Chapter 5: Trapped (Part 2)

Zhu Jiamao looked up at the sky and asked, “What is that? Such a loud noise!”
The demoness smiled bitterly. “It seems to be some kind of ancient talismanic spell with immense power. I’ve never seen it before. I don’t know what it is or what it does.”
Dark clouds rolled, with dazzling lightning flashes following, accompanied by loud explosions. The thunder and lightning were truly awe-inspiring.
A bolt of lightning struck the top of one of the giant pillars, and then countless more bolts followed, none of the pillars being spared. These lightning strikes formed a massive lightning net.
Guo Shier said in astonishment, “My goodness… it’s truly spectacular!”
As the lightning illuminated each pillar, they all became giant glowing objects, like neon lights powered by electricity. The thunder and lightning lasted for over three hours before finally subsiding, with the clouds in the sky swirling even more violently. Guo Shier said, “I wonder what else will change!”
Everyone remained silent, watching the changes in the world around them. The Great Sage seemed to have some insights, but not much. He was mostly confused and couldn’t understand anything. Only Zhu Jiamao and the demoness could grasp something—namely, the mystery of how ancient runes controlled the world.
Not long after the lightning stopped, the clouds in the sky poured down like water. Most of them flowed into the giant pillars, while a small portion spread out, turning the world around them hazy. However, thanks to the light from the pillars, the mist didn’t block their vision.
About half an hour later, the clouds in the sky cleared completely. The large ancient talisman array surrounding the entrance slowly rotated, its power reduced to its weakest state. Without being attacked, it wouldn’t block the sky.
At that moment, Guo Shier noticed that the coordinates of his talisman gate had lit up. But when he tried to open it, he couldn’t activate it.
Eagle Demon asked, “Shier, why do you look so upset?”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but smile bitterly and shook his head. “I thought I’d found a way out, but it still doesn’t work!” He was very disappointed. He looked around and whispered, “Uncle Eagle Demon, check if we can get out. Be careful—don’t let anyone outside notice…”
Eagle Demon nodded slightly, slowly approached the edge of the altar, and quietly reached out to touch it. He glanced back at Guo Shier, then turned back and said in a low voice, “It’s still there…”

Zhu Jiamao grew increasingly alarmed. The power of the ancient runes in controlling heaven and earth was truly terrifying—this ancient Soul Altar was by no means ordinary. He turned to the Demon Lady and said, “Tell everyone to be on high alert. We don’t know what else might appear from this altar.”

The Demon Lady nodded, summoned several Grand Saints, gave them brief instructions, then said, “Should we withdraw some people and leave only a group of experts? I feel very uneasy!”

Zhu Jiamao considered for a moment before shaking his head. “It might be too late… Have them form teams as inspection squads. I’m also uneasy; there’s a sense of danger… Tell them to be fully alert and ready to fight at any moment.”

One of the Grand Saints beside him said, “Yes, I’ll go inform them.”

In just a short while, over a thousand people formed dozens of squads, clustering together and becoming highly vigilant.

Zhu Jiamao nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s keep watching and see what changes happen next!”

A Grand Saint came to Zhu Jiamao’s side and said, “Messages have come in from outside—their shuttle cars can now enter the airspace above Qikoujiao. The black mist that could devour everything has completely disappeared.”

Zhu Jiamao looked into the distance, faintly able to see the towering cliff soaring into the clouds. He said, “Tell them to stay put for now and not come down.”

Silence reigned around them. The giant pillars still emitted a blinding light, but in the mist, it appeared much softer.

The ancient runes on the pillars kept flowing continuously, and no one knew what they meant. Everyone held their breath, waiting quietly for any changes below.

Guo Shier and Eagle Demon sat on top of the altar, waiting anxiously, equally at a loss as to what to do.

Zhu Jiamao stared at the altar for a long time before softly saying, “This ancient Soul Altar… is too precious. We must not force our way in under any circumstances. Even the slightest damage would be unbearable for us.”

A Saint flew over and landed beside Zhu Jiamao, whispering, “Chief Inspector, the seven major sects have arrived… They’ve already entered the Bloody Secret Realm.”

Zhu Jiamao asked, “What do they want? Damn, the news got here fast… Fine, let them come in!”

Among the allied sects, the seven major sects were a crucial part. Three-fifths of the experts here belonged to these seven sects. So even if Zhu Jiamao was dissatisfied, he couldn’t refuse them entry.

