"Bao Daoist, that group of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators are no pushovers. They have magic tools with power comparable to Golden Core weapons," Wei Tu reminded Bao Siyan before entering the stone door.
In his view, although this woman was scheming, her thoughts were not particularly malicious or sinister—she was not the type to strike ruthlessly like the cultivators or demonic cultivators who specialized in plundering.
Now that they were in a crisis, he had no choice but to team up with Bao Siyan for mutual protection.
"I understand," Bao Siyan responded. Upon hearing this, she immediately conjured a protective shield using her spiritual energy and took out an iron umbrella magic tool from her storage bag.
When she unfolded the umbrella, several thick white light shields appeared around her body. These white light shields looked incredibly tough, nearly impenetrable.
At the same time, Wei Tu also took out his "Flame Demon Banner" and small turtle shell shield, while secretly preparing the Five Elements Ring and the Cuiyun Needle, two offensive magic tools hidden in his sleeve.
Once everything was ready, Wei Tu commanded his puppet to push open the stone door.
As soon as the stone door opened, the two layers of formation barriers inside and outside the tomb were instantly shattered. Wei Tu and Bao Siyan's divine senses expanded, allowing them to perceive beyond the door.
Behind the stone door was a cavern filled with red crystals. The entrance was narrow, barely wide enough for three or four people to pass through.
However, within the red crystal cave, there were no demonic cultivators lying in wait, as Wei Tu and Bao Siyan had feared. The two exchanged glances and, after some tentative steps, walked slowly into the cave together.
After entering the cave, Wei Tu thought for a moment and then tapped his spirit insect bag, releasing a second-tier Seven-Colored Illusion Moth to remain outside the stone door.
He then commanded the moth to close the stone door.
Using the "Know Heaven Crossing" perception technique, Wei Tu sensed that the moment the second-tier Seven-Colored Illusion Moth closed the stone door, it vanished back into the wall, restoring the door to its original state.
At the same time, the formation barriers began to reseal.
Seeing this, Wei Tu let out a sigh of relief.
The time spent searching for the "secret passage" had been several months, and even though the incoming group of Golden Core demonic cultivators was strong, they would be delayed here for some time.
The red crystal cavern seemed endless. Wei Tu and Bao Siyan, cautious of the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators, moved slowly, but even so, they had already traveled several miles.
However, the red crystal cavern still had no end in sight.
"Wei Daoist, how far are we from the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth?" After walking for half an hour, Bao Siyan asked.
"Almost there, about four miles left," Wei Tu replied casually, using his divine sense to gauge the distance.
Earlier, with the help of his perception technique, he had sensed the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth's location and identified the position of the stone door. However, the moth was not near the door, and they were still several miles apart.
The red crystal cave wasn't a straight path; it twisted and turned with many branches, which slowed their progress.
After walking a bit further, a layer of dark red mist suddenly appeared in front of them.
The mist seemed endless, accompanied by the sounds of wolves howling and ghosts crying. As the mist moved, waves of chilling cold air rushed toward them.
"Be careful, this is the Blood Mirage Demon Mist," Bao Siyan said, raising her umbrella to block the cold while warning Wei Tu.
"Blood Mirage Demon Mist?" Wei Tu furrowed his brow. With his knowledge, he had never heard of such a phenomenon.
"I suspected something was off with the red crystals in this cave earlier," Bao Siyan continued. "Now, seeing this Blood Mirage Demon Mist, I'm even more certain of my guess."
Noticing the puzzled look on Wei Tu's face, Bao Siyan explained directly, "These red crystals are Blood Mirage Stones. Though they have no use in cultivation, when there are enough of them, the released aura can form the 'Blood Mirage Demon Mist.'"
"The 'Black Blood Marsh' at the border of Zheng Kingdom is filled with Blood Mirage Stone mines, which is why this mist lingers there year-round. The name 'Black Blood' is related to this 'Blood Mirage Demon Mist.'"
"The danger of the Blood Mirage Demon Mist is that the mist not only has poison that causes hallucinations but also, any beings that die within it are turned into 'Blood Mirage Beasts,' which become deadly weapons for the mist."
Bao Siyan explained slowly.
Hearing her explanation, Wei Tu's expression softened.
Had it not been for the orthodox sects using the 'Black Blood Marsh' as a defensive border area, the natural dangers there might have been even greater. With his cultivation level, crossing the 'Black Blood Marsh' would not have been particularly dangerous.
