"Thank you, Senior Xiu Luo, for bestowing the treasure upon me. Once matters here are concluded, this junior will surely return to discuss the Dao with you," Yuan Ming said with a smile and a cupped-fist salute.

Afterward, he turned around, pushed open the bamboo door, and strode out.

Outside the bamboo door was a secret chamber illuminated by Moonlight Stones. Yuan Ming looked around, considering how to leave, when suddenly his heart stirred, and he turned to see a palm-sized array that appeared to have materialized on the wall.

He pressed his hand on the array, and then he heard a rumble as the wall in front of him slowly rose. He stepped out quickly and found himself back in the main hall on the second layer of the high tower.

At the same time, Wan Qi Hong and others also emerged from secret chambers in different directions; from the expressions on their faces, it seemed they hadn't achieved much.

Yuan Ming's gaze turned to Xi Ying, but she did not look at him and simply stood silently behind Dugu Feng.

Wan Qi Hong and the other five Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances, surprised to see that everyone had returned unharmed, and were just about to converse when they suddenly heard a crackling sound from ahead.

...

While Yuan Ming and others were undergoing their trials, a burst of crystalline light flashed outside Yin Capital City, and a giant chessboard flew in, hovering outside the city gate—it was Wu Yuezhi and his companions.

The Core Formation cultivators were still on the chessboard; however, the pattern they had formed was entirely different now, creating a circular ring.

A black light shield enveloped the whole Heavenly Star Chessboard, appearing indestructible.

"Yin Capital City! There seems to be a restriction within the city, making it difficult to see the situation inside. It doesn't look simple," the one-eyed man on the Heavenly Star Chessboard said with an astonished and delighted expression as he looked down at the city below.

The other Core Formation cultivators also peered eagerly toward Yin Capital City.

Wu Yuezhi also looked into the city, which seemed to be separated by a layer of rough crystal, making it difficult to see clearly, and Divine Sense also couldn't penetrate.

He turned to the gorgeous young girl beside him, who just happened to look back at him; both saw a trace of confusion in each other's eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, now that we have reached the depths of the Immortal Mansion, shall we separate to seek our own fortunes? Continuing to advance together might be inappropriate," the one-eyed man said to Wu Yuezhi with a cupped-fist salute.

The others also looked over, their expressions cautious.

The longer they stayed on the Heavenly Star Chessboard, the more proficiently they were able to combine their Mana, and the greater their power.

However, the restrictions of the chessboard also grew deeper, its black light shield imprisoning them atop the board like a jail.

Wu Yuezhi's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

"What you have said makes sense. Let's part ways here," the man in the green robe suddenly spoke.

"Big brother..." Wu Yuezhi seemed to want to say something but was silenced by a look from the man in the green robe.

Wu Yuezhi, somewhat reluctantly, performed a spell, and the black light around the huge chessboard dissipated, freeing everyone on it.

"We will repay the kindness of the three Daoist friends generously once we leave the Immortal Mansion," the one-eyed man said with a bow. He and several Core Formation companions flew off the chessboard and descended into the city.

The other Core Formation cultivators scattered in all directions as well, some entering the city, others flying away into the distance, quickly disappearing without a trace.

"Big brother, why let those people leave? Their departure significantly weakens the power of the Heavenly Star Chessboard. With our sister here, it would have been easy to keep them," Wu Yuezhi said, puzzled.

Although the circular protective shield had disappeared, the spirit light of the Heavenly Star Chessboard was still present, so their conversation couldn't be heard from outside.

"With my Six-winged Butterfly King Gu, they wouldn't dare to disobey," the beautiful young girl raised her arm, her loose sleeve sliding down to reveal her fair wrist.

On the young girl's arm, like white jade, was a bright butterfly pattern with three pairs of wings in different colors—one red, one white, one black—looking rather eerie.

"There's no need. With the situation always changing within the Immortal Mansion, these people with fickle hearts would be more of a bane than a boon if forcefully kept," the man in the green robe shook his head and said.

"If big brother says so, it must be right," Wu Yuezhi immediately changed his attitude, showing great trust in the man in the green robe.

"Indeed, with our combined strength as the three of us, conquering this Immortal Mansion will be more than enough," the gorgeous young girl also added.

"Big brother, didn't you say that the Illusion Technique Restriction within Yin Capital City had been broken according to that person's message? Why do I still feel its presence? Could that person be deceiving us?" Wu Yuezhi looked down at the city and asked.

"No, spreading such a lie that could easily be seen through is not that person's style. There must have been some kind of change inside Yin Capital City that caused the Illusion Array to reform," the man in the green robe said thoughtfully.

"Six Nascent Soul cultivators working together, yet they can't break a mere Illusion Array—what a bunch of incompetents," Wu Yuezhi said, showing contempt.

"Don't underestimate them. The Five Thunder Sect, Guiyuan Sect, and Spirit Talisman Sect have been established for thousands of years, and Chang Chun Temple is even an evergreen tree on the Yunhuang Continent that has lasted for ten thousand years. The Nascent Soul cultivators from these sects are not to be trifled with. You're talented and have strong methods, but if you underestimate the characters of this world because of that, you will suffer sooner or later," the man in the green robe said, his words laden with deep meaning.

"You are right, big brother," Wu Yuezhi said, his body jolting as he bowed his head in admission.

"Let's go. We have already delayed enough. Head straight for the City Lord Mansion. According to that person's message, the treasures there haven't been claimed yet; we can't let others take advantage," the man in the green robe flew downward.

