Xu Qing's eyes narrowed while the captain's eyes gleamed.
Both of their gazes landed on the large tomb. This tomb was completely black and was filled with a sinister air. There was also an ancient feeling to it, as though it had experienced the passage of time.
The overall shape was like a shrine with pillars erected on both sides. There should have been words on them in the past but they were eroded by time.
There was a small stone person sitting cross-legged and meditating inside the shrine.
The facial features of this small person were also weathered and looked like a faceless person. It gave off a dense air of strangeness.
Xu Qing and the captain looked at each other and could see each other's vigilance. They didn't act rashly and slowly retreated. They weren't going to investigate but planned to report this matter to the sect.
After all, this tomb was peculiar, and the three words on the tombstone gave off a sense of eerie and mystery.
The Mystic Nether Sect was one of the upper sects of the Eight Sects Alliance. However, here, another Mystic Nether Sect appeared.
When he thought of the Mystic Nether Sect. Xu Qing couldn't help but recall the gaze of that Purple Mystic Fairy. This made him a little uncomfortable.
However, just as the two of them were about to leave, the rear of the tomb suddenly blurred. Graves rose from the ground and instantly formed a cemetery. There were at least hundreds of them.
The sinister intent became even more obvious, Xu Qing and the captain immediately retreated. However, at the next instant, a rumbling sound rang out from the shrine and the tombstone behind the shrine actually cracked open. A boy in luxurious clothes walked out.
This boy's skin was pale and there was a red dot between his brows. From his clothes, he looked like a person from ancient times. After he walked out, he bowed to Xu Qing and the captain and spoke crisply.
"There is no need to panic. My immortal master invites the two Daoists."
Without waiting for Xu Qing and the captain to agree, as the boy's voice rang out, the surrounding world instantly changed. It instantly turned blurry before becoming clear again. However, everything in the surroundings was no longer the forest outside the tomb but a black hall.
The material of this hall was pitch-black. Although there were lights, they were also dim, causing the entire hall to be filled with an eerie air. At the same time, a soul-stirring pressure gathered from all directions.
The source of this pressure was a figure drowned in darkness sitting cross-legged at the head of the hall. Outsiders could only see the outline but not the details.
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. The captain was the same. The two of them quickly looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.
"Shifting position? Moving through the void? Shrinking the ground?" While the captain was guessing, the figure sitting cross-legged in the main seat and filled with darkness calmly spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Two little friends, are you here because of the diversion of the Immortal Enrichment River?"
Xu Qing didn't say anything. He spread out his perception to confirm his location and also checked the surroundings to see if there were any formations or divine powers that sealed teleportation. After sensing that there was no seal, he heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. However, his vigilance was still very strong.
The captain didn't bat an eyelid. While trying to transmit his voice to the Special Security Department's disciples, he chuckled and spoke.
"Senior, we don't dare to lie. As disciples of the Eight Sects Alliance, we are indeed here for this. Senior, please forgive us."
The hall fell silent. Amidst the increasing sense of oppression, the person sitting in the darkness calmly spoke.
"I'm refining Xuanming Creation Pills. They need to be washed by the river water and will be completed in six years at most. At that time, I'll naturally remove this diversion."
"There's naturally no problem with Senior's request. We won't report this matter to the Eight Sects Alliance, and Senior can remove it whenever it's convenient." The captain chuckled and looked respectful, but his eyes blinked many times as he swept his gaze into the darkness. At the same time, he made a subtle gesture with his right hand behind his back at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing's gaze swept over without making it look intentional. After that, he lowered his head and looked at the shadow under his feet.
The shadow formed an image. It was an old man eating bugs. The shadow's ability had clearly increased as the image it formed was vivid. Even the fear in his expression was clearly expressed.
The bugs he ate were the size of a thumb. The more nervous he was, the more he ate.
He was sitting on a large rock. As he ate the bugs, the rock seemed to change. It was emitting bubbles that drifted away. Xu Qing and the captain were standing in the empty space in front of the old man, surrounded by bubbles.
At the same time, in the image formed by the shadow, seven to eight figures were in the surroundings. They were all outside the bubbles and looked nervous.
Xu Qing's eyes widened. After taking a closer look, he lifted his head and looked meaningfully at the figure emitting a terrifying pressure in the darkness. His voice was tranquil, like an otherworldly expert.
"That's good. You don't have to be nervous. On account of the Alliance's Mystic Nether, I won't make things difficult for you. Turn around and keep walking forward. You can leave in a hundred steps. Remember… don't turn back. I might not be able to hold it in and eat the two of you."
The voice of the figure sitting cross-legged was faint and emitted a strange and sinister feeling. This was especially so for the last few words. They were mixed with the sound of swallowing, as though he was trying his best to control himself, causing one's hair to stand on end.
