Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 406

Chapter 389: Truth and Conflict!

Library.

Shen Ye stood before a wall, his eyes slightly closed.

It seemed he was using his spiritual sense to examine the jade slips on the wall.

—These jade slips all had restrictions; before being borrowed, cultivators could only see a very limited portion of their content.

So, most cultivators would find a wall, release their spiritual sense, and slowly examine the summaries within each jade slip.

Amongst the crowd.

Shen Ye kept his head down, completely inconspicuous.

On the other side.

Council Hall.

The Invisible Demon stood behind a pillar, silently listening to the conversation between the Sect Master Sage and the elders.

The matter of Nangong Wantu had already been concluded.

The Sect Master Sage immediately jumped to another topic:

“What progress has been made on the front line?”

“It’s very troublesome. That dead planet is a dual world; the people in their inner world have sensed changes in the outer world and have begun to help the outer world’s people resist us,” an Elder said.

“Weren’t many people searching for the Hun Tian Technique in the inner world before?” the Sect Master Sage asked.

“Now there are far fewer people—they all say that even Yun Ni died there, so many people don’t have the courage,” the Elder replied.

A silence fell over the hall.

While the Sect Master Sage was in thought, the elders tactfully refrained from making any noise.

After a long while.

The Sect Master Sage’s voice finally sounded again:

“This is problematic. My main body is still contending for ownership of the Black King, so I can’t personally intervene.”

“The ownership of the Black King is more important, Sage. It doesn’t matter if you don’t go to the battlefield,” an Elder said.

The Sect Master Sage said, “But Yun Ni’s matter absolutely cannot go wrong—even if she really died, we must find her personal storage bag!”

The elders looked at each other.

“Sage, what exactly are you looking for?”

An Elder cautiously asked, “If there’s a definite mission objective—even if it’s just a name or appearance—our search efficiency would greatly increase.”

“Of course,” another Elder immediately interjected, “if you feel it’s a secret that cannot be told, we won’t ask again.”

The Sect Master Sage was silent for a moment, then raised a hand and formed a hand seal.

Streaks of light emanated from his hand, forming a continuously flowing barrier that enveloped the entire hall.

“At this point, there’s no use in hiding it. It’s better that you all know about this matter.”

“—This is better than searching for a needle in a haystack.”

The Sect Master Sage rose from the high throne, hands clasped behind his back, and slowly descended the steps.

He showed a look of recollection:

“You all thought Yun Ni was on our side, didn’t you?”

“Of course! Sage, she is a genuine Quirky Star species, verified back then,” an Elder said.

Perhaps because the entire hall was veiled by the Sage’s barrier, the elders’ expressions and movements changed somewhat.

Suddenly.

Two fleshy pillars emerged from the back of one elder, with a pair of vertical pupils opening at their tips.

Another elder’s entire skin transformed into dark green scales, and wisps of green mist emanated from the scales, gathering in mid-air to form an insect-like shape.

The Sect Master’s body became enormous, his mouth full of sharp fangs, and his hands split into long, segmented appendages.

“No, I discovered her secret. She is not a Quirky Star species.”

The Sect Master’s tone grew increasingly strange:

“Quirky Star species devour planets on the verge of destruction; their explosive power can destroy heaven and earth. So, when we sensed that destructive power on her, we readily believed her.”

“Even I treated her with great respect, and even allowed her to cultivate the Mount Penglai’s Supreme Oblivion Ascension Scripture.”

The elders, hearing this truth, raged.

“Is she not?”

“So she impersonated a powerful Quirky Star species—damn it!”

“But how could she do that? Who exactly is she?”

The Sect Master Sage’s voice, like rolling thunder, echoed through the hall, overpowering the elders’ voices:

“I know you find it strange.”

“After all, how could an ordinary fellow deceive our eyes?”

“Besides, the power of a Quirky Star species cannot be faked; no one can fake the nature of that power.”

“—Unless she truly can control the power of a Quirky Star species without being destroyed by it.”

The Sect Master Sage’s tone grew cold and solemn:

“There is only one truth—”

“She must be a cosmic demon lord even more advanced than a Quirky Star species.”

When these words were uttered, the elders were all stunned.

The hall fell into a dead silence.

After a long while.

An elder finally said in a tone of surprise:

“Such a demon lord would die in the Formless Layer? What kind of power could possibly kill her then!”

