Chapter 1033: Crossing in Secret

Chapter 1033: Crossing in Secret

A strange resonance arose among the three command tokens.

The Dongji Alliance's leader suspended his token before him, his lips moving silently as his hands formed a series of seals. He pressed his palm downward.

The illusory blades floating around him shimmered faintly and rushed toward the celestial barrier.

The next moment, he gave a low shout. Veins bulged across his forehead, his face twisting into a fierce expression. His aura suddenly changed, and behind him appeared a mass of shadow.

In the blink of an eye, that shadow transformed into the phantom of an ancient devil with three heads and six arms. The devilish phantom was faint but exuded boundless malevolent might.

At the same time, the Dongji Alliance's leader took out another object with his free hand. It was a palm-sized, eerie devilish figurine shaped exactly like the phantom, also with three heads and six arms.

The phantom flickered once and plunged into the figurine. A cracking sound rang out as the figurine rapidly expanded, coming alive. It turned into a true ancient devil, its devilish eyes burning with murderous radiance that chilled the soul.

The devil's heads turned. Two gazed upward toward the celestial barrier above, while the third looked directly at the Dongji Alliance's leader, its eyes flickering uncertainly.

A chill crept up the leader’s spine as that gaze fell upon him. He even felt a faint stinging pain through his body.

He could faintly sense that the devil might not fully obey his will. It was showing signs of breaking free from his control.

His expression darkened at the thought. Quickly forming another incantation, he gave a muffled groan as his face turned deathly pale. Opening his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood and essence, which spread over the devil, imprinting a blood seal that finally allowed him to gain full control.

"Break!" He pointed toward the celestial barrier.

The illusory blades formed by the array had already merged into the glowing mist of the barrier.

Ripples began to spread across the radiant glow. The reach of those illusory blades was vast, covering the entire mountain summit. As the light trembled, faint, intricate runes appeared within. The blades seemed to probe the barrier little by little, searching for flaws hidden within.

The Dongji Alliance's leader watched the glow intently. Moments later, the command token flickered again, glowing brighter than before.

His eyes sharpened. He pointed toward a specific spot on the barrier and commanded in a low voice, "Go!"

The devil gave a wicked grin, its massive form rising from the ground. Its six arms lifted high like six demonic swords and drove straight into the glowing barrier.

Puff!

The light flared violently.

Profound runes shattered, revealing a gap. The celestial barrier retaliated. Bolts of lightning burst from the light, striking the devil with immense force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The devil shuddered violently. A surge of devilish light flared across its surface, barely fending off the barrier’s backlash. Even so, deep cracks appeared along its body, and one of its arms broke off, fell into the radiant glow, and was instantly reduced to ashes.

Witnessing the power of the celestial barrier, a trace of horror flashed in the alliance leader’s eyes. But he did not stop. He forcefully commanded the devil to press forward.

Boom!

The devil managed to force its way into the depths of the glowing barrier.

Seeing this, the alliance leader finally exhaled in relief, a faint smile spreading across his lips. "So this devil truly restrains the celestial barrier. A pity it was so difficult to forge. Even with the combined power of the three great merchant alliances, we could only refine one."

As the devil plunged deeper, the backlash from the celestial barrier intensified. The violent tremors spread outward, creating a massive disturbance.

The alliance leader’s smile faded. He immediately erased all traces of his actions and withdrew. Even with all his efforts to conceal it, the barrier’s reaction could no longer be hidden.

Far away, the old woman with the cane, who had been patrolling the area, suddenly sensed something. She turned sharply toward the mountain peak, her expression filled with alarm and doubt. In the next instant, her figure flashed repeatedly as she sped toward that direction.

***

At the same time, the gray-robed elder had left the magma island at some unknown moment. He crossed the molten sea, reaching an unknown place while clutching his command token tightly. His expression was tense as he looked up at the thick gray mist above.

The mist flowed endlessly, appearing calm for the moment. Then, without warning, a hurricane burst out from within.

Rumble!

The gray mist was torn apart. The violent storm roared downward, ripping through the ground and churning up molten rock. The entire space quaked as though it were collapsing.

The elder stood at the eye of the storm, red light shining around him as armor manifested over his body, shielding him from magma and debris.

He then stomped hard and shot straight into the heart of the hurricane. Only after entering the mist did he see it clearly. It was a screen formed by a barrier.

This screen was not part of the celestial barrier but something constructed later by human hands.

As the celestial barrier outside was attacked by the devil, the screen, which should have been protected by it, was now suffering instead. The shockwave from the celestial barrier had become a double-edged sword, striking the screen and causing cracks to appear.

Ordinarily, even a late-stage Spiritual Infant expert could hardly break through this barrier. Now, however, it had become an opportunity.

"The alliance leader truly lives up to his reputation. He actually managed to break through the celestial barrier!" the elder murmured in awe.

He remembered the alliance leader’s instructions clearly. When the celestial barrier's fluctuations weakened slightly and the cracks began to close, he focused on a larger fissure and darted toward it without hesitation.

He slipped through the screen. Instantly, his vision was swallowed by dazzling radiance.

Crack!

An overwhelming pressure crashed down upon him. The armor around his body dimmed sharply, on the verge of shattering.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, the elder widened his eyes, though he could see nothing clearly. He clutched the command token tightly and transformed into sword light, navigating through the glow.

Even though this was only the glow's outer edge, far weaker than its center, he still had to sacrifice several protective astras to survive.

***

In the Core Formation cultivators' trial realm, Su Nu and the others stared blankly at the sky above them.

Not long after their command token was activated, dark clouds rolled in, and lightning burst forth.

Shock rippled through the group as they turned toward their eldest senior brother, only to see that he too wore an expression of utter confusion.

The scene before them was apocalyptic. The heavens and earth were collapsing. The sky itself seemed to have torn open, as if the heavens were about to fall.

Lightning and violent gales struck the surrounding cliffs, sending massive boulders tumbling while the earth trembled beneath their feet.

None of them could have imagined that activating the command token would cause such an uproar. No one knew why it had happened.

Although this place was some distance from the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion, at that very moment, the cultivators there would have certainly noticed the disturbance.

"Eldest Senior Brother, what exactly did Master order you to do? How much have you been keeping from us?" The seductive woman cried out, her face pale with fear as she glared at him, her voice trembling with anger and panic.

The long-bearded elder hesitated. "Master only told me to activate the command token, nothing more—"

"Look! What is that? It looks like someone!" The burly man suddenly interrupted him with a shout, pointing toward the massive rift in the sky.

Everyone looked up. From within the tear in the heavens, a faint silver light had appeared at some unknown time. That silver light descended from the sky, and within it seemed to be a human figure wrapped in brilliance.

"There really is someone! Did we just release some kind of devilish monster?" The seductive woman’s expression grew tense. She stared for a moment, then her face suddenly changed. "Wait... That looks like..."

"It’s Master!" The long-bearded elder gasped sharply, eyes wide with disbelief. "Master has crossed over in secret!"

Everyone stood frozen in place, stunned beyond words.