Chapter 30: The Prey

Deep in the dark underground.

Ji Ning was sitting cross-legged, continuously drawing strands of earthfire into his Zifu. The golden flame earthfire vein seeping from the underground fissure had grown much weaker than before.

"Hmm?" Mu Zishuo's expression suddenly changed.

"What's wrong?" Qingqing quickly looked over.

"Someone's coming!" Mu Zishuo's face turned serious. "Or maybe a demon. Either way, a living creature has broken into the mountain's core."

Earlier, he had left a warning formation in the mountain's core. Since the formation was meant for 'warning,' it was naturally very concealed, without even any ripples of elemental energy. Anyone entering the cave would inadvertently break it. However, Mu Zishuo couldn't tell who the intruder was.

"Activate the illusion formation." Mu Zishuo quickly ordered. "Even if a Wanxiang Adept or a great demon comes... even if they enter the underground river and look from afar, they'll be fooled by the illusion."

"Alright." Qingqing immediately activated the illusion formation that Ji Ning had given her.

...

Dong Yi, a Wanxiang Adept of Snowdragon Mountain, was in a very good mood as he led the other two adepts along a familiar path toward the underground river.

"This place is indeed very hidden." The black-robed, bald woman beside him smiled.

The white-robed, bald man also nodded: "One can only enter the mountain's core through a遁术. Without divine sense, it would be impossible to find. Brother Dong Yi, how did you first enter the mountain's core?"

"You're wrong," Dong Yi shook his head. "There is an extremely hidden entrance connecting the mountain's core to the outside. I discovered it by chance, but I destroyed it."

"I see." The black-robed woman and white-robed man both nodded.

Soon the three arrived at the underground river.

"Look." Dong Yi pointed into the distance. "Follow this underground river and keep going. Before long, you'll see the earthfire vein."

"Once we find the earthfire vein, my fellow apprentice and I will keep our promise." The white-robed man smiled.

"Good."

Dong Yi nodded.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three swiftly advanced along the underground river. After a while, Dong Yi suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "Stop."

"What's wrong?" The two apprentices looked over.

"Something's off." Dong Yi frowned at the path ahead. "By now, we should be able to see the earthfire vein from afar. But I can't see it."

"What!" Both apprentices were startled.

"Are you messing with us!" The woman snapped.

The white-robed senior apprentice shook his head: "Don't rush. Brother Dong Yi has sworn a Heavenly Dao oath, so it shouldn't be false... Besides, I can faintly sense ripples of elemental energy ahead."

"Ripples?" Dong Yi and the black-robed woman both looked at him.

"Mm." The white-robed senior apprentice nodded. "If we keep going, you'll sense them too."

"As expected of Hongye," Dong Yi thought with alarm. "A genius disciple of the Blood Lotus Temple! Just in divine sense alone, he's a cut above me." The reason he had chosen this pair of apprentices was because he knew 'Hongye' was extremely powerful; if not for other matters delaying him, he would have already joined the Yinglong Guard.

Hongye must have many treasures, which was why Dong Yi made this deal with him.

After advancing another half li, Dong Yi and the woman both sensed the elemental ripples.

"It's an illusion formation," the white-robed senior apprentice Hongye said softly. "And a rather complex one. It seems, Brother Dong Yi, that after you left, another cultivator entered."

"How could it be such a coincidence?" Dong Yi gritted his teeth.

How could he know that before him, the Azure Snake had already known about this place?

"This illusion formation is a set of Earth-ranked magic treasures. The user should be at the Wanxiang level," Hongye transmitted. "And those who come to harvest earthfire are usually Wanxiang Adepts. If I'm not mistaken, they've already noticed our arrival. But they haven't attacked, which means they're not confident."

"Right." Dong Yi and the black-robed woman both nodded.

"Wait a moment. Let me break this formation." Hongye said. "Both of you stay outside the formation."

"Be careful, senior apprentice." The black-robed woman quickly said.

"Don't worry."

Hongye's eyes were full of confidence. He then walked toward the illusion formation.

...

Inside the illusion formation.

"It's Dong Yi, Hongrui, and Hongye!" Mu Zishuo peered through the illusion formation and saw the three flying along the underground river in the distance. He was shocked.

"Who are they?" Qingqing quickly asked.

"Dong Yi is from Snowdragon Mountain. Hongrui and Hongye are siblings from the Blood Lotus Temple." Mu Zishuo said.

As they discussed,

Ji Ning, who was sitting cross-legged harvesting earthfire, grew anxious. Because his divine sense was extremely powerful—stronger than even many Primal Daoists—he hadn't closed off his six senses while harvesting.

"Dong Yi? Hongrui? Hongye?" Ji Ning diverted a thought. "It's them. Back in the Red Dragon Mountains, when we each announced our names... Hongye's name caused a stir among the Wanxiang Adepts. Clearly, this Hongye is quite extraordinary."

"I need to speed up."

Ji Ning had been very cautious, prioritizing safety above all. But in reality, he could go faster and still handle it, just with slightly more risk.

"Absorb!"

Strands of earthfire continuously flowed into Ji Ning's mouth and into his Zifu.

In his Zifu, the 'Earthfire Island,' opposite the 'Cold Fiend Island,' accumulated more and more earthfire.

