113: Chapter 113: Drawing the Eye of Illusion! Straight to the Demon Emperor's Blood Altar!

[Age 33. Mid-August. Tianxuan Sect.]

[Since the battle at Broken Bone Ridge, Huo Quji has been busy assisting you for an entire month.]

[August 18th. Evening.]

[Huo Quji has just finished submitting the last batch of statements at the Law Enforcement Hall and is walking back with his chiyan sword.]

[Gu Yunxi intercepts him at the head of the stone bridge on the back mountain of Fenglei Hall.]

“Next time you go out, take me with you,” she requests.

[Huo Quji stops in his tracks.]

“What are you going for?”

“To kill enemies.” Gu Yunxi offers no unnecessary words.

[Huo Quji scratches his head.]

“Fine. I'll call you the next time we head out.”

[Early September. Sect Tavern.]

[Huo Quji sits opposite you, gulping down a mouthful of spiritual wine.]

“Shen Ji.”

“Mm.”

“Next time there's an operation, take Gu Yunxi along.”

[You raise your wine bowl and take a sip.]

“Depends on the situation.”

[Huo Quji picks up his coarse ceramic bowl and drains it in one go.]

[October. Backyard.]

[You sit cross-legged in the center of the gravel ground.]

[Spiritual energy flows around your body.]

[The spiritual energy vortex within your dantian accelerates its rotation.]

[Cracks appear in the barrier of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment under continuous impact.]

[Spiritual energy advances steadily.]

[The barrier shatters.]

[The spiritual energy vortex expands by a full circle, and your meridians are forcibly widened.]

[Late stage of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.]

[You open your eyes.]

[The jinhong sword hums beside you.]

[You stand up.]

[You set up the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array.]

[Twelve astral patterns activate simultaneously.]

[The ninth pattern increases power by thirty percent, while the tenth through twelfth diminish; it is incredibly smooth.]

[Astral energy maintenance time: eight breaths.]

[Three breaths longer than half a year ago.]

[You withdraw the array and brush the lime dust off your hands.]

[Early November. Martial Arts Arena.]

[Qin Yu hands over a communication jade slip.]

“The hall's newly developed Explosive Array Plate. Hall Master Lei Zhen personally named you to test it.”

[In the center of the Martial Arts Arena, a Tier 4 protective shield glows with a faint blue spiritual light.]

[Disciples from the Formation Hall form a circle around it.]

[Chu Feng leans against a pillar, arms crossed over his chest.]

“Junior Brother Shen, this protective shield is set to the standard of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. Show us some real skill; don't ruin the reputation of our Formation Hall.”

[You take the Explosive Array Plate and inject spiritual energy to activate it.]

[The array plate is embedded into the sword blade.]

[The crimson-gold light of the jinhong sword surges violently.]

[You draw your sword.]

[Flying Swan Sword Intent pours out.]

[A single sword strike falls.]

[The protective shield shatters outward from the center point.]

[Spiritual light explodes and scatters throughout the air.]

[The Martial Arts Arena falls silent.]

[Chu Feng's back leaves the pillar, his hands frozen in mid-air.]

[Qin Yu puts down the recording jade slip and glances at you.]

[In the distance, Mu Qing withdraws his gaze and turns to leave.]

[You sheathe your sword.]

[You bend over to pick up the scattered fragments of the array plate, preparing to return them for data recovery.]

[Your fingertips touch the bottom of a fragment; the texture feels rough.]

[You flip the fragment over.]

[Embedded in the bottom is a black stone the size of a grain of rice.]

[Extremely fine demon race runes are carved on the surface of the stone.]

[A Sound-Transmission Stone.]

[You put the fragment along with the Sound-Transmission Stone into your storage bag.]

[That night, you hand the Sound-Transmission Stone to Hall Master Lei Zhen.]

[Hall Master Lei Zhen stares at the stone for a moment.]

“The array plate materials were sourced externally and passed through three rounds of auditing.” He seals the Sound-Transmission Stone into a jade box. “For this to sneak in means the audit chain is rotten.”

“The hidden moles haven't been cleared out completely,” you say.

“Or new ones have been planted,” Hall Master Lei Zhen lowers his voice.

[Age 34. First day of February.]

[System Annual Draw.]

[The light wheel spins.]

[It stops.]

[A blue light emerges.]

[Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking (Blue): Passively increases the ability to see through illusions and array nodes. Can be actively activated to perceive demonic energy fluctuations within a ten-mile radius.]

[You open the system panel to configure your traits.]

Name: Shen Ji

Cultivation: Sixth Level of Foundation Establishment

Current Luck Value: 302

Equipped Traits 7/7: Wealth Returns After Being Spent (Gold), Supreme Sword Bone (Gold), Phantom Raid (Purple), Thirteen Gale Strikes (Purple), Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking (Blue), Array Formation Beginner (Green), Greased Soles (White)]

[Spiritual energy is channeled into your pupils.]

