Dozens of second-realm paper effigies appeared, instantly breaking through layers of fire-elemental sorcery and advancing to within a few dozen feet of the crowd.
Seeing this, another team of Nine Xuan Sect disciples immediately unleashed the full might of their battle formation, launching their magical artifacts in unison.
Six long swords then pierced through the air, emitting dazzling rays of light, with countless sword energies scattering across the sky.
However, these paper effigies were all possessed of considerable sentience. Not only did they dodge with agile movements, but they also relied on their own resilient material to forcefully withstand the cascading sword energies.
Within mere breaths, the common paper effigies surrounding them were cleared by the six long swords, yet the more than ten second-realm paper effigies remained completely unharmed, not even their white paper showing the slightest damage.
Just then, even more second-realm paper effigies emerged from the demonic energy, hurtling towards the crowd at extreme speed.
"Junior Brother, do not panic!"
A shout suddenly rang out, followed by a flash of lightning that directly tore through the rolling demonic energy.
Five youths in their early twenties, with smiles on their faces, ripped through the demonic energy. As their spiritual energy surged, paper effigies were instantly reduced to countless fragments.
Among them, a bald youth displayed the most ferocious power. Countless lightning bolts swirled around him, capable of tearing apart approaching demonic energy and paper effigies without him needing to make a specific effort.
Upon seeing the arrival of the four men and one woman, the five inner sect prodigies, the Nine Xuan Sect disciples' spirits were immediately lifted. The sorcery they unleashed with each movement even saw a slight increase in power.
"Lin Yubai!"
A woman waved her hand, and brilliant multicolored clouds flowed, sweeping away countless paper effigies before she called out in a low voice.
Hearing this, the bald youth responded with a hint of impatience, "Got it! Got it! Got it!"
He grunted, and his body erupted with lightning. Then, with a forceful stomp of his foot, he transformed into a dazzling bolt of lightning, instantly covering a distance of over a dozen feet to appear before the Nine Xuan Sect disciples.
Behind him, streaks of lightning ran rampant, piercing through all the second-realm paper effigies. Then, with a slight twitch of his brow, they turned into countless ashes within the lightning.
Ji Yuan's pupils contracted, his gaze falling upon the muscular, bald youth. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing this was the strength of the Nine Xuan Sect's inner sect prodigies. With a cultivation level of merely mid-stage Spirit Touching Realm, he made over twenty paper effigies of equivalent strength vanish into dust with a single gesture!
The bald youth acted as if it were a trivial matter, paying it no mind. He scanned the disciples before him, then paused slightly on Ji Yuan and the other two. Though harboring doubts as to why three outsiders were among the Nine Xuan Sect disciples, it was not the time to investigate.
He turned to face the four figures a dozen feet away, his hands forming a series of hand seals. Then, lightning surged around him, transforming into lightning bolts resembling coiled thunder serpents. With a soft cry, ten or so lightning bolts shot out, tearing apart all the paper effigies between him and the four individuals into countless fragments.
As the two sides were about to converge, the continuous demonic energy surrounding them began to churn more violently. Besides a never-ending stream of paper effigies, rivers of blood also surged forth. The area within twenty to thirty feet was instantly filled with a nauseating stench of blood. Just by smelling it, everyone felt dizzy and disoriented. Coupled with the incessant echoing demonic sounds, several disciples with weaker cultivation stumbled.
Fortunately, they had prepared adequately for this exploration of the dojo. They quickly took out several pills and consumed them, temporarily dispelling their physical discomfort.
"Yin Yang Sect, Blood Fiend Hall, and Phantom Sound Pavilion."
A prodigy with an ethereal aura, his eyes filled with ferocity, muttered to himself, "Could it be that all five major demonic sects have gathered here today?"
As if to answer his words, within the rolling demonic energy, over twenty figures flickered in and out of sight, dividing into five groups and silently gazing at the crowd. Disciples from the demonic sects lurking within the Great Yu Dynasty were all gathered here. Besides the Yin Yang Sect, Blood Fiend Hall, and Phantom Sound Pavilion, people from Crimson Flame Mountain and Myriad Spirits Observatory were also present.
At this moment, the disciples of the Blood Fiend Hall released rivers of blood, which merged into a sea of blood, separating the four prodigies from the disciples. The sea of blood churned on the ground, engulfing everyone and continuously splashing waves towards them. As a renowned sect that had reached the pinnacle of a region, the disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect were naturally familiar with the methods of the five major demonic sects. They dared not deploy their magical artifacts and instead cooperated with the battle formation to unleash beams of spiritual light.
The dazzling spiritual lights converged into a mass, temporarily holding back the crashing sea of blood. However, this method consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, and even with the battle formation's enhancement, the disciples could not hold on for long.
"Multicolored clouds flowing, everlasting life!"
A female prodigy suddenly chanted softly. Multicolored clouds erupted from her body, and a celestial phenomenon appeared behind her, as if purple qi was arriving from the east. Patches of purple clouds condensed out of thin air. Endless divine radiance cascaded down, dispelling the surging sea of blood and clearing a path for the group. The few prodigies, without hesitation, darted out. The most crucial task at the moment was to converge with the others, preventing them from being defeated one by one.
