168: Chapter 168 Murderous Intent Emerges

Without another word, the five of them sat cross-legged, settled their minds, and continued to manipulate their Spiritual Artifacts, repeatedly bombarding the Restriction patterns on the stone doors.

In the vast, pitch-black underground hall, only the continuous, muffled sounds of bombardment remained. The alternating gold and cyan Spiritual light flashed repeatedly, casting the silhouettes of the five stalemated figures onto the stone walls.

Time passed slowly, cycling between day and night without pause.

After several hours of continuous, energy-draining bombardment, Fellow Daoist Zhou Xuan and Fellow Daoist Chu Cang, having consumed over half of their Qi, were the first to stop. Each took out a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone to absorb and meditate, steadily replenishing their Qi. They ensured they never fully exhausted their own Qi, keeping some in reserve to guard against sudden accidents.

Qingfeng also stopped to meditate at the appropriate time. While operating his Cultivation Technique to restore his Qi, he kept a constant watch on the movements of everyone present, never relaxing his guard.

Li Changqing stopped a moment earlier than the others, closing his eyes to focus while sitting cross-legged. He appeared to have consumed a vast amount of Qi and was in a weakened state, his cultivation foundation far less profound than the other four—perfectly aligning with their inherent perception of him.

Yet no one knew that the Rank 4 top-grade Cultivation Technique he cultivated, the Five Elements Hunyuan Scripture, gave him a vast and enduring supply of Qi, far stronger than the average Cultivator of the same Rank.

Day after day, month after month.

The five maintained a tacit rhythm: eight hours of full-power bombardment, followed by four hours of meditation to replenish Qi. They cycled through this day and night without rest, neither slacking nor stopping.

A full six months passed quietly.

The ancient, sturdy, and endlessly self-healing Five Elements Spirit-Sealing Restriction finally showed signs of exhaustion under the continuous, alternating bombardment of the five!

The light membrane, originally as thin as rippling water, gradually solidified into a thick, substantial band of light. Each time a Spiritual Artifact struck, the Restriction patterns on the stone doors trembled more violently. The flowing light became chaotic, its recovery sluggish, and its regeneration slow—these were the perfect signs that the Origin Qi of the Formation was exhausted and on the verge of collapse!

Seeing this, the five were greatly encouraged and overjoyed. Their attacks became even more swift, fierce, and unreserved, pouring all their Qi into bombarding the Restriction.

After another grueling month, the five ancient Restrictions finally reached the critical point of collapse!

Boom—!!

The five stone doors erupted with brilliant golden light simultaneously. A vast radiance burst forth, blinding and dazzling. The entire mountain hall trembled violently without cease, gravel fell from the vaulted ceiling, and countless ancient Restriction patterns flashed crazily, crackling and exploding.

The five were instantly alert, their figures simultaneously retreating more than twenty zhang. Each raised a thick Qi protective shield, standing in strict Formation, guarding against the terrifying backlash force of the collapsing Restriction.

Qingfeng reacted the fastest, instantly crushing a high-speed escape talisman. His figure retreated several more zhang, and at the same time, he formed a seal with his fingertips, setting up a simple, small warning and trapping Formation to guard against sudden murderous intent.

Li Changqing also retreated at the first Opportunity. He layered two Qi shields around his body, his expression calm and indifferent. His Divine Sense was fully deployed, locking tightly onto the movements of every person present, not letting a single unusual movement slip by.

Crackle—!!

The crisscrossing ancient Restriction patterns filling the sky shattered inch by inch, turning into points of light and annihilating!

The thick, mysterious gold boundary-suppressing light membrane covering the five stone doors suddenly dimmed, completely dissolving without a trace, gone entirely!

The Five Elements Spirit-Sealing Restriction, which had imprisoned the ages and suppressed the Secret Realm for countless years, was finally completely broken by their combined efforts after months of continuous, exhausting battle!

The giant hall suddenly opened up. The five weathered, ancient stone doors stood silently without obstruction. Behind the doors lay a deep, dim, and endless unknown, hiding the supreme Opportunities and secrets left behind by ancient masters.

