Chapter 1622: Third Forbidden Zone

The woman in his mind was stunningly beautiful, but her makeup was incredibly peculiar. Even Xu Yang, who had seen all kinds of gods and demons throughout history, had never encountered such a style of makeup. Consequently, he had no idea what kind of cultivation techniques she specialized in or which lineage she belonged to.

However, Xu Yang could vaguely deduce one thing: her spiritual power was formidable. It seemed to surpass, by quite a margin, the mental strength of even the peak-level spiritual energy masters from the Six Meridians families of Kunlun Immortals. Otherwise, given the vastness of Xu Yang's own soul world, it wouldn't have been easy to precisely enter her soul realm. The mere fact that she could appear in such a complete soul form from such a vast distance already indicated her formidable cultivation.

However, none of this was a major problem for Xu Yang. Since the opponent was also on the Heaven-Treading Path and, moreover, the guardian ruler of the Third Forbidden Zone, there was nothing more to discuss. Since they were destined to be opponents, Xu Yang didn't care what special characteristics this mysterious woman possessed. Eliminating her was simply a matter of time.

Long Kun and the others stepped forward to inquire about the situation. However, upon seeing the calm smile reappear on Xu Yang's face, they all dismissed their doubts and concerns.

The two children who had come to deliver candy vanished into thin air without a trace. However, the spiritual aura left by the woman in his mind provided a unique guide within Xu Yang's soul world. Following this guidance, Xu Yang led his army of hundreds of thousands of demon beasts and easily located the exact position of the Third Forbidden Zone on the Heaven-Treading Path where this woman resided.

The place appeared dilapidated and desolate, with few buildings around. Occasionally, scattered broken walls and rubble could be seen piled loosely in front of them. However, as Xu Yang led his army further into the deeper regions of this Third Forbidden Zone, occasional sounds of young boys and girls playing and laughing reached their ears. It was as if there was a group of children; although their exact location couldn't be pinpointed, the sounds of their laughter and play constantly echoed in their ears. These sounds seemed to create a hazy, almost dreamlike, sensation, as if both real and illusory.

Based on Xu Yang's battlefield experience, such children's voices were likely serving as a prelude and backdrop for some incredibly powerful environmental manipulation. Considering this, and just in case, Xu Yang immediately waved his hand behind him, signaling his vast army of demon beasts to halt their advance immediately.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Demon Saint Qitian and the others stepped forward to ask. Xu Yang, however, remained vigilant, continuously observing the surrounding Third Forbidden Zone.

The information about the mysterious woman who had appeared in his mind had already made Xu Yang instinctively more cautious. At this moment, he truly did not want his demon beast army to blindly follow him into danger. For some reason, a vague apprehension arose within Xu Yang; perhaps this Third Forbidden Zone was the true danger for his hundreds of thousands of demon beasts.

In the previous two forbidden zones, although the rulers were incredibly powerful and had all entered the boundless realm, Xu Yang could always find the breakthrough points for the respective zones and the weaknesses of the guarding rulers, and he was able to confront them with his own powerful strength. However, everything in this Third Forbidden Zone seemed exceptionally hazy. Even now, Xu Yang hadn't pinpointed the actual location of the woman who had appeared in his mind. He constantly felt as if he was being led by the nose by that mysterious woman, which made Xu Yang very uncomfortable. After all, throughout his journey so far, Xu Yang had always been in control of everything. Even when facing powerful opponents, he could still control the direction and pace of the situation with his high battlefield intelligence and extensive experience. But this time, everything seemed too calm.

"Boss, I think I understand your concerns now. We've been walking in this Third Forbidden Zone for so long, and we haven't even seen an ant. Yet, the sounds of children playing haven't disappeared. That's extremely strange in itself."

Long Kun couldn't help but fall into deep thought as well. It was rare for him to calm down and ponder the changes in their surroundings, which underscored just how eerie this Third Forbidden Zone truly was.

Just as Xu Yang was about to use some cultivation techniques to further probe the surrounding environment, a new development finally occurred.

"Hehehe! Sir Xu Yang, you are omnipotent, able to ascend to the heavens and descend into the earth. Why have you suddenly become so cautious upon arriving in my Third Forbidden Zone?"

The incredibly alluring woman's voice finally reappeared. Following her voice, a strange silhouette with her distinct makeup slowly materialized in the void, about a hundred meters above the ground, looking down upon Xu Yang and his accompanying team of powerful experts.

Demon Saint Qitian seemed highly repulsed by the aura emanating from this woman. He immediately bared his fangs in a grimace of disgust and let out a roar. At the same time, he instantly brandished the golden glowing spiritual staff in his palm, seemingly already prepared for battle.

"Boss, why don't you let me handle this fight? Why does this woman make me feel such intense resentment? It's as if she's my natural enemy; this feeling is truly unbearable."

Initially, Xu Yang thought this reaction would only occur with Demon Saint Qitian. However, he soon realized that this unusually agitated state—this irresistible urge to engage in battle—was appearing in everyone around him. Long Kun was the second to display this restless desire. He instinctively clenched his fists, and terrifying astral power transformed into rings of energy that continuously spread outwards from beneath his feet. It was clear that he was trying his best to suppress this restless urge to fight, but it seemed the impact of this desire had already reached the limit of his resistance.

"Something's wrong, Boss, you were right again! This place is truly strange, and the secret must be hidden in that woman up there."

Immediately after, Ling Yao and several other great demon beasts also developed this intense desire to fight. Only Xiaoxiang and Jiu'er, who were relatively weaker, and Xiao Hua, whose soul strength was comparable to Xu Yang's, did not react immediately. Seeing the members of Xu Yang's elite team fall into this altered state, the alluring woman in the void laughed even more intensely.