This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Strong, very strong.

Even from Lu Qingshan's perspective, Dantai Qingrun was certainly a formidable force among the Golden Core Cultivators.

"Dantai Tower Master, what a skillful technique!" Even Xian Huaibi, who had some differences with Dantai Qingrun, couldn't help but praise aloud.

He had considered Dantai Qingrun young and thought perhaps she was merely a cultivator with outstanding talent for cultivation, one who had high cultivation but average combat power. However, he had not expected Dantai Qingrun's sword technique to be so exquisite.

The Qiuhong Sword wandered back in front of Dantai Qingrun, humming vibrantly.

But the next moment, a hidden aura began to brew within the spacious corridor.

Xian Huaibi's expression changed slightly, asking Dantai Qingrun, "What do we do next? Should we keep breaking through?"

Dantai Qingrun turned her gaze to Lu Qingshan, seeking his opinion, "What do you think?"

Lu Qingshan looked serious. He released his Divine Sense to feel the chilly aura deep in the corridor, a strange shadow lingering on his mind, refusing to dissipate.

It seemed like something was amiss?

"No matter how many ghostly spirits there are, there will always be a limit to their numbers. After a few more waves, the ghostly spirits in this corridor should be cleaned out." Xian Huaibi suggested to Dantai Qingrun, "These ghostly spirits are not very strong. I can block all attacks by myself, no problem. You can handle the cleanup. We can definitely push forward easily."

Clean them out... Wait!

Like a flash of lightning, a thought crossed Lu Qingshan's mind.

He was awakened by Xian Huaibi's words.

Indeed, no matter how numerous, there should always be a limit to the ghostly spirits.

If the Underworld Cultivators had also taken this corridor earlier, why were there still endless ghostly spirits here?

Unless, the path taken by the Underworld Cultivators wasn't this one.

But it was undeniable that the Underworld Cultivators aimed for the Gengjin Tiger King's physical body, which surely was located in this West Palace. It made no sense for the Underworld Cultivators to not take this path.

These two ideas seemed contradictory…

A moment later, Lu Qingshan thought of something. His eyes sparkled for a moment before turning gloomy again.

There was only one possibility left.

They had taken the wrong path, the corridor they entered was not the route to the West Palace.

"Retreat to the hall," Lu Qingshan decided firmly.

"What?" Not just Xian Huaibi, even Dantai Qingrun was puzzled by Lu Qingshan's decision.

"We've been trapped," Lu Qingshan explained as he quickly retreated the way they came. "Hurry, we've wasted too much time here."

Qin Yitian, who had been quietly by Lu Qingshan's side and seemed almost nonexistent, was the first to follow him.

Dantai Qingrun, still not fully comprehending the situation but seeing this, did not think further and followed as well.

Dantai Qingrun hadn't realized that at some point, under various subtle influences, she had developed a subconscious trust and obedience towards Lu Qingshan.

"Damn, it was he who chose this path, and now he is the one asking us to return!" Xian Huaibi complained bitterly, but he had no choice but to follow quickly.

Compared to their cautious entry, the four were much more reckless on the way back, moving a lot faster.

In less than half an hour, they had retreated back to the hall they had entered initially.
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Four Spirit Pillars stood there.

It looked as though nothing was amiss.

Only this time, with prior caution, Lu Qingshan released his Divine Sense and carefully scanned the environment inside the hall.

Finally, he sensed an extremely faint but unusual ripple, hidden among the evil auras, hard to detect.

"Found it," Lu Qingshan whispered quietly.

Releasing his Divine Sense and following that ripple, Lu Qingshan drew his sword and slashed through the void, flames bursting from the blade.

In the empty hall, under Lu Qingshan's sword, a ripple like water began to shimmer.

Fierce sparks scattered in all directions, and with a harsh cracking sound, a dark Array Plate in the corner suddenly shattered. At the same time, a curtain of water fell all around.

The sky and earth spun, north and south exchanged places, and east and west switched positions.

Indeed, it was so.

Lu Qingshan, observing the drastic changes in the hall after the water curtain disappeared, murmured.

"What is this situation?" Xian Huaibi, shocked by the immense change in the hall's orientation, exclaimed.

"It's an Illusion Array left by the Netherworld to reverse directions. On the surface, we entered through the west passage, but in reality, it was the east," Dantai Qingrun understood the current scenario. "So if we had continued down that path, we would have only moved farther away from our destination."

Lu Qingshan nodded and muttered to himself, "I underestimated the Netherworld."

Just entering the unfamiliar Demon Spirit Tomb, most people's attention would be on familiarizing themselves with it.

The Underworld Cultivators took advantage of this and set up a non-lethal Illusion Array in the hall. Its function was simple: just to reverse directions, yet it was surprisingly effective.

If the range of the Illusion Array had been wider and more complex, it would have been easier to detect.

The range of this Illusion Array set by the Netherworld encompassed only this hall. Once Cultivators entered the passage, they would escape the influence of the Illusion Array.

Moreover, the effect of the Illusion Array was minimal, just a simple switch in direction.

Yet precisely because of this, it made it difficult for them to realize they were affected by the Illusion Array.

Lu Qingshan took a deep breath, "Let's go, try our best to catch up with the Underworld Cultivators."

The four figures flashed, stepping once again into the passage leading to the West Palace.

This time, in this lengthy passage, they no longer encountered any ghosts.

Clearly, someone had already passed this way and eradicated all the ghosts.

With no ghosts blocking their way, Lu Qingshan and his party moved much faster, but they still dared not fully accelerate.

Once bitten, twice shy; who knew whether the Underworld Cultivators might have set more sinister traps along the way.

......

Within a vast and endless underground palace complex.

Li Venerable, whose aura was turbulent and fluctuating, leaped out from a dark passage.

At the passage entrance, three purple-clothed Underworld Cultivators who had received the message were already waiting.

Seeing Li Venerable appear, the three Underworld Cultivators hurried to meet him.

However, sensing Li Venerable's fluctuating aura, now Golden Core, now Foundation Establishment, the three looked somewhat panicked and asked in astonishment, "Lord Li Venerable, what has happened?"

Li Venerable looked pale.

His Nascent Soul had shattered, leaving only a dense mass of Spiritual Power in his Dantian. Without time to condense it into a Golden Core, this bizarre fluctuation between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment occurred.

"The collaboration with the Demon Spirit Palace was exposed, and Beiming that old fool came after me. Out of desperation, I had to shatter my Nascent Soul to escape the pursuit," Li Venerable said grimly, "How's the progress on breaking the seal? The entrance to the Demon Spirit Tomb is open, and we do not have much time to delay."

The purple-clothed Cultivator replied anxiously, "It will still take a few more days, roughly three to four..."

According to the original plan, Li Venerable could have delayed the emergence of the Demon Spirit Tomb for at least half a month. With their progress, they should have been on schedule, but they hadn't expected such a sudden change.

"Lead the way!" Li Venerable said darkly.

Shattering one's Nascent Soul was akin to destroying one's foundation in cultivation, and rebuilding it was even harder than reaching the heavens. Thus, on the path of cultivation, he had reached the end.

However, he still had one path left.

----By using the Blood Pool Reincarnation to transform himself into a member of the Demon Race, taking the path of demonic cultivation.

The problem was, to reincarnate into a high-grade Demon Bloodline, the Netherworld would also have to pay a huge price, which they would not easily expend just for him.

Only by bringing back the body of Gengjin Tiger King and using this great merit could he persuade the Netherworld to bestow upon him a high-grade Demon Bloodline.

The body of Gengjin Tiger King was his last hope, and there was no room for failure!