Chapter 62: Escape

Seeing this scene, the group inside the Demon Refining Gourd once more felt hope rise. Mu Yuan’s six sword pills flew faster and faster, transforming into a curtain of freezing cold light. Six talismanic seals still danced chaotically in every direction, pouncing upon any demon beasts they encountered, greedily sucking in their demonic vital energy and true power. When encountering rare demon beasts, Mu Yuan casually captured them into his Black Water Gourd. He kept silently admiring the sheer variety of these demon beast species.

Although Old Daoist Danhuo’s Dual Heavenly Inferno Array had trapped the Five Yin Patriarch, he truly had no way to overcome him. Startled by Danhuo’s sneak attack earlier, the Five Yin Patriarch had received a minor injury, but his Primordial Spirit was completely intact, and his physical body was itself a top-tier magical treasure. Though he couldn’t break free, he was largely unaffected.

“Who knows how those youngsters inside are faring. Carrying on like this is no solution!” Old Daoist Danhuo was deeply troubled. Though he didn’t understand the Demon Refining Gourd’s secrets, he knew this artifact was absolutely extraordinary. The strongest cultivator inside hadn’t even reached Elixir Formation! With so much time passed already, things did not bode well!

Though anxious and worried, he couldn’t defeat his opponent quickly. Several times he charged into the array, attacking forcefully with his Fire Dragon Sword, only for the Patriarch to seize an opening to counterattack, nearly breaking out through Danhuo’s own assault.

The group inside the gourd didn’t know the exact situation outside, but they could see the surrounding flames were fierce. Yet, the layer of black light net twined around the Five Yin Patriarch’s body was incredibly tough. While the faint, shimmering light on his physical body wasn’t very conspicuous, it radiated an aura of ancient vastness. Mu Yuan gritted his teeth, surging all his Zhenqi. The Brilliant Salvation Curse, previously cutting through the waves and dark clouds, suddenly blazed with intense light. It transformed into a long rainbow, flying directly back to him. Instantly, his dantian felt incredibly heavy. He raised his hand, and a streak of purple lightning shot out like a coiling dragon. Upon touching the air, it expanded explosively, becoming immense as a mountain-piercing sword peak in the blink of an eye. Mu Yuan felt the meridians throughout his body straining to bursting, all his acupuncture points, vital energies, and sinews swelling to their limit. His bones emitted sharp cracking sounds. He wielded the Heaven-Piercing divine light transformed by the Longevity Sword, slashing horizontally and vertically with fury. He poured all of the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force — the technique most compatible with the Longevity Sword — into it. Purple lightning flew wildly, furious thunder shook violently. The winds, clouds, mountains, and waters of heaven and earth were seized with terror. The already unstable space exploded violently.

The Five Yin Patriarch, fiercely roasted by the Dual Heavenly Inferno, suddenly found his entire body bursting with dazzling, brilliant streams of energy. An immense power erupted from within him; it felt as if he was being torn apart internally, the pain wrenching his soul. Though Old Daoist Danhuo didn’t know the cause, he sensed something was wrong with his opponent. With an incantation gesture, the fiery banner gates spun violently. Several blazing orbs shot forth. Talismanic seals flew off the Soul Banners, merging with the inferno to form several ferocious fire beasts. With claws trailing flames and roars shaking the air, they pounced, each grabbing the Yin Soul-Seizing Net. With a mighty tearing motion, a loud ripping sound like tearing silk burst forth! Crash! The Yin energy exploded and scattered. The Five Yin Patriarch’s meticulously refined artifact dissipated into specks of smoke!

The artifact itself, though powerful, was still no match for the array’s force! Using an array, however small, to harness the might of heaven and earth inherently surpassed simple artifacts. As the Dual Heavenly Inferno surged upon him, the Five Yin Patriarch, assailed inside and out, felt his Zhenqi falter. Mu Yuan saw a flash of bright light ahead! Flames blasted violently, sweeping up Hua Xin and Jin Yun as they dashed desperately outwards!

Seizing this chance, the others below gathered their remaining Zhenqi and struggled outward with all their might. Amidst loud roars, some demon beasts also whipped up fierce winds and desperately fled!

Mu Yuan surged ahead. Reaching the spatial rift, he saw countless talismanic seals drifting and shifting, flickering weakly like mist, offering no tangible resistance. Bringing the Longevity Sword around, boundless sword qi erupted. Driven by the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, it transformed into numerous coiling nine-clawed divine dragons carrying unparalleled, savage power. They slammed headlong into the rift! Mu Yuan felt as though countless sharp needles were piercing his whole body. His meridians burned, and his body shuddered continuously as if shocked by electricity. He knew this was due to overexertion and the recoil from the Demon Refining Gourd’s seals. But this chance was fleeting. Without hesitation, Mu Yuan hacked with the Longevity Sword, shrouding himself in layer of hazy purple sword light. He stirred the hurricanes above and drew upon the earth’s energy below! His power surpassed anything he’d ever achieved!

The Demon Refining Gourd was an ancient divine artifact. Though the Longevity Sword, according to the ancient dragon soul, was no less than the weapons of great deities, it couldn’t rival this godly vessel. Fortunately, Mu Yuan’s Dragon King’s Dynamic Force was the perfect matching art to activate the Longevity Sword. The Five Yin Patriarch himself couldn’t truly control the gourd—his Primordial Spirit was merely attached to it. Besides, Old Daoist Danhuo had intensified the fiery array. Once suppressed, the Patriarch couldn’t turn the tide. Consequently, Mu Yuan managed to cleave through the seal and escape!

