432: Chapter 432 The Greatest Hidden Piece

Deep within Heavenly Demon Mountain!

The Peaks surged like angry dragons, and a Demon Race Army tens of thousands strong stood in Formation like a forest. The black mass of the demon horde stretched as far as the eye could see. This display of force was more than a little bit stronger than the minor skirmish during the attack on Rain God Continent.

The strength did not refer to numbers, but to cultivation base and Realm.

Nascent Soul Yao Race members were merely the vanguard at the front of the Formation; Soul Transformation Realm Great Yao could be seen everywhere, Integration Realm Yao Generals presided over the four directions, and there were no fewer than ten Mahayana Stage Great Yao.

Atop the mountain Peak.

A girl with her hair in ox-horn braids stood at the head of the demon horde. She sat carelessly on a grandmaster's chair carved from ten-thousand-year-old Warm Jade, her feet dangling and swinging back and forth. She appeared to be breathing in the essence of the sun and moon while resting with her eyes closed.

Following that, a figure condensed from countless Yao Beast bones slowly emerged; it was the White Bone Demon Venerable.

He glanced at the Little Girl on the chair, then turned his gaze toward the space crack in the sky, which was enveloped by several dark-gold Formations. His raspy voice sounded like grinding gravel: "Why hasn't anyone come out yet?"

"What's the rush?"

The girl with ox-horn braids spoke in an old-fashioned, sophisticated tone: "Hunting requires patience. Only when the prey has completely lowered its guard and stepped into the dragnet we've laid out can we ensure a certain kill."

"Those Human Race Cultivators are searching for Opportunities in the Secret Realm, unaware they have already fallen into a trap."

"When the slaughter begins inside, and they finally struggle to reach the exit only to rush out with hearts full of joy and see our Formation, I really want to know what they will think."

The White Bone Demon Venerable nodded slightly, the nether-fire in his eye sockets flickering as he pressed further:

"Then how big is this catch? Do we know?"

The Little Girl stopped swinging her feet: "It's just some appetizers. The real show will have to wait for a few more days."

"Appetizers?"

The White Bone Demon Venerable asked again.

"About seventy percent of the forces on the Nine Provinces Continent," the girl with ox-horn braids said nonchalantly.

"Wansheng Dao Court, Penglai Island, Tiangong Pavilion, Medicine Hut... almost every Sect with a bit of a reputation has sent people. However, the leaders are all Mahayana Stage Cultivators; no Heavenly Venerables have appeared. This is just right to let the subordinates practice and, while we're at it, clean out the Human Race's backbone forces."

The White Bone Demon Venerable nodded, then changed the subject: "I'm a bit curious... You've laid such a massive Formation in Heavenly Tribulation Continent and caused such a huge commotion, yet no one knows? The Human Race's Heavenly Venerables can't all be completely blind, can they?"

This White Bone Demon Venerable usually only cared about closed-door cultivation and studying the arts of nether-bones; he was truly not skilled in these matters of intrigue and calculation.

Hearing this, the girl with ox-horn braids stretched out a fair, small arm and waved it: "No need to worry. Heaven-Swallowing Yao Venerable, Sea-Overturning Dragon Venerable, and Golden-Winged Peng Venerable—the three of them have already gone to the Outer Heavens to draw attention."

"They are deliberately provoking people at the edge of the Human Race's territory, making a huge scene. Even if those Human Heavenly Venerables sense something, they will only think the Yao Race is launching a major invasion. They won't even imagine our true target is the people inside the Secret Realm."

She paused and counted them off on her small fingers: "The Sword Venerable has always been indifferent to worldly affairs and acts alone. As long as no one provokes him, he's too lazy to care about these trivial matters."

"The Medicine Venerable is obsessed with alchemy. His whole mind is on resurrecting his daughter who died young. Unless it's a matter of life and death for the Nine Provinces Continent, he won't take action either."

"The Divine Puppet Heavenly Venerable fell many years ago. No one knows about this except for the core level of our Yao Race."

