Feng Haiyang was initially delighted, but suddenly the Tribulation Water began to churn as if it were boiling, and a formidable force surged up, causing him to feel uneasy in his chest and change his expression. He hurriedly moved a spell to separate the Devil once more, and saw over twenty Devils suddenly burst apart, scattering away, clearly unable to withstand the power of the Essence Qi.

Feng Haiyang’s face slightly tensed, and he concentrated his energy, exerting all his Mana in an attempt to help the remaining Devils overcome this hurdle.

Thus passed seven days, during which he finally stabilized the Tribulation Water completely, no longer tormented by the Essence Qi.

During this process, nine more Devils dissipated in succession, leaving only three Devils surviving at this moment. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He shook his head, and with a turn of the Tribulation Water, he re-refined the thirty Devils that had scattered, though compared to the remaining three, they were entirely inferior.

He thought to himself, "Though it fell far short of my initial expectations, having these three Devils nurtured with Junyang Essence should suffice for a battle against the Xuanmen."

As he contemplated, his arm suddenly shook, and the Junyang Pot spontaneously shot out from his sleeve, flickering briefly before vanishing.

Feng Haiyang laughed lightly and rose to his feet. With a shake of his body, he released over a thousand Devils and commanded them to scatter in search of the Junyang Treasure Pot.

With the Devils’ assistance, the search gained a significant advantage, yet he dared not guarantee it would be as fortunate as last time, finding the treasure pot before the Xuanmen; thus, he could only first engage the Xuanmen sect disciples in battle, maintaining control of the initiative.

If he could rely solely on these thirty Devils to kill all the Xuanmen sect disciples, that would be best. If not, he had to stall them until the Devils found the Junyang Pot again.

He let out a loud howl, spreading his sleeves wide, activating an escape skill and transforming into a mass of rolling yellow smoke, soaring into the cloud-filled sky.

At Star Stone Middle Road, Xuanmen sect disciples gathered on a high cliff, each concentrating on controlling energy, absorbing and exhaling spiritual mechanisms.

The thousands of Devils remained outside, but were hindered by the Great Array and could not enter to disturb.

The Spiritual Energy here was drawn from beyond the Nine Realms Heavens by the Star Stone, though much dissipated after descending to the Second Realm Heaven, still far surpassing Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, comparable to the Spirit Caves of East Splendor Continent, an ideal place for cultivating the heart. A year of cultivation here equaled ten years outside; consequently, everyone’s cultivation had significantly progressed over these days.

Zhang Yan sat cross-legged on a large blue rock, atop his head a Gang Cloud now condensed into substantial form, its light and energy like a rainbow-glazed tile, radiating five colors. Beside this Gang Cloud, another cloud was slowly taking shape, yet weak and seemingly ready to disperse with a breeze, its existence vague and impermanent, swirling endlessly with his breathing.

At this moment, a flux in Spiritual Energy arose in the field, eliciting an immediate response within him. He slightly blinked and looked ahead to see a talisman paper originally suspended in mid-air now burned down, falling away as ash.

This talisman paper had been issued by Elder Shen earlier, inscribed with a spell, and after a hundred days, it would ignite and disturb Spiritual Energy, awakening everyone from meditation.

Zhang Yan silently assessed, discovering his Mana had thickened slightly over the hundred days, he thought to himself: "What a pity, had I gained the assistance of ’Qiantian Junyang Essence’ during cultivation, I could have achieved twice the results with half the effort, and my advancement could have further accelerated."

In the past, when cultivators entered the Xuanmen here, without Demon Sect vying for the token talisman, they could cultivate peacefully, and even with approval from their masters, they were allowed to use some Junyang Essence to boost their cultivation swiftly.

This swordfight situation was different, however, with Demon Sect disciples lurking as opponents, not only did they lack the complementary Essence Qi, they also had to remain constantly vigilant.

Huo Xuan spewed a beam of golden red light from his mouth and then gradually gathered his Qi Mechanism, finally opening his eyes.

Zhong Muqing and Luo Qingyu awoke one after another. At a glance, they saw Huo Xuan with two dense Gang Clouds above his head turned from illusory to tangible form, while a third mass was faintly emerging, indicating significant cultivation progress.

Among the Mingcang Sect’s top ten disciples, Huo Xuan was the earliest to enter the Nascent Soul Realm, achieving Nascent Soul over a Jiazi ago, with a stable foundation. If he could cultivate for another year or two here without distraction, he would be able to advance to Nascent Soul Second Realm.

Every return of the Star Stone to the Second Realm Heaven allowed a stay for three years, during which the spiritual mechanism activated and would then return beyond the Nine Realms Heavens. According to standard cultivation, it was enough, yet everyone knew Feng Haiyang would never give them such a chance.

After halting his Qi Mechanism, Huo Xuan surveyed his surroundings, seeing the Yang couple and Elder Shen had also concluded their cultivation, he said, "Everyone, now that a hundred days have passed, the Junyang Pot has likely moved elsewhere. If Feng Haiyang wishes to act, it should be within these days. We must remain cautious and vigilant."

Yang Bi’s expression slightly shifted, he tentatively asked, "What if he doesn’t come?"

Huo Xuan replied, "That’s easy enough, Junior Brother Zhang has the Treasure Mirror in hand; we can venture out together to seek the Junyang Pot."

Yang Bi nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something, saying, "During these hundred days, Master Xun is alone outside; I wonder how he’s faring?"

Luo Qingyu chuckled, "Though Master Xun lacks the protection of the Great Array, he holds a sword ball; when danger arises, it will warn him. Moreover, his cultivation site is not far from ours; if Feng Haiyang seeks him out, how could there be no commotion? If there are no signs, it likely means all is well."

That day, Xun Huaiying suddenly left, later sending a Flying Book expressing that his sect’s Cultivation Technique was unique, requiring another place to cultivate.

Though the words were polite, everyone understood; it was this Shaoqing Disciple’s proud nature that led him to refuse cultivation within the Four Symbols Mysterious Array, avoiding any favors owed to Mingcang Sect. They couldn’t force him, so they let him go.

During the conversation, Zhang Yan suddenly sensed an anomaly, swiftly directing his gaze westward several miles away, witnessing a large stream of black water descending from the sky with great momentum. In an instant, a sword light soared forth, emitting a hundred-zhang brilliance, fiercely slashing into it!

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, your support is my greatest motivation.)