Chapter 538: Chapter 392: Repaying Kindness with Enmity? Nine Heavens Soul-locking Array

"That’s exactly right. If Lin Chang’sheng goes in there, I fear—"

Before Immortal Master Zhengyang could finish, everyone already understood what he meant.

This made Hou Shaojie’s heart leap into his throat, praying Lin Chang’sheng wouldn’t go inside.

"How could it have vanished? Wasn’t there just now a green light shooting into the sky? That’s clearly a sign the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land is emerging!"

"Exactly! The Grotto Heaven Blessed Land should be inside this Grand Array! Why can’t we find it?"

"So strange. Could the Blessed Land really appear for such a brief moment?"

"Impossible! Never has a Secret Realm appeared for so short a time!"

...

The various Major Sects scouring for the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land had nearly torn the whole Nine Poison Sect apart, yet found nothing in the end and began to complain among themselves.

"You all keep searching for Lin Chang’sheng—if we hear nothing, he must’ve entered the Secret Realm by now, and it’s likely he’s in grave danger!"

Immortal Master Zhengyang ordered sternly.

Wang Huisheng, Hou Shaojie, and the rest had no choice but to leave and continue tracking Lin Chang’sheng’s whereabouts.

Inside the Secret Realm.

After a whole night of bitter cultivation, Lin Chang’sheng’s strength had actually increased quite a bit by the next day.

Clearly, the speed of cultivation in this Secret Realm was astonishingly fast.

For an average person the change wouldn’t be so great—but with the Void Saint King Technique, Lin Chang’sheng increased at a rate more than ten times that of ordinary Cultivation Techniques.

"What? That girl’s a Demon Beast? No way! She looks like such an innocent kid!"

"What do you laymen know? Once a Spirit Beast reaches a certain stage, it can take on human form! The chief said that girl is a Demon Beast in disguise, and there’s no doubting it!"

"So why have they come to our tribe then? Are they up to something?"

"I don’t think so, but since they’re here, they can forget about leaving!"

"Are we really able to handle a Spirit Beast that’s transformed into a human?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? The chief has already set up a Grand Array—even a Spirit Beast can’t escape death!"

...

Just as Lin Chang’sheng opened his eyes, he heard voices muttering outside.

He knit his brows immediately. It sounded like they’d found out Xiaonan was a Demon Beast.

Still, they’d come here without any ill intent; but if those outside insisted on picking a fight, they’d be left with no other choice.

By this time, Xiaonan and Gu Shan also opened their eyes—evidently, they’d overheard as well.

Creaaak—

Lin Chang’sheng pushed open the door and stepped out.

He saw the entrance entirely surrounded by people from the Qingshui Tribe.

"What’s the meaning of this, everyone?"

Lin Chang’sheng looked at the people of Qingshui Tribe and spoke.

Right at the front, Zhang Kun could be seen among them.

"Brother, sorry, but the chief says the girl you brought is a Demon Beast in disguise—today, she must be executed here!"

Zhang Kun called out loudly.

They seemed to have some irreconcilable hatred for Demon Beasts.

Seeing this, Gu Shan also looked unsatisfied. If they hadn’t saved these people yesterday, they’d have already been food for the Long-tailed Thunder Beast. Now they wanted to turn on their saviors?

Besides, even if a fight broke out, these people were no match for the Three-headed Ice and Fire Python. This was little more than suicide.

Xiaonan, however, looked extremely calm, as if she’d seen human ingratitude too many times. This wasn’t the first such betrayal and she was used to it by now.

"She’s a Demon Beast, sure, but did she harm you in the slightest? Is this how you treat your guests?"

Lin Chang’sheng bristled. He’d thought there was a misunderstanding, but clearly there wasn’t.

They were just ingrates, that was all.

"A Demon Beast is a Demon Beast—they’re all evil, aren’t they? In this Secret Realm, human and Demon Beast are mortal enemies! If you two have been bewitched by that beast, don’t blame us if your blood stains the ground!"

Someone else, a leader like Zhang Kun, shouted from the crowd.

"Cold-blooded swords? I want to see just how heartless you really are!"

Gu Shan snapped, spreading his own aura wide, instantly causing several in the crowd to struggle for breath beneath its weight.

"Getting bold, are you? Think my tribe is defenseless?"

With a furious shout, a figure hurtled over, landing opposite Gu Shan.

