Chapter 590: Bizarre Possession

CRACKLE! SIZZLE!

Between heaven and earth, countless bolts of lightning surged. Everyone retreated hastily, staring in horror at the celestial phenomenon.

Elder Tianyi's expression was particularly grim. He gritted his teeth and groaned in pain. The meridians in his right hand, which had been struck by lightning, were completely shattered, the flesh charred black, sending waves of excruciating pain through him.

Ge Puzi and the others clenched their fists in grief and indignation, their eyes fixed on Ye Xuan's location, their hearts aching with sorrow.

Gradually, the lightning filling the sky dissipated. Ge Puzi and the others' grief-stricken eyes suddenly went wide.

Down below, Ye Xuan had unexpectedly appeared before everyone, completely unharmed. There wasn't a single visible injury on his body.

'What is going on?' Everyone felt like their brains couldn't keep up.

Elder Tianyi, who had merely been grazed by the spreading lightning, had nearly perished. Yet Ye Xuan, a mere Tier Six Peak cultivator, had been struck directly and was somehow perfectly fine.

Everyone frantically rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.

Ye Xuan himself looked somewhat stunned. When the lightning had descended, he hadn't had time to react at all. He had only felt... in his hand.

Instead of harming him, the lightning that passed through his body had given him a strange sort of cleansing, making his physical form even stronger.

The array patterns flickering in the chasm below grew brighter, and a mysterious aura began to emanate from it.

BOOM!

The sound of thunder suddenly echoed above their heads. Then, from the clear, boundless sky, eight bolts of lightning instantly descended. Like thunderous swords, they pierced viciously into the black mist in the deep pit below Ancient Yang City.

The eight columns of light, seeming to connect heaven and earth, swept downward. The terrifying might of the world itself startled everyone into a frantic retreat, fleeing the area with expressions of terror.

Even Su Xiuyi and Elder Tianyi were the same, flying backward with grave expressions. Even Tier Eight Martial Emperors like them dared not approach such majestic power of thunder. If they were caught within it, they would surely be annihilated, turned to dust.

For a moment, the people above Ancient Yang City split into two distinct factions, both staring in horror at the deep pit being ravaged by lightning.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Under the bombardment of lightning, the black mist beneath Ancient Yang City churned and twisted violently, as if in immense pain.

Ye Xuan watched the churning black qi, the flickering array patterns, and the majestic lightning. He frowned slightly. A feeling suddenly arose in his heart: the descending lightning and the array patterns seemed to form a seal, and what they sealed was precisely this churning black mist.

'What exactly is this thing?'

Ye Xuan couldn't help but feel horrified. 'This array is so terrifying; the thing it seals definitely can't be ordinary.'

He wore a bitter expression and said, "Everyone, I'm afraid we've stirred up some big trouble."

Su Xiuyi and the others all turned to look at Ye Xuan, frowning. "Xuan Ye, have you figured something out?"

Ye Xuan said bitterly, "These flickering patterns and the sky-piercing lightning are likely some kind of terrifying seal, used to contain this black qi. I don't know what this black qi is, but it's very possible it was here underground even before Ancient Yang City was built. Perhaps Ancient Yang City was founded specifically to suppress this black qi."

"Is that possible?" Su Xiuyi and the others were shocked.

The Ancient Yang Empire was an extremely powerful empire on the Dream Realm Plain several thousand years ago. At its peak, it had unified nearly half the territory of the Dream Realm Plain and was immensely strong.

Its founding could be traced back over ten thousand years. As the Imperial Capital of the Ancient Yang Empire, Ancient Yang City had clearly also been established over ten thousand years ago.

If what Ye Xuan said was true, didn't that mean this seal and the black qi had existed for over ten thousand years?

Everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Something that a great empire had put all its effort into sealing over ten thousand years ago was still not extinguished. The very thought was enough to send shivers down their spines.

Ge Puzi said in alarm, "After ten thousand years, even a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor would have long since turned to dust, right?"

Elder Dong's expression was grim as he stared at the churning black qi. "The lifespan of a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor is at most a thousand years. Could it be a legendary Saint Realm expert?"

Legend had it that beyond the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor was the Saint Realm. A Saint Realm expert could shatter the void and enter the fabled Celestial Realm.

But this was only a legend. In the ten-thousand-year history of the Celestial Profound Continent, no Saint Realm expert had ever appeared. There were only some vague and unclear records in more ancient texts.

Su Xiuyi shook his head. "Saint Realm experts are nothing more than a legend. Besides, after ten thousand years, even if there really was a Saint Realm expert, they would have likely died after being sealed and suppressed for so long. This black qi seems somewhat similar to Elder Tianyi's black smoke. It should just be some kind of bizarre energy."

"But what about that booming sound constantly coming from underground?" Elder Yao muttered.

