Most people here were utterly baffled. Setting aside the matter of Monk's fate, what was the meaning of He Qing mentioning Lu Mingyue at this point?

After He Qing finished speaking, she fell silent. In the pitch-black cave, after a long silence, finally came a response:

"Though he may be a fool, he should not have died at your hands."

As the words fell, a gust of wind whistled through the cave, and thin Black Flames emerged, covering the entrance and distorting the already dim light. Monk Yi Xin's voice flowed out:

"He is unluckier than me, his True Form and Physical Body completely destroyed, leaving only his Yang Spirit intact, without a shred of opportunity for improvement. Yet, he is luckier than me, managing to exert some of his abilities through a Moon Demon Puppet, without causing harm to himself."

With that, the Monk fell silent again. Only the Black Flames at the entrance of the cave continued to burn.

Yu Ci, standing by the side, gave a faint smile. Only he knew that most of what He Qing said was false.

Previously, a Taoism Immortal's Yang Spirit had taken residence within the Moon Demon Puppet, planning to ambush him on his journey back to the heart observatory. However, he was forced by Xie Yan and others to trigger his old wounds, causing his soul to scatter. To them, the identity of that Taoism Immortal's Yang Spirit had always been a mystery, and they could only guess randomly.

As for mentioning Lu Mingyue, it was only because his disappearance was too strange, coinciding perfectly with the timing, causing He Qing to have suspicions. However, she had no certainty. Her words just now contained more bluff than truth.

Unexpectedly, Monk Yi Xin admitted so readily, solving a mystery for them.

While they were conversing, the expressions of the surrounding Cultivators varied greatly. No one here was a fool. Although the cause and effect were not clear, they could discern from the words of the two that this had clearly exceeded their level. What True Form and Physical Body, what Taoism Immortal Yang Spirit, to them, these were unreachable legends. Everyone looked at each other, their minds in turmoil.

Who would have thought that Monk Yi Xin, who had lived with them in Cliff City for decades, had such a significant background? It was impressive that he could endure for so many years under the oppressive aura of White Sun Mansion. At this thought, Shi Song and others felt a chill in their hearts. If such a person escaped today, who knows what kind of disaster he would bring in the future!

As everyone's thoughts were racing, the thin layer of Black Flames at the cave entrance had accumulated to a certain scale, showing signs of erupting. The occasional spurt of fire, agile as a snake, hissed in the air. Wherever the fire reached, there was a surge of heat within a radius of several meters. The vegetation that was half-dead from the previous impact was even more scorched. The scene in the darkness looked like a Flame Prison.

"Indeed, it is the Taoism Immortal Cultivation Level!"

He Qing's tone was indifferent, as if she was a superior Authentic Cultivator, and yet it was nothing more than that. Her confidence was astonishing.

Yu Ci blinked, somewhat puzzled. Setting aside where He Qing's confidence came from, he considered the present situation: Monk Yi Xin was currently shedding his disguise and reverting to his true form. He Qing was not the type to maintain decorum and give others the opportunity to gather their strength leisurely. Why wasn't she seizing the opportunity to suppress the Monk's movements?

This question could only be answered by Gan Shi Zhen. The delicate female cultivator responded softly, "Aunt Qing is searching for the Monk's true form."

"Huh?"

"Monk Yi Xin has torn off his disguise and started to elevate his Cultivation Level."

Gan Shi Zhen glanced back at him, her gaze filled with concern. "Be careful. Although we don't know how much of his full strength he can muster, from the moment he started speaking, he has been manipulating his divine intent, disrupting the Primordial Qi fluctuations within a five-mile radius. Now, all our senses are somewhat off, with varying degrees of deviation."

Yu Ci felt a chill in his heart, "Is Immortal He also affected?"

"Of course. At his level, with pure divine intent manipulation, he has long been able to bewilder the Divine Soul, alter the Primordial Qi, and emit from the Yang Spirit Cultivation Stage. Cultivators below the level of stepping into the void cannot avoid being affected. However, Aunt Qing's mental cultivation level is profound. Although her perception is limited, her spiritual awareness is unimpeded."

Before she could finish speaking, He Qing extended her right index finger into the sky. With a seemingly casual point, a sizzling sound echoed, like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water. The ground about half a mile from the cave was pierced to create a deep hole the thickness of a wrist. A muffled explosion sounded from the depths.

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After a brief moment, the shock waves from the depths rebounded, tearing the hole wider and making the surrounding ground more brittle. Dust and dirt flew up, obscuring the view.

He Qing's cold voice flowed through the dust, "Why hide like a rat? I know you have the strength to fight. Why not show the demeanor of your Immortality Taoism Immortal!"

For He Qing, once she made a move, there was no end to it. Even as she spoke, she controlled the surrounding Primordial Qi, plowing the approximate location of Monk Yi Xin's body seven or eight times. The earth and rocks rolled, and the deeper layers of the ground were even stirred into a soup-like consistency. However, the only response to her was complete silence.

"What's going on?"

The situation seemed one-sided, but the scene was indeed strange. Yu Ci had also emitted divine consciousness starlight, trying to probe the situation, but all the living beings in the battlefield had been wiped out. The starlight couldn't find a host, so he couldn't understand what was going on over there. The rest were not much better off than him.

