Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2150, 2 portions, high-grade spiritual materials

Strands of jet-black blood essence, radiating terrifying energy, were forced out from the depths of Wei Yelan's heart and flowed out from his claws.

Wei Yelan's face was slightly distorted by this self-harming act, clearly indicating that forcing out his life essence was not an easy task for him, but the madness and killing intent in his eyes were even more intense.

Wei Yelan extended his sharp claws, which were covered in black blood essence, and instead of searching for any array nodes, he pressed them directly into the center of the stone tablet mural.

The essence blood, upon contact with the surface of the mural, did not slip off. Instead, as if it were alive, it quickly seeped in and spread, automatically flowing and outlining the ancient engravings on the mural.

"With my blood as the catalyst! With my soul as the sacrifice! To trace the trajectory of space, open!"

Wei Yelan roared in a low voice, each word seemingly containing a strange magic, resonating with the flowing essence blood.

As he chanted the incantation, the black blood essence spread across the mural at an accelerated pace and emitted an eerie light.

The entire mural seemed to be activated by this demonic blood, and began to tremble violently. The originally simple stone surface rippled with dark red waves that were completely different from when Chen Fei activated it.

These ripples were not orderly spatial fluctuations, but rather a forced resonance and pursuit. They captured the lingering Yuan energy aura, spatial disturbances, and a trace of life imprints belonging to Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu left behind when Chen Fei opened the portal.

The mural shook violently, and the dark red magical light grew stronger.

Wei Yelan's three demonic eyes were fixed on the center of the mural, sensing the resonance between the essence blood, the mural, and the residual aura. Finally, at a certain moment, a burst of red light flashed in his eyes.

"We've finally found you!"

A sinister smile appeared on Wei Yelan's face, and the claws pressing against the mural suddenly unleashed an even more surging magical power, resonating wildly with the dark red ripples.

Suddenly, the space in front of him began to twist and tear violently. A black spatial portal with constantly twisting and writhing edges and filled with dark red demonic light was forcibly opened by Wei Yelan in an extremely tyrannical manner.

Just as Wei Yelan used his essence and blood as a guide to forcefully resonate with the mural and open the portal.

Inside the main hall where Cao Feiyu was located.

Chen Fei stared directly at the direction of the mural on the stone tablet, his eyes slightly narrowed. He had previously suspected that the vengeful demon was extremely intelligent and could not possibly be completely unaware of this mural portal; it was very likely that it had some method of tracking or forcibly opening it.

The previous vengeful demons had all been killed, so there was no way to verify this point until now, when they encountered this powerful late-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demon.

Staying here is just waiting for that vengeful demon to come knocking.

Escape from this hall and navigate the complex terrain of the ruins outside? Chen Fei's thoughts flashed through his mind, but he immediately rejected the idea. Not to mention the unknown terrain and the dangers lurking around, the fact that the vengeful demon could track his presence through the murals meant that even if he escaped, he might not be able to get away.

"We must go to a known, relatively safe node."

Chen Fei's mind raced, and he instantly locked onto a grand hall they had passed through earlier. There were no treasures inside, and the vengeful demons guarding it had already been killed; it should be the safest place for the time being.

Moreover, by teleporting away, it might be possible to interfere with or even cut off the vengeful demon's tracking through the mural.

Without hesitation, Chen Fei suppressed his distracting thoughts, extended his right index finger, and gathered dark golden Yuan energy at the tip. He no longer paid attention to the subtle magical aura on the mural, but instead, based on the information in the encyclopedia and his previous experience in opening portals, he began to point to the array patterns on the mural that represented nodes in different directions.

The dark golden elemental energy, like the most skillful carving knife, left profound traces in the void.

The mural rippled again, but this time, the trajectory of the ripples and the frequency of spatial fluctuations were different from when the new portal was opened before.

Cao Feiyu stood beside Chen Fei without making a sound to disturb him. She simply raised her spiritual sense to its limit, spreading her divine sense like ripples on water, monitoring any abnormal fluctuations in the surrounding space.

