Before long, Yuan Ming and Xi Ying found a small island hidden at the bottom of the lake, right in the middle of the lake.

The island was enveloped in an Anti-water Restriction, densely covered in green trees, and there was a quaint little courtyard built within it.

Yuan Ming and his companion easily passed through the restriction and arrived outside the courtyard.

They saw that the courtyard door was tightly shut, each bronze nail on it engraved with secret symbols that interlinked and formed a Forbidden Array.

Yuan Ming made his way to the courtyard wall and observed many wall bricks also carved with some kind of runes, causing him to furrow his brows.

"How is it? Can you break through?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Breaking through is not difficult, but making sure the people inside don't notice is not easy. The runes on the walls and doors of this residence are closely connected to the person who set up the array. It's not just about breaking through; even touching it might alert him," Xi Ying said thoughtfully.

"Then let me handle it," Yuan Ming considered, then said.

Having said that, he flipped his wrist and took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod and a stick of Black Incense.

The purpose of this visit was to investigate whether Xing Rong had any malicious intentions toward Tuya. Without any evidence, he certainly wouldn't resort to force, and the Black Incense Possession was the safest method.

Yuan Ming quickly lit the Black Incense and began visualizing Xing Rong's appearance in his mind.

Shortly after, he successfully possessed Xing Rong's body.

However, the Black Incense he used was a semifinished product he made earlier, which did not allow him to control Xing Rong's actions.

Once Yuan Ming could clearly see his surroundings, he found himself inside a secret room.

The walls and floor of the secret room were also protected by an array.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, aren't you being too cautious? This is a secret room in your Xiao Mansion; are you still worried about information leaking out?" a voice suddenly spoke up; it was Xing Rong speaking.

"Better safe than sorry. Our Red Lotus Island isn't as large and influential as your Senluo Sect. If Pan Si Island learns of our plans, you may not suffer much, but we won't withstand Pan Si Island's wrath," the Xiao Family's Ancestor spoke up, his voice aged.

"Why worry? As long as this matter is successful, Pan Si Island won't pose a threat anymore. With Senluo Sect as allies, no one will dare to provoke your Red Lotus Island in the future," Xing Rong chuckled nonchalantly.

"I hope everything goes as smoothly as you say," the Xiao Family's Ancestor replied noncommittally.

"That depends on you, Fellow Daoist Xiao," Xing Rong chuckled, then said.

"Don't worry, the restriction in Bamboo Sea Square was originally set by me. After we agreed on this matter, I modified the array there; there won't be any problems," the Xiao Family's Ancestor assured after glancing at Xing Rong.

"That's great. By choosing Bamboo Sea Square for this negotiation over the newly found Spirit Vein with Pan Si Island, we wanted to utilize the geographic advantage of the restrictions in Bamboo Sea Square. Pan Si Island is definitely going to suffer a big loss this time," Xing Rong's laughter gradually became more unrestrained.

Yuan Ming listened but didn't care too much; with the current chaos in the Southern Border, he wasn't surprised by anything and had no interest in meddling.

"I can certainly do what we agreed upon, but what about what you promised me?" the Xiao Family's Ancestor suddenly asked.

"The person has been delivered to your doorstep, and the Transplanting Technique is already prepared. Just wait for success, and it will be given to you. What are you worried about?" Xing Rong said, somewhat dissatisfied.

"There is another matter I want to confirm with you. Have you figured out how to handle that girl's master? Don't let her come knocking on our door afterwards, as I won't be able to explain it on my side," the Xiao Family's Ancestor still hesitated.

"She has been forcibly ordered by the Sect Leader to enter seclusion; she won't come out anytime soon. Once she does, we'll pin the girl's death on Pan Si Island, saying she was accidently involved during the chaos in Bamboo Sea Square, hence losing her life. With no evidence, she can only vent her anger, unable to harm anyone," Xing Rong had already planned, he stated with a laugh.

"Good, that resolves any concerns for the future," satisfied, the Xiao Family's Ancestor nodded.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, when it comes down to it, your Xiao Family will benefit the most this time. Freed from Pan Si Island, your Red Lotus Island's influence will only grow stronger, and with the Transplanting Technique, you will be able to successfully transplant that girl's Dao Pattern Spirit Bone, and advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm is just around the corner," Xing Rong said, clucking his tongue.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming was shocked.

The Xiao Family's Ancestor was actually plotting to seize Tuya's Dao Pattern Spirit Bone?

"It won't be that easy. The Nine Palace Array Heart Technique I cultivate is an approach of integrating formations into cultivation; advancing in cultivation is inherently difficult. Even with the Dao Pattern Spirit Bone, it just increases a few chances of success," the Xiao Family's Ancestor said slowly.

Hearing this, fury surged in Yuan Ming's heart, and he quickly exited the possession state.

"How did it go? Did you find anything?" Seeing Yuan Ming awaken, Xi Ying quickly asked.

With a stony-faced expression, Yuan Ming relayed all the information he had gathered to Xi Ying.

