Chapter 404: Stalemate

"To be honest with you all, I have just communicated with them. They are also quite dissatisfied with the North Cold Immortal Palace's sealing of the immortal mansion entrance this time, so there is absolutely no problem in forming a temporary alliance. Although the restriction set up by the Immortal Palace is sturdy, as long as ten Golden Immortals join forces and attack a single point simultaneously, it can definitely be broken." The pockmarked old man's eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Xuyangzi frowned slightly and subconsciously looked at Hu Yan Daoist.

Seeing this, the pockmarked old man showed a trace of surprise in his expression and secretly re-evaluated Hu Yan Daoist and Yun Ni.

"People from Cangliu Palace are also here. Why doesn't Sect Leader Chen join forces with them to break the restriction?" Hu Yan Daoist glanced at the Cangliu Palace group and asked.

"Cangliu Palace... Heh, they are a major sect. How could they deign to look upon us small clans and families, let alone join forces with us?" The pockmarked old man chuckled dryly.

Hu Yan Daoist, hearing this, pondered for a moment and lightly waved his sleeve.

A soft radiance spread out, instantly forming a light barrier that enveloped an area of about ten zhang.

"Sect Leader Chen, in my opinion, it would be better if we did not break this restriction ourselves," Hu Yan Daoist said calmly after doing this.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist Gu, what do you mean by that?" The pockmarked old man furrowed his brows, his expression turning somewhat cold.

"The method of sealing the entrance to the North Cold Immortal Palace—I believe none of the major powers capable of seeking the immortal mansion would agree to it. If the three of us join forces to break the prohibition now, we will inevitably face a direct conflict with the North Cold Immortal Palace. Even if we unite and can withstand them, it will only benefit others." Hu Yanzi explained without anger.

"You mean..." The pockmarked old man's tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed upon hearing this.

"In my opinion, why is Sect Leader Chen so impatient? According to speculation, there is still some time before the immortal mansion opens. Even if the North Cold Immortal Palace guards the entrance inside, they cannot enter the mansion. This news has long been widespread. When all forces have gathered, would the Immortal Palace dare to persist in such an outrageous act before so many people?" Hu Yanzi paused, then continued.

"Fellow Daoist Gu is right; it is indeed inappropriate for us to break the prohibition. The Cangliu Palace has not made a move, probably hoping we will have a great battle with the North Cold Immortal Palace so they can reap the benefits. Luo Qinghai, that old fox, is best at watching from the sidelines while tigers fight." Xu Yangzi nodded repeatedly, glancing at Luo Canghai.

"Hehe, good! Fellow Daoist Gu's plan is excellent. I was a bit impatient. The North Cold Immortal Palace bullies others by relying on its power. I had already given up on entering the mansion this time, intending to spoil their fun. Now it seems there is a turn of events; we should plan carefully." The pockmarked old man's eyes quickly brightened, and he cupped his hands.

"Not at all, Fellow Daoist Chen flatters me." Hu Yanzi waved his hand modestly.

The pockmarked old man exchanged a few more words with Hu Yanzi, then took his leave and turned to fly toward the group of Southern Li tribe, conversing with the four alien Golden Immortals.

The two sallow-faced men of the Southern Li tribe were expressionless, showing no reaction, but the septuagenarian elder and the white-haired old woman's expressions shifted slightly as they glanced toward Hu Yanzi.

Then the two nodded, led the others to stand aside, and did not attack the black light barrier again.

Seeing this, Xu Yangzi and Hu Yanzi also led Han Li and the others to find a place to stand.

Inside the cave, it fell silent for a moment.

Not far away, Luo Qinghai took a deep look at the Daoist Hu Yan, a flicker of strangeness in his eyes.

"Palace Master, it seems that among this rabble, someone with a brain has finally arrived," said the pale-faced scholar as he approached.

Although the Daoist Hu Yan had just set up a restriction to prevent outsiders from hearing their conversation, the course of events was clear at a glance, and one could understand what was happening.

"That's fine too. If they recklessly break the restriction now, it might not necessarily be to our advantage. Let's just wait and see," Luo Qinghai said thoughtfully.

"The Palace Master is right. The proper course is to wait until everyone has arrived and force Xiao Jinhan to open the entrance restriction," said the pale-faced scholar.

Luo Qinghai smiled and said no more.

…

Behind the black light screen was a cave. After walking a few steps inside, the cave space suddenly expanded, forming another smaller cavern.

All the members of the North Cold Immortal Palace stood there.

Ouyang Kuishan and the other cultivators who had been casting spells on the stone pillars had now stopped and landed on the ground.

However, the formation on the stone pillars had not been deactivated and still firmly enclosed the light gate.

In addition, some people dressed in Black Wind Island attire surrounded the area, including Lu Jun, Lu Yuqing, and several Black Wind Island elders.

