Chapter 682: First Signs of Unrest

"I believe so. The man that I just fought against was a Gray Immortal, so it stands to reason that these creatures were all from the Gray Realm as well. Should we continue our search, or get out of this place for now, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame?" Han Li asked.

"At this point, will you really be content with turning back without getting to the bottom of this?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked with a wry smile.

"I suppose we don't have a choice in the matter then, do we?" Han Li chuckled.

The two of them took a moment to rest then continued to make their way deeper into the valley, but they had only walked for a few hundred meters before they spotted a circular array that was around a hundred feet in size on the ground.

The array was constructed out of white stone blocks of different shapes, and there were plumes of gray mist rising up out of it, while spatial fluctuations could be detected around the array.

"I'm assuming this array wasn't always here, right, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame?" Han Li asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"I've never seen this array before, and there's no way that our True Mantra Sect would've set up this array," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied with a shake of his head.

"In that case, those people from the Gray Realm were most likely responsible," Han Li said.

"I've heard that the interrealm barrier between the Gray Realm and the True Immortal Realm is notoriously difficult to break through, how were those Gray Realm beings able to get here? Could it be that they relied solely on this array?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame mused.

"That's not very likely. I can sense spatial fluctuations here, but they're not very strong, nowhere near strong enough to break through an interrealm barrier. On top of that, the array doesn't look very complete, either. Instead, it looks like a part of a larger spatial array. If you ask me, those Gray Realm beings most likely came in from elsewhere," Han Li said with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"You're saying that only a small part of this array has been set up?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked.

"The array here is most likely an important point in a larger array, and the Gray Realm beings that we encountered could've been assigned here to protect this location. Once the entire array is complete, it's very likely that they'll be able to establish a passageway that connects the Gray Realm to the True Immortal Realm," Han Li elaborated.

"If that's true, then our True Immortal Realm is about to face a calamitous disaster!" Immortal Lord Hot Flame exclaimed.

"I wouldn't go that far. The Gray Realm beings most likely chose the True Mantra Sect ruins as an incision point as they somehow discovered that the space here is very chaotic, thereby making it far easier to access from the Gray Realm. However, what they don't know is that the spatial balance here is extremely fragile, so it most likely won't be able to withstand the establishment of a large-scale spatial passageway," Han Li said.

"So you're saying that if they forcibly set up a spatial passageway here, then this space will collapse?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked with a concerned expression.

"I've witnessed more than my fair share of collapsed spaces in the past. The spatial balance here is already very tenuous, and if the balance is broken collapse is almost certainly imminent," Han Li replied with a solemn expression.

"In that case, we have to make haste and find the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra as soon as possible, then leave this place right away," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said.

"Now that even Gray Realm beings have entered these ruins, we really do have to hurry. Otherwise, if we encounter more powerful Gray Immortals, then we may not be so lucky to emerge alive," Han Li agreed.

With that, the two of them disassembled the white stone array and split the materials between each other.

After that, they scoured the valley, upon which they discovered that the cave abode that Patriarch Miro had once cultivated in had already been destroyed, presumably during the battle that led to the demise of the sect.

Hence, they could only leave the valley and travel to the True Mantra Palace according to Immortal Lord Hot Flame's recollection of its location.

......

While Han Li's duo was being attacked by the Gray Realm beings, the battle between Shi Chuankong's trio and the two immortal envoys was drawing to a close. They valley was completely unrecognizable, with both of the mountains at its entrance completely collapsed, and a series of giant craters had appeared on the plaza within the valley.

There were two people standing on one of the few relatively intact spots in the valley, and they were Shi Chuankong and Feng Lin.

Both of them were looking rather pale, and they had sustained some substantial injuries. In particular, Feng Lin was as pale as a sheet, and even the veil on her face couldn't disguise her horrible complexion.

There were three broken bodies laying on the ground next to the two of them, and two of those bodies belonged to none other than Zhao Zhen and Lu Wuliang.

Both of them had been decapitated, and the cuts were extremely smooth.

The final body belonged to Zi Qing, and his entire body was a strange, dark purple color. His skin was occasionally bursting open, and whenever this happened, dark purple blood would spray out in all directions.

As soon as the blood droplets fell onto the ground, a faint sizzling sound would ring out as they easily corroded tiny holes into the ground.

At this moment, Zi Qing's nascent soul was hovering in the air above the body, and it was looking down at its ruined physical body with a disgruntled look on its face.

"I didn't think that Zhao Zhen would have such a vicious technique up his sleeve. Looks like your body's beyond saving, Zi Qing," Feng Lin remarked with a hint of schadenfreude in her voice.

