Chapter 27: The Immortal Slaying Array Activates

What was happening? Where was that commotion coming from?

Su Qin’s expression was contemplative; he had meticulously calculated that even the demise of all remaining cultivators wouldn’t have triggered such an event. This assured him the leisure to attend to those two young ones.

Yet, in a fleeting moment of inattention, the Immortal Slaying Array had somehow activated.

With one hand, Su Qin hoisted Bai Jiaojiao, whose expression instantly shifted, her small face now reflecting a readiness for battle.

“What is that?”

Su Qin offered no reply, his countenance growing increasingly solemn.

“Xiao Chen, you vile scoundrel!”

Qi He roared skyward, utterly unable to comprehend how the junior he had entrusted with such crucial responsibilities could prove to be such a capricious villain.

Moments ago, he had revealed the hidden dangers of the Immortal Slaying Valley to the others, explaining the perilous consequences of prolonged combat. He had finally managed to sway them.

They had resolved to collectively subdue the Bone Painting Hall, and were on the verge of claiming Gao Pei’s head, when Xiao Chen unexpectedly intervened.

Following Qi He’s enraged gaze, Su Qin spotted the cultivator who had previously stood beside Han Zhiyun, and his heart immediately plummeted.

He had been careless, failing to eliminate every single variable.

“Hehehe, well done, disciple!”

Gao Pei was overjoyed.

The rogue cultivators who had been assailing him suddenly saw strange black smoke billow from the talismans at their waists. The very next instant, hundreds of them stiffly toppled to the ground.

While the righteous cultivators remained bewildered, Gao Pei saw everything with chilling clarity: the souls of those hundreds of individuals had been ripped from their bodies, forcibly splintered into four or five fragments by some malevolent sorcery.

This single act instantly averted his seemingly inevitable demise.

Gao Pei unleashed his Bone Painting Art, causing the fallen rogue cultivators to explode. Their bleached white bones were drawn towards him, instantly mending his skeletal injuries.

These rogue cultivators had died in utter bewilderment, their fate sealed simply because yesterday morning they had been lured by Soul Cleansing Talismans offered at half price. When purchasing them, they had casually inquired about their origins.

Naturally, from the young man’s lips, they learned of the fierce battle raging within the Immortal Slaying Valley and that these talismans had been acquired from cultivators returning from the fray.

The combat was brutal, equipment lay strewn across the ground, and with more fighting expected that very night, they could seize the opportunity to scavenge for spoils.

What rogue cultivator wasn’t desperate for resources? Thus, they had swarmed to the location, only to find themselves not just dead, but their very souls brutally ripped asunder—a horrific sacrifice required to fulfill the activation conditions of the Immortal Slaying Array.

“Farewell, you talents.”

A cold sneer playing on his lips, Xiao Chen departed on his sword. Han Zhiyun cast a glance at Su Qin, who had already regained his composure, before also leaving on her sword.

“What a good disciple, truly a good disciple at finding trouble for their master.”

Su Qin involuntarily clenched his fists, resolving to make his “iron fist” (TL Note: a metaphorical expression implying strict discipline or punishment) towards Han Zhiyun even heavier.

Yet, for the moment, he could do nothing about those two. The situation on the field had taken a precipitous turn for the worse, reaching an exceedingly critical juncture.

Su Qin swiftly raised his hand, sending thirty-six fangs burrowing beneath Gu Yuhe’s skirt. The young girl, startled, frantically clutched her hem, terrified of revealing her “spring scenery”.

“Protect yourself, and proceed according to plan.”

Spoken in a tone of command that brooked no argument, Gu Yuhe dared not utter another word. Su Qin then turned his gaze to Bai Jiaojiao.

“If you lay a hand on my disciple, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and ‘fork’ you.”

‘To fork’ meant ‘to kill’. Su Qin was merely doing his utmost to appear menacing.

Before the visibly displeased Bai Jiaojiao could launch into a tirade, Su Qin leaped, plunging into the depths of the valley below.

***

The Immortal Slaying Array demanded a warm-up period; once its barrier fully deployed, raising the water-curtain shield, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would likely meet their end within its confines.

Logically, Su Qin should have retreated while he was ahead, opting to leave immediately.

However, a demon lord’s machinations never tolerated ambiguous outcomes.

