Star Trace Gate

The storyteller and Ren Ye were both immersed in the "reflection of the past" and saw Zhao Mi in Zhou Taozhi's memories.

He was the one who broke into the Tomb of the Gods that night, and he was also the one who broke the rules first, leading to a great battle with Zhou Taozhi.

In the memories of the divine soul, this illusory divine tomb appeared extremely illusory and blurry, as if every scene was shrouded and refracted by tens of thousands of mirrors, giving people an extremely unreal and fragmented feeling. Even the great battle between Zhou Taozhi and Zhao Mi could not be seen in detail, and one could only see two figures constantly crossing over in the sky, casting spells and fighting to the death.

"I can't discern the specifics of the battle... This shouldn't be because my cultivation level is too low, but rather because Zhou Taozhi's soul is unstable." Ren Ye closed his eyes and meditated, guessing in his heart, "After all, he's a madman, his thoughts are chaotic, his memories are fragmented... He's forgotten many things from the past, which is why this illusory divine tomb appears so illusory and broken in his memory...!"

Xiao Huaiwang initially thought that Zhou Taozhi and Zhao Mi were evenly matched in their magical duel, since Zhou Taozhi was a renowned old monster and a tomb guardian recognized by the clan hall, so his divine magical abilities must be unparalleled. However, to his surprise, after only a few dozen rounds, Zhou Taozhi was completely at a disadvantage.

Zhao Mi's magical abilities far exceeded the imagination of both himself and the storyteller.

Above the heavens, the aura emanating from Zhao Mi's physical body was so powerful that it could obscure the bright moon and dim its light. He faced his enemies with only one hand, effortlessly unleashing countless offensive techniques. Sometimes his fists filled the sky, sometimes his fingers pierced the heavens. There were no specific moves, only a sense of ease that came from returning to the true Dao and merging all techniques into one.

He didn't use any magic weapons, yet he had already completely suppressed Zhou Taozhi.

After exchanging blows for more than ten rounds, Zhou Taozhi was in mortal danger. Left with no other choice, he had to use the tomb guardian's unique entry token to open the gate to the divine tomb and flee inside in a sorry state.

The scenery reflected in his memory changed rapidly. As Zhou Taozhi fled in a disheveled state, he kept shouting, "Zhao Mi is trying to force his way into the Divine Tomb! My two brothers... don't fight him head-on! Leave this place quickly and go to ask the other clan leaders of the clan hall to come... capture him alive, quick!"

Even after Zhao Mi had caught up with them into the tomb, he still didn't look for the other two tomb guardians. Instead, he relentlessly pursued them, unleashing countless divine techniques to attack and kill them.

Zhou Taozhi was already seriously injured and his spirit was weak in the previous battle, but fortunately he was very familiar with the terrain of the outer area of ​​the Divine Tomb and relied on the complex environment to deal with Zhao Mi.

The two sides chased each other and soon passed through the outer perimeter of the Divine Tomb and entered the mysterious and treacherous Undying Hall.

This illusory divine tomb is known as the source of all misfortune, and is on par with several other "burial grounds" in villages sharing the same name as illusory village. All of them are forbidden places for cultivators. This place must not be spied on, speculated about, or disturbed... Even the four most powerful families in illusory village and the most powerful independent cultivators have never entered the Undying Hall.

A small number of elders from the Illusionary Village had only ever entered the Hanging Coffin Area outside the Undying Hall, the place where one could see bronze and gold coffins. So when Zhou Tao fled to the Undying Hall in a panic, he was completely bewildered, because he had never been to this place before.

Within the Hall of Immortality, endless gray mist drifted, each wisp appearing light and airy, yet in reality, as heavy as the Milky Way. Even the most powerful cultivators of the Illusionary Village, once touched by the mist, would have their bodies instantly crushed and explode. Moreover, this gray mist was incredibly strange, like a colossal beast starved for countless ages, capable of devouring the flesh, blood, and soul of all living beings. Therefore, if a cultivator were to mistakenly enter this place, not only would they explode and die, but they would also become part of the gray mist, leaving not even a trace of bone.

