Ye You searched all the locations Ye Ling had marked on the map within Buzhou Mountain.
The results were astonishing.
Every place Ye Ling had marked on the map, just as Ye Ling had guessed, had its foundation completely destroyed.
Ye You landed in front of the last massive pit, looking at the destroyed foundation of Buzhou Mountain below, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"It's just as my brother said, the opponent really used the entire foundation of Buzhou Mountain to set up a sacrificial formation?" Ye You murmured, utterly shocked.
"What a colossal undertaking!"
Buzhou Mountain, as one of the pillars of heaven and earth, its importance was crystal clear to anyone who knew even a little about the legend of Nuwa mending the heavens.
If Buzhou Mountain were destroyed, the sky would collapse and the earth would crack, leading to a world-ending catastrophe!
Yet now, someone had gone so far as to damage the foundation of Buzhou Mountain to set up a formation, all for their own selfish gain…
Ye You couldn't fathom how depraved someone capable of such an act could be!
Ye Ling walked to the edge of the pit, looking at the shattered foundation of Buzhou Mountain below, his brow furrowed slightly. "We've been in Buzhou Mountain for quite some time, but the person behind the scenes hasn't made a move, nor have we seen anyone from the Shadow Hall."
Ye You speculated, "Could it be that the opponent saw that you didn't bring Xiao Qing into Buzhou Mountain and thought the plan failed, so they abandoned it midway?"
Ye Ling shook his head. "They went to such lengths to find Xiao Qing, even going so far as to break Buzhou Mountain. If they were to give up just because I didn't bring Xiao Qing into Buzhou Mountain, that would be too trifling."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Ye You couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Indeed… They went to such great effort to set up this scheme, they wouldn't abandon it so easily."
"If they haven't abandoned it, then what are they waiting for?"
Ye Ling shook his head. "That I don't know… But since they are hiding in the shadows, we can only react to their moves. Until they act, there's no point in us speculating here."
"I just circled Buzhou Mountain and found Xu Changsheng's Xuanyuan Sword. It seems to be suppressing something there. Shall we go take a look first?"
"Xuanyuan Sword?" Ye You was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Perfect! I've also been curious about how the Xuanyuan Sword suddenly turned against its master. Let's go and unravel that mystery!"
The mention of the Xuanyuan Sword immediately energized Ye You, and she, along with Ye Ling, headed towards the location of the Xuanyuan Sword.
Xu Changsheng was a subordinate she had taken in. Now that her subordinate was in trouble and his divine weapon had been seized, she, as the boss, naturally had to help him get his revenge.
Soon, Ye Ling led Ye You to where the Xuanyuan Sword was located.
At this moment, the Xuanyuan Sword was suspended above an altar on a flat ground in Buzhou Mountain, its blade wrapped in black chains.
Golden sword energy crisscrossed the surroundings, slicing the nearby rocks in half. The corpses of numerous Yin souls and Yin beasts lay scattered around, resembling a purgatory.
"An altar?" Ye You's pupils contracted slightly as she saw the altar beneath the Xuanyuan Sword, her surprise immense. "What are they trying to do? Has someone sealed the Xuanyuan Sword?"
Ye Ling glanced at the Xuanyuan Sword and the altar. "The Xuanyuan Sword is an ancient divine weapon from the Primordial Era. It carries the power of the Heavenly Dao and contains immense power."
"Now that the Xuanyuan Sword is bound here, it's likely someone wants to use it as the energy source to activate some kind of device."
Speaking of which, Ye Ling glanced beneath the altar again. "Moreover, a strange creature is hidden beneath this altar."
"Using the Xuanyuan Sword like a battery, huh…" Ye You's brow furrowed. She stepped forward towards the Xuanyuan Sword but was repelled by the sword energy.
At this moment, the internal energy of the Xuanyuan Sword had been fully unleashed. Currently, only a Saint could withstand the pressure of the Xuanyuan Sword and approach it.
Ye You was merely in the True Martial realm and not the owner of the Xuanyuan Sword, making it impossible for her to get close.
