Chapter 686: Struggling to Hold On

Yin energy washed over my body, but at this moment, I couldn't feel the biting chill hidden within that malevolent yin energy. I kept my eyes fixed on the chest of the Mountain God Sculpture.

That faint point of light was as dazzling as the morning star within the pitch-black subterranean vein.

The outer layer of stone skin hadn't completely fallen away, so I couldn't get a clear look at what was hidden inside the Mountain God Sculpture's chest.

The light it emitted wasn't exactly blinding, but it seemed to contain some sort of law, condensing an unimaginable amount of Yang Qi. Even using Judging Eye, I couldn't see it clearly.

'If I want to figure out what is truly hidden in the ground, I have to wait until the stone skin on the statue's chest completely falls off.' I slowly calmed down, temporarily shifting my attention away from the Mountain God Sculpture, and looked at Wang Shi huddled beside it. My voice carried a hint of coldness. "This stone statue shouldn't give you any more trouble. I hope you don't drop the ball again."

"It's not like I want to," Wang Shi said with a bitter smile. "I can't control it. What else can I do?"

"What you do is your own business. I'll give you one more piece of advice: the Yin-Yang balance at the core of this grand array has already been broken, and it will collapse very soon. If you still haven't refined the Yang Talisman by then, just wait to be swallowed by the malevolent yin energy and buried in the bottomless abyss."

Since it was a matter of life and death, Wang Shi finally showed a hint of urgency. "Don't worry. I definitely won't joke around with my own life."

"In a moment, transfer control of some of the talisman nodes to me. I'll give you another three hours. If you haven't finished refining it by then, don't blame me for being ruthless." I had my own principles and bottom lines when doing things, and I wouldn't change them for anyone.

"Understood." Whether intimidated by my presence or just feeling guilty, Wang Shi made an extremely human gesture, gently raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Only after completing the motion did he realize he was still a ghost without a physical body.

"You still retain the habits of a living human, which is good," I said flatly. "But I hope you remember that right now, you aren't qualified to interfere in the affairs of the living."

Wang Shi's expression remained unchanged. He just nodded casually and said, "I understand what you mean."

There was no need to spell everything out when talking to a smart person; even threats and warnings could be kept subtle.

I ignored Wang Shi and glanced over at the Mountain God Sculpture. After the Earth Divine Talisman was used, the Mountain God's Clay Figurine seemed to have accepted its fate. It stopped interfering with the Yin soldiers, and the Fate Ghost regained control of the grand array.

I secretly communicated with the Fate Ghost, instructing it to slow the frequency of its attacks. But even so, it still couldn't stop the core of the grand array from collapsing; it only delayed the inevitable ruin.

'At this rate, in another three or four hours, the malevolent yin energy will shroud the entire stone platform. With Yin and Yang out of balance, this place will probably suffer a massive collapse. This secret realm might end up buried deep underground forever.' I looked back at the pitch-black, profound depths of the subterranean vein before turning to leave.

Passing by the Desire Ghost, I tried using a ghost art to wake it, but it didn't respond. It seemed to have reached the most critical moment of its transformation.

Ghostly entities were inherently evil. For a Ghost Cultivator, the best way to deal with any ghost that couldn't be controlled was to shatter its soul and scatter its spirit.

The Desire Ghost was cruel and vicious, thirsting for blood and slaughter. An ordinary Ghost Cultivator would never dare let it grow so freely like I did. After all, ghosts turning on their masters was an incredibly common occurrence.

But I had no such qualms, and the reason was simple: the Fate Ghost had returned. If the Desire Ghost refused to submit, I would simply suppress it until it did.

Walking out of the subterranean vein, I returned to the main hall of the Three Yin Sect to keep an eye on every move the sect cultivators made.

They put far too much pressure on me; I didn't dare get distracted again.

To prevent the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation from collapsing, the Fate Ghost had slowed the attack frequency of the Yin soldiers, giving the sect cultivators a chance to catch their breath.

They took turns acting to protect the ritual altar, quickly stabilizing the situation.

As time passed, the Fate Ghost had no choice but to start pulling back the Yin soldiers to slow the collapse of the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation. The malevolent yin energy was quickly suppressed by the rolling waves of Yang Qi, forcing the grand array to shrink.

"The Dao of heaven reduces what has excess and supplements what is deficient. It emphasizes balance and order above all else. Yin soldiers appearing in the mortal realm inherently violates the laws of heaven, so they are destined to be targeted by the will of heaven." Ye Qingqiu's eyes were bloodshot and his hair knot was a mess. Despite his wretched appearance, his tone still held the pride of a Celestial Master from an upper sect. "That's why I deduced early on that this array couldn't run indefinitely! It's already showing signs of exhaustion, which means a problem has definitely occurred in its operation! If we just keep up the siege, capturing Gao Jian alive will be no problem at all."

His tone was certain, and Xu Yinglong continuously voiced his agreement from the side. Leng Qingxuan's Master and the Qingcheng Taoist Priest also nodded, seemingly agreeing with Ye Qingqiu's words. Only the Hemp-Clothed Elder felt a deep sense of unease.

He glanced at the sky above. Yang Qi permeated the space over the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation, but all of this Yang Qi came from the Jiangcheng dragon vein. If one looked closely, they would notice that the sun in the sky was currently obscured by a thin layer of black clouds. It was only three or four in the afternoon, yet the surroundings had grown rather dim, as if it were about to rain.

