The bewilderment of Di She was a shared sentiment amongst everyone present. After all this time of contemplation, Wen Shifei and the others had come to understand that the mysteries of the Secret Domain largely revolved around the inner and outer three Talisman Seals.

These Talisman Seals, while appearing as simple seals, also served as spatial boundaries. Each time a layer of the Talisman Seal was broken, it was akin to delving deeper into the Secret Domain. Should all three layers of the Talisman Seal be broken, one would stand at the center of the Secret Domain. Indeed, if one could go a step further and gain control over all three Talisman Seals, theoretically, the ownership of the Secret Domain would change hands.

The one who left with the Rainbow Transformation was truly extraordinary in his actions, decisive and efficient. He seized the moment when the first and second layer Talisman Seals were activated by the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, exploiting the chaos to break through these two layers, and infiltrating the area closest to the Secret Domain Core.

Such a move required not only audacity and meticulousness but also an incredibly profound understanding of the Talisman. Only with such expertise could one dodge the suppression of the Talisman Seals in such a narrow margin, navigating danger with ease. In terms of Talisman knowledge alone, Wen Shifei and the others, all chosen by the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave for their dual cultivation of Sword and Talisman, probably couldn't match up to even a single finger of this individual.

The silence in the garden continued, but in reality, everyone was waiting for the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave's response. At this moment, facing an opponent who had already broken through two layers of Talisman Seals, the usefulness of Wen Shifei and the others was virtually negligible. Only the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, who could trigger the power of the Talisman Seals at any time, was a worthy match for this individual.

Finally, they heard a cold chuckle: "He's courting death!"

"Courting death?"

"Without solving or controlling the Talisman Seals, he recklessly charges in, seeking quick success. When attacked from within and without, even a top-tier Earth Immortal would be in a sorry state. I have made such a foolish mistake in the past. Now, he is merely repeating this path!"

The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave spoke with unwavering confidence, but Wen Shifei retorted sarcastically, "Didn't the Cave Master also receive the Thunder-Slaying Tribulation-Dispelling Ukase? Who knows what opportunities he might have?"

The garden once again fell into silence. The next moment, amidst the grim faces of Wen Shifei and the others, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave reappeared, laughing heartily, "With me here, seizing opportunities won't be that easy!"

"Get out of the way!"

Cursing, Wen Shifei and the others flew in all directions, not caring about anything else, trying to evade the impending assault from the Secret Domain. Tie Lan, carrying Yu Ci, reacted even quicker.

Sure enough, the unsettled power of the previous two layers of the Talisman Seals immediately responded. The Void Sharp Eye focused once again, instantly locking onto the location of the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave. But before the Sword Energy could burst forth, its target had already exhaled and solidified his figure further. Around him, countless flickering pale lights appeared and disappeared. Upon closer inspection, each flicker was a distorted face phantom, densely packed and touching each other, wailing silently. The temperature in the garden plummeted, a chill wind rose, seeping into their robes, chilling to the bone.

In the discerning eyes of the perceptive, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave revealed his true nature in an instant.

Di Tianluo murmured, "Such a heavy Resentful Fiend Qi..."

"Even a dedicated Cultivator of the Ghost Tao would be wary of assimilating such a degree of Resentful Fiend Qi within themselves."

A twitch played on Wen Shifei's face, his smile unreadable, filled with both joy and anger, "This one, is not a mortal being!"

As his words echoed, the aura of the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave exploded forth, recklessly breaking through two layers of the Talisman Seal, yet it didn't stop there, it collided with the third!

A muffled hum echoed in everyone's ears, the surging wave of Qi pressuring their eardrums, resonating with a humming sound. Then, a thunderclap shattered this Qi wave, the garden trembled, the dim sky split, and a thick bolt of lightning, like the Whip of the Celestial God, lashed down.

In the moment of the lightning's flash, everyone in the garden trembled. This was not a matter of courage, but an instinctive reaction from the depths of their Divine Souls.

"A Three-layer Talisman Seal acting together... akin to a Thunderbolt Tribulation?"

Wen Shifei, who was already lying on the ground, pressed his body even lower. Thunderbolt Tribulations usually had a clear purpose, but being so close, no one could guarantee that the colossal Heaven and Earth Tribulation Force wouldn't sweep them up in its wake!

The next moment, a blinding wave of light swept across the garden. Everyone, without a moment to observe, took on the guise of ostriches, heads low, shoulders hunched, Protective True Evil fully activated, all hoping to withstand this shockwave.

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The booming laughter of the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave rang out, only to be swallowed by the rolling thunder.

After a long while, Wen Shifei lifted his head. Before him lay a white expanse. The garden had been mostly destroyed, the center of the clash between the Thunderbolt Tribulation and the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave was even more of a mess. The once towering Four Directions Pavilion was now a flattened ruin, everywhere were the scorch marks left by the Thunderbolt Tribulation, and deep crevices cut open by Sword Energy.

"Is everyone still alive?"

Wen Shifei called out, leading the way. In a moment, Di Tianluo, Di She, and Incense Slave gathered together. After staring at the scene for a while, they exchanged glances and then all turned their gazes in another direction. There sat Yu Ci, still in a meditative pose, his level of dedication left them speechless.

In this predicament, he was still able to evade the impact of the Thunderbolt Tribulation. The reason lay before him, in the spectral figure that flickered in and out of existence.