Although Zhou Taozhi had never been here before, he had heard the strange rumors about the Undying Gray Mist. Standing on the outskirts of the Undying Hall, sensing Zhao Mi getting closer and closer, he felt utterly desperate.

At this moment, if he were to flee inwards, he would surely die in the gray fog; but if he did not flee inwards, and Zhao Mi caught up with him, he would have no way to survive either.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Zhou Taozhi's face showed a hint of resentment and regret.

The longer you live, the less you want to die!

"Where are your two brothers?! Since you swore brotherhood, why can't you live and die together now?!" Zhao Mi's voice rang out, full of sarcasm: "Where did they go? Did they use you as a pawn?"

"Zhao Mi, I'll drag you down with me even if I die!" Zhou Taozhi's face turned ruthless as she forcefully activated her divine power, preparing for another battle.

Zhao Mi looked at him with disdain and shook his head slightly, saying, "No... you no longer have the mindset to perish together with me."

"Boom, boom!"

Just then, two exceptionally powerful auras suddenly surged from the outer area of ​​the hanging coffins.

"Zhao Mi, don't be so arrogant!!! Since you dared to enter the tomb today, don't even think about leaving alive!"

"Old Zhou, the two of us are here to help you!"

Li Fengchen and Xue Que's shouts echoed clearly throughout the Divine Tomb.

Upon hearing the shouts of the two, Zhao Mi frowned slightly before launching another attack on Zhou Taozhi.

The two clashed outside the Temple of the Undying, revealing all their trump cards in a very swift exchange.

At the site of the hanging coffins, Li Fengchen and Xue Que were also desperately activating their divine powers to rush over as quickly as possible.

"puff!"

In mid-air, Zhao Mi struck Zhou Taozhi in the chest with a palm, sending him flying and crashing into a bluestone wall, causing him to vomit blood and shatter his chest bones.

Zhou Taozhi stood up with disheveled hair and an extremely pale face. She already knew in her heart that she might not be able to hold out until her two sworn brothers came to help.

He looked at Zhao Mi with despair in his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "You must have come to the Tomb of the Gods more than once... You have been hiding your true strength. Outsiders thought that your divine abilities were perhaps the best in the Village of Illusions, but they never imagined that... you have already surpassed everyone else. No one of your generation can stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

"boom!"

Zhao Mi did not answer, but instead raised his right arm forward, conjuring a black palm shadow in the air, which swept towards Zhou Taozhi's head with overwhelming force.

Zhou Taozhi's face showed despair, and he thought to himself, "Even if the three of us brothers fight with all our might, I'm afraid we still can't defeat Zhao Mi...!"

"Shh!"

A black palm shadow swept across the sky, about to grab Zhou Taozhi's head.

Just then, Zhou Taozhi faintly heard an extremely ethereal voice coming from inside the Undying Hall: "Come in... Don't you want to know what's here? Come... step into the gray mist, and you might survive...!"

The ethereal voice sounded both real and unreal, like an illusion, or like someone was truly summoning him.

Zhou Taozhi sensed his two brothers flying towards him, his expression slightly dazed, and subconsciously replied, "...My two brothers are on their way, I...I can't leave...!"

"Ong!"

The black palm shadow vibrated through the void, about to strike Zhou Taozhi's head.

He stood there, stunned, sensing the terrifying aura contained in the palm shadow, and a strong sense of impending death welled up in his heart.

His face was pale, his body trembled, and he almost instinctively took two steps back, trying to dodge the unstoppable fatal blow.

"boom!!!"

As Zhou Taozhi instinctively strode towards the Undying Hall, the endless gray mist there suddenly churned, and a powerful and unstoppable devouring force swept over.

"Whoosh!"

His body was suddenly sucked into the gray mist by the violent suction force and disappeared completely.

