Chapter 478 - Walking Into Hell's Gates!

Back in the courtyard, a graceful and mesmerizing beauty stood before a gathering of human stalwarts.

The figure's elegance was unmarred by the cold detachment on their face, and their stature loomed just a touch above those around her as they spoke, "What happened? Did Yun Xiao get cold feet and run away?"

"Of course not! Please, Mirage Immortal, just wait a moment longer," Dean Yu assured, refusing to entertain the notion.

"Fearing the Sky Source Immortal is no shame," the Mirage Immortal offered with a cold smile, shaking his head. "But, to boast beyond one's means and then falter... it's a needless hassle you've put us through these past three days.

"Our magic has weakened the Sky Source Immortal significantly over three days, but it has cost us too. Further delays only give him strength to possibly escape," the Mirage Immortal declared, his voice thick with dissatisfaction.

Dean Yu might have spoken further in Yun Xiao's defense, but just then, a flicker of light danced across the sky. It was the glow of the Sovereign Sword.

"He's back," Lian Xi whispered, her eyes alight with relief.

As her words settled, a youth in white descended from the heavens, his garments fluttering as he touched down in the courtyard.

Seeing Yun Xiao, the Mirage Immortal's tone softened, "You've finally arrived, Young Master Yun. I've been waiting for you."

"Apologies, I was a little busy with something," Yun Xiao responded, his eyes glowing red. His form was shrouded in a bloody mist, while his body radiated with demonic miasma and the calamitous aura of the Nian.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the assembly as they noted the change in Yun Xiao.

"Human form, demon aura, and devil blood?" Dean Yu's brows knitted together.

The very air seemed to thicken with hostility at the presence of these markers, an instinctive repulsion from these human stalwarts who stood as sworn enemies to demons and devils.

However, their apprehension eased after recalling Yun Xiao's words from a while ago, leaving only a web of confusion.

"Are you a demon or devil?" the Mirage Immortal asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"I am human," Yun Xiao replied with a smile. "I've merely been stained by the demons and devils I've slain. Does that trouble you?"

"To see a human slay so many to the point of altering their own essence... it's unheard of." The Mirage Immortal laughed.

"Weren't you in a hurry just now? Yun Xiao shifted the conversation topic. "Why don't we set off immediately, to slay the trapped Sky Source Immortal?"

"Exactly my thoughts!" the Mirage Immortal responded, his gaze sweeping over Dean Yu and the other formidable figures, his demeanor turning stern. "Please, everyone."

The Primordial Academy and the Oblivion Demon Sea had always been archenemies, yet even in alliance, Dean Yu and her comrades could not truly warm to their counterparts.

About 200 Yin-Yang Immortals stood ready, their spirits tempered for the daunting task of confronting the Sky Source Immortal. The air was heavy with the gravity of their undertaking. They all knew Yun Xiao's previous victory over the Mystic Earth Immortal was an anomaly; whether such success could be replicated remained a question.

"The Oblivion Demon Sea boasts 3,000 Ying-Yang Immortals, more than the entirety of the Primordial Ruins, relying primarily on their numbers..."

"The reason they've sought us out is twofold. Their singular nature makes them powerful in illusion but weak in direct combat power. Secondly, the majority are Yin Immortals, with top-tier Yang Immortals like Dean Yu and the Martial Emperor rare among them."

"Most crucially, Yun Xiao represents an unpredictable factor."

The human champions were well aware of the details of this alliance. Though fewer in number, their role was to spearhead the assault, amplifying the illusionary advantage of the Dreamsea Abalones.

With a mutual glance, they felt a fierce resolve, ready to march. This determination also spoke of their trust in Yun Xiao.

After all, they stopped trying to get the help of the Arbiter Immortal!

"Lian Xi, you stay behind," Dean Yu suddenly said, turning to the girl in white by her side.

"Why? Master, I'm a Yang Immortal now," Lian Xi protested, puzzled.

"Someone must guard the Arbiter Immortal," Dean Yu murmured, her voice a whisper in the girl's ear. "Should unforeseen events arise, we need someone to carry on the mission."

At this, Lian Xi could only look towards Yun Xiao.

"Stay," Yun Xiao said with a smile. He, too, was reluctant to have Lian Xi witness him wielding the powers of demons and devils.

With the two most important people in her life advising her, Lian Xi, despite her worries, nodded. "Then I'll keep an eye on any changes in the Immortal Asylum."

"Let's have a drink together when I return," Yun Xiao said softly.

Lian Xi's cheeks flushed. "Yes!"

With that, Yun Xiao took to the skies on his Sovereign Sword, followed by the others, each a streak of light heading towards the Immortal Asylum, their hearts braced against the unknown, ready to face death without flinching.

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Not long after their journey began, the Immortal Asylum loomed before Yun Xiao and his company. A vista unfolded where the divine steles, once lowered by the Three Immortals, were shattered by the Nian.

In their place, a ring of illusionary torrents enveloped the Asylum. Endless, snow-white streams poured in from its eight gates, within which shimmering lights twinkled, hinting at myriad real worlds contained within.

"Where are your people?" Dean Yu turned to ask the Mirage Immortal.

"The Sky Source Immortal is formidable. Only by engaging him at close quarters can we drain his strength effectively," the Mirage Immortal explained.

"The entire Immortal Asylum has become your sea of illusions," Dean Yu observed, locking eyes with the Mirage Immortal.

"Rest assured, should I turn on you before the Sky Source Immortal falls, I would be short-sighted, courting my own demise," the Mirage Immortal assured them seriously.