"Stop them!"
Within the rolling demonic energy, a shout suddenly rang out. Then, several graceful figures were seen sitting cross-legged on the ground. In just a moment, waves of demonic music emanated. In the next snap of the fingers, the wailing and howling sounds that had filled their ears vanished, replaced by melodious zither music.
In a daze, Ji Yuan felt his vision blur, and the surrounding scenery rapidly stretched and finally subtly transformed into a bamboo forest. There was no longer any churning demonic energy, nor were there any other figures. The swaying bamboo sea emitted a comforting sound with the gentle breeze. Warm sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, forming patches of light that fell upon him.
His vigilance heightened, Ji Yuan understood that this was an illusion, a fabricated environment. Instinctively, he recalled the melodious zither music, and it truly began to echo in his ears.
"My Lord, would you be willing to share a moment of pleasure with this servant here and now?"
Silently, a woman's soft murmur sounded behind his ear, accompanied by a warm breath. Her voice was clear and pure, yet it seemed to be filled with endless seduction, inciting a fire within his body with just a single listen, as if it were directly stirring his heart.
He immediately turned around, his spiritual energy circulating at full power. Yet, as he looked, he froze in place. Amidst the swaying bamboo sea, a graceful figure slowly walked towards him, draped in a light gauze that resembled a half-unveiled pipa, but this seemingly unnecessary adornment only further captivated the gaze. A young woman approached slowly, her exquisite figure swaying with each step, her brows exuding an aura of unparalleled charm. Coupled with the zither music echoing in his ears, she could truly make any man in the world fall for her.
However, Ji Yuan's expression remained impassive, his eyes even flashing with a cold glint.
"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable!" he muttered softly, his state of mind undisturbed. Having early on condensed a Dao heart, he was now fearless of all illusions below the third realm. Moreover, from his previous experience with the illusions of the Moon Gazing Sect, he had used his sword intent to sever his inner demons, leaving no further flaws in his mental fortitude. Such illusions were naturally incapable of unsettling his mind and causing him to fall into their thrall.
At this moment, the center of Ji Yuan's brow erupted with light, and an incredibly condensed soul light surged forth, tearing apart all surrounding illusions in a single flick. In a mere breath, the scene before his eyes reappeared, revealing rolling demonic energy and a blood-red sea churning with blood. He scanned his surroundings, realizing that almost everyone else was immersed in the illusion. A few Nine Xuan Sect disciples with weak willpower even wore looks of rapturous infatuation.
Suddenly, a sharp killing intent enveloped him. He immediately turned to look and saw various sorceries descending from the sky. Seeing this, Ji Yuan unhesitatingly prepared to unleash the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda at full power, but someone was faster than him!
A youth exuding an ethereal aura moved like a blur, his hands forming over ten hand seals in rapid succession. Then, brilliant spiritual light erupted from his body. A large amount of pure spiritual energy surged from within him, filled with an ethereal and elusive quality, and condensed into a mass of clouds above his head, which he gently lifted into the air with his hands.
As spells rained down from all directions, they were all blocked by this mass of clouds. Though it churned continuously, it showed no signs of collapsing. Suddenly, the youth's expression changed, and he let out a muffled groan. From above the clouds, a surge of crimson flames erupted. Although no intense heat was felt, it caused a sensation of dryness within the body.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately vibrated his spiritual energy, and then six heavy water beads, shimmering with a blue aura, shot out, directly into the clouds above. As soon as the six heavy water beads appeared within the crimson flames, they simultaneously released wave after wave of water light. By expending spiritual energy without regard for cost, the layers of water light extinguished nearly half of the crimson flames. As the two clashed, the resulting mist merged into the clouds below.
The ethereal man's spirit was immediately lifted. He glanced at Ji Yuan behind him and then let out a low cry. As a series of incantations were uttered, layers of brilliant multicolored clouds flowed from the increasingly dense clouds, and then continuously poured into the six heavy water beads above. With the influx of multicolored clouds, the power of the heavy water beads surged dramatically. The water light gushing from them became significantly more concentrated, by a considerable margin!
Ji Yuan was taken aback, not expecting the opponent's sorcery to have such a peculiar effect, capable of greatly amplifying powers of different elemental attributes.
"Senior Brother Du! I am here to assist you!"
A woman's clear cry sounded. Following the two, another prodigy awakened from the illusion. She stepped forward, and multicolored clouds erupted from her body. A celestial phenomenon rose behind her, with continuous purple clouds appearing, and streaks of purple light swirling ceaselessly, possessing a distinct aura of purple qi arriving from the east. The prodigy raised her eyebrows and continuously unleashed her spiritual energy. Together with the purple multicolored clouds surrounding her, the clouds above her head were dyed purple.
At this moment, Ji Yuan could feel a power comparable to the peak of the second realm, or even just a step away from breaking through to the third, pouring into the heavy water beads. In mere breaths, with the aid of such power, he actually refined the second restriction of this treasure! His eyes gleamed, and he silently formed a hand seal, then softly murmured, "Annihilate!" Instantly, the water light transformed into a surging tidal wave, simultaneously unleashing a powerful fluctuation comparable to the Ming Dao Realm!