Chapter 129: Chapter 127: Darkness Under the Lamp

Ten Luo Temple

This temple, located in the core of the Ghost Wail Collection, was named for the ten ferocious statues of Rakshasa Evil Deities it enshrined.

Among the True Cultivators from the Holy Sect who had previously infiltrated the area, one who specialized in tracking had marked this temple as a key target.

At this moment, a thin but stubborn, dark barrier of light enveloped the temple’s exterior.

Dharma Light flickered unstably across its surface, a clear sign it was a defensive Forbidden Skill linked to the Marketplace’s Grand Array.

Its power, however, was greatly diminished because the Grand Array had been broken.

Qi Yun walked up to the temple without a shred of hesitation, nor any intention of testing the waters.

He formed a Sealing Technique with his hands. True Qi surged within him, and a green glint flashed in his eyes.

Wood Element Command Technique - Dragon-Binding Shackles!

BOOM!

Spiritual Qi gathered, and the enormous phantom of a green wooden shackle reappeared. It carried a brutish force that could suppress all things, and like the hammer of divine punishment, it smashed viciously against the dark light barrier!

One strike!

Two strikes!

Three strikes!

CRACK—!

Three consecutive Dragon-Binding Shackles caused the already crumbling defensive Forbidden Skill to instantly emit a cracking sound, unable to bear the load. The light barrier shattered inch by inch like broken glass.

It finally dissolved into a sky full of firefly-like motes of light and vanished completely.

Having broken the Restriction, Qi Yun did not charge in immediately.

With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of pre-drawn Thousand Crane Talismans flew out like snowflakes. They flashed with Spiritual Light in mid-air, transforming into small, pristine white paper cranes.

They flew off silently in all directions.

It was as if he had cast an invisible reconnaissance net, keeping watch over the entire Ghost Wail Collection.

Once he had a grasp of the situation in every direction, Qi Yun took a deep breath and stepped into the gloomy and mysterious Ten Luo Temple.

The temple’s interior was even vaster than it appeared from the outside.

The light was dim, with only the ghastly green flames of Everlasting Lamps flickering, illuminating the ten green-faced, tusked Rakshasa Statues in their various poses. The sight was exceptionally chilling.

The moment Qi Yun stepped inside, a huge net entwined with black Evil Qi dropped down from above his head.

The eyes of the surrounding statues swiveled, shooting out evil rays of light that bewildered the Heart and Spirit.

’The tighter the defenses, the more likely this is a treasure trove.’

Raising an eyebrow, Qi Yun formed a sword finger. Nanming Demon Fire Sword Qi crisscrossed through the air, burning the net to ashes.

As for the evil light, his Abyssal Iron Sand was the natural nemesis of such spells.

He swayed for only a moment before his clarity returned.

Under normal circumstances, these traps and Forbidden Skills would have been enough to send a Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivator scrambling, or even to meet their end on the spot.

But with the Ghost Wail Collection’s Grand Array destroyed, the power source supporting these mechanisms and Forbidden Skills was nearly exhausted. With less than a tenth of their original power, they were much easier to deal with.

Just as he passed through the front hall and arrived at an even darker Side Hall.

He was about to spread his Divine Sense, relying on his unique sensitivity to Spiritual Objects to find the treasure hoard.

SWOOSH!

SWOOSH!

Two extremely stealthy, foul-smelling dark gleams, like vipers lying in wait, attacked from the left and right with vicious precision, aiming for his back and neck!

’Someone’s here?’

An alarm blared in Qi Yun’s mind. The Abyssal Iron Sand instantly coalesced behind his back.

With two sharp TINGS, the dark gleams were blocked. They were two poison needles, fine as ox hair and shimmering with a strange, colorful light.

"Heheh, quick reflexes!"

"As expected of a top disciple from the Holy Sect. You’re a juicy target!"

Two figures emerged slowly from the shadows of the Side Hall, chuckling.

These two were not disciples of the Yellow Springs Netherworld, the Zombie Alliance, or the Hehuan Palace. Their attire was peculiar, embroidered with patterns of the five poisons, such as centipedes and venomous snakes. Their auras were chilly and carried a cloyingly sweet stench.

These two were meticulous and incredibly audacious.

After witnessing the Wuji Holy Sect destroy the Ghost Wail Collection’s Grand Array with thunderous force, not only did they not flee, but they decided to take advantage of the chaos to do some looting.

They had secretly tailed Qi Yun, who appeared powerful and was heading straight for a key target.

Their plan was to wait until he was either worn down fighting the Restrictions or had found the treasure, then launch a sneak attack and reap the rewards.

"The Five Poison Sect?" Qi Yun’s eyes turned cold as killing intent surged within him.

To have been stalked so closely without noticing... First, it was because the temple’s environment interfered with his Divine Sense, and second, these two were truly skilled in concealment.

"Good that you know! Kid, if you know what’s good for you, hand over everything you have. We might even leave your corpse intact!" one of them, a tall and skinny man, cackled sinisterly while toying with several colorful Poisonous Thorns in his hand.

The other, a short and fat cultivator, remained silent. He rubbed his hands together, and a colorless, odorless Poisonous Miasma that was potent enough to visibly distort the air began to spread silently.

At the same time, several crimson scorpions, fast as lightning, crawled from his sleeves and scuttled along the ground toward Qi Yun.

Qi Yun didn’t dare to be careless. The methods of Five Poison Sect cultivators were bizarre.

They were especially skilled with poisons, making them nearly impossible to guard against.

With a thought, the Abyssal Iron Sand around him roiled, forming an airtight shield that isolated him from the Poisonous Miasma.