Wu Yuezhi and the young girl followed hurriedly.

...

Within the second layer of the black tower, accompanying the "click-click" sounds, the walls cracked open again, revealing the passage to the third layer.

The crowd exchanged glances; led by Wan Qi Hong and other Nascent Soul cultivators, they took to flight towards the direction of the passage.

At that moment, strands of yellow light began to appear out of the void above the passage, and the next moment, countless yellow clouds billowed forth, instantly enveloping the entire second layer space.

Composed of numerous minute sand particles, the rolling yellow clouds produced a "whooshing" sound as they surged.

The change occurred so suddenly that everyone, including Wan Qi Hong, didn't have time to react before being surrounded by the yellow clouds, which also covered the ground.

"A new trial? No, someone is sabotaging us!" Yuan Ming was stunned but quickly came to his senses.

"Su Zimo!" Wan Qi Hong roared, spitting out two golden sword beams which slashed towards Su Zimo, who was behind the crowd, like lightning.

"Haha, in the end, it is you, Fellow Daoist Wan Qi, who discovered it first. However, it is already too late," laughed Su Zimo heartily, pulling along the golden-haired, blue-eyed youth, and retreating backwards into the yellow clouds while sweeping his sleeve.

A yellow silk magic treasure shot out, spinning swiftly, transforming into a layer of hazy yellow light shield that blocked the golden sword beams.

However, those golden sword beams were incredibly sharp; with the sound of fabric tearing, the yellow light shield was easily split apart, but the beams paused for an instant.

Taking advantage of this moment, Su Zimo and the golden-haired youth rushed into the yellow clouds and disappeared without a trace.

"Don't even think of escaping! Dual Sword Combined Divine Power!" Wan Qi Hong rubbed his hands together and then quickly separated them.

The two swords beams intertwined and in a blink, their momentum increased manifold, cutting open a huge rift in the yellow clouds as they gave chase.

The speed of the conjoined sword beams also increased by leaps and bounds, swiftly catching up with Su Zimo and the golden-haired youth and slashing at them from above.

The golden-haired youth grabbed Su Zimo by the shoulder and the two figures "swooshed" and vanished from the spot.

A straight trail appeared in the yellow clouds ahead, clearly a result of the golden-haired youth carrying Su Zimo as they fled hastily.

A flicker of astonishment crossed Yuan Ming's eyes; he was no stranger to the movement technique of the golden-haired youth—it was the speedy movement technique occasionally used by Body Cultivation after breaking through to an Innate Body, unique to Body Cultivation.

Yet, the speed of the golden-haired youth was far greater than that of Vajra.

"It seems that the golden-haired youth is also an individual cultivator," Yuan Ming pondered to himself.

Surprise also crossed Wan Qi Hong's face, but he didn't stop; he continued to control the combined sword beams to slash forward, breaking through layer upon layer of yellow clouds.

However, the yellow clouds were filled with a dense and tenacious force, causing the speed of the sword beams to slow down more and more until they finally came to a complete halt.

The yellow clouds were thick ahead, and Divine Sense was also greatly limited in this place, unable to spread too far, leaving the full depth of the clouds unknown.

Countless yellow threads surged out from within the yellow clouds, entwining around the golden sword beams, quickly dimming their luster as the Dual Sword Combined Divine Power automatically dissolved, revealing two golden Flying Swords.

The yellow threads wound around the Flying Swords, swiftly covering most of the blade.

Wan Qi Hong snorted coldly and performed a hand seal; dazzling golden flames rose from the two golden Flying Swords.

The golden flames emitted astonishing high temperatures, causing even the void to ripple slightly, and the yellow threads were quickly burned away.

The two Flying Swords regained their brightness and shot back, quickly leaving the yellow cloud area behind.

"This is Guiyuan Sect's Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation! It seems Su Zimo aims to trap us here and enjoy the treasure alone," said Dugu Feng with a grave voice, his face showing worry.

A hint of surprise passed through Yuan Ming's eyes. He continued to sense the emotions of those around him with his Emotion Manipulation Ability. Despite Dugu Feng's worried expression, there was no sense of worry in his emotions.

"Could it be Dugu Feng knows about the situation on the third layer? Can he be sure that even if Su Zimo gets there first, he won't be able to acquire the treasure?" Yuan Ming thought.

If he entered the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, he could instantly investigate the entire Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation, even the situation on the third floor, but with so many eyes around here, he absolutely must not reveal the existence of the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

"Despicable scoundrels! Everyone, quickly join forces to break this Yellow Sand Formation, otherwise the treasure on the third layer will fall into Su Zimo's hands," Thunderbolt Ancestor said, his expression unpleasant as he summoned his Thunder Seal Treasure and fiercely struck the yellow clouds.

"Crackle—"

Thick bolts of thunder tore through the yellow clouds, blasting a deep hole.

The others also took up their magic treasures and attacked; the Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation was swiftly riddled with holes.

Yet the resilience of the formation was remarkable; no matter how much damage it sustained, it always recovered.

"Even though the Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation is a secret formation of the Guiyuan Sect, the one laid by Su Zimo in haste cannot possibly have such power!" Thunderbolt Ancestor said sternly.

"It seems Su Zimo has used his Heavenly Sand Gourd to enhance the formation's power. He must have set up the formation within the gourd well in advance, indicating premeditation," Dugu Feng commented.

"Correct, it must be so. I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Dugu to be so knowledgeable about the Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation. Do you know how to break the formation?" Thunderbolt Ancestor nodded, then asked after a moment.

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