101: Exploring the Western Wilderness: Clues to the Evil-Suppressing Pagoda

In the heart of the Western Barrens during the Wei hour, the scorching sun hung high, yellow sand filled the sky, and the dry wind whipped sand and grit against the Cultivators' armor, producing a harsh crackling sound. Lu Chen led the Alliance's elite, following the guidance of the 'Evil Suppressing Pagoda Map', traversing between rugged Gobi hills. The holy spirit token floated at his shoulder, its sacred spiritual light quietly spreading, resisting the increasingly dense Evil Energy erosion in the air. Since leaving the periphery of the Evil Suppressing Ruins near the Kunlun Mountain Range, the group had ventured deep into the heart of the Western Barrens for three days. Along the way, the Evil Energy aura grew stronger, even the vegetation became withered and twisted, exuding a eerie silence.

"Alliance Leader, there's a tribal settlement three miles ahead. Spiritual sense detection shows strong Evil Energy fluctuations within the tribe; it's likely been bewitched by the Evil Clan." Yu Lan reined herself in, the myriad manifestations pendant around her neck glowing faintly blue. Her Precognition and Sensing Art detected the danger ahead. "The jade pendant also sensed a faint Holy Spirit aura deep within the tribe, subtly echoing the Evil Suppressing Pagoda's fluctuations. Perhaps there are clues about the Evil Suppressing Pagoda hidden in the tribe."

Lu Chen nodded, raising his hand to signal the team to stop. His spiritual sense fully expanded, and indeed, he felt thousands of numb auras emanating from the tribe ahead. Each aura was enveloped in Evil Energy, yet mixed with a trace of Mortal vitality, clearly indicating tribal residents who had been turned into evil slaves by the Evil Clan. He said in a deep voice, "The Evil Clan bewitches Mortals into evil slaves, both to absorb Power Of Faith and to hinder us from finding the Evil Suppressing Pagoda. We'll split into two groups. Yu Lan, Zhao Feng, and I will break through head-on, purify the evil slaves, and search for clues; Chu Feng will lead the Disciples to guard the perimeter, preventing surprise attacks from Evil Clan reinforcements. We must minimize casualties and rescue as many residents as possible."

Everyone responded in unison and immediately acted according to the plan. Lu Chen, holding the demon breaking sword, with the holy spirit token's golden light greatly intensifying and a sacred spiritual light enveloping his body, was the first to charge towards the tribe. The wooden fence on the outskirts of the tribe had long since decayed, and black totems similar to those of the Black Stone Tribe hung on it. The Evil Clan runes on the totems glowed with an eerie red light, continuously emitting Evil Energy, eroding the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

"Outsiders! Those who blaspheme the Evil God deserve to die!" At the tribe's entrance, dozens of evil slaves, wielding stone axes and spears, roared and charged. Their eyes were numb, their skin a faint grayish-black, and Evil Energy swirled around them. They fought fearlessly, charging madly even when facing Cultivators far superior in cultivation.

A trace of reluctance flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, but he knew he couldn't be soft-hearted at this moment. With a wave of the holy spirit token, a massive Holy Spirit Domain instantly unfolded, covering the entire tribe entrance. Within the Domain, sacred spiritual light surged like a tide. The Evil Energy on the evil slaves was rapidly purified, the madness in their eyes gradually receded, revealing a hint of confusion and pain. "Wake up!" Lu Chen shouted loudly, and as his demon breaking sword swung, he only used the hilt to strike the evil slaves' Acupoints, knocking them unconscious without harming their lives.

Zhao Feng's body erupted with fiery spiritual light. His Blazing Fire Burning Heaven Art operated at its Peak, but he deliberately controlled the flames, using only the fiery spiritual light to restrain the evil slaves attempting to resist, cooperating with Lu Chen's Holy Spirit Domain to purify the Evil Energy. Yu Lan, meanwhile, activated the evil suppressing jade pendant, and a blue purifying light beam shot directly towards the sacrificial tent in the center of the tribe. The Evil Clan runes on the tent instantly dimmed, and the Evil Energy aura inside became chaotic.

"Audacious madman, how dare you destroy the Evil God's faith!" Inside the sacrificial tent, an elder wearing black shamanistic attire rushed out. He held a staff inlaid with an evil crystal, and the Evil Energy around him was several times denser than that of ordinary evil slaves, clearly indicating he was the tribe's shaman and a core figure deeply bewitched by the Evil Clan. The shaman raised his hand and waved, the evil crystal at the top of the staff burst forth with dazzling black light, and countless black Evil Energy rays shot towards Lu Chen and the others.

Lu Chen was fearless. The demon breaking sword erupted with golden-blue spiritual light, and a sword force imbued with Holy Spirit Power swept out, cutting off all the Evil Energy rays. At the same time, he leaped forward, charging fiercely towards the shaman. The golden light of the holy spirit token firmly suppressed the shaman's Evil Energy, making it difficult for him to fully unleash his evil spells. "Do you know the whereabouts of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda? Why do you aid evil and let the tribal residents become evil slaves?"

The shaman's eyes were filled with madness, and he roared, "The Evil God will grant us eternal power! The Evil Suppressing Pagoda is an evil object that hinders the Evil God's descent, and it has long been guarded by the great Evil General with the Ten Absolute Formation! You Mortals cannot possibly approach it!" As he spoke, he quickly formed hand Seals, attempting to summon stronger Evil Energy attacks.

