Chapter 911: Void Island Anomaly Ghost Beast Torrent

"By the way, Yu Zhi Wen sent you the Ling Jing footage, saying that the law enforcement officer has made a new discovery."

Teng Shan Hai set aside his distracting thoughts and focused on the matter at hand, forwarding the footage transmitted by Yu Zhi Wen to Rao Yao Yao for her to review.

“Shuo Shu Ren?”

Rao Yao Yao quickly finished browsing through it, her expression showing a bit more surprise. “Shuo Shu Ren—isn't he inside Xukong Dao?”

Teng Shan Hai had already viewed the Ling Jing footage and shared her doubts, asking, “Could it be a Shen Wai Hua Shen?”

Rao Yao Yao furrowed her brow and examined the details repeatedly, still puzzled. “It doesn't seem like it... This Shen Wai Hua Shen's cultivation is hidden far too well—no trace of Ling Yuan fluctuations, not even at the basic Xian Tian or Zong Shi level. Besides, his behavior and intentions are questionable. Most importantly, if it really is Shuo Shu Ren, how could he be so easily discovered?”

“It was Shou Ye who found him. He's also a Zhan Dao, but he wields Tai Xu Zhi Li and Hao Ran Zheng Qi.” Teng Shan Hai explained, “During the Bai Ku incident, the Hong Yi Shou Ye clashed with the Sheng Nu Shuo Shu Ren, so he spotted something off right away. After a closer investigation, they traced Shuo Shu Ren's whereabouts.”

“I know about Shou Ye...”

Hong Yi Shou Ye was one of the most renowned Zhan Dao in the Sheng Shen Hall.

He was among the first batch of test subjects and had been transferred from Bai Yi Gou Wu Yue's team due to a shortage of Hong Yi personnel. His individual abilities were exceptionally strong.

Since it was Shou Ye who discovered him, there was no doubt about it.

What intrigued Rao Yao Yao was that Shuo Shu Ren's movements were erratic and aimless, more like those of a puppet than the seventh leader of the Sheng Nu.

“What is he doing?” Rao Yao Yao asked suspiciously.

Teng Shan Hai was stumped.

How would he know? He wasn't some parasite in Shuo Shu Ren's gut.

But suddenly, his gaze paused, and Teng Shan Hai's eyes fixed on the distant Sky City in the sky, sparking a few guesses in his mind.

“I don't know what Shuo Shu Ren is up to, but is that commotion with Sky City your doing?” Teng Shan Hai pointed toward the direction of Dong Tian Wang Cheng.

Rao Yao Yao followed his gaze, and her pupils shrank abruptly.

Above Dong Tian Wang Cheng, the ancient fortress loomed, covering the sky like a shroud. It had already pulled out nearly a third of its massive structure and was still shifting outward, with the Tian Dao chains unable to hold it back.

“When did this happen?” Rao Yao Yao had only just emerged from the Xukong Dao rift and knew nothing about the outside world.

Teng Shan Hai checked the timing, his face oddly serious. “If I'm not mistaken, it should be right after you disturbed the inner island of Xukong Dao and got stopped.”

Rao Yao Yao's beautiful eyes narrowed immediately.

A warning?

Were the entities in the inner island warning her not to get any ideas, or they'd send Sky City crashing down?

No!

She quickly dismissed that thought.

If those in the inner island had the power to make Sky City descend at a specific time and place, why would it have been bound by the Tian Dao chains for so long?

The thing hovering over Dong Tian Wang Cheng could only be summoned by one person—Ba Zun An, the master of the black and white dual veins!

But why at this exact moment?

Teng Shan Hai was pondering the same thing. Suddenly, his attention locked onto the Ling Jing footage, and a flash of insight hit him. He asked, “Could it be that Shuo Shu Ren's Shen Wai Hua Shen is searching for spatial nodes, trying to contact his main body in the inner island of Xukong Dao, and then our people discovered him?”

Rao Yao Yao's eyes lit up. “That's a possibility...”

But soon, she fell into deep thought.

Why go to such lengths? Why choose this precise moment, right when she, Rao Yao Yao, had just touched the inner island of Xukong Dao, to contact Shuo Shu Ren's main body there and stir up this mess?

Sky City's descent was inevitable; it was just a matter of time.

Ba Zun An had been plotting for so long, connecting the Sheng Li of the ghost beasts inside Xukong Dao with the rules of Sheng Shen Dalu.

Even a Ban Sheng couldn't stop Sky City from being pulled out!

So, Shuo Shu Ren had no reason to risk exposure at this insignificant point to contact his main body.

Couldn't they just let time handle it?

Unless...

Rao Yao Yao's mind raced, and she realized something. “Unless Shuo Shu Ren is indeed contacting his main body, but it's not about Sky City's extraction—it's for some other task!”

“What task?” Teng Shan Hai followed up.

