Chapter 722

Chapter 722: Yan Luo’s Art

At dusk underground.

Lolan Hill was walking through the deep underground.

Relying on the gentle breezes in those underground tunnels, a three-dimensional view gradually formed in her mind. Although some places were blocked by soil, preventing the wind from entering, overall, about 70% of the terrain became clear, like unlocking the fog in a game map.

This is indeed quite complex.

Looking at this tangled structure, Lolan Hill felt somewhat troubled. She paused temporarily, using the system to filter out a path that would quickly pass through all the gaps and ruins. Only then did she continue forward.

Compared to other sequences, the Necromancer Sequence had particular advantages in underground activities.

That was the ability to turn into a ghost at any time, thereby penetrating certain obstacles, and also allowing one to cast spells without being restricted by narrow spaces.

—

After several hours, in a remote corner thousands of meters underground.

Lolan Hill leaped out from a huge gap over ten meters long, then landed lightly on the ground.

Turning back to look at the gap, she could still see the distorted space inside. This space seemed to have once been the main hall of the Yama Palace, with many bronze decorations, ancient murals, tattered silk robes, and some dried corpses remaining.

Due to the chaotic space within the ruins and no one having entered for centuries, these items remained intact.

Entering this fragmented heavenly realm is indeed difficult, Lolan Hill thought slightly.

Although outsiders couldn’t enter, it wasn’t difficult for her. With the Moon Crown stabilizing the temporal turbulence, she safely moved through it, seeing a glimpse of the former prosperity of the Yama Palace.

Beautiful and exquisite decorations were everywhere. The pillars, beams, and railings of the palace were made of fine purple jade, carved with vivid depictions of various life forms.

Some were human figures holding various weapons, while others were bizarre creatures driven by them. Some of these creatures resembled humans but were only skeletons, while others resembled demonic beasts, their bodies enormous, like war machines, terrifying beyond measure.

The opposing side depicted in the carvings was also similar. It appeared that some special technique was used, making the opponents appear as if they were constantly changing like clouds, yet also extremely evil.

Seeing these carvings, Lolan Hill could roughly guess that they were telling the story of the chaos and disaster from a thousand years ago, when the Yama Palace led its army of ghosts and skeletons against these enemies.

However, compared to the current era of peace, the figures in the carvings looked more fierce and bloody. Many wore bronze masks, and their weapons were often made of bones. They seemed to believe that such appearances could better demonstrate their strength and authority, and they revered such behavior.

Perhaps people nowadays find it hard to accept, but in that cruel and primitive era, such existences made people more convinced and secure.

What Lolan Hill noticed was that many of the murals also depicted scenes of sacrifices. These sacrifices were like necromancy rituals, stacking the corpses of enemies or allies together, and then a group of bronze-masked wizards would perform magic under the moonlight to awaken these departed souls.

Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, other books and fabrics had long decayed, leaving little written record. Many events could only be guessed through imagination.

After ending this brief exploration, the golden light wheel behind Lolan Hill began to revolve again, slowly healing the spatial rift and then shrinking into a small point.

Next was the core area, which appeared to be guarded by disciples of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace.

Lolan Hill walked through the narrow and dark depths of the underground, with water dripping occasionally, splashing on the ground, creating a few droplets that made her ankles feel slightly cool.

In her perception, after turning the bend ahead, two disciples of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace were guarding there, and they were whispering to each other.

“Recently, some fellow apprentices said that our base was attacked, but I don’t know if it’s true,” one disciple leaned against a stone pillar, asking another.

“I don’t know either. Anyway, this isn’t something we need to worry about. What I’m concerned about now is how to modify the secret techniques of the Yama Palace to suit today’s era,” another disciple sat on a stone seat, with a purple-blue magic sphere continuously changing in front of him, seemingly simulating something.

“You still haven’t given up,” the first disciple shook his head.

“The secret techniques of the Yama Palace are powerful, but they are cumbersome. To put it simply, many spells require various materials, tools, and even ceremonies.”

“If something unexpected happens, one can easily be caught off guard. Also, many materials are now hard to find, such as the rare ‘Seven-Faced Cry-Night Grass,’ ‘Red Vine Blood Fruit,’ ‘Purple Frost Seek Wood Leaf,’ and so on,” the disciple leaning against the stone pillar commented on the past secret techniques of the Yama Palace.

“But I did discover something interesting,” another disciple sitting on the stone seat said.

“What is it?”

“Actually, some of our Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace techniques and secret arts also bear traces of the Yama Palace.”

“For example, there is a cultivation method called ‘Splitting Soul to Drive Ghosts’ that is rarely practiced. It allows part of one’s soul to separate and merge with other corpses or ghosts, refining them into a powerful existence. Since such creations are one’s own split soul, they are easy to control, like directing an arm, and can also provide additional information.”

“As you know, the art of animating corpses often requires a lot of effort, and during combat, it can distract one, leading to neglect on both fronts. Sometimes, one must also pay attention to the corpses, as they lack perception and might fall into pits or be attacked, and they wouldn’t report or react; the operator has to handle everything.”

“It’s manageable for a few, but once the number reaches thousands, it becomes very rigid in combat.”

“This technique solves all these problems,” he suddenly mentioned a secluded technique of the sect.

“Haha, you’re talking about that ‘Splitting Soul to Drive Ghosts’ technique? I heard that nine out of ten people who practice it become fools, and the tenth one goes mad,” the sword-wielding disciple turned around, dismissing it with disdain.

“Cough, although the failure rate is high, someone did manage to succeed before. But that’s not the point. The key is that I found the original version of this technique in the ruins of the Yama Palace. After seeing the original, I have to say that the ancestor of our sect was truly ingenious, having changed it so drastically.”

“What is the original version like?” At this moment, the sword-wielding disciple became interested.

