Chapter 1045: The Ancient Divine Platform

Qin Sang followed from afar and soon noticed that Venerable Ye seemed to be searching for something. He led Su Nu and the others in a wide circle around the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion before finally stopping.

They halted before an unremarkable hill. Venerable Ye stood still, examining the hill.

The hill was lush with grass and trees, its slopes shaded and green. A few ferocious beasts roamed across it, but apart from that, the scenery appeared natural and untouched by human hands.

Lowering his head, Venerable Ye looked at the talisman in his hand and sensed it carefully. After a moment, he nodded slightly. "It should be here."

The long-bearded elder and the others looked at each other in confusion, unable to tell what their master was seeking.

"Take this!" Venerable Ye handed out a few spirit talismans.

When they received them, they found that each talisman bore the image of a black dragon, drawn in intricate runes. Then Venerable Ye turned his head. "Su Nu, come here."

Su Nu’s heart tightened, and though uneasy, she stepped forward and bowed. "I'm here. How can I help, Master?"

"In a moment, we will need to break a barrier. The art you cultivate is unique. Do as I instruct when the time comes." Venerable Ye gave her several precise orders.

Su Nu felt a rising sense of doubt but nodded silently. After his instructions, Venerable Ye strode forward and casually slew the ferocious beasts in the area. He then circled the hill once before hovering midair on its western side.

He lowered his head slightly, staring at the hill, and suddenly formed a series of hand seals. Spiritual qi trembled.

In an instant, countless runes floated above the hill, forming an incredibly complex barrier. Venerable Ye worked for a long time before finally stopping. Then he took out more than a dozen array flags and embedded them one by one into the barrier. His breathing became heavy, clearly having expended great effort.

At that moment, the outline of the barrier became visible. Suspended in the air was an intricate flag array radiating immense power. Since it had not yet been activated, its function remained unclear.

"You all, stand over there." Venerable Ye pointed toward the edge of the barrier.

The long-bearded elder and the others each took their positions in three directions around it. Su Nu, following his order, stepped forward and took her place along the edge as well.

Then Venerable Ye drew out a jade pendant and suddenly released the seal on his cultivation.

An astonishing pressure filled the sky, pressing down on him with overwhelming force, distorting the very air. Venerable Ye stood suspended in mid-air, unsupported by anything.

His aura surged, his cultivation restored, but the pain he endured grew even worse. Bones cracked within his body, and cracks appeared across his skin, worsening his injuries further.

Crack!

Clenching his jaw, Venerable Ye crushed the jade pendant in his hand.

A burst of colorful light exploded outward. Bathed in that light, Venerable Ye’s expression eased slightly. The glow seemed to shield him from the oppressive pressure of the hidden realm.

Yet there was only one jade pendant, and its power was limited. He dared not delay. In a flash, he flew to the center of the flag array, crossed his legs, and rapidly formed a series of hand seals.

Hum...

The barrier activated, and the spiritual array began to operate.

"Now!" Venerable Ye shouted softly.

The long-bearded elder and the others, already prepared, immediately activated the spirit talismans in their hands. In that instant, dragon roars shook the mountains and forests.

Four black dragons burst forth, each stretching over ten zhang long. Their eyes glowed with divine might, their presence awe-inspiring. The force of their aura swept the mountain like a raging storm.

Hidden far away on another peak, Qin Sang saw everything clearly. His eyes flickered with sharp light. The scene felt strikingly familiar. After a moment’s thought, he recalled it.

The first time he had entered Seven-Kill Hall, he had been sent by the Dongji Alliance on a mission, accompanying Xiang Yi into Purple Mist End.

Back then, Xiang Yi and the others had also used spirit talismans to summon black Jiao to suppress the backlash of the ancient divine platform’s lightning chains, finally breaking its barrier.

The current scene was eerily similar. Only now, the black Jiao had become black dragons, far greater in both size and aura. The dragons were fierce and unruly.

The long-bearded elder and the others struggled to control them, barely managing to restrain the beasts. Only Su Nu seemed completely at ease. The black dragon above her coiled quietly, docile and obedient.

The spirit talisman contains true devilish qi?

Su Nu sensed a familiar aura from the black dragon. It was the same true devilish qi she cultivated.

Just then, Venerable Ye’s voice echoed in her ears. "Activate your art and do exactly as I say..."

Su Nu dared not defy him and followed his instructions carefully. With her participation, the other three dragons also calmed down significantly. At last, the four black dragons let out a low roar in unison and dove straight into the grand array.

A thunderous boom followed as the array flared with dazzling light. The dragons merged into the formation, transforming into a massive sword of light that hung in mid-air before plunging toward the hill.

With the power of that light sword, piercing through the hill should have been effortless. Yet what followed was astonishing.

Without warning, the hill erupted in brilliant golden light, forming a dome of dazzling radiance. Deep within the glow, the outline of a gigantic divine platform became faintly visible.

"The ancient divine platform!" Qin Sang narrowed his eyes. "No, not exactly. It only looks similar on the surface, but it’s grander than the one in Purple Mist End, and the runes on it are far more intricate. Still, the two platforms are definitely connected."

"Break!" Venerable Ye roared and thrust his palm downward.

Boom!

The sword of light struck fiercely against the dome of light.

The dome was in fact a type of seal. Its light was dazzling, and the surrounding mountains trembled, yet the ancient stone platform within remained completely unmoved.

The seal was incredibly solid; even the sword of light failed to pierce through it. However, while the two forces were locked in a stalemate, Venerable Ye flicked his other hand downward. The spirit talisman in his grasp floated slowly toward the ground, appearing light and gentle, yet it landed precisely upon the surface of the dome.

At the same time, the black dragons born from true devilish qi roared and lunged toward the spirit talisman. With a loud hum, the dragons coiled around it, and together they pierced through the dome from the tip of the sword of light.

Inside the barrier, the divine platform’s barriers were instantly activated. Four iron chains transformed into silver-white links, as countless bolts of lightning surged upward from below. Each chain was a lightning chain, but their power far surpassed that of the platform within Purple Mist End.

Rumble!

The black dragons were engulfed by lightning. Their bodies shrank rapidly as the true devilish qi dispersed, yet they managed to shield the spirit talisman to the very end. Finally, the spirit talisman landed upon the surface of the divine platform.

Venerable Ye let out a long breath of relief and formed another seal with his fingers. The sword of light shattered, and the array flags forming the grand array were now covered in cracks, their power completely spent and soon to be useless.

Both the golden light and the shadow of the divine platform faded away. Only the devastated hill remained, silently bearing witness to the extraordinary event that had taken place there.

"This matter is finished. We can leave now." The colorful light around Venerable Ye’s body dissipated as he resealed his cultivation.

He coughed several times, a flush rising to his face, and his figure swayed slightly, showing signs of exhaustion.

That’s it?

Su Nu stood frozen in disbelief.

She had thought the merchant alliance meant her harm, that they might use her again as a sacrifice. She had been consumed with thoughts of escape and survival, even conspiring with outsiders to steal the Soul-Cleansing Liquid and ambushing her senior brother for interrogation.

Yet all of it had been unnecessary. The alliance had merely used her devilish art to subdue the black dragons.

All her scheming and struggling now seemed utterly foolish. A bitter taste filled Su Nu’s heart.