When Li Guanlong and his teammates arrived at the coastline, the massive black whale had already risen into the sky, leaving behind a colossal crater in the ground, casting a terrifying shadow.

Beneath the giant whale, about a dozen figures had gathered. They were the factions of the West Sea Diabolical Forces who had been summoned to infiltrate the illusory realm.

Immortal Yuan Lu descended from the sky and was saying something to them.

This scene, however, could not be seen by those outside the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams. If Immortal Jiuyi were to observe Black Whale Mountain right now, he would see it as barren and unchanged.

Fortunately, Immortal Jiuyi was vigilant enough.

At this moment, he was looking at the scene through Li Guanlong’s perspective. Immediately, he recognized the instigator of this upheaval. "Immortal Yuan Lu?"

Immortal Jiuyi said in a calm and deep voice, "He lacks true understanding of the Great Dao of Reality and Illusion. The fact that he managed to infiltrate the illusory realm showed that someone more powerful must have helped him. Clearly, he infiltrated the illusory realm to awaken the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror that has long been suppressed and reclaim control of the Divine Mirror. I will find ways to crack his defense so that my power can manifest within the mirror. Until then, you must do all you can to stop him..."

"Understood!" Song Guanchao shouted as he leaped into the air.

Whoosh—

He transformed into a streak of swordlight, flying toward the enemy as he yelled, "Die, devil!"

Immortal Yuan Lu glanced up nonchalantly at the approaching swordlight and, with a calm gesture, raised his hand.

Boom—

Song Guanchao erupted in mid-air like a falling meteor, his body obliterated in an instant, leaving only a small soul crystal that slowly drifted to the ground.

"I wasn’t finished..." Immortal Jiuyi continued. "Immortal Yuan Lu wields the power of a seventh-realm cultivator within this illusory realm, so facing him head-on would be a death sentence. However, while he's awakening the spirit of the mirror, he must focus and circulate qi within his body, rendering him unable to move. That is your moment to strike from the side. His diabolical followers will likely be guarding him during this process. Your mission is to eliminate them when he starts circulating qi in his body."

"As long as you can disturb him and slow down the awakening process, giving me enough time to channel my power into the illusory realm, we can destroy him. But if he manages to awaken the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror before then, there is a risk of us losing the Divine Mirror…"

When the legendary artifact, the Eight Trigram Compass, and the Diabolical Divine Mirror merged, their spirits were equally matched in strength.

However, since the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals retrieved the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams first, they suppressed the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror, transforming the combined artifact into a righteous legendary treasure.

If Immortal Yuan Lu were to successfully awaken the suppressed spirit, there would indeed be a chance that the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams could transform into a diabolical artifact.

This had been a closely guarded secret within Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals.

It was precisely because of this risk that they kept the true origin of the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams a secret.

For Immortal Yuan Lu to achieve this, it was likely that an Eminent One skilled in the Great Dao of Reality and Illusion had assisted him. There must have also been someone with deep knowledge of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals, providing him with inside information.

Immortal Jiuyi didn’t expect his disciples to truly stop Immortal Yuan Lu; even though Immortal Yuan Lu's power was suppressed to the seventh realm, he was still an existence that they could not challenge. Ŕ𝐚ꞐŐꞖƐš

The main fight was between Immortal Jiuyi and the Eminent One who had kept reality hidden with an illusion.

At this moment, even those who had attained the Heavenly Origin had no means to help as there was simply no way for them to take part in the battle happening inside the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams.

Only those disciples of the immortal sects within the illusory realm could help. If all the disciples joined forces and launched a coordinated attack, it would be far more effective than relying solely on the members of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals. Though it would cause significant disruption to the Assembly of Immortal Sects, the risk of losing the sect’s legendary artifact was a far more pressing concern.

At that moment, Situ Guanhai suddenly shouted, "Isn’t that cheating?"

It turned out that Immortal Yuan Lu had leaped into the air and vanished into the gaping mouth of the Black Devil Whale!

In response, a streak of swordlight shot up from the ground, streaking into the distance with blinding speed.

