45: Chapter 45 The Eve of the Wedding (Part 3)

The Wu Clan Main Hall.

By now, the guests had all dispersed, leaving the ground covered in leftovers and debris.

Miao Yunzhan sat in the primary seat, resting with his eyes closed; the entire hall was so silent that one could hear a needle drop.

Boom!

Suddenly, a deafening roar tore through the night sky.

Immediately after, a violent surge of Spiritual Qi rippled out from the direction of the bridal chamber, causing the roof tiles of the main hall to tremble.

Miao Yunzhan's eyes snapped open, a daunting glint shooting out like a bolt of lightning.

"Those rats finally couldn't hold it in anymore."

He gave a cold laugh, stood up abruptly, and strode toward the hall's exit with great purpose.

Just as he reached the entrance, Miao Yunzhan's steps came to a sudden halt.

In the shadows outside the gate, a hunched and elderly figure had appeared at some unknown moment.

Miao Yunzhan's brow furrowed slightly as he stared fixedly at the figure, his voice carrying undisguised disbelief:

"Grand Elder, I previously thought you were merely pedantic.

I truly never expected that the one leading these rats would be you."

Grand Elder Miao Cangming slowly raised his head and slammed the dragon-headed cane in his hand onto the bluestone floor tiles!

With a crack, the hard stone tiles fractured inch by inch.

"Miao Yunzhan! You refused to listen to our heartfelt advice, acting autocratically and insisting on an Alliance with that lot from the Great Zhou—those heartless bastards who devour people without spitting out the bones!"

The Grand Elder shouted sternly, his aged face appearing somewhat distorted from agitation:

"Collaborating with tigers—how can there be a good end? For the future of the Wu Clan, even if I have to sacrifice this old life today, I will stop you in this hall!"

Miao Yunzhan let out a disdainful sneer upon hearing this.

"Grand Elder, I was polite to you before because I respected your age and your high reputation."

Miao Yunzhan tilted his chin up slightly, the domineering aura belonging to a top-tier expert of the current age being released without reservation:

"But no matter how high your cultivation is, you ultimately failed to touch the peak of the Martial Dao."

"If I were to get serious, you wouldn't even be able to stop me for a single breath!"

Before his voice had even faded, Miao Yunzhan struck out boldly.

He did not draw a blade or form a hand Seal; he simply raised his right hand and made a seemingly casual grasping motion toward the Grand Elder from a distance.

Hum!

The True Yuan between heaven and earth instantly went berserk, and an invisible giant hand, thirty meters in size, manifested out of thin air around the Grand Elder's body.

As if crushing an ant, it closed in on him ruthlessly!

The Grand Elder's face instantly turned the color of pig liver as his True Yuan erupted frantically.

He fought with his life to resist that crushing force pressing down on him.

But before that invisible giant hand, all his resistance seemed like a joke.

The giant hand was not affected in the slightest, continuing to close slowly but firmly.

Miao Yunzhan's eyes were cold, showing no intention of mercy.

Since he had decided to form an Alliance with the Great Zhou, he would crush every black sheep within the Wu Clan that dared to jump out!

However, the bloody scene he anticipated—of the Grand Elder being crushed to death—did not occur.

Bang!

At the center of that True Yuan giant hand, which looked like it was about to close completely,

Thousands of eerie emerald-green rays of light suddenly exploded without warning.

These green lights were like the vines of a demonic tree growing and sprouting frantically.

They actually forced Miao Yunzhan's True Yuan giant hand open by sheer force.

With a bang, the giant hand exploded into a sky full of light specks.

Miao Yunzhan's originally indifferent expression finally changed: "When did you achieve a Breakthrough?"

The Grand Elder panted heavily, letting out a laugh like a wild owl:

"Hahahaha! For me to reach this day, I have naturally received a divine gift from the Wu God!"

"The Wu God?" Miao Yunzhan was stunned for a moment, then as if thinking of something, he blurted out: "That thing? You've been contaminated by it?"

