Chapter 1656: Shangguan Tianhong

On an endless green grassland, dozens of cultivators were engaged in a fierce battle. Constant rumbling sounds filled the air, and dozens of huge craters pockmarked the ground, with fiery flames billowing from within them. Multicolored spiritual lights periodically erupted high in the sky, sending rolling waves of air that ripped away large expanses of turf.

Shangguan Wei sat on the back of the Nine Nether Sparrow, her expression indifferent. Three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators—two men and one woman—surrounded her, their faces filled with murderous intent.

Under Ye Yan's leadership, Shangguan Wei and over a thousand other cultivators had opened a temporary passage to the Heavenly Ripple Realm, intending to pay them back in their own coin. Their luck was poor; they were discovered by Heavenly Ripple Realm cultivators as soon as they arrived. A Spirit Transformation cultivator from the Heavenly Ripple Realm rushed to the scene at top speed, destroying the temporary passage and preventing Ye Yan from coming through. Realizing the dire situation, Shangguan Wei used a fifth-tier escape talisman to flee for her life. However, the Heavenly Ripple Realm's control over its lower ranks was too strong, and Shangguan Wei found herself pursued by their cultivators.

"Hmph, you want to cause trouble in our Heavenly Ripple Realm? You're seeking your own death. Then let us send you on your way!" a dignified-looking old man in a green robe sneered coldly, his face filled with murderous intent.

"Just the few of you? What big talk," Shangguan Wei's expression turned cold. She flipped her hand and took out a small, exquisite black bell. The bell radiated powerful spiritual energy, and on its surface was carved a black peacock pattern. This was the Black Sparrow Bell, a spiritual treasure. The Nine Nether Bell, which was the Nine Nether Sect's guardian treasure and a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, had been entrusted to Ye Yan for safekeeping during the realm war, as the Nine Nether Sect currently had no Spirit Transformation cultivators.

Shangguan Wei had led the team into the Heavenly Ripple Realm, hoping to find an opportunity to advance to the Spirit Transformation stage. If she had remained in the Eastern Hedge Realm, she would only have participated passively in the war, at best repelling the Heavenly Ripple Realm's invasion and plundering some resources. It was better to venture into the Heavenly Ripple Realm, where she might seize the chance to break through to the Spirit Transformation stage. Remaining in the Eastern Hedge Realm would undoubtedly mean engaging in fierce battles with Heavenly Ripple Realm cultivators. But in the Heavenly Ripple Realm, as long as she could escape the control of Spirit Transformation cultivators, she could find a place to hide and cultivate, thereby avoiding this great calamity.

"Attack! Take her head for the reward," the green-robed old man's expression turned cold. He waved the green banner in his hand, and immediately, countless green flames surged from the banner's surface, sharply increasing the surrounding temperature.

Just then, a loud bell rang out, followed by a seductive female voice that suddenly sounded: "All this fighting is pointless. I think we should turn enemies into friends!" For some reason, upon hearing this voice, the green-robed old man felt a sense of intimacy, as if the speaker was his dearest relative.

The green-robed old man's vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself in a narrow, long valley. In his arms, he held a beautiful woman in a green dress. The woman had a horrifying bloody hole in her chest, and her face was drained of color.

"Husband, quickly leave this place. Return alive..." Before the woman in the green dress could finish speaking, she breathed her last. A sudden wave of grief surged in the green-robed old man's heart. He felt as if his entire world had collapsed, and his chest was tight with pain. "Yao'er!" The green-robed old man was overcome with despair and cried out loudly.

The three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators either wept loudly, were filled with rage, or wore expressions of excitement. Their eyes were glazed over with obsession, clearly trapped within an illusion. The "Nine Nether Celestial Illusion Scripture" could make opponents unknowingly fall into illusions and manipulate their seven emotions and six desires. Any cultivator with emotions and desires would be affected. If Shangguan Wei wielded the Nine Nether Bell, she could even influence the emotions and desires of Spirit Transformation cultivators. With her peak Nascent Soul cultivation and the spiritual treasure's augmentation, manipulating the emotions and desires of three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators was an easy feat.

