Immortal Road.

"Since this place already has an owner, I'll leave now, following the principle of first come, first served."

The Holy Lord Wenxuan immediately retreated, the ring on his hand glowing faintly, before his figure blurred and disappeared.

Seeing this, Venerable Lan Jian seemed to recognize the ring. He nodded without saying anything, and only released his grip on the sword hilt after confirming that the person had left.

The people from the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect below were still working hard, setting up a cordon within a ten-mile radius and using various means to dig and carry out construction.

Each of them looked serious and was sweating profusely. Most of them were disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect in the illusion. It was because of the 'identity blessing' of Venerable Lan Jian that they could command these virtual characters to work for them and find treasures.

Lin Shan also secretly followed the Holy Master Wenxuan to this place.

Seeing this scene, I belatedly realized what was going on!

When I encountered the disciples of the Ancient Seeking Sect in the illusion, why didn't I take advantage of them? If they had worked together to mine for me, wouldn't they have turned that world upside down?
Unfortunately, they encountered an attack from the Ghost Valley Holy Land's army, and the entire Xun Gu Sect was wiped out. They also didn't know how to find the treasures.

Therefore, it seems that the reason why Duan Tong, the Grandmaster of the Ghost Valley Holy Land, gathered so many disciples of the Ghost Valley Holy Land in that illusion was probably that destroying the Xun Gu Sect was secondary. His real thought was that he had discovered a treasure and specially formed a group to search for it!

Once he understood this crucial point, Lin Shan was filled with remorse.

However, encountering the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect is an opportunity, not to mention the nearby presence of the Holy Master Wenxuan, who is eyeing us covetously.

It turns out that although he said he had left, he hadn't actually left at all!
Instead, they are using the illusion as cover to hide somewhere unknown, probably thinking about whether they can plunder the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect's resources later.

This wait lasted for three whole days.

After digging for a long time, a cheer suddenly erupted from inside!
Intense black light burst forth from the bottom of the pit, with black lines blooming as if they were real, so dazzling that they caused a slight pain in the eyes, and even pierced through the illusion and tore through the sky!

"It's now!"

Without saying a word, the Holy Lord Wenxuan took action on the spot.

Lin Shanmao, who was behind, had no idea what it was and could only sneak up to observe it.

Orchid Sword Venerable Ping Shuang was preparing to collect the items at the bottom of the pit when she was suddenly ambushed by Wenxuan Holy Master, and the two instantly engaged in a fierce battle!
Their battle appeared somewhat unreal in the black light. The disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect seemed to wander around the pit like tiny black dots, seemingly unable to retrieve the item.

It was a heart beating violently.

The bouncy, contracting, and undulating shape, with its deep black exterior, looked extremely eerie. There was even black liquid splattered around it. It's unclear how the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect managed to dig it out from underground. You can see that a lot of people died, and their corpses hanging on the rocks were extremely gruesome!

However, this is an illusion, and those disciples are not real people. If they die, they die, and Venerable Lan Jian doesn't care.

However, this item was clearly a bit unexpected for them!
Judging from his bewildered expression, it didn't seem fake. Nobody knew what they had dug up, and with many concerns, they didn't dare to collect it immediately.

However, the Holy Lord Wenxuan had no scruples. While fighting with his opponent, he casually conjured a large hand of true essence and directly reached for the black heart!
"roll!!!"

Venerable Lan Jian was truly enraged.

Nine spirit swords, each with a unique pattern, circled around him, creating a raging storm of blades that covered the entire crater, annihilating all external supernatural powers.

"Lord Wenxuan, what's the use of hiding your true colors? I know it's you!"

"Why waste your time leading your Tai Xuan Holy Land people to plunder instead of coming to my Chunqiu Sword Sect to beg for alms?"

"Do you even know what this is before you steal it? Is it really necessary?"

When the Holy Master Wenxuan first appeared, he deliberately changed his appearance. Although it seemed like he was burying his head in the sand, it was just for show, and he didn't want to openly break off relations.

Anyway, you know it was me, but I won't admit it afterward, so what can you do to me?

"Hahahaha, this girl has quite the temper. Although I am not the Holy Master Wenxuan, I certainly know what this thing is called, the Dark Core of the Earth!"

While he was attacking, he was also explaining things to Venerable Lan Jian.

"This item is indeed a kind of earth core essence, but it has long been permeated by the dark side of this world. The energy contained within is extremely yin and evil, and ordinary evil cultivators cannot refine it. Only special ancient methods can make some use of it. Since you can't use it, you might as well give it to me."

"Who told you I can't use it?"