How would I know? I'm not some divine entity like Dao Qiong Cang who can divine heavenly secrets... Rao Yao Yao thought to herself, then fell silent.

The two stood in the void, speechless.

Rao Yao Yao was about to give orders to fully investigate any remaining traces of Shuo Shu Ren and track him down.

But just then—

“Gurgle—”

The Xukong Dao rift emitted another strange sound.

Standing nearby, Rao Yao Yao and Teng Shan Hai both felt a shiver run through them from the eerie noise.

“How could it make that sound?” Rao Yao Yao was startled.

With that anomaly, the surrounding space, which had just repaired itself, began to shatter again.

Soon, a black hole spanning several hundred zhang emerged, blasted open by Sheng Li fluctuations.

To those in Yun Lun Shan Mai and the royal city, it looked like another massive maw had opened in the sky!

Teng Shan Hai sensed the Sheng Li aura once more, his mood growing heavy. “The Xukong Dao rift made a similar sound not long before you came out. Last time, it completely shattered the surrounding space, and this time, the Sheng Li fluctuations are even clearer and more powerful.”

Rao Yao Yao struggled against the overwhelming surge of Sheng Li, and she and Teng Shan Hai were forced to retreat a few steps. She raged, “Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

Teng Shan Hai felt deeply wronged.

Things had to be addressed one by one, in order of importance, right? He only had one mouth—how could he spill out multiple critical pieces of information at once?

But this wasn't the time for arguments.

Sensing the intensified Sheng Li fluctuations, Teng Shan Hai was shocked. “This anomaly feels different this time.”

Last time, it was just a whimper.

Now, the Xukong Dao rift seemed to be undergoing some massive change, as if an ancient Taotie beast was about to step out from within.

A terrifying aura pressed down, threatening to suppress everything.

“How is it different?” Rao Yao Yao hadn't experienced the previous Sheng Li assault, so she hesitated, drew the Xuan Cang Shen Jian from her back, and said, “I'll go in and check!”

“Are you insane?”

Teng Shan Hai immediately blocked her way.

This could be the entities in the inner island of Xukong Dao counterattacking her earlier probe—how could she risk going in?

“I...”

Rao Yao Yao was about to speak.

Suddenly, both of them changed expressions at the same time.

“Something's coming out!”

Through their spiritual senses, they detected a massive influx of unknown objects, carried by surging Sheng Li, rushing out from some unknown place.

It was like a flood, like a tsunami, about to break through Xukong Dao and descend upon this world.

“All trial officers, drop what you're doing immediately and assemble at the Xukong Dao rift!” Rao Yao Yao decided swiftly.

If her suspicions were correct and all the ghost beasts inside Xukong Dao broke their seals and invaded this world, it would truly be the end times!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

At the same time, the summoned trial officers abandoned their tasks without hesitation, leaping into the air from Yun Lun Shan Mai and soaring upward.

Over a thousand shadows of trial officers wove together, forming an impenetrable net in the sight of all trial participants.

Only then did everyone realize just how many defenses the Sheng Shen Hall had deployed in Yun Lun Shan Mai!

“My heavens, it's happening again...”

In Yun Lun Shan Mai, countless spirit refiners looked up, even the progress of the Nine Dragon Veins competition interrupted by the Xukong Dao rift's roar.

“What on earth is going on? These heavenly anomalies are making it feel like the apocalypse!”

“Damn it, if I'd known the Dong Tian Wang Cheng trial was this dangerous, I would've just joined the Kyoto trial in the central domain. Why did I come all this way to this cursed place?”

“That Sky City—once it fully emerges, it's going to land either on Dong Tian Wang Cheng or Yun Lun Shan Mai. What if we get our Sheng Gong trial spots and then get crushed to death right after?”

“This is tragic. Our clan elders are fighting for their paths, and we're just insignificant ants, doomed to be collateral damage with no way to fight back.”

“Is that spatial rift up there faintly carrying a Ban Sheng aura?”

“It's terrifying...”

The remaining trial participants were all people of considerable background.

Some had witnessed Ban Sheng power before, and some had Ban Sheng hidden in their clans.

The first anomaly from the Xukong Dao rift had merely drawn attention, but this second one let the Sheng Li fluctuations flow unchecked.

This was the path of saints!

When saints clashed, even innocent bystanders suffered.

Spirit refiners at Xian Tian or Zong Shi levels could only wait for death, with no means of resistance.

The true trial participants were filled with panic.

In Yun Lun Shan Mai, those stowaways who hadn't been caught were getting excited.

“It's definitely Sheng Li!”

“This spatial rift must be the gateway to Sky City!”

“Sky City has a Feng Sheng Dao Ji—it's just a rumor, but where there's smoke, there's fire... Our adventure here will pay off!”

“Now, we just need to see if this heavenly anomaly before Sky City's descent is a blessing or a curse.”

“If it's a blessing...”

Every Zhan Dao or Tai Xu realm stowaway stared at the sky, hearts pounding.

