Chapter 1331: Hundreds of Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix

An unprecedented anomaly appeared at the entrance to the passage. Continuous streams of multi-colored light erupted from within, forming a cloud of colorful mist in the void. It gradually spread outwards and was already very conspicuous.

However, the thunder ring did not continue to expand; it hung suspended far on the horizon, embedded in the dark clouds. Had True Immortal Canghong and the others not been certain that Old Demon Ye lacked the ability to destroy the passage, everyone would have become restless long ago.

At this moment, True Immortal Canghong and Ghostlord Tongyou finally arrived. Both groups were rushing hastily, and they also noticed the anomaly.

“Have all the ancient restrictions in the entire forbidden area been destroyed by Old Demon Ye?” True Immortal Canghong looked towards the end of the stone path.

Qin Sang briefly described the scene inside the forbidden area, then turned his gaze to the passage in the sky. “Did you anticipate such an anomaly, True Immortal? Could Old Demon Ye be responsible for it?”

True Immortal Canghong's expression was calm. “Any single bolt of lightning lingering around the passage could instantly obliterate us. Even with Old Demon Ye’s immense power, it’s impossible for him to destroy the passage. At most, he could set up some obstacles to delay us. Even rushing there now would be futile. It would be better to first ascertain what Old Demon Ye did here. If we can find any clues and determine his intentions, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort!”

Hearing this, everyone agreed with the reasoning and put aside other thoughts. They formed a formation and re-entered the forbidden area.

Soon, they arrived at their previous location. The area was still utterly silent, with no sign of Old Demon Ye nor any visible traps. Although some ancient restrictions had been breached by Old Demon Ye, many dangers still remained.

Working together, they passed through layers of ancient restrictions, finally reaching the end of the stone path where they saw the seal!

“Old Demon Ye is gone!” Qin Sang activated his Heavenly Eye divine ability to confirm that Old Demon Ye was not hiding nearby.

“There are cracks on the stone pillars; the seal has been breached…”

True Immortal Canghong instantly appeared behind one of the stone pillars, his pupils gleaming with an unusual light. After inspecting it, he revealed a look of surprise: “The seal was just broken recently. Old Demon Ye only left a short while ago!”

Among the three forbidden areas, only the seal in this one place had been broken by Old Demon Ye. This was no coincidence!

“For the past twenty years, has Old Demon Ye been meticulously trying to break this seal?” Daoist Zhenyi’s eyes widened in surprise as he lowered his gaze to the muddy pool at the center of the four stone pillars. “What was sealed in this forbidden area that he released?”

True Immortal Canghong and the cultivators from Sin Abyss all shook their heads. The reason this place was a forbidden area was precisely because of its powerful and dangerous ancient restrictions. Innumerable Sin Abyss cultivators had attempted to explore it, but all had failed. Before this, they could only haphazardly guess the purpose of the stone pillars.

The remaining traces indicated that the sealing power here was extremely strong. It was unknown how Old Demon Ye managed to do it, opening the forbidden area by himself and destroying the seal.

Qin Sang flew to the stone pillars, observed them for a moment, and easily found several cracks in the seal. He teleported over and ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to activate its divine ability for reconnaissance.

“It’s empty inside, but unfortunately, all traces have been destroyed by foul substances.” Qin Sang sighed softly, “A demon must have originally been sealed here!”

Everyone’s expressions varied. Since a demon could survive in the Blood Lake until the present day, its consciousness only recently fading, it was normal for a demon sealed in a forbidden area to still be alive.

True Immortal Canghong’s doubts were finally resolved, and he couldn't help but burn with rage. “The remnant souls of the demons we slew must be connected to this demon! The trip to the Blood Lake was also a trap set by them. The Jade Bone and Brocade Skin, the Nether Crystal Pagoda, and the nascent souls of those fellow Daoists were all crucial for the demon’s escape!”

He was close to guessing the truth.

