In the Black Tower's fourth level space, Xi Ying saw through the green stele the scene of the Six Desires Venerable breaking open the stone platform with a soul leech, and her brows immediately tightened.

"Not good, Six Desires has actually trained the soul leech to the point where it can parasitize arrays! They're going to come in, Yuan Ming, you better hide quickly!" Xi Ying hurriedly spoke.

Yuan Ming closed his eyes and said nothing, as if he hadn't heard at all, his hands moving quickly to form seals, and in the final moments, he activated the Black Tower's forbidden mechanism that he had already mastered.

In an instant, bright white light burst forth from the green stele, engulfing the entire fourth level space in a sea of light in a single breath.

At almost the same time, the Six Desires Venerable pushed open the white light gate and stepped in first, leading everyone to the fourth level of the Black Tower.

As soon as he entered, he saw in the vast hall only Xi Ying and Yan Sijing standing with puzzled faces, apart from them, there was nothing else.

Seeing this, the Six Desires Venerable immediately released his Divine Sense to search the surroundings but failed to find anything that could control the Shura Palace's prohibitions.

"Why are you two here? Have you found the core of the Shura Palace's prohibitions?" the Six Desires Venerable's gaze swept toward Xi Ying and Yan Sijing, finally settling on Xi Ying as he asked.

Upon hearing Six Desires Venerable's question, Xi Ying feigned surprise, stealthily glancing at Dugu Feng standing behind Six Desires, then looked doubtfully at the three new figures of Ni Mu and his party that had appeared behind them, seemingly hesitant.

"This is the Six Desires Venerable, the true master of our alliance. Whatever he asks you, you answer, no hemming and hawing!" Dugu Feng immediately scolded.

"Yes, I know my mistake." Xi Ying pretended to be panicked as she lowered her head, then began to speak in detail.

"Venerable, previously I was investigating the anomaly of the stone platform on the third level according to the Alliance Hierarch's command, when suddenly a white light gate appeared, sucking both her and me in. However, when we arrived here, there was nothing at all. Although I searched several times, my strength is too weak to assert whether the core is here or not," Xi Ying steadied herself and immediately answered fluently.

At her side, Yan Sijing also kept her head low, looking frightened, not daring to meet Six Desires Venerable's gaze.

Hearing Xi Ying's words, the Six Desires Venerable nodded without expression, neither confirming nor denying that he believed her.

Seeing this, Dugu Feng spoke, "Venerable, I think this place might..."

He hadn't finished speaking when suddenly a large expanse of white light emerged before everyone, obscuring their vision.

In less than a breath, the white light disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, restoring everyone's vision, only to find themselves on a vast, verdant prairie.

The sky was a clear blue, without a cloud in sight, and a gentle breeze swept across the grassland, raising the rustling sound of the grass colliding.

Not far away, three man-high steles stood erect, with a differently colored path beside each, leading to three strange places.

On each stele, three strong and forceful characters were engraved.

The one on the far left read "Cold Martial Realm," the winding path covered with snow and frost, looking towards the end of the road, one could faintly see a mountain shrouded in blizzard.

The middle one was called "Extreme Fire Realm," the path leading straight ahead was filled with pits and potholes brimming with magma, and at the end of the road, a wide pit spewed out flames like flood dragons reaching for the sky.

The one on the far right was the "Netherworld," the somber gray path was shrouded in Yin Qi, and deep within the road, a dense black mist that didn't dissipate swallowed everything, making it impossible to see the specifics at the end of the path.

Seeing such changes, everyone couldn't help but show surprised expressions, and Dugu Feng also realized what was happening and continued from where he left off:

"Venerable, this might just be the last trial set by Shura Master, the core of the Shura Palace's prohibitions might be at one of these places."

The Six Desires Venerable did not express his position but turned his head to look at the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

"This... I was already sealed when Shura bastard built the fourth level, I only know the core is above, anything else I truly don't know, master," the Artifact Spirit hesitated, then quickly explained after realizing what the Six Desires Venerable meant.

"Let's all take a look then, choose a path each, if any discovery is made, just activate the soul leech and call my name," Six Desires Venerable nodded slightly, making a decision.

"Yes," Dugu Feng and the others responded in unison.

"Ni Mu, you three go ahead and scout the Cold Martial Realm, I will cover you from behind," seeing this, the Six Desires Venerable turned his head and glanced at Ni Mu and his group, pointing to the snow-covered winding path.

"Yes, Venerable," Ni Mu seemed somewhat reluctant but could not help but lead Wu Yuezhi and the other one onto the path, scouting for Six Desires Venerable.

Subsequently, the Six Desires Venerable trailed them at a distance as he too made his way towards the Cold Martial Realm.

Seeing this, Dugu Feng also gestured with his hand and led Xi Ying onto the road heading to the Extreme Fire Realm.

Thunderbolt Ancestor glanced at the retreating figures and thought of the soul leech swirling within his Sea of Consciousness. His expression grew even grimmer.

