Those fifteen people felt extremely conflicted, but one thing was clear—they didn’t want to die. So none of them dared speak; if they did, they’d be devoured, facing certain death.
Outside, more and more people were gathering. Elder Lewis Lu looked at the fifteen who had come out, then at Drake Long, and asked, "Are these the ones?"
"That's right, it's them," Drake Long replied.
Elder Lewis Lu nodded. "Don't be afraid. As long as you're not from the Devil Realm, nothing will happen to you. Or even if you're Devil Realm puppets, we'll find a way to purge that puppet mark."
Hearing that the puppet mark could be removed, the fifteen felt their emotions surge. Seeing their reactions, Drake Long was secretly alarmed—if this puppet art could be cleansed, wouldn't that mean they were no longer under control? With that thought, he tried to turn and leave, but Elder Lewis Lu called out, "Sect Master Drake, stay and watch with us."
With that, everyone made space. Then Sister Serenity stepped forward. Her appearance was indeed nun-like, though she wore a canopy on her head.
Yang Han was there too—not just him, but many others, including Terry Yang. Everyone wanted to know if there really were Devil Realm people present.
Elder Lewis Lu nodded to Sister Serenity, signaling her to begin.
Sister Serenity nodded, then tossed her prayer beads above the fifteen people's heads. Instantly, the beads radiated golden light, enveloping them all.
The fifteen looked at each other. At first, they felt nothing. The crowd outside was curious—what kind of trick was the Immortal Realm Alliance using?
Everyone watched the woman with curiosity.
After Sister Serenity’s golden light shone down, she muttered a few incantations. Then streaks of blue light mixed in with the gold, striking the fifteen. Their faces changed dramatically, and they writhed in agony on the ground.
Drake Long exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing to them?"
"It's nothing. They'll be fine soon, Sect Master Drake, don't worry," Sister Serenity said.
Drake Long seemed anxious for them, but in truth he was even more anxious for himself—if they really turned out fine, he’d be the one in trouble.
Elder Lewis Lu kept his eyes fixed on Drake Long, making sure he couldn’t leave.
This made Drake Long realize that Elder Lewis Lu suspected him—he just hadn’t acted yet.
The onlookers outside watched the lights and the expressions of those inside, still wondering what the Immortal Realm Alliance was up to.
But soon, it became clear. Black mist began to drift out of their bodies, gathering together and finally condensing onto the prayer beads.
Sister Serenity collected her prayer beads, the golden light faded, and the fifteen returned to normal.
Sister Serenity nodded to Elder Lewis Lu, indicating the process was finished.
Elder Lewis Lu nodded, looking at the fifteen. "You’re no longer puppets—you can speak about what happened to you now."
The fifteen didn’t dare try. What if speaking still meant death? Afraid the puppet mark hadn’t really been purged, they chose silence.
Elder Lewis Lu realized this wouldn’t work, so he said, "Whoever speaks first, I’ll let them join the Immortal Realm Alliance."
That promise was a huge temptation. The group looked at each other, until one finally spoke: "We were controlled by a Devil Realm emissary. He’s inside Immortal Peak Sect’s quarters."
Everyone was shocked, and the speaker, seeing he was unharmed, rejoiced: "I’m finally safe! I’m finally safe!"
The other fourteen regretted it—if they’d spoken, they would be the ones joining the Immortal Realm Alliance.
Elder Lewis Lu was delighted—this lifted a heavy weight from his heart. Not far away, a young woman stood watching. Yvonne Darkmoon, seeing all this, was thrilled too—it meant her father would soon be safe.
Just as Elder Lewis Lu was about to question Drake Long again, he realized Drake was gone. Alarmed, he called out, "Has anyone seen Sect Master Drake?"
Everyone looked around, only then realizing Sect Master Drake had vanished.
"Damn it, search inside!" Elder Lewis Lu feared the Devil Realm emissary might escape, so he rushed in, followed by a swarm of people.
They searched everywhere, finally arriving at a room. Just as Elder Lewis Lu was about to open the door, an explosion erupted inside—boom!
Those with weak cultivation near the blast were instantly reduced to ashes. Even some stronger ones who survived were invaded by demonic qi, suffering qi deviation, and cries of agony rang out.
Elder Lewis Lu held a small shield, which protected him. Now, before his eyes was a ruined room—around him, the casualties were heavy, and some had already begun showing signs of qi deviation from demonic qi invasion.
Even the slowest among them now realized there really was a Devil Realm presence here—and a powerful one. Just this brief encounter had already cost many lives.
Suddenly, a loud laugh echoed from above. "Immortal Realm Alliance, I didn’t expect you to discover me so quickly. But how do you like it? More died than I imagined."
Elder Lewis Lu searched for the source of the voice, but found nothing. He shouted angrily toward the sky, "If you have guts, leave your name!"