The Sect Master Sage was also somewhat bewildered and said:

“Such demon-lord level entities should have countless ways to escape; otherwise, generally speaking, they would never die.”

The elders all began to recall.

Shen Ye also fell into recollection.

Right.

Yun Ni had countless methods.

But she had a fatal flaw.

—She loved to gamble.

Is gambling a good thing?

It leads to ruin!

Another Elder suddenly spoke:

“She was so powerful, yet before she disappeared, she had been hiding from you, Sage.”

“Hmph, I can awaken those demon lords slumbering in the Demonic Abyss at any time. She stole something, and feeling guilty at seeing me, of course, she wanted to flee quickly.”

The Sect Master Sage continued:

“In fact, after she left a Heart Devil to impersonate her true form, her true form disappeared.”

“What exactly did she steal?” an elder asked.

The Sect Master Sage waved his hand.

The void opened.

An ancient and weathered pill furnace floated in mid-air, then quickly descended, standing in a corner of the hall.

“This is the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Pill Furnace from the ancient era of Penglai Immortal Mountain.”

“The reason I kept an eye on Nangong Wantu is because that fool wanted everything to be the best, and then also became involved with this pill furnace.”

The Sect Master Sage looked around, and seeing the elders bewildered expressions, he continued:

“This pill furnace is a peak creation from the extremely ancient era, indestructible.”

“There is a hidden compartment on the furnace that cannot be opened.”

“Only with the treasure key of Mount Penglai, the ‘Formation-Breaking Holy Rod,’ can this hidden compartment be opened and the item within retrieved!”

The elders then understood.

“Yun Ni took the Formation-Breaking Holy Rod?” an elder asked.

“Yes, it’s hateful that after I finally found the Holy Rod, it was stolen by her in an instant—and then she died in the Formless Layer!” the Sect Master Sage said through gritted teeth.

Everyone’s expressions grew serious.

—It turned out to be such a critical matter!

They looked at each other, stood up and bowed:

“Sage, please calm your anger. We will now head to the Formless Layer and try to retrieve that Formation-Breaking Holy Rod.”

“No,” the Sect Master Sage said.

“Your meaning is—” The elders were puzzled.

“Based on the constantly feedbacking intelligence, I actually feel that the Formless Layer seems to hold some mystery; rather than having you continue to probe, it would be better for me to go personally.”

The Sect Master Sage suddenly turned around, walked back to the high platform, and looked at everyone.

“My Heart Devil body staying here, monitoring some stray cats and dogs all day, is less useful than going to the Formless Layer!”

“With the power of the Supreme Oblivion Soul-Binding Palace, no information can escape my eyes!”

“—You all guard the sect for me.”

“Yes, Sage,” the elders responded in unison.

The Sect Master Sage nodded, his figure shook, and he shot into the sky, disappearing in an instant.

The elders gathered, discussed various matters, and then prepared to disperse.

“What about this pill furnace?”

An elder suddenly asked.

“The Sage didn’t say when he left,” another elder said.

“Then leave it here and wait until the Sage returns.”

“Reasonable!”

The elders dispersed.

The Invisible Demon waited for a while, and seeing no further movement, prepared to return.

Shen Ye’s heart, however, stirred.

—The ethereal flames on the ground gradually disappeared.

This meant that the Supreme Oblivion Soul-Binding Palace had left the Dao Palace and followed the Sage to the Formless Layer universe.

Such a good opportunity—

Shen Ye controlled the Invisible Demon to walk towards the pill furnace.

No one was around.

Not only had the Sage left, but even the elders had gone.

It was the opportune moment to retrieve the item from the hidden compartment!

The Invisible Demon circled the pill furnace, found the location of the hidden compartment, and was about to act, but paused.

—There was no one around!

Not even a single enforcement cultivator!

Could it be a trap?

The Sage was an extremely suspicious person; what if he intentionally left this pill furnace behind—

Shen Ye pondered briefly, but showed no signs of retreating, instead making up his mind.

Damn it!

Always monitoring, probing, testing!

You can’t detect my Invisible Demon at all. If this is a trap, I’ll jump into it anyway!

The Invisible Demon extended both hands—

One hand was aimed at the hidden compartment on the pill furnace, the other at the void.

Deep breath.

One.

Two.

Three!

The pill furnace revealed a door, and the Invisible Demon reached in and grabbed, then immediately moved, colliding with the void pressed by its other hand.

