Chapter 68
The test within the illusionary formation continued.
The elders gathered around Su Zui for a discussion, then switched to observe others' performances.
While Su Zui was outstanding, they couldn't ignore the performances of the others.
After all, the younger generation of Tao disciples were not worthless, and several of them had commendable performances, like Meng Qingzhi's group.
In the recorded scenes, Meng Qingzhi led several members of the Meng family, systematically breaking the formation and collecting spiritual plants. There were a few in the Meng family with higher talent than him, but they seemed to be following his lead unquestioningly.
Previously, members of other families held resentment towards him due to conflicts in the small secret realm of Brahma. However, the situation compelled them to reconsider their hostility.
Watching Meng Qingzhi's group swiftly advancing, they couldn't help but hesitate.
The small secret realm created by the illusionary formation was rich in resources. Thus, the competitive relationship between each party was relatively slight. If they could cooperate well, it would result in a more favorable outcome.
Teamwork had always been encouraged.
Before entering a cave, a group that had previous grudges with Meng Qingzhi were hesitant. They wanted to join his team, but their pride held them back.
After all, following that incident, they sought trouble with Meng Qingzhi and even severely beat him up. It was already generous of Meng Qingzhi not to seek revenge, given his advantageous position now.
To their surprise, it wasn't long before Meng Qingzhi took the initiative to contact them, "If you don't mind, let's work together. This way, we can all contribute to our full potential."
The group was somewhat indecisive: "Oh… oh… we have no objections."
The handsome young man didn't mind their hesitation. He smiled gently, his usually cool demeanor exhibiting a touch of warmth.
He kindly added, "The formations inside the cave are somewhat dangerous, likely due to the valuable resources within. Have you thought it through?"
Those who heard him seemed nonchalant, "That's okay. Let's go in." After all, they believed nothing serious would happen.
They had, of course, investigated before participating and found out that injuries within the illusionary formation were not fatal. Even if they died within it, they would only be injured at most after exiting. Hence, they weren't afraid.
Despite Meng Qingzhi's warning, no one took it seriously.
Meng Qingzhi smiled, a hint of ambiguity in his expression, but it quickly faded.
He said, "Alright, now let me explain our division of tasks to avoid chaos when encountering enemies."
Once roles were designated, the group entered the cave in an orderly manner.
An elder stroked his beard and mused: "This Meng Qingzhi... Is he the same one from the Meng family who also reshaped his root bones last year?"
An elder beside him affirmed appreciatively, "Right, it's him. Not bad, able to bounce back and bury the hatchet with those who oppressed him. This youth has quite commendable wisdom."
Another elder, however, huffed unenthusiastically, "What do you mean by 'oppression'? During the time in the Fan Tian's secret realm, it was indeed Meng Qingzhi who carried out the despicable act of deceiving others. How can it be his turn to talk about letting bygones be bygones now?"
"It's easy for you to speak, try getting deceived yourselves!"
His own grandson back then was the one cheated the worst by Meng Qingzhi — even giving out a high-grade magical tool inherited from the family. Despite getting it back later, it was only due to their combined pressure on the Meng family.
In short, he always held a grudge against this matter and thought Meng Qingzhi was of poor character.
Someone clearly saw through things, "He's making a great effort to form a team with others, but in the end, it's because he is not yet strong enough to fight on his own. Look at Su Zui and Xie Yu, two people together, they gained more than this group of seven or eight."
One of the Meng family's elders retorted discontentedly, "Brother, you can't put it this way. We're in a peaceful era now. The Tao community has long moved past the times of fighting and killing. Everything needs to be done in unity, so leadership skills should be of utmost importance."
Someone immediately disagreed and refuted him: "Oh? So, you mean, as long as one has leadership abilities, even if they're incompetent, they can still be a leader? The way you talk disregards all the leaders of the various Tao sects through the generations! All of these leaders were exceptional figures in their generation."
"I won't talk about the distant past; let's talk about the president of our Tao Association, a person capable of tackling ten tasks single-handedly."