Qin Sang circled the four stone pillars a few times, occasionally using his Ebony Sword to touch them, testing the seal’s power. “The demon and Old Demon Ye have both disappeared, making it impossible to discern their motives. Perhaps Old Demon Ye was also not acting of his own free will, but merely a manipulated pawn.”

At Yitian Peak in the Seven Kills Hall, Qin Sang had witnessed the tragic fate of the three major merchant alliance leaders who were controlled by a demon lord. He subconsciously speculated in that direction. And that was merely a wisp of the demon lord’s separated soul. Old Demon Ye’s cultivation was comparable to that of the three major merchant alliance leaders. If he too were controlled by an ancient demon, his fate would likely not be much better.

Qin Sang’s expression was grim. His greatest fear had come true. Below Yitian Peak, so many top experts from Canglang Sea had sacrificed their lives, and it was only with the aid of an ancient seal that the demon lord was finally subdued with great difficulty. Now that the seal here was broken, the demon had escaped!

The only good news was that the seal’s power was far inferior to that of Yitian Peak. Yitian Peak not only had the ancient restrictions of the three races but also important treasures left by them, which worked with the ancient restrictions to suppress the demon lord. Here, however, there were only four crude stone pillars. Although their material did not seem simple, they certainly couldn't compare to the Demon Suppressing Tablet or the Dragon Corpse. This indicated that the entity sealed here was not a powerful being of the same caliber as the demon lord, and the situation was not yet irrecoverable.

Qin Sang informed Qing Jun of his discovery, telling her to prepare the Demon-Binding Rope. Fortunately, his senior sister had perfected the formation array during her previous seclusion, and this rare treasure might truly prove useful.

“It seems we can only ascertain Old Demon Ye’s intentions by confronting him directly! We have gained another enemy. However, the demon has only recently escaped and must still be in a weakened state. With the experts of the Northern Star Realm all gathered here, there’s nothing to fear…”

“The anomaly in the passage must be the demon’s doing!”

“This place is not suitable for prolonged stay; it’s best to move quickly.”

The demon was unfathomable. Everyone felt a sense of urgency and made an immediate decision, turning to leave the forbidden area.

Just then, Qing Jun suddenly spoke: “You go on ahead. I’ll try to analyze the seal. Perhaps I can discover something. It won’t take too long, I’ll follow shortly.”

Qin Sang worried that his senior sister would be alone and vulnerable, but they couldn't both stay behind. After discussing with Jingyu, he said to Qing Jun: “Fellow Daoist Jingyu should stay as well. In case of any unexpected situation, you’ll have someone to look out for you.” He had Bai and the Nascent Soul Talisman Puppet with him, so he didn’t need to worry about his own safety.

Qing Jun readily agreed and thanked Jingyu. The others swiftly flew out of the forbidden area and headed straight for the passage at their fastest speed.

After they left.

Jingyu stood on the stone path, summoning her Thunder Pearl, whose light illuminated all directions. She watched Qing Jun’s actions with vigilance, curious about what she intended to do.

Qing Jun lingered briefly outside the seal, and then remarkably passed through the cracks, entering the muddy pool! Although the seal had been broken, its remaining power was still formidable. Qing Jun activated the Five Directions Pagoda in advance, suspending it above her head to protect herself. At the same time, her jade-like fingers moved like a wheel, forming dazzling hand seals one after another.

Finally, with a flick of her long sleeve, the Azure Phoenix puppet, draped in the Landscape Concealing Moon Array Diagram, flew out from her sleeve. Simultaneously, dozens, even hundreds, of green lights emerged around her. As Qing Jun infused puppet seals into the green lights, they transformed one after another into lifelike azure phoenixes.

A myriad of birds paying homage to the phoenix!

The azure phoenixes danced around Qing Jun, emitting pleasant chirps. They were exceptionally nimble, with graceful postures, and their eyes gleamed with spirit, as if searching for something.

Jingyu had never seen such a technique before and was secretly amazed.