At this moment, everyone stood with heads bowed, not daring to breathe loudly, because the Immortal Palace Master Xiao Jinhan, standing in the center, had a livid face, black mist churning around him, a faint hint of red in his eyes, and his whole body exuded a terrifying, murderous aura that seemed ready to devour anyone—extremely frightening.

"Can any of you tell me what is going on? How did this news leak out without reason?" Xiao Jinhan slowly swept his gaze over those present and spoke slowly.

The members of the North Cold Immortal Palace looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Xiao Jinhan's gaze shifted and landed on the Vice Palace Master Xue Ying.

"Reporting to the Palace Master, all those who might know the location of the entrance have been under surveillance and are now here. The restrictions around this place can block all communication, so news should not have leaked," Xue Ying said hesitantly.

"Then explain to me why those people outside have appeared?" Xiao Jinhan's gaze sharpened as he stared at Xue Ying and said coldly.

"This..." Xue Ying's face paled under Xiao Jinhan's stare, and she could not speak.

"Hmph! I entrusted this matter to you, and this is how you've handled it?" Xiao Jinhan's gaze swept over the others as he spoke coldly.

Wherever his eyes fell, heads lowered once more.

"Reporting to the Palace Master, it seems there are only two possibilities now." A faint voice came from the side; it was Lu Yue.

"Oh, let's hear them." Xiao Jinhan said.

"The first is that there is a problem among the people we sent, and the news was leaked." Lu Yue said softly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinhan's eyes flickered.

"Impossible! Those selected for this mission are all loyal and capable members of our North Cold Immortal Palace. There is absolutely no issue. Even Golden Immortals like you and me could not silently penetrate this Barrier of Oath and transmit a single shred of information." Xue Ying frowned slightly, unable to help but speak.

"Vice Palace Master Xue, I also believe that everyone here is loyal and reliable, so this possibility is extremely small." Lu Yue said.

"And the other possibility?" Xiao Jinhan asked.

"The second possibility is that the location of this immortal mansion's entrance has already been discovered by the Reincarnation Hall, and it was they who leaked the location." Lu Yue said slowly.

At these words, everyone present changed expression.

Xiao Jinhan frowned slightly, a contemplative look on his face.

The roiling black aura on his body gradually subsided, sinking into his form, and the terrible ferocity also dissipated rapidly.

Seeing this, the members of the North Cold Immortal Palace relaxed their tense expressions.

"Palace Master, over the years we have led the Reincarnation Hall by the nose, making them chase one false entrance after another. Looking back now, things went too smoothly. Given the Reincarnation Hall's ability to confront our Immortal Palace for so many years, they should not be so inept. I'm afraid they saw through our intentions long ago and only pretended to fall for it these years to lull us into complacency and cover their true actions." Lu Yue paused, then continued.

Hearing this, many of those around showed strange expressions, as if recalling something, and began to murmur among themselves.

"Silence!" Xiao Jinhan barked.

Everyone immediately fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

"Regardless of the reason, it doesn't matter now. You will all return to your posts. I will handle the rest." Xiao Jinhan said calmly, his expression having completely returned to normal.

The black aura on his body also vanished entirely.

"Yes." The members of the North Cold Immortal Palace acknowledged and went about their tasks.

Ouyang Kuishan and the others flew back to the tops of the nine stone pillars, sat cross-legged, and activated the formation.

A few others walked over to the black barrier at the cave entrance and sat down.

Near the cave entrance, there was also a massive formation.

The others were not idle either, each attending to their duties.

Xiao Jinhan looked outward, his eyes flickering with a hint of cold smile, as if contemplating something.

...

In the outer cavern, everyone remained silent, utterly quiet.

Han Li stood behind Hu Yan Dao Ren and Yun Ni, secretly observing the people around him.

Jiao San and the others from the Reincarnation Hall also aimed for this Ming Han Immortal Mansion; they might have already arrived here. But like him, the Reincarnation Hall members all had Wuchang Alliance masks, allowing them to change their appearances and conceal their auras.

He carefully scrutinized the crowd, hoping to find some clue, but found nothing.

At that moment, Han Li's expression suddenly changed as he looked outward.

A sudden palpitation arose in his heart.

"This is..." Han Li's eyes flashed with doubt.

"What's wrong?" Hu Yan Dao Ren noticed Han Li's change in expression and transmitted his voice.

"Nothing. It seems someone else is coming." Han Li's heart tightened, but his expression quickly returned to calm as he replied via voice transmission.

Hu Yan Dao Ren, hearing this, looked toward the cave entrance, and his expression changed.

At the cave entrance, a silver light flashed, and a woman in a silver robe materialized.

Her expressionless eyes swept over the crowd in the cavern twice, then she walked in slowly, looking straight ahead.

A stir ran through the major powers in the cave; the True Flame Sect, the Ghost Wailing Sect, and even the Nanli tribe members all changed color.

Luo Qinghai's eyes also narrowed almost imperceptibly.