Chapter 1691: Working Together in the Same Boat

The avatar, carrying the true self, escaped from Dishou Mountain. As soon as they entered the sword formation, a sudden prickling sensation ran down their spine.

Looking up, they saw surging demonic energy in the distance; the horde of demons had arrived!

Leading them was a white shadow, hideous in appearance, shaped like a human with long, slender limbs and pointed fingers, resembling a mountain spirit or a wraith. Around it, dense white smoke surged, seemingly formed from ghostly spirits, intensifying the eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Wherever the white shadow passed, the daylight noticeably dimmed.

The white shadow was none other than the true form of Great Sage Baixiao. To carry out the Holy King’s command, he had directly revealed his demonic body. On either side of him were two demon kings skilled in evasion techniques, with other demon kings following close behind.

One was a fleshless bone bird, with a few withered yellow feathers sparsely attached to the edges of its bony wings. The other was a four-winged blood serpent with crimson scales.

All were bizarre-looking demonic creatures.

The avatar felt the gaze, which originated from Baixiao.

A sharp gaze shot towards Qin Sang and the avatar. Baixiao had personally witnessed them escaping into the sword formation; how could he allow them to get away so easily?

Baixiao let out a chilling, sinister laugh. With a forceful twist of his arms, the white smoke around him was drawn by some power, rapidly converging to form a slender bone sword before him.

The four-winged blood serpent and the bone bird, having followed Baixiao for years, were of one mind and understood the Great Sage's intention. One immediately spat out a blood orb, while the other vibrated its bony wings, shooting out three demonic feathers.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three attacks shot forth simultaneously.

Above the sword peak, three streaks of light—one white, one yellow, one crimson—appeared, swift as lightning.

Boom!

Above the sword peak, a pillar of green light shot skyward.

The grand formation, which Qin Sang had just entered, immediately began to violently shake. The blood orb and demonic feathers, a step ahead of the bone sword, collided head-on with the formation. Blood-red light, murky yellow light, and green light erupted simultaneously, causing the nearby area to tremble violently.

The bone sword followed closely behind, its timing incredibly precise. Trailing a long plume of white smoke, it shot downwards like a comet, accurately finding a weak point.

The avatar felt a stinging sensation all over its body, as if it had been locked onto by a real sharp sword. Its expression hardened slightly as it waved its arm backward, and a vast expanse of white frigid air transformed into a long river, spreading out behind it.

Poof!

The bone sword, carrying its momentum, pierced into the river of frigid air.

No discernible disturbance was seen.

The next moment, the expression on Baixiao’s face froze slightly. The bone sword had mysteriously disappeared, and he felt no impact from it whatsoever. Utterly bizarre, he was both surprised and enraged.

Unbeknownst to others, as the Ice Soul Divine Light was unleashed, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, perched on the avatar’s shoulder, spread its wings and shot out a ray of Heavenly Eye Divine Light.

The bone sword, originally formed from a divine ability and attacking from afar, indeed dissolved upon touching the Heavenly Eye Divine Light.

At this moment, Qin Sang was eager to find a place to heal his injuries and didn’t want to get entangled with Baixiao here. The Ice Soul Divine Light could not only conceal the Heavenly Eye Divine Light but also cover his movements.

Taking advantage of the frigid air’s concealment, the avatar swept its gaze around, then burrowed into the ground, its figure flashing repeatedly as it rapidly moved through the sword peaks.

Whoosh!

A certain unnamed sword peak.

The avatar, carrying the true self, crashed into a valley.

A strong gust of wind swept through, tearing through plants and trees, leaving a mess in its wake.

Inside the valley, clear springs flowed, and by the springs was a rather crude wooden hut, likely the dwelling of a sword cultivator, now certainly ownerless.

The avatar quickly set down the true self. The true self's injuries had been continuously worsening, and the ill effects of taking two Boiling Snow Pills in succession were now apparent.

Typically, a grand cultivator who takes even one Boiling Snow Pill must heal as quickly as possible. Damage to meridians and the qi sea was just one issue; being infused with immense primal energy that originally didn't belong to them, without any buffer, impacted their very foundation of cultivation. Even slight hesitation carried the risk of destabilizing their Dao Foundation.