The door on the pill furnace disappeared.

Another door, however, appeared in a different direction.

It slammed into the door and vanished instantly.

The door disappeared with it.

Everything happened in a blink of an eye!

In the library.

Lines of faint glowing text appeared before Shen Ye’s eyes:

“The original Invisible Demon possesses everything you do.”

“The Invisible Demon opened a gate to the heavens before the hidden compartment, crossed all obstructing obstacles, and retrieved the item within the compartment.”

“The Invisible Demon dissolved the gate to the heavens before the hidden compartment.”

“With its other hand, it opened a new gate to the heavens, entered it, and directly crossed into your dharma idol.”

Success!

There was no need for a Formation-Breaking Holy Rod; the Gate to the Heavens could directly retrieve the item inside.

Shen Ye remained calm, instructing the Invisible Demon to place the jade slip from the hidden compartment into the dharma idol, then reappear before him.

“Go to the Council Hall again and see if there’s anything happening.”

He murmured.

The Invisible Demon’s figure flickered, flying into the sky.

In an instant.

It returned to the front of the Council Hall.

When the Invisible Demon saw the situation inside the hall, Shen Ye couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

He saw the Sage squatting on the pill furnace, his face a mix of suspicion and vigilance, his hands constantly forming incantations, releasing spells to survey his surroundings.

Dog!

You really came back!

No matter how many tricks and schemes you have—

You can’t see the Invisible Demon!

Shen Ye let out a slight breath.

What made the whole thing seamless was, in fact, the hidden compartment on the pill furnace.

Its surface was perfectly intact.

The various restrictions attached to the pill furnace had not been activated either.

In other words—

No one discovered that he had taken the item inside!

“Strange… there seemed to be traces of energy flow just now…”

The Sect Master Sage muttered to himself.

The Invisible Demon stood outside the hall, coldly watching the Sage.

When retrieving the item from the hidden compartment, the Gate to the Heavens was opened, causing a slight disturbance.

Beyond that, the Sage truly couldn’t detect anything.

Shen Ye’s mind stirred.

The Invisible Demon turned around and swiftly left the main peak, flying back to the library.

Indeed—

The Invisible Demon would not be detected.

But who knew what the overly suspicious Sage would do?

Since he had already succeeded and the hidden compartment remained intact, there was no need to take further risks.

—From now on, he wouldn’t play along!

No matter how much you, Sage, probe, recheck, or set traps, I won’t concern myself.

I’ll just stay in the sect and diligently carry out my own affairs.

Like this, what could you possibly find?

As for the pill furnace—

If you give it back to me, I’ll take it.

After all, I rented it for several months!

—You can’t keep it from me forever, can you?

Besides.

You can’t find the Formation-Breaking Holy Rod anyway.

Shen Ye’s mind was completely at ease.

Suddenly.

A roar echoed from the distant mountain outside the library.

The cultivators reacted extremely quickly, immediately rushing out and looking towards the main peak.

They saw that the main peak’s Council Hall had been struck by a spell with extremely powerful energy fluctuations, reducing the entire hall to rubble.

The Sage stood in mid-air, his expression icy, meticulously observing every movement within the entire sect.

Ethereal flames once again covered all the mountain peaks, beginning to monitor everything.

Any unusual stir will be immediately caught!

Shen Ye moved with the crowd.

When others gasped, he gasped too.

When others were panicking and at a loss, he tightly clutched his storage bag, took a few steps back, leaned against the wall, and warily observed the expressions of the surrounding cultivators.

—Rich people instinctively protect their little money.

Nothing wrong with that!

In the sky, the Sect Master Sage gazed for a long time, finding nothing.

He finally spoke:

“Elders and disciples of each peak, no need to panic.”

“This Venerable One was experimenting with a new spell and momentarily lost control.”

When everyone heard the Sect Master Sage say this, and saw that there were indeed no other disturbances on the main peak, they slowly relaxed.

So it was a spell that went out of control.

Then it’s fine.

Shen Ye also slowly exhaled, putting his heart at ease.

—Although the Invisible Demon could not be detected, it would still die if attacked by a spell!

It was right that he brought it back in time!

The Sage shouted from mid-air:

“Disperse, all of you! Do not gather around the main peak!”

“Yes!”

The voices of elders and disciples echoed from the various peaks.