A bone-chilling cold rushed straight to the top of his head.

He and the Divine Shaman reinforced and maintained the Formation Seal inside the Wu God Pavilion every year.

When exactly had that ghost's claws silently reached outside the Seal?

Even the Grand Elder had been contaminated right under his nose.

Then how many of the other Elders responsible for guarding the Wu God Pavilion had already become Puppets of that monster?

At this thought, Miao Yunzhan felt his scalp go numb.

Suddenly, a flash of insight hit him, and he instantly connected all the clues.

"The reason you made such a huge scene tonight wasn't to assassinate Commander Chen at all.

Your true purpose was to take advantage of the chaos to undo the Seal beneath the Wu God Pavilion?"

The Grand Elder did not respond.

Only the emerald-green light on the cane in his hand grew more and more intense.

In the end, it was like an emerald-green sun, illuminating the entire hall in an incredibly eerie manner.

"I know that with this forcibly raised cultivation, I am definitely no match for you, Clan Chief."

"However, I am absolutely certain I can hold you back for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

"Courting death!"

Miao Yunzhan didn't bother wasting another word.

His right hand made a sudden grasping motion toward the Void Realm, and a large blade entwined with azure Protective Aura manifested in his palm.

At this moment, he was going to go all out.

...

At the same time.

Outside the bridal chamber.

Several men in black were using various Martial Skills and Magic Treasures, desperately striking the defensive Formation outside.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Air currents surged, and the light barrier of the grand array flickered wildly.

Inside the bridal chamber.

Hearing the thunderous commotion outside, Tang Xiaowu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her beautiful eyes full of worry.

In contrast, Chen Shanzhi still sat by the table as steady as an old dog.

"Don't worry, put your heart at ease."

Chen Shanzhi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled with confidence:

"The Formation outside is very tough. In a while, once your father and the Divine Shaman have finished dealing with those rats who went to steal things,

When they rush over here, the crisis on our side will naturally be resolved."

...

The Wu God Pavilion.

With the fluctuations of the spiritual battle coming from the bridal chamber,

Several uninformed Elders guarding the Wu God Pavilion had a change of expression, wanting to pull away and rush over to help stop it.

But before they could even take a step, the wind suddenly whistled behind them.

Puchi!

The sound of a sharp blade entering flesh rang out.

"Ah! Enemy attack!"

As a shrill scream pierced the night sky, the perimeter of the Wu God Pavilion instantly fell into chaos.

Under the deliberate agitation and backstabbing of those with ulterior motives, spiritual battle fluctuations were everywhere.

Even those who hadn't made a move yet were now red-eyed, warily watching the colleagues around them, not daring to trust anyone.

Amidst this chaotic situation,

A figure, like a ghost, silently slipped toward the core Formation of the Wu God Pavilion.

This figure was none other than Miao Fei.

He pulled out a pitch-black bone tablet.

The isolation array that originally only the Divine Shaman and the Clan Chief could enter,

Actually rippled like water the moment it touched the bone tablet, allowing him to successfully slip into the center of the Wu God Pavilion without any resistance.

The interior of the Wu God Pavilion was unexpectedly simple.

In the empty, massive stone chamber, there was only a primitive stone platform standing at the very center.

Atop the stone platform, a Secret Manual emitting a brilliant golden light quietly hovered.

Miao Fei's eyes narrowed slightly; this must be the Formation eye item that the Wu God had spoken of.

He only needed to walk over and take it off the stone platform to completely release the Wu God's Seal.

"I didn't expect it to be this easy."

Miao Fei swallowed hard, secretly ecstatic.

But it made sense; after all, this was a plan personally orchestrated by the Wu God, so it was naturally infallible.

He no longer hesitated and raised his leg to walk toward the stone platform.

Just then, an elderly voice exploded in his ear without warning:

"I truly never expected that the traitor who bites the hand that feeds him would be you, Miao Fei."

