CHAPTER 256: THE REAL SHOW BEGINS

Bai Ze had been sensing the ferret's energy, but the moment he heard the words "Lord of Rituals," the technique in his hands collapsed instantly.

Trembling, he turned to Flame Demon, struggling to maintain a calm expression. "You mean the God of Slaughter... the Imperial Lord of Rituals? He has returned from the Outside?

"That ferret just now... that was the Violet-Eyed Ferret. And the energy I sensed before..."

Flame Demon nodded. "The Lord of Rituals had already returned during the Beast King's Trial. Or perhaps, he returned even earlier, but he never sought us out until now."

Seeing Flame Demon's subtle nod, Bai Ze felt as though he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He lost his composure, and he trembled more violently with each passing moment.

"That explains why... whenever I used my divine ability to foresee the future, I kept sensing a familiar murderous aura. I had assumed it was Nantian Yijian, after all, he had inherited the Lord's legacy."

Noticing Bai Ze's agitation, Flame Demon steadied him from behind. "Calm yourself. The Lord does not want others to know of his return yet."

"I understand..." Bai Ze murmured, silently chanting the Ice-Heart Command to steady his mind. With a precise target, he could predict the past and the future more clearly. Streams of white light swirled back into his hands, projecting a series of images into his mind.

"So that's how it is... to think the Lord would reveal himself in such a manner. Nothing about this has ever been coincidental."

In that instant, Bai Ze reviewed Lu Chen's life from birth to the beginning of his cultivation. He had seen these visions before, but this time they were far more complete and comprehensive.

Images flashed rapidly, showing Lu Chen's birth and revealing most of the schemes surrounding him. The visions continued until he obtained the Twin-Fish Medallion and formally entered the Qi Absorption Realm. After that point, the images blurred, and by the time he left for his excursions, the visions went entirely blank.

Bai Ze had encountered this before when attempting to observe Lu Chen's information. Lu Chen's path had become unpredictable, and for protection, all information about his future had been shielded.

Still, by channeling his divine ability through those close to Lu Chen, Bai Ze glimpsed fragments of hidden truths. Seeing the final results, he felt a mix of awe and melancholy.

Bai Ze sighed heavily. His emotions mirrored Red Fox's—torn between revealing the truth and holding it back. Perhaps this was what Little Pup meant by the "Prophet's Sorrow"—to know the course of events and their outcomes, yet remain powerless to change them, bearing everything silently as a mere observer.

But Bai Ze's innate talent lay in foreseeing the future. Years of cultivation had accustomed him to this mindset. Within minutes, his emotions gradually stabilized.

Golden Dragon noticed his unusual state and approached. "Bai Ze, what's wrong? I saw you just use your divine ability. Did you discover something?"

"Essentially, yes. Our king is not in danger."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" The beast leaders immediately gathered, eyes fixed on him. "Red Fox is in such a dire state. How can you say there's no problem?"

Bai Ze dispersed the technique in his hands and stepped away from the gathered leaders, approaching the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree. He fabricated an explanation on the spot.

"That ravine is actually a passage leading directly to the giant's heart. Red Fox is in this state only because the passage needs spirit qi to function. It's temporary. Once it's over, she will be fine."

He turned to the beast leaders with a solemn expression beneath the tree. "It's like entering a high-level secret realm. To unlock the gates, we must offer spirit qi. It doesn't endanger life; it's just a temporary requirement."

"I see. Then we can relax," one of the leaders said.

Metal General leaned over the Divine Tree, envious. "Our king's constitution is extraordinary. No matter where he goes, opportunities seem to chase him relentlessly."

Flame Demon immediately pulled him back and tossed him aside. "That's enough. Don't crowd here. Even if Bai Ze's foresight indicates no danger, we must prepare for the unexpected."

"Yes, boss," Metal General said, eyes following Flame Demon eagerly. "But... can I ask for something?"

"Speak."

"Both Wind Dragon and Red Fox are already out there. If our king needs help, can I be next? I'm tired of training here, and I've recently reached a breakthrough stage. I need some metal-element energy to stabilize it."

Metal General approached quietly, resting on Flame Demon's shoulder, blinking repeatedly. "Boss... how about it? I promise, I won't disturb the king's cultivation once I'm out there."

"No!"

"Boss..."