The aura rolling off the newcomer was nearly equal to Gu Shan—he was clearly a Middle Stage of Mahayana cultivator as well.

This elder looked about seventy, but the immense pressure radiating from him made him seem anything but old.

"Chief—!"

The moment the elder appeared, the whole crowd greeted him with reverence.

Clearly, this was the chief of the Qingshui Tribe.

"You still have time to change your mind. If you insist on siding with a Demon Beast, you’ll all die beneath my Nine Heavens Soul-locking Array!"

The elder stomped hard and, in that instant, activated the Nine Heavens Soul-locking Grand Array. A curtain of energy instantly enveloped the whole tribe.

"I’ll give you one last chance. If you just let us be, we’ll leave and go our separate ways. If you insist on forcing this, it’ll be your blood flooding the ground today!"

A steely glint flashed in Lin Chang’sheng’s eyes—he hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly.

"So let’s see then—how will you make it run red with blood?"

The chief sneered and without hesitation launched the Nine Heavens Soul-locking Grand Array.

All at once, Lin Chang’sheng, Gu Shan, and the girl felt a searing pain in their heads, as if their Divine Souls were about to be forcibly ripped from their bodies.

This Grand Array was no joke—it could suppress any cultivator below the Tribulation Crossing Stage.

It could rip the souls from the bodies of cultivators, freeze them in place, leaving only empty shells behind to slaughter at will.

So even knowing Gu Shan and the Three-headed Ice and Fire Python were formidable, the chief showed no fear—this Array was his confidence.

Hiss—

Xiaonan couldn’t withstand the force of the Array and instantly reverted to her true form.

The monstrous form sent the tribe scattering in terror.

Lucky for them, the Array’s suppression left Xiaonan unable to attack—she could only thrash and writhe in agony on the ground.

"Not good!"

Gu Shan immediately sensed that the situation was dire—this Grand Array was truly fearsome.

As his own Divine Soul was about to be yanked free, Gu Shan summoned a Copper Bell-like artifact that instantly shielded his body.

At the same time, Lin Chang’sheng activated the Blood Jade Bracelet to protect himself.

As the two managed this, their Divine Souls were wrenched from their bodies and imprisoned in the Array, unable to move at all.

Only Xiaonan was still struggling, but after just three breaths, even her Divine Soul was torn out and bound by the Grand Array’s power.

Xiaonan’s Divine Soul took the form of the girl she usually appeared as.

"Kill it!"

The chief waved his hand, signaling his men to kill the Three-headed Ice and Fire Python.

Lin Chang’sheng fought with all his will, but found himself utterly bound by the Array’s might, unable to move a muscle.

This Array’s hold on the soul was ruthless beyond compare.

Thud thud thud—

Attack after attack rained down on the Three-headed Ice and Fire Python, echoing with deafening booms.

But the creature’s flesh was unbelievably tough—not something ordinary cultivators could break through.

After a few moments, the chief saw that not even the python’s scales had been cracked by his tribesmen.

So he decided to take action himself, surging forward and striking at the python’s head with his full strength.

Hiss—

But just as he attacked, one of the python’s petrifying heads swung to face him directly.

The elder locked eyes with the python—and suddenly his whole body began to go numb.

"Not good!"

The chief’s heart leaped in alarm as he abruptly leapt away.

But it was already too late—his arm was starting to slowly turn to stone.

"What... what’s happening?"

The chief was beyond shocked. He’d never seen anything like this before.

"Chief—!"

The other tribesmen were horrified by the sight of their chief’s arm turning to stone.

The old man was ruthless, shattering his own arm with a single blow, sending blood and bone flying.

He thought that would save his life.

But a moment later, his legs also began to petrify.

No matter how he circulated his Primordial Power, it was useless.

Now the chief was truly panicked.

Losing an arm would only cost him some cultivation, but if he lost his legs—wouldn’t he become a cripple? 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

There was nothing he could do anymore, only stare in horror as the petrification spread: to his belly, chest, then all the way up to his scalp.

In only three breaths, the elder was completely turned into a stone statue.

The people of the Qingshui Tribe were utterly horrified.

"T-the chief... is dead?"

Zhang Kun stumbled backwards, terrified. Their chief, who once seemed invincible, had turned into stone with just one look from this Demon Beast?

This Demon Beast’s power was terrifying beyond belief!