The two pressed forward, encountering a few more waves of reckless demonic beasts along the way, all swiftly dispatched by Chen Ping’s decisive strikes.
The inner cores of these beasts contained energy far purer than those in the Third Heaven. Chen Ping collected seven or eight of them, planning to use them for refining pills later.
As the sun set, the horizon glowed with vibrant hues, painting the clouds in shades of gold and crimson.
Hu Mazi suddenly halted in mid-air, staring at a valley ahead shrouded in thin mist, his brows furrowed, “Something’s off… The flow of spiritual energy in this valley is strange, as if it’s been artificially distorted.”
Chen Ping followed his gaze. The valley appeared unremarkable at first glance, with faint outlines of several peaks barely visible through the misty haze.
He activated his Heavenly Nether Eye, a faint silver gleam flickering in his dark pupils, his vision piercing through the layers of mist.
“There’s definitely something wrong,” Chen Ping said gravely, “That mist isn’t natural. It’s a massive illusion array, with its core hidden beneath the main peak in the valley’s centre. The array is intricately designed, easily diverting anyone who doesn’t probe deliberately.”
Hu Mazi’s eyes lit up, “I knew it! My clan must have hidden their territory with this illusion array! Come on, let’s break it open!”
Chen Ping took a deep breath, channelling spiritual energy into his Dragon-Slaying Sword. Golden sword aura gathered on the blade, emitting a heart-stopping ripple.
Instead of targeting the array’s core directly, he aimed for its weakest node and struck with force!
“Break!”
The sharp sword aura tore through the sky, slashing into the seemingly intangible mist.
A muffled “hum” echoed, and the mist in the valley churned violently, rippling like a lake disturbed by a stone, with visible energy waves spreading outward.
The illusion array trembled, and the once-blurry outlines of the peaks became clear.
But when the scene came into view, the smile on Hu Mazi’s face froze, replaced by utter disbelief.
There were indeed nine interconnected peaks, almost identical to the Nine Coiled Mountains in his memory.
Yet, atop the peaks, there was no trace of human settlement. Instead, jet-black palaces stood, adorned with grotesque skull and bat totems. Thick demonic energy hung over the mountains like dark clouds, clashing starkly with the surrounding spiritual aura.
“This… isn’t this my clan’s territory? How could…” Hu Mazi’s voice trembled, his eyes flashing with pain and fury, “It’s the Demon Clan! These structures, they’re the work of the Demon Clan!”
Chen Ping’s gaze sharpened. He could clearly sense the demonic aura emanating from the palaces, identical to that of the Demon Clan cultivators he’d encountered in the Third Heaven, only purer and more domineering.
The moment the illusion array shattered, a powerful aura erupted from the central peak. An aged voice, laced with chilling menace, rang out, “Which fool dares to trespass on the forbidden grounds of my Black Fiend Demon Palace?”
As the voice fell, a black-robed figure shot into the sky from the main peak’s palace, appearing before them in an instant.
It was a gaunt old man with sunken eye sockets and eerie, inky-green pupils, shrouded in faint black mist. His cultivation was at the First Grade of the Earth Immortal Realm!
The old man’s gaze swept over Hu Mazi, and upon sensing his human aura, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain, “A mere Loose Immortal Realm human dares to cause trouble in my Black Fiend Demon Palace? It seems the humans of the Fourth Heaven have grown forgetful over the years.”
Hu Mazi trembled with rage, pointing at the old man and roaring, “Nonsense! This is the Nine Coiled Mountains of my Hu Clan! Since when did it become your Demon Clan’s territory? You must be tired of living, daring to occupy my clan’s sacred land!”