"Boom! Rumble...!"

After Zhao Mi struck down with his palm, he stood there dumbfounded. He witnessed Zhou Taozhi's physical body vanish into thin air, while the bluestone wall shook violently from his palm strike, sending dust flying everywhere.

"He...he entered the Hall of the Undying?!"

Zhao Mi was somewhat surprised.

Inside the Hall of Immortality, the churning gray mist gradually quieted down, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Whizzing……!"

Before long, two figures arrived, none other than Li Fengchen and Xue Que. However, when they arrived, they only saw Zhao Mi, and not Zhou Taozhi, whom they had risked their lives to save.

The two stood frozen in place, staring at the gray fog in disbelief.

Zhao Mi suddenly turned around to look at the two men, then frowned and sensed their presence before saying coldly, "You're courting death...!"

Xue Que withdrew his gaze from the gray mist, his expression turning extremely grim: "Zhao Mi, you bastard... Today, only one of us can live!"

"Boom, boom...!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them immediately fell into chaos, and none of them held back, each wanting only to kill the other.

……

At the entrance of the Peach Blossom Courtyard.

Li Xiaopang muttered inwardly, slightly resentful, "Damn it, I clearly contributed too, so why are only the two of them allowed to go in and visualize Zhou Taozhi's soul memories?! Am I some kind of stepmother?"

"Tap!"

A series of light footsteps sounded, and a woman with a graceful figure and beautiful appearance walked out of the courtyard.

“Someone’s coming?!”

Li Xiaopang suddenly stood up, his eyes warily glancing outside the courtyard, while simultaneously considering how to deal with the other party.

He knew that Zhou Taozhi was currently brainwashed by the storyteller and was deeply immersed in her past memories, unable to extricate herself. This state could not be interrupted by outsiders, otherwise all their efforts tonight would be in vain. More importantly, he could not let the visitors notice anything amiss, otherwise the three of them would have a hard time getting away.

Damn it, of all times, of all times, someone has to come. This is really bad luck!

"Squeak!"

The small door of Peach Garden was pushed open, and a beautiful woman carrying a food box appeared gracefully in Little Fatty's sight.

Both sides were taken aback when they met.

The woman was stunned because she had never expected there to be other visitors in Zhou Taozhi's courtyard; while the chubby boy was stunned because he recognized the other person's identity instantly.

Zhao Mingdi, what's she doing here?! Li Xiaopang looked at the other person's face, his heart filled with surprise.

Zhao Mingdi is Zhao Mi's cousin and one of the most outstanding female teachers at the Tianzi No. 1 Enlightenment Academy. In terms of seniority, Xiao Pang should call her aunt. Because of her high status in the Zhao family, Xiao Pang has seen her on many formal occasions.

However, he never imagined that Zhao Mingdi would have a relationship with the madman Zhou Taozhi, and judging from the other party's posture, it seemed that he was delivering food to the madman Zhou.

Upon seeing the chubby boy, Zhao Mingdi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are you...?!"

Li Xiaopang had disguised himself before arriving at the Peach Blossom Courtyard, so he greeted the teacher with clasped hands, speaking as a stranger.

"No need for formalities!" Zhao Mingdi nodded slightly in response.

"My two close friends and I have been studying the Treasure Chess Game. After today's masterclass, the three of us discussed our tactics and then came to Senior Zhou's residence, intending to challenge him again." Li Xiaopang replied with composure and poise. "We didn't expect to win, but unexpectedly... in this second round, my two close friends were fortunate enough to obtain several advantageous tokens, and I also received a leap forward opportunity. After frequent communication, I chose to sacrifice myself and give the leap forward token to my close friends... allowing them to win against Senior Zhou by chance."

"So, after they won the game, Senior Zhou invited them into the hall for a short rest. They are currently discussing chess techniques with him. Senior Zhou is a bit strange. He felt that I was not worthy to enter since I had not won the game, so he ordered me to wait here."