If it was a blessing tied to Sky City, the chance for a Feng Sheng Dao Ji might appear in this Xukong Dao rift anomaly.

This could be everyone's one and only opportunity to achieve sainthood without entering Sky City!

They had been lying low until now, skulking like mere cats and dogs to avoid the trial officers' authority.

Wasn't this all for that very purpose?

“Good grief, it's really happening!”

On the fourth dragon vein, Mu Xiao Gong, who was Xu Xiao Shou in disguise, also looked up, his heart racing with excitement.

The disturbance in Xukong Dao wasn't caused by his Shuo Shu Ren painting avatar.

His first attempt at long-distance control of the painting avatar, due to the mountain assault, had led to some unintended stops and starts.

He'd thought that might be a flaw, but the Xukong Dao rift's anomaly had covered it up perfectly.

“In the eyes of the Hong Yi higher-ups, even if the painting avatar's actions are strange and suspicious, they should link it to the Xukong Dao anomaly, right?”

Xu Xiao Shou was thrilled.

Whether the painting avatar worked or not didn't matter much.

If it caused trouble, it would tie up the Hong Yi forces and waste their time.

If it didn't, and they couldn't trace it back to him, it would still waste time.

It was a straightforward scheme—a smokescreen they had to investigate.

But the Xukong Dao rift anomaly was real!

“Lei Shuang Xing has started moving...”

Xu Xiao Shou was certain this was Lei Shuang Xing acting on his strategy of attacking the enemy’s ally to relieve pressure.

Calculating the time, even if Xukong Dao was hard to contact, after one night, Ba Zun An should have received the message.

After receiving it and making preparations, releasing another smokescreen at the rift was completely normal!

Now, all the trial officers in Yun Lun Shan Mai had been pulled away.

Who had time to hunt for clues about the killer of anomalies now?

A Sheng Li fluctuation mishandled could wipe out not just the sub-division leaders, but even the six division leaders, including Rao Yao Yao!

“It's coming...”

“I just don't know what it'll be this time.”

Xu Xiao Shou couldn't help but speculate.

He knew all too well how deep Ba Zun An's schemes ran.

That guy would never stick strictly to his plan.

Xu Xiao Shou remembered his last—and only—time using the Sheng Nu to execute a similar strategy during the Ling Que trade meeting at the Heaven's First Tower; Ba Zun An had created a huge commotion.

That schemer had summoned a Sky City even larger than Dong Tian Wang Cheng right in Yun Lun Shan Mai, like some kind of deity casting a spell!

Maybe that was part of Ba Zun An's plan all along.

He'd just advanced one step of it a bit earlier because of Xu Xiao Shou's request.

That way, he gained a favor, smoothed his next move, and left the Sheng Shen Hall in chaos and unease.

A master of hidden agendas like him wouldn't just release some vague Sheng Li fluctuations.

“There has to be something big emerging...”

Xu Xiao Shou grew serious; he feared Ba Zun An might make a major play and unleash all the ghost beasts from Xukong Dao.

If that happened...

“Goodness, he probably doesn't have that capability, right?”

The Xukong Dao rift's Sheng Li fluctuations spread in all directions.

As time passed, their power grew more terrifying, until they shattered the entire sky.

Day turned to night, darkness encroaching.

“Everyone, form the array!”

Rao Yao Yao waved her hand, and the Hong Yi and Bai Yi personnel formed a Tian Ji protective great array in front of the Xukong Dao rift, as per their training.

“The Seventy-Two Sections Dragon Origin Array!”

Rao Yao Yao's eyes were full of gravity.

This Tai Xu-level Tian Ji protective array could only be breached by a Ban Sheng in person—it was her final line of defense.

“It's coming...”

Everyone watched tensely.

Whistling winds began from the Xukong Dao rift, with masses of unidentified objects carried by Sheng Li rushing toward them.

“Block them all—don't let a single ghost beast through!” Rao Yao Yao shouted sternly.

As she swung her hand down,

The first “ghost beast” wrapped in Sheng Li flew over the Hong Yi heads and was halted by the array's force.

Bang!

Sheng Li clashed with the array's power, producing a thunderous roar.

The nearby Hong Yi were knocked back, and once the “ghost beast”'s Sheng Li protection was destroyed, its true form was revealed.

At that moment, every Hong Yi and Bai Yi who saw it froze in unison.

“This is...”

It wasn't a ghost beast!

It was a spirit sword—a first-grade one!

A nearby Hong Yi grabbed it, and a surge of power was unleashed. With a casual swing, the spirit sword's might tore through space.

“My heavens!”

Everyone's scalps tingled as they looked back at the “ghost beast flood” pouring from the Xukong Dao rift, their eyes burning with greed.

What was going on?

It wasn't a flood of ghost beasts—it was a flood of treasures?

Even a random item was a first-grade spirit sword level—what could the rest be? ? ?