54: Shocking Scam

"Plan B."

These two words, uttered by Lu Yuan, carried no human emotion.

On Han Yuexi's calm face, her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

She didn't ask why.

Nor did she hesitate in the slightest.

The ancient, stone-gray talisman she held between her fingers suddenly ignited with a pale, colorless flame.

The flame had no temperature, no light.

It seemed to burn the concept of "disguise" rather than any physical entity.

The next instant, Han Yuexi flicked her wrist.

The talisman transformed into a sluggish stream of light.

It did not attack any of the Nascent Soul Old Monsters.

Nor did it defend against any incoming Divine Ability.

Its only target was the nine revolutions soul returning grass, slowly drifting towards them, which everyone regarded as hope.

The talisman's speed was not fast.

But wherever it passed, the violent spiritual energy storm was smoothed by an invisible hand, and the chaotic Law experienced a momentary, absolute stagnation.

Ye Chen's sky-shrouding Demonic Hand and the Magic Treasure light net woven by the three Nascent Soul Old Monsters all seemed to sink into a quagmire of time, their movements becoming incredibly slow.

Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to that pale stream of light.

"Buzz—"

A strange, non-metallic, non-stone tremor resonated, not through the air, but directly deep within everyone's Divine Soul.

The talisman adhered to the nine-colored halo shield of the nine revolutions soul returning grass.

It wasn't bounced off.

Instead, it silently seeped in.

Immediately after, the talisman completely burned out.

What emerged in its place was the illusory image of a giant, indifferent, pupil-less gray eye.

This eye did not belong to any known living being.

It was merely a cold symbol, an absolute symbol representing "truth" and "Origin."

The illusory eye slowly opened.

A beam of light, also grayish-white, projected from its hollow eye socket, enveloping both the nine revolutions soul returning grass and the massive black mountain rock beneath it.

A change, incomprehensible to all, occurred under their watchful eyes.

The nine revolutions soul returning grass, illuminated by the light, began to shed its dazzling nine-colored glow like peeling plaster.

As the glow faded,

What was revealed was not a warm, jade-like Immortal Plant full of life.

Instead, it was nine metal leaves, thin as cicada wings.

Each leaf flowed with pitch-black demonic patterns, resembling twisted keys, emitting a cold, desolate, decaying aura of finality.

Where was the Immortal Plant?

It was clearly a Demonic creature!

This horrifying scene froze the greed in everyone's hearts, turning it into a bone-chilling coldness.

However, this was only the beginning.

The grayish-white light continued downwards, mercilessly piercing through the black giant stone that supported the "Immortal Plant."

The giant stone's disguise was completely torn away.

Its surface became as transparent as crystal.

Beneath the giant stone was an unimaginably enormous, ancient Formation.

Countless thick, decaying, cracked Formation patterns crisscrossed, forming an extremely complex suppression diagram.

And at the very center of the great Formation, where all the Formation patterns converged—

A mountain-like, colossal Demonic body outline, bound by billions of pitch-black chains, lay silently there.

The Demonic body was already in tatters, yet it still exuded a terrifying pressure that made even Nascent Soul Cultivators' Divine Souls tremble.

"Thump."

A faint, yet incredibly clear heartbeat emanated from the Demonic body's heart.

This sound pierced through the roar of all spiritual energy storms, striking everyone's heart.

Ye Chen's Devilish Qi completely lost control at this moment.

An irresistible, terrifying resonance from the deepest part of his Bloodline created a strong connection between him and the Demonic body beneath the great Formation.

He was involuntarily pulled by a huge suction force, flying towards the decaying great Formation.

"No...!"

Ye Chen let out a terrified roar; he wanted to struggle, but that power originated from his Origin, the culmination of his Demonic Technique, and he was utterly unable to resist.

The old man from Myriad Sword Manor froze completely, his pupils shrinking to the most dangerous pinpricks.

The beautiful woman from Profound Ice Palace was ashen-faced, her fingers clutching her Magic Treasure trembling violently.

The Red-haired Elder of Demon Flame Valley broke out in large beads of cold sweat on his forehead, and his protective Demonic Flame dimmed slightly due to extreme fear.

The three Nascent Soul Old Monsters, three beings at the pinnacle of the Human Realm, were utterly horrified.

They finally understood what Lu Yuan's previous cold warning truly meant.

This place was not an ancient ruin hiding an Opportunity at all.

This was a deadly place sealing an ancient Great Demon!

"Now, who else wants this 'Immortal Plant'?"

Lu Yuan's cold voice cut through the terrified silence of the scene.

His voice held no mockery, no triumph, only the absolute indifference of stating a fact.

"The nine revolutions soul returning grass was never a miraculous longevity medicine."

"Its true name is the [nine-segment demon suppression key]."

"Its nine leaves correspond to the nine core Formation eyes of the Seal Formation below."

"Its maturity does not signify the arrival of an Opportunity."

"Rather, it means that the Seal is about to completely fail."

Just as the three Nascent Soul Old Monsters were shaken by this terrifying truth, contemplating how to escape,

A frenzied, hysterical burst of laughter erupted from Ye Chen's mouth.

"Haha... Hahahaha!"

"Lu Yuan, oh Lu Yuan, you really knew! You really knew everything!"

Ye Chen, completely consumed by Devilish Qi, no longer struggled; instead, he spread his arms, embracing the suction force that dragged him towards the abyss.

His blood-red eyes stared at Lu Yuan, his face twisted with an almost pathological fanaticism.

"That's right! Everything you said is correct!"

"But do you think I came to seize treasure?"

"I was chosen by Demonic thoughts long ago! My only purpose on this trip is to sacrifice this key and release my ancestor, who has been dormant for a hundred thousand years!"

"The great... 'Blazing Heaven Demon Venerable'!"