System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

166: The map guides the way, but a deadly trap lurks in the night.Wu Gang’s face was ashen as he stared fixedly at Ye Chen and the incomplete map of the nirvana demonic palace in his arms, which was emitting a dull yellow glow and slowly suppressing its fluctuations. The shock and fury in his heart surged like a volcano! It wasn’t just because four of his capable subordinates had been killed in an instant, but also because that fragmentary map had actually undergone an abnormal movement at the critical moment, interfering with his fatal strike!

This boy had too many secrets! That strange gray Protective Aura, that incredibly sharp Sword Intent, and that quality that allowed him to resonate with the demonic palace fragment... He definitely could not be left alive!

However, although Ye Chen’s left shoulder was injured, his aura remained sharp and overbearing. Especially those cold eyes made even this Ninth Layer Earth Fiend Realm Peak expert feel a hint of palpitations. The terrifying combat instinct and decisive killing intent the opponent had just displayed far surpassed those of the same rank. If he continued to fight, even if he could win, he would likely pay a significant price. Moreover, the commotion here was too great and had likely already attracted the attention of other forces in the city... Wu Gang’s eyes flickered as he weighed the pros and cons. Finally, he suppressed the urge to immediately rush forward and fight, squeezing cold words through his teeth: ”Boy, this seat has remembered you! Killing an Elder of my Black Fiend Cult and seizing our cult’s treasure—there will be no place for you under heaven or on earth! Let’s go!”

With a flick of his sleeve, he collected the bodies of the four Elders (mainly to prevent the cult’s secret techniques from leaking). He gave Ye Chen a vicious glare before his figure transformed into a black rainbow, quickly disappearing at the end of the street.

Ye Chen did not pursue. The power of death lingering around the wound on his left shoulder was extremely stubborn, constantly eroding his vitality; he had to deal with it immediately. Furthermore, after continuous high-intensity combat—especially the final forced outburst to break the Formation and kill the enemies—his Chaos Protective Aura consumption was immense.

He quickly stowed the guixu sword. Without even looking at the surrounding gazes of awe or greed, his figure flickered, blending into a narrower and darker alleyway like a ghost, disappearing after a few leaps.

A moment later, he appeared inside his inn room and immediately reinforced the defensive and concealment Formations. Sitting cross-legged, he first circulated the Chaos Myriad Transformation Art, mobilizing the power of the chaos ancestral talisman to begin purging the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Finger force from the wound on his left shoulder.

That power of death’s law was extremely troublesome, like a maggot on a bone. However, before the higher-level Chaos Origin, it was still slowly worn down and refined. Strands of pure death law fragments merged into his understanding of ’Guixu’ and ’Nirvana,’ actually adding a touch of grimness to his Chaos Sword Intent. Under the nourishment of Chaos Qi, the wound also began to heal slowly.

After dealing with his injuries, Ye Chen then carefully took out the incomplete map of the nirvana demonic palace.

The animal skin felt cold to the touch. The dark red lines on it seemed to be outlined by dried blood, emitting an ancient and chaotic aura. The momentary movement and sense of guidance from before had vanished, and the map roll had returned to tranquility. But Ye Chen could clearly feel that a subtle connection seemed to have been established between himself and this map, as if it were no longer a dead object but a slumbering living thing.

”Is it because I Cultivate Chaos power? Or is it because... I refined the Dao Rhyme and Demon Marks within that fragment?” Ye Chen speculated in his heart. The chaos ancestral talisman encompassed all laws; perhaps it was this quality that triggered this fragmentary map, which was clearly related to high-level Demonic Path laws.

He attempted to inject a strand of Chaos Protective Aura into the map.

”Buzz...”

The map roll once again emitted a faint dull yellow light, and the lines on the surface seemed to come alive, flowing slowly. The mark at the center of the map, resembling a demonic eye, became clear again and faintly pointed in a specific direction—the southeast!

Simultaneously, a vague fragment of images filled with Concepts of desolation, death, and Chaos flooded into his Sea of Consciousness: an endless sea of pale bones, twisted withered forests, the whistling soul-eroding yin wind, and deep within the bone sea, a massive pit that seemed capable of swallowing all light... ”White Bone Wasteland... Ancient Demon Burial Pit!” Ye Chen understood immediately. The final destination guided by this fragmentary map was precisely the perilous place the withered old man had mentioned, where a derelict ancient teleportation Formation might exist—the Ancient Demon Burial Pit deep within the White Bone Wasteland!

It seemed that to find clues for leaving the Demon Abyss or to explore the mysteries of this Nirvana Demon Palace, a trip to the White Bone Wasteland was unavoidable.

He carefully studied the route marked on the fragmentary map. The route was winding and circuitous, bypassing several areas marked with skulls that were clearly extremely dangerous, pointing toward the depths of the wasteland. This would undoubtedly save him a great deal of time and help him avoid many risks.

”I must set out as soon as possible,” Ye Chen decided. If he stayed in Filthy Earth Black City, the Black Fiend Cult’s revenge would come at any moment, and it would be even more powerful. His display of wealth at the auction had also inevitably attracted countless greedy gazes. This place had become a vortex of trouble and was not suitable for a long stay.

He needed to make some preparations. The environment of the White Bone Wasteland was treacherous; it was said that the ’soul-eroding yin wind’ within it could directly damage the Divine Soul, and the demon soldiers and generals under the Bone Demon Lord were incredibly ferocious. He needed to purchase some treasures or Talismans to resist Divine Soul attacks, as well as more detailed intelligence on the wasteland.

After adjusting his breathing for a moment until his injuries stabilized and his Protective Aura had mostly recovered, Ye Chen changed his attire again, restrained his aura, and quietly left the inn.