The elder of the Meng family puffed up his cheeks and glared, "You, you... why are you dragging all this into the conversation?!"
All he had done was stand up for the younger generation of his family. Why did this person have to turn it into such a big issue?
Unknowingly, the elders were divided into two factions, verbally bickering. For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.
Seeing themselves getting involved, the Association elder had to clear his throat softly, "Alright, enough arguing. Let's watch the competition properly. We'll need to evaluate the scores later, so don't waste time bickering; it doesn't look good."
Although the present world was peaceful, the desires of people were endless. No one would disregard their interests, and every resource could trigger a conflict.
These Tao families, including his own, had many frictions and shady dealings going on in private life. The Tao world wasn't as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.
With the presence of the Judgment Office keeping things under control, people would be cautious in their actions and not dare to fight too fiercely.
Thinking of those "honorable guests,", the president's heart trembled again.
Fortunately, that day he had only cautiously brought his trusted men to receive those important figures, keeping their presence secret. Otherwise, it would no doubt have stirred up a huge commotion.
The elder who disagreed with the Meng family elder threw a parting jab, "The president is right. In our Tao world, we respect the strong and only the weak would take the easy way out."
In any case, although Meng Qingzhi's performance was excellent, it was only relative to the people around him.
With Su Zui and Xie Yu in the lead, his performance, which should have been shocking, ultimately became a mix of praise and criticism.
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"I always feel something isn't right," Xie Yu said, staring at the darkened cave entrance in front of him.
After Meng Qingzhi led a group of more than ten people into the cave, Su Zui and Xie Yu quickly found the cave said to contain some extremely precious treasures.
This cave was deliberately set up as a trial point in the competition. Many clues guided them here along the way. If they could solve the puzzle within, it would considerably boost their final score.
However, looking at their destination, Xie Yu felt an inexplicable unease, "Or, let's try somewhere else."
Su Zui looked at him.
This cave indeed held some unusual secrets.
He hadn't expected Xie Yu to be so perceptive. Could it be that the result of his bone-marrow washing made him significantly different?
Su Zui lightly said, "Then you wait here, and I'll go and take a look inside. Judging by the traces, they should all have gone in already."
Though he doesn't feel very interested at present, he believed it's necessary to complete the task.
"No, I'll go with you," Xie Yu declined without a second thought.
Although nervous, he would never let Su Zui face the danger alone.
He reached out and touched his collection of high-level talismans and several advanced magical instruments, and felt slightly reassured.
As they slowly advanced, Meng Qingzhi's group had already reached the array deep in the cave.
Looking at the faintly glowing array in front of them, everyone's expression was somewhat grave.
"How can this array be so difficult? Can anyone understand it?"
"Such powerful pressure, can we really unlock it?"
The people from the array families were also troubled, "I'm sorry, this array seems to be too ancient. I can only see that it's an array within an array."
Everyone began to discuss, but Meng Qingzhi suddenly spoke up, "I think I've seen a similar array in a small secret realm before, and even successfully unlocked it."
Everyone looked at him, urging him to take the lead in breaking the array.
After modestly deferring for a while, Meng Qingzhi finally agreed, "Then, I won't refuse, but I don't have complete confidence. In case anything unpredictable happens, I can't guarantee..."
"Never mind that", everyone said, "We are helpless here as well, and this array is an illusion, not a real secret realm. It can't possibly ask us to sacrifice ourselves.”
Meng Qingzhi lowered his eyes, hiding an unusual light in them.
He made it clear that if anything were to happen, he would be entirely disconnected from it.
Based on strength, attributes, and other criteria, he arranged everyone in different positions of the array.
In an understated manner, he assigned himself the spot farthest from the array's core. If anything were to occur, he wouldn't be the first one to be targeted.
Over a dozen people simultaneously poured their spiritual power into the array, causing it to tremble slightly.
The lit-up glyphs quietly went out, and an ominous aura began to pervade the darkened space.
A wisp of black energy broke free from the array's confinement, drifting out like a wisp of fog.
