Chapter 15: The Celestial Sword Array of Supreme Da Luo

Deep within the forest, Yang Dai suddenly sensed that one of his spectral followers had been annihilated. His expression turned grim, but he did not panic, for he could clearly feel the auras of the remaining three specters growing more and more distant.

This was part of their plan: if things went awry, the four would flee in different directions, drawing their pursuers away.

As specters, their foremost duty was to protect their master. If Yang Dai perished, they would be destroyed in both body and soul. By fleeing in the opposite direction, they at least preserved a chance at survival.

Tian Buchong and the other three had volunteered to seize the diagram and, though becoming specters had made them soul-slaves to Yang Dai, their personalities remained unchanged.

Ever since discovering that specters could continue to cultivate, a fresh greed had taken root in their hearts.

Tian Buchong and his companions had achieved what they had by being bold and reckless, unafraid to seize any opportunity. When they heard of the Diagram of the Nine Demon Immortals, their blood began to boil with excitement.

With the diagram now in Yang Dai’s possession, they had a chance to study the techniques or spells within, for Yang Dai had already taught them the Sutra of Effortless Mysteries and the True Heart Formula of Divine Thunder.

“Is the situation dire?” Shi Long asked nervously, having noticed the change in Yang Dai’s expression.

Yang Dai’s face was dark as he nodded slightly.

Although Tian Buchong and the others were condemned criminals, their deaths had already served as retribution. Now, as his followers, they were a vital part of Yang Dai’s strength—his elite force. Losing any of them was a painful blow.

Ying Ji sighed, “As expected, treasures like the Diagram of the Nine Demon Immortals are not easily seized.”

Cheng the Hungry Ghost said, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Specters are much like ghosts; ordinary cultivators find it difficult to capture those with the power to condense spiritual energy.”

He was secretly relieved that he had not been sent.

Specters were already dead; if they perished again, would their souls be utterly destroyed?

Yang Dai sensed that it was Zhang Xian who had been vanquished. This told him that specters were not truly indestructible—previously, his enemies had simply been too weak.

He attempted to withdraw from the Deep Domain.

[You are currently in combat and cannot leave the Deep Domain.]

Yang Dai frowned. He had already learned of this rule on the Net of Heaven, and knew it was what made the Deep Domain so perilous; if trial-takers could escape at any moment, they would be invincible within.

He had not expected that the specters’ battles would be counted as his own.

No, he could not just sit and wait for death!

“Zhang Xian is gone. We must flee!” Yang Dai stood up and immediately led his specters away in the opposite direction, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the unknown peril.

Upon hearing of Zhang Xian’s destruction, the specters grew tense. Though already dead, they now enjoyed a new form of existence—if they were destroyed again, they would cease to be.

They fled at full speed.

Time passed swiftly.

Just before dawn, Yang Dai sensed that Zhou Liang had also been destroyed.

Of the four condemned criminals, only Tian Buchong and Bai Wei remained.

When Yang Dai realized Tian Buchong and Bai Wei’s auras were no longer receding, he knew they had either been captured or escaped danger. He stopped and let his followers rest.

Fleeing through the night had greatly exhausted him.

Even Liu Junjie, who had been the most excited earlier, was now silent.

After resting for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, Yang Dai finally sensed Tian Buchong and Bai Wei moving toward him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Three hours later, as noon approached, Bai Wei returned first, unscathed. He shook his head to indicate the diagram was not in his hands, then sat quietly to wait.

Half an hour later, Tian Buchong finally arrived. He handed the Diagram of the Nine Demon Immortals to Yang Dai, grinning triumphantly. “That fellow was terrifying, but his spiritual power was not limitless. After a night of struggle, he may have worried about his granddaughter and turned back.”

He roughly recounted the events during the attempt to seize the diagram.

“A pity for Zhang Xian and Zhou Liang,” Ying Ji lamented.

Tian Buchong scoffed, “Life and death are decreed by fate, wealth is granted by the heavens. Without their sacrifice, how would we have obtained the diagram? We can always burn incense for them later.”

Bai Wei nodded silently; what he truly thought, only he knew.

Yang Dai placed the diagram in his storage pouch and said no more, immediately leading his specters to continue their escape.

He felt only a slight regret for the loss of Zhang Xian and Zhou Liang, not true sorrow.

All in all, it had been a success.

He had to admit, the Lord of Ten Thousand Realms Yin truly was formidable, able to command specters from afar to seek opportunities.

Bold ideas began to take shape in Yang Dai’s mind.

After fleeing for three more hours, he withdrew from the Deep Domain, logged onto the Secret Net in reality to study spells, then re-entered the Deep Domain the next day and continued to flee. He repeated this for another day, again leaving to study and memorize his techniques, preparing for his next entry.

Notably, on the Net of Heaven, Yang Dai discovered that a trial-taker named Liu Feng had reported a sighting of the Diagram of the Nine Demon Immortals near Chen Commandery of the Grand Xia Dynasty, sparking heated debate online.

Yang Dai had learned from Tian Buchong that the woman in red had been accompanied by two others, but had not expected that one would be a trial-taker.

The Deep Domain was not a game—there were no screenshots, no photos—so, lacking concrete evidence, Liu Feng was not widely believed. Most netizens merely chatted about the rumor.

Liu Feng had not mentioned seeing the mysterious figure radiating green light; as for why, Yang Dai could not guess.

After four days of turmoil, Yang Dai finally felt at ease.

Upon re-entering the Deep Domain, he and his specters hid themselves in a bamboo grove.

For miles around, the land was a sea of bamboo shrouded in mist, with the aura of a celestial realm. The spiritual energy here was far richer than any place they had visited before. Yang Dai sent several specters to scout, confirming the absence of people or monsters before settling in.

Cheng the Hungry Ghost remarked, “With the way you hide, who could possibly find you? Besides, that person only saw Tian Buchong and Bai Wei. If you keep them hidden, he’ll never track you down.”

Yang Dai chuckled, “Caution never hurts.”

He took out the Diagram of the Nine Demon Immortals. Shi Long, Tian Buchong, Bai Wei, and Cheng the Hungry Ghost immediately crowded around, with the other specters squeezing in from behind.

“Don’t get careless, Iron Bull. Take your men and guard the area,” Yang Dai ordered, frowning as the crowd blocked the light.

Iron Bull gave an awkward laugh and quickly withdrew with his group.

Just as Iron Bull had described, the diagram depicted a snake-bodied, human-headed demon performing a sword dance. Yang Dai studied it for a long time but found nothing unusual.

Where was the manual?

Where was the cultivation method?

Where was the spell?

Could it be fake?

Had he sacrificed two of his finest men for a counterfeit?

Yang Dai felt a twinge of frustration, while Tian Buchong and the others began to brainstorm. Yang Dai handed the diagram over for them to study.

With subordinates at hand, why do everything yourself?

After a full hour of effort, Tian Buchong succeeded.

Using one of Shi Long’s Scarlet Flame Talisman papers, he set fire to the diagram—not damaging the scroll, but causing a line of mysterious, profound script to appear.

Tian Buchong cried out in excitement, “It’s a sword formation—called the Celestial Gang Great Luo Sword Formation! You need spiritual sense to read the cultivation method within. We’ve hit the jackpot! A sword formation! In the world of cultivation, any who master sword formations are considered great cultivators. The more people who cast it, the more powerful the formation becomes—there’s no limit to the number. If all of us specters unleash it together, we’ll be invincible! Master, this sword formation is tailor-made for your talents!”

Liu Junjie exclaimed in admiration, saying that boldness always pays off!