If he didn’t personally witness the demise of Qi He and Gao Pei here, future complications would be manifold. The presence or absence of these two individuals would dictate entirely different approaches to subsequent problems.

To leave now would mean almost entirely relinquishing his control over the unfolding of future events.

Before he plunged into the deeper layers of the subterranean caverns, Su Qin’s peripheral vision caught Elder Gao pressing down on the remaining Golden Core rogue cultivators and Qi He, beating them soundly. It appeared they would be entangled for some time yet.

Setting those two aside for the moment, the most pressing concern now was Zhao Shuyun!

As Qi Shuyue’s master, Zhao Shuyun’s presence was crucial for Qi Shuyue’s potential return to the Azure Mystic Sect and her ability to regain a foothold there.

Indeed, anything pertaining to Qi Shuyue was, at this very moment, Su Qin’s utmost priority!

Qi Shuyue was the most important.

With the caves interconnected, he had dispatched the majority of the remaining thirty percent of blood beasts, unwilling to see them perish from the array’s depletion.

He kept only ten percent, tasked with absorbing flesh and blood as a safeguard against unexpected events.

The remaining Blood Masters had diligently recorded Immortal Lingtai’s movements, allowing Su Qin to directly follow their mapped traces.

With the array now active, the Karst Caves were bathed in a warm, ambient light, making the path remarkably easy to discern.

Yet, this path… Su Qin’s brow furrowed.

‘Come on, senior sister, I only suggested you find a cool spot to rest. You didn’t need to burrow this deep, did you?’

And it wasn’t merely their depth; these caves were incredibly narrow. In numerous sections, he could only navigate by transforming into a Blood Bat.

In his memory, Immortal Lingtai was decidedly the mature ‘older sister’ type. How had she possibly squeezed through such minuscule openings?

‘Tsk tsk, her waist must be incredibly slender, and her body remarkably supple to achieve that.’

Still, it did align with Zhao Shuyun’s character; she had always lacked a sense of security, preferring to remain in confined spaces. Even her choice to become an array cultivator stemmed from her desire to “gǒu yī gǒu” (TL Note: a slang term meaning to play it safe, stay hidden, or survive by being low-key).

When faced with danger, her instinct to burrow into a small space was entirely understandable.

With time of the essence, Su Qin swiftly transformed into a Blood Bat, accelerating his search. He finally located Zhao Shuyun, nestled deep within the cavern.

“Who, who’s behind me?!”

Zhao Shuyun, realizing someone was behind her, became frantic with unease. She immediately wriggled her body, desperate to free herself, yet her efforts proved futile.

She was stuck.

To her further embarrassment, her skirt had ridden up, caught around her upper body, leaving her backside almost entirely bare and exposed to a masculine presence.

Su Qin gaped, utterly at a loss for words.

He truly could not have imagined that someone so mature, already a master to others, could still manage to get stuck like a child.

‘Why isn’t he speaking? He wouldn’t take advantage of me, would he?’

Immortal Lingtai grew increasingly uneasy, struggling once more to free herself. Her ample backside swayed tantalizingly, and as her fair flesh brushed gently, Su Qin felt a sudden dizzying sensation.

What struck him most was that this ‘explosive’ figure was encased in “little white rabbit” underwear that was undeniably several sizes too small.

This visual impact was simply too potent.

“Cough, cough, don’t be afraid. It’s me behind you.”

Not forgetting the critical task at hand, Su Qin sent a message via his Bagua Mirror, to which Zhao Shuyun responded almost instantaneously.

“It’s you, Mr. Demon Lord!”

“Wuwu, Mr. Demon Lord, it’s so scary! The shaking just now felt like the sky was falling, my legs are all weak…”

“Can you get yourself out?” Su Qin asked a crucial question.

“I, I seem to be stuck…”

Zhao Shuyun replied, and the next second, a thought abruptly flashed through her mind, causing a sudden flush of crimson to bloom across her delicate face.

This demon lord had disregarded all consequences to kidnap Yue’er, clearly a born expert in affairs of the heart. Now that she was stuck and virtually defenseless, would this demon lord seize the opportunity to…

Immortal Lingtai’s breathing quickened, her body suddenly feeling feverish. Even her buttocks and thighs behind her grew somewhat pink from the increased blood flow.

“Mr. Demon Lord, you, you wouldn’t take advantage of me, would you?”