Chapter 828: Needs a Little Time

However, Pang Huanyin’s expression quickly changed as she witnessed a new development. As the Jiuzhou team charged into the entrance of the Hun Tian Sacred Hall secret realm, countless Corpse Clan members changed direction and surged towards it. Even the Silver Corpse Commander and Iron Corpse Commander, who had been relentlessly engaging them, abandoned their current positions and hastily retreated towards the entrance.

Although the Corpse Clan was unaware of the Jiuzhou team's objective, Lu Ye’s previous forceful entry into the secret realm entrance, coupled with the team’s current large-scale, aggressive charge, clearly indicated a hidden agenda. Therefore, by no means could they be allowed to succeed. Even with the Bronze Corpse Commander’s swift defeat in ten breaths as a stark warning, the Silver Corpse Commander and Iron Corpse Commander dared not stand by idly.

“Stop them!” Pang Huanyin immediately issued orders and simultaneously moved to intercept the two Corpse Commanders, but her efforts were futile. From the Soaring Dragon Boats, formations hummed to life, unleashing massive beams of light towards the two Corpse Commanders, who effortlessly dodged them.

With the two Corpse Commanders and numerous Corpse Clan members returning to the fray, the pressure on the Dao Palace forces sharply decreased. However, Pang Huanyin’s face remained grim. She would have preferred the Dao Palace forces to endure greater pressure than for any complications to arise for the Jiuzhou team. Yet, at this moment, with the Dao Palace and stronghold cultivators relying on a defensive line formed by three Soaring Dragon Boats, their only options were to hold their ground or withdraw. Launching an offensive was utterly unthinkable.

Gazing towards the entrance, Pang Huanyin silently prayed for everything to go smoothly, as chilling words escaped her lips. “Kill!” With limited options remaining, killing more Corpse Clan members was the most effective way to assist the Jiuzhou team.

Inside the secret realm entrance, as the eight-member team stormed in, they immediately felt an even greater pressure than before. The number of Corpse Clan members here was vastly greater than outside, and they had clearly received news from the outside, as they were surging outwards. As the Jiuzhou team burst in, they collided head-on with the enormous Corpse swarm. Like an unyielding blade, the eight-member team carved a bloody path directly through the surging tide of Corpse Clan members.

A tremendous aura of malice and ferocity awakened from within the secret realm. Even from a great distance, its sharp, biting presence clung to each member of the team. At that moment, every one of the eight felt their skin crawl, and their expressions turned solemn. Their prior teamwork had effortlessly dispatched the Bronze Corpse Commander, leading them to believe that the Corpse Clan's strong individuals were not particularly formidable and that their main advantage lay in sheer numbers. Only now did they understand that truly formidable powers existed within the Corpse Clan.

That sharp aura, nearly solidified, clearly belonged to Shisha, the Golden Corpse King, who was concealed within this place! Judging solely by the distant aura, they knew this was a powerful being comparable to a Hegemon-level Monster General. Its true strength, however, would only be revealed in combat. Shisha merely emanated his aura without appearing in person. With a vast number of Corpse Clan members at his disposal, there was no need for him to risk himself.

The Jiuzhou team rampaged onward, fighting their way to a spiritual peak. Only then did Yang Yuan and Ju Jia, who had been leading the charge, suddenly halt. By the time they reached this point, their upper garments were torn away, revealing their muscular physiques, steam rising from them as their vitality surged. Yang Yuan called out, “Lu Ye, is this spot suitable?”

The placement of the Heavenly Secret Pillars wasn't arbitrary; it required specific conditions. Lu Ye's theory was that Jiuzhou cultivators required spiritual energy to teleport via the Heavenly Secret Pillars. However, within Jiuzhou's abundant environment, this consumption was so negligible that it typically went unnoticed. But this was Peerless Continent. The Jiuzhou Heavenly Secret required four Heavenly Secret Pillars to establish its precise location. Within Peerless Continent, they needed to be placed in locations abundant with spiritual energy. The four great secret realms were the optimal choice. And within each secret realm, the chosen spots had to be where earth veins converged, which meant locations with relatively denser spiritual energy.

In Silver Snake Valley, Five Elemental City, the center of the entire secret realm and the stronghold of the Five Great Families, was naturally a nexus of earth veins. In Sumeru Mountain, the location Ying Wuji sought was also such a place. Upon reaching Hun Tian Sacred Hall, the absolute core of the earth vein convergence was undoubtedly where the Golden Corpse King, Shisha, was dormant. However, that area was too perilous to penetrate, forcing them to settle for a secondary location.

This location was quite suitable. “Hold steady!” Lu Ye cautioned them, then immediately retrieved the last sealed Heavenly Secret Pillar from his storage space. He wielded his long saber, dug a pit, and dropped the pillar inside. As he moved, countless Corpse Clan members swarmed from all directions, above and below, an endless horde as far as the eye could see. The Jiuzhou team instantly faced immense pressure!