Everyone frowned again, unable to explain it.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the remaining experts from the three major forces were also filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

The green-robed man stared at the black mist below and said coldly, "Elder Tianyi, what exactly is that thing down there?"

Elder Tianyi said bitterly, "Young Master Qi, I... I don't know either."

"Hmph! Is this the Profound Mystery Sect's grand plan? To end up like this?" the green-robed man said, furious.

Elder Tianyi's expression was awkward. He was being insulted but didn't dare to talk back. This green-robed young man was a big shot from the Profound Domain; with Elder Tianyi's status, he could only be someone else's subordinate.

The green-robed young man glanced towards Ye Xuan and his group, his face twisting into a savage look. "I don't care what your plan was. If my objective isn't achieved, you should know the consequences."

A vicious glint flashed in Elder Tianyi's eyes. He shot a cold look at the nearby Ye Xuan and the others and said hatefully, "Young Master Qi, rest assured. Without the Seven Star Earth Element Array, their side only has Su Xiuyi. They will definitely die at our hands."

After saying this, Elder Tianyi and his men ignored the raging lightning below and charged towards Ye Xuan's group, radiating killing intent.

Seeing this, Su Xiuyi and the others' expressions changed. He roared, "Tianyi, you still want to fight at a time like this?"

Elder Tianyi sneered, "Su Xiuyi, in my eyes, nothing is more important than killing all of you."

"Attack."

He roared, about to lead his remaining battered men in a charge.

Just then, with a sudden CRACK, the lightning in the sky abruptly extinguished. The bolts above the black mist also vanished. Within the mist, something seemed to be bursting open with a series of pops.

Elder Tianyi and his men were startled by the sudden development and quickly looked down.

The lightning below had vanished. The black qi that filled the sky was contracting, rapidly disappearing until the scene at the bottom of the deep pit was revealed.

"Is that... an altar?"

Ye Xuan and the others saw it at a glance. At the bottom of the deep pit was what looked like an ancient altar, surrounded by countless restrictions and array patterns. These restrictions and patterns were broken and dilapidated, seemingly having lost their function, but they still exuded an ancient aura.

The black mist that had just spread throughout Ancient Yang City was also gone without a trace, as if it had never been there at all.

But seeing this empty scene, Ye Xuan felt an inexplicable weight in his heart, as if a giant rock was pressing on his chest.

"What is this? All smoke and mirrors. Never mind, let's kill Su Xiuyi and his people first."

Elder Tianyi and his men sneered coldly and lunged forward.

"Hmph. If you want a fight, you'll get one." A furious look also appeared in the eyes of Su Xiuyi and his group.

Just then, a beam of black light suddenly shot out from the altar. It was so fast that no one had time to react. In the blink of an eye, it reached Elder Tianyi's group and, with a soft SQUELCH, entered the body of the Bright Moon Empire's red-robed fairy, Cai Yan.

This sudden scene startled everyone. They dodged away, staring at Cai Yan in shock.

"Cai Yan, are you alright?" the Bright Moon Empire's Great Consecrated, Xie Li, asked with alarm, his expression full of vigilance.

Cai Yan seemed to freeze in mid-air, her eyes becoming completely vacant. Suddenly...

"Aaaah!"

Cai Yan let out a bloodcurdling scream. Countless dense black threads suddenly appeared on her face. These threads seemed alive, writhing across her skin. Her expression contorted in extreme agony. However, the black threads appeared and vanished in a flash, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Cai Yan's expression then became calm.

"Cai Yan, what's wrong with you?" Xie Li shouted, his voice filled with tension and shock.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Cai Yan twisted her neck with a sharp CRACK. She held out her hands with a look of utter confusion. Her eyes held a bewitching quality as she looked this way and that, as if seeing herself for the first time.

"Cai Yan, what are you doing?" Xie Li demanded coldly.

Ye Xuan's expression was more solemn than ever. He swallowed hard and said in horror, "She might have been possessed."

Everyone was startled. The experts from the three major forces, in particular, scattered with a WHOOSH, staring at Cai Yan in terror. They felt an indescribable strangeness about her.

Elder Tianyi roared, "Brat, what nonsense are you spouting?! Only a Ninth Grade Soul Refiner whose Soul Power has reached ultimate unity could theoretically possess someone. That black light was clearly just a burst of energy! Possess your sister!"

Furious, he lunged for Cai Yan, roaring, "Cai Yan, what tricks are you playing? If you don't speak, I'll snap your neck!"

To everyone's surprise, Cai Yan remained expressionless in the face of Elder Tianyi's attack. She allowed his large Profound hand to grab her by the neck, lifting her like a helpless chick without any resistance.

"Hmph. I don't care what you are, get out!" Elder Tianyi roared, channeling his Profound energy to try and force the black light out of Cai Yan's body.