Chapter 383 Zhu Tian Sect, Fang Pomo

Deep underground, winding mountain paths stretched along the rock walls. Looking downward, one could see surging, boiling magma.

Wei Rong walked behind a purple-robed man. Her eyes glanced downward, filled with fear.

“If I fell down there…”

Just imagining it made the five-year-old Wei Rong shiver.

At this moment, she wore clean clothes of light green color. There was not a trace of dirt on her face, making her delicate little features appear especially refined, the appearance of a beauty in the making. Her hair had been tied into two small braids, giving her far more vitality than before.

Her gaze shifted toward the purple-robed man in front of her, and she could not help asking,

“Father, why didn’t you bring Senior Lin with us?”

The purple-robed man was none other than her father, Wei Jin.

Wei Jin appeared only a little over twenty years old. His figure was tall and straight, his appearance handsome, his attire neat and proper. His sleeves fluttered in the wind, and his bearing was extraordinary.

Facing his daughter’s question, Wei Jin expressionlessly replied,

“The fact that I allowed him to join the Crimson Blood Demon Sect is already his fortune. As for whether he can find the Crimson Blood Demon Sect, that will be his trial. Furthermore, I have important matters to attend to. Bringing him along would be inconvenient.”

Toward this father, Wei Rong felt both hatred and curiosity.

She hated that he had only now come to find her, yet she was curious about what kind of identity her father possessed and how powerful he truly was.

“Father, what exactly is this place? Why did you come here?” Wei Rong asked again.

Wei Jin’s cold attitude prevented her from venting her grievances, and she did not dare grow too close to him either. Because of this, she gradually forgot the suffering she had endured all these years.

Wei Jin answered,

“This is the War God Underground Palace, a land of inheritance left behind for ten thousand years. I came here to seek a supreme treasure. What comes next will be very dangerous, so prepare yourself mentally.”

Very dangerous?

Then why bring me instead of letting me leave together with Senior Lin?

Wei Rong’s heart was filled with confusion. Could it be that Father was worried about her?

Thinking this way immediately made her happy.

After all, she was only a five-year-old child. Her emotions came quickly and left quickly. Though they had exchanged only a few words, she had already begun to like this father of hers.

“Oh right, Father, who was that female senior who saved us earlier? What relationship does she have with you?”

Wei Rong continued asking. She had far too many questions for her father.

“Her name cannot be told to you. You only need to know that she is extremely powerful. Your father has spent his entire life chasing after her.” Wei Jin leisurely replied.

Hearing this, Wei Rong thought of that female senior’s peerless beauty and immediately felt somewhat jealous.

“You’ve always been chasing her, then what does my mother count as?” Wei Rong bit her lip and asked.

“At such a young age, what are you thinking about? I chase her in terms of strength, not affection. Your mother was the love of my life. I will never fall in love with a second woman.”

Though Wei Jin appeared cold, he answered his daughter’s questions with great patience. It was simply that Wei Rong had not yet realized this.

Hearing this answer improved Wei Rong’s mood.

Thus, the father and daughter continued onward, exchanging questions and answers one after another, while Wei Jin’s image gradually became more real in Wei Rong’s heart.

The War God Underground Palace was silent and desolate. The area through which they walked seemed endless.

……

At dusk, within the Lingxiao Courtyard—

“Really? You’re bringing us along?”

Yin Jingxing excitedly asked, while Yuan Li standing beside him was equally thrilled.

Master was actually taking them on a secret mission!

Even for the thirty-eight-year-old Yuan Li, this was the first time he would accompany Li Qingqiu on a mission, so his emotions naturally surged with excitement.

This was a decision Li Qingqiu had reached after repeated consideration. Both of them possessed Ancient Sacred Bodies, and their Fate Traits were suited for transformation through battle and rebirth through desperate situations.

If they were allowed to wander outside alone and perished, Li Qingqiu would certainly feel heartbroken. Only by personally accompanying them could he truly feel at ease.

