Xu Mu's latter half of the sentence was drowned out by a rumbling sound, so He He did not hear Xu Mu mention death.
Rumble!
Everyone turned their heads and saw that in front of the dark palace, a powerful wave of fire had indeed erupted.
Within the raging waves of fire, a young general clad in armor slowly retracted his halberd.
"Ji Chang!"
Someone exclaimed in shock, calling out his name.
That was Ji Chang of the Ji family, the legendary prodigy who was once invincible in the world. He never expected him to appear here!
"Ji Chang, what are you doing!"
Below the palace, many domain lords were stunned, then became somewhat angry.
"After so many years, you are still so arrogant," Yao Huo said with an unsightly expression, then shouted sternly, "Do you know what you've done!"
"As soon as you touch the palace, you will summon a terrifying existence, and your compatriots behind you will be in danger."
"We have been waiting, trying to find a solution with minimal losses, but you've ruined it all!"
Yao Huo roared. His family had also been implicated in the events of the past, and he had long disliked Ji Chang!
Then, flames erupted from his head to his toes, and a massive phantom appeared in the sky, radiating an incredibly scorching flame, as if it were as tall as the heavens, capable of melting all things.
Xu Mu in the Heavenly Palace squinted his eyes, blinded by the flames. In a daze, he seemed to see the Fire God Zhurong from the murals.
"Human King's Dharma Body!"
Everyone in the field exclaimed. Yao Huo, a half-step Human King, could already summon a Dharma Body. Did this mean he was only one step away from the Human King realm?
He stood in place, his armor turning red from the heat, yet he did not feel the burn. He remained calm and composed.
"A bunch of domain lords, afraid to even knock on the door, forcing me to do it."
Ji Chang raised his hand, a hint of mockery at the corner of his lips.
"Instead of getting angry, why not turn around and take a good look to see if there are any cracks on the palace gate?"
As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned. They had not noticed this matter.
"There really is a crack!"
A young girl's voice rang out. The little loli, holding a plush bear, widened her eyes and pointed at the dark palace gate with an exaggerated expression.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that above the door, there was indeed a small crack. If one did not look closely, it would be imperceptible. Ji Chang's halberd strike was so terrifying!
"You know where the formation's eye is?"
Yao Huo's furious momentum abruptly halted, as he also realized Ji Chang might be right.
"If I didn't know, why would I act?"
Ji Chang's eyes were indifferent. He held his halberd tightly, showing no sign of panic, as if everything was under his control.
"As expected of the former number one genius, but from what I know, you don't seem to be proficient in spatial dao techniques,"
Yun Miaomiao, a graceful woman belonging to the Hunter's Alliance, questioned him.
The world knew that Ji Chang practiced the domineering halberd arts, crushing everything in his path. When did he learn to find the formation's eye?
Could it be that he had an unexpected encounter after being banished to Gui Ye?
"I just know, what business is it of yours?" Ji Chang sneered, his eyes playful. "Didn't you say you wanted to find a solution with minimal casualties?"
"That fog is already drifting over, so why aren't you acting yet?"
Upon hearing this, everyone then discovered the black and yellow dense fog in the surrounding darkness, advancing menacingly, seemingly harboring ferocious great demons.
Yun Miaomiao surveyed their surroundings with a solemn expression. Were monsters capable of killing domain lords about to arrive?
"I'll deal with you later!"
Yao Huo left his words hanging, then condensed a giant fire dragon from his hands. It roared and slammed onto the palace gate, stirring up a hundred-zhang wave of fire that illuminated the entire space.
Rumble!
"We'll attack too!"
The situation was urgent, and everyone no longer hesitated, immediately seizing all available time to act.
Buzz!
Supernatural powers surged, and instantly, countless domains were unleashed. Various terrifying supernatural powers were hurled at the gate.
Some transformed into giant apes, their fists imbued with billions of pounds of force; some summoned exotic beasts, with the great bear race smashing down with heavenly lightning; some wielded sand and gold, forcibly twisting the transparent barrier in front of the gate into a piece of waste paper.
But then, it automatically snapped back...
Innumerable supernatural powers shook heaven and earth, with great momentum. Each move and strike, if placed elsewhere, would be enough to trigger a terrifying disaster.
