Array formations, artifact refining, pill refining, talismans…

These things related to “craftsmanship” could not be accomplished overnight. The history of the Extreme Domain, compared to the entire Jiushijiu Zhou, was still far too brief, fundamentally unable to accumulate foundations comparable to those of Jiushijiu Zhou.

The several Yama Kings present were not brainless people.

This female cultivator who had now entered the eighteenth layer of hell and even trapped Sima Languan was originally just a gimmick they had found.

To preserve her life, having a few trump cards was inevitable.

Even the Six Meridians Spirit Dividing Mirror this female cultivator had used before was given to her by the Eight Directions Yama Palace through Zhang Tang.

But now she had exceeded everyone’s expectations, becoming a candidate for contending for the cauldron championship, and even possessing such exquisite array formation mastery.

This truly couldn’t help but make people suspicious.

It was perfectly normal for King Song Di to develop killing intent.

Even Lord Qin Guang, who ranked first, was no exception.

He finally slowly walked down from the palace hall, pacing down the steps with steady footsteps, yet inexplicably giving people a sense of cold severity and tension.

His hands were clasped behind his back, tucked within his sleeves.

With just a light turn of his five fingers, a thread of flowing light had already climbed onto the purple-gold ring he wore.

No one could see whether he had already prepared for a thunderous strike; just as no one could discern whether his calm words concealed murderous intent.

“Those naturally gifted in array formations, our Extreme Domain has had them before…”

The Second Palace’s Chu Jiang King had been in the Extreme Domain for a long time and had known Lord Qin Guang for just as long.

Hearing such words, he let out an “eh” and after a brief moment of thought, remembered: “Lord Qin Guang speaks of that one who initially earned your great appreciation but ultimately insisted on reincarnating as a human emperor?”

“Correct.”

A slight smile hung at the corner of Lord Qin Guang’s mouth, but his gaze watching Jian Chou in the light screen held no warmth, carrying a suspicion completely different from his smile.

With Chu Jiang King’s mention, the other Yama Kings also recalled some things.

That had been an emperor skilled in military formations and battlefield tactics. After death, he entered the City of Wrongful Deaths, was favored by Lord Qin Guang, and showed exceptional talent in array formations, far exceeding the standards of the Extreme Domain at that time.

Unfortunately, this person later asked Lord Qin Guang for a favor, altered the life and death records, and still reincarnated as a human to become an emperor again.

After the six paths of reincarnation and four cycles of life, no one paid attention to him anymore.

Because once a person passed through the Reincarnation Pool, they would lose all memories of their past life. The so-called “talent” would also be washed away and completely obliterated, never again comparable to their previous life.

They all had some impression of such a person.

But bringing up this person now…

King Song Di’s brows furrowed tightly, his eyes already showing some sinister intent: “Does Lord Qin Guang think this female cultivator is not strange, but possesses extraordinary talent?”

“Remain calm…”

Lord Qin Guang only shook his head and took another step forward, standing closer to the light screen.

The image on the light screen gradually zoomed in according to his will.

All of Jian Chou’s hand seals and techniques for manipulating the array formation were clearly presented before him, and of course… including Jian Chou’s neck.

So close it seemed he could strangle it with an outstretched hand.

“This is already the eighteenth layer, it’s almost over…”

Almost finished, almost time to determine the cauldron champion.

So there was no rush.

“Send someone to check her life and death records…”

Lord Qin Guang squinted slightly, hands clasped behind his back, standing majestically.

Within the eighteenth layer of hell, Sima Languan’s situation had already begun to become critical.

Once trapped by the array formation, overwhelming attacks came flooding in.

The gravitational restraint made his movement extremely difficult. Attacks that he originally could have dodged within the array formation’s range now mostly landed on his body.

He felt his entire body being compressed by gravity.

As if it wanted to press his internal organs and force them to collapse toward the ground!

“Puh!”

A mouthful of fresh blood, carrying the essence of soul power, sprayed from his mouth and scattered on the dark ground, shocking to behold.

