It was nearly dawn, and the city was dark and silent.
Most of the lights were out, leaving only a few scattered glimmers.
The cold winter wind was biting, cutting through the air with a chilling force.
Tang Muxi clutched a handful of Earth-grade talismans, nervously watching ahead.
She didn’t have a light, nor did she possess the night vision of an animal, so she had to rely on the faint moonlight to find her way.
Her dark eyes widened in the pitch-black night, and every tiny sound seemed to ripple through her tense gaze.
“What are you doing?”
Jiang Yin couldn’t stand it anymore and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
Tang Muxi’s pupils shrank, and she let out a startled scream, frantically slapping the talismans onto her.
These were all Earth-grade, and if they all went off, they might blow the entire mansion sky-high.
Wen Fei quickly grabbed her wrist, urgently saying, “Muxi!”
Tang Muxi paused, turned to look behind her, and realized it was the person who had been following her all along.
She couldn’t help but purse her lips, “Senior Sister!
Don’t suddenly speak up like that!
I thought I encountered some monster.”
It was the middle of the night, quite frightening.
Jiang Yin frowned deeply, looking at the large stack of talismans in her hand, her mouth twitching slightly, “Why are you so timid?”
She said, raising her hand to confiscate all her talismans.
They had just entered the Xia Mansion, and there was still some distance to the Heart Lake, where there would be no ghosts or monsters.
Tang Muxi saw her take them all and got anxious, “Who’s timid?
I’m just being prepared!
Give them back!
I worked hard to draw them.”
An Earth-grade lower-tier talisman could unleash a full-force attack of a Nascent Soul, and the highest Earth-grade could reach the desperate struggle of a Fusion stage.
In theory, Tang Muxi could already draw high-tier Earth-grade talismans, but due to her low cultivation and insufficient spiritual power, she couldn’t supply the immense power needed.
This stack of lower-tier Earth-grade talismans was drawn after she returned, relying on the extremely cold ice pool, and even so, it took quite an effort.
Holding them gave her a full sense of security, how could she let them go?
Jiang Yin was getting a headache from her fussing and had no choice but to stuff the storage ring containing the talismans back into her hand, “Don’t take them out easily.”
Tang Muxi quickly extended her divine sense, finding that not a single one was missing, and giggled.
After this bit of banter, her tense nerves relaxed quite a bit.
“Shh, be quiet, don’t alert the enemy,” Wen Mingyu reminded in a low voice.
Tang Muxi nodded in agreement and continued to approach the Heart Lake.
The Xia Mansion was as usual, with rich spiritual energy and delicate incense.
Wen Mingyu and the others still couldn’t detect the two hidden ghostly forces below, but after Jiang Yin’s reminder, they vaguely felt something was off.
The area near the Heart Lake was empty, with only a few small buildings and a pavilion in the center of the lake.
Under the frosty moonlight, it appeared even more eerie.
Tang Muxi tightly gripped the storage ring, then summoned the Illusion God, hiding its scattered exquisite glow, and held it firmly in her hand.
“Should we go down?”
She looked at the pitch-black water, feeling it was full of ominousness.
Just looking at it felt like facing a vast unknown abyss, making her heart tremble.
Wen Mingyu used Xia Ci’s aura as a guide, casting a secret technique to limit the search area within the Xia Mansion.
A faint light flashed by, swift as a meteor, carrying the aura straight into the lake.
“So it really is here!”
Hidden for so many days, it was right under her nose all along.
“Miss Jiang, Junior Sister, you two wait on the shore for now, let us go down and scout the way first.”
Among their group, except for Jiang Yin and Tang Muxi who hadn’t reached Nascent Soul, the others had, with even three at the Fusion stage, making this arrangement most appropriate.
Jiang Yin slightly frowned, seemingly dissatisfied.
But before she could speak, Tang Muxi pulled her behind, standing in front herself, and nodded on her own, “Thank you, Sister Mingyu.”
“You all wait, we’re just going to scout ahead to ensure safety, we’ll be back soon.”
With that, she turned and began arranging the descent.
There were four of them in total, three at the Fusion stage and one at the Nascent Soul stage.
Wen Fei had the highest cultivation, already at the Great Perfection stage.
But due to previous damage to her Dao bones, she was still in recovery, so Wen Mingyu didn’t let her take the lead.
Instead, she gave each of the Xia family and Treasure Pavilion’s Fusion stage cultivators a protective talisman and let them go first.
The aunt followed behind with the Nascent Soul stage her.
Wen Fei wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t, just focusing on protecting Mingyu.
Following them into the lake, the bone-chilling cold seeped through the Water Repelling Technique, instantly enveloping them.
Tang Muxi watched as they all plunged into the lake, then slowly released Jiang Yin’s hand.
Facing her slightly displeased gaze, she chuckled.
“If they want to go, let them go.
After all, their cultivation is high, and the danger is less.
We can enjoy some peace,” Tang Muxi explained.
Jiang Yin closed her eyes lightly, “Nonsense.”
They were all here to investigate, so how could they let others do the work while they idled?
It would be better for her to go down and find an opportunity.
Tang Muxi understood this reasoning and did not argue against Jiang Yin’s reprimand, agreeing honestly, though she still felt she wasn’t wrong.
The night breeze was gentle, and the moonlight shimmered.
The two of them stayed by the lake for a long time, but no sound was heard.
Until the moon overhead shifted slightly, the lake remained as tranquil as before, with no movement except for the delicate ripples stirred by the wind.
Tang Muxi grew restless, frequently lowering her head to peer into the water.
