As they ventured deeper into the Beast Sealing Array, the fog thickened, severely limiting their spiritual sense detection. Lichi and seven other Core Formation cultivators from the Si State had been flying for an hour, barely passing through four layers of the array. Facing the impenetrable mist ahead, Lichi’s frustration mounted. Landing on a small island, he growled, “Why haven’t Xu Liang and the others caught up? Did they get lost?”
“Please calm down, Young Master,” a companion placated. “No one has tested this teleportation gate before. Perhaps there was an error, and they were sent elsewhere. We’ve dispatched someone with a guiding talisman to find them. They should return soon.”
Moments later, the scout returned with a grim expression. “Young Master, our people haven’t entered at the entrance. However, we found traces of other cultivators’ spiritual energy… Based on the footprints, only four people entered.”
Tension filled the air as the demonic cultivators anxiously watched Lichi’s reaction. Suddenly, he kicked over an ancient skeleton, shouting, “There were at least seven people outside the gate. How could they fail to stop just four?”
“Well… perhaps these four are all powerful late Core Formation cultivators,” someone suggested hesitantly.
Lichi’s expression darkened. After a long pause, he sneered, “It seems the cultivators of Si State are being underestimated.”
“Young Master, what should we do?”
“Whoever followed us at this time likely wants to intercept our Shi Ling,” Lichi replied, his gaze turning sinister. “I’m eager to see who dares.”
Meanwhile, as long as they didn’t fall into the sea, the Beast Sealing Array posed no threat to human cultivators. Yin Ya had obtained silver shark silk before his previous journey to the Filthy Valley, which, combined with his years of temple cultivation, allowed him to suppress his demonic aura to its lowest level.
Surrounded by mist in all directions, the group of four had to fly slowly. After an hour, boredom began to set in.
Qi Yang occasionally glanced back, noticing Nan Yan dutifully using her spiritual power to carry his wheelchair. Feeling guilty, he said, “It must be tiring to fly with the wheelchair. Can I get up?”
Nan Yan replied, “Just stay seated and enjoy the scenery. If you’re bored, I can lend you a Lankavatara Sutra blessed by Master Ji Kong. I haven’t even opened it myself.”
Qi Yang stared at her intently. “You just want your brother to purify his six senses, don’t you?”
Nan Yan retorted, “I simply want you to understand the boundless Buddhist teachings. If one day you’re troubled by demonic thoughts, converting to Buddhism could be your way out.”
Interesting, he’s becoming cautious, she thought.
Nearby, Mu Zhanting and Yin Ya, oblivious to the undercurrents between the siblings, chatted incessantly about Si State gossip.
“The demonic cultivators in Si State are truly despicable, especially that Lichi,” Mu Zhanting said. “He captures female cultivators on the battlefield and abuses any who are remotely attractive. His sister Liyan is even worse. She set up a den full of male concubines and cultivation vessels right at the Qitian Yuan frontline. I know a spy there who says Liyan has an ‘ecstasy bed’ with chains. Anyone she fancies gets locked there, and within minutes, they’re as if drugged…”
Yin Ya, increasingly enlightened, said, “I knew that woman was no good. She even dared to desire me. Nan Yan, next time you see her, make sure to hit her with your prayer beads. Flatten her chest if you can.”
Curious, Nan Yan asked, “Second Brother, weren’t you once a womanizer? What changed?”
Yin Ya looked at her wistfully. “Can’t I have purified my six senses?”
Encouraged by his words, Nan Yan was about to use Yin Ya as an example to preach Buddhism to Qi Yang when she sensed an immense demonic aura approaching.
“Shh, don’t move or make a sound,” she whispered.
The four froze, concealing their auras. Nan Yan looked down to see a massive shadow slowly emerging from the deep blue sea below.
The shadow was enormous, approaching like an island, emanating power equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage.
As Nan Yan discerned its outline, she realized it was a whale demon.
The whale demon moved sluggishly, seemingly of low intelligence. However, its beastly instincts detected the cultivators above, causing its massive body to pause directly beneath them in the sea.
The flesh and blood of cultivators are highly prized by demonic beasts. The whale demon slowly raised its body, its killing intent locking onto the four above, seemingly ready to leap from the sea depths and devour them.
“Don’t move! Whatever you do, don’t move!” Yin Ya warned telepathically.
Nan Yan tensed. The whale demon was enormous; if it breached the surface, they’d have no chance of escape. She instinctively wanted to flee.
“Don’t be afraid,” Qi Yang teased, “If you’re scared, we can switch places. I’ll push you.”
“…”
The whale demon gathered its power for several breaths. A massive surge of demonic energy rippled through the water as it sank slightly. Nan Yan could almost see its pale, dark maw gradually becoming clearer underwater. She even caught the scent of the cold, deep-sea mist.
Just as the whale’s gigantic mouth was about to break the surface, the sea trembled slightly. Suddenly, countless chains appeared from nowhere. These chains, interspersed with dice-shaped locks on every foot, writhed like snakes. In an instant, they latched onto the whale demon’s enormous body, breaking apart and recombining at the dice-locks’ joints. The moment they touched the whale, its immense demonic aura vanished completely. Soon after, the chains dragged the whale back into the deep.
The chains continued to sweep across the sea’s surface but didn’t reach for Nan Yan and her companions. After searching within a ten-meter radius, they slowly sank back into the sea and disappeared.
“What were those chains?” someone asked.
“Stealth Spirit-Suppressing Chains,” came the reply. “The sea looks normal, but many invisible chains roam within. They capture any living thing, cutting off demonic, spiritual, or magical energy. Unless you’re a Nascent Soul cultivator who can harness elemental energy, there’s almost no escape.”
“…There is a way out,” Qi Yang murmured, watching the direction the whale had disappeared. His voice was too soft for anyone else to hear.
Nan Yan collected herself, then suddenly frowned. She vanished from her spot, reappearing a hundred feet away to her right front. She unleashed a palm strike infused with Buddhist power towards a nearby reef.
The reef exploded, revealing a terrified demonic cultivator hiding behind it. He couldn’t fathom how Nan Yan had detected him so quickly.
“A Si State demonic cultivator!” someone shouted.
The demonic cultivator spotted Mu Zhanting and, without hesitation, bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood. He turned his tail and fled using a blood escape technique.
Blood escape was the fastest life-saving method for cultivators, consuming their essence blood. Nan Yan, not yet at Core Formation, could use the ground-contracting technique from the Seven Buddha Karma Sutra for short distances, but couldn’t keep up over long distances.
“Slow down, Big Brother! We can’t catch up!” she called out.
The group hurried after him, but Mu Zhanting was too fast, soon disappearing into the distant mist. They pursued for nearly half an hour before finally stopping.
“There are more exiled cultivators ahead,” someone warned.
Everyone, including the fleeing demonic cultivator, instinctively concealed their auras. However, they soon realized the trapped cultivator was merely at the Core Formation stage.
Nan Yan, highly sensitive to demonic cultivators and able to trace the blood escape technique’s residual demonic energy, quickly determined that the demonic cultivator was hiding on this island.
“Something seems off,” she mused. “Why would this demonic cultivator flee to an island with an exiled Core Formation cultivator? They’re of the same level and might not even know each other. Isn’t this suicide?”
Just as Nan Yan voiced her doubts, a pillar of flame shot up from the island. Mu Zhanting had begun fighting.
“Let’s go help,” someone suggested.