"Is the will of heaven targeting Gao Jian, or is it targeting us? Who exactly is the one committing a grave mistake?" The Hemp-Clothed Elder felt a stir in his heart. His gaze swept over the crowd one by one before finally landing on Elder Chen's back. "I can't shake this strange feeling that I've been calculated and used by someone."

He was straightforward by nature and held high seniority, so he didn't care about Ye Qingqiu's attitude in the slightest. He turned his head and said to him, "Look at the sky over Jiangcheng. It's already completely overcast. This is an ominous omen. I suggest we call a temporary truce and carefully sort through the sequence of events from beginning to end."

"Why are you so worried, Daoist Brother? The general trend stands on our side. No matter how capable Gao Jian is, it's impossible for him to make enemies out of our Five Great Upper Sects. Most of the time, what decides victory or defeat isn't momentary cleverness, but foundation." Even after speaking, Ye Qingqiu continuously fed more talismans into the Ten Directions Annihilation Grand Formation, wanting to launch a counterattack.

"What is the general trend?" The Hemp-Clothed Elder sighed. "The will of heaven is the true general trend. Going against heaven will never result in a good end."

He stuck to his own perspective, determined to argue it out with Ye Qingqiu. "Gao Jian's Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation is shrinking. Why don't we take this opportunity to have a proper talk with him? We might even get some unexpected gains out of it."

"I agree." Leng Qingxuan's Master stepped forward. "My disciple had contact with Gao Jian. It seems he isn't the murderer who killed the sect disciples. Word is that the real culprit is hiding in Xinhu City."

"Stop spreading malicious rumors to confuse the masses! You're only saying this to absolve your disciple. The Five Great Upper Sects, along with my Golden Mountain Sect and Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple, had everyone we sent out slaughtered in a trap! Yet only your disciple and that junior from Qingcheng managed to escape by a fluke. There is definitely something fishy going on here!" Xu Yinglong didn't dare offend the Hemp-Clothed Elder, but he was completely merciless toward Daoist Priest Mei, who was of the same generation as him.

"Stop making baseless accusations! I know perfectly well what kind of person my disciple is."

Leng Qingxuan's Master raised his voice as well. Seeing that the two were on the verge of a fierce argument, Elder Chen, who stood at the very front of the grand array, slowly spoke up. "Don't ruin the harmony between you two. How about this? Since the Yin soldiers are retreating right now, let's each voice our own thoughts, and then the minority will yield to the majority. How does that sound?"

For a moment, none of the sect's Celestial Masters spoke. To Elder Chen, silence equated to tacit agreement. With a smile on his lips, he looked at the Man in the Suit standing behind him. "This Daoist Brother hasn't said a single word since entering the mountain, and his face is quite unfamiliar. Why don't we start with you?"

With Elder Chen saying this, everyone's attention was drawn over.

"Me?" The Man in the Suit seemed to be in a daze. Only when everyone was looking at him did he shake his head ever so slightly. "I have no thoughts on the matter."

After saying that, he fell silent again, acting as if he couldn't care less about anything.

Elder Chen was softly rebuffed. His gaze lingered on the Man in the Suit for a moment before shifting away as he addressed the others. "And the rest of you?"

"Gao Jian killed a second-generation disciple of my Golden Mountain Sect. I want him to pay with his life!" Xu Yinglong's attitude was resolute; he refused to yield an inch.

"Setting up the Ten Directions Annihilation Grand Formation consumed a massive amount of resources. Once it starts running, it is extremely difficult to stop. Gao Jian cannot be judged by common sense; I imagine all of you have somewhat experienced this by now. Therefore, I suggest we don't waste our breath and just capture him alive directly." A harsh gleam flashed through Ye Qingqiu's eyes. "When the time comes, we'll have a hundred different ways to make him talk."

"This concerns the safety of Daoist Master Xu Yan. I hope Fellow Daoist Mei will be forgiving." The Qingcheng Taoist Priest was very polite, but he didn't choose to stand in the same camp as Leng Qingxuan's Master.

The outcome was already becoming clear. Daoist Priest Mei and the Hemp-Clothed Elder wanted a temporary truce, but Xu Yinglong and the other two firmly disagreed. Combined with the Man in the Suit's abstention, everyone's attention ultimately focused back on Elder Chen. His decision would determine the direction of the overall situation.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what do you think?" The Hemp-Clothed Elder stared at Elder Chen, his brows furrowing slightly. He seemed to harbor an inexplicable dislike for the man.

"Chen Jiuge was the sole disciple of this generation in my Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple. He died under entirely mysterious circumstances. Right now, the only lead we have lies with Gao Jian. To be honest, I'm also in a difficult position." No abnormalities could be seen in Elder Chen's expression. Out of everyone present, only I—hiding in the main hall of the Three Yin Sect—knew Elder Chen's true colors. He didn't care about Chen Jiuge's life or death at all. In other words, in his eyes, Chen Jiuge was probably just a relatively useful chess piece. Regarding Chen Jiuge's death, he would only feel that it was a pity, without a single shred of actual sorrow.

"I do have the intention to talk things out with Gao Jian, but this kid is far too cunning. Eight out of ten words out of his mouth are probably lies." Elder Chen sighed. "I don't want to make things too difficult for him either. It's just that, compared to getting clues from his mouth, I am much more inclined to seek answers in his dreams myself. I, Chen, promise right here and now: as long as we capture Gao Jian alive, I will definitely use the secret arts of my Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple to sift through his memories, reconstruct the true sequence of events, and give everyone a proper explanation."

After speaking that final sentence, an almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corners of Elder Chen's mouth.