Chapter 1842: Treatment Inside and Outside the Altar

Outside the Divine Altar, the atmosphere on the battlefield grew increasingly tense. Even those with long lifespans, who had experienced the previous Dao-Fiend War, now held their breath, secretly apprehensive. Previous wars, though brutal, had always escalated gradually from minor skirmishes until they spiraled out of control. To array such a massive force at the very beginning of a war was unprecedented. It was hard to imagine how cruel the upcoming battles would be.

Cultivators and fiend cultivators alike not only stared at the enemies before them but also quietly observed the strange phenomena behind them. These anomalies marked the locations of the Fiend Kings and Grand True Ones. Everyone waited for orders, knowing that combat could erupt at any moment. Even if the internal struggle within the Divine Altar concluded, this upheaval would be far from over. The two armies stood facing each other, swords drawn and bows strung.

This was Qin San's first time witnessing such a grand display. Compared to the armies outside the Divine Altar, the Three Domains War in the Beichen Realm seemed insignificant.

"The main army has arrived, yet there were no prior omens..." Qin San was unaware of the complex internal affairs and hadn't expected the war to begin so quickly. In his understanding, once the Dao Court and the Ghost-Fang Nation, two colossal powers, initiated war, they would surely make ample preparations. He should have found clues during his trips to and from the Jushan Altar. The Serpent Fiend was a Fiend God of the Ghost-Fang Nation, holding a significant position. Mo Xingdao, hidden within the Fiend Nation, should also have sensed the omens and managed to send a warning. Yet, the two armies had abruptly appeared and confronted each other outside the Divine Altar, sealing its exit.

Although the battlefield atmosphere was tense, both sides seemed to be exercising restraint, suggesting that battle would not erupt immediately. However, even with the vast empty space left between the armies, Qin San dared not venture out rashly. A single move could set off a chain reaction, and it was hard to predict the consequences of his appearance.

"The Dao Court and the Ghost-Fang Nation shouldn't start a war here without reason. If these armies, Fiend Kings, and Grand True Ones are merely here to provide support, then what exactly is their objective?" Qin San retreated almost to the edge of the dense auspicious clouds, which he hoped would obscure him from the perception of Grand True Ones. He paused, turned, and looked towards the depths of the Divine Altar.

This upheaval was undoubtedly connected to the previous struggle within the Divine Altar. Unfortunately, he had chosen to stay out of it last time and still didn't know what they were contending for. From the current situation, it was clear that this matter would not end peacefully. Qin San feared the upheaval would be too great, leading to the armies assaulting the Divine Altar—his greatest worry. The only consolation was that the Void Refinement stage experts from both sides remained restrained, guarding outside the Divine Altar, so his personal safety was not immediately threatened. If chaos erupted, he could likely slip away unnoticed. However, Qin San was unwilling to abandon his cave abode, nor did he want the Divine Altar's layout to be altered, rendering all his previous efforts futile and forcing him to start over.

As he pondered, his Sky-Eye Butterfly suddenly sent a warning. Qin San focused his spiritual sense and detected abnormal fluctuations outside the auspicious clouds, indicating someone had entered the Divine Altar. The aura was strong, suggesting it came from the direction of the Dao Court's army. Both sides were continuously dispatching experts into the Divine Altar without avoiding their enemies, which confirmed his hypothesis: the true struggle would happen inside the Divine Altar! After a brief deliberation, Qin San decisively exited the auspicious clouds, passed through the Golden Palace area at top speed, and entered the Nine Bends Star River, hiding himself in a secluded spot on the opposite bank.

At the exit of the Divine Altar, the auspicious clouds stirred, and six figures emerged. All wore Daoist robes; some had hair white as snow and youthful faces like enlightened sages, while others looked as young as boys. Yet, their demeanor and aura were extraordinary; the lowest cultivation among them was the early Cavern Profound stage, a fourth-rank Daoist official of the Dao Court. Cultivators below the Cavern Profound stage would struggle to protect themselves in the depths of the Divine Altar and would be unable to participate in the Divine Court's struggle, only serving as a burden. If Qin San had been there, he would have instantly recognized the leader as True One Wan of the Northern Extremity Exorcism Institute.

The Daoists were led by True One Wan, and among them was an old Daoist with deep wrinkles and an aged face. The old Daoist held a fly whisk inverted across his chest, its handle hanging at his elbow. His face seemed somewhat blurred, his eyelids slightly lowered, and his expression was as calm as an ancient well. His aura was almost imperceptible, emanating a deep twilight. He quietly followed the True Ones without speaking, easily overlooked.