As the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave detonated the Three-layer Talisman Seal in retaliation, it was Tie Lan who whisked Yu Ci away, subsequently shielding him from the ravaging onslaught of the Thunderbolt Tribulation. The might of the Thunderbolt Tribulation, inherently capable of annihilating all Ghost Entities, was unstoppable, regardless of Tie Lan's advanced cultivation level. At this moment, most of his ghostly form had been evaporated, leaving him immobilized, with only the dim crimson glow in his eyes flickering faintly.

"What a brave Sword Ghost, truly a heroic spirit!"

Wen Shifei exclaimed, then added, "But it's not good to keep this up. It would be best to rest and recuperate for a while... Is the Cave Master present?"

He called out, but received no response from the whitened garden. Several people released their senses to carefully probe the surroundings, but still received no response. They exchanged glances and finally, Wen Shifei said, "Time is pressing, and in this emergency, your servant can rest here for a while."

With that, he took out a porcelain bottle engraved with the Hundred Ghosts Night Walking Painting, opened the bottle cap, and aimed it at the ghostly figure. Just as he was about to recite a mystical incantation, Di She suddenly let out a cold snort from the side:

"That 'Iron Soul Resurrection Pearl' is indeed impressive."

Wen Shifei remained calm and smiled, "It's the foundation of their spirit gathering, naturally, it's a treasure. This is a matter of course."

None of those present were easy to deal with. After Tie Lan was seriously injured, they all saw his foundation, the Iron Soul Resurrection Pearl hidden within his ghostly body. It was thanks to this pearl that he could grow from an ordinary Sword Ghost to this level.

This pearl, in the hands of someone who doesn't understand its value, isn't worth much. But to the cultivators of the Demonic Sect, it is a superior item for soul gathering and forming a Puppet Substitute. If used properly, it is equivalent to having an extra life. Di She was reluctant to part with it, and only said:

"Since you, King of Slaying, have shown kindness, why not also pity our Junior Brother Xiao on this side. He has just become a blood shadow and needs to gather spirit with strange treasures. This pearl..."

As he was speaking, Di Tianluo shot him a cold glance from the side, and Di She immediately fell silent, not daring to speak further.

Wen Shifei smiled slightly, thinking it was no wonder that the junior disciples of the Light Demon Sect, led by Di Tianluo, understood everything just by looking at Di She's mindset. The Red Soul Resurrection Pearl was indeed a treasure, but in this unclear situation, to destroy the fragile tacit understanding and rush to part ways over this trinket, showed that this person, despite his cunning and wisdom, was not of great ambition.

However, at this time, Di She was restrained by Di Tianluo, and ultimately did not dare to cause further trouble. Although his face was not pleasant, he finally turned his head away, adopting an out of sight, out of mind attitude.

Wen Shifei nodded at Di Tianluo, then glanced at Incense Slave. Seeing the extremely weak female cultivator not overestimating her abilities, he smiled in satisfaction. He held the bottle level, and this time, no one stopped him. The bottle's mouth emitted a suction force, enveloping Tie Lan, transforming him into a black and transparent red light bead, and sucked him in. The bead fell to the bottom of the bottle, making a clear sound.

Wen Shifei shook the bottle and then put it away with a smile. At this point, there was no obstacle between them and Yu Ci. People's gazes naturally focused on them.

"Hehe, this kid..."

Di She laughed happily. This time, no one stopped him. Even Di Tianluo only said, "Spare him his life for now," and that was it. Di She casually agreed, ready to step forward, but felt a chill at the back of his head.

He paused and turned around, staring with the others at the female cultivator in the black robe, saying menacingly, "What do you want?"

Incense Slave responded indifferently, "It's not your turn yet."

"Oh? Then you come?" Di She sneered, but didn't lessen his pressure on Incense Slave.

Her reaction was hidden by her robe, but her aura was becoming more elusive. The Rakshasa's illusion technique was best at using the weak to fight the strong, and outnumbering the few. Therefore, although Wen Shifei and others had the advantage in numbers, they were not careless. They were just curious. These two didn't seem to interact much usually, so why were they acting crazy now?

Of course, they would never understand the feeling of someone holding back a feeling of suffocation.

Just as a meaningless fight was about to start, a sharp breaking sound rang out. Before the cultivators could react, more than a dozen spears fell from the sky, forming a circle around them.

They turned around in surprise, only to see nine armored cultivators forming a circle in the garden void. Their armor rune patterns intertwined, forming a magnificent light wall, enveloping them as they broke through the void and descended from the sky.

Di She was stunned for a moment, and when the nine people landed, he cursed, "Damn it, that's not fair!"

At this point, everyone finally understood why these bastards from the Heavy Weapon Sect destroyed the Four Directions Pavilion so efficiently. They had been prepared all along!

Wen Shifei's face was serious. He watched the nine cultivators arrive from the sky and then disperse, each taking a specific position. He wanted to take action all along, but their movements, although different, were united in momentum, leaving no room for attack.

Just as he was feeling a headache, his brow furrowed again. Not just him, everyone felt something, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes converged.

At the center, Yu Ci opened his eyes.

The garden suddenly fell silent. Somehow, when this Early-Stage Golden Elixir Cultivator opened his eyes, everyone felt a chill pass through their hearts. It was very faint, but it couldn't be ignored or overlooked.

...