"Whether you brought someone with you or not, now that the Shura Blood Devouring Map has developed spiritual intelligence, its combat power is comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and there are also a red-clothed woman and a blood-colored skull, two Nascent Soul stage monsters within the map. Even if Fellow Daoist Dugu shakes us off, he won't be able to obtain that Spiritual Treasure. It would be better for the four of us to join forces. At least, we won't let this treasure slip away!" Wan Qi Hong said to Dugu Feng.

"We share the same thought," both Lei Ming Ancestor and Golden Dawn Fairy expressed their stance.

Dugu Feng fell silent for a moment and then said with a smile, "What the three Fellow Daoists said is very true. I was short-sighted just now. Given the current situation, it is indeed more appropriate for us to join hands."

"It's great that Fellow Daoist Dugu can think this way. Let's quickly break this wall restriction, otherwise, the Shura Blood Devouring Map might get far away," Wan Qi Hong urged.

Dugu Feng nodded and channeled mana into the Black Key.

A dim black light rose from the key, disappeared into the wall, and formed a shadow of a key about a zhang in size.

Dugu Feng rotated his wrist, and the shadow of the key also turned around, causing the white crystal light on the nearby walls to dissipate quickly, revealing a large blank area.

Wan Qi Hong formed a seal with his hands and sent a golden Sword Qi striking the area.

Without the protection of the white crystal light, the wall became fragile and was easily broken open, creating a large hole.

Just as the group was about to give chase, the stone platform where the Shura Blood Devouring Map was placed suddenly shook violently, emitting beams of white light outward, causing the entire third layer space to tremble incessantly.

Wan Qi Hong and the others exclaimed in surprise and halted their movements.

Yuan Ming, who was keeping watch inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod, saw this and extended his Divine Sense toward the interior of the stone platform to investigate.

"What is this..." A trace of surprise flickered through his eyes.

Wan Qi Hong and the others also operated their Divine Sense, attempting to probe the inside of the stone platform, but they were blocked by the power of a restriction.

"Fellow Daoist Dugu," Wan Qi Hong immediately looked towards Dugu Feng.

Dugu Feng understood, recalled the Black Key and activated it again, and a flash of black light shot into the stone platform and disappeared.

"It won't work; the restriction inside the stone platform is unusually tough, far beyond comparison to the crystal light on the wall. We can't break through it in a short time," Dugu Feng said, frowning.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Wan Qi Hong and the others darkened.

"The three of you can decide on your own. I don't want to interfere, but I'm going to pursue the Shura Blood Devouring Map and don't have the time to break this restriction here. Please do as you see fit," Dugu Feng said indifferently as he put away the Black Key.

Without waiting for the others to respond, he turned and headed towards the large hole in the wall.

"Alliance Hierarch, I'm weak and wouldn't be much help if I followed. It might be better for me to stay here and see what's really going on with this stone platform," Xi Ying suddenly said.

"That's fine," Dugu Feng agreed, after a moment of surprise, and with a wave of his sleeve, he enveloped another Black Robed Cultivator and passed through the large hole in the wall, chasing after the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

Wan Qi Hong immediately followed closely, as if he feared Dugu Feng would snatch the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

Seeing this, Lei Ming Ancestor and Golden Dawn Fairy quickly followed suit.

"Yan Sijing, you stay here as well to see what secrets lie within this stone platform. I lend you this for your use," Lei Ming Ancestor said to Yan Sijing before leaving, handing her a blue Jade Box.

In the blink of an eye, only Xi Ying and Yan Sijing were left in the entire third layer space.

Yan Sijing glanced at Xi Ying and stood at a distance.

Xi Ying turned her head and shot a white light towards the area near the large hole in the stone wall.

The Crystal Light Restriction on the stone wall lit up and rapidly healed, covering the damaged area of the wall again within a few breaths.

Yan Sijing's heart tightened, and she immediately opened the blue Jade Box. A silver Thunder Pearl rolled out and was caught by her hand.

The Thunder Pearl was the size of a pigeon's egg, unassuming in appearance, but it emitted a terrifying thunder energy.

This was a Heavenly Thunder Pearl, refined by compressing the power of thunder and lightning collected by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Once activated, it was equivalent to the strike of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xi Ying, without looking at Yan Sijing or the Heavenly Thunder Pearl in her hand, looked up at the void, "Alright, the obstructive ones have all left. Yuan Ming, come out now. There are some matters I need to discuss with you."

Upon hearing Yuan Ming's name, Yan Sijing's eyes brightened as she looked around.

In the Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation on the second layer, she was taken away by Lei Ming Ancestor and did not see Yuan Ming swallowed by the Yellow Sand Formation. She did not see Yuan Ming on the third layer either and was puzzled. Listening to Xi Ying's tone, could it be that Yuan Ming had always been hiding nearby?

That being the case, the assistance provided to everyone to escape the Illusion Technique earlier, and the Blood Light just now, must have been Yuan Ming's doing.

Yan Sijing was shocked inwardly. With Wan Qi Hong and other Nascent Soul cultivators present just a moment ago, Yuan Ming managed to evade the detection of so many Nascent Soul cultivators, truly worthy of being the envoy of Lord Nether Moon God.

As for Xi Ying addressing Yuan Ming in such a familiar tone, Yan Sijing wasn't surprised. Back in Ghost Miasma Canyon, she already sensed a certain understanding between Yuan Ming and Xi Ying based on her intuition.

"I still have things to do and can't show myself now. Whatever you have to say, just say it," Yuan Ming's voice echoed from within the third layer space.

Xi Ying frowned slightly and turned to look at Yan Sijing.

