Chapter 485 - 423: Demonic Sound Piercing the Brain (Part 2)

Chapter 485: Chapter 423: Demonic Sound Piercing the Brain (Part 2)

Foundation Establishment cultivators were the backbone of a sect, and almost every sect operated this way.

"The cultivator guarding the Soul Lamps reported this just now. I went to see for myself."

The deacon replied with a nod.

"Didn’t Ji Zhang go to Red Tail Island?"

Guan Zhi, the youngest of the elders who looked to be in his forties, asked with a puzzled expression.

"That’s right. Ji Zhang had just returned from the Western Realm half a month ago. He heard about the bounty of twenty thousand merit points and volunteered to go to sea."

Mabben, his hair a full silver, chimed in.

"The ones carrying out the mission are all Qi Refining Realm cultivators. Who could have killed him? Could it be that the Chenghua Sect also sent a Transformation Stage cultivator?"

"Probably not. We sent a Transformation Stage cultivator to kill Zhao Lin, something the Chenghua Sect doesn’t know. Unless the reward was exceptionally generous, no Foundation Establishment cultivator would be willing to damage their own cultivation by using magic while in the Transformation Stage."

Mabben slowly shook his head.

"That’s strange, then. Could he have accidentally triggered a trap, or was he ambushed and overwhelmed?"

Guan Zhi said with a frown.

"That’s also unlikely. Ji Zhang wasn’t some reckless youth. He lived for nearly a hundred years; how could he not know to be wary of traps?"

"Besides, with his strength, even if he couldn’t defeat a group of Qi Refining Realm cultivators, it’s inconceivable that he couldn’t even escape, leading to his utter demise."

Mabben stroked his beard, still shaking his head.

"You’ve both forgotten that the mission was to kill that brat, Zhao Lin. Is it possible that Zhao Lin killed Ji Zhang?"

An old man with a grim expression and hawk-like eyebrows spoke up.

"Brother Yuudou, you’re mistaken. Although Ji Zhang’s realm was suppressed, he was still half a realm higher than the Peak of Qi Refining. How could he possibly die at this person’s hands?"

Mabben immediately retorted.

"I’m afraid that might not be the case!"

Yuudou said dismissively, "When Zhao Lin was at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, he was able to kill Qingchi and Yamauchi, who were at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. Now that he’s reached the Late-stage Qi Refining, why couldn’t he defeat Ji Zhang?"

Mabben pondered this for a moment, then sneered, "If that’s really the case, then Zhao Lin should already be dead."

The elder, Yuudou, was taken aback and asked, "Brother Mabben, why do you say that?"

Mabben smiled faintly. "The Kujima family is famous for its fiery nature. Any cultivator from their family who reaches Foundation Establishment will practice the Blood-Ignition Body Technique."

"All of you should be well aware of the power of this body-detonation magic. Even other Foundation Establishment cultivators would keep a wide berth. No matter how formidable that Zhao Lin is, there’s no way he could have survived!"

Hearing this, everyone felt it made sense and nodded in agreement.

"So the mission is complete, but trading the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator is a terrible deal."

"Zhao Lin is no ordinary Qi Refining cultivator." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Right. This person is a great enemy of our sect. He absolutely must not be left alive..."

At this moment, Ooshima San, who was seated in the center and had been silent the whole time, finally spoke: "Regardless of whether our speculations are correct or not, with two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chunying and Matsuo, on the case, Zhao Lin is a dead man!"

"You should all be thinking about how to handle the aftermath and appease the Kujima family’s wrath."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed, and they all fell silent.

...

"So this is the Fudong Rift Valley. It really lives up to its reputation—even more magnificent than the Sea Map described!"

Du Zhen led his five-person team stealthily along the seabed until they arrived before a long, narrow, and deep trench, where he stopped and spoke.

Perhaps spurred on by Zhao Lin’s combat record, the five of them had waited at Shen Shui Beach for a while. When Zhao Lin didn’t return, they decided to act on their own and search for cultivators from the Earth Dark Sect.

"Brother Du, any further and we’ll be in the Earth Dark Sect’s territory. Why don’t we turn back?"

Wang Jingchen said, glancing into the deep rift.

"Go back for what?"

Du Zhen retorted, "The mission is to capture Pearl Beach. Opposite us is Golden Ox Beach, which was our sect’s territory thirty years ago. We’re just going to do some advance scouting and get a clear picture of the situation."

"What if we run into cultivators from the Earth Dark Sect? We’re on their turf, and we don’t know the layout of their traps. We should wait for Fellow Daoist Zhao to arrive before doing anything," Wang Jingchen said worriedly.

"If we run into Earth Dark Sect cultivators, we’ll fight if we can win and retreat if we can’t. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Du Zhen said nonchalantly.

