Looking at the scene before him and hearing Elder Xia’s words, Chen Xuan couldn’t help but frown.

He couldn’t understand how the other party had discovered him.

In his opinion, with the Aura-Concealing Pearl and the Origin Concealment Technique working together, even Soul Formation cultivators should have struggled to detect his presence.

’Could there be some hidden formation in this chamber? But how did the Heavenly Insight Eye fail to notice it?’

Regardless of the reason, Chen Xuan didn’t dwell on it for long. In the end, it changed nothing.

His gaze sharpened as it swept across Elder Xia and the surrounding corpse puppets, carefully gauging their auras.

A moment later, he quietly exhaled in relief.

Although the corpse puppets had indeed stepped into the Nascent Soul realm, they had only barely crossed the threshold. Among Nascent Soul cultivators, they could be considered the weakest.

As for Elder Xia, he was merely at the Late Stage of Nascent Soul. Even if all of them joined forces, Chen Xuan wasn’t worried about losing his life.

The only thing that made him concerned...

His eyes shifted toward the trembling coffin.

The arrival of the corpses hadn’t calmed it. On the contrary, the rattling had grown more violent. The chains creaked and strained as if something inside was trying to tear its way free.

Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Honglan’s sword form appeared in one hand while the Common Saber materialized in the other.

He lifted a foot, preparing to step out from the protection of the Yin-Yang curtain and launch an immediate attack.

Yet halfway through the motion, he suddenly froze.

Turning his head, he looked toward a nearby shadow.

A golden radiance flickered there.

The next instant, it erupted. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

A dazzling figure emerged from the light. A long golden spear formed in her hand, which she thrust toward Elder Xia.

It was a woman.

Clad in white-and-gold robes, the woman possessed a breathtaking beauty.

Her graceful and well-endowed figure strongly contrasted with the holy aura surrounding her, making her seem both alluring and untouchable.

Yet beneath that beautiful appearance hid lethal killing intent.

The spear pierced through the darkness, aiming directly for Elder Xia’s head.

Shockingly, Chen Xuan and Elder Xia had never been the only people in the chamber.

There had been a third person hiding here all along.

Unlike Chen Xuan, Elder Xia showed no surprise.

Death Qi surged before him, condensing into a monstrous claw. The giant hand shot forward and collided with the incoming spear.

Boom!

The two attacks collided, annihilating each other.

Since the spear was connected to her hands, the backlash forced the woman several steps back.

Before she could regain her footing, pale hands burst from the ground beneath her.

They clamped around her ankles like iron shackles and tried to pull her down.

It was the corpse puppets!

Unknowingly, they had already moved.

Half of them had already surrounded her, while the others had sunk into the shadows below and launched a sneak attack.

In less than a single exchange, the woman had fallen into a dangerous predicament.

Elder Xia showed no intention of holding back.

The corpse puppets charged forward from every direction while he remained behind them, weaving spell after spell formed from concentrated Death Qi.

At the same time, a mocking sneer spread across his decaying face.

"So you’re from the Holy Fire Cult."

His cloudy eyes swept over her body.

"What was your Cult Leader thinking when they sent you here? Did you offend someone important so they sent you to your death?"

Hearing those words, Chen Xuan’s doubts immediately vanished.

He understood the woman’s identity.

She was from the Holy Fire Cult, a rare neutral power that stood apart from both the righteous and demonic factions.

He had heard rumors that the Holy Fire Cult’s influence stretched across multiple Domains, with the Tianxuan Domain branch being only one of many.

Now that even Elder Xia, a foreign cultivator, recognized them at a glance, the rumors were likely true.

Naturally, Elder Xia had no idea someone else was secretly listening.

Watching the woman struggle against the encirclement, his smile grew wider.

"I was rather surprised when someone managed to sneak this far without alerting anyone."

"But if it’s the Holy Fire Cult, then it makes sense."

He paused briefly before letting out a hoarse laugh. His gaze was filled with contempt.

"I’ve heard your sect possesses a rare treasure capable of concealing one’s aura. A useful toy. Unfortunately, your little tricks are worthless before me."

Elder Xia shook his head and spread his arms slightly.

"Life and Death coexist. We corpse refining cultivators study both Life and Death."

"How could you possibly escape my senses?"

Whether because of his words or the relentless pressure, the woman’s defense finally showed signs of cracking.

One of the corpse puppets seized the opportunity. Its black nails slashed across her shoulder, tearing through her flesh.

Then, an arrow condensed from Death Qi shot toward her abdomen and left behind a large hole.

Blood splashed across the floor.

Pain flashed across the woman’s face. Her grip on the spear loosened, and her body staggered.

Elder Xia immediately seized the opening.

Death Qi intertwined in the air, forming an enormous black net.

It descended from above and completely enveloped her.

Before she could break free, the corpse puppets poured their own Death Qi into it, layer upon layer.

Within moments, the net had become as solid as a prison.

The woman was captured!

Elder Xia chuckled eerily.

His gaze slowly wandered over her body, his eyes flashing with greed.

A trace of appreciation appeared in his eyes as he examined her flawless features and exceptional physique.

In particular, he focused on certain parts of her body.

The woman immediately grew furious. She had clearly misunderstood his intentions and believed he was lusting over her body.

Unfortunately for her, reality was far worse.

"Hehehe... I should be able to make an excellent puppet out of you."

Elder Xia’s laughter echoed through the chamber.

His finger dug into his own cheek, nearly slicing through his rotting skin.

"I should be thanking you," he said, turning to look toward the giant coffin.

"I wasn’t entirely certain whether those puppets would be enough to awaken the Ancestor."

"But with your contribution, the ritual should finally be complete."