...

Outside the formation, Hongye walked toward the illusion formation and called out loudly: "Which brother is inside the formation? Please withdraw the formation now. We can talk things out. Otherwise, if I have to break it by force, it will be a breach of civility."

"Hongye." A cold voice came from within the formation. "You'd better leave quietly. If you really break the formation, it will be a fight to the death!"

"Whose voice is that?"

Hongye frowned. In the distance, Dong Yi and Hongrui also frowned. They were all familiar with the voices of the hundred candidates for the Yinglong Guard, but they couldn't identify this one.

"He knows my name, so he must be one of the hundred," Hongye thought. "He's deliberately disguising his voice and threatening a fight to the death... If he were truly powerful, he wouldn't resort to such tactics."

Hongye coldly stepped directly into the illusion formation.

As soon as he entered, chaos surrounded him—mist drifting, directions indistinguishable. Standing in the formation, Hongye took a few casual steps, sensed the changes in the formation, and smiled.

"Junior apprentice-sister, Brother Dong Yi, I'll break this formation within an hour." Hongye announced loudly.

Time passed minute by minute.

Mu Zishuo and Qingqing were both radiating killing intent.

"There are only three of them." Mu Zishuo gritted his teeth. "Qingqing, you hold off that woman who looks the weakest. I'll handle the other two."

"Can you manage?" Qingqing looked at him.

"Don't worry. I still have the means my master gave me, which I've never used. I'll kill them both in one go. Are disciples of the Black-White College easy to mess with?" Mu Zishuo's eyes flashed coldly.

"Mm, I've heard of your Black-White College's reputation—every one of you is a peerless genius." Qingqing nodded. "Leave that woman to me..."

Mu Zishuo and Qingqing were both on high alert, ready for battle.

"Absorb!"

Ji Ning was also drawing in earthfire faster.

...

The massive Dragon Whale Demon King appeared above the low hill, looking down at it with emerald-green eyes full of murderous intent.

"Is this the place? Human brat Ji Ning, I hope you're still here."

The Dragon Whale Demon King willed it.

Boom!

A vast divine sense spread downward. Having cultivated for over ten thousand years, his soul was extremely powerful and his Dao-heart firm. Thus, just one day after breaking through to become a Primal Demon, he gained divine sense! Some Primal Daoists might take a year or two after their breakthrough to gain divine sense. Different foundations led to different times. Someone like Ji Ning, who had divine sense even at the Zifu stage, was too monstrous—no wonder he was thought to be a reincarnated immortal!

His divine sense covered a hundred li.

The low hill below was completely within its range.

"Hmm? Nothing?" The Dragon Whale Demon King frowned. "No, there's a warning formation inside the mountain's core." His divine sense revealed everything in detail. The hidden warning formation had gone unnoticed by Hongye and Dong Yi, but the Dragon Whale Demon King easily found it.

"Someone must be there." The Dragon Whale Demon King moved with a whoosh.

He dove tens of li down to the low hill, then used a遁术 to enter the mountain's core.

Inside the mountain's core.

The Dragon Whale Demon King continued to spread his divine sense.

"Hahaha..." A ferocious grin spread across his face. This time, he easily discovered the several human cultivators by the underground river, less than a hundred li away.

"The human brat Ji Ning is harvesting earthfire? And other human cultivators are breaking the formation outside?" The Dragon Whale Demon King sneered. "These humans are killing each other... how laughable. Too bad, they all have to die."

"I'll set up a Sealing Locking Formation around here, then kill them all."

The Dragon Whale Demon King immediately began his work.

...

No one else noticed the Dragon Whale Demon King's arrival; he deliberately avoided the warning formation's range. Only one person noticed—Ji Ning!

When the Dragon Whale Demon King's divine sense spread, Ji Ning's divine sense naturally sensed it.

After all, in terms of divine sense alone, Ji Ning was stronger.

"Divine sense?" Ji Ning was alarmed. "A Primal Daoist? A Primal Demon?"

Ji Ning was truly shocked.

With a thought, Ji Ning slowed his absorption of earthfire and spread his divine sense in all directions. He immediately discovered the Dragon Whale Demon King, who had used a遁术 to reach the sky above the low hill and was planting flags to seal the space.

"Hahaha... human brat?" The Dragon Whale Demon King sensed Ji Ning's divine sense and transmitted mentally: "I have to thank you. If not for you, I wouldn't have broken through to Primal so quickly. Hahaha, to thank you, I'll kill all those human cultivators who want to harm you. Of course, you'll die too. Hahaha..."

Whoosh.

The Dragon Whale Demon King used a遁术 to enter the mountain's core and quickly followed the underground river, charging toward them.

At that moment, Dong Yi and Hongrui were still watching outside the formation, while 'Hongye' inside was diligently breaking it.

"The Wanxiang Adept inside the formation is dead for sure." Hongrui's eyes were full of anticipation.

"Right." Dong Yi also looked forward to it.

Little did Dong Yi know... inside the formation were Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo, the very ones he feared most. And now, behind them, the Dragon Whale Demon King was charging in! Worst of all, a Sealing Locking Formation had been set up around them, leaving no escape.