Chapter 134: Demonic Shadow

In front of the Kunlun main hall, all the major sects had gathered. The people who had come were clearly the most elite disciples from each sect, showing just how much importance they placed on the Reincarnation Tower.

Several sect masters stood solemnly at the entrance of the hall, speaking quietly about something.

The four people from the Qianji Sect stood out from everyone else, so they simply went straight to the front.

On the other side, after returning from the Myriad Buddha Sect, Ning Qianyao stood together with Lu Shenhan. They were both dressed in white robes, and at first glance, they looked like Kunlun disciples.

A moment later, after the sect masters finished their discussion, Daoist Fengchen stepped forward. "The Reincarnation Tower is located in a special place. Now that the Demon Realm has been sealed and the Devil Realm is stirring restlessly, all of you will guard the outside of the Reincarnation Tower with us to suppress evil and eliminate demons."

"Understood!"

All the disciples answered in unison.

Daoist Fengchen nodded. Then the other sect masters also stepped forward. Together, they used spiritual power to tear open a rift in space in front of the Kunlun main hall. The elders and stewards entered first.

Xu Chengyu turned back and said to Ye Su, "We’re going in too."

The disciples of each sect entered one group after another. The four people from the Qianji Sect also followed in the middle.

The rift they had torn open was different from the entrances to those secret realms. From in front of the Kunlun main hall, what could be seen inside was a deep-blue illusory mist, filled with an eerie mystery that inspired awe.

After stepping into the torn passage, before everyone had fully reacted, they first noticed the octagonal tower ahead. Bells hung from the eaves, swaying in the wind. It stood in the distance like something suppressing all the evil and demons in the world.

Looking toward the horizon again, three distinct colors were clearly separated. The left side was as brilliantly gorgeous as a sunset, while the right side was pitch-black and dense, demonic energy churning within it. The direction they had come from was a vast expanse of azure blue. The Reincarnation Tower was situated at the very center of the three realms. From a distance, it looked even more like a pillar supporting the three realms.

Upon first arriving at the intersection of the three realms and seeing such an eerie scene, many disciples couldn't help feeling uneasy and subconsciously looked back.

At this moment, the sect masters of the two schools and five sects had all entered, and the passage they had torn open disappeared along with them. The elders and stewards stopped where they were, waiting for the sect masters to move ahead before leading the disciples onward.

No one explained anything. All the disciples could do was quietly follow behind.

Yi Xuan felt somewhat uncomfortable and turned his head slightly. The red mole between his brows appeared even more vivid. He tightly gripped the Chongming Saber in his hand, trying to suppress the irritability in his heart.

"Take this." Ye Su suddenly stuffed a stack of talismans into his hands. "Don’t look to the right."

They were Clear-Spirit Talismans, which could dispel restlessness and agitation in the spiritual residence.

The others didn’t know, but Ye Su knew that Yi Xuan’s constitution was special. His half-demon bloodline was extremely susceptible to interference from demonic energy.

Yi Xuan used two Clear-Spirit Talismans. Looking down at the scorched-yellow ground, he finally felt much better.

"I don’t have any." You Fushi stood beside Ye Su and held out one hand.

Ye Su: "……"

She turned around and carefully examined Junior Martial Brother. His eyes were clear, and there was no sign that he had been affected by demonic or demonic-beast energy.

Even so, Ye Su still took out a stack of talismans and stuffed them into Junior Martial Brother’s hands, letting him play with them.

……

The entrance was some distance from the Reincarnation Tower, and it took everyone more than half a day to reach their destination.

However, there were already people waiting in front of the Reincarnation Tower.

Twelve people wearing azure cloaks stood before the Reincarnation Tower, seemingly having waited for quite some time.

These people from Penglai had extremely ordinary appearances. The moment one looked away, one would immediately forget what they looked like. However, the azure birds embroidered on their azure cloaks represented their identities.

——Penglai Holy Envoys.

There were actually twelve Holy Envoys present at once.

Several sect masters exchanged glances. Finally, Daoist Fengchen stepped forward. "Penglai has come this time to observe the Reincarnation Tower and seek enlightenment. Could there be some unusual movement in the Devil Realm?"

