576: Chapter 576 Unexpected

The commotion caused by Peach Blossom's Breakthrough grew larger and larger. In just one day, countless Cultivators from across the entire Star Academy territory heard the news and rushed over to watch.

Those with low cultivation withdrew to the periphery, while those with high cultivation approached the Star Thunder Pool barrier. The sky was filled with Cultivators and Yao Beasts.

A Yao Beast achieving Soul Transformation was a rare sight for the entire Southern Border and even the entire Cangwu Realm. For many Cultivators, being fortunate enough to witness it might be a once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity.

"Buzz~"

A ray of green light came from the north, transforming into an old man in green robes who stopped outside the formation barrier.

"It really is the Peach Blossom Demon Lord making a Breakthrough!" Old Daoist Qingxuan's Divine Sense spread out and swept across the area, seeking Daoist Lord Lihuo's aura, but he found nothing.

"Hmm?"

"Could it not be Fellow Daoist Lihuo?"

Peach Blossom was a wood-attribute mutated Yao Beast. Old Daoist Qingxuan had long seen through Daoist Lord Lihuo's purpose in taking her in.

Star Academy only had a fourth-grade High Grade Spiritual Vein; how could anyone achieve Soul Transformation here? It was merely Daoist Lord Lihuo using the Peach Blossom Demon Lord to heal his injuries.

However, upon seeing the actual situation, he was bewildered!

It appeared the Peach Blossom Demon Lord was truly making a Breakthrough, yet Daoist Lord Lihuo's aura seemed to be completely absent.

"Could it be some special secret technique that requires Peach Blossom to begin her Breakthrough for a better healing effect?"

Peach Blossom had lived between the Azure Profound Sect and the Endless Demon Court for over a thousand years. Previously, she had nominally belonged to the Azure Profound Sect and paid taxes to them.

Old Daoist Qingxuan knew the Peach Blossom Demon Lord's situation perfectly well. Her potential was exhausted, and she had no background support. How on earth could she achieve a Breakthrough?

"Buzz~"

From the south, Demonic Qi came rolling in as Demon Saint Xuanyu's Dharma Idol appeared, his gloomy eyes staring fixedly below.

Demon Saint Xuanyu thought the same as Old Daoist Qingxuan; he also believed Peach Blossom's Breakthrough was a ruse and that Demon Saint Lihuo was using the Opportunity to heal.

He hadn't come this time to stop Peach Blossom's Breakthrough, but to see if there was a chance to disrupt Daoist Lord Lihuo's recovery.

Both Old Daoist Qingxuan and Demon Saint Xuanyu had arrived as Dharma Idol Incarnations. The two ignored the Peach Blossom Demon Lord below and instead began to confront each other.

Old Daoist Qingxuan wanted to see Daoist Lord Lihuo recover, while Demon Saint Xuanyu wanted him dead. The two were not on the same side.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanyu, this place is the territory of the Beast Taming Sect. If you stay here for too long, I'm afraid this Dharma Idol Incarnation will be hard to preserve."

Old Daoist Qingxuan's words were neither sarcasm nor a threat, but a sincere hope that Demon Saint Xuanyu would not have any ideas or take action.

Although he was on Daoist Lord Lihuo's side, he bore no ill will toward Demon Saint Xuanyu and certainly did not want to be forced into a fight.

Demon Saint Xuanyu ignored him, focusing instead on the formation barrier below and the celestial phenomena revealed by Peach Blossom's Breakthrough.

'Something's not right!'

After watching for a short while, Demon Saint Xuanyu's expression became extremely strange. As a Hua Shen Demon Saint of the Yao Race, he understood the process of a Yao Race member reaching Soul Transformation very well, as he had experienced it himself.

The phenomena caused by Peach Blossom's Breakthrough were too intense and too smooth. Even though the grade of the Spiritual Vein here was insufficient, it gave him the feeling that she would definitely succeed.

"Bloodline grade!"

"The Peach Blossom Demon Lord's Bloodline isn't fourth-grade, but fifth-grade?!"