"As for that old man, the Mad Venerable, although he's been on the run since the last encounter, he took a heavy hit from a sneak attack and is severely injured. Perhaps by now, the Black Tortoise Demon Venerable has succeeded and turned him into nourishment in his tortoise shell."

The White Bone Demon Venerable remained silent for a moment, clearly digesting this information, before asking again:

"Isn't there still that most troublesome Great Love Immortal Venerable? If he notices any clues, won't our plan fall through?"

Hearing this, the girl with ox-horn braids suddenly looked up at him:

"Then who do you think struck the palm that ambushed the Mad Venerable?"

"Could it be..."

The White Bone Demon Venerable's voice suddenly rose, and the nether-fire in his eye sockets flickered violently. He had clearly thought of an incredible possibility.

"Exactly!"

The Little Girl suddenly jumped up from the jade chair, her arms akimbo as she laughed loudly. Her crisp laughter echoed across the mountain Peak.

"No one would suspect it! The Great Love Immortal Venerable, whom the Human Race admires most and regards as a god, is actually the greatest hidden chess piece our Yao Race planted inside the Human Race."

She laughed so hard she doubled over, her ox-horn braids shaking violently: "Over the years, he has openly opposed the Yao Race while secretly passing us intelligence and laying the groundwork. It's been absolutely seamless."

The White Bone Demon Venerable realized the truth, the bones all over his body vibrating slightly: "So the main goal of the last attack on Rain God Continent was to eliminate the Mad Venerable?"

"Rain God Continent? That was merely a tool to consolidate the Great Love Immortal Venerable's prestige."

The Little Girl stopped smiling and explained again: "The original plan was to let the Yao Race occupy Rain God Continent first, and then have the Great Love Immortal Venerable personally lead people to 'reclaim' the lost territory. This back-and-forth would weaken the Human Race's strength while raising the Great Love Immortal Venerable's prestige to a new level, leaving the Human Race completely paralyzed by false victories and obedient to his every word."

She gave a soft huff: "I just didn't expect a Dao Seeking Sect to suddenly pop out and disrupt the plan. I thought it was just an insignificant small force, but it seems they have some skill."

"So that's how it is!"

The White Bone Demon Venerable nodded slowly.

"Just wait patiently."

The girl with ox-horn braids sat back on the jade chair, her feet swinging once more. She closed her eyes, returning to her previous laziness: "The prey will be hooked soon. Once these people are dealt with, the next act will be our Yao Race's return to the Nine Provinces Continent."

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the underground ruins of the Yuquan Void Palace, Yun Xuanxuan sat cross-legged with her eyes tightly shut. A pair of deep green dragon horns floated within her body.

The patterns on the dragon horns were ancient and simple, emitting a thick and pure Dragon Qi. This Qi intertwined with the spiritual energy surging around the girl, forming visible bands of light that slowly spread from the heart lake and merged into her four limbs, hundred bones, and apertures through her Meridians.

The girl's eyes were closed tight, her nose slightly wrinkled, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Yun Xuanxuan could clearly feel that as the power of the dragon horns merged into her body, her latent Yao Race Bloodline was constantly growing and being purified, becoming increasingly close to a pure Dragon Clan Bloodline.

Her aura, which had remained at the Peak of the Soul Emergence stage for a long time, was now climbing at a visible rate, constantly battering the barrier of the Soul Transformation Realm with a faint buzzing sound.

The next moment!

The spiritual energy and Dragon Qi within her body completely fused, turning into a more majestic and overbearing power. Like a volcano that had been building pressure for a long time, it suddenly erupted, violently striking the shackles of the Soul Transformation Realm!

"Boom!"

With a soft sound, the light around Yun Xuanxuan suddenly exploded. Dazzling spiritual light soared into the sky, and a powerful aura spread out with her as the center.

Fortunately, Chen Xuan gave a casual wave of his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped her, instantly suppressing the commotion and spiritual energy ripples of her Breakthrough.

[Congratulations Host! Your seventh Disciple, Yun Xuanxuan, has broken through to the first level of the Soul Transformation Realm. Reward: 35,000 reputation points.]