Chapter 1259: Mingxiuzhando (Artificial Path Construction)

Demon Monarch Tongyou, Xiang Qing, Daoist Priest Chongyi, and Qing Jun each held a talisman.

Originally, a jade talisman was entrusted to Lord Dongyang. However, Lord Dongyang unexpectedly disappeared, and Daoist Priest Chongyi took his place.

Qin Sang and the others stood behind the four, jointly activating the jade talismans under their guidance to power the Nine Palaces Array.

A faint image of a heavenly palace emerged from the jade talismans, from which clusters of yin and yang qi surged forth. Some were as large as dippers, others as small as chess pieces, resembling bright and dim stars.

Soon after, a river of stars descended, manifesting the Eight Trigrams and establishing the Nine Palaces in the void, forming a vast ground formation. Li was at the top, Kan at the bottom; Zhen on the left, Dui on the right; Gen, Xun, Kun, and Qian were positioned at the four corners.

Instantly, the figures of the cultivators vanished within the grand array, leaving only the formation diagram slowly revolving. This was the Primary Nine Palaces Array, based on the Post-Heaven Eight Trigrams—a true orthodox Xuanmen formation with infinite variations.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

As soon as the grand array was complete, a torrent of blood-red light surged from the Flag Gate Array outside. Even more astonishingly, after the blood-red light enveloped the Nine Palaces Array, all the deadly dangers they had encountered in the Black Pagoda Array earlier began to manifest within the Flag Gate Array. This gave Qin Sang and the others the illusion that they were trapped within the Black Pagoda Array itself, and that it was being actively manipulated, as if it were a living formation.

While the Flag Gate Array's power was certainly not comparable to the Black Pagoda Array, it still made everyone frown, filled with an ominous premonition.

*Rumble...*

Countless blood-colored lightning bolts burst from the flag gates, raining down and exploding with a roar. The Nine Palaces Array violently shook, engulfed by the blood lightning and subjected to fierce impact.

The cultivators maintained the Nine Palaces Array, hiding within its nine sectors, rendering external attacks unable to penetrate. They attempted to break through the Flag Gate Array and force their way into the Blood Pool entrance.

They knew from Jing Yu that there was a blood pool below, filled with black chains, and the ancient cultivator was sealed at the bottom of this pool. The Corpse Flower Blood Amber was also there.

Only Jiang Shenzi and others had appeared in the Flag Gate Array moments ago; Old Devil Ye was nowhere to be seen. It was clear that Old Devil Ye was likely breaking the blood pool's seal and had no time to spare for this place, so he could only order Jiang Shenzi to bring people and set up an array to block them.

On their side, all their experts were present, jointly activating the Nine Palaces Array, whose power was no less than that of the Flag Gate Array. Qin Sang, for the sake of the Corpse Flower Blood Amber and the ancient cultivator, also cooperated fully, secretly using Witchcraft secret arts to enhance his Heavenly Eye ability and search for weaknesses in the Flag Gate Array.

Everyone had expected that breaking through the Flag Gate Array's blockade would be easy while Old Devil Ye was preoccupied, but to their surprise, the array's power was far greater than anticipated.

Demon Monarch Tongyou and Qing Jun exchanged glances, then simultaneously let out a shout, jointly casting spells that pushed the array's power almost to its limit.

*Boom!*

A brilliant light erupted, with two columns of black and white light shooting skyward, countering the blood-red light and throwing the Flag Gate Array into disarray. The two grand arrays collided violently. However, they still couldn't find any clear weaknesses and remained firmly blocked!

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly used the opportunity of the two arrays' collision to search everywhere, but the blood-red light was too dense. Its vision struggled to penetrate the layers of obstruction, slowly and painstakingly sorting through them. Just then, Qin Sang finally noticed a clue and exclaimed, "This isn't good! The Flag Gate Array can actually connect with the blood mist in the Black Pagoda Array and borrow its power!"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. They then realized that Old Devil Ye knew much more about this place than they had imagined, even being able to refine three precious flags to act as a bridge and draw upon the power of the Black Pagoda Array! No wonder the Flag Gate Array's power was so formidable. Even if Old Devil Ye wasn't personally overseeing the array, they wouldn't be able to break through the blockade anytime soon. By the time they succeeded, Old Devil Ye would have already achieved his goal.