Seeing this, Ye Ling also infused Ye You with demonic energy to help her withstand the Xuanyuan Sword's pressure, then said, "Xiao You, you go and retrieve the Xuanyuan Sword. I'll cover you."
"Okay." With Ye Ling's help, Ye You no longer hesitated and leaped towards the Xuanyuan Sword.
As Ye You approached, the sword energy around the Xuanyuan Sword automatically slashed at her. However, upon contact with the demonic energy surrounding Ye You, the sword energy dissipated entirely.
Ye You easily jumped onto the altar and grabbed the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword.
Boom!
A torrent of black energy surged from the altar, and a ghost wielding a giant scythe burst forth from it, striking fiercely at Ye You!
The ghost's aura was actually at the True Martial realm!
"Presumptuous!"
Ye Ling's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight. He instantly appeared in front of Ye You, placing one hand on the scythe-wielding ghost. Demonic energy surged from his palm.
In an instant, the scythe-wielding ghost, possessing True Martial realm cultivation, vanished into thin air!
Ye You nodded at Ye Ling, then focused all her attention on the Xuanyuan Sword, pulling with all her might!
Crack!
The chains binding the Xuanyuan Sword snapped under Ye You's pull, and the Xuanyuan Sword erupted with powerful sword energy once more, surging into Ye You's body.
"Brother, why do I feel like the Xuanyuan Sword is starting to recognize me as its master?" Ye You pulled at the Xuanyuan Sword, feeling a large amount of Xuanyuan sword energy pouring into her body, merging with her meridians!
Ye Ling joked, "Isn't it good for the Xuanyuan Sword to recognize you as its master? It's an ancient divine weapon, a Saint-level weapon after all. I've always felt you lacked a proper weapon, and Xuanyuan is perfect!"
Ye You quickly said, "No! This Xuanyuan Sword belongs to that kid Xu Changsheng. I don't want to steal someone's love. Brother, help me think of a way to stop it from recognizing me as its master!"
Hearing Ye You's words, Ye Ling couldn't help but smile and shake his head, but he wasn't surprised by Ye You's reaction.
If Ye You had coveted the Xuanyuan Sword, she could have directly gone and taken it the day Xu Changsheng obtained it.
Furthermore, the Xuanyuan sword energy was too fierce, and Ye You's spiritual energy leaned towards the soft and gentle. Forcing the use of the Xuanyuan Sword would only weigh her down.
Ye Ling said, "The Xuanyuan Sword is trapped here. Its recognition of you as its master is merely a plea for help. You can temporarily accept its sword intent for now, and I'll help you strip it away later."
Ye You: "Is that true?"
Ye Ling smiled, "You don't even believe what I say anymore?"
Seeing Ye Ling say this, Ye You gritted her teeth and began to fully accept the Xuanyuan sword energy, allowing it to merge with her meridians.
Rumble!!!
As the Xuanyuan Sword recognized its master, Ye You's body was instantly enveloped in golden light, and the Xuanyuan sword energy surged into the sky, piercing the heavens of the underworld!
The altar beneath the Xuanyuan Sword shattered, and the ground began to crack!
The surrounding black chains all turned into black mist and dissipated!
"It's done!"
Ye You pulled the Xuanyuan Sword from the altar. Before she could even experience the power of the Xuanyuan sword energy, a torrent of black energy erupted from the cracking ground below.
"Roar—!"
The roars of malevolent spirits echoed from all around.
Within Buzhou Mountain, a large number of malevolent spirits, strengthened by the poisonous mist, began to converge towards them.
"Who took my Xuanyuan Sword!!!"
At this moment, a muffled voice boomed from the ground. Ye Ling grabbed Ye You and quickly retreated.
A black behemoth, ten meters tall, crawled out of the shattered altar.
It had a dragon-like head, a monkey-like body, and its lower half was buried in the ground, writhing, appearing to be a snake's body.
Around this monster, black energy, similar to that of the extraterrestrial forces, coiled.