Thus, while the Blood Mirage Demon Mist sounded terrifying, as a Golden Core cultivator, he still felt confident he could pass through it.
Danger is relative.
"If I'm not mistaken, that group of demonic cultivators must be trapped in this 'Blood Mirage Demon Mist' and unable to find their way out," Bao Siyan said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, and a hint of ease appearing on her face.
She and Wei Tu had a certain degree of confidence in dealing with that group of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
Now, with the help of the "Blood Mirage Demon Mist," the odds of killing that group of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators were nearly certain.
After a brief exchange, Bao Siyan and Wei Tu both activated their defensive magic tools and stepped into the "Blood Mirage Demon Mist."
As soon as they entered the mist, their divine senses were somewhat restricted. However, since both of them had mastered the "Know Heaven Crossing" perception technique, their combat abilities weren't severely affected.
After walking for a while, a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth flew up from the ground and landed on Wei Tu's palm.
"The demonic cultivators are in the southeast, about seven miles away from us," Wei Tu extracted the memories of the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth and instantly learned the whereabouts of the demonic cultivators they had encountered years ago.
However, their path to this "secret land" differed slightly from what he had expected.
After slaughtering the law enforcement team led by Sun Yu, the group of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators had ventured to a great mountain in Zheng Kingdom. From there, they had accidentally arrived at this "secret land" in the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain via a teleportation array.
"Tonghu Mountain!" Wei Tu, being from Zheng Kingdom, was very familiar with its geography. Upon seeing the shape of the mountain, he immediately recognized the name.
In fact, compared to other great mountains, Wei Tu remembered Tonghu Mountain quite clearly.
Years ago, Elder Xue from the Wu Yun Tower had recruited him. Before leaving, Elder Xue had given him a token, telling him that once he made up his mind, he could go to Tonghu Mountain to find him and join the Wu Yun Tower.
Later, the Wu Yun Tower was destroyed.
During the civil rebellion, he and Fu Zhizhou had captured Wu Yun Tower's Deputy Tower Master, Xie Yuanshan. From Xie Yuanshan, they had extracted the location of a batch of spirit stones.
Those spirit stones were hidden in Tonghu Mountain.
"The Wu Yun Tower was affiliated with the Chi Song Jia family, and the ancestor of the Xie family was once a servant of the Jia family. Could it be that Tonghu Mountain is related to the Chi Song Jia family?"
Wei Tu's eyes flashed slightly.
He now felt a sense of relief. If the spirit stones' storage point hadn't been several dozen miles away from the teleportation array in Tonghu Mountain, perhaps during their retrieval, Kou Liang and Fu Zhizhou might have encountered danger.
There were one hundred spirit stones in total, and he had received fifty of them. These were his starting funds for cultivating immortality.
Without those fifty spirit stones, his early cultivation would have been much harder. He might have even chosen to become a "ghostwriter" just to earn spirit stones, which could have led to his death in the Demon Wolf Mountain Range.
Having determined the exact location, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan immediately set off toward the group of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
At this moment, they had no concrete information about the secret land. Only by killing this group of demonic cultivators could they find a way to survive.
— The teleportation array in Tonghu Mountain was a one-way array, not a two-way one.
Meanwhile, in the Blood Mirage Demon Mist, seven demonic cultivators in black cloaks huddled together, maintaining a dark gray magic barrier in front of them to resist the mist outside.
"This is clearly the right direction, but we still can't seem to get out of this Blood Mirage Mist. Damn, it's really strange." A thin man on the left, holding a green array disc, cursed as he watched the dim light on the array disc.
"Damn it! It's your fault. You said you sensed the array barrier breaking and led us to this cursed place," he continued angrily.
"If I die, our Wu family won't spare you," the thin man added, glaring at a yellow-faced demonic cultivator standing beside him.
From his tone, it was clear that he held a high position among the group.
"Enough talking." At this moment, a withered, thin dwarf sitting in the center opened his eyes. He cast a cold glance at the "Wu-named demonic cultivator" who had just spoken, and spoke indifferently.
Had Wei Tu been present, he would have immediately recognized this person as the demonic cultivator who had used the "Ten Thousand Blood Demon Wind" to torment Sun Yu and the others years ago.
As the withered dwarf spoke, the previously arrogant Wu-named demonic cultivator shrank back and fell silent.
Seeing this, the dwarf nodded slightly and said, "One year ago, the moment the array barrier opened, I used a 'Flying Shadow Talisman' to notify the Demon Lord. We just need to wait a little longer, and the Demon Lord will arrive."