"Hurry up and leave!"
The dim light in the hall instantly swayed, creating an atmosphere that made everyone nervous. The captain blinked faster and faster as he stared at the figure hiding in the dark. Gradually, a dark glint appeared in his eyes.
"Aren't you guys leaving?" The voice of the figure in the dark changed.
"F*ck, your pretense is quite good! You almost deceived me!" The captain suddenly spoke. His body instantly rushed out and headed straight for the darkness. As the figure in the darkness cried out in surprise, the captain had already arrived close and grabbed it.
Xu Qing attacked at the same time. Fiendish fire erupted in all directions. At the next instant, the surroundings rumbled and the main hall disappeared, as did the tomb.
This place was still the forest of Grand Affairs Misfortune Passing Mountain. As the tomb dissipated, a small sect was revealed.
In the sect, there were seven to eight wooden huts. Outside the sect, it was a scene of dilapidation. It was completely different from what Xu Qing and the captain had seen previously.
Clearly, they had been affected by an illusion. The only thing that was different was the stone tablet outside the sect. The words 'Mystic Nether Sect' were indeed written on it.
At that moment, Xu Qing and the captain were standing outside this small sect. In front of them was a disheveled old man who was grabbing stone-like bugs. His face was filled with horror as he rapidly retreated.
There were seven to eight disciples from this sect in the surroundings. All of them were sallow and skinny, and their eyes were also filled with horror as they scattered in all directions.
Seeing the captain's savage gaze, the retreating old man hurriedly shouted.
"Senior Brothers, show mercy. On account that we're all humans, show mercy!"
The captain didn't bother with the old man's pleading. He instantly rushed out and headed straight for the old man. As for Xu Qing, he swept his gaze across the surroundings and confirmed that these people's sallow and skinny faces weren't fake. At the same time, he also knew through his shadow that this wasn't an illusion.
The main thing he was looking at was the large rock where the old man had been sitting earlier.
This rock was green and didn't look anything extraordinary.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the large rock. After that, he looked at the old man who was panting heavily as the captain slammed him to the ground.
This old man's cultivation wasn't high and only seemed to have formed two life fires.
The captain stepped on the old man's dantian and revealed a sinister smile.
"Old brat, how dare you deceive me? Didn't you want to eat me? I'll eat you!"
"Lord, please calm down. We had no choice. Please let us go on account that we're all humans. Master had no choice but to resort to this." The nervous disciples in the surroundings all had bitter expressions. One of them, a middle-aged man, begged repeatedly.
Xu Qing was calm and vigilant. He didn't have any sympathy for his enemies. Even though he could not tell if they had malicious intent or not, he wouldn't feel pity.
"Senior Brother, spare us. We only came up with this plan because we were afraid of the power of the upper sects. We didn't have the intention to harm you. We only wanted to scare you away." The old man looked at the captain in fright and spoke with a trembling voice.
"How did you form the illusion just now?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.
"Senior Brother, our sect has a treasure that can form an illusion by using a special method. However, this item grew here and outsiders can't take it away. It's also because of this that we moved our sect here."
The old man hurriedly answered, not daring to hide anything. After he finished speaking, he pointed at the large rock not far away.
"Our small sect is only trying to make a living. In order to survive, we had no choice but to divert the river. Senior Brothers, please calm your anger."
The captain glanced at the large rock and a strange glint appeared in his eyes. Xu Qing walked over and observed carefully before turning his gaze to the old man.
"Why are you calling yourself the Mystic Nether Sect?"
The old man was stunned and so were the surrounding disciples.
"Senior… Senior Brother, our sect's name is the Mystic Nether Sect. Oh, oh, oh, I understand. Senior Brothers, could it be that you've just arrived in the Wanggu Continent? The Alliance's Seven Blood Eyes?" The old man clearly knew of the new change in the Alliance. At this moment, he was in a daze but the captain stepped on him forcefully.
"Speak properly."
The old man immediately trembled and felt even more reverence.
"It's like this, Senior Brothers. There are thousands of Mystic Nether Sects in the Wanggu Continent. As long as any force is somehow related to the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether even by just a little bit, they can call themselves the Mystic Nether Sect. Everyone says that they are orthodox."
Xu Qing was a little surprised by this answer. As for the captain, his focus wasn't on the name, but…
"How are you related to the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether? Cultivation art? Treasures? Inheritances?" The captain's eyes revealed a dark glint as he swallowed his saliva. He looked like he was trying his best not to eat the other party.
The old man was clearly extremely afraid of the dark glint in the captain's eyes. He hurriedly shouted at the surrounding disciples.
"Hurry up and bring the sect's supreme treasure over!!"