Miao Fei was scared out of his wits by this sudden voice.

He snapped his head around toward the source of the voice, his entire face instantly losing all color and turning as white as paper.

"Di... Divine Shaman?"

Looking at the black-robed figure that had appeared in the corner of the stone chamber at some point and was now staring at him as if looking at a dead man while slowly walking over,

Cold sweat poured down Miao Fei's forehead.

From the corner of his eye, he stared fixedly at the distance between himself and the stone platform.

I'll risk it!

In just one second, I can take down that golden Secret Manual!

Miao Fei ruthlessly bit the tip of his tongue, wanting to frantically circulate the True Yuan in his body and pounce.

However, the moment he tried to exert force, he fell into despair.

He discovered in horror that except for his mind, which could still think, his entire body—even his pinky finger—could not move a single bit!

The surrounding space seemed to have solidified into a tangible cage, trapping him firmly in place.

This old monster's cultivation was too terrifying!

But just as Miao Fei was in total despair, a sudden change occurred.

The black bone tablet he had been holding tightly in his hand suddenly broke free from his palm like a living thing.

It turned into a streak of pitch-black light and shot toward the stone platform like a bolt of lightning!

The Divine Shaman's expression changed slightly.

With a flutter of his black robes, his figure instantly vanished from the spot and teleported directly in front of the bone tablet.

His withered palm thrust out, grabbing for the bone tablet!

However, in the next second, the Divine Shaman's eyes widened in shock.

He found that he had actually grabbed nothing but air!

No matter how the True Yuan in his hand surged, the bone tablet was clearly right before his eyes, yet it seemed to be in another dimension of space.

Visible, but untouchable!

In just the blink of an eye,

The bone tablet bypassed the Divine Shaman and crashed straight into the stone platform, attempting to forcibly embed itself inside.

Hum!

The golden Secret Manual on the stone platform seemed to sense something, and it instantly blazed with golden light.

It turned into a tangible golden shield, blocking the bone tablet firmly outside.

For a moment, the golden light and the black Qi clashed frantically, entering a stalemate.

Seeing the bone tablet blocked, the Divine Shaman had just breathed a sigh of relief,

When an extremely eerie sound suddenly came from behind him.

He snapped his head back.

He saw Miao Fei, who had been firmly trapped in place, actually slowly raising his head.

Those eyes, which were originally full of terror, had now turned into a void of pure darkness.

An eerie smile appeared on Miao Fei's face, and his voice had completely changed into that of another person:

"Hehehehe... Finally, this Venerable One can smell the air of freedom."

"Although this body is as weak as trash, still..."

The evil spirit controlling Miao Fei's body let out a sinister laugh: "Holding you back for the time it takes an incense stick to burn is no problem at all!"

The Divine Shaman's expression instantly became grave to the extreme.

The unfathomable cultivation within his body was fully deployed without reservation, the violent air currents making his black robes flap loudly.

He didn't know how strong the true form of this evil spirit was.

But the Wu Clan had suppressed this thing for generations over a thousand years; he absolutely could not let anything go wrong today!

Fortunately, the shell the opponent was possessing was only an ordinary Elder, and his strength was a world apart from his own.

As long as he used thunderous methods to disperse this possessed Divine Thought and then reinforced the Seal, he could avert the danger!

Boom!

The two of them instantly clashed within the small hall.

And at this time, those few men in black were still tirelessly and frantically striking the bridal chamber's Formation.

...

At the same moment.

Deep within the Wu Clan Forbidden Ground.

Sang Ji was covered in black Qi, ignoring all the traps and mechanisms on the perimeter of the Forbidden Ground.

He proceeded without hindrance, arriving directly at the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground.

This was a vast underground cavern.

In the center of the cavern, five white orbs of light of varying sizes hovered silently, arranged according to some peculiar pattern that resonated with the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

Looking at these orbs, a chilling smile appeared on Sang Ji's face.