Because they had been informed in advance that Penglai would come to the Reincarnation Tower, all the major sects had deliberately selected their best group of disciples to come. Even the disciples of the Pill Sect were not absent. They simply hadn’t expected Penglai to send twelve Holy Envoys at once, which made the sect masters feel that something was unusual.

"I heard that another Profound Yin Constitution has appeared in the world." The Penglai Holy Envoy did not answer. Instead, he asked about something else.

Daoist Fengchen turned his head and beckoned Ning Qianyao over. "It is indeed true. However, with the protection of our two schools and five sects, it did not cause any major disturbance this time. Are the Holy Envoys here to take away the bearer of the Profound Yin Constitution?"

Ning Qianyao raised a pair of deer-like eyes toward the Penglai Holy Envoys opposite her. She had become somewhat thinner than before, and there was more determination in her expression. Just looking at her, she was indeed quite likable.

The Penglai Holy Envoy’s gaze fell on Ning Qianyao’s face. After merely sweeping over her once, he said, "We have come out of seclusion and will guard the Reincarnation Tower."

This meant they had no interest in the bearer of the Profound Yin Constitution.

Daoist Fengchen casually waved toward Ning Qianyao, signaling for her to return.

Ning Qianyao bit her lip and silently retreated, somewhat disappointed. She had thought the people from Penglai would treat her differently because of her Profound Yin Constitution. Nevertheless, she still felt envious of these Penglai Holy Envoys. Even the Kunlun sect master treated them with great respect.

If one day, she could also receive the reverence of tens of thousands of people, how wonderful would that be?

Generally speaking, when Penglai paid attention to something, it either meant trouble was about to happen or trouble was already brewing. Thus, Ma Congqiu quietly nudged Ye Su in the crowd and whispered in an extremely low voice, "Is it because you guys are going inside?"

Even Xu Chengyu turned his head to look, his eyes actually carrying an expression of agreement.

Everywhere Ye Su and the others went, something collapsed. From the secret realms all the way through the various stages of the sect competition, there wasn’t a single one that remained completely intact.

Others might not know, but the three people from the Wujian Sect knew this all too well.

Ye Su: "……" It’s not quite that serious.

Yan Hao came over and said, "These people from Penglai are stronger than the last. They all possess extremely powerful illusion techniques."

"Illusion techniques?" Lü Jiu looked at Yan Hao when she heard this. She remembered that the Hehuan Sect should be the most skilled in illusion techniques.

"Close your eyes. Can you remember what any of their faces look like?" Yan Hao whispered. "Penglai’s illusion techniques are no weaker than our Hehuan Sect’s. Or rather, no sect can compare with them."

Lü Jiu closed her eyes and discovered that she really couldn’t remember their faces clearly.

Ye Su was surprised. "I thought Penglai was only skilled in divination."

Yan Hao shook his pink feather fan and lowered his voice mysteriously. "The orthodox branch of Penglai is skilled in divination, but sometimes they intervene to save certain people. It’s said that those people all eventually join Penglai, and every single one of them is extraordinarily powerful."

The twelve Penglai Holy Envoys stood around the Reincarnation Tower, like Arhats guarding the tower. They did not interfere much with the various sects.

"The top ten of the sect competition, step forward." Daoist Fengchen stood before the entrance of the Reincarnation Tower and turned around. "Hold your jade tokens in your hands so we can verify your identities."

The ten people stepped forward one after another.

The gaze of the Penglai Holy Envoy standing at the entrance fell upon them, finally lingering on Ye Su and You Fushi for a moment before withdrawing.

"Are they the first and second place winners of the sect competition?"

Daoist Fengchen hadn’t expected Penglai to ask about the sect competition. He raised his hand and indicated the three people on the far left. "They are the top three of this year’s sect competition."

The Penglai Holy Envoy suddenly lowered his head, untied his cloak, and handed it over. "The evil and demonic energy inside the Reincarnation Tower is extremely dense. The azure cloak can protect its wearer, so I will give it to one of you."

Anyone with eyes could tell that he was speaking to Ye Su and You Fushi. His gaze didn’t even fall on Lu Shenhan.

Lu Shenhan’s back was straight. He lowered his eyes and gripped the Seven-Extinction Sword, with little emotion showing on his face.