If they really encountered an extremely dangerous situation, Li Qingqiu could simply grab one person with each hand and escape using the Extreme Movement Technique.

With the Sword Demon guarding the sect, Li Qingqiu also felt reassured. The Sword Demon’s loyalty had already reached ninety, and with the Supreme Sword Divine Sword present, Li Qingqiu could monitor the sect’s situation at any time.

Of course, this operation could not become known to others. They needed to create the illusion that Li Qingqiu had not yet left the sect.

“You two go back and prepare yourselves. Come to the Lingxiao Courtyard before dawn tomorrow. You are not to tell anyone about this matter.” Li Qingqiu instructed.

Hearing this, Yuan Li and Yin Jingxing both nodded. They raised their hands in salute before turning and leaving.

After they departed, Li Qingqiu tilted his head and looked toward the three opera masks resting on the table.

These were specially crafted by the Heavenly Works Hall under his instructions. The designs had been personally drawn by him and originated from characters in Journey to the West from his previous life. They represented Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, and Zhu Bajie. Restriction arrays had been embedded within the masks, and they were forged from special materials capable of blocking Spiritual Sense while also being extremely sturdy.

Li Qingqiu was looking forward to this journey into the War God Underground Palace. Through the War God Sword Token, he had already sensed the direction of the underground palace. It was very far away, but for him, it was not impossibly distant.

Hopefully, the Human Emperor Bell would not disappoint him.

If he obtained the Human Emperor Bell, then he would reconsider Tianxuanzi’s value. Being able to subdue a great Heaven-Reaching Sunlight Realm cultivator would certainly be beneficial.

As for the grudges and enmities Tianxuanzi carried, Li Qingqiu did not care much.

The fact that Tianxuanzi had managed to escape alive already proved that his enemies were not truly that formidable.

As the sun set and the moon rose—

Before dawn arrived, Yuan Li and Yin Jingxing came to the Lingxiao Courtyard. Li Qingqiu handed each of them a mask.

“Master, why am I the pig?” Yin Jingxing complained unhappily.

Meanwhile, Yuan Li laughed and immediately put on the Sun Wukong mask, giving Yin Jingxing no chance to exchange.

Li Qingqiu snorted.

“Why so many questions? Put it on quickly, or I won’t bring you.”

The moment Yin Jingxing heard this, he hurriedly placed the Zhu Bajie mask over his face.

Li Qingqiu’s lips curved upward. Grabbing one wrist from each of them, he instantly vanished from the Lingxiao Courtyard.

……

Inside the vast great hall—

Yan Daozong suddenly opened his eyes. Turning his head toward the distant palace wall, he tightly furrowed his brows.

Everyone else had been cultivating quietly, making the entire palace feel deathly silent.

Beside him, Bai Ning’er opened his eyes. Seeing Yan Daozong’s reaction, he could not help asking,

“What’s wrong?”

Yan Daozong answered,

“Something is approaching.”

The moment these words were spoken, the surrounding Clear Sky Sect cultivators all opened their eyes.

They all understood Yan Daozong’s strength. Though he did not cultivate immortality, he could already battle Spirit Perception Realm cultivators. In certain aspects, his perception abilities were even stronger than theirs.

Jiang Zhaoxia, Yang Jueding, and Xue Jin also opened their eyes. None doubted Yan Daozong’s words as they all looked in the direction he was staring toward.

After a while—

The ground began to tremble.

Cultivators from the other sects also opened their eyes one after another, each taking out their magic implements and preparing cautiously.

“What’s happening? Did the mechanism activate again?”

“No, it seems to be coming from behind that palace wall.”

“Could another restriction have been triggered?”

“Be careful. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Is this damned War God Underground Palace truly an inheritance land left behind by the ancient human race? Why does it feel more like a death trap?”

The cultivators of the various sects discussed anxiously. Having been trapped inside this hall for several months, their fear had already surpassed their anticipation for opportunities.