Immediately, the whole array seemed to be hit forcefully, cracking open from the core like a spider's web.
A colossal black figure, as grand as a mountain, materialized before everyone's eyes.
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The elders, viewing the events inside the illusion through their magic, were somewhat startled. "What... what is this? Chief Xu, is this how you said the setup was supposed to be?"
Elder Xu, staring at the dark beast shadow in the images, his tiger-eyes wide, exclaimed, "No, this is not right! The array was originally set up to confine a thousand-year-old ghost in red clothes! It shouldn't be like this...."
Someone trembled and said, "Look, doesn't this... this seem like... Xuanwu?"
Xuanwu, one of the Four Symbols alongside Zhuque, is actually comprised of two creatures—a tortoise and a snake, with the snake coiled around the tortoise.
Although the details of the pitch-black shadow could not be clearly seen due to the darkness, one could still vaguely discern the thick shell on its back. Wrapped around the shell was a black ribbon that appeared to be the shape of a winding snake upon closer inspection!
A few seconds later, four red lights suddenly shone in the darkness.
These were the creature's two pairs of eyes, embedded in the heads of both the tortoise and the snake.
The red light illuminated everything in the cave, making it clear that the dark and evil silhouette was indeed the legendary divine beast Xuanwu.
However, with its pitch-black body and blood-red eyes, where was the appearance of a primordial divine beast?!
Gazing at the obviously abnormal Xuanwu, everyone drew in a sharp breath.
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Not far from the array in the hallway, Su Zui paused, his eyes narrowing.
He was still a step too late; the unexpected event had already occurred.
The Xuanwu, tainted by evil energy and turned into a demon, had most likely been released.
Evil energy was a recurring theme throughout the story; many divine and spiritual beasts had been corrupted and turned into demons by it. Not only had the true form of the phoenix been tainted, but even Xuanwu had not escaped such a fate. Few were as fortunate as Zhuque to have escaped it.
In the original story, the protagonist gained fame in the world of cultivation by killing countless creatures tainted by evil energy.
The life-or-death struggle with Xuanwu was even passed down as a classic tale by future generations.
In the original story, Meng Qingzhi's power at this time was far greater than it is now, and his battle with Xuanwu was extremely dangerous. Among all the people in the illusion array, no one survived except for Meng Qingzhi. Given that Meng Qingzhi's current strength is significantly lower than before, what will the outcome be this time?
Would he even be able to protect himself?
Several thoughts quickly crossed Su Zui's mind. He said to Xie Yu, "Unleash your energy, the thing inside has already come out."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yu sensed danger and naturally didn't want to do that.
However, Su Zui said, "You are no match for it. If you stay, you'll just be a burden to me."
Having one less person inside would already be quite a relief, considering the number of people already there.
Seeing Su Zui's serious expression, Xie Yu was taken aback. He gritted his teeth, handed all his talismans and spiritual tools to Su Zui, and sprinted out.
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Su Zui's guess wasn't far from the truth. Meng Qingzhi indeed found the situation extremely challenging.
He had no idea that it was Xuanwu that was in there.
After receiving the feather from Suzaku last time, he had the ability to sense evil energy as long as he carried the feather with him.
Before he arrived at the cave this time, his intuition warned him of danger, which is why he painstakingly arranged for so many people to clear the way in front of him.
But he never expected Xuanwu to be imprisoned inside the cave!
If he had known this, he wouldn't have entered the cave for the life of him!
"BOOM– "Xuanwu lifted a foot, and when it fell, the entire cave shook.
Rocks from the cave ceiling fell down, making everyone dizzy.
In addition to this, strands of black energy emanated from Xuanwu’s body, infiltrating the bodies of the cultivators present.
At first, although these cultivators were terrified, knowing that it was only an illusion, they didn't take it seriously. They marveled at the intricate illusion array, which could even emulate such a godly beast!
However, soon the malevolent energy that entered their bodies started causing intense pain.
The pain passed through the flesh and seeped into their souls, hurting worse than being skinned alive!