Shen Ye also responded with the crowd.

When others turned to return to the library, he followed them.

He wouldn’t stand out, anyway.

—This time, he truly wasn’t in a hurry.

He completely relaxed, strolled leisurely, and began to slowly read the surrounding jade slips.

These jade slips contained records of some famous historical events in the universe.

Unlike jade slips related to cultivation methods, these knowledge-based jade slips, which could not enhance one’s power, had no restrictions and could be freely read.

Shen Ye read these things unhurriedly.

—He wasn’t in a rush to check the jade slip from the hidden compartment in his dharma idol either.

After a while longer.

Humanoid skeletons made of ethereal flames emerged from the ground, wielding weapons, and patrolled everywhere.

Shen Ye ignored them.

The main point was that he was in no hurry when they were!

A few hours later.

He finally saw records about the Immortal Kingdom of Penglai.

Elder Wang—

There were no historical records about Elder Wang!

In fact, the history of Mount Penglai for a hundred years before its destruction was a blank.

If…

To truly investigate why Elder Wang was so wealthy, he needed to visit the ruins again.

Perhaps the half-body statue in the ruins knew what happened back then.

After all, it was alive.

It had survived from that era.

But now it was truly inconvenient to go.

The entire sect was under the surveillance of the Supreme Oblivion Soul-Binding Palace.

If it discovered he wasn’t in the sect—

Then he would be exposed.

Shen Ye was hesitating when a flash of inspiration struck him.

That’s right.

He couldn’t go.

—The original Invisible Demon could go!

And it couldn’t be detected!

No sooner said than done.

Within the Dharma Idol of the Immortal Kingdom, the Invisible Demon opened a Gate to the Heavens, stepped through it, and arrived at the ruins.

The half-body statue stood in the plaza, unmoving.

Hm?

He had arrived, but why was it not reacting?

…It couldn’t detect him.

The Invisible Demon pondered for a moment, then formed hand seals with both hands.

Immediately, several streaks of spell light gathered, forming lines of faint glowing text in mid-air:

“I have a few questions for you.”

As soon as the small text appeared, the half-body statue immediately moved.

It frantically shifted its feet, quickly ran away into the distance, and while running, it shouted:

“Ghost! There’s a ghost!!!”

Invisible Demon: “…”

No.

You’re a statue, what are you afraid of ghosts for!

Shen Ye controlled the Invisible Demon to chase it, finding the half-body statue in a patch of grass.

He thought for a moment, then again controlled the flowing light to form a line of small text:

“If you can answer my questions, I will send you to the third level of the Penglai Holy Relic.”

The half-body statue then plucked up its courage, trembling, and said:

“Ghost brother, is that true?”

“True,” a new line of text appeared.

“Then ask away.”

“Back when Mount Penglai was destroyed, who was the elder who died in the Demon Extermination Hall?”

“Elder Wang Jiangshan.”

“What was his role in the sect?”

“Resource allocation for the sect.”

At this point, the half-body statue whispered, “After his death, all the sect’s accumulated resources went missing. I suspect those demons had been eyeing him for a long time, then killed him and stole his treasures.”

In the library.

Shen Ye subconsciously rubbed his forehead.

—I didn’t do it on purpose!

At that time, he used the keywords “Dangerous True Man” and “Good Brother” only to help Xiao Mengyu kill enemies.

“Dangerous True Man” caused Elder Wang to make a mistake in battle and drop treasures at his death.

“Good Brother” then picked up Elder Wang’s storage bag.

So—

The sect treasures of Penglai Immortal Mountain all fell into my hands?

Shen Ye silently sighed.

Forget it, it’s better that I took them than leaving them for the demons who destroyed Penglai Immortal Mountain.

In the ruins, another line of small text appeared:

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the third floor of the ruins.”

The half-body statue immediately jumped up.

It quickly ascended to the second floor of the ruins, stood on the broken staircase, and buzzed,

[Novel website]

“Look, this is where you go to the third level, but unfortunately, the other half of the holy relic has long been missing.”

The Invisible Demon approached and pressed its hand against the void.

“Door!”

The Gate to the Heavens reappeared.

The door opened.

On the other side, a staircase leading upwards became visible.

The half-body statue stepped forward to leave, then suddenly lost its voice and said:

“It’s you!”

The Invisible Demon sent out a flash of light, forming a line of small text: “You know who I am?”