A hint of fury flashed through the eyes of Zi Qing's nascent soul upon hearing this, and it turned to give Feng Lin a vicious glare.

"Don't worry about your body, Zi Qing. You've made a significant contribution in killing those two immortal envoys. Once we return to the Devil Realm, I'll find a suitable body for you to possess, and I'll also ask Father to grant you permission to cultivate in the Devilish Origin Holy Pond. You'll be back to your peak in no more than ten thousand years, and perhaps you could even go beyond your former peak," Shi Chuankong said.

The fury on Zi Qing's face instantly turned to elation upon hearing this.

"Thank you, Young Master!"

"In your current state, you're no longer fit for battle, so just stay and recuperate in this Devilform Gourd for now," Shi Chuankong said as he summoned a black gourd, and a burst of black light surged out of the gourd at his behest to envelop Zi Qing's nascent soul before sucking it into the gourd.

"You did very well, too, Feng Lin. You'll also be rewarded once we return to the Devil Realm," Shi Chuankong said as he flipped a hand over to stow the gourd away.

"Thank you, Young Master!" Feng Lin immediately replied with a hint of elation on her face.

"We've already wasted a lot of time here, so let's clean up the battlefield, then continue onward," Shi Chuankong said.

Feng Lin naturally raised no objections to this, and she began to fly toward the edge of the valley, while Shi Chuankong made his way over to the bodies of the two immortal envoys before looking down at them with a contemplative expression.

Right at this moment, the space outside the valley abruptly shuddered, and strange specks of gray light appeared, following which a thin gray rift emerged without any warning.

Boundless gray mist surged out of the rift and into the valley, instantly filling the nearby area, and it was quickly expanding toward the rest of the valley.

Shi Chuankong's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he made a hand seal, upon which a glowing purple ring shot out of his body, then hovered above his head, raining down rays of purple light to protect him.

Feng Ling also immediately noticed that something was amiss, and she hurriedly returned to Shi Chuankong's side, following which a large purple flag appeared around her.

The nearby gray mist was quickly becoming denser and denser, and ghostly howls were ringing out within it alongside arcs of gray lightning that were flashing incessantly, presenting a peculiar sight to behold.

"Young Master, we have to get out of here! This is the same gray mist that swallowed up Elder Jing!" Feng Lin said with a solemn expression.

"Let's go!"

Shi Chuankong immediately raised a hand without any hesitation upon hearing this, conjuring up a ball of purple light that enveloped them both before speeding away into the distance.

Almost at the exact same moment, a thick bolt of gray lightning shot out of the gray mist, instantly covering a distance of tens of thousands of feet before striking the gray light at an incredible speed.

A loud thump rang out as the purple light exploded, and Shi Chuankong and Feng Lin were struck out of the sky before slamming down onto the ground.

Feng Lin seemed to have been struck by the bolt of lightning, and she threw up a mouthful of blood, which stained the veil over her face red, following which she fell unconscious.

"Feng Lin!"

As soon as Shi Chuankong steadied himself, he noticed that Feng Lin had fallen unconscious, and he hurriedly released a burst of purple light out of his hand to raise up her body so that he could administer some treatment.

Right at this moment, four gray humanoid figures shot out of the gray mist before pouncing at Shi Chuankong and Feng Lin.

These figures were all dressed in gray robes, and they were led by a short figure who possessed a gray, skeletal body as opposed to a body of flesh and blood.

The other three figures behind him all had normal bodies of flesh, and one of them was a young man in a suit of gray armor. He was holding a purple spear, and his long, silver hair was dancing in the wind behind him, adding a sense of flair to his already handsome appearance. However, his murky, gray eyes presented a rather jarring sight to behold.

There was also a tall and beautiful young woman whose exceptional figure showed through even her loose-fitting robe, and as she flew through the air, she was taking occasional glances at the silver-haired young man.

The final figure to round out the trio was a gray-robed elderly man who was quite hideous in appearance, and there was a cold look in his murky, gray eyes.

Trailing along in the gray mist behind them were a variety of gray demon beasts, including lions, tigers, wolves, and apes, and all of them were enormous.

As soon as Shi Chuankong caught sight of the four figures, he immediately identified them as Gray Immortals.

It was naturally quite alarming to see Gray Immortals here, but he remained calm and composed as he swept a sleeve through the air, releasing four palm-sized black talismans that were giving off extremely formidable lightning law power fluctuations and devilish qi fluctuations.

A resounding boom rang out as all four of the black talismans exploded in unison, transforming into four thick bolts of black lightning that crashed down upon the four Gray Immortals.