"Ahhh–"
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Meanwhile, the elders outside were in a frenzy. The ones suffering inside the illusion array were the best of their younger generation. They turned to the head of the Xu family, "What happened? Can you get them out?"
The Xu family head replied with a grim face, " ...I can't, the restrictions on this illusion array are too many. It can't be opened before time!"
Each family head and elder pressed on.
"What do we do then? The sole descendant of my Yu family’s line, who I've nurtured for generations, is in there. What if, what if—"
"Both of my nephews have been stunned by the black energy. What can we do?"
"Xu family head, this illusion array is from your family. You have to find a way!"
The Xu family head, of course, understood the gravity of the situation. The young generation of cultivators in the array practically represented the hope of their sects.
Not to mention, even their own Xu family children were trapped inside...
If something were to happen to these young talents in the array, an entire generation's power would be missing, almost delivering a devastating blow to the already weakened sects!
Furthermore, if it came to that point, the Xu family would be finished...
Since the incident started with the Xu family's illusion array, regardless of the real reason, they would definitely become everyone's scapegoat.
Thinking of the consequences, the Xu family head was already sweating profusely. Facing the immense pressure from everyone, he hesitated before speaking the truth, "I must confess, our Xu family indeed has no way to forcefully open the array. Even if we could, there is a 90% chance that it would cause the array to become chaotic. At that point, the people inside might be swallowed by the chaos."
"No way? How could there be no way?"
"Do we have to watch our younger generation meet disaster helplessly?!"
The president of Mystery Gate Association suddenly stood up, "Everyone, please calm down. Arguing now won't help."
"Those who are proficient in the art of formations, try to see if you can safely open the illusion array. Do not give up until the last moment."
He spoke in a deep voice, pacifying the situation, then stood up and headed upstairs, "I will also see if I can think of a solution."
The energy of the ancient illusion array had already exceeded their control. At this point, the most hopeful candidates for breaking the array... were only the esteemed few.
Although the Tribunal court traditionally didn't interfere in the affairs of the Mystery Gate aside from adjudicating cases, whether or not they'd be successful, they needed to at least try.
Besides, since this matter involved the Mystic Beast, the Tribunal court couldn't just stand by and watch, could they?
With an incredibly heavy heart, the Association President knocked on the door to the honored guest's room.
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Inside the illusion array, Meng Qingzhi's expression turned serious as he fended off a wisp of black energy that was trying to infiltrate his body, retreating at the fastest speed.
He wasn't as naive as the others. Although this was an illusion array and theoretically, the damage suffered inside should not truly harm one's life, he had felt a lingering sense of danger since he entered the cave.
However, as he struck down one wisp of black energy, the second and third wisps quickly wrapped around him again.
Seemingly detecting the aura of the pseudo-divine beast inside him that originated from the Mystic Beast, the black energies were particularly enthusiastic about him. The amount of black energy entwining around him was two to three times more than others.
He was unsure of what this black energy really was, but it was filled with deep resentment and evil. He produced a Suzaku feather, that was known to exorcise evil, to eliminate one or two of them, but couldn't eradicate them on a large scale.
Observing him fend off the black energies, people began to gravitate towards him.
Meng Qingzhi's expression darkened. He expelled the black energy around him and decided not to engage further, using a talisman to retreat back along the path he had entered.
Before he managed to travel far, he encountered a slender figure.
"Su Zui!"
Su Zui carried a simple backpack, his expression indifferent. Seeing Meng Qingzhi coming towards him, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Meng Qingzhi’s expression shifted as he suddenly pulled out the densest wisp of the pseudo-divine beast's aura from himself and hurled it towards Su Zui.
The pursuing black energy was indeed lured, following the direction of the aura and assaulting Su Zui.
In a blink of an eye, Su Zui was enveloped in a cocoon made of black energy.
Meng Qingzhi exhaled softly, seizing the opportunity to flee rapidly.
Su Zui didn't possess the Suzaku feather—a unique divine object. Presumably... he wouldn’t be able to escape the fate of being devoured by the black energy.