“No, I don’t know who you are, but I know what you possess—”

The half-body statue excitedly continued:

“For tens of thousands of years, only a handful of people in the Immortal Kingdom cultivated ‘Tong,’ and among these few, only one or two cultivated ‘Tian’—”

“‘Tong’ can give your strongest abilities the attribute of ‘spatial-temporal penetration’;”

“‘Tian’ can, on the basis of the Supreme Oblivion Ascension Scripture, transform your Heart Devil into an Invisible Demon!”

“—You are one of us!”

Shen Ye was somewhat surprised.

This half-body statue knew quite a lot.

“Is there anything you can help me with?” Shen Ye wrote glowing small text through the Invisible Demon.

“Of course! I will guide you through the entire relic’s trials; it will help you grow stronger step by step.”

The half-body statue said excitedly.

Shen Ye suddenly realized a problem.

In the first trial, he had already advanced one stage in his Dharma Realm cultivation.

But now, the one participating in the trial was the Invisible Demon.

Succeeding in the trial wouldn’t increase his own strength; it would only increase the Invisible Demon’s strength.

As if knowing what he was thinking, the half-body statue buzzed:

“It’s alright, I’ll guide your Invisible Demon through the trial first, so you’ll have an idea.

“Next time you come in person, it will be even easier to pass.”

The Invisible Demon typed out a word:

“Good.”

It followed the half-body statue back to the plaza.

—Since Shen Ye himself was not participating in the trial, as a newcomer, the Invisible Demon had to start from the first trial.

“For the first layer’s trial, as there are no other Penglai disciples present, I will summon an ancient divine beast called Huodou.”

“Its strength has been somewhat suppressed.”

“You must defeat it.”

The half-body statue said, initiating the first trial.

The void opened.

A monster, three times a person’s height, descended.

This was a black hellhound, its entire body wreathed in surging flames.

As soon as it appeared, it warily scanned its surroundings, then fell into bewilderment.

Where is the enemy?

—The Invisible Demon was undetectable.

The Huodou ran back and forth across the plaza, but always failed to find the Invisible Demon.

But Shen Ye also faced a dilemma at this moment.

The Invisible Demon only had one-third of his strength!

How was he supposed to fight like this?

He pondered for a few breaths, then suddenly remembered something and had a plan.

In a short while.

The Invisible Demon silently channeled the Supreme Oblivion Ascension Scripture, and its spiritual energy stirred throughout its body.

Hoo—

A faint golden radiance flowed endlessly around the Invisible Demon.

Fiery Spirit Divine Light!

This was refined spiritual energy that could triple the power of all attacks on a target.

Thus.

The Invisible Demon’s attack level was now on par with Shen Ye’s.

The demon walked towards the Huodou.

The beast named Huodou was unaware, still pacing and warily observing everything in the plaza.

The demon ran alongside it, casually drawing the Spring Rain Blade, silently channeling its spiritual energy—

A cold glint flashed!

The Huodou let out an earth-shattering roar, its chest profusely bleeding, already severely wounded.

At this moment.

Its ferocity erupted, and regardless of where the enemy was, it immediately prepared to unleash a powerful, wide-range fire spell.

How could Shen Ye let it have its way?

He controlled the Invisible Demon, raised the Spring Rain Blade high, and calmly uttered:

“Yingyingying.”

The pale golden keyword ‘Group Pet’ activated!

“When any entity targets you, you only need to chant the exclusive keyword incantation, and the opponent’s anger/killing intent/malice will immediately vanish, and they will not trouble you for at least five minutes.”

The Huodou’s anger instantly vanished.

It lay calmly and peacefully on the ground, looking down at the blood on its chest, completely clueless as to what to do next.

The Invisible Demon’s Spring Rain Blade slashed with full force!

Blood splattered!

The Huodou roared, about to strike—

“Yingyingying.”

The Huodou immediately ceased its roar, its expression peaceful and serene, its bewildered eyes staring into the void, looking almost cute.

The blade fell again—

Blood splattered!

The Huodou bristled with rage, revealing its fangs, and was about to breathe fire.

“Yingyingying.”

The demon said faintly.

The Huodou closed its mouth, becoming cute again.

The final strike!

The half-body statue’s voice drowned out the Huodou’s cries:

“Congratulations!”

“You have passed the first layer’s trial!”