"White Bone True Man is at the Mid-Stage of Core Formation, and his Divine Sense can reach over twenty li away... We must conceal our auras and approach slowly."

The Cultivation Techniques of the Five Elements Sect were truly extraordinary. If not for seeing him with the naked eye, a scan with one’s Divine Sense would only register Master Qingmu as a lush, towering tree.

"This Withered Wood Substitute Death Talisman not only allows your form to shift toward that of withered wood, giving you the aura of a plant, but it can also block a fatal attack on your behalf."

"The heartwood of a Tier Three Jade Emperor Pear Tree was used in its creation. Unless a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator attacks with their full power, it can save you from death once."

"Understood."

Bai Zichen nodded slightly, surprised to find his own voice was dry and deep.

Master Hei Shui’s body transformed into flowing water and merged into a nearby stream, vanishing without a trace amidst the churning ripples.

"Don’t be surprised. While our Divine Techniques aren’t ideal for direct combat, we have our strengths in the application of Five Elements Magic and Escape Techniques. Otherwise, how could we have survived for thousands of years in a place like Dian Country, a dog-eat-dog world even more chaotic than Liang Country?"

Master Qingmu’s voice echoed directly in Bai Zichen’s mind as the two of them slowly made their way toward Feiyue Lake.

’I’d only heard of the fame of the Five Elements Sect’s Escape Techniques and their Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light. I never expected their Cultivation Techniques and Divine Powers to have such other ingenious uses.’

Bai Zichen felt much more at ease, his confidence in breaking through the Ghost Spirit Sect’s defensive line and entering Feiyue Lake growing.

Without using any Magical Power, relying solely on their legs to cover the distance, they were now about twenty li away and could already see the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array suffering a fierce assault.

Even in the dead of night, the attacks were relentless. Spirit Light flared into the sky, and the thunderous booms of Magical Treasures striking the barrier echoed through the air.

The sounds carried clearly through the silent night sky, and the faint shouts and curses of people could be heard on the wind.

Three clusters of Spirit Light were the most dazzling. At the center of the battle were two ten-zhang-tall Bone Demons, each sporting six arms.

They brandished a pair of bone swords, two bone blades, and a pair of bone hammers respectively, each swing carrying overwhelming power.

If not for the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array, their blows would have long since shattered the mountain peaks and caused the lake to flood the area.

Opposite the two Bone Demons was a pure white Lotus Platform, upon which sat a Daoist with a lofty and ethereal air.

Countless lotus blossoms drifted down, carrying an aura of transcendent annihilation that actually managed to freeze the dense water mist in place.

The smoke and mist receded, revealing a corner of the scene within Feiyue Lake.

The Grand Array’s ability to obscure vision was broken by the white lotuses, and the Qingfeng Sect disciples inside looked up at the starry sky, terrified and uneasy.

With every lotus petal that fell into the array, another layer of the water screen dissolved.

Several times, the layers of the water screen were nearly depleted before a new surge of Spiritual Power rushed in to patch the breach.

Jiang Yuhua remained unhurried and composed, a reserved and knowing smile on his face as he twirled a flower.

Near the outer perimeter of the array, the dense water mist had been dyed pink. Its circulation had lost some of its fluidity, seeming more strained and sluggish.

Fairy Taohua’s face was flushed with a flirtatious charm, her every expression exuding a startling allure as she pushed the Five Poison Peach Blossom Miasma to its absolute limit.

She possessed both the shyness of a young maiden in love and the seductive charm of a mature woman.

Her courtly robes were conservative, revealing only a sliver of her snow-white wrists, with no other skin exposed.

Yet, she was far more alluring than those in revealing outfits with low necklines and exposed legs.

Besides the three Core Formation Cultivators, there were dozens of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples, some channeling their Demon Skills to defile the Grand Array.

Others occupied key positions, standing guard in all directions.

"Junior Brother, have you noticed anything?"

Master Qingmu’s voice abruptly sounded in Bai Zichen’s mind. Just as he was wondering about it, Master Hei Shui began to speak.

"White Bone True Man has already manifested the true form of his Lifebound Magical Treasure. Aside from a few trump cards, he must be using his real power. Fairy Taohua’s Magical Treasure can generate miasma, which is spreading with the water mist and affecting the array’s operation."