"The Transplanting Technique... Isn't that the untransmitted secret technique of the Flower Sect? I thought it was lost; I didn't expect the Senluo Sect to also have its heritage. These two are truly ruthless; once they transplant the Dao Pattern Spirit Bone, Tuya is only left with a dead end," Xi Ying said, somewhat shocked.

"I don't care about their plots and schemes, but if they dare target Tuya, they're courting death," Yuan Ming declared, a murderous intent sparked by the only kin of an old friend facing a life-and-death crisis.

"I'll break the formation, quick and decisive," Xi Ying didn't hesitate a moment, indicating her support immediately.

Having said that, she turned her wrist, and a golden compass appeared in the palm of her hand.

"This is the Chaotic Star Plate, which can seal off an area and briefly disrupt the spatial orientation of a region, causing the originally arranged array positions to become disordered and the Array Eye to be inverted, rendering the array temporarily ineffective. Soon, I will disrupt the orientation and open this barrier, and we will act immediately," Xi Ying instructed.

"Okay," Yuan Ming nodded.

The next instant, Xi Ying raised his hand and tossed it up, causing the golden compass to soar high above the small courtyard.

Immediately after, a golden light emanated from the compass, instantly forming an immense golden shadow of the compass that overshadowed the entire courtyard.

Xi Ying raised one palm and twisted it towards the void above the compass.

The central needle of the compass immediately began to spin dizzyingly, and the positions on the compass also twisted accordingly.

Yuan Ming immediately felt the spiritual energy around him become disordered, and the runes on the courtyard's doorways and walls dimmed as if they had lost the nourishment of spiritual power.

"Let's go," Xi Ying called out in a low voice.

The two of them instantly disappeared in a flash, entering the courtyard.

In the secret room, the Xiao Family's Ancestor furrowed his brows, sensing something was off, but before he could investigate closely, that strange sensation disappeared immediately.

"What's wrong?" Xing Rong noticed his unusual behavior and quickly asked.

The Xiao Family's Ancestor hesitated slightly and shook his head.

In the courtyard, Yuan Ming and Xi Ying once again used the Divine Concealing Lamp to hide their presence.

The two headed towards the location of the secret room.

Just as they had stepped into the central hall, a red light suddenly emerged from the ground, and a fiery red array rose from the floor, instantly enveloping them in the center. Catchtheformattedversion

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"That's not right, there wasn't an array set up here," Xi Ying exclaimed in surprise.

At that moment, a series of footsteps came from behind the hall.

"Who dares to trespass in the Xiao Family Ancestral Hall?" a stern shout rang out as the Xiao Family's Ancestor, with one hand forming a finger mnemonic and the other pressed on his wrist, walked out from behind the hall.

"Not relying on any magic artifact, yet able to activate an array at will, your skills in formation are indeed profound," Xi Ying, seeing this, did not panic but instead spoke in admiration.

"For you to advance stealthily all the way here, you are not an ordinary individual either," the Xiao Family's Ancestor said with a cold laugh.

"And there's another one hiding, what are you sneaking around for?" Yuan Ming accused.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I said there was no need to hide, yet you didn't listen. Now, it has turned into a joke," Xing Rong said with a laugh as he stepped forward.

The Xiao Family's Ancestor frowned and asked in a solemn voice, "Are you people from Pan Si Island?"

Yuan Ming and Xi Ying exchanged a glance, and neither spoke.

"It seems you are. Then I cannot let you leave," the Xiao Family's Ancestor stated on his own accord.

As his voice fell, he changed the spell in his hands, and the array enveloping Yuan Ming and Xi Ying immediately burst into intense red light, with eight Fire Pythons emerging from around the array, their mouths spewing fierce flames toward the two.

The intense flames charged toward the center, colliding and instantly rising into a towering pillar of fire reaching the roof.

However, with another wave of Xi Ying's wrist, the spatial orientation of the small courtyard was suddenly disrupted again.

The eight Fire Pythons headed straight for the center abruptly turned haphazardly, spraying intense flames in different directions.

Xing Rong, narrowly missing the flames, retreated in panic, cursing under his breath, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what the hell are you doing?"

The Xiao Family's Ancestor also encountered this situation for the first time and was somewhat at a loss.

But before he could strike again, several sharp Sword Qi had already sprung from his side.

The Xiao Family's Ancestor was shocked to see a magnificent Sword Array appear out of thin air beside him, with numerous Flying Swords undulating within it, emitting incredibly powerful Sword Qi.

Seeing this, Xing Rong also turned serious, quickly raising his hand to take out a green palm fan.

Before they could act, Silver Kong Tree Demon emerged from behind the Sword Array, shaking the wine gourd in his hand, his face looking a bit uneasy as he belched towards the two men.

He was not San Jue, that old ghost; although he had inherited his Sword Array and wine gourd, he had not inherited his penchant for drinking, disliking the act and thus, not manifesting the full power of these treasures like San Jue.

However, they were sufficient to deal with the two men before him.

"Burp..."

As the loud belch resounded, a wave of pink alcohol fumes mixed with a rich fragrance enveloped the two men, rolling over them overwhelmingly.