323: Chapter 321 At Dawn, the Array Opens from Chaos

Deep within the Ximing Continent, there was a valley shrouded in Devilish Qi.

The valley was surrounded by steep black cliffs, carved with dense formation patterns. These formation patterns flowed with a dark red light, resembling flowing blood. In the center of the valley stood a massive Teleportation Array. The array was circular, several hundred zhang in diameter, with layers of formation patterns radiating outwards like a giant spiderweb. The lines of the formation patterns were extremely fine and dense, each emitting a ghostly blue light that flowed slowly within the patterns like blood surging through blood vessels.

The core of the array was suspended in the very center—a fist-sized crystal, entirely transparent, with seven-colored light flowing within. The crystal rotated slowly, and with every rotation, the formation patterns of the array brightened by a fraction.

The two Hall Masters of the Heavenly Demon Hall stood on either side of the array. The one on the left was a middle-aged man with a stern face and a sinister air between his brows. The one on the right was an old man with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, thin knife-like lips, and a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth. Both were at the Soul Transformation Early Stage, with Devilish Qi surging around them, their aura thick and cold.

The middle-aged man looked down at the formation patterns of the array, his brows locked in a frown. "How much longer?"

The old man reached out, his five withered fingers pressing onto the formation patterns as he probed with his spiritual power. A moment later, he withdrew his hand. "Less than a day. At the earliest, dawn tomorrow; at the latest, noon tomorrow. This array will be able to activate."

The middle-aged man's brows furrowed even deeper. "Can the Demon Cultivators outside give us one day?"

The old man did not speak. His gaze crossed the cliffs and looked outside the valley. There was a sea of black—all Demon Cultivators. Those flying in the sky, running on the ground, and burrowing underground were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see. They were attacking the defensive array set up by the Heavenly Demon Hall. The array's light barrier flickered under the attacks, with cracks appearing in increasing numbers. The Devil Cultivators inside the array were resisting desperately, hurling Spells, talismans, and Magic Treasures without restraint. Demon Cultivators fell in droves, but more rushed up; there was no end to the killing.

The two Hall Masters did not make a move. They were waiting, waiting for the array to activate. They could not make a move, because once they did, the Soul Transformation Great Demons among the Demon Cultivators would also make a move. If they were delayed and unable to retreat unscathed, it would be a huge loss.

Outside the valley, high in the sky, a figure hung in mid-air. It was a woman with an enchanting figure and a cold, alluring face, wrapped in black mist. Within the mist, countless tiny spider threads could be vaguely seen drifting. Dao Lord Fuhun, a Soul Transformation Early Stage Demon Cultivator, whose true form was a Profound Silk Poison Spider. It had been guarding here for several days. It did not make a move, just hung there, watching the Devil Cultivators' defensive array being worn down bit by bit. It was waiting, waiting for the moment the array could no longer hold. There were two Soul Transformation Devil Cultivators inside; it would not waste its power on breaking the array.

Although it did not know what was happening in the valley, it only knew that these Devil Cultivators were building a Teleportation Array. It thought it was an ordinary Teleportation Array used for escaping. It did not care whether those Devil Cultivators ran away or not; what it cared about was the core of that Teleportation Array. That fist-sized crystal contained extremely pure energy; if swallowed, its cultivation would increase by at least a small Realm. Therefore, it did not leave, nor did it attack with full force. It was waiting, waiting for those Devil Cultivators to be unable to hold on, and then hand over the core obediently.

The middle-aged man's gaze passed through the light barrier of the array and landed on that enchanting figure. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, revealing a cold sneer.

"Fool. It doesn't know where that array leads. It doesn't know that we are going to the Hangu Dao Prefecture, one of the Three Thousand Dao Prefectures, with perfect Laws, abundant Spiritual Qi, and Opportunities everywhere. It only wants that crystal. Swallow it, increase by a small Realm. How pathetic."

The old man's smile became even colder, his lips thin as two blades. "It doesn't understand that this Teleportation Array is one-time use. After being used once, the entire array will collapse. To build it again, it would need to be re-laid, and the core can only be used once. This core is something we obtained after spending countless efforts." He paused. "So, we only have one chance."

The middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and looked at the array again. "How much longer can the Devil Cultivators outside hold on?"

The old man did not answer. Both knew the answer—not until dawn. The cracks in the defensive array were already as dense as a spiderweb, and the light barrier could shatter at any moment. The casualties of the Devil Cultivators fighting desperately on the periphery had already exceeded seventy percent. But they had no other choice. They could only gamble, gambling that the array could activate before the defensive array collapsed.

Time passed bit by bit. The moon shifted to the west, and the sky began to turn white. In a few more hours, it would be dawn. When dawn arrived, that would be the time for the array to activate.

"Soon," the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

The old man also raised his head to look at the sky. "Soon."

Outside the valley, Dao Lord Fuhun's brows furrowed. It sensed something. It was not fear, but unease. It did not know what it was uneasy about, but it knew it could not wait any longer. If the array really activated, that core would surely lose a lot of spiritual power.

So it raised its hand, and black mist surged from its palm, turning into countless hair-thin spider threads, shooting towards the defensive array. It wanted to tear this array apart with its own hands and get that core before those Devil Cultivators escaped.

Just at the moment the spider threads were about to hit the array, three streams of light descended from the sky. They did not rise from the ground, but flew in from outside the sky. Three streams of light: one gold, one silver, and one interwoven with five colors. They tore through the night sky, trailing long tails of flame, their speed so fast that even Divine Sense could not capture them. The golden one was like a scorching sun, the silver one like a crescent moon, and the five-colored one like a rainbow. The three streams of light flew in from three directions simultaneously, yet at the same instant, they landed precisely on the open ground outside the valley.

The light dispersed, and three people stepped out from the radiance. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a stern face, wearing a black Daoist robe, with tiger-like eyes and thick brows, his aura as majestic as a mountain. On his left was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a green Daoist robe, with a Pill Furnace pattern embroidered on his cuffs, his aura restrained yet making people afraid to look directly at him. On his right was a young man in a moon-white robe, his long hair tied up, his face calm, and his eyes steady. Two Soul Transformation Middle Stage, one Early Nascent Soul Stage.

Dao Lord Fuhun's body stiffened abruptly. Its hand stopped in mid-air, black spider threads hanging from its fingertips, motionless. Its pupils contracted violently, and the cold allure on its face turned into solemnity. Its body was telling it that those two people were stronger than it. Not just a little stronger, but much stronger. It did not dare to move, nor did it dare to retreat.

Inside the array, the middle-aged Hall Master's eyes lit up, and the old man's eyes also lit up. They did not recognize those three people, but they knew they were not Demon Cultivators. They were humans. They did not care why those three people appeared here, nor did they care if they were enemies or friends. They only knew that the formation patterns of the array suddenly lit up at this moment, the light blinding, illuminating the entire valley like daylight. The array had activated on its own. There was no need to wait another day.

The two Hall Masters looked at each other and simultaneously withdrew their hands, taking a few steps back. They watched the light of the array becoming brighter and brighter, more and more intense, the entire array trembling and emitting a low roaring sound. Then, they raised their heads and looked at those three figures that had descended from the sky.

Outside the array, Yun Ming stood between the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect and the Master of the Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion, looking at the Teleportation Array that was currently activating, looking at the exhausted Devil Cultivators inside the array. He did not speak, just watched quietly.

"This is the place," his voice was not loud, but very clear.