Chapter 148 - Blood Fiend Formation 3

The three of them entered Yao Xueqing’s Tier 2 concealment array, planning to stay here for a day. Since they could not wander too far off, this array served their purpose perfectly.

Li Sibai also stepped outside to observe. Without the Violet Light Divine Eyes, this array would indeed be difficult to detect. However, under the illumination of the Violet Light Divine Eyes, the fluctuations of the pure spiritual energy were laid bare before him.

After offering a few more parting words of advice to Yao Xueqing, Li Sibai prepared to take his leave.

Right at that moment, however, he sensed another group of people approaching from not far away, heading straight toward the entrance of the grand array.

After a brief hesitation, Li Sibai decided to stay a little longer to see what kind of people were arriving this time.

During the previous incident, their hiding spot had been too far away, allowing him only a glimpse of the strangers' attire without enabling him to probe their cultivation levels.

This time, their concealment array happened to be situated right near the entrance. On one hand, this would test the effectiveness of the concealment array; on the other hand, it would allow them to gauge the cultivation realms of the newcomers.

Li Sibai had no intention of fighting unprepared battles. Gaining more intelligence at this stage would be of immense help to his subsequent actions once he entered the grand array.

Before long, a squad of people dressed in green robes arrived before the array. Embroidered upon the cuffs of each of their garments was a verdant green ghost head, filling Li Sibai with astonishment.

"The Ghost Spirit Sect!" The name flashed instantly through Li Sibai's mind, though he did not voice it aloud. After all, with the enemy right beside them, the primary objective was to conceal themselves and avoid detection.

Yao Xueqing was equally struck with extreme shock by what she witnessed before her. First came the Blood Demon Manor, and now the Ghost Spirit Sect—two of the four major Demonic Cults had already surfaced. Just what was happening here? The situation appeared far more troublesome than anticipated.

Even Yuan Kui’s expression grew tense. The disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect were dangerously close to them, having halted just outside the array. He even had the feeling that a few of them were glancing in their direction. This made Yuan Kui's heart beat faster and faster, his hand instinctively resting upon the hilt of his steel saber as if he were ready to erupt into a frenzied killing spree at any second.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist, followed by the transmission of a gentle yet upright aura. Yuan Kui immediately felt a great deal of relief, and his entire being calmed down instantly.

Turning his head, he saw Li Sibai offering him a faint smile. Yuan Kui nodded and removed his hand from the saber hilt, whereupon Li Sibai released his grip on his wrist.

At that exact moment, a change occurred among the people below. A middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader was holding a small yellow flag while murmuring incantations.

A moment later, the entrance of the grand array that they had observed earlier began to transform. The previously tranquil spiritual energy started to churn and swirl. Where the naked eye had previously seen nothing at all, a door glowing with a crimson light suddenly materialized. Simultaneously, waves of intense malevolent aura washed over them—an aura Li Sibai found thoroughly familiar, distinctly carrying the sensation of combat energy.

With a wave of the leader's middle-aged hand, the entire squad marched in an orderly fashion through this door and vanished from their sight shortly thereafter.

Seeing that everyone had entered, Li Sibai hastily activated his Violet Light Divine Eyes to observe. He discovered that the squad of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples who had just entered did not linger; once inside, they pressed forward in a specific direction. Meanwhile, the entrance behind them did not close immediately, though they had left four individuals behind to stand guard.

Li Sibai felt somewhat hesitant at the sight. The cultivation levels of these four guards were not particularly high, with the highest among them merely at the fifth layer of the Piano Heart Realm. Li Sibai debated whether he should take this opportunity to move in and eliminate them.

The advantage of doing so would be securing a guaranteed passage into the grand array, but the disadvantages were equally obvious. It was unclear whether the enemy had set up ambushes in the shadows. Although his current Violet Light Divine Eyes could see inside, their range was limited, and if an ambush awaited them, it would alert the enemy and hinder his subsequent operations.

However, if he chose not to enter now, his only alternative would be to wait until the entrance closed and everyone inside had departed before making further plans.

Earlier, he had also inspected this entrance with his Violet Light Divine Eyes and deduced that it seemed capable only of being opened; closure required waiting for it to shut on its own, which was why they had left guards stationed here.

Yet, lacking an array flag did not completely preclude entry. The entrance appeared exceptionally vulnerable at certain times, meaning the possibility of sneaking in existed. The only uncertainty was whether the person controlling the array would detect him when the time came.

While Li Sibai was still hesitating, the entrance below closed. The surrounding pure spiritual energy seemed to return to normal, and Yuan Kui let out a long sigh of relief.

"Brother Li, who are these people? Why do they all have skulls embroidered on their cuffs? It's truly terrifying." Remembering what had just transpired, Yuan Kui still felt a lingering sense of fear.

Accustomed to being pampered in Tianyuan City, despite his penchant for playing petty pranks, his experience in the pugilistic world remained shallow, leaving him utterly ignorant of these demonic sects. A sudden glimpse of such skull motifs inevitably frightened him.

Inwardly, Li Sibai felt secretly grateful for his earlier decision to stay; otherwise, someone with such timidity would simply be marching to their death by entering.

"Could those be people from the Ghost Spirit Sect?" Instead of answering, Li Sibai posed a question, casting his gaze toward Yao Xueqing.

By this point, Yao Xueqing had nothing left to conceal. She nodded and said, "The Ghost Spirit Sect, the Blood Demon Manor... I never expected matters here to grow increasingly intractable. I believe we should promptly notify the sect master to dispatch reinforcements. Relying solely on the few of us is utterly useless."

Li Sibai nodded in agreement. "Previously, when we gathered information at the Tianzhong Pavilion, someone had already departed to seek assistance from the Profound Heaven Sword Sect. Although they likely traveled by land, I believe they should arrive within the next couple of days."

Hearing this, Yao Xueqing felt a slight sense of comfort and managed to squeeze out a faint smile.

"Although the group that just entered is large in number, their cultivation levels are confined to the Piano Heart Realm, with only their leader reaching the second layer of the Awakening Origin Realm. An array of this magnitude can never be controlled by such individuals alone, which shows that this grand array has yet to reach its final stage. I will go inside to investigate. Senior Sister, you and the others should return immediately. It would be best for you to personally dispatch someone via a flying mount to deliver a message to Elder Miaofa. Perhaps that will cause the sect to attach even greater importance to this matter," Li Sibai said after a moment of deep thought. Under the current circumstances, he could no longer afford to care about whether he would obtain the reward of the Primordial Spirit Pearl, even though it had been of great importance to him previously. As a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, he knew there was something far more crucial than elevating one's cultivation realm—fighting against the Demonic Cults.

As the mortal representatives of the demon race, the Demonic Cults had always maintained some mysterious connection with demons. They practiced combat energy, and their cultivation methods were rumored to have been imparted to them by the demons themselves, a fact that had long been met with utter disdain by righteous sects.

Under the continuous suppression of the righteous sects, the Demonic Cults had been subdued and had vanished from public knowledge for a long time. Yet this time, two factions of the Demonic Cults had returned in a resurgence, and it remained unknown what heaven-shaking upheaval they were currently brewing.