When the enormous Black Devil Whale was alive, it had been a ferocious creature of the eighth realm. Even though it had been dead for over ten thousand years and was now revived within this illusory realm, it still retained near-seventh realm strength, and its physical durability remained unmatched.

It seemed that Immortal Yuan Lu would soon begin awakening the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror.

It would have been manageable if they only had to deal with the diabolical cultivators protecting Immortal Yuan Lu.

But how could they even disturb him if he had hid himself inside the belly of the Black Devil Whale?

Damn it, why did we choose this place for the competition… Immortal Jiuyi cursed inwardly.

At the same time, he swiftly started sending a message to all the immortal sect disciples within the illusory realm.

Previously, Immortal Jiuyi had only summoned the disciples of Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals, as they were the ones facing the imminent risk of losing the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams. For the other righteous sects, this loss might not have been seen as a terrible outcome.

If Immortal Jiuyi spread word of the situation, there was no guarantee that some wouldn't seize the opportunity to implement their own schemes. But with the situation so dire, he had no choice now but to call upon every available force, despite the risks.

"To all disciples participating in the Competition of the Hundred Sects..."

Moments earlier, Chu Liang, Pushan, and Enchantress Yi had arrived at Black Whale Mountain, just in time to witness the massive beast soaring into the sky.

Enchantress Yi's eyes widened as she gazed at the figure descending from the Black Devil Whale. "It really is Immortal Yuan Lu!" she exclaimed.

Chu Liang fixed his gaze on the indifferent-looking middle-aged man. So, that's the sect leader of the Evil Dragon Mountain from the West Sea?

"What is he trying to do?" asked Monk Pushan.

Seeing that Immortal Yuan Lu was speaking to the surrounding diabolical cultivators, Chu Liang leaped forward, saying, "We'll know once we ask."

"Huh?" Enchantress Yi was startled. Although both were from diabolical sects, the Dark King Sect and the West Sea Diabolical Forces had never gotten along, and she didn’t dare to approach.

How could he dare?

Out of a blind sense of trust, Enchantress Yi and Pushan followed him.

Had it been a righteous cultivator approaching, Immortal Yuan Lu would have obliterated them with a mere glance. But as Chu Liang drew closer, he made no move to stop him.

When righteous cultivators spot anomalies, they usually rush over with stern faces, shouting, frowning, and acting in haste.

But these individuals approached with shrouded faces, eerie auras, and a calm, unhurried pace.

Their demeanor clearly marked them as fellow members of the diabolical path.

Sure enough, as Chu Liang drew near, he cupped his hands and said, "Greetings to Sect Leader Yuan. I am a Fiend under the Violet Gold Marquess, sent here as an envoy to assist you."

Yuan Lu finally smiled. "It’s good that the Violet Gold Marquess is willing to help."

Behind him, Enchantress Yi's pupils dilated in shock. So, Immortal Yuan Lu had managed to recruit the Violet Gold Marquess as well?

That would be a major move, causing internal strife within the sect and fracturing the power of the Dark King Sect from within.

Even though she was from the Dark King Sect, she hadn’t known about this, yet her esteemed senior was already aware. How could anyone casually pose as a member of the Dark King Sect in front of the West Sea Diabolical Forces unless they had prepared thoroughly?

No wonder he was the man her teacher loved.

Clearly, his capabilities knew no limits.

What she didn’t know was that Chu Liang had simply searched through his database of identities and chosen one that fit the situation perfectly.

It seemed so natural because... it was nothing but familiarity and practice at work.

Just when they thought they had successfully infiltrated, a voice suddenly called out: "Sect Leader Yuan! Don’t trust him! He’s definitely a lackey of the righteous path!"

All three of them felt their hearts skip a beat.

A red-haired youth leaped out from the side, shouting, "I remember him! He’s the one who killed our Second Leader! I’d recognize him even if he turned to ashes!"

"Hmm?" Immortal Yuan Lu’s gaze shifted sharply back to Chu Liang.

Chu Liang looked at the red-haired youth, feeling a bit confused.