"And after his fall?" Dean Yu inquired.

"After that, we'll all rejoice, yet be too exhausted for conflict. There will be plenty of time to determine the victor then. Why rush to confrontation amongst allies with the Human Zenith Immortal still at large?" the Mirage Immortal responded with a wry shake of the head and a bitter smile.

The understanding was clear. With only the Human Zenith Immortal remaining, how could they not seek vengeance?

In this three-way power struggle, the Primordial Academy, being the weakest, paradoxically became the safest.

With that, the conversation concluded. The Mirage Immortal gestured for them to follow, leading the way into the white sea of illusions.

This bizarre, fantastical ocean seemed to have no effect on them. They tore through the waves of illusion, penetrating deep into the Immortal Asylum, to the site of the former nine hells' contest for supremacy.

"Three thousand Dreamsea Abalones are over there," Yun Xiao pointed out. Following his gaze, they saw 3,000 snow-white shellfish demons, standing erect, embedded in the ground in circular formations.

"The Sky Source Immortal!"

At the center of these circles sat an old man, his clothes tattered, his hair unkempt, legs trembling. His pale complexion and emaciated body spoke volumes of his current vulnerability.

Yun Xiao had encountered the Sky Source Immortal before, a figure then as radiant as the sun and as unyielding as a mountain, inspiring awe and fear. Now, reduced to a shadow of his former self, with dark circles under his eyes, it was evident...

"The illusions of the Dreamsea Abalones have indeed taken their toll on him," Shen Cang murmured.

"After three days of wearing him down, we've obliterated at least seventy percent of his combat strength. Now, we just need your help for the final blow to ensure victory," the Mirage Immortal said.

As they positioned themselves above the Sky Source Immortal, the sight of the chaos-inciting villain weakened to such an extent ignited a surge of vengeance in the 200 Yin-Yang Immortals gathered. Their eyes blazed with the fires of retribution as they readied their magic treasures, Life Sigils, and Sword Souls.

"What's the plan?" Dean Yu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll leave 2,000 of my kin to continue the illusion, while the rest will follow me... to exterminate you all," The Mirage Immortal's tone shifted mid-sentence, his gaze turning to Yun Xiao and the others with a sinister smile. The cruelty and mockery in his eyes grew wild.

As his words ended, the 2,000 Dreamsea Abalones below suddenly turned, stirring the towering sea of illusion against the 200 humans. The remaining 1,000 Dreamsea Abalones pulled from the earth and closed their shells, spinning furiously like white-bladed gears.

"To exterminate us?"

The abrupt betrayal stunned everyone present, Yun Xiao included, who thought he might have misheard.

"Are you out of your mind? What happened to our three-way power balance, targeting the strongest first?" Yun Xiao's eyes flashed sharply.

"Where did you get that idea? In all myriad worlds, there's only the struggle between good and evil." The Mirage Immortal winked seductively, bursting into laughter.

Meanwhile, the frail-looking Sky Source Immortal rose to his feet and looked towards Yun Xiao and the others with a menacing tone, "I stand with the Dreamsea Abalones on the side of good, while you, the scum that crosses the street, represent evil! You, with your malevolent ways, have drawn the ire of both heaven and man. And so, it's only natural for us to join forces to utterly destroy you!"

His gaze became wild as he fixated on Yun Xiao. "It was you who harmed my brother. I worried I might never find you, yet here you are, walking into hell's gates of your own accord."

Despite being duped, Yun Xiao couldn't help but look at the Dreamsea Abalones in bewilderment, "You've come all this way just to support the Three Immortals? Weren't you after the Immortal Asylum?"

"In the grand scheme of things, what is the Immortal Asylum compared to our age-old alliance with the Three Immortals?" The Mirage Immortal posed the question as 1,000 Dreamsea Abalones, akin to bladed gears, rose up and encircled the human cultivators. Meanwhile, another 2,000 crafted an illusionary ocean, morphing into a colossal sphere that sealed off any escape for Yun Xiao and his allies.

At this, the Sky Source Immortal and the Dreamsea Abalones shared a chilling laugh.

"Something's not right!" Yun Xiao's gaze, fiery and intense, locked onto the Mirage Immortal. "Your eagerness to please him shows fear! You never feared the dominance of the Three Immortals before, but now you do. This implies he has a powerful backer that even you are afraid of!"

Caught off guard, the Mirage Immortal sneered back, "Wild guesses won't save a dying man."

"I'm right," Yun Xiao asserted, pointing at the Sky Source Immortal with a puzzled expression. "Why else would he be so weakened?"

The Sky Source Immortal's legs were trembling as if he were exhausted from over-exerting himself, hardly the image of a feigned weakness. Prompted by Yun Xiao's question, both the Sky Source Immortal and all the Dreamsea Abalones seemed increasingly agitated.

"This youngster is peculiar. Leave him to me so I can avenge my brother; the rest are yours," the Sky Source Immortal declared coldly.

"Yes!" the Mirage Immortal hastily agreed, clearly intimidated.

With the force of the 3,000 Dreamsea Abalones, how could the 200 human Yin-Yang Immortals possibly stand a chance?

Excluding Yun Xiao, this was an overwhelming mismatch! What was once an even fight had now turned drastically against them. Faced with such a dire situation, despair would cloud any heart.

"Dean Yu, Martial Emperor!" The 200 humans turned their trembling gazes towards their pillars of strength.

"Yun Xiao..."

Yet, Dean Yu and Shen Cang almost instinctively looked towards the young man in white before them...