"Brother Du is right. If we wait for Fellow Daoist Zhao to decide everything, what are we even here for?"

Du Zhongyong chimed in, "Don’t forget, merit points are distributed based on individual contributions. If we just stay put on Pearl Beach, how many points do you think we’ll get?"

Wang Jingchen was left speechless and could only look toward the other Peak of Qi Refining cultivator in the team: Chang Jianqiu.

Chang Jianqiu thought for a moment and said, "How about this: we’ll be careful and just patrol the outskirts of Golden Ox Beach. We’ll mark a few traps and then head back. That way, at least the trip won’t have been for nothing."

Seeing this, no one said anything more and they all slowly swam forward.

The Fudong Rift Valley was over a hundred li long and more than ten li wide. The group swam for quite some time before reaching the edge of the chasm.

Just then, the sound of crying drifted up from the depths of the rift.

The sound was high-pitched and winding, like a mournful lament, occasionally punctuated by a shriek or two that made one’s hair stand on end.

The cultivators all felt dizzy and disoriented, their souls stirred. They were all alarmed.

"Not good! It’s a soul-seizing demonic sound!"

Du Zhen’s expression changed as he spoke.

"Use the Solidifying God Skill! Center your minds and guard your spirits!"

Chang Jianqiu also shouted a reminder.

Everyone snapped out of it and quickly circulated their Heart Methods.

The Solidifying God Skill could fortify the Primordial Spirit, preventing possession by higher-level cultivators, and it also offered some resistance to soul-seizing magic.

"HEY! Who’s there!"

Du Zhen shouted, biting the tip of his tongue to stay clear-headed.

The source of the wailing seemed to be startled and paused for a moment, but after a brief silence, the crying started again, this time intermittently.

The sound grew closer, and the group couldn’t help but picture a female ghost with disheveled hair, causing the hairs on their arms to stand up.

A short while later, an enchanting and bewitching woman emerged from the deep rift.

The group had seen this woman on the boat and recognized her at a glance. However, unlike before, a faint wisp of blood-red light was now wrapped around her body!

"It’s... a Transformation Stage cultivator!"

Du Zhen’s eyes widened as he gasped.

Chang Jianqiu and the others also noticed the anomaly, and their hearts sank.

A Transformation Stage cultivator was, in reality, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even with their cultivation level suppressed, they were still a great deal stronger than any Qi Refining cultivator.

"What took you so long? You made me wait here for ages."

The enchanting woman complained, her tone filled with endless melancholy.

’There are five of us. We could even put up a fight against a real Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone one in the Transformation Stage.’

Du Zhen swept the area with his Divine Sense and found no one else nearby. His resolve hardened. "Let’s attack together!" he said in a low voice. With that, he summoned his Gold-Slaying Saber and charged through the water toward the enchanting woman.

The five of them had fought Earth Dark Sect cultivators before and had developed a certain degree of coordination.

The moment Du Zhen spoke, Chang Jianqiu immediately followed his lead. Du Zhongyong, Wang Jingchen, and the other cultivator, Shi Shouxin, attacked from the other side.

"Five big men, ganging up to bully a little lady like me."

The enchanting woman let out a charming laugh. Her figure flickered, becoming indistinct as if she were about to melt into the water.

All their spells and treasures hit nothing but empty water.

Using some unknown magic, the enchanting woman’s figure flashed, and she reappeared a dozen zhang away.

Her fingers, as white as jade, moved through a series of complex seals. Her red lips pursed slightly, and the sound of crying rang out once more.

This time, the crying was much shriller, almost an agonized wail. It pierced through their eardrums, striking deep into their seas of consciousness.

The men’s scalps tingled. They immediately stopped their attacks and focused on defending their Divine Sense.

This was the frightening power of a high-level cultivator. They might not have a huge advantage in a direct clash of magic, but they could use their superior Divine Sense to seize the initiative.

The soul-seizing demonic sound was a Divine Sense-type magic, which was minimally affected by the suppression of her realm. The men could only struggle to circulate their own techniques to resist, unable to spare any energy to attack.

The arts of enchantment use no blades or spears, yet they are the most difficult to defend against!

As the enchanting woman cast her spell, she used her Divine Sense to probe the reactions of the five men one by one.

Every spell has its cost. Casting the soul-seizing demonic sound on five people at once meant she also had to endure a significant strain on her Divine Sense and couldn’t keep it up for long.

"Let’s get out of here!"

Xu Zhongyong felt his mind thrown into chaos and couldn’t stop himself from blurting out.

Du Zhen shot him a fierce glare, placing an index finger to his lips to signal him to be quiet.

Seeing this, the enchanting woman’s eyes lit up, and she immediately focused the majority of her sonic attack on Xu Zhongyong.