[Your vision changes drastically.]

[The main peak, side peaks, back mountain, and outer mountain ranges of the Tianxuan Sect—the pathways of flowing spiritual energy are revealed in minute detail.]

[You focus your gaze deep underground.]

[Deep within the ley lines of the outer mountains and rivers, dozens of extremely fine dark-red threads are moving.]

[Demonic energy.]

[They are clinging to the ley line nodes, slowly spreading outward.]

[You deactivate the Spirit Pupil and use a pen to mark the position of every thread on a map.]

[February 5th. Tianxuan Hall.]

[You present the map.]

“This disciple suggests strengthening patrols on the Eastern Region border, with a focus on investigating demonic energy infiltration near the ley line nodes.”

[Vice Sect Leader Daoist Qingxuan stares at the dark-red markings on the map.]

“Shen Ji, you slew Valley Master Mo Jiuyou and intercepted the top-secret roster; this seat trusts you.”

“But these patrols... we cannot do them.”

[Two elders beside him sigh in agreement.]

“The sect has just undergone a major purge, and the inner sect is depleted. If we deploy elites to defend the border, the main peak will inevitably be weakly guarded.”

“If the Demon Emperor uses a feint to strike directly at our mountain gate, the Tianxuan Sect will be in peril.”

[Daoist Qingxuan puts down the map and looks at you.]

“The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; we absolutely cannot split our forces. This seat can at most dispatch two Golden Core elders to investigate secretly; a large-scale deployment is not feasible.”

[You stand in the hall.]

[You do not argue.]

[The sect seeking stability is logical, but before the demon race's ley line infiltration is complete, passive defense is simply waiting for death.]

[If Golden Core elders act secretly, they can hardly escape notice. It would be better for a few Foundation Establishment juniors to leave the city; they won't attract attention.]

[You cup your fists and exit the hall.]

[March. You find Huo Quji.]

“The proposal for border patrols was rejected. The higher-ups are afraid the Demon Emperor will raid our home base and don't dare to split the forces.”

“That's to be expected.” Huo Quji munches on a spiritual fruit. “The roster incident hasn't settled yet, so the higher-ups naturally want to play it safe.”

“Black Stone City. A major border town in the Eastern Region and the human stronghold closest to demon territory.” You point at the map. “It's where the ley line demonic energy threads are most dense.”

“Going?”

“Going. Take Gu Yunxi and Ling Qingmeng with us. Fewer people make for a smaller target, and we'll use 'tempering ourselves' as the excuse.”

[Huo Quji tosses away the fruit core and slings the chiyan sword onto his back.]

“Let's go.”

[Age 34. April 8th.]

[Four streaks of light land outside Black Stone City.]

[The city walls are in disrepair, and the garrison is sparse.]

[After entering the city, the streets are deserted.]

[You sit down at a tea house in the south of the city.]

[In a short time, you gather some news.]

“A few more are missing. Among the refugees living in the abandoned mining area in the south, over twenty people have vanished in the last half month.”

“The authorities don't care?”

“They don't have household registration; who cares if they live or die.”

[You put down your tea bowl and look toward the south of the city.]

[Spirit Eyes of Truth-Breaking, activate.]

[The abandoned mining area in the south.]

[Deep underground, a mass of thick, dark-red demonic energy is slowly pulsating.]

[April 10th. Midnight.]

[The four of you sneak into the abandoned mine tunnels in the south.]

[The tunnels are deep and dark, with the stench of rust and rotting flesh assailing your nostrils.]

[You walk at the very front, Spirit Pupil fully active.]

[The deeper you go, the more viscous the dark-red demonic energy becomes.]

[Lightning flickers at Ling Qingmeng's fingertips, illuminating the rock walls ahead.]

[The rock walls are covered in demon race runes.]

[At the end of the tunnel, the terrain opens up.]

[A black altar ten feet high stands in the center of the cavern, its surface covered in a thick layer of dark-red blood gore.]

[Dozens of white bones are scattered around.]

[At the top of the altar, a blood-colored demon core floats and rotates, emitting gusts of foul wind.]

[The lightning at Ling Qingmeng's fingertips dances.]

[Gu Yunxi takes half a step back, her right hand gripping her sword hilt.]

[Huo Quji squats down and picks up a white bone.]

“The bloodstains aren't dry yet; the person died not long ago.”

[You stare at the blood-colored demon core atop the altar.]

[Under the Spirit Pupil's vision, the aura patterns inside the demon core are stripped away layer by layer.]

[These patterns are exactly the same as those recorded on the top-secret jade slips in the Scripture Pavilion.]

[The aura imprint of Demon Emperor Lietian.]