"My name? Fine, let it be known—I'm the Fire Envoy of the Five Elements from the Devil Realm. Remember it well!" the emissary laughed.
Those from the Immortal Realm who knew about the Devil Realm’s top experts were shocked. In the Devil Realm, below the Demon Lords, there were the Five Elements Envoys. Hearing that it was the Fire Envoy, their faces changed—if he acted alone and no one stopped him, he could sweep through most of the Immortal Realm.
Elder Lewis Lu knew he needed public support, so he spoke into the air: "Fire Envoy, I doubt you came to the Immortal Realm in person! Otherwise, your body would have been destroyed already."
"That’s right, my true body isn’t here. Otherwise, would I need to run? I’d have wiped you out already," the Fire Envoy sneered.
"Damn you, Fire Envoy! Today, you won’t escape. Even if it’s not your true body, I’ll destroy you!" Elder Lewis Lu said angrily.
"Destroy me? Let’s see what you’ve got. Don’t worry, I won’t leave this formation—I’ll watch you all die, one by one. And by the way, I’ve added a little something to this array. You can only leave when the time is up," the Fire Envoy laughed.
Everyone was alarmed and started asking if the formation was shut down or something. Elder Lewis Lu contacted the person in charge of the formation from the Eighth Faction. When he learned the array had stopped functioning and was out of control, he shouted, "Fire Envoy, fine! If you have the guts, wait right there. Once I find you, I’ll destroy you!"
"I’ll be waiting. Everyone, just take your time. Goodbye," the Fire Envoy laughed.
With that, he vanished, leaving everyone terrified. Now, such a powerful figure lurked in the shadows, and no one could escape.
Elder Lewis Lu knew things were getting out of hand, but he spoke up: "Everyone, don’t panic. The Fire Envoy’s explosive barrier is so powerful, it’ll take time to recover. In the meantime, help the major factions search for Devil Realm agents."
With Elder Lewis Lu’s reassurance, people gradually calmed down. Then, looking at their fallen friends and comrades, they could only show helpless expressions.
To better unite everyone, Elder Lewis Lu issued several orders, directing people to gather outside the Black Castle.
Many who feared for their lives had already given orders and moved outside the Black Castle.
Outside the Black Castle, crowds gathered instantly. Elder Lewis Lu and the faction leaders arranged for experts to guard the perimeter, not letting any Devil Realm agents approach. "What if he controls someone else and sneaks them in?" someone worried.
Sister Serenity spoke up, "Don’t worry. I’ve set up a barrier within five li of the Black Castle. If any Devil Realm agents approach, they’ll be revealed and restrained automatically."
"That’s good." Hearing Sister Serenity’s words, everyone relaxed, and quickly spread the news.
So all the sects and families who had come for the competition immediately relocated within that five-li radius.
Not only that, but the rogue cultivators who received the orders also moved there. Yang Han naturally went too.
Yvonne Darkmoon found Elder Lewis Lu, who was trying to track down the Devil Realm emissary, and said, "Elder Lewis Lu, can you release my father now?"
"Ah, I almost forgot. I’ll let the Eighth Faction know right away," Elder Lewis Lu nodded, then went to inform the Eighth Faction and the others. They realized Yvonne’s information had been correct, so they released Damien Darkmoon.
When Damien Darkmoon learned what had happened outside, he sighed, "I didn’t expect so much to happen in such a short time."
"We really have to thank Miss Yvonne’s information. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known about the Devil Realm puppets in Immortal Peak Sect," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"A mysterious invisible person has always helped us. For example, when General Long tried to target my father last time, it was this person who helped," Yvonne Darkmoon said proudly.
Damien Darkmoon recalled that someone had indeed helped from the shadows that day, but even he hadn’t been able to detect it. He’d considered the helper a true expert. Now, hearing Yvonne’s words, Damien mused, "I’d really like to know who this invisible person is."
"Me too," Elder Lewis Lu laughed.
Yvonne Darkmoon sighed, "Too bad he won’t show himself. I’ve begged so many times, but he just won’t come out—he only sends me notes."
"If such a master doesn’t want to appear, we won’t force it. Right now, our priority is to ensure everyone’s safety before the array reopens," Damien Darkmoon said.
"Yes, Sister Serenity has already set up an array, though its range is limited. But it should keep everyone inside safe," Elder Lewis Lu said.
"Too bad we didn’t catch the Fire Envoy. Otherwise, we might have learned who else from the Devil Realm has entered the Immortal Realm," Damien Darkmoon mused.
"That’s right. I’ve already reported everything. I believe reinforcements will arrive soon to help us break the array," Elder Lewis Lu said.
Just then, a guard rushed over to where the three were talking. "Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong!" he shouted.