Bai Zichen glanced around but couldn’t find any sign of Master Hei Shui.

It was as if he had truly merged with the lake, becoming one with the water itself.

"The Lotus Platform manifested by that mysterious Demon Cultivator probably isn’t a Magical Treasure... It seems to be a Divine Technique derived from his Cultivation Technique. He isn’t going all out, so it’s impossible to gauge his true depth."

"That Demon Cultivator who manifested the Lotus Platform is named Jiang Yuhua. He’s an Honored Guest Elder of the Blood Demon Sect. He hasn’t acted many times. He’s a Core Formation Cultivator from Beiyuan, not a native of Liang Country."

Based on the intelligence from the Qingfeng Sect, Bai Zichen had quickly identified the Demon Cultivator.

’The Nine-Child Yin Demon is always accompanied by nine naked infants, stirring up overwhelming resentment. Unless he deliberately conceals it, all living beings within ten li would be affected.’

’That only leaves the mysterious and unfathomable Jiang Yuhua, who matches the description of this middle-aged Daoist.’

"Jiang Yuhua of Beiyuan... Once I’ve cultivated the Black Water True Body, I’ll seek him out for a proper contest."

Jiang Yuhua had stripped away sixty years of Master Hei Shui’s Cultivation. Since he had only recently reached Core Formation, his True Essence had nearly dissipated, and his Realm had become unstable.

Now, with his enemy right before him, his tone remained unchanged, but one could sense the indignation simmering within.

"Only White Bone True Man, Fairy Taohua, and Jiang Yuhua—three Core Formation Cultivators—are besieging Feiyue Lake. This is much better than our worst-case scenario. The Nine-Child Yin Demon and Daoist He are likely still near the main sect, both to intimidate us and to block the path for our two Junior Martial Uncles to provide aid."

In this short time, Bai Zichen had already mastered the trick of maintaining a simultaneous Sound Transmission between the three of them.

Simply put, it involved adjusting the fluctuations of his Magical Power to the same frequency as the others, allowing his Sound Transmissions to be received by multiple people at once.

"They probably didn’t expect anyone to show up here and now, so their external defenses are lax. We have a chance to catch them by surprise. We’ll use Fairy Taohua as our breakthrough point. Nephew Bai, you communicate with the array to open a passage. Junior Brother Hei Shui, you tie down Fairy Taohua, and I’ll hold back the other two."

With three Core Formation Cultivators involved, it was naturally not Bai Zichen’s place to speak on strategy. Everything depended on the arrangements made by the two True Men of the Five Elements Sect.

Entering or exiting the array would cause a momentary pause in the Tier Three Array’s operation.

On a normal day, this wouldn’t matter, but now, the three Demon Cultivators would surely seize the opportunity to storm into Feiyue Lake and disrupt the array’s functions.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Master Qingmu had assigned their roles with utter decisiveness.

"Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu, you’re going to hold back two of them by yourself...?"

Bai Zichen was slightly stunned. They had already been defeated and forced to flee in a two-on-two fight, a battle that had cost Master Hei Shui dearly.

’Where is Master Qingmu getting the confidence to hold back two Core Formation True Men who are both stronger than him? Does he still have a powerful trump card he hasn’t shown?’

"It’s only for a few moments. I have my ways. You two hurry up and get into the array."

Master Qingmu’s expression was as placid as an ancient well; he offered no further explanation.

"Be careful, Senior Brother... As for that Fairy Taohua, I guarantee I can keep her from attacking or doing anything else for ten breaths."

After a long pause, Master Hei Shui’s voice sounded again, now tinged with solemnity.

Master Qingmu grabbed Bai Zichen and took a great stride forward. With a single step, he reappeared over a hundred zhang away.

With each step, his body grew larger. By the time they were only a few li from Fairy Taohua, he had transformed into a ten-zhang-tall giant.

At this distance, there was no hope of evading the enemy’s Divine Sense. In a flash of Escape Light, he appeared in the sky above Feiyue Lake and hurled Bai Zichen forward.

At the same time, a cyan radiance erupted from his body as his form swelled to several dozen zhang. Countless roots and branches whipped through the air, and immense Wood Element Spiritual Power surged around him, making him look like a towering treant.

"You wretched thieves!"