Just as the few were overjoyed, their gazes entirely focused on the five stone doors, their hearts filled with thoughts of treasures and Opportunities, at the very moment their guard was lowest, a sudden change erupted without warning!

The change erupted suddenly, without warning!

No one noticed that from the very last moment of breaking the Formation, all the forbearance, composure, and calmness in the eyes of Mo Yuan, who stood in the center, had faded away, replaced by extreme malevolence, greed, and cold murderous intent.

The so-called working together and joining forces to break the Formation was, from beginning to end, a grand scheme he had meticulously laid!

From the moment he stepped into the Secret Realm, he had already calculated everything: borrowing the strength of the three Righteous Path Cultivators to exhaust the Origin of the ancient Restriction, opening the Immortal Cave gate for himself. Now that the Restriction was broken, the others had no value left. What remained was only to kill them, seize their treasures, and monopolize the Opportunity!

"Do it!"

Mo Yuan gave a low, cold shout. Before the sound had faded, his technique was already cast!

A biting, pale white ray of Qi suddenly shot out from the Void Realm to the side, fast as a thunderbolt, aiming straight for Li Changqing's vital points!

The murderous surprise attack arrived in an instant!

Li Changqing's heart rang with alarm. His figure instantly blurred and shifted as he utilized high-speed movement techniques, barely dodging sideways and narrowly avoiding this surprise attack.

But the next instant, a sheet of pure white Qi suddenly converged and solidified, turning into a closed, round white barrier of light, instantly enveloping and firmly locking down the area of several zhang around him!

Li Changqing stood within the white barrier, his expression calm, without a shred of panic or fear.

He swept his Divine Sense and instantly understood the mystery of this Formation—this pure white barrier had no offensive or killing power; it only had the ability to imprison and seal, designed solely to lock him away, isolating him from the battle so he could not interfere in the ensuing slaughter.

He stood quietly within the barrier, his gaze cold and indifferent. Through the transparent white wall of light, he silently watched Mo Yuan, who had been plotting this for a long time, his heart already understanding every calculation.

To outsiders, his expression sank slightly, a flash of surprise at the unexpected attack crossing his brow. His body subconsciously tensed slightly, looking like someone suddenly attacked and trapped in a dangerous situation, unable to break free. It fully displayed panic and passivity, completely fitting the impression that his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation foundation was still insufficient and he was unable to calmly handle such events.

Yet at this moment, his heart was without any panic or fear; he had long since hidden all ripples deep within. The panic on his face was merely a deliberately feigned illusion; in reality, he could break this Rank 2 trapping Formation in an instant.

His eyes appeared to calmly watch the battle outside, but deep within his gaze was a cool, calm clarity, his Divine Sense avoiding the edge of the Formation's seal.

The demonic Cultivator's sudden attack was also within his expectations; this was the most common act of murder and treasure-seizing when groups explored Immortal Caves in the Cultivation World.

He suppressed the restless Qi within his body, letting the power of the trapping Formation wrap around him. He pretended to be in a weak state, completely suppressed and unable to resist, lying quietly in wait.

He neither forcibly operated his Qi to crash against the Formation wall and reveal his flaws, nor did he show any intention of breaking the Formation. He retracted all his sharpness, thoroughly disguising himself as a trapped prey waiting to be slaughtered.

Almost at the same instant the trapping Formation formed, monstrous demonic flames surged around Mo Yuan. Pitch-black soul Evil Qi swept through the entire hall, and the overbearing pressure of his Foundation Establishment Peak was completely released!

Beside him, Fellow Daoist Chu Cang was also seething with Evil Qi and cold killing intent. The two exchanged a glance, having long reached a tacit understanding, and split up to attack the two Righteous Path Cultivators!

At the same time, a flash of demonic light appeared from Mo Yuan's sleeve, and a Rank 2 Peak Demonic Flame Ghost Wolf, with a hideous figure and covered in pitch-black scales, suddenly darted out!

The demonic wolf's fangs were stark white, its eyes blood-red, and it was surrounded by thick, bone-eroding demonic fire. Its speed was so fast it broke the sound barrier, turning into a pitch-black afterimage. Carrying the momentum of a thunderous surprise attack, it lunged straight at the caught-off-guard Fellow Daoist Zhou Xuan!