402: Infiltrating the Qingxuan Sect

"Huh, it's actually the Azure Profound Sect?" At that moment, the Purple Robe Saint looked at the plaque on the mountain gate before him and suddenly let out a sound of surprise.

"Hm? You know of this Sect?" The Grey-Robed Saint King was somewhat surprised; this place was so remote, yet he actually knew of this Sect.

"Indeed. Fellow Daoist, you might not know this, but the Myriad Law Pavilion in Xuan Province is affiliated with our Supreme Mystery Holy Land and once mentioned the Seven Great Sects of Xuan Province to me." The Purple Robe Saint said with a spirited expression.

"There are seven major Sects in Xuan Province, and the Azure Profound Sect has always been at the very bottom. Their strongest are only in the Heavenly Human Realm, and even if they have anyone in the King Realm, they are just Old Ancestors on their last legs, gasping for breath."

"Fellow Daoist, quickly help me get in and capture that brat." After saying this, the Purple Robe Saint condensed a wisp of saintly power in his palm, preparing to blast open the mountain-protecting Formation that he considered to be purely ornamental.

"Wait." The Grey-Robed Saint King raised a hand to stop him, his gaze sweeping over the calm Sect once more. He shook his head slowly, his voice deep and seasoned.

"Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength. That thief is as cunning as a fox; although he appears to be at the end of his rope, he might still have a trump card for a final struggle or escape. If you force your way through the Formation, the commotion will surely alert him. If he, in his desperation, uses some forbidden technique to burn his Origin or perish together with us, or if there is some unknown hidden escape route within this Sect, it would only lead to unnecessary complications."

"It would be better for us to conceal our auras and infiltrate silently, appearing directly before that thief. We shall subdue him instantly with the force of a thunderbolt, giving him no chance to react. That is the foolproof plan."

The Purple Robe Saint was stunned for a moment, then displayed an expression of admiration, the spiritual energy in his palm quietly dissipating. "You are indeed more thorough in your thinking, Fellow Daoist. We shall follow your advice!"

When the Grey-Robed Saint King swept his Divine Sense across the entire Azure Profound Sect, he had already seen through the operation of the mountain-protecting Formation. "A mere King-Grade mountain-protecting Formation; the nodes are loose, and the flow of spiritual energy is sluggish. It is riddled with flaws."

A trace of undisguised contempt flashed in his eyes; such a Formation was like a child's toy to him. He walked to a corner of the Formation and flicked his fingers casually, several strands of pure saintly power sinking into the Formation's nodes like silk threads.

The shimmering light of the active Formation faltered slightly, splitting open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. After the two of them slipped inside, it instantly sealed shut, as if nothing had happened.

The two looked around, their Divine Sense sweeping over the various busy Disciples, and quickly locked onto Shi Wanshan's location. At this moment, Shi Wanshan's aura was withered; he took out a healing Medicinal Pill and swallowed it, clearly intending to meditate and heal here.

Seeing this, the two were delighted. The Purple Robe Saint even imagined himself suddenly appearing before Shi Wanshan, and Shi Wanshan's dazed, terrified reaction.

"Hahaha, old thief, prepare to welcome your surprise." Without any further hesitation, the two moved like ghosts, flickering a few times among the seemingly ordinary forests and halls within the Azure Profound Sect, and arrived silently outside a secluded stone chamber behind the main peak.

The terrain here was hidden and the Spiritual Qi was thin—a perfect hiding place for someone severely wounded and on the run. The stone chamber was simple with the door left ajar, and Shi Wanshan's decaying, chaotic aura could be clearly distinguished within. One could even hear his heavy, labored breathing, as well as the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy as he struggled to regulate his breath after the Medicinal Pill dissolved.

The Purple Robe Saint could no longer suppress the cruel and triumphant smile on his face. "Old thief, your death has arrived!" The Purple Robe Saint sneered in his heart, unable to hold back any longer, and slammed his palm out! Instantly, gravel and dust filled the air.

He seemed to have already seen the pathetic sight of Shi Wanshan crawling out of the ruins, panicked and deathly pale. However, as the dust slowly settled, the terrified figure he had expected did not appear.

In the center of the stone chamber, on a futon, Shi Wanshan remained in a cross-legged meditative posture. He slowly raised his head; instead of any shock or fear, his face wore an indescribably strange expression. The look was a mixture of mockery, pity, and an undisguised excitement of finally waiting for the prey to walk into the trap. His eyes were startlingly bright, staring straight at the two who had broken in.

"Yo, two honored guests, you sure took your time." Shi Wanshan stood up slowly, grinned, and revealed his stark white teeth. "I've been waiting for you for a long time; the tea has already gone cold."

This reaction was completely unexpected! The smugness on the Purple Robe Saint's face froze instantly, turning into astonishment. A trace of suspicion also flashed in the Grey-Robed Saint King's eyes; Shi Wanshan's abnormal reaction set off alarm bells in his heart! Something was wrong!

The instincts honed from years of life-and-death battles made the Grey-Robed Saint King make a decision in a flash—no matter what tricks the opponent had, it was safest to withdraw from this place first! "Retreat!" He gave a low shout, his grey robes billowing, and the immense saintly power of the Saint King erupted, his figure retreating backwards like a ghost!

His reaction was not slow; he had withdrawn the instant he sensed something was wrong. But unfortunately, he had encountered the Azure Profound Sect. Just as his figure retreated several hundred meters, "Boom!" A dull, booming sound like a giant bell being struck exploded behind the two!

The Grey-Robed Saint King felt as if he had crashed into an invisible giant wall, his body coming to an abrupt halt! "A Space-Locking Formation?" His pupils constricted. As his Divine Sense swept over, he saw that the path which had been unobstructed when they arrived now displayed a layer of seamless light film, flowing with mysterious, pale golden runes.

This place had long been reinforced by Gu Changge with an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible barrier, isolating this area from the outside, so there was absolutely no need to worry about the energy of the battle spreading out.

"Fellow Daoist, what is it?" The Purple Robe Saint finally reacted. Looking at the Formation behind him, he was somewhat disdainful. "This is just the small Azure Profound Sect! Even if this person has some skill in Formations, can't the two of us easily break it?"

Upon hearing this, the Grey-Robed Saint King also calmed down, thinking to himself that his reaction just now was indeed a bit over-the-top. The opponent was only a Saint; thinking he could counter-kill him just by relying on this Formation was simply wishful thinking.

"Space-Locking? Hmph, a mere trick, and you want to trap this Seat? Break for me!" A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and a sword gleam, condensed to the extreme and capable of tearing through the Void Realm, pointed fiercely at the invisible barrier!

"Sss!" The finger gleam struck the barrier, causing the Void Realm to tremble with a harsh tearing sound. The barrier fluctuated violently, its light flowing, and then it stabilized. Apart from a slightly larger ripple, it remained motionless.

The composure on the Grey-Robed Saint King's face vanished instantly. His strike was enough to severely damage an ordinary Saint-Grade Formation, yet this barrier merely shook?

"Only noticing it now? Isn't it a bit late, you old bastard." Shi Wanshan's mocking voice rang out, filled with undisguised ridicule. "You came to my territory, and you want to leave without having a cup of tea? How can there be such a good thing in this world!"

He clapped his hands and said in a loud voice, "Junior Brother, stop hiding, show yourself. Let these two honored guests who have traveled from afar see the hospitality of our Azure Profound Sect." As his voice fell, a figure slowly stepped out from the shadows outside the stone chamber.