White Bone True Man and Jiang Yuhua sensed the giant treant appearing within the range of their Divine Sense at almost the same instant. Even though their primary attention was on the array and they weren’t deliberately scanning their surroundings, for someone to intrude within five li before being discovered... such skill in Qi Concealment was shocking.

Fairy Taohua’s reaction was a fraction of a second slower, but since she was right there, she was the quickest to act.

With a sharp cry, a golden bracelet slid from her snow-white wrist, ready to be thrown.

SWOOSH!

A large black net suddenly dropped from above, enveloping Fairy Taohua. Water Dragons materialized, their bodies acting as ropes, wrapping around her in layer after layer.

Master Hei Shui’s figure appeared nearby, a Tier Three Profound Water True Spirit Talisman having just burned to ash in his hand.

The refining cost for this single-use Trapping Secret Treasure in his possession was equivalent to that of a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

When combined with the Tier Three Profound Water True Spirit Talisman, its enhanced power was comparable to a Mid-Grade Magical Treasure.

His injuries had not yet healed, so he could only rely on the Secret Treasure Talisman and was unable to face an enemy head-on.

Meanwhile, the towering treant that was Master Qingmu extended two giant hands. One hand crushed the countless white lotuses, while the other blocked the path of the two White Bone Demons.

The white lotuses instantly turned into Black Lotuses, staining the giant hand an inky black. It immediately began to rot and wither, its life force extinguished.

Master Qingmu spat out a beam of Sword Light, severing the treant’s arm to prevent the Demonic Qi from spreading.

The other wooden palm was battered by the White Bone Demons’ assortment of blades, swords, and hammers, sending splintered wood and broken branches flying until it was utterly mangled.

"Qingmu Transformation, Rebirth of Ju Mang!"

Master Qingmu roared. Cyan Radiance flickered at the stump of his severed arm, and two wooden palms grew back, once again blocking the two Demon Cultivators.

Bai Zichen quickly took out his Elder Token and activated his entry and exit privileges.

He had never felt that the Three Thousand Six hundred Rings Water Smoke Array could react so slowly.

The water mist parted, and a circular entrance slowly began to appear.

"Junior Martial Uncles, follow me into the array, quickly..."

Just as Bai Zichen shouted, a beam of White Bone Sword Light appeared in his vision. A chilling sensation prickled his back as he felt an unprecedented threat of death.

He had just thought of self-detonating his Glazed Body, but in the span of that single thought, the White Bone Sword Light had expanded from a tiny point into a grim, dozens-of-zhang-long sword rainbow that slammed directly into his chest.

A dense cyan light enveloped him. The Sword Light swept past, and two pieces of broken wood fell from the air.

’Is this the might of a Core Formation True Man wielding a Tier Three Flying Sword? My mind was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even finish the thought of detonating my Glazed Body...’

The Tier Three Dried Wood Substitute Death Talisman could block a full-power strike from any cultivator below the Late-Stage of Core Formation, capable of substituting for its user to take a fatal blow.

With the now-activated Talisman on his body blocking the White Bone Sword Light, Bai Zichen only suffered from the aftershock. His chest felt as if it had been smashed by a heavy hammer.

A sound like metal striking metal rang out from his powerful physical body. He still suffered two broken ribs and spat out a mouthful of blood.

But as his figure flickered, he had already reached the entrance to the Grand Array.

Fairy Taohua had just managed to push the binding Water Dragons halfway apart when Master Hei Shui raised his hand and unleashed a string of Water Bombs, forcing her to gather her True Essence to defend against them.

In a flash of watery light, Master Hei Shui entered the Grand Array.

Feiyue Lake was a massive body of water, the perfect environment for his Water Escape. Here, he was truly like a fish in water.

Otherwise, with his heavily injured body, he wouldn’t have been able to continuously channel his True Essence, and trapping Fairy Taohua would have been far too difficult.

Master Qingmu took a large step and likewise flashed to the entrance.

Behind him, the two White Bone Demons transformed back into White Bone Poison Fire Hammers and came smashing down. At the same time, a Black Lotus drifted over. The array’s entrance still needed another moment to close.

If the unprotected opening of the array were to be hit head-on by the full-power attacks of two Core Formation Cultivators, the Array Banners would surely waver and the nodes would fall into chaos.

The only possible outcome would be the complete collapse of the array.