All soul power circulation within his body became sluggish.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

…

The array formation continuously drew power from the dark jade of the original array disk, forming wave after wave of new attacks that came from every corner of the array formation, falling like violent wind and sudden rain!

“Jian— Chou—”

Teeth clenched, it was the sound of hatred taken to the extreme!

Sima Languan’s entire face contorted, and the scars on the grotesque half of his face seemed to have a tendency to encroach upon the handsome half.

He could barely control his body. Despite exerting all his strength, he was still suddenly pressed down with a “boom,” dropping to one knee!

Clearly Jian Chou was right in front of him, yet he couldn’t attack, couldn’t even touch her!

What kind of array formation was this?

And who had designed it?

How could it have ended up in Jian Chou’s hands!

Sima Languan couldn’t understand, and had no time to think it through.

Terrifying gravity and pain were constantly destroying his body, making pale white blood splatter everywhere, weakening him bit by bit, and causing beast-like roars to emerge from his throat…

Jian Chou was only inches away from him.

Witnessing Sima Languan’s various sufferings, she only thought of the Chan sect young novice Liao Kong and Meng Xizhou she had encountered in the Crimson Small Realm.

Jiushijiu Zhou was her world.

Of all things that shouldn’t be, he shouldn’t have blocked her path.

Watching Sima Languan, there was no compassion in Jian Chou’s eyes or heart, only a faint “sorry.”

Then, without looking at Sima Languan’s expression, she flew toward the ruins ahead!

At this moment, countless people inside and outside the eighteenth layer of hell became puzzled.

This was already the eighteenth layer—what was she running for?

Shouldn’t she take this opportunity to directly take Sima Languan’s life or force him to withdraw, thus becoming the final “cauldron champion” remaining on the eighteenth layer?

How could she let Sima Languan go?

Countless people didn’t understand.

Finally, some clever person suddenly had a realization: “When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits! Who knows if others might come down—she’s running to hide in the ruins first, wouldn’t that let her sit on the mountain and watch tigers fight? Clever!”

Those around agreed upon hearing this.

But actually…

That wasn’t the case at all.

Array formations were indiscriminate and too powerful, completely ignoring so-called “masters.” While Jian Chou could attack Sima Languan, she would also be attacked by the array formation herself.

This wasn’t worthwhile.

Secondly…

She simply needed to quickly reach the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array and pass through it!

Heaven knew what opponents she might encounter if she lingered here any longer, and what moves and abilities those opponents would force her to reveal.

The more she fought, the fewer trump cards she would have, and the more flaws she would expose.

By now, the things on her body that wouldn’t leave flaws were just a few array disks made in the Extreme Domain, and one final trump card—

the Four Symbols White Jade Crown.

There was no time left.

She had to leave here as quickly as possible!

Like a violent wind sweeping through, wherever she passed, the already withered seasonal grass on the ground seemed blown down by wind, prostrating on the earth.

The magnificent ruins ahead rapidly drew closer in her vision.

They were collapsed city gates, city walls reduced to broken remnants, their original appearance almost unrecognizable. The various buildings within the city were even more dilapidated and crumbling, leaving only broken, ancient rotting wood pointing stiffly at the gray-blue sky.

Massive stone pillars stood lonely among them.

The closer she got to the ruins, the clearer that sense of magnificent decay became.

Jian Chou could almost feel that oncoming desolation, permeated with the ruthlessness of time and worldly affairs, as if something was buried beneath this stretch of ruins, and as if something was hiding within these ruins, just waiting to rise with a long howl to the heavens!

She had entered this layer earlier than Sima Languan.

But being pursued by this person at the time, she had no sufficient time to investigate the surrounding situation, only roughly scanning around the altar before settling on the plan to “invite the gentleman into the trap.”

Only now did she barely have time to observe.

Too vast.

According to previous speculation by her, Zhang Tang and others, the eighteen layers of hell would become larger toward the end, reaching a limit at the eighteenth layer.

Each previous layer had a Prison Bureau, and each time they passed through the well, they would appear at the edge of a hell layer, with that layer’s Prison Bureau at the opposite edge.