"There are too many troubles in this world," Shangguan Wei said, her voice cold. "It's better to leave this filthy mortal realm!" A resolute glint appeared in the eyes of the green-robed old man and the other two. They aimed their magic treasures at themselves, about to commit suicide.

"Senior Uncle Lu, no! Wake up quickly!" Heavenly Ripple Sect cultivators shouted loudly. All of this was destined to be futile. The three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were already deeply affected by Shangguan Wei's illusion and could not awaken. They chopped off their own heads in front of Shangguan Wei.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!* A series of loud bell tolls rang out, followed by a dark, vast sound wave that shot forth. The three corpses instantly dissolved into a shower of blood, their Nascent Souls unable to escape.

Seeing this scene, the Heavenly Ripple Realm cultivators were terrified out of their wits and tried to flee.

*Boom!* After a tremendous thunderclap, an enormous thundercloud suddenly appeared high in the sky. The thundercloud churned violently, and thousands of thick silver lightning bolts struck down. The area for dozens of miles around became a sea of silver lightning. A few faint screams could be heard. Ten breaths later, the thundercloud dispersed, and the silver lightning vanished. A massive, charred crater appeared on the ground; not a single complete corpse was seen within it.

Lei Yiming soared back to Shangguan Wei's side. In his hand, he held a shimmering silver banner, with countless silver electric arcs dancing on its surface.

Shangguan Wei collected the storage bags of the three Nascent Soul cultivators and instructed Lei Yiming, "Let's go. We need to find a place to hide first. Senior Ye couldn't make it through, so we must proceed cautiously." She flipped her hand and took out a shimmering yellow jade ruyi. With a gentle wave, a shimmering yellow light barrier appeared out of thin air, enveloping both of them. They then burrowed into the ground and vanished.

More than half an hour later, a black escape light flew from a distance. Shortly after, the black light stopped, revealing itself to be a massive black cloud mass several hundred zhang wide. Over a hundred cultivators stood on it. Leading them was a slightly hunched old man in black robes, who was gaunt and had small, narrow eyes. This was True Monarch Heavenly Demon, an early-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator.

"Report the situation here to the main altar immediately," True Monarch Heavenly Demon said coldly, radiating killing intent. "Spread the word that cultivators from the Eastern Hedge Realm have infiltrated. Kill any Eastern Hedge Realm cultivator on sight. Anyone who dares to collaborate with or defect to the Eastern Hedge Realm cultivators will be dealt with as a sect traitor and executed without mercy." He had killed several Nascent Soul cultivators, and through soul-searching, learned that powerful cultivators from the Eastern Hedge Realm had entered the Heavenly Ripple Realm. Fortunately, True Monarch Heavenly Demon's timely response prevented Ye Yan from coming through. The problem was that True Monarch Heavenly Demon didn't know how many powerful cultivators the Eastern Hedge Realm had sent.

"Yes, Senior Uncle Chen,"

Heavenly Ripple Sect, Council Hall.

Over twenty Heavenly Ripple Sect cultivators sat on either side, their expressions varied. A soft rustle of footsteps sounded, and a dignified young man in golden robes walked in. The golden-robed youth had a square face, bright, piercing eyes, and an indifferent expression, giving off an unapproachable aura. This was Shangguan Tianhong, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Ripple Sect and also their strongest Spirit Transformation cultivator.

As soon as Shangguan Tianhong appeared, the cultivators all stood up and respectfully greeted him, "Greetings, Senior Brother Shangguan (Senior Uncle Shangguan)." Under the cultivators' respectful gazes, Shangguan Tianhong sat down in the main seat and began, "I've called you here today to discuss a very important matter. High-level cultivators from the Eastern Hedge Realm have infiltrated our Heavenly Ripple Realm. We have currently detected two groups of enemies, a conservative estimate of over five hundred individuals, led by Spirit Transformation cultivators."