The ripples on the mural became more and more obvious, and the spatial fluctuations gradually became stronger and more orderly.

The outline of a portal, shimmering with a blend of dark gold and silver light, is slowly taking shape.

On the other side of the portal, a familiar fluctuation of energy and a trace of the lingering scent of battle could be faintly heard.

However, just as the new portal was about to take shape, an unexpected change occurred.

"Buzz!"

A strong and chaotic disturbance came from deep within the murals without warning.

This interference did not directly attack Chen Fei, but rather affected the spatial structure of the mural itself; more precisely, it affected the spatial passage that Chen Fei was trying to construct.

Chen Fei felt as if his Yuan Power had crashed into an invisible wall, or as if he had sunk into a sticky swamp.

The once smoothly functioning array nodes suddenly became sluggish and distorted, making them difficult to connect. The teleportation portal that was taking shape flickered violently, its outline began to blur and sway, and it even showed faint signs of collapsing.

Chen Fei frowned slightly and instantly increased his Yuan Power output to counteract the interference.

However, the disruptive force was somewhat strange, completely disregarding the orthodox logic of array patterns, and instead directly vying for control of the mural's spatial passage.

Cao Feiyu immediately noticed Chen Fei's unusual behavior, as well as the violent fluctuations in the murals and the portal.

"What's wrong, junior brother?"

“There is an external force interfering with and blocking the passage I opened.”

"Is it that vengeful demon from earlier?" Cao Feiyu instantly thought of the vengeful demon who was close to the peak of the Tai Cang Realm.

Chen Fei nodded. Although this interference was powerful, it was not invincible. It was more like a remote interference and misdirection based on partial control over the mural's restriction itself.

"What should we do now? Before he arrives, should we leave this hall immediately and go outside?" Cao Feiyu asked urgently.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei slowly shook his head.

“That vengeful demon has already locked onto our mark. As long as we are still within the area of ​​this ruin, he can probably sense our location roughly. Escaping from the main hall will only delay us for a moment; he will soon be able to track us down.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Feiyu's heart sank slightly. However, seeing that although Chen Fei's brows were furrowed, his eyes remained calm and sharp, showing no sign of panic, she forcibly suppressed her own anxiety.

Having obtained sixteenth-tier spiritual materials so easily in succession, encountering danger was an inevitable outcome.

There are gains and losses. Even the laws of nature are not perfect, let alone those of cultivators seeking the Dao. If you want to seize treasures, you must be prepared to bear the corresponding risks.

Cao Feiyu took a deep breath and fell silent. The more dangerous the situation, the more she needed to stay calm. Having chosen to travel with her junior brother, she had no choice but to trust him completely at this moment.

At this moment, Chen Fei's entire mind was immersed in communicating with the stone tablet and murals, as well as in the remote struggle against that cold and interfering force.

His eyes shimmered with a dark golden light, and although the True Light Mirror between his brows had not yet manifested, its ability to perceive illusions and analyze all things had been pushed to its limit.

They were meticulously analyzing every subtle change in the spatial fluctuations on the mural, as well as the frequency and rhythm of the interfering force.

The disruptive force wasn't precisely manipulated; rather, it relied on a higher level of cultivation and a deeper understanding of the mural's restrictions to forcefully disrupt the mural's stable spatial structure, particularly interfering with the specific channel frequency that Chen Fei was trying to construct.

Chen Fei began to change his approach, using the Undying True Light Mirror's keen perception of the essence of energy to capture the gaps and patterns in the opponent's interference power fluctuations. At the same time, he used his profound understanding of the Dao of Space to continuously fine-tune the frequency and angle of his own Yuan Power output.

The attempt was to force a new channel frequency that was not blocked or interfered with by the other party in the chaotic spectrum created by the other party.

This was a silent battle between the soul and the power to control space. The light in Chen Fei's eyes grew brighter and brighter, like a flame burning in the darkness.

"found it."

At a certain moment, Chen Fei's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he caught a gap in the opponent's interference. His right hand, which had been poised to strike, was held together like a sword, and his dark golden Yuan Power was condensed to its limit. He then precisely pointed at a position on the mural that was different from the previous activation point.