Venerable Lan Jian slowly unfurled his sword formation, and the nine spiritual swords spun like a fan, covering the large pit without any blind spots, giving Saint Wenxuan no chance at all.

"Our Spring and Autumn Sword Sect has an ancient and long history. As long as we bring it back, how could we not find a way to use it?"

The two engaged in a fierce verbal battle, but their physical skills were not to be outdone.

Little did they know, Lin Shan on the other side was not just waiting idly, but had already begun to secretly dig a tunnel!
Using the Void Star Compass, a magical artifact that connects to the heavens, he deliberately chose a weak point in the terrain to break through, digging a narrow hole to quickly pass through the blockade of Venerable Lan Jian and arrive at the large pit below.

The two people above were completely unaware of the secret operation; it can only be said that the Holy Master Wenxuan indirectly helped Lin Shan attract attention.

After he descended to the depths of the dark earth.

Many disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect were hiding far away, gathered in small groups, their words and expressions filled with grief and indignation. Clearly, they had suffered heavy losses and lost too many fellow disciples in their efforts to excavate this treasure.

Of course, there are also those who don't take it seriously, because they are all real people in reality, so they don't take the brothers who died in the illusion seriously.

The black heart, when viewed up close, was enormous, as big as a city gate tower. It made loud thumping noises, and there was a living thing beating inside!

If it weren't for the seal specially placed on its exterior by the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect, it might have taken off and escaped!
Lin Shan had never heard of this item before and didn't know what it was for, but since the Holy Lord Wenxuan decided to snatch it, it must be a valuable treasure. He would get his hands on it first.

"Rustling."

Unbeknownst to anyone, a black iron chain slowly extended from the ground, crawling around the large black heart while everyone was distracted, gradually clinging to it.

To his surprise, the black-hearted creature seemed to sense this and obediently cooperated, reducing the force of its jumps to avoid making the chains rattle and attracting attention. However, the thumping sounds from inside actually became louder!

In a daze, Lin Shan felt as if this dark core of the earth had its own mind and was deliberately binding him up in order to escape.

But since one party is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit, let's not worry about anything else and just kidnap them first!

Once the Soul-Absorbing Lock was completely binding it, it was suddenly pulled out of the ground. This creature, which was very intelligent, shrank in size into an egg and then sped away with Lin Shan along the route they had previously smuggled in!

"???"

The disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect were dumbfounded.

Watching the dark core roll and hop around, then disappear into a dog hole and vanish, I could hardly believe my eyes!

"what?"

The Venerable Lan Jian and the Holy Master Wen Xuan, who were engaged in battle above, also noticed that something was wrong.

When they both stopped and looked this way, Lin Shan had already dragged his balls to the ground and made a run for it without saying a word!
"Leave the treasure behind!"

The two immediately abandoned each other and chased after Lin Shan to intercept him.

But all that could be seen was a crackling arc of electricity that flashed by in the blink of an eye, reaching the horizon at an unbelievable speed.

However, the really annoying thing is...

The illusion itself is not large; according to the rules within the blue halo, it is only a mere hundred miles in radius.

Lin Shan couldn't run very far before reaching the end, and the key issue was that he didn't have a way to actively escape the illusion!
The dark core obediently followed him, thinking it could escape, but unexpectedly got stuck.

The two people behind were overjoyed at the sight; a new lease on life had opened up, and this person was no longer trapped in the illusion. "Don't go!"

"Leave the treasure behind."

Lin Shan ignored everything, transforming into arcs of electricity that roamed around, sucking up souls while still pulling at eggs behind them.

The two ignored him and focused on his testicles, reaching out to grab them!
The dark creature, bursting with psychic power, even knew how to dodge during its escape, swaying left and right and leaping right, completely outmaneuvering the two powerful beings.

The disciples of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect below were all stunned!

This stalemate lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Lin Shan remained energetic and vigorous. As a great supernatural being, he possessed a spiritual sea within his body, providing a continuous source of power. He could fight for three days and three nights without any problem.

However, Saint Master Wenxuan and Venerable Lanjian couldn't wait any longer.

The two immediately unleashed their most powerful abilities, drawing the entire illusion into their range, determined to force Lin Shan into a decisive battle.

When he was really pushed to the limit, he directly used the Wind and Thunder Strike skill, and set up nine Thunder Strike runes at fixed points. When they were linked together, they were as fast as a startled bird, and shattered the void in an instant!

"Tear~"

The instant the spatial rift opened, lightning shot straight through it, startling Venerable Lan Jian and Holy Master Wen Xuan!

"This is... the Shattered Void?"

They both froze, neither daring to chase after them.