"Yan Sijing, come with me," he said in a muffled voice.

At his words, a tense look crossed Yan Sijing's face, and she reluctantly followed Thunderbolt Ancestor's footsteps towards the remaining part of the Netherworld.

Just then, Yan Sijing heard a sigh and turned her head in confusion, only to see that Golden Dawn Fairy had also followed.

"Jin Xi, what are you following for?" Thunderbolt Ancestor noticed the situation behind him and spoke in displeasure.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, we are now in the same boat. If not with you, should I stay with that Dugu Feng instead?" Golden Dawn Fairy shook her head.

"Hmph, suit yourself. Just don't hold me back," Thunderbolt Ancestor grunted unhappily and said no more.

...

An hour later, in the Netherworld.

They say you can't judge the difficulty of the road until you travel it, and although the dense Black Mist that enveloped everything didn't seem far, it took Thunderbolt Ancestor and the others a lot of effort when they actually arrived.

As soon as they entered the Black Mist, all three of them felt a chill penetrating their Divine Souls, and gusts of Yin wind howled past, shattering the screams and wails that came from deep within the mist.

However, Thunderbolt Ancestor and Golden Dawn Fairy were both at the Nascent Soul Stage, so naturally, they weren't frightened by such a scene.

Golden Dawn Fairy summoned the Golden Scroll. With a few light taps of her finger, countless golden characters scattered the surrounding fog, clearing space for her.

Thunderbolt Ancestor, even more direct, rubbed his hands together, and the surging thunder light pierced through the fog unrestrained, leaving only the unpleasant smell of something scorched.

Using their own methods, the two advanced through the Netherworld, while Yan Sijing silently followed behind Thunderbolt Ancestor, her head slightly bowed to hide her gaze, her thoughts unknown.

Another half hour passed, and the three had ventured deep inside, but the pitch-black mist around them seemed endless. No matter what methods they used, they couldn't clear it away completely.

Even the path they had taken earlier was resealed by the rolling Black Mist.

Along the way, many ghosts rushed out from the mist. Although none could approach them too closely, as the strength of the ghosts increased, both Thunderbolt Ancestor and Golden Dawn Fairy shifted from an easy handling to a gradual sense of pressure.

But under the pressure of the Six Desires Venerable, they had no choice but to continue meandering through the Black Mist, seeking the core of the Forbidden.

Suddenly, while manipulating her Magic Treasure to disperse the mist, Golden Dawn Fairy heard a sudden pause in the thunder beside her. Turning her head, she saw Thunderbolt Ancestor had stopped his incantations, and a faint red glow flashed in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, what's the matter?" Golden Dawn Fairy asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing. Just an old problem flaring up. You continue searching, Jin Xi. I'll take a short rest and catch up with you soon," Thunderbolt Ancestor said and then turned around, using his Mana to sweep up Yan Sijing and flew downwards.

Seeing this, Golden Dawn Fairy furrowed her brows. She stood in place, conflicted for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh and continued to explore deeper into the Black Mist.

After parting with Golden Dawn Fairy, the red light in Thunderbolt Ancestor's eyes grew stronger and even his breathing became labored.

Yan Sijing, carried by him, immediately realized something. Her face turned slightly pale, but she soon took a deep breath, steadying her heart and silently praying to the Nether Moon God.

The Cultivation Technique that Thunderbolt Ancestor practiced was the famous Thunder Secret Scripture from the Five Thunder Sect. However, years ago, due to his impatience for quick results, he made a mistake during cultivation, damaging his foundation. Ever since then, whenever he used Thunder and Lightning Divine Power for an extended period, the old injury would recur, causing Mana to form lightning arcs that moved erratically through his meridians.

To resolve this issue, Thunderbolt Ancestor had to absorb a woman's Yuan Yin through a Secret Technique of Dual Cultivation when he was afflicted. This was also why he insisted on bringing a Furnace Tripod even when treasure hunting.

Among the three female cultivators he brought, Yan Sijing was the most precious. With her innate Xuanyin Body, she naturally nurtured Ice Core Yin Fire in her Dantian. If she could continue to nourish it until she reached the Late-stage Core Formation, then finally absorb her during Dual Cultivation, not only could her power help heal his old injuries, but it could also advance Thunderbolt Ancestor's Cultivation.

If it were not for the other two female cultivators' demise, Thunderbolt Ancestor really did not want to use Yan Sijing here.

Moreover, for some reason, his old injury had recurred sooner than usual, and he hadn't been able to detect it beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn't have used so many Thunder Skills in exploring the Black Mist.

But contemplating the cause was too late. His priority was to find a safe place to absorb Yan Sijing to suppress the old injury.

About thirty minutes later, and just as Thunderbolt Ancestor was about to run out of patience, he finally found a natural pit on the ground.

He flew into the pit in a hurry, stretched out his hand to cast a Sealing spell on the entrance, and then, in a frantic rush, grabbed Yan Sijing in front of him, reaching straight for her swollen chest.

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