"Go take it." Wu Yue, the Hehuan Sect master, reminded them. "It’s rare for Penglai to give something away."

Ye Su stepped forward and accepted the azure cloak. She looked up at the other party and could only feel that the Penglai Holy Envoy’s cultivation realm was unfathomably deep.

After accepting the cloak, she cast a cleansing technique over it and then draped the azure cloak over You Fushi.

Two junior brothers—one a demon, one a half-demon. Now that they were at the intersection of the three realms, it was better to be cautious.

You Fushi received the azure cloak and deliberately showed it off toward Yi Xuan.

Yi Xuan raised the Chongming Saber to block his face, refusing to look in their direction. Boring and childish.

This was the first time disciples from the sect competition had received a magical treasure from Penglai, and it was even an azure cloak personally worn by a Holy Envoy. Anyone who saw it would be envious.

Ning Qianyao almost bit through her lower lip. She didn’t understand why.

Lu Shenhan had told her that Penglai had never interfered with the matter of the top ten disciples of the sect competition entering the Reincarnation Tower for enlightenment. Only this time had they suddenly decided to come to the Reincarnation Tower.

Ning Qianyao had always thought they came because of her, because she possessed the Profound Yin Constitution.

Yet the Penglai Holy Envoy merely glanced at her and said nothing, then gave an azure cloak to Ye Su and You Fushi.

What was so special about them compared to her Profound Yin Constitution?

……

"Do not force your way up the tower. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences." Daoist Fengchen said solemnly. "The Reincarnation Tower contains countless magical treasures and secret realms, as well as an immeasurable amount of dense spiritual energy. At the same time, it also contains unparalleled suppression. Go and seek your own opportunities and comprehend the Dao to advance your cultivation. Wear the jade token on your body. When the allotted time is up, you will automatically be sent back to the first floor, and you can leave from there."

Of the ten people, only three had different time limits for ascending the tower.

The seven sect masters once again joined forces to open the entrance to the Reincarnation Tower, allowing the ten people to enter.

Ye Su was first and had the right to enter first. She instinctively reached her hand backward, and You Fushi immediately placed his hand in hers. The two held hands as they entered the Reincarnation Tower one after the other.

As she crossed the threshold of the Reincarnation Tower, the Penglai Holy Envoy stood beside her. His gaze lowered to their clasped hands, then he looked up at You Fushi. A trace of surprise appeared deep in his eyes, but it was concealed almost immediately.

After the ten people entered the Reincarnation Tower, the doors instantly closed. Everyone instinctively turned back to look, but they could no longer see the people from the various sects outside, so they could only focus their attention on the interior of the tower.

From the outside, the Reincarnation Tower did not appear particularly spacious. But after entering, they discovered that the first floor was extremely vast.

The enormous first floor was completely empty. There was nothing there except a staircase in the middle leading to the second floor. It wasn’t close to them, but some people could still sense an extremely dense demonic aura.

The Chongming Saber in Yi Xuan’s hand had already begun trembling, as if it could be drawn at any moment.

"Careful!" Zhou Yun suddenly warned Lü Jiu, who was at the front on the far right.

Lü Jiu immediately became highly alert. From the corner of her eye, she saw a white shadow rising from the ground and floating toward her. She instinctively swung her sword, but struck nothing but empty air.

At the same time, white shadows continuously began rising from the ground around them. Their eyes were red, horns grew from their heads, their faces were hideous, and saliva dripped from their mouths.

"Demonic shadows." Zhou Yun said.

The group was surrounded by demonic shadows, making it impossible to approach the staircase at all.

Ye Su threw out a talisman with one hand. Her gaze fell on Yi Xuan, and when she saw that he was unaffected, her heart relaxed. She then withdrew her gaze and noticed that the demonic shadows simply wouldn’t approach You Fushi.

She looked at the azure cloak on Junior Martial Brother. So it had this kind of effect.

"Do you want to go up first?" Ye Su asked You Fushi. "If you see a magical treasure or cultivation manual you like, you can take it."

You Fushi didn’t move. "We go together." This mortal definitely wanted to go together with Yi Xuan.