Breaking through the void is the exclusive domain of primordial spirit powerhouses, a symbol of the highest combat strength in this world, and a realm that everyone yearns for and reveres.

Now that it was right in front of them, they hesitated and stood still for a moment.

Could this mysterious third party be an incarnation of a powerful being with a primordial spirit?

After shattering the void, Lin Shan traveled hundreds of miles inside and found that the illusion outside had collapsed on its own, and he had broken through it in an instant.

Not only that, as he flew through the void, even the blue aura of the final destination was gradually disengaging, and he was about to return to the fifth layer of the mortal star sea!
Startled, he quickly broke through the void and emerged, and the illusory and hazy space around him gradually stabilized.

Above the boundless clouds, stone forests can be seen in three directions in the distance.

Before he could even make a choice, he suddenly felt the iron chain on his hand loosen. He turned around and looked!
Okay~
The egg actually broke free from the soul-absorbing lock and tried to sneak away by hopping and jumping around!
"Ok?"

Lin Shan snorted, and the object instantly froze.

The two seemed frozen in time.

Under intense gaze, the creature slowly retreated, obediently returning to the chain and re-tying itself up, its docile behavior heartbreaking.

"You know what's going on!"

He yanked it over and grabbed it in his palm, but almost threw it away the next moment!

A piercing pain shot through me, and my palm was charred black.

This thing actually has an extremely strong corrosive power. Looking at the Spirit Treasure Soul-Absorbing Lock, its front end has already been corroded beyond recognition.

"Is this thing really that weird?"

The moment I grabbed it, the enhancement panel displayed the information.

[The Dark Core]

Quality: Tier 6 Spirit Item

Introduction: Son of the Earth, Emperor of the Dark Side, possesses the power of extreme Yin and filth, containing a portion of the world's essence (the dark side), which helps in comprehending the world's rules and can also serve as a source of power. Please use with caution.

Note: It contains a dark spirit, is treacherous and cunning; beware of sneak attacks.

Enhancement required: 256 points

"The essence of the world?"

Lin Shan suddenly remembered that during the second wave of spiritual tides, the greatest treasure of the Fallen Demon Valley was the essence of world fragments, but unfortunately they were all in the Primordial Spirit Battlefield, and he had no chance to obtain them.

This is an excellent aid for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, and it actually ended up in his hands!
However, this thing was not the essence of the normal world, but something dark and filthy, so he dared not touch it carelessly.

It seems that the Annihilation Clone technique can work.

Darkness and filth are nothing more than a tickle to the clone.

The eerie Dharma form didn't even glance at it!

If this can help my clone break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I wonder if any unexpected things might happen.
Lin Shan sealed the object away for the time being, suppressing it under the Void Star Disc, and then threw it into the Spirit Beast Ring, letting the void creatures guard it for him.

At the same time, he couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Having been extorted from the Holy Lord Wenxuan all the way, it can be considered that he has been lost in a roundabout way!
"That's fine."

You can't just keep harassing someone. If you really push them too far, they might just start a fight in the illusion, and if you don't let me have a good time, nobody will either. That wouldn't be nice.

He randomly found a stone forest and then picked out a glittering pillar to go inside.

After a dizzying spin, I arrived at a starry sky.

What a coincidence!

They actually ran right into the Holy Lord Wenxuan!

It was truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly." The other person had just emerged from the illusion and rejoined the matchmaking process. Two powerful beings like them were easily matched together in the Red Dust Star Sea, so they reunited once again with ease.

And coincidentally, the Holy Lord Wenxuan was once again matched with the Venerable Burning Fire, Chi Hong!
After a long period of training, he also found a rhythm that suited him. Whenever he was wronged elsewhere, he would hang up the Flaming Venerable Chi Hong and beat him up!
Feeling refreshed and relieved, I can continue.

Poor Chi Hong was ostracized wherever he went, and he felt extremely miserable. He was clearly a great supernatural being, but because he had no background, he suffered setbacks everywhere in the mortal world and had nowhere to complain.

The Star Palace Hundred Clans invited him here purely to fill in for someone else!
As a result, he was beaten up for no reason, which would make anyone furious.

With Chi Hong gone, the Holy Lord Wenxuan breathed a sigh of relief and began the follow-up work, though this was extremely difficult.

Make him change the pictures and locations constantly from morning till night, looking for differences and clues.

His good luck seemed to have run out, and the next dozen or so illusions were empty, which greatly annoyed him. He had been doing useless work in them and hadn't gotten any treasures.

Once again, something different happened.

As soon as he entered, he was immediately matched with a new person.

The ancestor of the Kong family!

(End of this chapter)