Chapter 1260: Build a Road in The Open

Devil Lord Tongyou, Xiang Qing, Daoist Master Chongyi, and Qingjun each held a jade talisman.

Originally, one of the jade talismans had been entrusted to Dongyang Bo. After Dongyang Bo had vanished unexpectedly, Daoist Master Chongyi had taken his place.

Qin Sang and the others stood behind the four of them, activating the jade talismans together under their guidance, driving the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array.

A phantom of a heavenly palace emerged from the jade talismans, as clusters of yin and yang qi surged forth. Some were as large as a ladle, others as small as chess pieces, resembling stars that alternated between brilliance and dimness.

Moments later, a river of stars descended into the void, forming the Eight Trigrams, stabilizing the Nine Palaces, and transforming into a foundation.[1]

Li was above, Kan below. Zhen was to the left, Dui to the right. Gen, Xun, Kun, and Qian occupied the four corners.[2]

In an instant, everyone’s figures vanished within the array, leaving only the array diagram slowly revolving.

This was the Forward Nine Palaces Array, derived from the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams, a righteous sect array with endless transformations.[3]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua[/ref]

Whoosh! Whoosh! Just as the array had taken shape, torrents of blood light surged from the banner gates outside.

Even more alarming was that once the blood light surrounded the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array, all the lethal phenomena they had previously encountered within the Black Tower Array began to manifest one by one inside the banner gate array.

It gave Qin Sang and the others the eerie illusion that they had been trapped back inside the Black Tower Array, as though someone were actively controlling it. It felt like a living array.

Although the banner gate array could not compare to the Black Tower Array, its power still made everyone frown, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.

Rumble... Countless blood lightning surged out from the banner gates, raining down and exploding violently.

The Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array shook violently, submerged under the blood lightning, enduring fierce impacts.

The group maintained the array, hiding within the Nine Palaces. All external attacks were unable to penetrate. They attempted to break through the banner gate array and rush toward the entrance of the blood pool.

From Jingyu, they had learned that below lay a blood pool filled with black chains. The ancient cultivator was sealed at its very bottom. The Corpseflower Blood Amber was there as well.

Earlier, only Jiang Chenzi and his group had appeared within the banner gate array. Old Devil Ye had not been seen.

It was easy to imagine that Old Devil Ye was currently focused on breaking the seal of the blood pool, leaving him no time to deal with this place. He could only dispatch Jiang Chenzi and the others to set up the array and block them.

Meanwhile, all of their own experts were present. With their combined efforts to drive the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array, whose power rivaled that of the banner gate array, they should have held the advantage.

For the sake of the Corpseflower Blood Amber and the ancient cultivator, Qin Sang had cooperated fully, secretly employing a witch race secret technique to enhance the Sky Eyes, searching for flaws within the array.

In their expectations, taking advantage of Old Devil Ye’s distraction, breaking through the blockade should not have been difficult. Yet unexpectedly, the banner gate array proved far stronger than they had imagined.

Devil Lord Tongyou and Qingjun exchanged a glance, then shouted simultaneously, joining forces to cast a spell, pushing the array’s power nearly to its limit.

Boom! Brilliant light erupted as two pillars of radiance, one black and one white, shot into the sky, countering the blood light and violently churning the banner gate array.

The two great arrays collided fiercely. Yet they still could not find any obvious flaw. They were firmly held in place!

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly took advantage of the collision between the two arrays, searching everywhere. However, the blood light was too dense. Its vision had to pierce through layer after layer of obstruction, slowly sorting through everything. Progress was extremely slow.

Qin Sang finally discovered a clue and cried out, "Crap! The banner gate array is actually connected to the blood mist within the Black Tower Array. It’s borrowing the power of the Black Tower Array!"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. Only then did they realize that Old Devil Ye understood this place far better than they had imagined. He had refined three banners to serve as a bridge, drawing upon the power of the Black Tower Array itself! It was no wonder the banner gate array was so formidable.

Even without Old Devil Ye personally presiding over it, they could not break through in a short time. By the time they succeeded, Old Devil Ye would have already achieved his goal.