The true self had endured solely by relying on its formidable physical body and a divine sense far surpassing that of its peers, stabilizing its body and Dao Foundation to tough it out.

In fact, the primal energy within the true self's body had not been exhausted, and the medicinal effects of the pills didn't dissipate instantly. With two Boiling Snow Pills stacked, there were always residual effects.

But this primal energy was worse than none; at this point, the true self no longer had the ability to control it, exerting all its effort to prevent its injuries from worsening, unable to be distracted.

To make matters worse, toxins within its body were stirring, seizing the opportunity to invade. Although there was the detoxification aura of the poison pill to counteract it, the prerequisite was that Qin Sang himself had the ability to suppress it.

The true self's face was ashen, its brows furrowed deep, and its aura chaotic and weak.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flapped its wings and flew up from the avatar. It was only by relying on its divine ability that it had been able to quickly discern the workings of the Golden Image Palace's grand formation.

It fluttered onto the true self's shoulder, its soft wings gently touching Qin Sang's cheek. Seemingly able to sense the pain Qin Sang was enduring, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's wings also trembled slightly, and faint blue misty energy emerged from the Heavenly Eye patterns on its wings.

The avatar flashed behind the true self, raising its hand to press against the true self's back. As they were originally one entity, the true self could safely allow the avatar's power to enter its body, helping it regulate its primal energy.

With the avatar's assistance, its internal condition improved somewhat.

The true self's expression of pain slightly diminished, but its injuries remained severe. The avatar continued to busy itself, hastily finding several bottles of healing pills and stuffing them all into the true self's body.

Just then, the surroundings began to shake violently.

Looking up again, demonic shadows were already suspended in the air.

Baixiao and the two other demons hovered in the sky, their gazes like lightning. They quickly discovered a clue. The four-winged blood serpent let out a sharp whistle and, with a flash of blood-red light, appeared above the sword peak, its long blood-red tail suddenly lashing out.

Boom!

One could see blood-red light explode and scatter. The violent impact, even through the sword formation, created a primal energy hurricane below, which surged back towards the sword peak, thoroughly plowing through the entire valley.

The wooden hut collapsed, exposing earth and rock.

Qin Sang was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Qin Sang had preemptively escaped from the valley, doing his best to suppress his aura. Though seemingly scurrying around like a headless fly, in reality, he was constantly relying on his understanding of the sword formation and the Heavenly Eye divine ability to navigate through the array.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Roaring sounds continuously echoed.

It was difficult to track them through the grand formation, so these demon kings indiscriminately bombarded the area. Baixiao, the four-winged blood serpent, and the bone bird took turns attacking, forcing Qin Sang to keep moving without rest.

Finally, Qin Sang roughly understood the changes in the nearby formation and unexpectedly sensed a hidden place. He hastily escaped into it.

Bang!

The dark underground palace welcomed long-absent light.

Clearly, the original owner had been lazy back then. The underground palace's restrictions were set up relying on the mountain protection grand formation, with interconnected principles that utilized the grand formation's power. It was precisely because of this that Qin Sang could enter so easily.

The underground palace had simple furnishings and didn't seem like an important place.

A rare moment to catch a breath, the avatar continued to regulate the true self's primal energy. However, the more it worked, the heavier its heart became, as the true self's condition was even more troublesome than anticipated.

This trip to the Immaterial Immortal Gate was undeniably fruitful, far exceeding Qin Sang's estimates. However, the premise was having the life to enjoy it; otherwise, everything would be for naught.

In fact, even if his true essence was severely depleted, it wouldn't be a problem. Without Boiling Snow Pills, he still had top-grade spirit stones.

When facing the Holy King, the avatar never had a chance to act, so it had been taking other pills to slowly restore its true essence. The top-grade spirit stones were reserved for the true self; as soon as its condition improved slightly, it could absorb the spiritual energy from them.

But now, it wasn't a matter of true essence. Without first suppressing the internal injuries, the true self dared not make any move.