At this moment, the Seven-Extinction Sword in Lu Shenhan’s hand shone brightly. After he cut down several demonic shadows, the shadows seemed extremely afraid of him and turned to attack the others instead.

He opened up a path and turned around to lead Ning Qianyao upstairs. However, the two moved slowly after stepping onto the staircase, almost taking it one step at a time. As soon as the demonic shadows touched the first step, they seemed to have been burned and quickly dispersed, turning to surround the remaining people.

The Chongming Saber likewise possessed the ability to suppress evil and demons, giving it a natural advantage against these demonic shadows. However, the shadows still occasionally came at Yi Xuan instead of avoiding him like they did Lu Shenhan. Yi Xuan had no time to worry about anything else. He continuously swung his saber, slowly moving forward with Lü Jiu, the two of them back-to-back.

But one thing was completely unexpected. After Lu Shenhan and Ning Qianyao went upstairs, the number of demonic shadows on the first floor actually multiplied. They almost filled the entire floor.

The demonic shadows appeared too quickly and in too great a number. Zhou Yun and Lian Lian joined forces to move forward.

Gu Liangtian’s prayer beads had been replaced with a new set. He casually struck them forward, smashing the white shadows in front of him one after another. But soon, the scattered white shadows gathered together again and pounced toward him.

Mei Chou Ren set up an illusion technique and actually turned himself into a demonic shadow as well.

When some of the demonic shadows passed by him, they clearly hesitated. Mei Chou Ren then opened his mouth wide like a bloody maw, trying to vividly imitate the appearance of a demon.

These demonic shadows clearly weren’t very intelligent. They suspiciously examined him a few times, but eventually floated away.

Mei Chou Ren wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve. He was tainted now. He had actually transformed himself into something this ugly.

Nevertheless, he quickly turned around and walked up the stairs. When he stepped onto the first step, Mei Chou Ren discovered that his entire body suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand jin. No wonder Lu Shenhan and Ning Qianyao had been moving so slowly. He circulated his spiritual power throughout his body to withstand the pressure and climbed upward one step at a time.

After climbing several steps, Mei Chou Ren turned his head and realized something was wrong.

The demonic shadows on the first floor had changed. It was no longer simply a matter of numbers. More difficult high-level demons had begun appearing.

"You all come up together." Mei Chou Ren stopped on the staircase and turned around to say to Ye Su and the others, "Every time someone comes up here, the demonic shadows change once."

Ye Su frowned. She had also noticed this problem. She took You Fushi and began moving toward Zhou Yun and Lian Lian. Yi Xuan and Lü Jiu also moved in this direction, preparing to go up together.

Gu Liangtian was alone and did not join them. He put away his prayer beads and took out a glazed lacquered wooden fish from his Qiankun Pouch.

The moment the wooden fish appeared, boundless Buddhist intent spread out. Tiny scriptures were engraved on the body of the wooden fish. Every time he struck it, the demonic shadows rushing toward him would freeze for a moment.

——A top-grade magical treasure.

Gu Liangtian increased the speed at which he struck the wooden fish, continuously approaching the staircase. He didn’t care what effect the changes in the demonic shadows on the first floor would have on the others.

Mei Chou Ren was still standing on the staircase without moving.

"You go first." Ye Su threw out talismans, eliminating the approaching demonic shadows, then raised her head and said to Mei Chou Ren.

Mei Chou Ren looked upward, then at Gu Liangtian, who was quickly approaching. He turned around, gritted his teeth, and continued upward.

"Mine." You Fushi suddenly said while standing beside Ye Su.

Ye Su frowned and followed Junior Martial Brother’s gaze, only to discover that he was staring at the wooden fish in Gu Liangtian’s hand.

"……"

Something flashed through Ye Su’s mind. She called out to Gu Liangtian, "Is the wooden fish in your hand from the Myriad Buddha Sect, or did someone recently give it to you?"

The original novel had never mentioned Gu Liangtian using this wooden fish. Besides, she remembered that Ning Qianyao had recently gone to the Myriad Buddha Sect.

Gu Liangtian stepped onto the first step. The demonic shadows on the first floor immediately changed again, the white shadows beginning to merge together and form even more terrifying demons.

He turned around and stared deeply at Ye Su. "What does it have to do with you?"