When did I kill your Second Leader… Wait a minute… Could it be…

He suddenly recalled the unlucky fellow he had hacked to death with a cooking knife a few nights ago. That man had seemed like a diabolical cultivator from Bronze Demon Ridge in the West Sea.

What a mess… There was a witness?

If he hadn’t been wearing this robe, the red-haired youth might not have recognized him. But dressed like this, he looked exactly as he had that night, making it easy for him to be identified.

After a brief pause, Chu Liang said with a sneer, “Hmph, I’ve killed too many people to remember. Who are you even talking about?”

“That night, I saw him and a woman kill our Second Leader and take a letter written by you, Sect Leader Yuan,” the red-haired youth pressed on. “He must have gotten the information from that!”

"A fake one?" Yuan Lu's gaze sharpened as he looked at Chu Liang again.

Am I about to be exposed?

Hearing Chu Liang being questioned, both Pushan and Enchantress Yi exchanged nervous glances behind him, already contemplating whether to launch an attack.

At that moment, a sudden shout rang out from the distance: "Devil, meet your death!"

It was Song Guanchao, charging straight toward them.

Song Guanchao shot toward them fiercely on his glowing sword. Immortal Yuan Lu glanced at him casually, and with a mere flick of his hand, he effortlessly exploded him into nothingness.

This completely shattered any thought Chu Liang and his companions had of making a move right away.

Chu Liang paused for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh.

"If you hold a grudge against me, there's no need to make a scene here. I will settle it with you once we are out of the illusory realm. We should not delay Sect Leader Yuan from more important matters.

"Sect Leader Yuan, if I had learned of this matter elsewhere, how could I have known about the letter you wrote to our marquess? Even if one could fake an identity, could this be faked?"

As he spoke, he raised a token. It was none other than the golden token of the Violet Gold Marquess.

Immortal Yuan Lu recognized the token instantly, and Chu Liang’s explanation made sense. He nodded in agreement and said, "That’s true. The Violet Gold Marquess has clearly put thought into this."

With that, Immortal Yuan Lu turned away, preparing to awaken the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror.

But the red-haired youth refused to give up, shouting, "Sect Leader Yuan! He's definitely from the righteous sects. Our Second Leader died responding to your call, and you can't—"

Bang—

Before he could finish his sentence, his entire body suddenly erupted into a flash of black light, instantly obliterated.

"How noisy," Immortal Yuan Lu muttered, lightly furrowing his brow.

In truth, the red-haired youth was just another diabolical cultivator meant to guard him, someone of little importance. These people existed solely to buy him more time.

However, with the Black Devil Whale present, they were no longer important.

On the contrary, the envoy of the Violet Gold Marquess held great value, representing a significant force within the Dark King Sect.

When countering a formidable enemy like the Dark King Sect, internal attacks were a far more effective way to cripple the sect than external assaults.

Immortal Yuan Lu then said to the remaining people, "I need absolute peace to awaken the spirit of the Diabolical Divine Mirror. Once successful, I will have control of the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams. Your task is to kill any enemies that approach and guard this place. Do not let anyone disturb this area."

With that, he leapt into the mouth of the Black Devil Whale.

The remaining diabolical cultivators, seeing him disappear, quickly scattered and vanished. After all, they were no fools. What good would it do for them to stay and guard Immortal Yuan Lu? Even if he successfully reclaimed control of the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams, his true form was far away at the ends of the earth, while they were right here, exposed at the Assembly of Immortal Sects.

If they had openly supported Immortal Yuan Lu, they would still be eliminated once everything was over.

So, they could only continue pretending to be righteous disciples participating in the Competition of the Hundred Sects, pretending to hunt for nearby soul crystals while secretly carrying out the task of guarding.

Pushan turned to Chu Liang and asked, "What should we do?"

"We have to stop him…" Chu Liang murmured.

Monk Pushan glanced up at the colossal Black Devil Whale looming in the sky, its body seemingly forged from meteoric iron, and couldn’t help but say, "You're not joking, right?"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT

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