If I don’t utterly ruin you in eighty-nine moves, then I, Wuyun, will humbly acknowledge you as my master.

Hearing the words of Light of Misfortune, he ceased his intent to self-destruct and revealed everything he knew to Wu Yun. Wu Yun nodded, waved his hand, and instructed Long Yi to store him away.

As for whether he was later sent to reincarnation, according to Xiong Lao San’s subsequent report, Long Yi threw him into the Wild Boar Forest. Of course, that is a tale for another time; boar spirits who cultivate to become Celestial Kings or Demon Emperors are not uncommon, all depending on their luck.

With Light of Misfortune dealt with, Wu Yun’s gaze swept over the remaining hundred or so spectators—a mix of demons, immortals, fiends, and other races, all wounded and suffering heavy losses.

Moreover, they were not the elite forces; the truly powerful had all been struck down by the tribulation lightning!

When the mountain lacks tigers, monkeys become kings. Satisfied, Wu Yun inquired of Feng Qianyu about the situation inside the passage. With tribulation lightning seeping in, there were surely evil things lurking below.

As expected, Feng Qianyu recounted her experience: after entering, she encountered numerous traps and failed to find the core of the imperial artifact. Instead, everyone ended up in a strange palace, as if by unseen design.

The palace was half liquid, half empty. The liquid was not seawater; upon entering, the immortal body was suppressed and only with immortal artifacts could one resist.

Inside there were few treasures, but within the liquid half lay rare Scorching Silicon Orbs. These orbs, with diameters over half a meter, came in various types. If one found materials to forge a Tier Two immortal artifact, their value would rival that of supreme immortal stones.

As Feng Qianyu spoke, she produced several orbs. One, dull and without luster, was the finest Celestial Gold Stone, containing abundant spatial energy, allowing for changes in size when forging immortal artifacts.

In the next instant, the three orbs vanished, absorbed by Wu Yun’s formation map. Then, Wu Yun wore a stern expression as he broke a series of tricks within the orb, finally sighing, "Playing with such tricks, even your Imperial Ancestor is no match for me!"

Feng Qianyu was infuriated. She didn’t mind the orbs being taken—she had intentionally allowed it—but insulting her Immortal Emperor was intolerable. Just as she was about to act, she remembered something, felt some apprehension, and continued, "When we collected those orbs, we were pursued by fiend spirits within. They could not be killed off; the more we slew, the more appeared, and they combined into even greater forms. Some reached Celestial King level, even mid-stage!"

"In the end, we were driven into another half of the palace, a labyrinth of sorts. Various restrictions suppressed our cultivation, and every so often, one or two people would vanish, which was terrifying. I observed for a while but found nothing amiss. In the midst of panic, two openings appeared in the palace, and we escaped."

After hearing Feng Qianyu's account, Wu Yun was unconcerned. He turned to Xiong Lao San, who was holding his arm, and said, "Let’s go down and search for those Scorching Silicon Orbs. These are defective materials shed when the imperial artifact repairs itself, melted at high temperatures into orbs. If we find a large piece or one unrefined, we could advance a level in Ten Days, Nine Earths!"

With that, Wu Yun had the formation map carry everyone toward the passage. The surrounding spectators were all dumbfounded.

Clearly, they had spoken of pursuing the Immortal Tree to obtain supreme immortal stones, and claimed the tree would not attack. Why, then, did they end up in a terrifying palace instead?

Only a dozen small groups followed Wu Yun; the rest banded together to track the vanished Immortal Tree.

Between supreme spirit stones and horror, the former held greater allure!

Entering the passage and arriving at the grand hall, Wu Yun touched the wound that was desperately healing; without interference, it would be restored in days.

Seeing this, Wu Yun melted some items onto the wound, chanting as the entire Buddha bead powder disappeared, fusing into the gap.

"What’s wrong, afraid?" Feng Qianyu, upon entering the passage, immediately grew alert, while the eleven who followed formed a defensive formation as they moved.

These eleven Profound Immortals belonged to the same sect, led by Elder Ling Tong, a seasoned cultivator of the Battle Alliance Valley. With over a hundred and thirty members, they once collected fire immortal stones around a star in space, but disaster struck, and all were swept into the imperial artifact.

Some sought ways in, others, unwilling, clawed their way out. Some split space at weak points in the artifact and escaped, some fought and died inside, some vanished.

Until only they remained, numb to life and death.

Seven men, four women, ten juniors and one elder, all expressionless. Elder Ling Tong first apologized to Wu Yun, offering respect, explaining that during the previous siege, under pressure, they had merely pretended to lock onto him and never truly attacked.

Wu Yun waved it off, unconcerned. Ling Tong continued, "Sir—no, senior—how could a Profound Immortal vanish without a trace here?"

Vanish without a trace?

As Ling Tong spoke, a spirited female cultivator behind him snorted, "So young, and the elder calls him senior!"

"Yi Sheng, do not act rashly! Though senior appears young, his cultivation is unfathomable. Apologize at once!" After Ling Tong’s reprimand, he led by example, bowing to Wu Yun.

When he looked up, he found everyone except Wu Yun staring wide-eyed.

Ling Tong sensed trouble, turned, and found Yi Sheng gone.

