Chapter 1181: Seen Through
Chapter 1181: Seen Through
"Daoist Ming Yue, you must not lower your guard. One reason Sin Abyss has been able to press us step by step is precisely because of these Nether Crystal Towers. These things can move freely, yet they possess power comparable to a spiritual array and have many other uses besides. Because of that, Sin Abyss's army can maneuver with great flexibility. The protective arrays we painstakingly set up should normally require an army several times larger than ours to break through, or else they would need to detect a weakness in the array and find a method to break it. But because Sin Abyss has the Nether Crystal Towers, breaking arrays becomes much easier..." Jinglin warned him.
Qin Sang recalled the information related to the Nether Crystal Towers.
Back in the Demonic Sea, he had experienced the demon race’s siege of Desolate Island. Although he had quickly found a way to escape, he had also witnessed some of the human race’s methods there. He had not seen any treasure capable of rivaling the Nether Crystal Towers.
There was no doubt that such an object was a devastating weapon in battlefield formations. No wonder Sin Abyss had been able to seize the upper hand. Even if the Two-Domain Alliance possessed similar treasures, they were far inferior to the Nether Crystal Towers.
"Did Sin Abyss suddenly bring out the Nether Crystal Towers only after the last war began? Did they not have them before?" Qin Sang asked carefully.
There was no devilish qi on the Nether Crystal Towers, so it was unclear whether they had anything to do with ancient devils.
Sin Abyss also possessed a hidden realm like Sin God Palace. It was said that many treasures were hidden inside. It was entirely possible that Sin Abyss had been lucky enough to excavate the Nether Crystal Towers from Sin God Palace.
Jinglin paused in surprise, then quickly remembered. "Ah, Daoist Ming Yue only reached the Transformation Realm not long ago, so at the time you probably were not paying much attention to the struggles among the three domains. In truth, even before Ziwei Palace was ambushed that time, Sin Abyss had already been restless, repeatedly invading our borders, and we had fought them several times. Back then, they had already displayed things similar to the Nether Crystal Towers. Only, whether in power or in number, they were nowhere near what they are now. During those years, Sin Abyss may have developed something further, or perhaps dug up more materials..."
"And you never considered imitating this treasure?" Qin Sang asked in return.
Jinglin laughed bitterly. "Of course we wanted to imitate it! But even within Sin Abyss, the refinement method of the Nether Crystal Tower is an absolute secret, known by only a few. We have captured Nether Crystal Towers before, but even now, we still have not figured out what material they are made from, much less how to replicate them."
Their exchange through spiritual consciousness took no more than a few thoughts. As they spoke, the Sin Abyss had already drawn closer step by step.
"I found him. That is Old Devil Tan!" Jinglin instinctively lowered his head and pointed out the direction to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang had already noticed the cultivator standing at the front of the Sin Abyss battle formation. This man flew through the air with a red fire chain wrapped around his left arm, and all the surrounding cultivators clearly feared and respected him.
"Old Devil Pei is hiding, but he has to control the Nether Crystal Towers, so he cannot be too far from them." Jinglin searched in secret but failed to spot Old Devil Pei.
Qin Sang was searching as well. Behind the Nether Crystal Towers, two figures were hiding in the shadows. Around them floated a faint layer of ripples, like a transparent veil that enclosed them inside.
Other cultivators passed right by them, and the veil merely quivered slightly, yet no one seemed to notice the two men at all.
"With Daoist Master Chanling here to support us this time, we will definitely pull out Sandi'e Stronghold!" One of them stared at the sea of mist ahead and spoke with full confidence. This person was precisely Old Devil Pei.
Standing beside him was a gaunt Daoist. The man stood with his hands behind his back. The azure gauze veil was the treasure he was controlling, perfectly concealing both their figures and their auras inside it.
