Chapter 513: Sealing Siege, Eight Gates Heavenly Escape Formation

The second area of the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm consisted of a vast complex of magnificent palaces made of black, solid ice. This black ice never melted, earning it the moniker "Unmelting Ice."

Amidst its beauty, there was a hint of the strange and eerie. The dark environment created a sense of psychological oppression. Furthermore, the light in this area was dim, and it was difficult to fly high enough to survey the entire terrain from above, which made it easy to lose one's sense of direction.

Wang Yu had been in secluded cultivation at the bottom of the extremely cold lake for half a month, falling behind the others. The Northern Demonic Tribe's team had already entered the second area much earlier.

The three — King Roc, King Fire Raven, and King Thunderlin — stood at the front of the demonic tribe's team, conversing about something.

“Something isn't right,” King Fire Raven said, arms crossed, a mix of complaint and confusion in his voice. “Even if this place is vast, we shouldn't have been unable to exit for this long. And those palaces rumored to hold treasures? We haven't seen a single one.”

King Roc mused, “Call Huo Wuji here. Have him check if a Bewitching Array has been laid out here.”

Huo Wuji was an array master trained by the Fire Raven tribe, and the only shapeshifting great demon to have reached the mid-fourth stage. He appeared very young. Seeing the three tribal kings call his name, this young geomancy master quickly stepped forward and said, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to say this for a while. What’s laid out here is likely a combination of a wondrous feng shui formation and an array, with the array being primary and the formation secondary.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve also studied the ancient texts stored within the tribe, and combining that information, I've concluded that we have been circling the periphery this entire time. The fact that not a single treasure guarded by restrictions has appeared proves it! Moreover, this entry is unlike previous ones; the entire secret realm seems to have truly awakened. Though it's become much more dangerous, the treasures, once almost inaccessible, have become solvable puzzles. As long as we can successfully delve deeper, our rewards will be substantial.”

Huo Wuji’s assessment was similar to what the three kings had already considered.

King Thunderlin asked, “The demonic tribe cultivated you for moments like this. Do you have a method to break it?”

“Rest assured, King Thunderlin, I will exert my utmost effort!”

His confident demeanor instantly instilled confidence in the three kings, who then ordered Huo Wuji to proceed with breaking the labyrinthine formation. As he began, he continued to explain.

“The Saint Lord's Heavenly Palace uses extreme cold as its foundation. The base of this palace area must be a Grand Yin Ice Transformation Formation. Preserving such a vast quantity of Unmelting Ice for hundreds of thousands of years is no easy feat. During the era of the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord, the spread of wondrous feng shui arts was not widespread, and the Ancestor of Geomancy had not yet widely opened his sect to teach and impart knowledge. Therefore, even if the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord employed the highest-grade methods of her time, in the eyes of contemporary feng shui masters… they are outdated!”

Huo Wuji’s brimming confidence as he spoke eloquently made King Fire Raven burst out in cheers.

“Excellent! It is truly the tribe's fortune to have cultivated such a demonic talent as yourself, Huo Wuji. Begin breaking it!”

“As you command, my King!”

After taking out his feng shui compass, this unique magical artifact of the feng shui lineage quickly deployed its astrolabe. He performed a ritualistic walk, continuously chanting incantations, and made three successive calculations.

“Indeed! The only thing that could perfectly combine with the Grand Yin Formation is the Triple Illusory Moon Labyrinth. Although this array is of high grade, it is a pure labyrinth, and it has one fatal flaw.”

“What is it?” someone obligingly prompted him. Huo Wuji gave a wicked smile and pointed a single hand towards the sky.

“The moon!”

Huo Wuji tore off a piece of white gauze from the inside of his magical robe. With his demonic energy surging, the scrap fabric quickly transformed into the shape of a moon disc. He tossed it into the sky, where it directly became a "moon." Under the shimmering moonlight, a winding, clear path was revealed.

“I did not fail my mission!”

“Hahahahaha, well done! It seems you’ve figured out all the intricacies here. Wuji, you are indeed the pillar of our Fire Raven tribe.” King Fire Raven was extremely pleased with his subordinate's effectiveness, seeing it as a great boost to his prestige. Demonic tribes often act straightforwardly, so they are never stingy with praise. “Once this secret realm expedition concludes, I will certainly reward you handsomely.”

“Your Majesty’s grace, Wuji will engrave in his heart and seeks no rewards.”

Seeing them begin to heap praise on each other, King Roc's mouth twitched. He ignored them and turned to give orders instead. “Peng Zhan, Peng Qing, you two take the lead.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Northern Demonic Tribe’s team successfully moved from the periphery of the palace area, guided by the artificial moon above, and entered the true palace zone. However, what Huo Wuji failed to notice was this: Above the path they entered, a character for "Jing" (景) faintly appeared and then vanished.

Meanwhile, the duo of Yan Ling and Yu Tangtang, who lacked any obvious special skills, had also been wandering in this palace area for quite some time.