Upon hearing the words "Demon Lord," the other demonic cultivators instantly gained more confidence and continued to maintain their magic barrier, resisting the Blood Mirage Demon Mist that surged toward them.
However, just then...
A green needle-like light suddenly shot out, piercing through the magic barrier in front of the demonic cultivators and instantly killing the yellow-faced demonic cultivator.
At the same time, a cyan magic sword, following closely behind the green needle-like light, pierced through the magic barrier of another demonic cultivator, severing his head in one swift strike.
Seeing this sudden turn of events, the remaining five Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators immediately changed their expressions. They took out their defensive magic tools to block the green needle-like light and the cyan magic sword.
"A Golden Core cultivator!" The withered, thin dwarf's sharp gaze scanned the blood mist in front of them.
Upon hearing this, the remaining four Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators were shocked. Even though they had Golden Core-level methods, they did not believe they would fare well under a Golden Core cultivator's hands.
The withered dwarf ignored his companions. He narrowed his eyes slightly, taking a scroll from his robes with great caution and tossing it toward the blood mist in front of them.
The scroll unfolded in the air, and dozens of bone-shaped magic arrows shot out, streaking through the air toward their targets.
"Another Golden Core-level sealed magic? How many more tricks has the Demon Lord left for these Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators?" Wei Tu, standing in the "Blood Mirage Demon Mist," was greatly surprised upon seeing the scroll open.
He had initially thought the withered dwarf would take out the silver bead and release the signature technique of the Earth Yin Old Demon—the "Ten Thousand Blood Demon Wind"—as he had done over forty years ago.
But instead, the withered dwarf had pulled out another Golden Core-level sealed magic.
"Bao Dao-you, it's up to you now," Wei Tu said as the scroll opened, swiftly retreating behind Bao Siyan.
They were working together now, and there was no need for each of them to resist the Golden Core-level technique separately, which would waste their magical energy.
Bao Siyan didn't say much. She erupted with green light, channeling all her power into her iron umbrella magic tool.
The iron umbrella expanded with a clear ringing sound as it grew into a several-zhang-sized shield, standing firm in front of Bao Siyan and Wei Tu.
As the umbrella shielded them, dozens of bone-shaped magic arrows shot toward the umbrella.
Clang! Clang!
Each bone arrow struck the iron umbrella with such force that the umbrella trembled, almost giving the impression it might break under the impact.
But in reality, after the bone arrows finished shooting from the scroll, the umbrella remained unharmed.
"It's just a Golden Core-level sealed divine ability. No matter how powerful it is, it still has limits," Bao Siyan's eyes flashed with disdain.
Finishing her sentence, Bao Siyan took advantage of the gap and once again urged the cyan magic sword hovering beside her to strike fiercely at the withered dwarf.
At the same time, Wei Tu was not idle. He released the Sky-Splitting Eagle and, while attacking the other demonic cultivators in front of him, used his divine sense to control four Seven-Colored Illusion Moths, secretly attacking the other Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
Even a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense would have difficulty detecting the second-tier Seven-Colored Illusion Moths.
Let alone the Foundation Establishment cultivators before them.
As Bao Siyan used her cyan magic sword to break through the magic barrier of a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, the four Seven-Colored Illusion Moths darted inside.
The Seven-Colored Illusion Moths fluttered their wings and gently exhaled, releasing a mist of seven colors from their mandibles.
The Seven-Colored Illusion Moths were completely transparent, and at first glance, their appearance seemed unrelated to the term "seven-colored."
But in fact, the name "Seven-Colored Illusion Moth" was not based on their appearance, but rather their innate ability.
Illusion was the inherent talent of the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths.
Under the influence of the several streams of seven-colored mist, the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators, except for the withered dwarf, froze for a moment, and their vision began to blur.
Their gazes immediately turned toward the withered dwarf. They urged their magic tools, attacking him in the confusion.
This sudden "betrayal" caught the withered dwarf off guard.
The withered dwarf had already been under pressure from the two Golden Core cultivators. So, all defensive measures were left to the other demonic cultivators to handle.
Now, after the four demonic cultivators turned on him, the withered dwarf could not react in time. He was immediately stabbed by his own comrades, severely injured.
The Wu-named demonic cultivator seemed to have a deep grudge against the withered dwarf. Under the illusion, he urged his magic tool and directly severed the withered dwarf's arm.