He did not go back to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, as the target there was too large. Instead, he went to some relatively inconspicuous but reputable shops and stalls in the city to buy several high-grade ’soul-fixing talismans’ and ’Heart-Clearing Pills’ in batches, as well as a brief intelligence Jade Slip regarding the latest movements in the White Bone Wasteland.

The intelligence showed that recently, many Cultivators had indeed flooded into the White Bone Wasteland, seemingly all related to the rumors of the Nirvana Demon Palace. Demonic creature activity on the outskirts of the wasteland had become more frequent, and some even claimed to have seen the figures of demon generals under the Bone Demon Lord. The situation was clearly becoming more complex and dangerous.

Just as Ye Chen finished his purchases and was preparing to return to the inn for a final rest before leaving the city under the cover of night, the chaos monitoring compass in his breast pocket sent another warning!

This time, the warning wasn’t directed at a specific enemy, but rather a sensation of... being peered at, of being locked on! It was as if a pair of invisible eyes were coldly watching his every move from the darkness!

Ye Chen’s heart tightened. He didn’t stop his pace, but his Divine Sense spread out quietly like a spiderweb, carefully sensing every trace of abnormality in his surroundings.

He didn’t find anyone from the Black Fiend Cult, nor the aura of any other obvious stalkers. But this feeling of being watched was like thorns in his back, lingering and impossible to shake off.

The opponent’s concealment methods were extremely sophisticated!

He remained calm and continued to weave through the complex streets and alleys, sometimes speeding up and sometimes pausing, trying to find the source of that peering. However, that sensation always persisted like a maggot on a bone, yet he couldn’t determine the specific location.

”It’s not people from the Black Fiend Cult... Who could it be? The force from the top-tier private box that bid against me at the end of the auction? Or... some other hidden force coveting the demonic palace fragment?” Ye Chen’s thoughts raced.

He felt that within this peering gaze was a cold, emotionless scrutiny, as if evaluating the value of prey. This was even more chilling than Wu Gang’s naked killing intent.

He had to shake them off as soon as possible!

Ye Chen’s gaze swept across a brightly lit, bustling large tavern ahead—’Song of Blood and Bone.’ This was one of the places in Filthy Earth Black City where news was most accessible and Chaos was most prevalent.

His figure flashed as he blended into the flow of people entering and exiting the tavern, instantly submerging himself into that clamor and Chaos.

The light inside the tavern was dim, and the air was thick with the mixed scent of low-quality alcohol, blood, and sweat. All sorts of Cultivators, demonic creatures, and alien races were indulging in revelry or whispering in secret. On the stage, several scantily clad dancers with numb expressions were swaying their bodies, while whistles and crude cheers erupted from the audience from time to time.

Ye Chen was like a swimming fish, quickly weaving through the crowded masses, using the noisy environment and complex flow of people to cover himself. He could feel that the sensation of being watched seemed to weaken slightly after entering the tavern, but it did not completely disappear.

The opponent was still following!

He crossed the hall and headed toward the back door. Just as he was about to push open the wooden door inscribed with a Restriction that led to the alley behind, another change occurred!

In a shadowed corner nearby, a burly man who had been slumped over a table, seemingly dead drunk, suddenly raised his head without any warning! There wasn’t a trace of drunkenness in his eyes, only a cold deadness and a suddenly erupting, intense killing intent!

”Whoosh!”

A streak of dark light that almost blended into the shadows shot out from his sleeve like a venomous snake, stabbing straight toward Ye Chen’s ribs! The speed was at the absolute limit and the angle was cunning and vicious—it was a full-strength sneak attack from an Eighth Layer Earth Fiend Realm Cultivator!

The timing of this sneak attack was grasped to perfection, occurring exactly at the moment when Ye Chen’s mind was preoccupied by the invisible peering and his vigilance was slightly relaxed in the noisy environment!

Just as the poisoned dark light was about to pierce into Ye Chen’s body—

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Ye Chen slightly tilted his body at an incredible angle a split second before the dark light hit!

”Ssh!”

The dark light grazed past his robes, slicing a hole in the tough fabric and sinking deep into the wall behind him, leaving a sizzling, black-smoke-emitting small hole!

And Ye Chen’s counterattack was even faster!

He didn’t even fully turn around; the elbow of his right arm, which was holding his sword, slammed backward as if mounted on a spring! At the tip of his elbow, Chaos Protective Aura condensed like a heavy hammer!

*Bang!*

A muffled thud! The chest of the assassin disguised as a drunkard caved in as if stepped on by a giant elephant! His eyes bulged, and blood mixed with internal organ fragments sprayed from his mouth. His body flew back like a tattered sack, knocking over several tables and chairs. After twitching a few times on the ground, he fell silent.

An instant kill!

The tavern fell silent for a moment, followed by even greater clamor and Chaos! Some cried out in surprise, some cursed, and many more watched coldly, some even with expressions of watching a good show.

Ye Chen didn’t even look at the assassin’s corpse. His gaze was like lightning as it shot toward an inconspicuous corner of the railing on the tavern’s second floor!

There was no one there.

But at the moment his gaze swept over it, that shadow-like sensation of being watched suddenly vanished!

Ye Chen’s face was grim. He was certain that the assassin just now and that invisible peeper were definitely not from the same party! The assassin was just a pawn being used, or perhaps cannon fodder sent by some force to test him! The true mastermind was still hidden in the shadows, like a venomous snake that could deliver a fatal strike at any time.

This Filthy Earth Black City truly had killing intent at every step!

He didn’t stay any longer, pushing open the back door and disappearing into the pitch-black alleyway outside.

He had to leave this place immediately! Head for the White Bone Wasteland!

The night, like thick ink, shrouded the city of sin and Chaos. And deeper darkness and danger were quietly waiting in the wasteland ahead.