Gan Shi Zhen, likely the only cultivator who could discern the details of the battlefield, was more than willing to explain the situation to Yu Ci. However, the current situation left her equally astonished, "Aunt Qing has already locked onto Monk's position, but Monk has deployed a magical instrument, shielding himself rigorously. Using his advantage in spiritual cognition, he maneuvered within inches to evade Aunt Qing's aggressive attack. Truly remarkable!"

She couldn't help but praise, and the delicate female cultivator laughed a little bashfully, but quickly continued, "Monk has restricted his movement range, adding difficulty for himself without any apparent benefit! Moreover, his cultivation level has only increased to the peak of the Golden Elixir so far. He hasn't broken through yet... Wait, he just did!"

The female cultivator abruptly stopped her explanation, her elegant eyebrows furrowing, clearly encountering something even more difficult to comprehend.

At that moment, a long howl rang out from the distant Pure Water Sect, the sound wave crossing ten miles of space, still powerful and forceful. Shi Song, standing nearby, was surprised, "Junior Brother Hu? There's an alarm in the temple!"

Only slightly lagging behind the howl, Gan Shi Zhen suddenly spoke again, "Something is swimming over from there, merging with Yi Xin."

She stopped halfway through her sentence, clearly struggling to explain exactly what was happening.

But her worries were soon alleviated.

From the horizon behind, a sudden surge of firelight drew the attention of Yu Ci and the others. They turned to see the Pure Water Sect engulfed in flames, the color much darker than ordinary fire, unlike mundane fire, but somewhat similar to Monk Yi Xin's "Amritakundalin's Method" of Black Flames. Amidst these flames, more than ten slender fire lines shot out, swift and forceful as arrows. Judging by their trajectory, they were bound to pass through where everyone was standing.

"What is that?"

Dong Yan, who had refined the Sword Ball over the past few days and greatly increased his power, targeted one fire line and released his sword aura. As he made his move, Gan Shi Zhen had already warned in a low voice, "Don't intercept!"

Dong Yan was quick to act, but as the female cultivator's words rang out, his sword aura had already hit one of the fire lines. In the instant of collision, the fire line changed abruptly, writhing like a snake, sending chills down their spines.

At this moment, the fire line moved again, mimicking the lunging posture of a snake. Dong Yan let out a cry as the fire line, following the trajectory of his sword aura, arrived in a flash, its color turning even darker.

During this period, Dong Yan had put much effort into the newly acquired Frost Extreme Sword Ball, and his sword aura contained a bone-chilling coldness. However, this chill was like snow meeting boiling water when the fire line lunged, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Along with the sword aura, it was completely eroded, rendering the sword aura, which could split gold and cut iron, utterly useless. He stared at the Black Thread Flame Snake close at hand, momentarily stunned.

The sound of swords whistling and hissing rang in the ears, like the lapping of lake water against the shore, sending ripples across the surface. Suddenly, the blaze before their eyes vanished.

The dozen or so lines of fire seemed to have encountered an invisible barrier, stopping abruptly in their tracks. After a moment of stalemate, they twisted and scattered in all directions, circled a large loop, and shot back.

Gan Shi Zhen sighed softly, no longer obstructing. Her hand held a short sword, standing above the void. Her eyes, clear as water, were serene, and her slender body seemed too frail to bear her clothing, as though a gust of wind could blow her away. Yet, her sword had scattered the Black Thread Flame Snake, and her Sword Energy filled the air, as stern as a prison. Who would dare to underestimate her?

It was only at this moment that Yu Ci truly understood that Gan Shi Zhen was also a Vacuum Walking Cultivator!

Having made contact with Dong Yan's sword aura and the lines of fire, and having a rough idea of their lethality, he knew what would happen if the fire lines touched his body. He was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat and hastily thanked the female cultivator. Gan Shi Zhen nodded slightly and said softly:

"There has been a change in the temple. I will go back to support everyone, and leave this place to Aunt Qing."

Shi Song and others were taken aback. At this moment, the ground below shook, mud splattered, revealing the soup-like layer of soil beneath. From beneath the soil, Monk Yi Xin's bald head emerged, continuously rising. The raging Black Flames were no longer content to form a lotus beneath his feet, but spread over his entire body, extending a foot beyond, burning fiercely and distorting the air.

People could see clearly that the dozen or so fire lines that had been flying around directly plunged into the outer layer of fire, causing a violent reaction.

An even more astonishing scene occurred underground. Countless lines of fire, like Black Thread Flame Snakes, leaped out from the soup-like soil layer, then merged into Monk Yi Xin's surrounding Black Flames, one after another, seemingly endless.

Yi Xin's aura, in the accumulation and fusion with these Black Thread Flame Snakes, soared dramatically. Countless intricate Rune Patterns floated up from his exposed skin, such as his face and palms.

In the distance, Hu Dan's howl became more urgent. All the cultivators present didn't know what was happening over there, only Yu Ci's face changed slightly, but he quickly pressed his lips together.

Through the Divine consciousness starlight stored in the daylight, he saw what the people here couldn't see.

*******