Demon Saint Xuanyu thought of a possibility but quickly dismissed it. "Impossible. Raising one's Bloodline grade requires a Heaven-Defying Opportunity. Peach Blossom hasn't done anything; where would she get a fifth-grade Yao Race Bloodline?"

Inside the formation barrier, Liu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Old Daoist Qingxuan and Demon Saint Xuanyu had only sent Dharma Idol Incarnations.

With only two Dharma Idol Incarnations, even if they joined forces, they could not break the Star Thunder Pool Formation.

However, Liu Xuan did not lower his guard completely. Distance was no issue for a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord; if they wished, their true bodies could arrive in just fifteen minutes.

Liu Xuan gave You Ruo a look. You Ruo understood and took out a lustrous white lotus seed from her person.

Bright moonlight bloomed as Ghost King Lianyue's Dharma Idol slowly manifested, instantly drawing the attention of both Old Daoist Qingxuan and Demon Saint Xuanyu.

Unlike them, Ghost King Lianyue did not appear outside the formation barrier but directly within it.

This was quite bizarre! How could Daoist Lord Lihuo allow Ghost King Lianyue to enter the formation barrier at a time like this?

Furthermore, the last time Ghost King Lianyue acted at Biyou Pool, it was because Demon Saint Xuanyu had paid a great price to request her help. Why was she here this time?

'Could Demon Saint Xuanyu have offered something else that tempted Ghost King Lianyue?' Old Daoist Qingxuan frowned as he looked toward Demon Saint Xuanyu.

Opposite him, Demon Saint Xuanyu was also bewildered. He couldn't produce anything to move Ghost King Lianyue, and he hadn't contacted her since Biyou Pool.

Ghost King Lianyue was a shrewd woman. Even at a place like Biyou Pool, which offered every advantage of time and place, it had nearly cost him half his life to hire her. Star Academy was in the rear territory controlled by the Beast Taming Sect; even if he were squeezed dry, he likely couldn't hire her.

But why had Ghost King Lianyue come on her own and even descended directly inside the formation barrier?

'Could this woman have hooked up with Daoist Lord Lihuo?!'

Demon Saint Xuanyu was startled. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and he couldn't help but retreat a certain distance.

There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. If he could pay a price to hire Ghost King Lianyue, Daoist Lord Lihuo could do the same.

Thinking this way, Ghost King Lianyue's appearance inside the formation made sense, and it also explained why many Cultivators had been released from Biyou Pool recently.

Inside the formation barrier, Ghost King Lianyue stood with white clothes and white hair, her body enveloped in a layer of moonlight. She lacked any of the yin fiend energy of a ghost Cultivator, instead carrying an air of ethereal Immortal Qi.

After appearing, Ghost King Lianyue stepped to Liu Xuan's side, bowed, and said, "Fellow Daoist Liu, do you need me to drive them away?" She glanced at the two old men outside.

"No need!" Liu Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "As long as they don't interfere with Peach Blossom's Breakthrough, there's no need for us to stir up trouble."

Liu Xuan only cared about one thing: whether Peach Blossom could successfully achieve her Breakthrough!

As long as Old Daoist Qingxuan and Demon Saint Xuanyu didn't act, they could watch as much as they wanted.

"Alright!" Ghost King Lianyue was also quite interested in whether Peach Blossom could succeed. She stood quietly beside Liu Xuan, staring curiously at the phenomena above the Star Secret Realm.

Because they couldn't grasp the situation, Demon Saint Xuanyu and Old Daoist Qingxuan had no intention of acting. As time passed, they, like Ghost King Lianyue, focused on watching the show, wanting to see what Daoist Lord Lihuo was up to!

Two days later.

Peach Blossom's Breakthrough reached a critical moment. Just as Liu Xuan was rejoicing that everything was going smoothly, an accident occurred!

Within the underground Yin Sha Hall, the avici karmic fire mirror suddenly vibrated. Daoist Lord Lihuo's suppressed remnant soul used some unknown method to break free, then transformed into a streak of fire and charged into the Star Secret Realm.

"Buzz~"

The purple-red Lihuo fire suddenly ignited the phantom of the great tree. In an instant, a vast expanse of firelight spread across the sky above the Star Secret Realm.