Chapter Sixty-Four: Confrontation

Whoosh!

Following these words, a violent surge of malevolent energy suddenly erupted from the space behind the dark hole, faintly carrying a sense of shock and anger.

However, the members of the Seven Kills Cult were oblivious to this. They simply believed that the "Seven Kills God" was cheering with excitement. After all, nobody could have possibly imagined that anyone in this world could decompose the power of a deity!

With the emergence of this wormhole-like portal, Ji Qingyou could clearly perceive that the "Seven Kills God" on the other side, despite its peerless might, was currently trapped in a state of "sealing," its movements constrained at every turn.

And this presented her with a monumental opportunity!

"In wealth and danger we seek fortune!" Ji Qingyou's eyes flickered. Without the slightest hesitation, she gripped the "silver puppet" in her palm and stepped straight into the space inhabited by the "Seven Kills God."

As Ji Qingyou entered, the dark, hole-like portal slowly dissipated, and the churning malevolent energy in the cavern gradually returned to normal.

Gu Ya stood trembling as she watched all this unfold, yet none of the numerous robed figures present spared her even a glance.

Having communicated with the deity, these individuals wore expressions of unconcealed joy.

"With this fellow as our vessel, the 'divine power' we can wield will be vastly amplified! As for that mere Lin Jun, the unification of Tiannan is just around the corner!"

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Divine power is not so easily borrowed; it all requires a massive amount of sacrifices. Otherwise, the ones who die will be us!"

"Hahaha, that's easy to handle. Have you forgotten? The people we captured this time came straight from the Great Dao Sect. With my behind-the-scenes instigation, I reckon Lin Jun is already at his wit's end by now! Hahahaha..."

"And because of these evil entities from the Great Dao Sect, a new batch of righteous cultivators will be lured here to slay demons and eliminate fiends. These very people will be the 'materials' for our next offering to the deity!"

"I have already devised a complete plan. However, to prevent any unforeseen changes, you should go to other regions and gather some more 'sacrifices'."

"Once I ascend to the position of Vice Cult Master, I will certainly not forget your rewards."

"No problem."

With these words from the aged cultivator at the Deity Transformation realm, several black-robed figures nodded in unison. Ambition radiated from each of them, and with a blur of their figures, they vanished directly.

The aged Deity Transformation cultivator also cast one final, expectant glance at the world behind the altar before disappearing as well.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Ya was left entirely alone in the vast, echoing space.

Only after all these figures had completely vanished did Gu Ya's complexion ease somewhat. Yet, remaining in this gloomy place, perpetually watched by the blood demons drifting back and forth across the altar, still filled her with an intense sense of horror.

She could sense that every single one of these fiends possessed power far surpassing her own; if these monsters were to break free, she would undoubtedly perish!

***

However, because Ji Jiuyou had entered that realm—whose destination was completely unknown—to save her, she had no possible way of leaving this place on her own until he reappeared.

As long as Ji Jiuyou failed to show himself, she would remain here to keep watch, day after day!

In the blink of an eye, dozens of days passed.

Gu Ya was no longer quite as terrified. Although the discomfort of being watched by those fiends in this region persisted, knowing that they could not break out, she had begun attempting to cultivate here to strengthen her power as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, inside the divine realm, a completely different scene was unfolding.

This dimension existed somewhere between illusion and reality, a separate realm overflowing with malevolent energy!

At this moment, a massive barrier of malevolent energy stood erected before Ji Qingyou. Beyond it lay an endless expanse of tangible, physical malice that she could not break through no matter how hard she tried.

After a long while, Ji Qingyou licked her lips, still unsatisfied.

At this point, she had completely shed her physical body and existed entirely in the form of a divine soul!

Moreover, her divided soul was no longer the previous shade of blue; well over half of it had evolved into a brilliant purple!

The power she radiated was vastly superior to before.

It was precisely this terrifying display that had thoroughly terrified the "Seven Kills God" lurking behind the scenes. After having a portion of its divine power devoured, it preferred to erect this "barrier" to trap itself rather than come out to fight Ji Qingyou again.

Yet, this also blocked any possibility of Ji Qingyou pushing further forward.

Only now did Ji Qingyou realize just how formidable the cultivation technique given to her by her master truly was. If utilized properly, it was entirely capable of completely devouring this deity!

The only hitch was that her target was not a lifeless object!

This tangible "barrier of malevolent energy," while trapping the Seven Kills God itself, also obstructed Ji Qingyou. Given her current strength—even with her upgraded 'purple soul'—breaking through it was utterly impossible!

However, having devoured so much of the "Seven Kills God's" power, she had gained a slight mastery over this realm, making free entry and exit a complete breeze!

Earlier, she had overheard those individuals plotting against her master. Upon making inquiries, she discovered their elaborate conspiracy targeting the "Great Dao Sect."

Yet, in her eyes, this was nothing short of a joke!

***

With her master residing in the Great Dao Sect, no one in this world could ever shake its foundation!

Still, while those people's schemes amounted to nothing, she nonetheless needed to ask her master for a favor. Having repeatedly attempted to shatter the "malevolent energy barrier" within the divine realm, she had realized that the Seven Kills God was stubbornly holding its ground to the bitter end, and she simply could not accomplish it on her own!

Though the Seven Kills God here was powerful, it was nothing at all in the eyes of her master. With her master's assistance, subduing this deity would be as easy as taking candy from a baby!

On this day, Ji Qingyou instructed Gu Ya to stand guard. Outwardly, it appeared as though she was merely engaging with the Seven Kills God within the divine realm, but relying on her soul power—which had grown immeasurably stronger over these past days—she reached out to communicate with her true body, which was deep in closed-door seclusion far away at the Great Dao Sect.

Meanwhile,

Outside the Great Dao Sect.

Over the past few days, a rumor had spread wildly across the immortal cultivation world: countless minor sects and rogue cultivators who had attended Ye Zhetian's lecture had vanished without a trace immediately afterward.

All sorts of theories circulated, but eventually, the rumors converged on a single narrative—that Lin Jun of the Great Dao Sect practiced demonic arts, which explained how he had attained such terrifying strength in so short a time!

Those who had vanished were supposedly lured in by Lin Jun under the guise of Ye Zhetian's name, only to be captured and used as materials to refine evil arts!

As for the Heavenly Sword Venerable of the past, he had likely been wronged all along!

The spectacle of the Heavenly Sword Venerable transforming into Lin Jun to commit atrocities was probably a scheme within a scheme within a scheme meticulously orchestrated by Lin Jun, all to achieve his ultimate goal of total dominion over the Great Dao Sect.

These rumors intensified by the day within the cultivation community, arousing the righteous indignation of countless righteous practitioners. Spearheaded by the three major sects—the Grand Virtue Sect, the Lesser Saint Sect, and the Supreme Sect—they rallied countless young talents to form an expeditionary coalition against Lin Jun, determined to secure justice for their fallen peers!

And at the same time, carve up the territory of the Great Dao Sect!

As luck would have it, a few days prior, Ye Zhetian had successfully instructed a group of small animals, forming the vanguard of the Great Dao Sect's Guardian Army. At this very moment, the two opposing forces were locked in a tense standoff right outside the gates of the Great Dao Sect!

From a distance, both sides looked like swords drawn and bows strung, ready for bloodshed.

Yet, the members of the "Righteous Alliance," blocked entirely by a pack of small animals, were so furious their faces had turned beet red.