Sneaking Through

A peculiar resonance arose between the three tokens. Allowing the token to hover before him, the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader moved his lips slightly, formed an incantation seal with his hands, and pressed downward into the empty air. The illusory blades floating around him flared slightly and surged toward the immortal restriction. In the next instant, the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader let out a low shout. Blue veins bulged across his face, making his expression somewhat savage. His aura abruptly shifted, and a mass of shadow suddenly surfaced behind him. In the blink of an eye, the shadow condensed into the projection of an ancient demon with three heads and six arms! The demonic silhouette was faintly illusory, yet it radiated monstrous, towering malice. At the same time, the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader retrieved an eerie, palm-sized demonic statue with his other hand, which likewise possessed three heads and six arms. The demonic silhouette flickered and plunged into the statue. With a series of sharp, cracking pops, the demonic statue grew wildly and sprang to life, turning into a true ancient demon. A chilling, towering savagery burned within its demonic eyes. The statue's heads turned. Two heads stared up at the immortal restriction overhead, while the third fixed its gaze upon the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader, its eyes flickering erratically. The Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's heart clenched. Under the demonic statue's stare, he felt an actual prickling sensation across his body. He could vaguely sense that the demonic statue might not fully obey his commands and showed signs of slipping from his grasp. At this thought, the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's expression darkened. He rapidly executed a mental incantation, letting out a muffled groan as his face turned deathly pale. Then he opened his mouth and spat out a stream of essence blood, laying a blood restriction upon the demonic statue before finally bringing the treasure firmly under his control. "Break!" The Eastern Pole Alliance Leader pointed at the immortal restriction. By now, the illusory blades conjured by the spirit formation had already plunged into the rosy glow of the immortal restriction. Faint ripples disturbed the rosy light. The illusory blades covered a vast area, encompassing the entire immortal restriction near the mountain summit. As the rosy glow roiled, profound runes faintly surfaced within it. It was as though these illusory blades were probing the immortal restriction bit by bit, searching for flaws within. The Eastern Pole Alliance Leader stared fixedly at the rosy light. Moments later, the token flashed, glowing noticeably brighter than before. The Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's expression shifted slightly. Pointing toward a spot in the immortal restriction, he barked, "Go!" With a sinister snicker, the demonic statue leaped into the air. Raising its six arms like fiendish blades, it thrust savagely into the rosy light of the immortal restriction. *Pfft!* The rosy light flared brilliantly. Profound runes shattered, exposing a flaw. The immortal restriction began to retaliate. Bolts of thunder manifested within the rosy glow, striking brutally against the demonic statue. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* The demonic statue shuddered violently. Demonic light surged over its body, surprisingly holding off the backlash of the immortal restriction. Even so, fissures cracked across its torso, and one of its arms was severed, tumbling into the rosy glow where it was instantly ground to ash. Seeing the terrifying might of the immortal restriction, a flicker of shock flashed through the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's eyes. Yet he did not relent, forcefully driving the demonic statue forward. *Boom!* The demonic statue actually succeeded in forcing its way deep into the rosy light. At this sight, a smile of relief appeared on the Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's face. He murmured, "This demonic statue truly counters the immortal restriction. What a pity the difficulty of refining it is simply too great. Even with the combined power of the Three Great Merchant Alliances, only this single one could be forged." As the demonic statue plunged inward, the backlash of the immortal restriction grew ever more ferocious, violently convulsing and affecting the surroundings with tremendous upheaval. The Eastern Pole Alliance Leader's smile vanished. Immediately wiping away all traces, he pulled back and made his retreat. Though he did his best to conceal it, the disturbance within the immortal restriction could no longer be hidden. In the distance, the cane-bearing old woman on patrol seemed to sense something. She snapped her head toward the mountain peak, filled with suspicion and alarm. Then, in a succession of blurs, she darted in that direction. *** At the very same moment. The elder had departed from the isolated magma isle at some unknown point. Crossing the lava, he had arrived at an unfamiliar expanse. Gripping the token tightly with a tense expression, he looked up at the thick grey mist overhead. The grey mist churned incessantly, yet remained relatively calm. Right at this moment. A tempest erupted within the grey mist without any warning. *Rumble...* The grey mist was thrown into complete chaos. The tempest surged out of the mist and poured downward, tearing the earth apart and whipping up scalding lava, as though the entire space were violently trembling. Standing at the very eye of the storm, red light shimmered around the elder, forming a suit of armor that protected his entire body and shielded him from the lava and debris. Then, stomping his foot violently, he braved the tempest and charged directly into its depths. Only upon entering the grey mist did he realize that a barrier formed by restrictions lay here. This barrier was not an immortal restriction, but one constructed by later generations. Right now, the immortal restriction outside was being battered by the demonic statue. The barrier was originally supposed to be protected by the immortal restriction. But now, the immortal restriction had become a double-edged sword; its aftershocks struck the barrier, causing cracks to split across its surface. Under normal circumstances, let alone an elder at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, even a great cultivator would find it nearly impossible to breach the restriction here. Now, however, it presented the elder with an opportunity. *The Alliance Leader is truly unfathomable. He actually managed to breach the immortal restriction!* The elder marveled inwardly. Bearing the Alliance Leader's instructions firmly in mind, and seeing the fluctuations of the immortal restriction grow increasingly violent with cracks spreading ever denser, he picked out a slightly larger fissure and plunged through without hesitation. Bursting past the barrier, his vision was instantly swallowed by a blinding, glaring rosy light. *Crack!* A terrifying pressure descended. The armor on the elder's body dimmed abruptly, on the verge of shattering. Enduring the agonizing pain, the elder widened his eyes, but could see nothing. He could only grip the token tightly, transform into a beam of sword light, and seize the chance to swim through the rosy radiance. Even though this was merely the edge of the rosy light and not nearly as terrifying as the center of the immortal restriction, the elder still had to sacrifice several protective treasures along the way. *** Within the Core Formation stage Trial Realm. Su Nü and the others stared blankly at the sky above. Not long after the token had been activated, dark clouds had suddenly gathered, and thunder had erupted. Filled with horror, everyone turned toward Eldest Senior Brother, only to find him looking just as bewildered. The scene here was utterly terrifying—the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting! A massive hole seemed to tear open in the sky, as if the heavens themselves were falling down. Gales and lightning crashed against the cliff walls on both sides, sending boulders tumbling down and shaking the earth. Never could they have imagined that activating the token would create such a massive disturbance, and none of them understood the cause. Although this place was some distance from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, at this very moment, the cultivators there had surely noticed the anomaly here. "Eldest Senior Brother, what in the world did Master tell you to do? How much have you kept hidden from us?!" The alluring woman cried out. Looking at the terrifying scene above with horror, she shouted in an exasperated interrogation. The long-bearded elder hesitated. "Master only instructed me to activate the token. He didn't..." "Look, what is that! There seems to be someone!" The burly cultivator suddenly interrupted him with a shout, pointing at the gaping hole in the sky. Everyone hurriedly looked over. High within the breach in the sky, a speck of silver light had appeared at some unknown moment. The silver light descended from the heavens, seemingly encasing a silhouette within! "There really is someone! Did we unleash some kind of fiend?!" The alluring woman panicked. After peering closely for a moment, her expression abruptly changed. "Wait... That looks like..." "It's Master!" The long-bearded elder drew in a sharp breath of cold air, utterly astounded. "Master snuck through into this realm!" Everyone stood frozen in a daze, finding it impossible to believe.