Yu Tangtang, listlessly kicking at the ground, said boredly, “Wang Yu lied! He said treasures were ours for the taking, but we haven’t even seen a single palace door—it’s all just cold, dark walls.”

Yan Ling was quite helpless. “He hasn’t been in here either, and besides, secret realms are always accompanied by danger…”

Before she could finish, the Soul Mark on Yan Ling's hand suddenly flashed. She abruptly turned to face a black ice wall and walked towards it as if her mind had been lost. Yu Tangtang, caught unawares, was still absorbed in her own complaints. When she finally came to her senses, she saw Yan Ling plunge headfirst into the wall and disappear. The little one, without any hesitation, immediately charged forward, still grumbling curses.

“Hey, just because I call you big sister doesn’t mean you can just abandon me!”

The naive child still didn't know what had happened.

The "Scheming" team, consisting of the Joyful Union duo and Ancient Beast True Monarch, made the slowest progress. Although they were among the first to enter the palace area, they had also wandered for the longest time.

Ji Changjing found it intolerable to be idle and without any gains. In such a situation, it would be more enjoyable to stay in their cave dwelling practicing dual cultivation. She couldn't help but transmit a divine sense message: “Hong Chen, the Heavenly Nether Guide given by my father-in-law…”

Yu Hongchen was a handsome and effeminate man. He was also a famous second-generation disciple in the Joyful Union Demonic Sect. His father, Old Demon Hong Chen, was one of the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul cultivators of the Joyful Union Sect, with top-tier strength and status. The so-called Heavenly Nether Guide was an ancient treasure from the Talisman Dao, specializing in breaking all labyrinthine and wondrous formations in the world.

Seeing his Dao companion's impatience, Yu Hongchen subtly glanced at Ancient Beast True Monarch and secretly transmitted a message in response. “If this guy gets to benefit… can we find a way to make him leave? That stinking beggar scum.”

Ji Changjing, however, had her beautiful eyes sparkling with thought. “How about we discuss it with him and have him lead the way? If it proves useful, then the Heavenly Nether Guide won’t be wasted.”

“That's true.” Yu Hongchen immediately suppressed the contempt in his heart and, with a smile, said to Ancient Beast True Monarch, “Fellow Daoist, I have a method…”

As these various scenarios unfolded among the different parties, Wang Yu also arrived at the outermost edge of the palace area. Before even entering, he sensed an anti-flight restriction even stronger than before, and his brows furrowed. He released his divine sense to probe, but found that the walls made of Unmelting Ice seemed to contain some kind of talismans. As soon as his divine sense entered, it was like a mud ox entering the sea—it vanished without a trace. Flight and divine sense, the two major abilities of cultivators, were restricted. While such restrictions are common and found in almost every secret realm, none have ever been this powerful! Even before entering, he could determine the type of challenge he would face here.

“A labyrinthine array? Or a trapping array?”

Rubbing his chin, Wang Yu took out his feng shui compass. On the compass, to the true north where water vapor misted, the Ancestral Water Token seemed to echo with the sound of endless waves. As the astrolabe unfolded, he activated the Golden Pupils of Qi Sight secret art. The Grand Yin Ice Transformation Formation and the Triple Illusory Moon Labyrinth that Huo Wuji had identified were also clearly visible to him, but Wang Yu habitually approached things cautiously. He had been trapped by multiple Bewitching Arrays at the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins before. As the saying goes, 'a fall in the pit, a gain in your wit.' Past experience was to be applied at times like these.

His feng shui secret art allowed him to peer into the secrets of the earth's energy flow. By unraveling the invisible spiritual qi veins, Wang Yu quickly saw through the superficial layout and directly peered into the interior of the palace area, aided by the Ancestral Water Token, which significantly enhanced his feng shui techniques.

Immediately after, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, as if he had seen something incredible, and murmured, “Eight Gates Sky Escape Array?”

The Eight Gates Dun Jia, a type of Qimen Dunjia art, was also the closest human-made formation to a Heavenly Formation among all the wondrous human formations created by the Ancestor of Geomancy—a method for humanity to overcome heaven! It was created to mimic the seventh and eighth gates of the Heavenly Formation, the Eternal Life Wondrous Formation. The conditions for a Heavenly Formation to naturally arise are extremely stringent. Not all of the Ancestor of Geomancy's inheritances were created by him personally, nor did the Ice Prison Realm possess the perfect conditions to give birth to every type of Heavenly Formation. It is generally believed that the inheritance of feng shui arts originated from the Upper Realm. However, feng shui masters in the Ice Prison Realm also acknowledge the Ancestor of Geomancy's status as their patriarch, as he indeed was the source of feng shui art transmission in the Ice Prison Realm. Legend has it that the Eight Gates Eternal Life Wondrous Formation can permanently open the eight gates within the human body, granting the power of eternal life and immortality, but whether this is boastful exaggeration or true remains unknown.