"Boy, do you see?"

"Inside each white orb is hidden a core map of the grand array."

"Just take out these five maps and destroy the array foundation, and my true body will be completely released!"

"When the time comes, with my power,

You can snatch your beloved woman away from that Great Zhou person right in front of everyone!"

"The world will be wide then; who could possibly stop you?"

Sang Ji's breathing was rapid as he stared fixedly at those light clusters and muttered to himself: "What do I need to do?"

"It's simple. Use your Divine Shaman lineage's Legacy Cultivation Technique with all your might and approach them. Leave the rest to me."

Sang Ji nodded heavily.

The Cultivation Technique belonging to the Divine Shaman Legacy was fully circulated by him without reservation.

A layer of silver-white halo surfaced on his body, intertwining with the black Qi on his skin, appearing eerie to the extreme.

He walked quickly toward the nearest of the five light orbs.

Just as he approached,

Zheng, zheng, zheng!

Fine white threads manifested out of thin air in the void.

These threads contained the ultimate killing intent, like peerlessly sharp divine swords.

Interweaving into an inescapable net, they slashed down toward all of Sang Ji's vital points!

However, as Sang Ji's Divine Shaman technique circulated,

The moment those lethal white threads were about to touch his body,

They were as if they had met someone from the same Origin; they all trembled violently.

Then they simply evaporated into thin air.

Sang Ji reached out his right hand without obstruction and plunged it into the white orb.

His five fingers gripped tightly.

He directly yanked out a core array map from within!

The very moment the array map was removed!

The remaining four white light clusters, like enraged Vicious Beasts, suddenly erupted with a light more blinding than the sun!

Boom!

An irresistible force of repulsion slammed into Sang Ji's chest like a heavy hammer.

Before he could even let out a groan, he and the array map in his hand

Were directly sent flying dozens of meters by this massive force, slamming heavily into the rock wall of the cavern!

"Damn it!"

The voice in his head cursed in exasperation:

"This array map has actually developed a consciousness? It actually sensed this Divine Thought of mine that I fused into your Life Fire Origin!"

"However..."

The voice began to laugh sinisterly again:

"Taking away one core array map is enough to let people in.

Buy me enough time to take out the remaining four array maps!"

With this array map being forcibly pulled out,

Rumble—!

The entire land of the Wu Clan felt as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer from the Nine Heavens.

A violent earthquake instantly swept across the entire Wu Clan territory!

In the main hall,

Miao Yunzhan, who was about to slash the Grand Elder, and the Divine Shaman in the Wu God Pavilion, who was about to crush the evil spirit's Divine Thought,

Both of their figures shook simultaneously, and their expressions changed drastically!

"Not good!"

The two of them cried out almost in unison: "Someone is destroying the array maps of the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma!"

And at this very moment,

At the outermost edge of the Wu Clan territory,

The Ten Thousand Poison Miasma, which had protected the Wu Clan for hundreds of years and which even birds could not cross, suddenly churned violently.

The poison mist in a large area actually dissipated without warning, and a huge gap appeared!

Outside the gap, a massive dark shadow that had been waiting for a long time keenly caught this fleeting vulnerability.

It was a terrifying Demon God, three or four meters tall, with a massive tiger's head and a body of knotted muscles, emitting a sky-high Demonic Qi.

The Tiger-Headed Demon God stepped forward quite calmly and entered the heart of the Wu Clan through that gap!

The very next second after he entered,

The area where the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma had vanished instantly healed like a ripple of water.

The Tiger-Headed Demon God stood still and extended a crimson, rough tongue, greedily licking the fangs at the corner of his mouth.

A pair of bloodthirsty vertical pupils stared fixedly in the direction of the Wu Clan's heart.

"Jiejiejie... After a hundred years of planning."

"This fat piece of meat that is the Wu Clan will finally fall entirely into the belly of our Sacred Demon Dynasty today!"