"Unless we burn our blood and essence to forcibly stimulate the origin of the array artifacts... but if we do that, all of us will suffer severe depletion. Even if we enter, we won’t have the strength to contend with Old Devil Ye," Qingjun said solemnly.

Qin Sang frowned slightly. Although the Corpseflower Blood Amber was not something he absolutely had to obtain, a treasure capable of directly enhancing a Spiritual Infant cultivator's cultivation was exceedingly rare and could not be easily passed up.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked toward Jingyu. "The black tower is already badly damaged. Hasn’t the ancient barrier at the core been affected by the ancient calamity? Is it still intact? Do you remember what you saw back then?"

Jingyu immediately understood Qin Sang’s intention.

The Corpseflower Blood Amber was crucial to her tribulation. She immediately focused her mind, recalling her past experience in detail. After a moment, she said quickly, "The ancient barriers here were far more intact than elsewhere, though they were still impacted and partially damaged. Back then, I discovered the ancient cultivator’s scheme and focused only on escaping. I didn’t have time to examine closely. I only remember a few places, but I’m not certain whether they can be passed through."

Build a road in the open while secretly crossing elsewhere.

Seeing that the banner gate array could not be broken for a long time, Qin Sang came up with this plan. Otherwise, if they remained in a stalemate, they would end up with nothing.

They would fail to obtain the ancient cultivator, and the Corpseflower Blood Amber would also be taken by Old Devil Ye.

Everyone exchanged glances, clearly tempted. It was worth trying.

"Staying here is not a solution. At present, we can only follow Daoist Ming Yue’s plan and give it a try." Qingjun nodded, then added, "We must not let Sin Abyss detect our movements. Otherwise, new variables may arise. We must leave people behind to maintain the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array. We cannot withdraw too many."

Devil Lord Tongyou agreed. "Indeed. There are two additional advantages. The collision of the arrays will send shockwaves into the ancient barriers, providing cover for infiltration. Besides, if we appear suddenly before Old Devil Ye, we’ll have a better chance of success. The Reverse Nine Palaces Array specializes in trapping and killing. When the time comes, whoever controls the array must adapt the array as needed and firmly pin down the banner gate array, preventing them from returning to reinforce Old Devil Ye."

If what lay below had been an ancient treasure vault or hidden realm, they might have argued over who would go.

After all, those who entered first would have the greatest chance of obtaining the most valuable treasures.

But now their target was an ancient cultivator. As long as they captured this person and extracted the secrets of antiquity, everyone would benefit. Moreover, facing Old Devil Ye directly carried obvious risks. Remaining outside under the protection of the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array was actually the safer choice.

Thus, no one argued, and the candidates were quickly decided. The most troublesome issue was who would hold the jade talismans.

To deceive Jiang Chenzi and the others, the array’s power could not appear to weaken too noticeably.

Daoist Master Chongyi and his two disciples practiced a special art. After consuming pills, their strength would increase greatly, but they would also be subject to certain restrictions. For instance, the three of them could not stray too far from one another, limiting their flexibility.

Their opponent was the renowned Old Devil Ye. They knew they could not deceive him. It was better for them to remain behind and hold the jade talismans. Working together, each of the three could control one.

The other candidate came as something of a surprise. Qin Sang had originally thought it would be his senior sister. She had obtained the hidden treasures of Yuanshen Sect and was highly accomplished in array arts. With her presiding over the Dual-Polarity Nine Palaces Array, success would be assured.

Unexpectedly, Devil Lord Tongyou directly selected Qingjun to accompany them, leaving Xiang Qing to preside over the array.

Xiang Qing had already refined several strands of the Ancestral Sacred Flame, and his strength had greatly increased. Yet in Devil Lord Tongyou’s eyes, Qingjun was still the stronger of the two.

1. The Nine Palaces (Jiugong) and Eight Trigrams (Bagua) are foundational Chinese metaphysical concepts, often combined into a system (Jiugong Bagua) to map space, time, and energy for Feng Shui, divination, and strategy. They represent a multi-dimensional model where eight trigrams—representing natural forces—are arranged in a magic square, often used to optimize harmony, fortune, and protection. ☜

2. These are the names of the Nine Palaces, with one more in the center. ☜

3. TL note: A link for further reading about the Eight Trigrams. ☜

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.