However, after some time passed, when everyone stopped their attacks, they suddenly realized that their efforts had not achieved the desired effect.
The mist behind them was approaching, and incredibly terrifying monsters were attacking.
And the crack that Ji Chang left on the barrier had barely widened by half.
When Yao Huo sensed something was wrong, he turned back to find that...
Ji Chang had disappeared.
...
"He's gone."
The all-encompassing mist surged, as if terrifying monsters were descending. Xu Mu's body felt the pressure, but his attention was focused on Ji Chang.
He saw that while the strong individuals were attacking, Ji Chang's face suddenly broke into a sinister smile.
Grey White Pupil frowned. Although he hadn't interacted much with Ji Chang, based on the impressions of Charles and others, the man shouldn't behave like this.
If he were to laugh, it should be a triumphant laugh. What was this sinister, ghostly grin for?
"Something's wrong," he judged.
Grey White Pupil knitted his brows, looking at Ji Chang's retreating back. After a careful sensing, he spoke:
"I sense a connection to your origin from him."
"Your soul clone is very likely in his sea of consciousness!"
...
"You must be right, so let's hurry and follow."
The Demon God's Horn had already taken the form of a sword, and the Demon God's consciousness here was the sword spirit.
He deeply believed in Xu Mu's judgment and reminded him in a low voice.
"Damn it, if it weren't for Lord Yao Huo, I would never have bothered with you!"
Seeing the yellow-black mist surrounding them, He He's expression turned grim as he unfurled the Demon Subduing Array. At the same time, he shouted at Xu Mu,
"You stand on the gate of life and don't move an inch, understand!"
Yin Zhongxiu's face lit up with joy. He knew the other party was willing to protect Xu Mu.
But then, his expression froze.
"Who said I was going in?"
Xu Mu's steps forward, towards the mist, suddenly stopped.
Did this person utter the word "death" again?
So he turned around, his expression serious.
"I ask you, are your eyes red and swollen, prone to irritation and anger, unable to sleep peacefully, with red urine, constipation, coughing up phlegm mixed with blood, difficulty in expectoration, vexation, and thirst?"
He He's pupils contracted, and a sense of unease rose in his heart. He involuntarily tensed up.
"What... what nonsense are you talking about!"
Grey White Pupil did not answer and continued:
"I also know that you have dizziness, a dark and gray complexion, weak and sore waist and knees, and coldness in your lower limbs."
"You are listless and weak, with swelling in your lower back that doesn't recede when pressed, and in severe cases, abdominal distension."
The young man's voice was gentle, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze, truly like a rural doctor.
"All symptoms again!" He He was shocked. He could barely remember so many symptoms himself, and he usually tried his best to conceal them.
As he said this, a smile appeared at the corner of Xu Mu's mouth.
"I also know that you're not performing well in bed, and your wife always complains that you're impotent..."
The young man said with a smile. He seemed to have anticipated that this word would be a prohibited term on a certain platform on Blue Star, so he deliberately said it separately.
"!!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, not only He He, but everyone from the Demon Extermination Division's others widened their eyes, their expressions shifting from shock to surprise, then to understanding, and finally to knowing glances.
It was common knowledge that Governor He He had been poisoned, which was why he was so emaciated and his voice was hoarse.
But they never expected there to be so many underlying issues. They hadn't noticed it before, which was truly astonishing.
"He always brags about being as hard as a spear and lasting seven times a night..."
Someone mumbled privately, causing everyone to burst into laughter, seemingly forgetting the impending danger.
"You... you..."
The man's face turned red with anger, as if he were about to strike Xu Mu dead.
At this moment, Grey White Pupil's body had already vanished from where he stood, he didn't know when.
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Thank you, me too."
Xu Mu's body smiled. Disregarding the other's rage, he retreated, slid his finger through space, and then suddenly vanished from his original position.
All that remained were the stunned red-robed figures. Anomalies.
"He... he... disappeared?"
Yin Zhongxiu was dumbfounded. Xu Mu had actually disappeared in an instant?
Could it be that he was captured by the great demon!
"This... I'm not sure," Elder Shu Ju shook his head, glancing at He He, the fifth-stage domain lord who was almost in a daze, and sighed heavily.