Thinking about this, a spark of unrepressed satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
The only pity was the Spirit Bone on Su Zui.
However, what he didn’t see was that after he turned away, the black energy engulfing Su Zui started dissipating bit by bit.
·
When the president of the Mystery Gate Association went upstairs to seek help, the Suzaku was still restlessly kicking its leg in Qing Luan's arms, squawking, "Chirp, chirp!"
Mystic Beast! That guy had unexpectedly gone astray!
The Suzaku shouted, "Chirp, chirp!"
It wanted to fight the evil energy!
Perhaps it was the same evil energy that attacked it before!
Qing Luan, who always had a good temper, grabbed its wings, impatiently saying, "Shut up!"
He didn't want Suzaku to know that the fusion of the Phoenix and Evil Energy happened for this reason.
Suzaku was born to eradicate the evil and despised all forms of wickedness. It wasn't the brightest, and most likely, at the first sight of evil energy, it would just rush forward to fight without thinking about the consequences!
However, Qing Luan's heart didn't hold such a clear distinction between good and evil.
In his heart, the master fused with evil energy was still the master, and the colleagues tainted by evil energy deserved at least an attempt at being saved.
Suzaku continued to resist: "Chirp, chirp, chirp—"
Qing Luan pinched its beak, intending to ask the Phoenix for permission to let it handle the matter. When he turned around, he saw that the Phoenix's eyes were closed, its mind clearly elsewhere.
QingLuan’s eyes narrowed and it was just when the Association president knocked on the room door, he increased his grip and Suzaku squawked loudly!
He felt a growing frustration inside- an uncomfortable feeling welled up within him.
How could the Phoenix endure when the evil energy within its body had not been fully refined, and now it was in contact with such a huge amount of evil energy?
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Su Zui opened his eyes, glaring at the suddenly dispersed evil energy in front of him, his eyes filled with undeniable surprise.
He had always known that the black energy was evil energy, of course, he would not come unprepared.
As a matter of fact, he had prepared countless charms and magical instruments to restrain the evil energy— he didn't quite have the confidence to defeat Xuanwu, but he definitely had no problem protecting himself.
However, these items had not been used before the evil energy dissipated on its own.
No... it's not that it dissipated on its own but rather that it was released from him, gathered into a fine thread, and moved in a new direction.
That direction was towards the Phoenix soul bead he wore around his neck.
In fact, not only the evil energy that had been chasing Su Zui but also the evil energy deep in the cave, was attracted and rushed into the soul bead at high speed.
This process only lasted for dozens of seconds, but the Phoenix soul bead underwent clearly visible changes.
Seemingly unable to withstand such a huge amount of evil energy, streaks of black appeared on its originally pure white body, instantly breaking its noble and pure color and adding a touch of evil to it.
Nevertheless, as Su Zui looked at these black streaks, he didn't know why, but an image appeared in his mind — an image of a young aristocrat, always put on a pedestal, who now had a silly look because of the black soot smeared on his face.
Su Zui couldn't help but feel a bit of pity.
His heart tightened as he thought, "..."
What on earth was he thinking about?
He shook his head and threw these strange thoughts to the back of his mind.
He cautiously touched the now-transformed Phoenix soul bead with his fingertips, speaking in a slightly heavy tone, "What exactly are you..."
Being able to absorb so much evil energy in one breath was beyond the abilities of even the most divine artifacts.
Not far from them, in the small cave path, the Phoenix appeared, leaning against the mountain wall, its face showing rare signs of fatigue.
The Phoenix soul bead only contained a small fraction of its split soul, and forcefully absorbing so much evil energy was indeed a bit of a strain.
However, before the fatigue could spread across its brow, a faint blush appeared on its pale cheeks.
The Phoenix uneasily gathered its sleeves.
Humans were truly contradictory— they said they refused, yet their actions were unrestrained.
Constantly touching it, the bird felt rather embarrassed.
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Author's Note:
Su Zui: Who are you?
Fat. Chirp: Of course, it's your hubby! =333=
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