According to Wang Yu’s knowledge from the records in the Earth Mother Scripture, the Eight Gates Sky Escape Array was the first Tier 5 array created by the Ancestor of Geomancy that integrated Qimen Dunjia formations. Considering the era, it was highly probable that the Ancestor of Geomancy personally set it up! From the ancient Immortal Dynasty era, through the period ruled by the Ice Phoenix Saint Lord, and then into the third ancient period… during the reign of the Grand Yin Sect, the Ancestor of Geomancy completely disappeared without a trace. The special effects of this array were also said to be related to life force, though the specific details were not recorded in the Earth Mother Scripture.

Wang Yu stood at the edge of the palace area, hesitant to proceed. He worried both about the treasures stored within the palace area and the high intensity of the Tier 5 grand array laid by the Ancestor of Geomancy. Entering the array directly and breaking through it from the outside were two entirely different concepts. Thus, he was still deliberating.

At that moment, a pillar of icy blue light suddenly surged upwards, piercing the clouds and illuminating the entire dark palace complex. Within the light pillar, an icy blue feather floated. The aura of a pure-blooded Ice Phoenix emanating from it was particularly striking.

“A true Ice Phoenix feather?” Wang Yu instantly understood as he pondered. Right, to perfectly impersonate an Ice Phoenix, the Ice Clan's Ice Phoenix must possess a treasure related to the genuine article; otherwise, the demonic tribes wouldn't be so easily deceived. “So… did Yan Ling directly benefit thanks to the Soul Mark? It seems Heaven truly favors some, unlike a grassroots cultivator like me who has to struggle.”

Muttering to himself, Wang Yu quickly made up his mind. He, who had commanded respect in Dongji Jing, could naturally replicate his past achievements in the Heavenly Palace Secret Realm. Although there were no privileged treasures like the Coiling Dragon Ring here to help him cheat, the Ancestral Water Token on his feng shui compass was a sacred artifact of the feng shui lineage personally refined by the Ancestor of Geomancy. Within the arrays laid by its former master, it might play an unexpected role. With these thoughts, Wang Yu no longer hesitated. He decisively broke through the outermost Illusory Moon Labyrinth, which served as a deception, and stepped directly into the inner region of the palace area.

Approximately fifteen minutes earlier, when Huo Wuji, brimming with confidence, led the Northern Demonic Tribe's demons into the inner reaches of the palace area, the sight that met their eyes was like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned on the spot.

The so-called Eight Gates are: Open, Rest, Life, Harm, Obstruct, View, Death, and Shock! They are derived from the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Open, Rest, and Life are the three auspicious gates. Death, Shock, and Harm are the three inauspicious gates. Obstruct and View are the most neutral and balanced. The Northern Demonic Tribe entered through the View Gate, but they themselves were unaware.

Huo Wuji, already somewhat out of control, shouted, “This is bad, this is bad! This is an Eight Gates array… The place we entered is probably the Death Gate…”

They saw that the plaza where the Northern Demonic Tribe stood was covered in a layer of fleshy fungal mat, which began to pulsate the moment they entered. Blood splattered everywhere, and flesh flew apart. Two-meter-tall humanoid flesh beings grew out of the fleshy mat, rapidly deforming before their eyes into muscular giants or monsters covered in sharp claws and scales. More often, it seemed as if they had absorbed too much life energy, causing their bodies to uncontrollably proliferate and explode, quickly forming a hellish scene of raining blood. Everyone was stunned.

“—Quick, retreat!” King Roc roared.

These monsters spawned by the array were not particularly threatening, at least for Nascent Soul cultivators, who could easily dispatch them. However, the sinister, distorted life force within them could affect even the shapeshifted bodies of demonic beasts, and it was particularly potent against their bloodline power. This was clearly a trap array specifically designed to counter the demonic tribes! King Roc had excellent foresight and immediately saw the true problem, ordering the demons to retreat. However, they were already deep within the array, with no way out.

King Fire Raven immediately flapped his wings and unleashed his True Fire Raven Flames. The scorching power seemed to suppress the spread of this force, and he, too, cried out, losing his composure. “Huo Wuji! Look at the 'good' path you led us on! I command you, use your utmost effort and quickly find a way out!”

The latter's body trembled, under the cannibalistic gazes of the other demons. He shakily unfolded his feng shui compass and began to make calculations with his fingers. “In an Eight Gates array, retreating the way we came is the least advisable option. Assuming we are in the Death Gate, going right leads to the Shock Gate, which is also extremely perilous. Going left leads to the View Gate, which should be considerably safer.”

But… since a killing formation had been laid, how could a mere directional choice resolve it? As the array operated, without finding the key, they would only move closer and closer to the Death Gate, truly having no place to die. For someone like Huo Wuji, who fundamentally misunderstood the Eight Gates Sky Escape Array, trying to decipher its mysteries by rote was nothing short of having water in his brain.

Seeing his panic, King Thunderlin immediately scoffed, “It is truly the tribe's fortune to have cultivated such a demonic talent as yourself, Huo Wuji.”

The same words, but with a completely different meaning!