Chapter 751: Chapter 751

After escaping from the Purple Star Eagles, everyone felt a sense of relief.

With their strength suppressed by the poisonous mist, dealing with such a large flock of Purple Star Eagles would have been no easy task.

"Did you all notice something? The insects and beasts we’ve encountered since entering seemed fairly normal at first, but the moment battle began, they turned completely feral and utterly savage, as if they’d lost all sense of reason," said the young man carrying a sword, his gaze fixed on the spot where the Purple Star Eagles had vanished.

"That’s right. That’s exactly why they’re called ferocious insects and ferocious beasts. And it’s not just here, every living creature within Seven-Kill Hall behaves . No one knows what’s behind it. Even Spiritual Infant grandmasters haven’t been able to unravel the secrets of Seven-Kill Hall. So remember, all of you: before the spiritual array breaks down, you must leave Seven-Kill Hall," Xiang Yi warned.

As he spoke, he lowered his head and began pacing across the ground, seemingly searching for something.

The interior of the gorge felt like a different world compared to the outside.

There wasn’t a single blade of grass in sight, only a barren, desolate landscape filled with jagged rocks, each as sharp as a blade. Everyone treaded carefully.

Eventually, Xiang Yi confirmed the direction.

The terrain inside the gorge was strange. As they moved forward, they found themselves descending gradually, giving the impression that they were starting from a mountain peak and moving toward its base.

Shrouded in poisonous mist, they couldn’t see the surrounding terrain clearly and could only guess at it.

The drop ahead was far deeper than they had imagined. The bottom was nowhere in sight.

Ferocious beasts still lurked here, but Xiang Yi avoided them whenever possible.

The poisonous mist thickened by the moment. From time to time, everyone glanced at the Bone Lotus to ensure it remained stable. At present, only three lotus petals had been stained purple; there was still ample time left.

Eventually, the downward slope came to a halt. By now, they had no idea how deep underground they were.

The mist enveloped the protective shield created by the Bone Lotus like a curtain of purple, forcing them to rely almost entirely on sound to perceive potential threats.

Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any stealthy beasts along the way.

After proceeding a little farther, Xiang Yi signaled for everyone to stop. He looked to the left and released a burst of true essence with a wave of his hand.

The mist parted briefly before closing up again, but within that brief window, everyone clearly saw the silhouette of a quaint, ancient stone hall hidden within the mist.

"Daoist Xiang, is that stone hall..." someone asked.

Seeing Xiang Yi nod, the group was overjoyed. They had finally reached their destination.

Even so, no one dared to lower their guard. That fleeting glimpse revealed that the stone hall was anything but ordinary. Ancient barriers drifted faintly around it. Hidden at the heart of the Purple Mist End, it was very likely a place of great danger.

The fact that the alliance had sent so many people spoke volumes.

"Don’t approach it yet. Circle the hall once and eliminate any nearby beasts. If we start breaking the barrier and attract their attention, it could spell disaster," Xiang Yi said in a low voice.

"There are even stronger beasts inside?" Qin Sang asked curiously.

Xiang Yi nodded. "This seems like the lowest layer of the Purple Mist End. According to the Merchant Alliance’s records, there’s a bottomless ravine up ahead. That’s the true core of the Purple Mist End and the origin of the poisonous mist. If we enter the ravine, the Bone Lotus will likely be fully corrupted in no time and lose its power. Even Spiritual Infant grandmasters fear the poisonous mist down there. What’s more, beasts lurking at the bottom of the ravine may be as powerful as Transformation Realm great demons."

Everyone gasped in awe. So this was truly an end to many!

Without the Bone Lotus shielding them, their true essence would likely be drained within moments of exposure to the mist. And yet this perilous place was still not the true core of the Purple Mist End.

They began circling the stone hall to search for beasts.

Sure enough, they encountered two lion-like creatures. They struck first and slew them both. Once the area was cleared, they finally approached the stone hall.

Upon arriving, a strange expression crossed their faces.

It might not even deserve to be called a hall. It was far too small, only the size of half a room, modest and unassuming. Aside from the ancient barriers, there were no obvious features.

"Is the alliance asking us to break through the barrier and retrieve some treasure from within?" The Liu couple stepped forward, channeled their true essence, and lightly touched the ancient barrier. "These barriers don’t seem that strong. At least for a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, they wouldn’t pose much of a challenge. This thing has stood here for so long, so exposed; it must’ve been visited by countless grandmasters already. What could possibly be left?"

Xiang Yi said calmly, "That’s not something I can answer. The alliance’s instructions are indeed for you to assist me in breaking the barrier and retrieving an item. Many of the hidden realms within Seven-Kill Hall are . Power alone doesn’t grant free reign. Just because Spiritual Infant grandmasters have come before, doesn’t mean all the treasures were taken."

As he spoke, Xiang Yi took out eight small triangular flags and handed them to the group.

The eight apricot-yellow triangular flags were identical in appearance, each with a flagpole no longer than a palm.

The moment Qin Sang received one, he recognized it as a type of forbidden artifact. With eight people controlling the set, they should be able to break through the ancient barrier.

"This is the Earth-Elemental Flag. I cultivate an earth-based art, so I’ll serve as the Array Eye. Fellow Daoists, you’ll act in support. The array itself requires close attention as well..."

Xiang Yi carefully explained the key points of the array to them.

Everyone present was highly skilled, and it didn’t take long for them to grasp the workings of the array. They spread out in front of the ancient hall, forming a proper formation with Xiang Yi at the center.

Xiang Yi held the Bone Lotus in one hand and gripped the triangular flag in the other.

Once everyone was in place, Xiang Yi gave a slight nod and immediately began channeling his true essence into the triangular flag with full force.

The triangular flag swelled to a height of three zhang and plunged into the ground with a loud thud.

Xiang Yi’s hand seals changed rapidly as he cast one incantation after another, all merging into the flag. The flag fluttered and roared, like a bottomless pit devouring his true essence.

As more essence poured in, cloud-shaped seal scripts and thunder-patterns began to emerge on the flag, mysterious and intricate.

A brilliant apricot-yellow glow burst forth, and the earth beneath their feet began to tremble.

"Form the array!" Xiang Yi shouted in a deep voice.

Qin Sang and the others immediately sat cross-legged, activating their own flags.

This was when a difference became apparent. Compared to Xiang Yi’s flag at the center, theirs stood a zhang shorter and bore fewer lightning and cloud patterns.

However, the yellow light emitted from their flags was no weaker than that of the Array Eye’s. And once that light appeared, it seemed to be drawn by some unseen force, flowing toward the center.

The flag at the Array Eye grew ever more radiant.

The ground rumbled as if there was an earthquake.

Had they not cleared out the area earlier, the noise would surely have attracted nearby beasts.

Endless waves of earth-elemental energy surged from the earth veins[1] into the flag array. A glowing sphere began to form on Xiang Yi’s central flag, gathering a force so immense it made one’s heart shudder.

At the same time, the true essence of Qin Sang and the others was being rapidly drained. None of them could afford to move as they had to maintain the spiritual array at all times.

Fortunately, Qin Sang had taken several pills in advance and was holding up well.

"Go!" Xiang Yi’s eyes widened as he roared.

A dazzling beam of yellow light shot forth, slamming hard into the ancient barrier.

In an instant, the light engulfed the entire stone hall. All that could be sensed was the clash of two overwhelming forces colliding head-on, neither side giving way.

1. It was believed by ancient people that veins of the earth existed. Now in modern times, it translates to the ley lines of the earth. ☜