Realm? I heard their eldest personal disciple is still in the Earth Realm. If they could find anything, wouldn't they have returned long ago?”
“...”
The members of the Nine Saints Hall looked as if they had just heard the most absurd nonsense, their expressions darkening instantly.
The Second Elder's entire body trembled slightly as he said, “If you wish to act against us, Pavilion Master Ye, then direct your wrath at our Nine Saints Hall. Why make up such a preposterous excuse? Song Yao perished six or seven years ago! This is something the entire Tianshu Realm knows!”
“Perished?!”
Ye Chongguang narrowed his eyes, a chilling light flashing deep within them as his voice grew biting cold. “Who is to say your Nine Saints Hall didn't harbor malicious intent and secretly hide her deep within this secret realm?”
The Second Elder retorted angrily, “Her soul lamp has been extinguished, and Song Yao's soul tablet is shattered! You are more than welcome to verify this yourself at the Qiandeng Pavilion, Pavilion Master Ye!”
Ye Chongguang remained unmoved. “A soul lamp is not necessarily impossible to fake.”
Seeing how excessively certain he was, the Second Elder's mind raced, and he probed further. “Just where did these rumors come from that could make you believe them so firmly?”
“Furthermore... even if she were truly still alive, surely you wouldn't have to go to such lengths to force your way into the Nine Saints Hall, would you? Though she committed sins back then, she did not cause much trouble for the Taiqing Pavilion. Or is it... that you have another purpose for finding her, Pavilion Master Ye?”
Ye Chongguang saw through his attempt to pry information in an instant. Spreading his fingers slightly, he caused the glowing white array to warp and tear violently once more.
“Since you refuse to open the secret realm, this celestial will have to do it myself! Whether she is dead or alive, and whether you have hidden her away, I will know the moment I investigate.”
As his voice fell, the spiritual energy in his palm surged explosively.
The glowing white array was distorted out of shape by the massive force, its patterns flashing frantically between light and dark. The spatial barrier emitted a deathly hum, on the verge of being torn to shreds in the next instant, which would grind everything within the secret realm into ashes.
The pressure was too immense. The faces of the crowd at the bottom of the valley turned deathly pale as they stumbled back several paces. Some could not even stand, their breath catching in their throats.
Song Yao was among those who could not stand. Suffocated by the pressure, her vision swam with darkness, placing her on the brink of death.
Furrowing her brow, she took a deep breath, pushing herself up from the ground to sit, and quickly began to form hand seals.
She couldn't just stand by and watch the array core collapse. There were still so many people inside; she had to release them first.
Yet, before her hand seals could fully form, the Second Elder, realizing it was impossible to pry any more words from Ye Chongguang's mouth, abruptly crushed a jade token.
A gentle yet irresistibly powerful spiritual energy slowly poured down from the heavens.
The power was as gentle as melting spring snow, yet it carried an unshakeable, majestic force. With a soft deflection, it stood like an impassable chasm, forcefully severing Ye Chongguang's earth-shattering tearing force right down the middle.
“Who is there?!”
Within Ye Chongguang's horrified field of vision, a figure slowly stepped out from the void.
The newcomer had a head of frosty silver hair cascading over his shoulders, with a faint spiritual light shimmering between the strands like scattered stardust.
He possessed gentle, elegant features and a warm, refined expression. As he lightly descended into midair, even the roaring, turbulent spiritual energy around them quieted down, silently suppressing the restlessness and hostility filling the valley.
The expression on Ye Chongguang's face froze instantly, his eyes churning with unbelievable shock as he blurted out, “Fusheng?! How... how are you still alive? Weren't you attacked by the people of Yong'an Tower...”
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