True One Wan entered the Golden Palace, scanned his surroundings, and after a brief discussion with a True One beside him, issued a command. The True Ones immediately activated various movement techniques and Daoist arts. A kaleidoscope of strange lights shimmered, as some rode treasure carriages, others transformed into wandering dragons, or commanded the clear wind. Their divine abilities were extraordinary, and their escape speed was like lightning. Only the old Daoist walked through the void, matching their speed without effort. They traversed the Golden Palace directly to the Nine Bends Star River, passing through it without pause. As they exited the Nine Bends Star River, all the True Ones appeared vigilant, activating their protective techniques. Fortunately, there was no abnormality beyond the river.

True One Wan swept his gaze around, then took out a yellow talisman, flicking it with his finger. The talisman ignited without fire. *Whoosh!* Pale yellow flames burned on True One Wan's fingertip, flickering gently. True One Wan pointed in several directions, observing the changes in the talisman's flame. A moment later, he extinguished the flame and pointed to the front-right, saying, "Fellow Daoists, we'll enter here!" The True Ones had no objections.

Just as they were about to move, the old Daoist's figure imperceptibly paused. His pale eyes gleamed faintly, then he calmly followed the True Ones. The other True Ones didn't notice, but True One Wan subtly detected it and quietly asked, "Martial Uncle, is there anything unusual nearby?" "Nothing. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive from not having visited the Divine Altar in a long time," the old Daoist replied faintly, saying no more. True One Wan didn't press the matter. It was normal for fiends or demons to be lurking here, and now was not the time for conflict. He continued to discuss with the other True Ones about proceeding deeper into the Divine Altar.

Once the True Ones' figures vanished, Qin San slowly emerged from his hiding place, his eyes grave as he watched the direction they had taken. "What keen perception!" Qin San sighed inwardly. He had recognized his acquaintance, True One Wan, but what most caught his attention was the old Daoist! Just now, as he secretly observed, a slight movement from him had almost given him away. The old Daoist was incredibly powerful! True One Wan was a fourth-rank immortal official, almost at the peak of strength below Grand True Ones, but in Qin San's view, he was not as strong as the old Daoist. The old Daoist wore plain Daoist robes, making his identity unclear.

"Could he be a reclusive master of the Divine Altar?" Qin San recalled the two old Daoists who had performed his ordination at the Northern Extremity Exorcism Institute's ordination altar. Dao Court immortal officials represented only their overt strength, hinting at profound, hidden foundations. The aura of one of the fiend cultivators earlier had felt not much different from the old Daoist's. Perhaps they were legendary experts from the Grand Sage's Residence, who had comprehended a Dharma Idol during the Soul Transformation stage. The deployment of even reclusive masters showed how seriously the Dao Court and the Ghost-Fang Nation viewed this conflict.

These signs made Qin San increasingly uneasy. He desperately wanted to know the full story, or at least uncover their objective. Could he truly avoid this upheaval by hiding back in his cave abode? Qin San feared he might not even be able to hold onto his own dwelling.

"I need to find someone to ask..." Qin San thought to himself. He didn't want to reveal himself openly and get entangled in the conflict. Covert contact would be best, even if it meant using underhanded methods. Both sides were moving in groups to guard against enemies, but Qin San didn't believe they would remain together forever. Qin San's target would naturally be a fiend cultivator. He held no prejudice against the fiend cultivators of this realm, but as a human, unless absolutely necessary, he could not actively side with the fiend race. If one side was destined to be annihilated, he would only choose the Ghost-Fang Nation. One's position was inherently determined by bloodline and race, irrespective of good or evil.

Qin San looked towards where True One Wan had been standing, recalling his act of igniting the talisman. He guessed that the yellow talisman served as an internal identification method for the Dao Court. When True One Wan pointed in several directions, the talisman flame visibly expanded, but he ultimately chose a direction where the flame showed no reaction. "There must be other Dao Court experts in those directions..." Qin San then cross-referenced this with the locations of damaged markings, selecting two directions. These areas were highly likely to contain only fiends. Choosing one at random, he immediately set off.

Inside the Divine Altar, various miraculous illusory realms were dazzling. At this moment, powerful individuals of high status, rarely seen by ordinary cultivators, moved in groups, traversing between the illusory realms. From the outside, the Divine Altar of Jushan Altar did not seem very vast, but upon entering, one realized the immense size of its interior space. With two factions deploying so many Soul Transformation stage experts, it was still a luxury to hope to thoroughly explore the entire Divine Altar. Furthermore, some areas deep within the Divine Altar were simply beyond the reach of Soul Transformation cultivators.

The aimless search continued. Both sides seemed to be deliberately avoiding encounters, unwilling to engage in wasteful consumption before finding their objective. Consequently, there had been no conflict within the Divine Altar for a long time; everyone focused on dealing with the dangers of the illusory realms.