“The original version doesn’t use one’s own soul to control; instead, it uses other living beings. Although it can’t be controlled as precisely, it can be much more agile and doesn’t drain one’s mental energy.”

“Then wouldn’t that be no different from controlling ordinary ghosts?” the sword-wielding disciple asked, puzzled.

“Some ordinary ghosts lack intelligence or have low levels of it, only having intermittent obsessions.”

“But the original version of this technique directly transforms living beings into ghosts. Although there’s a chance of becoming foolish or insane, it’s not oneself, so trying multiple times would be feasible. The only concern is that this living person must remain loyal and open to your control both before and after death to succeed.”

“Alright, I understand now,” the sword-wielding disciple nodded helplessly.

“You practitioners who control corpses and ghosts all like to do these troublesome and impractical stunts.”

“If I had so many loyal subordinates, why would I need to turn people into fools? No wonder the Yama Palace was destroyed. With this kind of approach, it’s no wonder the territory was always losing people, and development was impossible.”

However, the purple-robed disciple sitting on the stone seat turned his head, his black eyes glowing mysteriously in the dim underground.

“Junior brother, do you know? Not everyone has the talent to cultivate. Therefore, isn’t it reasonable to make use of those who aren’t suited?”

His voice was chilling, causing the sword-wielding disciple to fully wake up, feeling a slight chill.

“Who!”

Suddenly, the sword-wielding disciple straightened his body, pulling out a cold, shimmering longsword from its scabbard and looking towards a dark corner.

First, a pair of delicate shoes emerged from the shadows, followed by a black skirt, then a graceful waist, an upper body wrapped in a cloak, a fair and delicate neck, silver hair falling over the shoulders, and finally a masked face with clear eyes.

“Who are you, and how did you get here?” The disciple sitting on the stone seat also sensed something amiss, stepping back and lifting a lantern from the stone seat.

“Me?”

Lolan Hill tilted her head slightly, examining the two disciples of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace. They both wore uniform purple and white robes, with soul-stabilizing jade pendants at their waists and specially crafted swords in their hands, capable of dealing special damage to ghosts.

“I came here at the request of a witch from the Chizhou Clan. As for you, why are you here?” The ethereal voice of the girl echoed in the underground cavern, while the weak firelight flickered, casting shadows on both sides.

“We are disciples of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace, guarding the broken celestial realm of the Yama Palace,” seeing the girl speak, not an awakened monster from the ruins, these two breathed a sigh of relief.

“Guarding? Then why are there rampant demons and ghosts everywhere in the mountains?” The girl took a step forward, raising her snow-white wrist, and the necromancer sequence’s magic began to gather in the air.

Seeing this beautiful and menacing girl, the two felt a chill, but they weren’t going to surrender easily. Regardless, they were guests, and such dignity remained.

They immediately prepared themselves. Instantly, their extraordinary cores spun rapidly, their swords glowing intensely, and six ferocious evil spirits flew out of the lantern, circling around.

Then, the sword-wielding disciple shouted, his figure twisting like a shadow, disappearing and attacking.

Lolan Hill felt eight different angles of sword light suddenly appear in front of her, flashing and attacking, making it hard to dodge.

However, such moves were not impossible to counter for Lolan Hill.

As the sword arcs descended, the girl’s figure fluctuated and disappeared.

Soon after, the sound of clashing blades echoed in the cave, sparks flying everywhere. The cold magic flowed like a blade, slicing through rock walls, stones, and smooth surfaces.

The Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace disciple constantly switched between ghost and physical form, moving at incredible speed to attack or evade, while her sword could split into multiple angles during a brief period of ghostification. The opponent never knew which sword light would suddenly become solid, tearing through your body.

No wonder she is an inner disciple of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace, Lolan Hill thought, swinging her silver crescent scythe in a high-speed clash.

This was the strongest opponent she had encountered since entering the Dusk Mountains. Although the opponent was only fifth tier, compared to sixth-tier demons, she was much more dangerous and had few weaknesses.

Humans’ greatest advantage over demons lies in their wisdom and heritage. Generations of experience, techniques, and skills have been passed down, refined countless times throughout history, becoming incredibly proficient.

A talented inner disciple who has undergone various knowledge tests and received complete inheritance from a prestigious sect would have individual strength unimaginable to common people.

If this seemingly ordinary Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace disciple went to a remote place, he might be called a Sword Saint without exaggeration.

Unfortunately, today he encountered someone even more extraordinary than himself.

Although she was only fourth tier, as a witch and a holder of the Three Great Crowns, with various talents and abilities, she faced such an opponent with ease.

After testing the true strength of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace disciple, Lolan Hill put aside her curiosity and prepared to defeat and subdue the two in front of her, so they could reveal the current situation underground.

A long, silvery scythe light cut through the underground cave, forming a massive arc over ten meters long, slicing through the entangled and chasing evil spirits. The bonfire instantly extinguished, leaving everything pitch-black.

The disciple originally fighting Lolan Hill was heavily slammed against the stone wall, sliding down slowly, his specially crafted longsword shattered into clean-edged pieces scattered on the ground. Near him, the disciple who had been driving the evil spirits fell to the ground, his spirit lantern torn, revealing its broken remains.

Lolan Hill reappeared in the air, her figure appearing almost ethereal, sitting on the large scythe. Her snow-white hair and black dress floated gently in the air, revealing slender, beautiful legs swaying slightly.

“Who are you? How did you attain such high proficiency in the Nine Nether Sequence?” The shattered sword disciple slowly raised his head, looking at the mysterious girl floating in front of him.

In the Eastern Continent, few sects practiced the Nine Nether Sequence, and even fewer were major sects.

“The Scorching Sun Xiangyu Sect,” the girl with snowy hair softly spoke these words.

—

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