With just the avatar's strength alone, even if it used the Sun God Tree to force back a demonic Great Sage, how could it resist the encirclement and suppression by a multitude of demon kings? Furthermore, the opponent could simply encircle without attacking, constantly wearing them down while waiting for Holy King Qinghu to free up his hands.

Now, they could only use the grand formation to contend with the enemy, unsure if they could hold out until the true self recovered.

"Must one be abandoned—the true self or the avatar?" Qin Sang thought bitterly.

When the time came to make a choice, if possible, the true self would naturally be prioritized for escape.

At the edge of the Golden Image Palace.

The old nun saw Qin Sang escaping towards this area and immediately felt a bad premonition.

She didn't know how greatly the destruction of the three illusions affected Holy King Qinghu, but she absolutely didn't want to be dragged into the conflict between the two sides, not to mention the risk of incurring the wrath of a Soul Transformation cultivator. The sect's top experts were all here; if they were caught in the crossfire, the consequences would be unbearable for Yan Yue Monastery.

Other cultivators who had intended to explore the Golden Image Palace had all hastily dispersed far away.

She immediately crushed the jade talisman in her hand and ordered a retreat.

Fortunately, her junior sisters had reported back that they had already broken most of the secret chamber's restrictions and obtained some treasures, a significant harvest.

Having received the warning, they dared not stay any longer and hastily withdrew.

After the old nun rendezvoused with her junior sisters, she looked back towards the west but found no trace of Liuli.

"Did she see the battle at Dishou Mountain and take a detour elsewhere?"

Just as this thought flashed through her mind, a clear, cold voice sounded from the shadow of a rock not far away, "Abbot."

Liuli had arrived here at some unknown time, stepping out from the shadows. Not only did she not openly fly on her sword, but she was even trying her best to suppress her own aura.

Upon seeing Qin Sang and the demonic Soul Transformation cultivator in battle, Liuli had concealed herself in the shadows.

The Secret Art of Listening to Snow Pavilion, which Qin Sang used to refine his avatar, and the avatar's cultivation of the "Ice Soul Divine Light," both originated from the same source. Their auras were similar to hers, and if she didn't conceal herself and was seen through by the demonic Soul Transformation cultivator, she would also be implicated.

"It's good that you're back!"

The old nun's expression softened as she said in a deep voice, "This place is no longer safe to stay! Although the gains this time are not as much as expected, it's still a rare opportunity in a thousand years. If you go back and cultivate in seclusion, you will surely make great progress in your cultivation. When it's time to cut ties, cut them; do not be swayed by greed."

These words were not only for Liuli but also a warning to her other junior sisters who felt unwilling to leave.

When the old monk suppressed the demonic fiend and freed up his hands, he would surely target them, the remnants of the Immaterial Immortal Gate. Delaying until now was already somewhat risky.

"What a pity! If only we had a little more time, we could have broken the last sword qi seal in that secret chamber! Based on our previous gains, we can deduce that there must be highly valuable secret sword cultivator treasures inside, very possibly the 'Great Primordial Golden Gang Sword Scripture!'"

The young nun was very unwilling.

"Junior Sister Ying," Liuli said, extending her hand, "You must have drawn a map of the mountain protection grand formation when you explored the Golden Image Palace, right? Give me the map of the formation; I will go to the secret chamber to retrieve the treasures."

As these words came out, everyone was surprised.

The old nun waved her whisk, blocking Liuli. "Junior Sister, do not be reckless..."

Liuli interrupted the old nun and insisted, "Since I joined the monastery, I have received much care but have achieved nothing. The cultivation techniques and Dao arts I practice are not from the Immaterial Immortal Gate lineage, and others do not know that I joined Yan Yue Monastery, so I won't be targeted."

Hearing this, the others were somewhat moved, and the young nun was even more eager to try. She had already taken out a jade slip, her face full of anticipation.

The old nun remained silent, her gaze fixed on Liuli.

