Chapter 149: Tripartite Collaboration

Once the Underworld Bagua Formation was activated, everyone who had entered it was undoubtedly trapped. However, Lu Xin had not expected that Huang Yuyi and the Turkic general would appear at the same time. This suggested that the opposing side clearly knew the method to break the formation, and the key figure in this was none other than Yue Buhei.

"Hahaha, and who might you be? What makes you think I can get you out?"

Gazing into the Turkic general’s eyes, Yue Buhei let out a booming laugh and plopped himself down. At this moment, he felt secure and had nothing to fear, knowing the others wouldn't dare make things difficult for him. Otherwise, Huang Yuyi would have killed him long ago.

Seeing Yue Buhei’s uncooperative attitude, the Turkic general shook his head with a faint smile and turned his gaze toward Lu Xin. Huang Yuyi was naturally furious to see someone else intervene, but he seemed to have reservations; he merely kept a grim face and remained silent.

"Little brother, it has been a few days. I hope you have been well."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A great general of the Turkic Khanate, why would you be in the city of Fengdu within the borders of our Great Tang? If I recall correctly, the Emperor has already ordered all of your envoys to be executed and beheaded outside the Mingde Gate. Since you have escaped Chang'an, why not leave? By remaining here, are you not afraid of meeting a miserable end? Does the General not know that the Shangxuan Heaven Sect and the Imperial Court are very closely linked? If this man decides to kill you, I doubt anyone could stop him."

Lu Xin sat on the rooftop as well, pointing at Huang Yuyi and chuckling strangely as he spoke. The Turkic general glanced toward Huang Yuyi but merely toyed with his saber, showing him no regard at all.

"Little brother, you jest. A sect that has been established for only a few decades, though ranked among the top five, still has shallow roots. How can it compare to my Nether Dao Sect? Let alone a disciple at the Guanxu Realm, even if the Sect Master of the Shangxuan Heaven Sect were here in person, he would have to think twice before daring to strike."

"Hmph, the Nether Dao Sect—what arrogance. A group of uncivilized barbarians daring to scheme against the Central Plains! You have a death wish!"

"Hehehe, Huang Yuyi, there is no need for such harsh words. I know you well; you are at the ninth level of the Guanxu Realm, only half a step away from the Guiwei Realm. It is a pity that this half-step is as difficult as ascending to heaven. In your current state, what can you do to me?"

Although Lu Xin could not discern the Turkic general’s cultivation level, his demeanor suggested he did not fear Huang Yuyi. This implied that his strength, even if not yet at the Guiwei Realm, was just a hair’s breadth away. Furthermore, Lu Xin had witnessed the terrifying nature of the man’s swordsmanship; even without using magical power, he was a top-tier martial artist, comparable to an ordinary Onmyoji.

Just as the two sides were arguing, five figures emerged behind Huang Yuyi. Soon after, the members of the Nether Dao Sect also leaped onto the rooftop, bringing the total, including the Turkic general, to ten. Lu Xin narrowed his eyes; judging by the numbers, both the Shangxuan Heaven Sect and the Nether Dao Sect had lost disciples to the Underworld Formation.

"Yesterday, the Great Tang Emperor ordered a declaration of war against the Turks and gathered a massive army to crusade against Jieli Khan. As the protectors of the Turkic Khanate, your Nether Dao Sect will inevitably be dragged into this. I imagine you have no time to linger here in Fengdu."

"Hahahaha, do not trouble yourself with that. There is no power in this world capable of destroying my Nether Dao Sect. The Great Tang Court cannot, and your Shangxuan Heaven Sect certainly cannot. Little brother, ignore this noisy fellow. How about you and I strike a bargain?"

Seeing that his subordinates had all arrived, the Turkic general grew increasingly confident. Lu Xin was happy to watch the two factions fight like dogs and naturally did not give him a cold shoulder.

"A bargain? Sure, but before that, I have a question. I wonder if the General could answer it?"

"Little brother, feel free to ask whatever you wish."

"Hehe, judging by your accent, you don't sound like a Turk. And when those Turkic envoys were killed, or even when Princess Ashina Nami committed suicide by poison, you showed no signs of grief. If I am not mistaken, General, you are Han, aren't you?"

"Clever. Little brother is truly worthy of being a master's disciple; your mind is meticulous. That is correct—my name is Wang Qi, and I am indeed Han. So, for someone to call me an uncivilized barbarian is truly laughable."

After saying this, the Turkic general looked at Huang Yuyi and laughed, clearly provoking him. Yue Buhei, seeing this, became energized and rolled his eyes. "Legend has it that the Nether Dao Sect has been established in the depths of the grasslands since the end of the Qin Dynasty, nearly a thousand years ago. Furthermore, the first Sect Master was also Han, a practitioner from the Qin State. The roots of the Nether Dao Sect are indeed profound. But there is one thing I do not understand: since you are all Han, why help the Turks go to war against the Great Tang?"

"This... the affairs of the sect are complex and cannot be explained in a moment. The most pressing matter is to get out of this formation, is it not?"