"Buzz!"

A spatial tremor, completely different from when the portal opened, resounded. The ripples spreading across the mural were no longer pure silver, but rather a mottled mix of dark red hues, appearing extremely unstable.

However, a new teleportation portal was forcibly created by Chen Fei amidst the pull and confrontation between the two forces.

The light and shadow on the other side of the portal quickly stabilized, revealing the interior of a grand hall.

The style of this hall is similar to the previous ones, but it seems to be smaller in scale and slightly different in style, with more rustic and rugged reliefs on the walls.

However, the center of the main hall was empty, without any rare or precious materials.

"Is it the main hall we visited before?" Cao Feiyu asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

She remembered the traces of battle in that hall, which were completely different from what she saw before her, and the atmosphere felt somewhat unfamiliar.

"No."

Chen Fei shook his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across the other side of the doorway. He spoke rapidly, “This is a new hall that we have never set foot in before. Judging from the situation… the items inside have likely already been taken by others.”

Although the main hall opposite was empty, without the Dao Crystals and treasures they had expected, Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu did not feel much disappointment at this moment.

The absence of treasures also means the absence of powerful vengeful demons guarding the place. This empty palace might serve as a temporary haven, allowing them to escape the pursuit of the late-stage Tai Cang Realm vengeful demons.

Of course, hope cannot be placed on luck. With a thought, Chen Fei's ever-vigilant puppet stepped forward and entered the teleportation portal.

The puppet passed through the portal, its eyes quickly scanning the surroundings, taking in everything inside the hall.

The main hall was indeed spacious, with nothing else besides the ancient reliefs on the walls and the pearls inlaid in the dome.

The ground was clean, without any signs of battle or fresh scent, as if it had been empty for countless years. The palace doors were tightly shut, and there was a faint flow of demonic energy outside, but there was no unusually intense activity.

To further confirm safety, the puppet gathered a burst of Yuan energy and blasted it against the two heavy bronze doors of the main hall.

"boom!"

The Yuan energy exploded, unleashing a dull, deafening roar that echoed throughout the empty hall.

The bronze palace doors trembled violently, and dust fell in clumps. However, outside the palace doors, apart from the demonic energy churning a few times in the shockwave, there was only deathly silence.

There was no expected roar of the vengeful demon, no burst of demonic power, and no sign of any guards being alerted and rushing in.

"Safe! At least for now, no guards have been spotted," Chen Fei said in a deep voice.

However, just as Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu were about to step into the teleportation portal and leave this place forever.

"Whoosh!"

A spatial fluctuation filled with chaotic energy suddenly came from the other side of the stone tablet mural.

Next to the mural, the space seemed to be violently torn apart, twisting and deforming violently. Fine, dark red cracks appeared out of thin air and quickly spread and connected.

"Insects, you cannot escape! I will extract your souls and forge them in demonic flames for ten thousand years!"

The vengeful demon Wei Yelan has caught up.

Having failed to lock onto Chen Fei's teleportation portal, Wei Yelan resorted to a more violent method, forcibly opening a spatial passage directly to this location.

Judging from the twisted and unstable appearance of the portal, this method was clearly extremely taxing and unreliable for him, but Wei Yelan didn't care. He only wanted to capture those two thieves who dared to lay a finger on the treasure immediately.

"go!"

Chen Fei grabbed Cao Feiyu's arm, and his inner energy suddenly erupted. The two figures transformed into two streaks of light and rushed into the teleportation portal leading to the empty palace.

Just as the two figures disappeared into the light of the gate, Chen Fei, without turning his head, swung his hand backward and precisely placed a stream of Yuan energy onto the stone tablet mural.

"laugh!"

With a sound like cloth being torn, the Yuan energy instantly severed the last trace of connection between the mural and Chen Fei, and in a mysterious way, disrupted the spatial fluctuations that had just been recorded in that small area.

At the same time, Chen Fei did his best to conceal all traces of himself and Cao Feiyu as he passed through the portal.