In a certain part of the Divine Altar, one illusory realm was a vast space, which was actually a crystal world where only colorful crystals could be seen. One could say the entire illusory realm was a single, immense crystal, with its interior forming winding passages like a mine. Fortunately, all the passages were wide, so there was no cramped feeling. However, here, both sight and spiritual sense were restricted. The glittering crystals could obstruct vision, but most terrifyingly, they could absorb spiritual sense. Upon contact with the crystals, spiritual sense would be immediately devoured. Even without actively releasing spiritual sense, merely staying here for some time would cause one's spiritual sense to be siphoned away. Moreover, the crystals were incredibly hard, making it more trouble than it was worth to force a path. To explore the entire crystal illusory realm, one had to personally traverse every corner.

At this moment, within one of the crystal passages, six figures gathered. Though all were in human form, most retained some non-human features—a unique mark of fiend cultivators, either due to special bloodlines that prevented full transformation or by their own choice. The six fiend cultivators had already tested the crystals' properties and were discussing a strategy. The crystal space was vast, and without careful exploration, it would be easy to miss something. Their mission was of great importance, so they dared not be negligent.

"In my view, aside from these crystals, there's nothing else special here. Covering every corner would waste too much time. Let's split up! We're all in the same illusory realm, so it'll be easy to assist if anything goes wrong. What do you say, Marquis Xuan?" a gaunt man with a snake tail instead of legs for his lower body stated gravely. The other fiend cultivators seemed inclined to agree and looked at another imposing man, Marquis Xuan. Marquis Xuan pondered, glancing at a stocky, black-robed man beside him with round eyes and an elephant trunk. Seeing the stocky man nod slightly, Marquis Xuan no longer hesitated and immediately ordered them to split up.

"Explore quickly, then reconvene here!" The fiends agreed and departed, accustomed to Marquis Xuan's actions. Along the way, whenever major decisions arose, Marquis Xuan would first consult the stocky man. They were unsure of the stocky man's true identity, suspecting he might be a powerful expert from the Grand Sage's Residence; otherwise, Marquis Xuan would not be so subservient.

The six fiend cultivators, including the stocky man, dispersed explosively. Each chose a passage and quickly traversed it using their evasion techniques, aiming to explore every corner as soon as possible. Among the six fiend cultivators was a female cultivator, devoid of any graceful or delicate charm. Her physique was like an iron tower, exceptionally robust. This was because she was originally a transformed dragon-scaled horse-beast from the Ghost-Fang Nation's Luoshan River, and even after transformation, she still retained a wide mouth, making her conspicuous.

*Splish-splash...* Water sounds echoed through the passage. Although the female fiend was robust, her movements were exceptionally light. Waves generated beneath her feet, carrying her swiftly through the passage without leaving a trace. The six fiend cultivators each took responsibility for a direction. The female fiend marked her designated area and moved through the intersecting passages. In her hand, she held a token carved from black jade, its surface emitting a deep luster. Her fingers occasionally gleamed with faint light as she caressed the black token, as if using it to search for something.

Indeed, just as they had discovered earlier, the crystal space only absorbed spiritual sense and posed no other dangers. At their current exploration speed, they could leave before their spiritual sense was completely drained. With Marquis Xuan and that mysterious expert nearby, they should be fine. Although the female fiend thought this, her vigilance never wavered, and she meticulously searched every corner.

In a flash, the female fiend passed through several passages. The passage ahead looked the same as before. The female fiend glanced at it, then controlled the water waves to surge in. Water splashed ahead, passing through the passage faster than she could, reaching the other side without any abnormality. The female fiend's expression remained calm as she entered, carried by the water.

Just as she reached the latter part of the passage, about to pass through, she inexplicably felt a hint of unease. Everything inside the passage was clearly normal. She couldn't pinpoint the source, but given her spiritual intuition, she knew she wouldn't feel uneasy without reason. The female fiend's pupils suddenly constricted, her expression unchanging, but the water beneath her feet abruptly turned silvery-white. *Boom!* The water began to swell, about to form a colossal silver wave that would surge forward. The female fiend's figure halted abruptly, retreating rapidly. At the same time, her wide mouth opened, ready to unleash a roar imbued with her divine ability. An oval, silvery stone could be seen emerging from her throat. Even if this move couldn't repel the hidden enemy, it could at least shake the crystals and alert her companions. Her reaction was undoubtedly swift, but she was still a step too slow.

Just as the water wave swelled and her divine ability was about to be unleashed, a brilliant sword light suddenly burst forth within the passage. The sword light, reflecting off the crystals, was incredibly dazzling, making it impossible to distinguish if it was one or several. A terrifying killing intent accompanied the sword light's arrival. Even with the female fiend's composure, her mind trembled, and her face filled with horror.

At the passage exit, Qin San, his entire body covered in poisonous bristles, stepped inside. Few could rival his familiarity with the Divine Altar. He had long known of the peculiar nature of this crystal space, and choosing this direction had indeed led him to his target. Although the crystals could absorb spiritual sense, they had no effect on Qin San as long as he didn't actively release his spiritual sense.

*Whoosh!* Before the water wave could fully form, it was stomped upon by a foot, shattering instantly.