She attempted to use magic to see through the lakebed, only to realize that everything was blocked outside, and her divine sense couldn’t even penetrate the dim lake surface.
“Senior Sister!
There’s a formation below!”
It clearly wasn’t there before!
When did it activate?
Jiang Yin’s expression darkened as she suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation of spiritual energy.
She immediately summoned the Imprisoning Demon Sword, pushing Tang Muxi aside to shield her.
Clang!
Sharp metal clashed, sparks flew, and the light of spells shone brilliantly like stars.
Tang Muxi was slow to react, but when she saw the attacker, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Sister Mingyu?”
The one who emerged from the lake and attacked her mercilessly was none other than Wen Mingyu, who had just gone into the water to investigate.
At this moment, she wielded a mysterious fan, her eyes full of anger, and the pressure of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was fully displayed.
Although she faced Jiang Yin, she seemed to mistake her for someone else, shouting desperately, her violent attacks raining down like a storm, “Give her back to me!
Give my aunt back to me!”
Her weapon was the mysterious fan she never parted with.
The seemingly paper-thin fan surface was extremely sharp, slicing through spiritual energy as it danced in the air, each move fierce and deadly, with the intent to kill.
Jiang Yin’s gaze sharpened, and in an instant, she unleashed the domineering aura of the Imprisoning Demon Sword, her sword technique suddenly changing as she aimed for Wen Mingyu’s heart.
Although Wen Mingyu was under an illusion, her mind was still intact.
She quickly withdrew her attack to defend her vital points.
Tang Muxi seized the opportunity to draw her bow, condensing three ice arrows with pure extreme cold spiritual energy, shooting them like meteors.
She didn’t intend to harm the other party.
These three ice arrows didn’t even solidify sharp arrowheads.
Upon hitting Wen Mingyu, they transformed into segments of ice crystals, binding her body and sealing her movements, preventing further attacks.
Wen Mingyu struggled uneasily, her hands forming a faint spell.
But Jiang Yin wouldn’t let her cast it.
She tapped several points on Wen Mingyu’s body, sealing her meridians and spiritual energy.
Without power, the faint glow of the spell dimmed and soon vanished into the night.
“Xia Ci!”
Wen Mingyu shouted in anger and shame.
Tang Muxi came to Jiang Yin’s side, frowning at the words, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong with her?”
“Not sure, it seems to be an illusion,” Jiang Yin raised her hand, drawing a rune on Wen Mingyu’s forehead.
In a moment, Wen Mingyu’s eyes became dazed, no longer struggling, staring blankly into space.
At the same time, complex patterns appeared in her unfocused eyes, threads of pure Netherworld power permeating them.
Seeing this, the Illusion God leaped from Tang Muxi’s hand, transforming into human form, exclaiming, “This power… it’s the Netherworld Talisman.”
“The Netherworld Talisman…? Isn’t that the legendary artifact held by the Ghost Emperor?”
Tang Muxi was a bit surprised.
“There’s no mistake. The Netherworld Talisman can split into countless Dao patterns, capable of controlling a person’s soul. This person is only lightly cursed, temporarily confused in mind.”
The Wraith Seal can open the Ghost Gate, mastering “space.”
The Netherworld Talisman, on the other hand, is the artifact that governs ghost spirits, leaving no room for resistance.
It is a cold jade that can split into countless “avatars” through Dao patterns, having absolute control over souls.
But Wen Mingyu’s lifespan was not yet exhausted; she was still alive and only confused by the Dao patterns evolved from the Netherworld Talisman, thus unable to be controlled.
If she were a spirit, even a single evolved Dao pattern could make her submit.
The Illusion God, having absorbed Tang Muxi’s blood essence, naturally took on her appearance.
The scene of the two of them conversing fell into Jiang Yin’s eyes as two junior sisters interacting, appearing quite peculiar.
Listening for a moment, she couldn’t sit still and interrupted, asking, “How do we break it?
Can the Imprisoning Demon Sword work?”
The influence of an artifact is extremely difficult to eliminate, but coincidentally, she also has an artifact.
“It can, but…”
The Illusion God frowned, glanced at Tang Muxi, thought better of it, and turned to Jiang Yin, “Be careful not to let the evil energy invade her body.”
Jiang Yin keenly noticed the Illusion God’s gaze, felt suspicious, but didn’t ask further.
He just nodded in agreement and carefully used the Imprisoning Demon Sword to sever the path pattern.
Unlike the last time with the Heavenly Demon Halberd curse directly binding to the soul, the Netherworld Talisman only temporarily confused Wen Mingyu’s mind, so the process was quite swift.
In less than half an hour, it was completely severed, without any danger.
The path pattern imprinted on her eyes was eliminated, and Wen Mingyu’s scattered gaze gradually regained focus.
However, her consciousness still seemed a bit muddled, with her brows tightly furrowed.
Tang Muxi released the ice crystal, leaned in, and asked, “Mingyu, do you recognize me?”
Wen Mingyu looked up at the sound, her gaze landing on Tang Muxi’s face, and after a moment, she slowly spoke, “Little junior sister… why am I here?”
Her tone was still somewhat bewildered.
“You were affected by the Netherworld Talisman, your mind was confused, and you attacked her,” Jiang Yin said coldly.
“Where are Wen Fei and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators? Weren’t you looking for Xia Ci?”
“Xia Ci…”
Wen Mingyu held her forehead in thought, suddenly remembering something and looked up sharply, “Xia Ci! He captured them!”