The two stared at the sea of mist for a moment. Then Old Devil Pei let out a cold laugh. "As expected, that fellow surnamed Si is the one coming out to fight. I already know his supernatural abilities like the back of my hand. Aside from that astra of his called the Aurric Mirror, the rest are nothing to fear. This time Daoist Tan has come up with several ways to restrain him. As long as we lure him over and strike together at the right moment, we can at least seriously injure him. Before their reinforcements arrive, we can seize Sandi'e Stronghold..."
The Spiritual Infant cultivators of Sin Abyss were actually entertaining ideas very similar to Qin Sang’s group.
"Sandi'e Stronghold is not such an important place. In the end, it will still depend on what results Daoist Ye and the others achieve... As long as the two of you are confident, that will do." Daoist Master Chanling slightly nodded. "With three Nether Crystal Towers here, they definitely know that you are also present. You may as well directly activate the Nether Crystal Towers to attack and dispel the suspicions of Si Di and Jinglin. I will hide beneath the Lightless Gauze and infiltrate."
Old Devil Pei sounded somewhat concerned. "They will certainly shrink inside the Cold Bell Array and refuse to come out. If you enter the Cold Bell Array directly, will the person controlling the array discover you..."
Daoist Master Chanling smiled faintly. "My Lightless Gauze is soft as water and excels at following the current and adapting to circumstances. Even if I mix into the array, it will not be so easy for me to be exposed. Unless the other side has someone whose spiritual consciousness surpasses mine, there is no way they will see through my trail. However, I must devote my full effort to controlling the Lightless Gauze in order to achieve this effect. When I make a move, there will be a brief delay. That is also the flaw of the Lightless Gauze. That moment is enough for an opponent to react, so I will need close coordination from you and Daoist Tan."
Upon hearing this, Old Devil Pei’s eyes brightened. "Daoist Master, you're at the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm. In the Two-Domain Alliance, the number of people whose spiritual consciousness is stronger than yours can be counted on one hand, and none of them would appear at Sandi'e Stronghold!"
The two exchanged a few more transmissions. A flash of light appeared around Old Devil Pei, and he vanished into thin air.
Daoist Master Chanling, meanwhile, drifted forward like a wandering soul, carrying the Lightless Gauze with him.
After flying some distance, Daoist Master Chanling seemed to sense something. His brow furrowed slightly, and he stared into the depths of the sea of mist. He swept his gaze across it once, found nothing, lightly shook his head, and continued carrying out the original plan.
Inside the sea of mist, Qin Sang’s heart suddenly jolted. Daoist Master Chanling’s concealment method was extraordinary, but it could not escape the eyes of the Sky-Eyed Butterfly. With just a single glance, he had gained an unexpected discovery!
As Qin Sang carefully searched through the battle formation, he found Old Devil Pei and at the same time discovered this Daoist. His heart sank. Sin Abyss had sent three Spiritual Infant cultivators this time.
When he had the Sky-Eyed Butterfly continue activating its supernatural ability to get a clearer look at the man, the other party had almost noticed them. That person’s spiritual consciousness very likely far surpassed Qin Sang’s own! A bad feeling rose in Qin Sang’s heart.
"Daoist Jinglin..." Qin Sang’s face turned grave as he immediately informed Jinglin of what he had discovered.
"What? Three Spiritual Infant cultivators?!" Jinglin cried out in alarm. After hearing Qin Sang’s description, he immediately thought of someone. "It is him! This man’s Dharma name is Chanling. He is at the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm and possesses a rare concealment astra. He once made us suffer badly, and we have never had a good way to deal with him. He has always appeared around Wangdong City in the east, yet now he is here. It seems like Sin Abyss intends to break through from our side!"
"Middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm?" Qin Sang’s expression changed slightly.
It was not his opponent’s cultivation that alarmed him. Rather, Daoist Master Chanling was clearly targeting Si Di, meaning the enemy had the exact same plan as they did.
If they clashed head-on, their side would gain no advantage. It looked like they would have to change their strategy.