161: Chapter 161 Cao Shen's Purpose

Everyone's expression changed instantly.

They finally understood that the seemingly accidental disappearances, misjudgments, traitors, and misplaced intelligence from before were not coincidences.

It was a net that had been spread out long ago.

Now, this net was finally tightening.

In the sky, the black mist surged more and more violently.

At a glance, the number of Mimics was nearly endless, pouring out of the cracks like a tide, densely packed and covering half the sky.

Among them, some were clad in heavy armor, some held dharma artifacts, and some even wore the identity tokens of deacons and elders from major factions.

But those identities now remained only as the most vicious irony.

Because they were no longer themselves.

They were monsters who had been modified, contaminated, and devoured by Cao Shen, only to "put on human skin" once again.

“Finally out.”

A low voice came from the deepest part of the crack.

Everyone looked up.

In the center of the black mist, a figure stepped out into the air.

The man wore a grey-black robe; his face was thin, his expression calm, even carrying a hint of gentleness.

If one didn't know his background, at first glance, one might even think he was some elegant Grandmaster of Array Dao.

But the faces of all those present who truly knew the truth darkened instantly upon seeing him.

Cao Shen.

The true source of the Mimic army.

“Cao Shen!”

Lei Wanjun roared in anger, the sound waves vibrating so hard that the bone mountains in all directions trembled.

Cao Shen smiled slightly, as if he hadn't heard the angry shout.

His gaze slowly swept across the area below, finally landing on Lin Mo at the top of the Bone Platform.

“It seems I've arrived just in time.”

His tone was flat, as if he were exchanging pleasantries.

“The inheritance of the Bone Platform has ultimately fallen into your hands.”

Lin Mo stood at the high point, his expression showing not a hint of fluctuation.

He looked at Cao Shen, his gaze as cold as a blade that had been unsheathed but not yet returned.

“What you want isn't just this Bone Platform.”

Lin Mo spoke; his voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached all directions.

“You intentionally let us come to fight for the Martial Demon Inheritance.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Shen actually clapped his sessions twice.

“Smart.”

He looked at Lin Mo as if looking at an extremely interesting piece of work.

“Pity, you realized it too late.”

“If not for the Martial Demon Inheritance, how could I have rounded up all of you so-called geniuses in one go?”

The moment his words fell, the black mist rolled, and the rift across the entire sky suddenly expanded several times over.

blood-colored array patterns spread out from the edges of the rift.

They were like blood vessels that had long been buried deep within the secret realm, and now they were finally being reawakened.

Cao Shen raised his hand and gently pressed downward.

“Sacrifice.”

Boom!

As this word fell, the entire secret realm seemed to come alive at once.

Mountain ranges, bone steps, ruined cities, and debris everywhere simultaneously lit up with dense blood-colored array points.

In that instant, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Because they finally saw the truth.

This secret realm was never a simple trial realm from the beginning.

It was itself a massive sacrificial ground.

And they, the people who stepped into the secret realm, were never "trial-takers."

They were sacrifices.

“You're insane!” an elder shouted sternly.

“Insane?”

“How could you ants possibly understand the Lord of a Thousand Eyes and a Thousand Tentacles?”

Cao Shen gently raised his hand, and from the black mist, three figures slowly walked out.

As soon as those three appeared, an irrepressible wave of gasps erupted around them.

Because the aura on them was completely different from the Mimics.

They weren't contaminated puppets.

They were existences that, after falling completely, still retained their powerful sense of self.

Three Fallen Ones.

One held a broken halberd, with lightning runes entwined around his body.

One wore shattered blood armor, his gaze like a blade, with a murderous aura piercing the heavens.

The last one was the most bizarre; his entire being seemed semi-merged into the black mist, his face blurred, leaving only a pair of eyes glowing with a crimson light visible.

Their appearance caused the expressions of Lei Wanjun and the others to turn extremely ugly simultaneously.

“Fallen Ones...”

“And three of them.”

These three Fallen Ones were one of Cao Shen's true trump cards.

Under the suppression of the secret realm, they were also suppressed to around the fourth-rank level, but even so, that fierce instinct was still far beyond ordinary people.

The people below finally felt complete despair.

Because there were too many enemies.

The Mimic army was endless.

The three Fallen Ones held the front.

Lin Mo stood at the top of the Bone Platform, his long blade slowly rising.

He could feel that the three passive abilities he had just completed within his body were still operating steadily in this suppression field.

Void-Treading Cloud-Scaling Steps automatically adjusted his landing points.

Aurora Flowing Cloud Slash automatically connected his blade momentum.

Starlight Moon Condensation was constantly stabilizing his qi, which was being washed over by high-level evil intent.

This was his only advantage.

It was also his most critical trump card.

Cao Shen's gaze fell on him again, and his smile finally faded slightly.

“Interesting.”

“You can actually still maintain this kind of stability.”

“It seems the Bone Platform has indeed tempered you thoroughly enough.”

Lin Mo ignored his praise.

He just looked at the giant eye slowly opening in the sky and slowly exhaled.

He knew that what came next would be the true desperate situation.

The Mimic army would charge down.

The three Fallen Ones would pin down the elders.

Cao Shen would continue to sacrifice the secret realm.

And once that Shadow of a Thousand Eyes and a Thousand Tentacles truly descended, everyone in the entire secret realm could be crushed into sacrifices in an instant.

So he had to move first.

Not wait for the enemy to complete their layout.

But tear a hole in the layout before it completely closed.

“Everyone!”

Lin Mo suddenly spoke, his voice cold and reaching everywhere.

“Form arrays, block the enemies in layers!”

“Elders, go block those three Fallen Ones!”

“Younger generation, clear the Mimic army!”

“Leave Cao Shen to me!”

As soon as these words came out, the entire field went silent.

Gu Yunting abruptly looked up.

Ji Wuchen clenched his teeth.

A deep flash of unwillingness crossed Lu Chenzhou's eyes, but in the end, he did not object.

Because at this point, everyone knew that what Lin Mo said was the only correct way to fight.

Moreover, only he was qualified to face Cao Shen directly.

The elders exchanged glances and finally moved at the same time.

Lei Wanjun charged toward the Fallen One on the right, his fist intent exploding like thunder shaking the heavens.

Shen Guhong's long sword left its scabbard, heading straight for the blood-armored Fallen One on the left.

Daoist Master Yun Yao used Array Dao to seal the figure merging into the black mist in the middle.

Wei Qianshan held the rear, joining forces to block the charge of the Mimic army.

As for Lin Mo, at the very instant everyone else moved, he took to the air.

His figure swept past the top of the Bone Platform, charging straight for Cao Shen.

...