The Demon Lady sneered, “They really stretch their reach far and fast…”

Zhu Jiamao shook his head and said, “There are no secrets here. Whatever happens, the people from those major sects will soon find out. Especially since this time it’s the ancient Soul Altar that has been lost for years reappearing.”
Two hours later, a group of people arrived at the altar. The elderly man at the head walked up to Zhu Jiamao with a smile and said, “Brother Zhu, thank you for your hard work. Hehe, is this the lost altar? It’s so beautiful!”
Yan Ci was the chief elder of a major sect, with strength roughly on par with Zhu Jiamao’s.
Zhu Jiamao showed a faint smile, though it seemed a bit forced. He said, “Elder Yan Ci, it’s rare to see you here in person. Hehe, truly rare…”
Yan Ci didn’t take it seriously. He knew Zhu Jiamao was upset; he would be too if he were in his shoes. But this altar was too important, so he had to be there to ensure nothing was missed. The elders from other major sects following him stepped forward to greet him, and Zhu Jiamao patiently dealt with these old men.
The enchanting beauty watched with displeasure. Yan Ci smiled and said, “Enchanting Beauty, it’s rare to see you… How have you been?”
She replied, “Not well!”
Yan Ci was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. He said, “I came here just to take a look; I have no other intentions. Hehe, you don’t need to be so unhappy, little enchanting beauty.”
She retorted, “You come when there’s profit, and when things go wrong… you run away faster than anyone! Hmph!” She vented her feelings without restraint.
Yan Ci wasn’t angry. Knowing her nature, he nodded and asked, “Who discovered this place? Which sect’s disciple?”
She replied, “I don’t know, nor do I recognize them. It’s those two kids on the altar. We can’t climb up, and they can’t come down either. They’re trapped inside… I don’t know if they’ve received the inheritance.”
Yan Ci turned around and said, “Someone, check if they’re from our sect!” The elders from the other sects behind him also gave orders to find out if they belonged to their own sect, as that would bring great benefits to their sects.
The enchanting beauty sneered and said nothing. She had seen this before and knew what these sects were thinking.
The search was easy, as there were images, and runes could be used to locate them. Moments later, Yan Ci learned that the two people on the altar were not from the seven major sects.
Yan Ci said regretfully, “It’s a shame. They’re not from our sect.”

Zhu Jiamao smiled slightly and said, “It might be a disciple from some family or small sect. As long as we send the footage to all the sects and families that allow disciples to come for trials, we can get reliable information… There are hundreds of large and small sects and families; it’s impossible to investigate them all at once. Let’s take our time.”

Yan Ci had already made up his mind. If it was a disciple from a small sect or family, he would poach them and bring the kid to his own sect, believing the child would choose his sect as well. On the Continent of Advanced Talismans, their sect always ranked among the top three, and their strength was enough to make the kid look up to them.

Yan Ci wasn’t the only one who wanted to poach talents; others from other sects had the same intentions. The key was that Guo Shier had activated the Ancient Soul Altar, a significant achievement. Once recruited by a sect, his merit would become the sect’s merit, bringing more benefits to the sect.

Zhu Jiamao had had similar thoughts. The Ancient Soul Altar was extremely rare. Even if found, it was usually incomplete, and only limited information could be obtained from the ancient runes on it. No one had ever managed to activate it before. Now that two disciples had done it, how could anyone not be tempted?

It was also purely coincidental that Guo Shier and Eagle Demon were able to activate the Ancient Soul Altar. The two had once advanced in a secret realm related to the altar due to a lower-level Soul Altar, leaving traces of the ancient altar’s runes on their bodies. This earned them the recognition of the Ancient Soul Altar, allowing them to activate the altar that had been sealed for tens of thousands of years and inherit its ancient runes.

Even Guo Shier and Eagle Demon themselves didn’t understand this reason. They simply stared at the crowd in the distance, waiting for changes from the Ancient Soul Altar.

Roar!

Howl!

…

Continuous roars of beasts filled the air. Zhu Jiamao stared intently at the giant pillar and shouted, “Get ready for battle!”

Yan Ci looked at the pillar in surprise because he clearly heard the roars coming from within it.

The enchanting beauty cried out, “Look! It’s Spirit Beasts!”

One after another, Spirit Beasts struggled their way out from the top of the pillar, letting out angry roars. Once freed from the pillar’s restraint, they took solid form and landed on the ground. Seeing countless Spirit Beasts pouring out, everyone broke into cold sweats. With so many of them, even professional experts felt terrified.

Zhu Jiamao suddenly realized what was happening and shouted, “These must be the mutated talisman beasts that died in the Bloody Secret Realm over the past ten thousand years, along with the deceased disciples who went there for trials!”

Indeed, among the massive crowd of Spirit Beasts were many humanoid beasts, both male and female, naked, wandering among the Spirit Beasts.

Zhang Yaojin and the others were inside a circle formed by an inspection team; they were considered a protected group. Seeing so many Spirit Beasts appear, they were all stunned. Regardless of the combat strength of these Spirit Beasts, their sheer numbers alone were enough to intimidate these professional experts.

Zhou Xiaoling said calmly, “We should also form a combat formation. Don’t rely on others’ protection; we must save ourselves.”

Sun Miner’s teeth clicked together as he stammered, “Y-yes… We… we… must… save ourselves!”

Zhou Xiaoling glared at him fiercely. Everyone was extremely nervous. Although there were masters at the Saint and Grand Saint level around them, they felt no sense of security, as those masters wouldn’t care about their lives.

Guo Shier and Eagle Demon stood at the edge of the altar, watching in shock. Suddenly, Eagle Demon whispered, “Shier, it seems we can get out now!”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it… No protection now? What a hassle…”