Wang Qi was clearly stumped by Yue Buhei's question, his expression turning somewhat unnatural. Lu Xin understood that the Turkic princess's assassination attempt on the Crown Prince of Tang must have been linked to the Nether Dao Sect. It was possible that this sect was secretly stoking the conflict between Tang and the Turks to spark a war for their own ulterior motives.

However, one thing he could not figure out was that during the night of the banquet, two great experts, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, were present. No matter how high Wang Qi’s cultivation was, he could not have slipped away unnoticed right under their noses. The only explanation was that Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng had turned a blind eye, intentionally letting him go.

"Sigh, things are becoming increasingly complex. Lu Tingfang said that a war between the Great Tang and the Turks is inevitable. Perhaps, in the eyes of my master and the others, this is destiny, which no one can defy."

Lu Xin sighed internally, just about to ask Wang Qi a few more questions, when a dull bell toll echoed from above. Suddenly, the giant idol at the center of the Underworld Formation raised its head and let out a roar toward the heavens. Immediately after, countless green lights surged from the ground, rapidly converging upon the idol.

Seeing this, Huang Yuyi, who had been on the verge of hurling more insults, saw his expression change drastically and forcibly suppressed his anger.

"The ritual is almost over, and the Huangquan Palace is about to close. If we miss this chance, we will have to wait another sixty years. Demon Fox, you also wish to enter the Fengdu Ghost Realm. Since we share the same goal, we can put aside our grudges for now and work together to survive this crisis."

"Oh? Put aside grudges and work together? Huang Yuyi, if I lead you to the Huangquan Palace and you turn on me immediately, wouldn't I be wasting my efforts and acting as a stepping stone for you? Rather than cooperating with you, I would prefer to choose a more trustworthy party."

"Hahahaha, the brother has a keen eye. Rest assured, my Nether Dao Sect always values integrity. With me here, this man shall not dare to harm a hair on your head."

"Hmph, don't be too happy yet. While this formation may not harm the demon race, getting out and finding the Huangquan Palace are two different things. Without my guidance, you will never find the real Huangquan Palace."

Huang Yuyi suddenly sneered, and as he spoke, he looked down at the street. Lu Xin's expression shifted, and he followed his gaze. He saw that the people on the street had somehow transformed into creatures with tiger heads and ox bodies. Furthermore, they were all clad in ancient armor and carried giant axes. Their appearance was identical to the image of the Ghost Emperor Tubo.

Wang Qi’s expression also turned grim. After a moment of silence, he shouted, "Huang Yuyi, if you have the route to the Huangquan Palace, speak up! If we drag this out, we will all die."

"Xiao Xin, it seems this formation has been affected by the ritual. I can clearly feel that these things below contain intense demonic energy. It is as if some ancient Demon God has been resurrected."

At this moment, fear appeared on Yue Buhei's face again. It was a fear that came from the depths of his bloodline, an instinctual dread.

"Hmph, there is no time. Demon Fox, take this compass. Go down from here, walk two hundred paces east along the street, three hundred and fifty paces north, then one hundred and eighty paces southwest. You should see a well; take what is inside, and it will guide you to the location of the Huangquan Palace."

Without waiting for Yue Buhei’s consent, Huang Yuyi tossed a compass over. After catching it, Yue Buhei glanced at Wang Qi and leaped off the rooftop. Lu Xin quickly tightened his grip on the Youxian Sword, expecting Yue Buhei to be swarmed by countless monsters. To his surprise, the tiger-headed, ox-bodied monsters ignored him completely, showing no reaction at all.

Roar!

At the same time, the idol in the center of the formation roared toward the heavens again and turned its massive body. Its pupils were blood-red, and it opened its gaping maw directly toward the direction of the group. A ball of blinding red light condensed within its mouth, growing larger and larger.

"This is bad! The Tubo idol has gained sentience and come to life. Little brother, we can no longer stay on the roof. Follow me closely!"

Wang Qi let out a roar and leaped onto the street without hesitation. Huang Yuyi and his men did the same, descending from the roof almost instantly. Lu Xin dared not linger; gripping his sword, he plunged into the midst of the monsters.

Boom!

A massive column of red light swept across the rooftop. Countless roof tiles were blown away and annihilated by the terrifying power, as if they had been instantly vaporized. Lu Xin’s eyelids twitched violently; he could imagine that if he had jumped a second later, he would have likely vanished from this world. However, he had no time to think. The moment he landed on the street, all the surrounding monsters opened their eyes. A dozen giant axes, accompanied by pitch-black whirlwinds, came crashing down toward his head.

Lu Xin had no time to execute any techniques and could only force his Youxian Sword horizontally above his head to block the blow. But the force of the strike was far beyond his expectations; his knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground. Fortunately, a flash of purple saber light cut through the air, sweeping all the monsters away and reducing them to ash.

"Follow me."

Wang Qi landed, followed by the remaining nine, and immediately carved a path through the street. The Shangxuan Heaven Sect side, led by Huang Yuyi, also closed in rapidly. A few seconds later, the ground suddenly shook, and the sound of earth-shattering footsteps reached Lu Xin’s ears.