After a long time, she turned back to glance at the Golden Image Palace, though her gaze wasn't towards the secret chamber's direction. Then she looked at the hovering lake in the sky, suddenly churning with waves, and said to a female lay practitioner beside her, "This place is fraught with danger. We cannot let Junior Sister Liuli venture in alone. I will stay behind as support; Junior Sister, you take them and go ahead."

The female lay practitioner was stunned.

Without waiting for her response, the old nun had already taken the jade slip from the young nun's hand and, in an unquestionable manner, urged them to leave.

"The ancient dwelling is crowded and chaotic," she instructed. "Do not go to the teleportation array first; exit the dwelling directly through the main gate passage. Other forces are either being tied down by the ancient demons or busy searching for treasures, unable to be distracted, so there should be no obstacles. Remember not to linger."

They all understood that the teleportation array was certainly to be left for the Abbot and Liuli, and the nuns had no objection.

The young nun was both expectant and worried. "We found a few secret passages in the Golden Image Palace..." she began, "Abbot, Senior Sister Liuli, please be extremely careful."

The old nun's tone was serious, commanding as the Abbot. The female lay practitioner dared not disobey and immediately called her junior sisters, bid farewell to the two, concealed their auras, and swept towards the entrance of the Immaterial Immortal Gate.

They watched the nuns depart into the distance.

The old nun retracted her gaze and handed the jade slip to Liuli. "Junior Sister, have you thought through the dangers inside?"

"Thank you, Abbot."

Liuli took the jade slip, knowing that the Abbot might have discerned something.

Her joining Yan Yue Monastery was a coincidence, having formed a friendship with the Abbot. Aside from the restriction on freely leaving, the monastery's other rules were not strict, and the Abbot could help her study Buddhist scriptures—all things she needed—so she accepted the invitation to join.

She didn't have deep feelings for Yan Yue Monastery.

Nor did she have high expectations for it.

With a demonic Holy King intimidating them, what right did she have to make the old nun gamble the sect's survival?

Regardless of what the old nun was thinking, her being able to stay now was akin to providing timely help, so Liuli thanked her sincerely.

Liuli immersed her consciousness into the jade slip.

They had been exploring the Golden Image Palace for some time, and combined with the scriptures already held by the sect, they had roughly grasped the layout and workings of the mountain protection grand formation. Many parts were extremely detailed and could be utilized.

At this moment, the Golden Image Palace was filled with overwhelming demonic energy.

Baixiao failed to root out Qin Sang, and searching through the mountain protection grand formation was extremely difficult. So he simply led his demonic horde to surround a large area of sword peaks, trapping Qin Sang inside.

The demons formed an array, each occupying a sword peak in a cardinal direction, glaring with vigilance like eagles and wolves.

The four-winged blood serpent and the bone bird continuously launched attacks. Baixiao, however, no longer attacked. White smoke continuously emerged from his body, floating towards his head, forming a white energy mass the size of a human head, which eventually transformed into the shape of an eyeball.

The eyeball hovered in the air, able to rotate in any direction, extremely eerie, inspecting the area below to prevent Qin Sang from concealing himself and escaping!

The next moment, the demons collectively attacked the grand formation.

Instantly, the multitude of peaks trembled, and the grand formation churned.

At this time, Liuli and the old nun had already infiltrated the Golden Image Palace. What surprised the old nun was Liuli's very clear direction; she quickly infiltrated near the demonic array, but due to the demonic eye hovering above, she dared not get too close.

Then, Liuli stopped at a certain spot and quietly unleashed the Ice Soul Divine Light.

Her Ice Soul Divine Light was inherently silent, and coupled with the disturbances created by the grand formation being attacked, no one detected it. The divine light permeated along with the formation's flow, its target precisely Qin Sang's hiding place.

She had discovered this in the Northern Sea: due to the hidden danger of her evil cultivation technique, she could sense Qin Sang through a brand within a certain range. Previously, Qin Sang must have been in Dishou Mountain and concealed by the Five Elements Divine Restriction, so the evil cultivation brand had not reacted.

Inside a certain hidden chamber.

Qin Sang's true self's aura was stabilizing, showing signs of improvement. Just as he was about to deduce how to escape next, he opened his eyes in surprise.