"Unless we consume our vital essence to forcefully activate the array's core artifacts," Qing Jun said gravely, "but if we do that, we will all suffer significant damage to our qi and essence, leaving us too weak to contend with Old Devil Ye once inside."

Qin Sang frowned slightly. Although the Corpse Flower Blood Amber wasn't an absolute necessity for him, a treasure that could directly enhance Nascent Soul cultivation was extremely rare in the world and not to be missed. After a brief contemplation, he looked at Jing Yu and asked, "The Black Pagoda is severely damaged. Were the ancient restrictions in its core unaffected by the ancient catastrophe and still intact? Do you recall what you saw back then, fellow Daoist?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Yu immediately understood Qin Sang's intention. The Corpse Flower Blood Amber concerned her crucial tribulation, so she immediately pondered deeply, meticulously recalling her experiences from that year. After a moment, she rapidly said, "The ancient restrictions here are far more complete than elsewhere, but they have also been impacted and have damaged sections. However, when I discovered the ancient cultivator's plot, I was focused on escaping and didn't have time to examine them closely. I only remember a few spots, and I'm unsure if those areas can allow passage."

This was a strategy of feigning an attack while preparing a secret maneuver. Seeing that the Flag Gate Array remained impregnable after prolonged attacks, Qin Sang devised this plan. Otherwise, a continued stalemate would result in a fruitless endeavor. Not only would they fail to capture the ancient cultivator, but the Corpse Flower Blood Amber would also be easily taken by Old Devil Ye.

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, feeling somewhat moved and agreeing it was worth a try.

"Wasting time here is not a solution. Our only course of action now is to follow Fellow Daoist Mingyue's strategy and give it a try."

Qing Jun nodded, then remembered something else and added, "It's best not to let the Sin Abyss detect our movements, or new variables might arise. We must leave people behind to continue maintaining the Nine Palaces Array; we can't withdraw too many personnel."

Demon Monarch Tongyou agreed, saying, "Exactly. Doing this has two more benefits: the collision of the grand arrays will create shockwaves that impact the ancient restrictions, providing cover for our infiltration. Additionally, if we appear unexpectedly before Old Devil Ye, it will be easier to succeed. The Reverse Nine Palaces Array primarily focuses on trapping and killing, so the person in charge of the array must remember to adapt the formation as opportunities arise, firmly tying down the Flag Gate Array to prevent them from returning to reinforce Old Devil Ye."

If what lay below was an ancient cultivator's treasure vault or an ancient secret realm, they might have contended over who should go. After all, the cultivators who entered first would undoubtedly have the best chance of obtaining the most valuable treasures. However, their current objective was an ancient cultivator. If they could capture this individual and interrogate them for ancient secrets, everyone would benefit. Moreover, confronting Old Devil Ye directly carried inherent dangers, so remaining outside under the protection of the Nine Palaces Array was, paradoxically, the safest option. Therefore, no one argued, and the personnel were quickly decided.

The most troublesome part was selecting the person to wield the jade talisman. To deceive their opponents and prevent Jiang Shenzi and the others from noticing, the power of the Nine Palaces Array could not be allowed to visibly weaken. Daoist Priest Chongyi and his two disciples possessed unique cultivation methods. While their strength greatly increased after taking elixirs, they were subject to certain restrictions, such as not being able to separate too far, which limited their flexibility. Their opponent was Old Devil Ye, who had been renowned for many years. They knew they couldn't fool his keen eyes, so it was better for them to remain and wield the jade talismans. With the three of them working together, each could control one talisman.

The other choice was somewhat unexpected. Qin Sang had initially expected it to be his senior sister, who had gained considerable mastery in array formations from the Yuan Shen Sect's collection, and her overseeing the Nine Palaces Array would ensure absolute safety. Unexpectedly, Demon Monarch Tongyou directly selected Qing Jun to go, leaving Xiang Qing to manage the grand array.

Xiang Qing had already refined several Ancestral Holy Flames, greatly increasing her strength. However, in Demon Monarch Tongyou's eyes, Qing Jun's strength surpassed Xiang Qing's.