Those following closely behind Mu Yuan were shocked by the aura of purple sword light swirling around him. The Longevity Sword itself was hidden within the thick purple glow, making Mu Yuan’s wildly churning sword qi even more astonishing. Empathizing, each realized they couldn’t withstand more than a few strikes. Monk Yuan Neng was especially stunned. He never expected this seemingly unremarkable fellow possessed such terrifying power!

Hua Xin and Jin Yun had witnessed Mu Yuan battling Hua Zhenzi and were already astounded by his skill. Now, his power was incomparably greater than before, exceeding even the average cultivator at the Elixir Formation stage!

Mu Yuan brought his great sword down vertically! Though the internal restrictions of the Demon Refining Gourd were formidable, the scene was already chaotic. Under the Longevity Sword’s peerlessly sharp edge, several talismanic scripts were pierced! Mu Yuan let out a clear shout, grabbed Hua Xin and Jin Yun, and shot straight through the breach!

Monks Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue followed right behind. With their Zhenqi surging in unison, they battled their way out. The dense mass of surrounding seals wriggled and twisted, seeming ready to close back together. The Huan sisters—Chen, Yan, and Meng—sent sword qi flying at it. The immense recoil force directly blasted their three flying swords into dust! Yet, the three managed to escape without serious injury!

Outside the gourd, Mu Yuan faced overwhelming fire clouds. Roaring flames churned like a storm. A large, black-qi enshrouded hand swept towards them again!

“Demon fiend, stay your madness!” Old Daoist Danhuo, overjoyed to see the three escape, had his Fire Dragon Sword sweep up raging fire clouds like a toppling celestial river. His Zhenqi surged violently, exploding against the Five Yin Patriarch, who screamed in agony and abandoned his attempt to seize the trio. He turned back to fight Danhuo. Mu Yuan breathed a heavy sigh of relief, his entire body sore, numb, swollen, and throbbing. Just escaping the Demon Refining Gourd had expended his full strength. Now the backlash hit with full force. He felt unbearable heat around him; his internal Longevity Qi seemed ready to ignite. It was intensely uncomfortable!

Both the Longevity Art and the Tidal Flow clashed violently with the surrounding Dual Heavenly Inferno. He felt utterly wretched. However, Hua Xin and Jin Yun were like fish in water. As vast amounts of fiery essence poured into their bodies, their spirits heightened. They saw Mu Yuan drenched in sweat, the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Replacing technique sustained by his Tidal Flow dissipating to reveal his true features. The muscles in his face constantly twitched, clear signs of extreme pain.

“Let’s get out first!” Hua Xin pulled Mu Yuan along. He and Jin Yun were Old Daoist Danhuo’s prized disciples, extremely familiar with the Dual Heavenly Inferno Array. Moreover, the array’s full power was now concentrated on the Five Yin Patriarch, making passage very easy.

Mu Yuan felt somewhat dazed. He detected his Zhenqi seeping out bit by bit with his sweat, inwardly commenting how terrifying the array was. Glancing back, he saw the Five Yin Patriarch covered once more in dazzling light. But the breach torn by the Longevity Sword had completely sealed up! Ling Siyuan and Xiao Tianyu had been trapped inside!

“The heavens favor this outcome! My wish is granted!” Mu Yuan said to himself in his mind. Monks Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue, cultivating the Great Sun True Fire, fared better within the array. However, the sisters Huan Chen, Huan Yan, and Huan Meng practiced the true Tian Shan Ice Cold energy. Like Mu Yuan, they were thoroughly suppressed, causing their snow-white robes to flutter intensely. Jin Yun promptly rushed over to guide the five of them out.

Escaping the Demon Refining Gourd and traversing the fiery array, Mu Yuan finally breathed a long sigh of relief. But the environment was filled with boiling fire energy. All foreign spiritual energies were expelled by the Dual Heavenly Inferno Array. Mu Yuan sat cross-legged, forced to solely utilize the spiritual energy stored within his Black Water Gourd for replenishment. The moment he began drawing from it, the gourd violently shook! Several enormous demon beasts had broken through its seals and burst out!

“Damn!” Mu Yuan certainly didn’t know that inside the Demon Refining Gourd, the Black Water Gourd was also isolated, its refining power accessible, preventing the beasts from acting strongly. After escaping the gourd in this short time, these innately powerful demon beasts absorbed vast amounts of primal qi instantly, gaining considerable divine abilities. The seals on the Black Water Gourd weren’t particularly strong, and Mu Yuan, unprepared, had opened it upon departure. The beasts seized the chance to flee!

A dragon with wings on its back, a fierce tiger covered in white stripes, a lizard with sturdy scales… They all rushed out. These demon beasts’ native spiritual awareness had been obliterated in the Demon Refining Gourd, leaving only raw primal instincts. After escaping, they didn’t immediately flee. Instead, sensing the aura of the Demon Refining Gourd emanating from the Five Yin Patriarch, ancient enmity accumulated over countless ages deep within their bones and blood ignited. They roared fiercely and pounced upon the Five Yin Patriarch within the array!