Chapter 156: Lady Wang Makes Her Move

As Li Mu carefully observed the scene, his heart experienced a slight ripple of agitation.

Just moments ago, he had genuinely sensed a violent surge of true energy. The gray-robed cultivator who had charged forward lost control of his magical treasure instantly, leaving him speechless. The moment his physical body made contact with that translucent barrier, the true energy throughout his entire system drained away as rapidly as water breaching a river embankment during a flood, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye.

That barrier actually possessed the uncanny ability to absorb the true energy of cultivators. Such a phenomenon had never been heard of before. It acted as a direct and terrifying restraint against all practitioners of the Dao.

From what he overheard in the discussions among the nearby cultivators, it seemed that those whose true energy was thus emptied would also suffer a permanent decline in their cultivation levels, making the barrier all the more horrifying.

No wonder those cultivators had waited here for over a month and still found no method to breach the mysterious realm.

While Li Mu was thus engaged in his inspection, several figures stepped out from among the crowd, slowly and cautiously drawing closer to him.

To all appearances, Li Mu seemed entirely oblivious to their approach.

These individuals varied in posture and wore different garments, yet embroidered upon every single one of their robes was a minuscule purple eye, capable of capturing a man's very soul. They appeared to be employing some sort of concealment technique, moving with the utmost care and closing in on Li Mu from multiple directions.

"Master Li!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, causing Li Mu to turn his head.

A cultivator in blue robes approached from the Jade Iron Sect contingent, calling out cheerfully. As Li Mu looked over, he recognized Mu Tongfeng from Deyang City.

The cultivators bearing the symbol of the Earthly Eye glared resentfully at Mu Tongfeng before quietly blending back into the crowd, as if they had never shown themselves at all. In such a densely populated place, they could not afford to act openly and were forced to proceed in secret. Yet Mu Tongfeng's arrival had inadvertently robbed them of their opportunity.

Mu Tongfeng looked at Li Mu, his face full of doubt. "Why are you still here? Come closer, Madam Wang is here as well."

Li Mu looked toward the encampment of the Jade Iron Sect. Sure enough, Madam Wang was gazing directly at him, a hint of incomprehension lingering within her beautiful eyes.

Turning his gaze back toward the spot where the Earthly Eye cultivators had retreated, a quiet sense of satisfaction arose in Li Mu's heart. With his spiritual sense, he had detected those people long ago. Letting them discover him had been part of Li Mu's own scheme, but Mu Tongfeng's appearance had truly been unexpected.

"Let's go, come along," Mu Tongfeng said with mild displeasure.

Li Mu nodded, and the two of them walked toward the Jade Iron Sect's territory.

Madam Wang cast a sound-barrier spell beneath her feet and looked at Li Mu with a furrowed brow. "Why haven't you left? Furthermore, with so many people gathered here, how dare you venture to this place? Just now, someone was actually watching you."

Li Mu smiled indifferently. "Is your injury truly better? Why have you come here as well, instead of guarding Deyang City?"

"Thanks to your medicinal pill, I am completely recovered," Madam Wang said, shaking her head. "Since I was nearby, I naturally had to come. The sects within Deyang City will handle its defense; you shouldn't harbor any reckless ideas."

"That fellow Ye Yibai, is he not coming?" Li Mu glanced around the crowd, failing to spot that figure of bitter resentment.

"Lord Ye is currently in seclusion; if he finishes his training, he will surely come," Madam Wang replied. "A secret realm of this magnitude requires the full effort of every sect. However, breaking through to the Pill-Consolidation realm is extremely difficult, so I fear he may not be able to make it this time."

"Are the few of you here truly enough? And what about that Pill-Consolidation cultivator?"

"Sect Master Wang had some matters to attend to at Jade Iron Mountain, so he could not come." Madam Wang furrowed her brow, letting out a silent sigh inward.

Fixing her lovely eyes upon Li Mu, she lowered her voice and asked, "You still haven't explained why you didn't leave. Do you also covet this secret realm? This is no place for you to enter right now. Leave quickly. As long as I remain here, the people of the Earthly Eye will not make a move against you."