A mid- to late-stage Profound Immortal had disappeared right under their noses, without any trace of spell or sign.

As Ling Tong and the remaining nine grieved, Wu Yun picked up the Jade Seal Coffin and slammed it onto the upper left floor, shouting angrily, "Monster, reveal yourself!"

He shouted, but his face turned pale.

Xiong Lao San stopped Long Yi and Dou Wang from questioning, whispering, "Don’t ask, senior made a slip!"

Indeed, when Wu Yun carefully searched the coffin’s interior, his face paled further.

Though impatient, Ling Tong asked about Wu Yun’s actions. Wu Yun sighed, "I misjudged; I was off by a millimeter and let it escape. Still, it hasn’t gone far—shaken by the coffin, it’s hiding nearby!"

Despite his words, Wu Yun dared not leave the formation to search. He hurriedly had Rong Ya, who had recovered part of his injuries, wield the Soul-Stirring Blade to investigate.

Long Yi smiled; he could control Rong Ya's actions. With a Celestial King handling such danger, there was no cause for worry.

Rong Ya, blade in hand, struck with all his might, cutting through the metallic floor, then began digging below.

The hole grew deeper, and Ling Tong was amazed by Rong Ya’s blade—it easily sliced through the floor without triggering the formation’s defense.

At a depth of seven meters, layers of sand-like material appeared. Then, Rong Ya uttered a regretful cry and pulled out the silent Yi Sheng.

Across her face—from forehead to chin—lay a deep scar, and even if she were to reach Celestial King or Emperor, or grow with the Soul-Stirring Blade, it could never be erased.

Ling Tong, overjoyed, rushed to examine Yi Sheng’s condition, finding her soul and body trapped in a seal. No matter how they called or tried to rescue her, there was no response.

Ling Tong was dumbfounded!

Seeing this, Feng Qianyu approached holding an immortal artifact—a crystal sphere. She floated the sphere above Yi Sheng, and immediately faint rays of color shone upon her.

Then, Yi Sheng’s soul appeared within the crystal, struggling helplessly, as if surrounded by countless invaders.

Feng Qianyu increased her input of immortal energy, pushing the Sleep Crystal to maximum pressure. Suddenly, a ghostly face appeared in the sphere. The next second, Feng Qianyu cried out, clutching her head, as the Sleep Crystal shattered.

After the explosion, Feng Qianyu was still clutching her head, battling the ghostly visage she had glimpsed. Just one glance had wounded her soul—what malevolent thing was this?

Within the shrouding formation map, Wu Yun approached Feng Qianyu, touched her forehead, and freed her from the ghostly vision. Shaken, she was about to ask, but Wu Yun smiled and addressed Yi Sheng in a strange tongue, "Dream Demon Ghost, there should be another form, commonly known as the Outerworld Ghost, not a product of this dimension, yet able to survive here by instinct. I believe you slipped in when Seven Seas Castle forged the imperial artifact, intent on corrupting its spirit, yes?"

"After failing, you hid here. As for why the artifact’s master didn’t destroy you, it must be that you died once, and when the master died, your true form returned, correct? This is likely your strongest aspect—even the current artifact spirit cannot erase you!"

As Wu Yun spoke, the ghostly face emerged, as if meeting a kindred spirit, groaning, "Such a delightful morsel—I truly wish to devour you. Indeed, I come from another dimension. In our world, from birth, we collide and must infiltrate other worlds, becoming natives of those realms to complete ourselves."

The ghostly face ignored Wu Yun’s smile and continued, "The artifact spirit trapped me here, hoping I’d weaken and perish. So no one can take food from me, unless I die."

With a cackling laugh, it vanished, ignoring Wu Yun’s calls.

Elder Ling Tong hurriedly asked Wu Yun about his mutterings, "Senior, senior, how is she? If nothing else, please bring her back to our sect; with a Celestial Emperor presiding, her life can be preserved!"

"With a Celestial Emperor present, her life can be saved. The trouble is, now, it is devouring souls—including the divine aura of immortal artifacts—all will be consumed. By the time you find a weak point in the imperial artifact and escape, this girl will be nothing but an empty shell!"

Ling Tong and the others were shocked. As Yue Qi hopped over to look, suddenly there was a gentle bump against the formation map, a wisp of mist rose and vanished!

This enraged Wu Yun. He pointed at Yi Sheng and shouted in Daoist tongue, "I’ve shown you respect, but you dare harm my people! If I don’t cripple you, I’ll acknowledge you as my master!"

The air was silent, but all felt a ludicrous laughter echo in their souls.

Wu Yun pointed, shrinking the formation map, then gestured a few times, enveloping Ling Tong and the others within. Next, he entered Yi Sheng’s soul directly from above her head.

Yi Sheng had just advanced from mid- to late-stage Profound Immortal; her soul river formed a vast soul lake, a layer of solid soul force blocking the shrinking formation. Wu Yun, anxious, pulled Ling Tong and said, "She’s afraid to open her heart, let us in. Go persuade her!"

Ling Tong shouted dozens of times, but got no response. Steeling himself, he began recounting Yi Sheng’s entry to the sect and many of her troubles, finally saying, "Don’t be afraid, with senior here, you’ll surely be saved!"