This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

"You mean, Mu Wushuang..." Ling Xue exclaimed, realizing a possibility, but immediately shut her mouth, because the Xiao family members were still watching.

"I'm just guessing. Besides, only one of the Moon Wheel Clan members appeared on a pillar. The most urgent thing isn't this pillar, but what exactly happened in the black mist?"

Xiao Xingchen quickly changed the subject. He would personally ask Mu Wushuang about the Moon Wheel Clan's connection to this place when he saw her again. Right now, the most serious problem remained the pervasive black mist, the stench of blood within it growing increasingly strong.

“You’re right. The most urgent thing is to open the gate to the Demon Tower. If we can’t open it in time, we’ll be trapped too,” Xiao Xingxue nodded. Danger was imminent; if they didn’t break the deadlock, disaster would befall them.

"But how do we open it?" The group all looked puzzled.

Looking again into the black mist, the little monk's image of Pigsy seemed enraged. What had initially been just a fleeting image of Pigsy's pig head had now materialized, wielding a rake and waving it incessantly through the black mist, each swing bringing forth a splash of crimson.

At this moment, Miaowu resembled a god or demon who had gone mad with rage. His composure had vanished, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he appeared utterly eerie.

Beside him, a group of Tianling experts, led by the eldest senior sister, continuously unleashed sword lights, steadily approaching the Demon Tower.

On the other side, the Shen family also unleashed their trump card. A massive magic array floated above their heads, continuously repelling the unknown attacks under its protection.

The two factions faced each other from afar, the blood mist churning. Gradually, everyone began to realize something was wrong. The black mist, originally a huge circle spreading outwards from the Demon Tower, was now being stained red by the movements of the two factions, forming a world of black and red mist centered on the Demon Tower.

Others might not recognize what this thing is, but even if Xiao Xingchen were an idiot, he would know what this symbol represents.

Originally, it was the Tai Chi Yin Yang Bagua, but now it has become a red and black Bagua. From its position, one can see the whole picture; black and white have been replaced by red and black, forming the Eight Gates formation.

"This is..." Such an unusual movement naturally couldn't escape the notice of everyone, but the Tai Chi symbol remained shrouded in mystery in their eyes.

"What a mysterious red and black mist! This pattern seems to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth," Ling Xue couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes filled with exploration.

"Do you know what this is?"

Xiao Xingxue had been paying attention to Xiao Xingchen. After noticing Xiao Xingchen's expression, she asked directly.

Xiao Xingchen ignored him and continued to observe. The Tai Chi symbol, the Yin and Yang fish, indicated that the two major factions were positioned precisely at the Yin-Yang fish's boundaries. The intersection of red and black mist marked the boundary of the Yin-Yang fish, and at the very center of this Yin-Yang formation, the Demon Tower was undergoing some kind of change.

"The Great Ultimate (Taiji) gives rise to the Two Forms (Yin and Yang). The Two Forms give rise to the Four Symbols (Sixiang), and the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams."

He slowly opened his mouth, searching for all the information in the Tai Chi Eight Trigrams. However, he completely underestimated the wonder of the Tai Chi Eight Trigrams. When he uttered those words, not only were everyone present stunned into silence, but the Demon Tower also resonated with a sound.

As if it had been waiting for a long time and finally had its master, the enormous Tai Chi diagram began to rotate on its own. Waves of Yin and Yang flashed before their eyes, drawing everyone's attention in. They felt a dizzying sensation as the world spun around them.

Whether it was the Shen family, Tian Ling's side, Xiao Xingxue representing the Xiao family, or Ling Xue, they all coughed up a mouthful of blood before regaining consciousness.

Then came an endless sense of lingering fear. In that instant, they all felt as if they were falling into an unfathomable black hole, a place devoid of light and time, filled only with endless darkness—a terror that emanated from the very depths of their souls.

"What exactly happened? Why do I feel..." Xiao Xingxue's fear hadn't subsided; she stared blankly at the people around her.

Even the clan elders of his own family coughed up blood and immediately became listless.

Looking at Ling Xue again, she was even more shocked, as she was injured even more severely than them. She hurriedly looked at Xiao Xingchen.

"Mountain dweller, what do you know? I feel like we've gotten ourselves into a huge mess."

"disaster?"

Xiao Xingchen was still wondering why everyone around him was vomiting blood when his gaze swept across the entire Tai Chi symbol. The red and black Tai Chi symbol began to rotate, revealing the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Gates gradually took shape.

He suddenly looked behind him at the nine-story demon tower, his shock no less than the others. He had discovered the Tai Chi Bagua here—something that didn't exist in this world. He remembered that when he took out the Bagua plate in the Yong'an Ant Cave, the old blind man had said it represented the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. It was from him that he learned that the legend of the Bagua didn't exist in this world.

But now, in this place, the entire black mist is a Tai Chi Bagua formation. How could he remain calm? In an instant, he suddenly realized that if this was a Bagua formation, then the entrance...

"Don't ask anything, just come with me!"

He couldn't explain any of this, and was even more shocked by Ling Xue's paleness. This was the first time he had seen Ghost Sword so severely injured. He felt it was related to the Eight Trigrams, but he wasn't sure. The mystery of this place far exceeded his imagination.

He hurried towards the Gate of Life. The eight gates were arranged in a specific pattern; finding the Gate of Life would allow him to escape his current predicament. Moreover, Qian represented the head, Kun the abdomen, Zhen the feet, Xun the thighs, Kan the ears, Li the eyes, Gen the hands, and Dui the mouth. He believed that this was the entrance to the demon tower.

The real entrance isn't the gate to this demon tower; that gate is bait. Waiting here will only result in being torn to pieces by the black and red tai chi. Xiao Xingxue's statement is clearly wrong.

Having figured everything out, he quickly ran towards the Gate of Life. At the same time, people from both sides within the formation were being crushed and pulverized, continuously absorbed by the Tai Chi.

After Tai Chi appeared, the young monk Miaowu was the first to be severely injured. His Dharma image was crushed, and he was sent flying into the crowd, his fate unknown.

Even the experts of Tianling joined forces to resist the pressure of Tai Chi, but in just an instant, they were all pulled into an unfathomable abyss.

The Shen family was in the same predicament. At this moment, everything they were so proud of paled in comparison. Experts were severely injured, and weaker members were killed instantly. The black and red Tai Chi symbol spun continuously, and a life-or-death crisis suddenly descended.

"Southwest, head that way!"

At that moment, Xiao Xingchen's voice rang out throughout the entire area. It wasn't because he was being kind-hearted, but because these people couldn't die. If the strength of two major camps was lost before even entering the Demon Tower, how could they possibly move forward?

His original plan was to draw everyone's attention; his intention wasn't for them all to die here. Moreover, the appearance of Tai Chi made him begin to understand himself better; perhaps all of this was related to him.

He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he knew that only by stepping into this place did he truly have the right to access the secrets of his past life.