Chapter 1247: Another Purpose

"Time is pressing. We must break through this defense quickly. Success or failure hinges on this one move." Suddenly, a thunderous shout rang out from high in the sky.

As the voice faded, ripples appeared in the air, and the figure of Heavenly Star Venerable materialized out of thin air. His face, stripped of its usual lazy expression, was unusually solemn.

In his hand, he held a silver spear studded with hundreds of crimson crystals. Pointing it toward the sky, the crystals simultaneously blazed with red light.

Immediately, the sea of clouds in the distance churned violently, glowing with a crimson hue.

Then, as if a summer thunderstorm were approaching, deep, muffled rumbles echoed from within the cloud sea.

Millstone-sized flaming meteors crashed down from the heavens, piercing through the cloud sea like a rain of fire and comets, furiously slamming into the golden light barrier. They exploded into countless sparks of red fire, causing the void to ring with continuous booms.

Yet the seemingly precarious golden barrier, though trembling incessantly, rippled with golden waves that neutralized the impact of the fiery meteor shower, ultimately holding firm without being breached.

"Shameless traitor..." one of the Nine Elements Temple elders cursed loudly.

The other elders and disciples, burning with indignation, glared up at Heavenly Star Venerable.

Heavenly Star Venerable, however, paid them no heed and once again swung his spear, attacking the barrier.

…

In stark contrast to the ceaseless clamor outside, the Nine Elements Palace was unusually tranquil, with only the pavilions, towers, rockeries, and trees occasionally trembling from the explosions.

At this moment, in a delicately arranged garden within the Nine Elements Palace, a silver formation array three zhang in diameter suddenly appeared on the ground. A flash of silver light shot up, and five figures materialized within it.

Three of them wore black masks of the Reincarnation Hall—one shaped like a flood dragon, one like an ape, and one like a hare.

"Heh, just as you predicted, the deepest part of this dragon's pool and tiger's den is the quietest," said the man wearing the ape mask, tall and sturdy as an iron tower.

"The Nine Elements Palace is the core of the Nine Elements Temple, usually not accessible to many. But anyone who appears here is no ordinary character. From now on, we must be more cautious, move stealthily, and avoid fighting," replied the graceful woman in the flood dragon mask, nodding.

After speaking, she glanced uneasily at her companion wearing the hare mask.

That person was not very tall, with a somewhat slender build. A mess of hair hung behind the mask, obscuring any expression, though one could faintly hear him muttering something repeatedly.

"Spiritual sense probing is essentially useless here. So, Fellow Daoist Lu, we'll rely on you to lead the way," Wu Yang said, turning to the person behind him.

That person, of medium build and ordinary appearance, looked unremarkable, but was none other than Lu Chuanfeng, who had previously killed the Phoenix Celestial Envoy.

"Alas, I haven't visited the Nine Elements Palace many times. I can only find a general direction. For more... we'll have to rely on Fellow Daoist Gong," Lu Chuanfeng sighed, seeming somewhat helpless.

"Rest assured, everyone. As long as that thing appears within my sensing range, I will definitely pinpoint its exact location," a gentle, soft female voice sounded from beside him.

Under her mask, Jiao San's brows furrowed slightly as she looked toward the woman.

The woman wore a black long dress that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. On her head was a black veil hat that concealed her entire face, revealing only a hint of a neck as fair as mutton-fat jade.

Jiao San was unclear about the woman's identity, but she vividly remembered seeing her silhouette under the stone arch bridge when she had met the Reincarnation Hall Master in that strange space.

"Alright, time is of the essence. Let's move quickly," Wu Yang said.

Lu Chuanfeng nodded and took the lead, guiding the group, while the others immediately followed.

Not long after they left, a strange light flickered behind a cluster of exotic flowers and plants not far away, and two more figures emerged.

One was a tall young man with hair like dark clouds, tied high on his head, with a single white lock hanging over his forehead. He looked distinguished and was none other than Huo Yuan, the master of Hundred Creations Mountain.

Accompanying him was a beautiful woman in a fiery red long dress. Her skin was smooth as congealed fat, and her demeanor and features exuded a natural charm that stirred boundless fantasies.

This woman was none other than Chi Meng.

"What exactly are these remnants of the Reincarnation Hall trying to do? Have they gone mad, actually planning to attack the Nine Elements Temple?" Chi Meng said, cautiously glancing in the direction where Jiao San and the others had left.

"If the Nine Elements Temple were really so vulnerable, how could it have steadily suppressed our Hundred Creations Mountain for millions of years? Their purpose in coming here is probably the same as ours," Huo Yuan said with a sneer.

"Also for that thing?" Chi Meng's expression shifted slightly, startled and puzzled.