Before Yan Sijing could react, she felt a buzzing in her head as countless illusions appeared before her eyes, and her consciousness quickly sank.

At that moment, a powerful wave of Soul Power descended from the sky, striking Yan Sijing's Divine Soul, causing all the illusions before her eyes to dissipate and her consciousness to regain clarity.

"This woman is the only believer of Lord Nether Moon God in Shura Palace, and many things depend on her action, so she cannot be allowed to fall unconscious," Yuan Ming's voice sounded again.

Yan Sijing, still shaken, retreated further and looked at Xi Ying with eyes filled with fear.

"Then let her leave this place. What I have to say cannot be known by others," Xi Ying said impatiently.

"Go to the second layer to avoid for a while. Once there, do not wander around, focus on praying. Lord Nether Moon God just gave me a message, he will soon make a move to eliminate Thunderbolt Ancestor for you," Yuan Ming's voice echoed in Yan Sijing's mind.

Yan Sijing, who had already been eager to leave, promptly complied and hurried down the stairs to the second layer.

The Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Formation was still in operation, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Following Yuan Ming's instructions, Yan Sijing did not pay attention to anything else, found a spot, sat down with crossed legs, and began to pray intently to Lord Nether Moon God.

A rich Desire Power flowed into the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, sharpening Yuan Ming's vision.

Xi Ying waved her sleeves, and dozens of yellow lights fell around her, quickly condensing into a golden Array that completely sealed off the surroundings.

The Yellow Sand Formation was quite sophisticated, also serving to isolate Spiritual Energy and forbid Divine Sense, though of course, it was ineffective against Yuan Ming.

"Your Formation skills have improved a lot since before. However, Wan Qi Hong and the others have left, and the wall restrictions have been restored as before. Is such caution really necessary?" Yuan Ming spoke.

"I'm not worried about that Wan Qi Hong, I'm guarding against someone else," Xi Ying said, with a disdainful curl of her lip.

"Who might that be?" Yuan Ming asked with some curiosity.

"The person Dugu Feng took with him," Xi Ying said.

"Oh, the taciturn one from the journey? What's so special about him?" Yuan Ming recalled the figure of the Black-clothed Monk.

"Reluctant as I am to admit it, that guy is the strongest and most dangerous person in Shura Palace! It was precisely because he was nearby earlier that I did not dare to communicate with you telepathically, lest he sense it," Xi Ying said with a grave expression.

"Is that so? What's that person's identity? And, you said you had something to discuss with me earlier. What is it?" Yuan Ming's expression became serious as he listened to Xi Ying.

"I need to kill someone, but I'm a bit short on strength and require your assistance," Xi Ying said without directly answering Yuan Ming's questions.

"Kill who? Don't tell me it's..." Yuan Ming paused, taken aback.

"Yes, it's that Black-clothed Monk!" Xi Ying's eyes flickered as she slowly said.

…

Several hundred miles from the Black Tower, amidst a range of mountains, Wan Qi Hong and the others, with all their might, had finally caught up to the Shura Blood Devouring Map, and the battle unfolded once again.

Wan Qi Hong took the lead without a word, bringing out his golden Flying Sword, but this time, there were a total of nine.

The nine Flying Swords linked together, forming a vast Golden Sword Formation, dozens of yards in size, enveloping the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

Countless sharp golden Sword Qis continuously emerged, slashing at the map from all directions.

The Shura Blood Devouring Map, at this moment, released highly corrosive Blood Mist, forming a massive Blood-colored Fog Ball around it. The dense Blood Mist surged like divine dragons, exuding a terrifying presence.

The dense golden Sword Qi struck the surface but was immediately corroded and dissipated by the Blood Mist, utterly unable to touch the Shura Blood Devouring Map inside.

Dugu Feng, Thunderbolt Ancestor, and Golden Dawn Fairy were also nearby. Seeing this, they each brought out their Magic Treasures to attack.

On their way here, the four had agreed that whoever could subdue the Shura Blood Devouring Map would own the treasure.

Although they all knew that the others might not willingly abide by the agreement after the Shura Blood Devouring Map was defeated, the victor could claim the moral high ground. This would give them an advantage in the future struggle for the treasure, so Dugu Feng and the others also exerted their full power.

Dugu Feng's twenty-one Black Needles transformed into a sky full of Needle Shadows, shooting out in all directions; the Black Sword's surface bristled with dense black arcs of lightning, cleaving down with the force to split mountains and rivers, creating thunderous roars with each strike, and manifesting an impressive might.

Thunderbolt Ancestor continued to manipulate the Thunder Seal Treasure, conjuring three awe-inspiring Thunder Flood Dragons, each several dozen yards long. They clawed and thrashed, spitting out large Thunder Balls from their mouths, which were quite effective against the Shura Blood Devouring Map's Blood Dao Divine Power.

Golden Dawn Fairy floated in the air, not as flamboyant in her methods as the others, still merely directing the golden book. A plethora of runes shot out, condensing into golden talismans that fell.

As soon as the golden talisman left the book, it instantly enlarged in the wind, transforming into door-sized golden Sword Shadows, emitting astonishing sounds of wind and thunder, striking at the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

Each Sword Shadow was actually a third-level Wind and Thunder Sword Talisman.

As experts in Drawing Talismans, the Spirit Talisman Sect considered the golden book in Jin Xi's possession an auxiliary treasure for casting talismans, allowing her to create talismans in the Void, skipping steps like engraving and Enriching.

Together, the four Nascent Soul cultivators acted with such power that they shook mountains and rivers with every move. The dense Blood-colored mist surrounding the Shura Blood Devouring Map fervently boiled, quickly evaporating, and drastically decreasing the size of the Fog Ball.

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