The old man thought of his physical condition during this period. The pills refined by that person were indeed effective, comparable to blood coral.
And most importantly, the more he interacted with Xu Mu, the more he realized how extraordinary the young man was.
The old man stroked his beard and said thoughtfully:
"Being tied to him... perhaps it's not a bad thing."
...
"If you want to kill, you have to be able to catch up."
In the new wave of mist, Grey White Pupil roamed leisurely with his saber, his expression relaxed.
He couldn't defeat a domain lord now, but so what? This group of people couldn't catch him.
Now, he planned to take a detour, quietly go to the bottom of the palace, and then kill Ji Chang... no, kill the demon god within Ji Chang's body.
As long as the demon god's soul was dealt with, this trip to Xishan would end perfectly. He had already obtained the sacred relic, and there was nothing left for him in Gui Ye to linger for.
He needed to venture out, improve his realm, and then return to unveil the true face of Gui Ye.
"You're truly my good brother," Xu Mu in the Heavenly Palace gritted his teeth. This brat was too quick with his words, offending everyone. What would he do tomorrow during the day?
"Don't worry, if you're really scared, just give me control of your body. I'll definitely help you."
Xu Mu chuckled, his voice cold.
"So that's your plan."
"But don't worry, even if I die, I won't let your scheme succeed. At worst, no one will live!"
"Let's argue later, let's argue later!"
The grey mist condensed into frost, falling on the hilt of the saber. Charles floated out with a distressed expression, looking around with a solemn expression.
"Look for yourself, where are we?"
"We're lost, okay!"
Grey White Pupil's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"How could we be lost? After teleporting sideways, I walked a total of three hundred and twenty-seven steps, taking fifty-six seconds."
"I made turns at the third, fourteenth, twenty-eighth, and three seconds before the end, and I remember the angle of each turn clearly."
"If that's the case, we just need to retrace our steps along that path."
In the dense fog, Grey White Pupil said confidently. His calculation ability was no less than Charles's mechanical core processor, because he was a heavenly calculator.
"But haven't you noticed that this tree has been there since you passed forty-five seconds?"
Charles was silent for a moment, then pointed to an ancient tree on his right.
Looking at the tree, Grey White Pupil's eyes narrowed. He walked forward and observed it for a few seconds, then searched his memory for a moment, confirming it was the same tree.
Then, he fell silent.
"That's it, that's it! I thought it was something impressive!"
Xu Mu mocked gleefully. He finally saw this guy make a mistake.
"Spatial dao techniques can't be used either, because you have no idea of your position relative to the opponent,"
Charles shook his head. What should they do now? He could sense that there seemed to be something terrifying hidden in the mist, something like a relative of the young Qiongqi!
"It's fine, I have another move."
Grey White Pupil was silent for a moment, then produced a Bagua disk from somewhere, composed of several rotatable circles. The inscriptions changed with each rotation.
"Qian, Zhen, Kan, Gen, Kun, Xun, Li, Dui."
Xu Mu in the Heavenly Palace picked out the eight most prominent characters and read them softly, then scratched his head.
These were the Eight Trigrams that Charles had mentioned. Why was this guy taking out such superstitious items from ancient Blue Star?
Could it be... that this thing, like the Daoist scriptures, was also useful?
"Of course it's useful."
As if guessing Xu Mu's thoughts, Grey White Pupil pinched his fingers and scanned his surroundings with a cold expression. The Bagua disk spun, and the inscriptions formed countless combinations, transforming into a phantom that floated in the air, like an obscure scripture formation that trapped people within.
Xu Mu's eyes were dazzled, but Grey White Pupil's expression was calm. He reached out and gently tapped the air.
The Bagua disk suddenly stopped.
"Five, four."
He said softly, then put it away.
"According to the Later Heaven Bagua, my position is in the Central Palace, and the palace's location is in the southeast direction. I just need to walk this way."
Xu Mu's body pointed into the mist and said with certainty.
Xu Mu in the Heavenly Palace was dumbfounded. What was the Central Palace? Why couldn't he understand that thing?
"It's calculated, but..." Charles's expression became even more solemn, and he dared not say more.
"But what?"
"The direction you're pointing."
Charles's fingers trembled.
"Is there a Qiongqi with fiery eyes there?"
...