Seeing this, Yu Lan immediately activated the myriad manifestations pendant and the evil suppressing jade pendant. Red, blue, and green lights intertwined, and a spiritual light containing Bloodline Power and purification power landed on the shaman. The shaman trembled all over, his Evil Energy was instantly suppressed, and the madness in his eyes receded slightly, revealing a hint of clarity. Lu Chen seized the opportunity to inject Holy Spirit Power into the shaman's body, completely dispelling the Evil Energy erosion in his mind.

The shaman, now clear-headed, looked at the unconscious tribal residents around him and the scattered black totem fragments on the ground. His eyes were filled with remorse and fear. He fell to his knees with a thud: "Thank you, sir, for saving me... I was foolish! Half a month ago, an Evil General descended upon the tribe, bewitching everyone with Evil Energy, saying that by believing in the Evil God, they could gain immense power. He also made me lead my tribesmen to guard the periphery of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda, preventing anyone from approaching. He said the Evil Suppressing Pagoda was protected by the Ten Absolute Formation, with the Formation eyes controlled by Evil Clan Priests. To enter the pagoda, one must break the Ten Absolute Formation, and the key to breaking the Formation is to find the five elements spirit items."

Speaking, the shaman took out a tattered beast-skin booklet from his Huai and handed it to Lu Chen: "This is the 'Ten Absolute Formation Breaking Outline' that the Evil General made me keep. It records the basic structure of the Ten Absolute Formation and the five elements spirit items required to break it. I was always bewitched by Evil Energy, but now that I'm clear-headed, I wish to offer this to you, sir, to help you find the Evil Suppressing Pagoda and suppress the Evil Clan."

Lu Chen took the booklet. The cover bore the Evil Clan runes for "Ten Absolute Formation Breaking Outline". Inside, it detailed that the Ten Absolute Formation consisted of ten Formations: gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, dark, and illusion. The first five Formations required the gold spirit crystal, wood spirit immortal herb, water spirit pearl, fire spirit core, and earth spirit essence, respectively, as keys to break. The latter five Formations required the combined strength of multiple individuals, with the aid of Holy Spirit Power, to forcefully Breakthrough. The end of the booklet also marked the approximate locations of the five elements spirit items and the core weakness of the Ten Absolute Formation at the Formation eye, which was the Evil Clan Priest.

"Thank you, Shaman, for this information. This outline is crucial to us." Lu Chen nodded in thanks, carefully putting away the booklet. "The tribal residents have been corrupted by Evil Energy. I will have the Hundred Herbs Valley Disciples purify the residual Evil Energy in their bodies. In the future, you must lead your tribe well, stay away from Evil Clan bewitchment, and protect this land."

The shaman nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of gratitude: "Sir, rest assured, I will engrave today's lesson in my heart and lead my tribesmen to assist the Alliance in resisting the Evil Clan. Additionally, I also heard that the Evil General is Cultivating using the Evil Suppressing Pagoda's Seal power, attempting to Breakthrough his Nascent Soul Stage Bottleneck. Once he succeeds, I fear no one will be able to stop him."

Yu Lan suddenly spoke at this moment, the myriad manifestations pendant around her neck glowing brightly. She softly said, "My jade pendant senses the residual soul fluctuations of the Yu Family Ancestor in the direction of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda. The Ancestor seems to have been guarding something within the pagoda, perhaps related to the Evil Suppressing Pagoda's core Seal. As long as we gather the five elements spirit items and break the Ten Absolute Formation, we can reunite with the Ancestor's residual soul and jointly reinforce the Seal, thwarting the Evil General's conspiracy."

A trace of determination flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. Now, the clues to the Evil Suppressing Pagoda were clear, and the method to break the Ten Absolute Formation and the locations of the five elements spirit items were also known. The next task was to quickly find the five elements spirit items, Breakthrough the Ten Absolute Formation, and enter the Evil Suppressing Pagoda. He turned to the others and said, "The Shaman has given us crucial clues. The Evil General is Cultivating with the Evil Suppressing Pagoda's Seal power. We must act quickly, otherwise, once he breaks through his Bottleneck, the consequences will be unimaginable. Chu Feng, you lead the Disciples to stay in the tribe, assist the Shaman in treating the residents and purifying Evil Energy; Yu Lan, Zhao Feng, and I will depart immediately, following the outline's hints, to find the five elements spirit items and break the Ten Absolute Formation as soon as possible."

Chu Feng nodded in response: "Alliance Leader, don't worry, I'll handle things here. You must be careful. If you encounter danger, send a signal immediately, and I will bring people to support you."

The shaman also stood up and said, "Sir, the heart of the Western Barrens is extremely dangerous. The guardian beasts of the five elements spirit items are all high-level Yao Beasts. I am willing to have the tribe's hunters, who are familiar with the terrain, guide you, which might be of some help."

Lu Chen readily agreed. The shaman immediately called two strong tribal hunters familiar with the Western Barrens terrain to guide them. After arrangements were made, Lu Chen led Yu Lan and Zhao Feng, guided by the hunters, towards the location of the gold spirit crystal among the five elements spirit items—Falling Gold Valley.

In the yellow-sand-filled heart of the Western Barrens, the three figures gradually faded into the distance. The golden light of the holy spirit token shimmered under the scorching sun, like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding their way forward. The threat of the Ten Absolute Formation, the Evil General's Cultivation, the search for the five elements spirit items, and the residual soul of the Yu Family Ancestor within the Evil Suppressing Pagoda—countless clues intertwined, and a journey concerning the safety of the Cultivation World began anew. And will the five elements spirit items mentioned in the 'Ten Absolute Formation Breaking Outline' truly be found smoothly? What challenges will the guardian beast, the Golden-Furred Hou, in Falling Gold Valley bring to them? Everything will gradually be revealed in the upcoming search.