But the eighteenth layer of hell was an exception.

When appearing here, all directions were wilderness, as if no boundaries could be seen.

But Jian Chou knew the eighteenth layer of hell also had boundaries!

The boundary here was her ultimate purpose for participating in this cauldron competition—the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array!

This array was at the blurred boundary between yin and yang of the Extreme Domain and Jiushijiu Zhou.

The Eight Directions Yama Palace’s array sealed the yin-yang boundary, thus able to sever connections between the Extreme Domain and Jiushijiu Zhou for certain periods, avoiding war.

It could be said that this eighteenth layer of hell was the boundary between the Extreme Domain and Jiushijiu Zhou!

Just like this was an underground world—cross over, and one could return to the surface.

But this was only the most superficial and easily understood idea.

In reality, the situation she faced was much more complex.

The ruins before her were truly enormous.

When she stood before this stretch of ruins, the sounds of Sima Languan being attacked by the array formation behind her suddenly withdrew from her ears. Her heart and eyes were filled only with this desolate city, these vast ruins!

Everything in sight was collapsed, everything was sunken.

On the dusty ground, one could vaguely still see huge beast footprints. On the broken city walls, it seemed patterns had once been painted in fresh blood, but they too were damaged and unclear.

What was this place originally?

What people lived in this city?

How had this city become such ruins?

Countless questions emerged in this instant.

But when she released her divine sense, she couldn’t detect even half a skeleton in the ruins, whether human or beast—this situation was absolutely abnormal.

Jian Chou was extremely cautious.

Though she stopped, her feet didn’t touch the ground, nor did she leave a single footprint in the dust.

At this moment, she only infused soul power, and her entire body burst forth with a lustrous gleam like purple jade, resembling feather after feather, carrying her body toward higher ground.

Higher and higher.

Higher and higher…

What enormous ruins were these?

Suspended above this stretch of ruins, she was like a shadow floating in the gray-blue sky, almost blending into it, like an ant facing a massive sand city, so tiny, so insignificant…

But her field of vision was constantly expanding, constantly expanding…

Her perspective also rapidly changed as her altitude increased.

The outline of the entire ruins gradually became complete; the situation within the ruined city gradually became clear; the scenes obscured by these ruins also appeared in the shadows…

Behind the magnificent ruined city was a black wilderness!

Not a blade of grass could be seen on the ground, as if everything had been burned clean by prairie fire, leaving only countless cracks large and small.

They hid on the black ground, hidden among hills and rocky terrain of various sizes, emanating a void-like devouring aura, as if thousands of ghosts and monsters could surge out at any moment!

A muddy yellow river, sourced from unknown origins, stretched from one end of the wilderness to the other…

This reminded Jian Chou of the scene she had once witnessed in the Ghost Axe.

Those ghosts and monsters that emerged from the ground to battle with Jiushijiu Zhou cultivators, the rolling underworld waters pouring down, and that majestic axe that split the underworld!

The Yin-Yang battlefield!

Behind this stretch of ruins was actually where the Yin-Yang boundary war had taken place!

Jian Chou almost gasped, but what shook her spirit even more was the edge of this wilderness, the end of the underworld!

A gray chaos!

The wilderness disappeared there, the soil entering that chaos turned to gray vapor; the river ended there, the underworld waters entering that chaos disappeared into scattered starpoints.

That was a fault line!

That was chaotic turbulence!

Only vague, dim lights of various colors violently flashed within, streaking and rapidly colliding, extinguishing, or forming new lights, just like thunder and lightning…

The moment Jian Chou’s gaze turned toward that direction, almost immediately a terrifying overwhelming force rushed along her line of sight, violently striking her spirit!

She became unsteady, nearly falling from midair!

But simultaneously, a long-lost joy surged up uncontrollably and wildly!

The Heaven-Releasing Creation Array!

Covering this boundary void turbulence was the path home she had long sought, the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array that Immortal Wuzhong had pointed out to her!