Chapter 1752: Chapter 496: Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang

Snap.

On the turtle shell, a spark leapt from the gap kissed by the flames, standing out vividly in the suffocating atmosphere. Perhaps it sensed the heavy stares around it, as the flame trembled, quietly withdrawing some of its fervor and dimming slightly.

Deep inside the Octagonal Tower.

The divination group’s Great Diviners sat together, observing the flickering campfire beneath Mr. Zhuge’s hands and the dark yellow turtle shell above it, remaining silent for a time.

After a moment, Li Si, the Great Diviner from the Xianqin Hunting Group, broke the silence first:

“Seconded.”

He fiddled with the Cao Herb before him, squinting as if assessing the number of herbs between his fingers and the distance between them. Following him, the other Great Diviners expressed their opinions one by one:

“Seconded.”

“Seconded.”

“Seconded.”

Whoa!

The pressure of the gaze dispersed, and beneath the turtle shell, the firelight joyfully danced again, licking the charred gaps, attempting to catch a glimpse of destiny’s face at the edge of reality and illusion.

But a pale hand extended, pressing the flame from above, effortlessly extinguishing this sliver of peering. Then Zhuge brushed off the ashes on his hand and tucked the still hot turtle shell into his arms.

A flick of his finger released faint green lights, disappearing into the dim void.

…

…

Outside the Octagonal Tower.

At the edge of the Black Prison Battlefield.

As the wizard hunting teams stationed at the outer fort retreated one after another, the battlefield in front of the outer fort and the hell formulae constructed by the demons became increasingly deserted, leaving only a few towering figures still grappling in confrontation.

The Great Wizard, who previously sat cross-legged on the lotus stand, had risen, revealing a golden embodiment with three faces and eight arms, sitting solemnly amidst a lotus Buddha nation. Countless buddhas the size of gold beans surrounded him, chanting and praying. His three faces were serious and kind, boar-faced with fangs, or refined with clear brows, while his eight arms held various objects such as branches of the carefree tree, vajra chisel, silver rope, copper lock, iron hook, divine fan, and the treasure seal, pressing upon an eight-headed and eight-tailed ferocious giant snake.

The giant snake wildly counterattacked, spewing fire and wind, raising a sky full of poisonous mist, but it was instantly suppressed by the boundless golden light radiating from around the Buddha.

Not far to the left, the white-haired, red-footed ape demon Zhu Yan confronted the Great Wizard displaying the true form of the Scorpion, evidently distracted, frequently glancing toward the other giant ape fighting the Giant Beast Behemoth nearby, envious of the raw, fierce clash that traded blows and blood, occasionally roaring wildly, attempting to join the fray, only to be stopped each time by the swaying scorpion tail.

Scenes like these surrounded the entire Black Prison Castle from sky to ground.

The Great Wizard Demon Sujade, Ulysses, Leopard Demon Chizheng, man-eating bird Dororo, the sibling duo Qidao Naqi and Qidao Namei, and other Great Demons were tightly blocked outside the castle by the nine Great Wizards originally guarding the outer fort, unable to break free, watching helplessly as seven Xuanhuang Fruits flew out from the inner fort in all directions.

At this moment.

A cluster of azure flame leapt out from the void, the fire stretched, transforming into a Green Bird, spreading its wings, cunningly circling and spiraling in mid-air before finally landing by the ear of a Green Robed Great Wizard, chirping intently.

The Great Wizard listened to the Green Bird’s message, frowning slightly.

“Start it now?”

With a thought, he swept his divine senses across the entire battlefield, seeing the Great Wizards still facing off at the outer fort, the sea monsters and several deans before the inner fort, the bright moon hanging in the sky, and the two suns hidden behind the moon, as well as the young wizard in a shallow pit, and the small gray barrier outside the pit.

“Much earlier than anticipated,” the Green Robed Wizard murmured, extending his hand to watch the Green Bird transform into a ball of flame upon his fingertip, trembling slightly as eight streams of light split from the flame, shooting toward different directions on the battlefield:

“Well, it’s not something we need to concern ourselves with… Since those needle-eyed ones say it’s time, then it’s time to start.”

The eight streams of light fell upon the other eight Great Wizards around the outer fort.

A moment later.

The group of Great Wizards suddenly withdrew their true forms, disengaging from their opponents, leaping out of the battle circle, allowing them to rush toward the inner fort, while the Great Wizards instead leapt toward a farther distance from the battlefield, vanishing into the heavens in a moment.

Ulysses did not immediately rush toward the inner fort with excitement like Zhu Yan or the Eight-Branched Giant Serpent Lü Zhiyuan after disengaging from his opponent.

His carefulness as a Great Wizard and caution as a great demon wizard made him fall slightly behind, pausing on the altar amidst the hell equations, his gaze following the seemingly ‘fleeing’ opponents, his brow furrowed.

“What are they trying to do?”

Likewise a witch demon, Sujade shared a similar sensitivity with Ulysses. Though it had been trapped in the Black Prison for a long time, its wisdom remained: “Desertion on the battlefield isn’t the Wizards’ style, much less the First University’s spirit.”

“Spirit you say.”

Ulysses glanced at the departing nine Great Wizards, then turned back to look at the new defensive barrier rising over the inner fort, remaining silent for a long time.

“A fist is drawn back for a more powerful punch.” Perhaps from reciting too many large spells, the Duke’s voice was somewhat hoarse: “And a net is cast wide to snare more prey.”

“You think they’re casting a net?”

Sujade clicked its jaw, the soul fire in its hollow eye sockets flaring intensely: “With just a few of them… and that moon?”

Its speech was far more fluid than before, and its aura much stronger than before the battle. The fierce combat had not drained it, rather the pervasive blood aura and death aura had greatly compensated the great wizard demon for losses suffered in the Black Prison. At this moment, the great wizard demon’s bones were crystal clear, resembling white jade, and even the bright moon hanging above could not suppress the brilliance radiating from within.

“I never underestimate the school’s methods.” Ulysses gave a sidelong glance at the somewhat overconfident Sujade, reminding: “The last time you had such an attitude, it led to the black-prison’s endless darkness.”

Sujade’s soul fire flickered in displeasure, about to retort, when it suddenly tilted its head to look skyward. Ulysses sensed something as well, raising his gaze.

Behind the bright moon and two golden-red suns, a layer of clear and oppressive Xuanhuang color emerged. Above the Xuanhuang, starlight twinkled, intricately connected, forming Three Constellations, Four Symbols, and even twenty-eight constellations among other star signs.

Simultaneously, from the horizon in all directions far away, a faint but clear vibrating sound of great bells and large drums mingled, weaving together into a harmonious symphony:

“…Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang, Cosmic Wilderness!”

“Sun and Moon’s waxing and waning, Chen Su Lie Zhang!”

“Cold and hot seasons, Autumn harvest and winter storage!”

“Leap year completed, Lulv Diaoyang…”