Previously, when they were moving and launching hit-and-run attacks, the pressure they endured wasn't particularly high. Their constant movement meant that even a large number of Corpse Clan members could be managed and easily eliminated. However, now that they had stopped and were holding a fixed position, the pressure they faced was incomparably greater than before. Fortunately, every member had been meticulously chosen by Jiuzhou Heavenly Secret as the strongest among the strong; within the Jiuzhou Cloud River Realm, there was no one more capable.

In such a chaotic environment, if Lu Ye hadn't been constantly monitoring the Heavenly Secret Pillar's activity, he would have barely noticed anything. His mind jolted. He instantly realized his earlier speculation was correct: the Heavenly Secret Pillars truly needed to be placed within the four great secret realms. This current reaction clearly indicated it would take… some time!

Another peculiar resonance emanated from the Heavenly Secret Pillar’s location, unnoticed by others. This ripple pierced through the void, exited the Hun Tian Sacred Hall secret realm, and radiated across the entire Peerless Continent, even imprinting itself within the void. At that very instant, in Silver Snake Valley's Five Elemental City, on a spiritual peak in Sumeru Mountain, and at the previous residence of Lu Ye and others in the Ziwei Dao Palace, subtle and peculiar resonances all began to emanate. The invisible resonances spread like ripples in all directions, radiating towards the four cardinal points of heaven and earth, resembling four hearts awakening, incubating something, and vibrating in unison.

“Hold the line!” Lu Ye gripped his saber, turned, and charged out, reinforcing their defensive perimeter. As his voice faded, everyone’s expression hardened. Even though each of them was an exceptional talent, holding even this small patch of ground in such a situation would be challenging. Currently, only ordinary Corpse Clan members were pressing their attack. The Golden Corpse King’s aura, however, remained subtly fixed on them, latent and unreleased — this was the truly fatal threat. No one knew when the Golden Corpse King would unleash a sudden assault, but once he did, it would undoubtedly be a devastating strike.

Initially, their defensive perimeter stretched for several dozen zhang. However, as time wore on, they were forced to retreat inch by inch. Piles of Corpse Clan remains accumulated before them, and the putrid stench of decay permeated the air. In such brutal combat, even Lu Ye couldn't endure much longer, let alone Feng Rulie and Ying Wuji. Yang Yuan and Ju Jia's towering physiques constantly trembled under the relentless assault, their vital energies surging uncontrollably.

The Silver Corpse Commander and Iron Corpse Commander had already arrived. Aware of Lu Ye and his team’s formidable strength, these two commanders avoided direct confrontation, instead hiding within the Corpse swarm. They would launch a swift attack, then immediately retreat, creating significant trouble for the entire Jiuzhou team. The resonance emanating from underground continued steadily, its unhurried rhythm forming a stark contrast to the life-or-death crisis the Jiuzhou team currently faced.

Finally, at a certain moment, the resonance suddenly intensified. As this ripple spread, there were clear signs of spiritual energy being drawn in. The spot where the Heavenly Secret Pillar was buried became like an invisible vortex, abruptly engulfing the secret realm's rich spiritual energy.

Simultaneously, in Silver Snake Valley's Five Elemental City, the powerful figures of the Five Great Families, led by Chu Ruoyu, converged on the small courtyard where Lu Ye had once resided. The anomaly baffled them; no one understood what was happening. They only knew that strange disturbances had begun emanating from the courtyard earlier, and now, it was even more pronounced, as if all the spiritual energy in the entire secret realm was converging there, only to be consumed.

Perceiving the immense spiritual energy vanishing, the cultivators from all Five Great Families blanched. Recalling the outsider who had previously caused them significant trouble, an ominous premonition swelled in everyone’s hearts. After all, the timing was too coincidental. This was the very courtyard where that outsider had stayed. There was no logical reason for anomalies to appear nowhere else but precisely here. Even though they had seen that outsider off, he had undoubtedly left behind some contingency.

“Do you know what this is?” Chu Ruoyu asked with a solemn expression. Such clear indications suggested that the contingency left by the outsider was extraordinary. Chu Ruoyu, wise with age, had already detected a deeply unsettling aura.

“I don’t know,” Long You of the Long family replied, shaking his head.

“We’ll know if we dig it up,” interjected Wei Wuguang, the Wei family head. Being captured alive by Lu Ye was the greatest humiliation of his life, yet Lu Ye’s strength also terrified him. Therefore, he dared not underestimate this potential contingency left behind by Lu Ye. Soon, under Chu Ruoyu’s command, the ground where the disturbance originated was excavated, revealing a peculiar, tiny, pillar-like object. The object was covered in intricate patterns that, to the top experts of the Five Great Families present, felt profoundly mysterious, almost unfathomable and inexpressible.