"They dare to take such a risk to come here; aside from that thing, I can't think of any other reason. A clever move of feigning one thing while doing another," Huo Yuan nodded slightly, pondering.

"Mountain Lord Huo, isn't that thing said to have been forged by your Hundred Creations Mountain? Do you really not know what it's used for?" Chi Meng hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help asking.

"That thing was forged by the previous Mountain Lord of our Hundred Creations Mountain. It is said that hundreds of thousands of years ago, the almost never-appearing patriarch of the Nine Elements Temple paid a great price to personally commission it. But at the time, after spending tens of thousands of years forging it, it turned out to be just a lifeless object like a container, and its true purpose was completely unknown," Huo Yuan said with a sigh.

"For that patriarch to personally appear and have the previous Mountain Lord forge it shows that this object is truly extraordinary. But since it's a lifeless object forged hundreds of thousands of years ago... Mountain Lord Huo, why did you suddenly propose to the Heavenly Court to investigate this object?" Chi Meng, increasingly puzzled, pressed on.

The reason this token-bestowing ceremony was made so complicated, with a competition for the tokens, was to have an excuse to stay longer at the Nine Elements Temple, thereby attempting to probe and find out something.

"When the previous Mountain Lord forged this object, he had his doubts and wanted to figure out its true function. Unfortunately, not only did he fail to get an answer, but it also stirred up inner demons..." Huo Yuan stopped here, a flash of resentment in his eyes, and did not continue.

The previous Mountain Lord of Hundred Creations Mountain was his mentor. Affected by inner demons, he failed in his final severance of corpses. Otherwise, Hundred Creations Mountain would have long had a Dao Ancestor in residence, and its status in the Immortal Realm would be vastly different.

"Back then, the Mountain Lord said that the Nine Elements Temple had great ambitions for this object, and told me to keep an eye on it. Once the Nine Elements Temple further refined it into an immortal artifact, I must find a way to investigate clearly," Huo Yuan paused, then continued.

"Further refine? What does that mean?" Chi Meng asked, puzzled.

"The forging of that object at Hundred Creations Mountain was only half complete; it was made into a container, full of infinite possibilities. Subsequent forging has been carried out secretly by the Nine Elements Temple. According to calculations, the completion time was probably just a few days ago," Huo Yuan said.

"That means the Nine Elements Temple has been refining this object for hundreds of thousands of years?" Chi Meng exclaimed in surprise.

"When this object was about to be refined, it actually triggered some celestial phenomena. Although the Nine Yuan Temple quickly covered it up, the Heavenly Court had already sensed it, so when I raised the matter, I received an immediate response. Originally, Fairy Fengtian and I were supposed to investigate it together, but the Wheel of Reincarnation disrupted things. However, their stirring up the waters isn't entirely a bad thing," Huo Yuan continued.

"Mountain Lord Huo, aren't we going to pursue them?" Chi Meng asked, nodding and looking in the direction where Jiao San and the others had left.

"No rush. Although divine sense cannot be used here, among those people, the black-clad woman wearing a bamboo hat has a very peculiar aura fluctuation. If we get too close, she might detect us," Huo Yuan shook his head and said.

After waiting another ten-odd breaths, Huo Yuan finally said, "Let's go," and led Chi Meng in pursuit.

...

In another garden of the Nine Yuan Palace, a dull thud suddenly sounded from beneath a rockery made of piled stones.

A piece of rock, along with the turf, was lifted up, and several figures leaped out from underground, landing behind the rockery.

The leader among them was tall, with ordinary features, but his eyes were dark and deep, like an ancient well without ripples. It was none other than Han Li.

Beside him were a white-clad youth and two women, namely Xiao Bai, Lan Yan, and Jin Tong.

Ti Hun, due to the earlier incident with the evil corpse, had expended considerable energy and had already returned to the Flower Branch Space to recuperate.

"Ah, where is this? Judging by the surrounding aura... it feels like we're still within the Nine Yuan Palace's domain," Xiao Bai wrinkled his nose and sniffed, speaking with a worried expression.

"The underground passage is completely destroyed, so we can't go back the way we came. We have to come up and look for an exit. Fellow Daoist Lan, do you know how to leave here?" Han Li asked.

"The Nine Yuan Palace is the core of our Nine Yuan Temple; I am not qualified to enter. As for the situation here, I am no different from you—I know nothing," Lan Yan sighed and said.

Now she was in deeper and deeper, and according to the sect's laws, what she had done warranted the death penalty.

Han Li frowned upon hearing this, looking around, trying to find a direction to leave.

"Why are you all wearing such sour faces? With this fairy here, are you still worried about not finding the way?" Jin Tong suddenly spoke, looking full of confidence.