At the same time, he pointed his fingers repeatedly. The Wood Element Command Technique: Void-Piercing Cone shot out, carrying a pure, evil-dispelling light, and precisely pinned the scorpions to the floor!

"Attack!"

Seeing that the Poisonous Miasma and scorpions were ineffective, the tall, skinny man roared and threw out a sky full of Poisonous Sand. The sand expanded in the air, transforming into a cloud of colorful, poisonous fog that enveloped the entire Side Hall, both highly corrosive and hallucinogenic.

The short, fat cultivator, meanwhile, opened his mouth and spat out the phantom of a purple-gold toad.

The toad phantom let out a croak, and the soundwave was so substantial it charged directly at Qi Yun’s Divine Soul.

Struck by the strange frog’s cry, Qi Yun instantly felt dizzy. Even his protective Iron Sand began to SIZZLE as the poisonous fog corroded it.

’It’s even getting through the Abyssal Iron?’

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. Qi Yun’s brow furrowed, and he swiftly formed a spell with his hands.

"By heresy, control the truth; by reversal, forge the flame!

Nanming Demon Fire!

Rise!"

BOOM—

This was no longer a slender strand of Sword Qi.

It was a torrential flood of Demon Fire, as powerful as a volcanic eruption.

This time, Qi Yun cast the spell using the True Essence condensed in his Dantian. The tyrannical Demon Fire erupted violently, sweeping out in all directions.

The Nanming Demon Fire, being both supremely Yang and supremely evil, was the perfect nemesis for these insidious, poisonous methods!

HISSSS—!

The colorful poisonous fog was like snow hit by boiling water; it instantly melted and evaporated in the Demon Fire.

The purple-gold toad phantom, scorched by the Demon Fire, let out a wretched scream, twisted a few times, and then collapsed and dissipated.

Even the other poisonous insects and venomous creatures the two had deployed were all reduced to ash within the Demon Fire’s range!

"What?!"

"This is bad! Retreat!"

The two Five Poison Sect disciples’ faces changed drastically. They never expected Qi Yun to possess such a tyrannical, area-of-effect Fire Element Technique!

The pair hurriedly summoned their Protective Magical Artifacts—a Bone Shield and a Beast Hide Banner—in an attempt to resist.

However, Qi Yun’s killing intent had been stoked.

Following the torrent of Demon Fire came several even more condensed and sharper strands of Nanming Demon Fire Sword Qi.

PFFT! PFFT!

Under the dual assault of the Demon Fire and Sword Qi, their Protective Magical Artifacts lasted only an instant before shattering with a mournful cry!

The Sword Qi pierced through their Protective True Qi without any resistance, running through their hearts and the center of their brows.

The tall, skinny man and the short, fat cultivator had looks of horror and disbelief frozen on their faces as their bodies were swiftly blackened and carbonized by the residual Demon Fire.

Expressionlessly watching the two charred corpses, Qi Yun waved a hand to recall the White Bone Skeleton, which devoured all of their remaining Blood Essence and Cultivation.

Having dealt with the two reckless disciples from the Five Poison Sect, Qi Yun composed himself and turned his attention back to treasure hunting.

He closed his eyes and began to slowly unfurl his Innate Sensing Ability, which was like that of a "humanoid treasure-seeking mouse."

Like mercury flowing across the ground, his senses meticulously probed every inch of the temple for any hidden fluctuations of a Spiritual Mechanism.

At first, as his Divine Sense swept through the depths of the gloomy temple, over the hidden compartments and secret chambers that seemed most likely to hide great treasures, the only feedback he received was emptiness and dead silence.

It seemed they had already been emptied.

Just as he was about to withdraw his Divine Sense, an extremely faint but unusually familiar tremor suddenly surfaced.

The sensation didn’t come from the depths of the temple, but... from behind him?

It came from the front hall, where the ten ferocious Rakshasa Statues were enshrined.

"Hiding in plain sight? Heh..." A smile of understanding spread across Qi Yun’s face.

"A clever plan. A pity it ran into me."

He leaped back to the front hall. The Abyssal Iron Sand hovering beside him surged, instantly condensing into a heavy Black Blade the size of a door panel, its edges glinting with a cold metallic light!

Qi Yun pointed his fingers, and the Black Blade let out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, fiercely cleaving toward the third statue to his left.

It was the Rakshasa Statue holding Skull Beads, posed as if in deep thought!

CRACK

! BOOM—!

The stone statue instantly exploded down the middle, sending shattered rock flying everywhere!

As the statue broke apart, a huge pile of items, shimmering with all sorts of Treasure Light and brimming with Spiritual Qi, poured out like a bursting dam. They spilled out with a great clatter, piling up across half the floor of the front hall!

There were Spirit Pills sealed in Jade Boxes, their medicinal fragrance filling the air; Jade Daoist Scriptures with Spiritual Qi contained within and flowing runes on their surface; Refining Materials of various colors emitting fluctuations of different attributes; and several strangely shaped, brightly glowing Magical Artifacts and Talismans!

The interwoven Treasure Light brightened the dim front hall considerably!

Faced with this sudden windfall, Qi Yun swept his hand.

An invisible suction force rolled out. Without even looking, he swept all the treasures on the ground—along with the Jade Boxes and chests that might contain things—into his Storage Magic Bracelet in one go!

His movements were clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

’This isn’t the time for a closer look. The smart thing to do is to pocket the spoils and leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.’

However, just as the last of the treasures was about to be collected,

Qi Yun’s movements paused slightly.

His gaze fell upon an inconspicuous object mixed in with the shining treasures.

...