"Boom!"

Almost at the same moment that Chen Fei and his companion disappeared and the teleportation portal closed, a tall, ferocious figure, filled with boundless rage and killing intent, stepped out from beside the mural in the hall where they had been standing, like a demon god emerging from the depths of hell.

It was none other than the vengeful demon Wei Yelan.

His three scarlet demonic eyes instantly locked onto the stone tablet mural, watching the residual spatial fluctuations above it.

"Trying to run?" Wei Yelan sneered, his demonic claws suddenly reaching out to grab the disappearing trace of the portal, attempting to forcibly stabilize or even trace it back.

However, just as his demonic claws touched the space in front of the mural, his movements paused slightly. A hint of doubt and shock flashed in his furious demonic eyes.

"The aura... has ceased? The traces... have been disturbed?"

The aura that had previously clearly guided him had become extremely chaotic and rapidly dissipated. The residual spatial fluctuations of the closing portal were also blurry and indistinct, making it difficult to accurately trace its final destination.

Chen Fei's final burst of Yuan energy played a crucial role.

Although they could not completely erase the traces of them opening a portal here, they successfully interfered with and weakened the aura and spatial coordinates recorded in the murals, making it impossible for Wei Yelan to clearly pinpoint their specific destination as before.

"Ants!"

Wei Yelan roared angrily, slamming his demonic claws into the empty space next to the mural, causing that area to slightly collapse.

He hadn't expected that these two humans, whose cultivation was clearly inferior to his, would be so slippery, able to use such methods to interfere with his tracking at the last moment.

However, this did not make Wei Yelan give up.

Although the aura imprint was weakened by interference, it was not completely erased. The remaining faint sensation, along with the characteristics of the mural's teleportation system itself, still gave him a general sense of the area.

“You can’t escape… No matter where you hide, I will find you.”

Wei Yelan's scarlet demonic eyes were fixed on the stone tablet mural that had returned to calm, and his terrifying killing intent was almost tangible.

He slowly raised his demonic claw, black blood seeping from his fingertips once more, and began to sense and search for the remaining aura and spatial traces that had become blurred after being disturbed.

Wei Yelan believed that as long as the two people were still in the ruins and in the area connected to the mural teleportation system, he would definitely be able to find them.

It just takes a little more time and consumes more magic energy.

At the same time, Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu landed in the new main hall. Chen Fei looked back and saw that the vengeful demon had not chased after them immediately, and there was no chaotic aura emanating from the murals.

Are we safe for now?

Cao Feiyu also turned around to look, the thought just arising in her mind.

The change occurred without warning.

It did not come from outside the hall, nor from the murals, but from the hall itself, from the originally empty central area.

A deep, melodious hum, as if from the distant past, resounded in the hall.

The sound did not travel through the air, but acted directly on the souls of the two people, carrying an indescribable ancient and desolate aura.

Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu turned their heads almost simultaneously, their gazes fixed on the empty area in the center of the hall.

In the center of the main hall, about three feet above the bluestone floor that was originally bare except for the dust of time, golden ripples began to spread like water.

At the center of the ripples, a dazzling golden light appeared out of nowhere.

In an instant, an octagonal platform, made entirely of pure golden glass and some kind of warm white jade, materialized from the void and appeared in the center of the hall.

The platform has a simple and grand design, with countless intricate and mysterious cloud and star patterns carved along its edges, as well as strange mythical beast patterns that resemble neither dragons nor phoenixes, exuding an ancient Taoist charm that brings peace to the mind.

What shocked Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu even more was that the moment the platform solidified completely, two powerful and profound fluctuations of power suddenly erupted from the platform, instantly filling the entire hall.

Simply sensing this fluctuation caused Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu's internal energy to involuntarily accelerate, as if their souls were being cleansed.

Cao Feiyu's lips parted slightly, her voice trembling involuntarily, "Two portions of sixteenth-grade high-ranking spiritual materials?"

Chen Fei's gaze also flickered constantly; something was definitely amiss.

The greater the opportunity, the deeper the trap often lies. (End of Chapter)