The ground trembled more and more violently, as though a massive earthquake had arrived.

Crack!

A fissure appeared across the palace wall. Like a spider web, the crack rapidly spread outward, frightening the nearby cultivators into retreating all at once.

Jiang Zhaoxia and the others also stood up, entering full alert.

“If there’s an escape route, prioritize fleeing! Don’t get entangled in battle!”

Yang Jueding immediately ordered.

The Clear Sky Sect disciples responded in unison.

Boom!

The distant palace wall shattered apart, and a gigantic black lion with dragon horns burst forth. Flames burned upon its four claws. Its shoulder height exceeded a hundred zhang, and its terrifying aura shocked every cultivator present.

Accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, the gigantic black lion rampaged wildly. Several cultivators failed to evade in time and were instantly trampled into meat paste.

Cultivators shot into the air like a rain of arrows, rapidly distancing themselves from the giant black lion.

“Hahaha! I never expected so many people to be hidden here.”

A wild and arrogant laugh echoed throughout the palace hall.

Jiang Zhaoxia focused his gaze and discovered a person standing atop the gigantic black lion’s head.

That person wore purple robes patterned with red markings. His black hair was tied high, and a thin chain of red crystal hung across his forehead. His face was handsome, though his smile appeared sinister and savage.

“Mountain Dragon Flame Lion! That’s Fang Pomo of the Zhu Tian Sect!”

Someone cried out in shock.

The moment that name was spoken, a massive uproar erupted.

The disciples of the Clear Sky Sect had never heard of these names before, but from the Mountain Dragon Flame Lion’s terrifying aura alone, they understood that Fang Pomo was absolutely no ordinary person.

“Retreat!”

Yang Jueding immediately ordered, and the dozens of Clear Sky Sect disciples rapidly withdrew together.

Yan Daozong narrowed his eyes and saw strands of green aura wrapping around the Mountain Dragon Flame Lion like tentacles, making the gigantic beast appear suddenly small, as though it were being grasped by an invisible hand.

“Fang Pomo, your opponent is me. Who allowed you to lose focus?”

A cold voice rang out.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying gale swept through the hall, cracking apart the massive stone pillars one after another.

Jiang Zhaoxia noticed cracks appearing in the palace wall behind them, and he immediately shouted,

“Escape this way!”

He rushed forward first.

Condensing the Immortal Severing Three Swords, he slashed out with a single strike. Sword Energy surged like a rainbow and smashed into the palace wall, sending countless stone fragments flying.

Even his full-powered attack failed to shatter the wall, instantly darkening his expression.

Without giving up, he raised his sword to unleash a second strike.

Boom!

The palace wall before Jiang Zhaoxia suddenly exploded apart. The violent wind pressure forced him to instinctively raise his sword in defense. The Clear Sky Sect disciples were caught completely off guard, and many were blown flying.

Xue Jin stabbed the Clear Sky Sword into the ground, barely stabilizing himself. Raising his head, he saw a gigantic hole had appeared in the palace wall, beyond which was pitch-black darkness. Fierce gusts continuously poured out from within.

“Move!”

Jiang Zhaoxia’s voice rang in every Clear Sky Sect disciple’s ears.

The disciples supported one another and immediately followed behind him.

Soon, dozens of Clear Sky Sect disciples vanished together into the opening, swallowed by darkness.

Cultivators from the other sects also rushed in right behind them like schools of fish crossing a river, endlessly pouring into the passage, while Fang Pomo and the Mountain Dragon Flame Lion remained locked in battle.

“Those two just now were definitely existences beyond the Spirit Perception Realm. This place is becoming more dangerous by the moment. We must escape!”

Following beside Jiang Zhaoxia, Xue Jin spoke in a deep voice.

Once battle began, command authority naturally fell into Jiang Zhaoxia’s hands. Even Yang Jueding had no objections, because Jiang Zhaoxia was the strongest among them.