Li Mu nodded with genuine gratitude. "Do not worry about me; I deliberately showed myself to let them see me, hehe. I have no desire to enter the secret realm either—I shall merely take a look and then depart."

"Even if you just look, you will not be able to discern anything. This secret realm is exceedingly bizarre; I have never heard of its like. Even if Sect Master Wang were here personally, I doubt he could open it."

Madam Wang sighed softly, gazing out at the Falling River, a trace of anxiety flickering within her eyes.

Night gradually began to fall.

"Stay right here," Madam Wang instructed before slowly making her way toward the Falling River.

At her actions, countless gazes instantly locked onto her, every eye converging upon her figure.

Within the Yunshan Realm, Madam Wang enjoyed a long-standing reputation, yet she very rarely had to resort to physical combat. To witness her take action now left many people stunned.

With her long skirts trailing behind her, her expression remained calm and composed as she stepped steadily into the waters of the Falling River.

Her arms were as fair as jade, and the crisp chiming of jade pendants accompanied her steps. The Falling River, the woman, and the water blended together like a painting, drawing gasps of admiration from many within a short span of time.

Among them, quite a few loose cultivators let out deliberate, raucous shouts.

"Heh, heh."

"That hand is truly white. I wonder how it was grown; how wonderful it would be if I could touch it just once."

"If I could ever dual-cultivate with her once, this life of mine would surely be worthwhile."

Hearing these remarks, Mu Tongfeng stomped his foot heavily upon the ground in anger.

Li Mu, however, did not look pleased at all. Suddenly glaring at the crowd, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Silence, all of you!"

That loud shout expended a vast amount of true energy, channeled through the Soul-Bewitching Treasure, and its destructive might was immense.

The third technique of the Soul-Bewitching Treasure: Soul Suppression.

It required very little true energy and possessed virtually no offensive lethality. Instead, it was an area-of-effect mental technique. By dominating the minds of the cultivators, it could deliver a heavy shock to their consciousness. Much like the roar of a primal beast, it could awaken the spirit and serve as a stern warning.

The spiritual senses of those who had been staring lecherously at Madam Wang were forcefully repelled. Their minds suffered a severe shock, feeling as though they had been struck heavily by a sledgehammer, and their bodies trembled violently. Some whose mental foundations were unstable even collapsed directly to the ground.

An uproar rippled through the crowd.

Those who had not been affected by Li Mu's roar stared at him with looks of absolute astonishment, their hearts pounding with shock. "To be able to execute such a spiritual consciousness technique while merely being at the Spirit-Building stage... how could this be possible?"

Hearing the shout, Madam Wang turned her head to look back at Li Mu, a faint smile resting in her eyes.

Li Mu's heart rippled slightly, and he murmured softly, "Be careful."

Madam Wang smiled faintly but gave no verbal reply.

Frowing slightly, she gazed down at the barrier beneath her feet and waved her hand gently. A greenish-white sword suddenly manifested a few meters before her eyes.

As the sword descended, its entire body was translucent, gleaming with a crystalline clarity akin to fine jade.

With a slight gesture of Madam Wang's pointing finger, the sword immediately began to spin and wheel through the air.

Her gaze remained fixed upon it as both hands danced continuously through the air, executing immensely complex hand seals. Her movements seemed to flow along with the changing posture of the sword. In Li Mu's eyes, this bore some resemblance to the style of Shen Bingxue, yet Madam Wang appeared far more magnanimous. While Shen Bingxue's art was like a painting executed with pristine, exquisite brushstrokes, Madam Wang's was like ink cast across the world—grand, bold, and entirely natural.

Beneath the sword's descent, several highly intricate white patterns materialized in the sky, positioning themselves precisely above the barrier.

"The Seven-Radiance Sword Technique!"

Among the cultivators of the Mingyu Valley, someone recognized the art and cried out in immediate astonishment.

Yet Madam Wang's expression remained grave, ignoring the shout entirely.

Her brow unfurled slightly as she suddenly brought her hands together.

Seven tangible beams of white light, several meters thick and stretching over a hundred meters in length, descended from the sky, striking directly upon the seven intricate patterns. Countless stellar radiances poured forth in abundance, resembling sparks of fire drifting around the beams of light, forming a truly magnificent spectacle.