"Absolutely not!" Flame Demon ignored Metal General's request and yanked him off his shoulder. "Lord Seventh has already issued his orders. Unless the king is in a near-death situation, none of us may leave."

"What about Red Fox? Why is she allowed to go?" Metal General plopped onto the ground, whining like a child. "If she can leave, why can't I?"

Flame Demon snorted coldly and scolded him right away. "Stand up and look at yourself! Red Fox can take care of Lady Wan'er, but you? You can't even take care of yourself, let alone anyone else."

"Boss..."

"That's enough. Continue to observe the situation outside. We must remain vigilant at all times." Flame Demon shot Metal General another glare before turning away, ignoring him completely.

"Fine, I won't go then," Metal General muttered, grumbling and pouting as he followed behind.

While observing the situation in the outside world, he saw Jun Laoye's spear, and a sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

***

On the cliff's edge.

Lu Chen flew through the air, continuously inscribing formations before him. "Wind Dragon, get ready. The small world's passage has been established."

Another phantom of the Divine Tree solidified behind him, and the two phantom trees began expanding, serving as the anchor points for the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree.

The divine tree's vines intertwined and twisted together at the center, rapidly forming a gate-like structure.

Crackling sounds rang out as the roots of the two trees dug deep into the earth. Their trunks slowly split apart, revealing infinite spatial information that flowed along the vines into the newly formed gate.

The gate gradually opened, unleashing a massive surge of energy that tore through the clouds of corpse qi above, creating a huge gap in the sky.

The sun rose in the east, its rosy light spilling over the Green Sovereign Divine Trees. Rays filtered through the canopy, illuminating Lu Chen and casting him like a proud, resolute martial god standing tall.

The venerables on the cliffs frowned as they watched Lu Chen's spell. They could not fully understand what he was doing, but the immense pressure radiating from the gate made them uneasy, as if mountains of corpses and the forbidden depths of an abyss lay beyond it.

Below the ravine, Little Pup chuckled at Lu Chen's actions. "Young master, who drops bombs right off the bat? You've really caught me off guard this time."

He glanced at the black mist below the ravine. The oppressive breathing was thick and suffocating. "Fine, fine. Let's begin. The formation below is complete, so we'll start by interrupting your spell first."

Little Pup lifted his head and roared at the red sun. Viewed from the Heavenly Mandate Hall, the sun appeared to take on a strange violet hue.

Hearing the roar, the venerables on the cliffs looked up at the violet sun. Their minds went blank for a moment, and by the time they recovered, the northern ravine had vanished, along with Lu Chen and his companions. The area appeared untouched, as if no one had disturbed it in hundreds of years.

Rubbing their eyes, the venerables looked again toward the cliff. The central pit's teleportation formation had now formed, and a black energy pillar shot straight into the sky. Clouds of corpse qi rolled back in, enveloping the sky and filling the gap once more.

The ten venerables frowned and attempted to probe what had just occurred using their divine abilities. But they could see nothing, as if the events had been erased from history.

"The teleportation formation isn't supposed to open until tonight. Why is it complete already?" Venerable Shuang Dao said, scanning the area. "And the northern region... How does it end up like this? Where did Lu Chen and the others go?"

Venerable Hua Xin and Tian Suo stood nearby, gazing at the black energy column in the central area. "We can clearly see the area with our eyes, but when we send our divine senses there, it feels like throwing it into the sea. And that ravine... Lu Chen and the others are truly gone."

Daoist Tian Ji withdrew his Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk and spat a mouthful of blood essence. "The feeling you described... It's more like that area has disappeared from the mortal world entirely."

Heaven Venerable Hua Sheng moved to support him. "Honored Daoist... even you can't see it?"

Daoist Tian Ji wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly sat against a rock. "It's not that I can't see it. That area has simply vanished from the mortal world.

"This is a high-level space law in effect. The region has formed overlapping scenarios. What we see is one scene, while Lu Chen exists in a completely different spatial scene."

Ancestor Suitian stood at the cliff's edge, concerned. "This level of space law allows one to freely modify or even create an entire region. A cultivator would need to be at least Heaven Core Realm, perhaps higher, to achieve this."

He gazed at both locations. "The central pit's teleportation formation has also been activated. But we still don't know whether this anomaly is a blessing or a curse."

Clasping his hands behind his back, he attempted to divine the outcome. Even with his entry-level mastery of space law, he could not ascertain Lu Chen's current situation.