Evan Yang smiled and said, "That's true." "Have you ever seen some lifelike murals?" asked the Immortal Painter. "Lifelike murals?" Evan looked at the Immortal Painter, puzzled.
"Exactly, lifelike murals. Sometimes when you look at a painting, it feels like it's moving, but not in the usual way," said the Immortal Painter.
After hearing this, Evan said, "I get it now." He recalled several murals—sometimes they seemed so real. Now, with the Immortal Painter's explanation, he realized those murals were connected to Painting Arrays.
"These murals are a type of Painting Array, and the higher-level the mural, the more lifelike it is. Many major sects and clans use murals to pass on techniques to their most promising descendants," said the Immortal Painter.
"So that's how it works. If you learn Painting Arrays, does that mean you can see and understand everything inside the murals?" Evan asked curiously. "Not necessarily. Some murals are very powerful—they're not so easily deciphered," replied the Immortal Painter.
Evan nodded, indicating he understood.
Seeing Evan understood, the Immortal Painter smiled and said, "Since you get it, next you'll learn some Painting Arrays from me. Let's see how quick you are." "Master, bring it on," Evan replied.
"Alright, learn well." The Immortal Painter said, then began explaining step by step, including how to set up Painting Arrays. Evan studied slowly; thanks to his foundation in formations, he learned Painting Arrays very quickly. He also realized that so-called beasts in the arrays required using certain parts of the beast to form them—it wasn't just about imagining whatever you wanted.
Clara Snow didn't stay outside long before returning to her cave. She moved her bed aside, revealing a painting. Then she took out five stones, placing them at the painting's five corners. After a moment, the painting started to move, and a ring of light shot upward. But since this was a cave, the light was blocked.
Soon, an image appeared in the light ring. A man with a flushed face looked at Clara and said, "Miss, where exactly are you? When are you coming back?"
"I don't have time to explain right now. You must relay what I'm about to say to the Elders' Council of the Immortal Realm Alliance," Clara said.
"Miss, what's so urgent?" the flushed-faced man asked.
"Just do as I say—don't ask about anything else," Clara replied.
"Alright, Miss, just give the orders," said the flushed-faced man.
Clara then explained everything about the Devil-Fiend Well and the Fiend Realm. Hearing this, the flushed-faced man was shocked: "Miss, is this true?"
"Yes, go now," Clara said, then cut off the Painting Array. The scene returned to calm. She picked up the five stones and sighed, "Looks like I can still use it a few more times."
After finishing, Clara returned to wait at the Immortal Painter's place. Time slowly passed—almost a month had gone by. Clara grew anxious; if things kept dragging on, she'd miss her last chance.
As time ticked by and the final days approached, Clara became more and more anxious. The day before the month's end, unable to wait any longer, she rushed inside, hoping to find them—only to accidentally stumble into a Painting Array.
Inside, the Immortal Painter was discussing things with Evan Yang. Sensing the disturbance outside, he smiled, "Looks like someone couldn't wait any longer."
"It's almost been a month—I almost forgot," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Alright, go on. Remember what I said," the Immortal Painter instructed.
Evan Yang nodded, "Don't worry, Master. I'll definitely remember what you said, and I'll work hard to combine formations and Painting Arrays—one day I'll achieve the strongest fusion of both."
"With that promise, I'm at ease. Go," the Immortal Painter said with a smile.
Evan nodded and left. The Immortal Painter watched his back and muttered, "A true genius—he even knows formations, and he picked up Painting Arrays so easily."
After leaving the Immortal Painter's place, Evan arrived at an outer Painting Array. Seeing Clara Snow there, he smiled, "Let's go."
Then, Evan pulled Clara out of the painting. Clara, amazed at how easily Evan escaped the Painting Array, asked, "You learned it?"
"Pretty much," Evan replied with a smile.
"Then let's hurry," Clara said. She had no time to wait for Evan to delay—she quickly dragged him away.
Soon, Evan and Clara arrived at the inn where they'd stayed before. The original group had already gathered there. When they saw Evan, their expressions turned strange.
"Who is he?" a young man asked.
"He's new—he's going to help us find that thing," Clara explained. "Just him? He doesn't seem reliable," the young man said. The others also looked curiously at Clara and Evan.
Seeing their strange looks, Clara smiled. "He'll help us. There are some things we'll need his help with later."
"Could he be from Demon Mountain?" the young man asked suspiciously, eyeing Evan.
Clara shook her head. "Impossible. Don't worry, everyone."
"Nothing's impossible. If someone from Demon Mountain is in our group, we could all die without even knowing how," the young man said. The others nodded in agreement.
"Stop guessing. He's fine. If you trust me, bring him along. If not, forget it—we'll cancel the plan," Clara said.
Hearing that, the group panicked, especially the young man. "Wait, don't cancel! We'll agree. We just hope the person you brought isn't a problem." "No problem," Clara replied. "Let's discuss tomorrow's roles."
"Alright, let's start," the young man said.
Clara thought for a moment, then said, "Let's do it like last time. He'll come with me—that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"That's best. We'll stick to the original plan and hope we don't run into any more bad luck," the young man said.
"Yeah, that's right. We'll definitely make it," someone said.
The others nodded, feeling as if victory was already within reach. Clara, however, felt a bit uneasy, afraid something might go wrong. She quickly calmed herself. Everyone stayed together, while Evan remained silent—Clara spoke for him the whole time.
This chapter isn't over ^.^, please click the next page to continue reading!
Soon, they reached the outskirts of the Demoncloud Zone and gathered together to wait for the right time.
"When do we go?" Evan asked curiously. "In two hours. Up ahead, there's an area that's busy—meaning the lightning sense won't trigger there. We just need to cross that zone. The Demoncloud Legion only appears when there's thunder," Clara explained.
Evan smiled, "I see. No wonder you don't get hit by lightning."
"Yeah, just wait. This only happens once a month, and the window is short—just a quarter of an hour. We have to get inside and find the thing within that time. Just stick with me," Clara said.
Evan nodded and waited. Time passed quickly, and when the moment arrived, Clara said, "Move out."
The group headed into the designated area. Evan followed Clara, and they quickly crossed the lightning zone—unlike last time, no lightning struck.
After entering the inner region, Clara separated from the others, with Evan naturally following her. The two circled the wire-like barriers, searching for something.
"What does that thing look like?" Evan asked curiously.
"It's eight-sided—a magical artifact. The Demoncloud Legion is controlled by it," Clara explained.
"Where is it usually found?" Evan asked. "Some say it's around the Demoncloud Zone, so it should be nearby. We're splitting up to search—if we don't leave within a quarter of an hour, we'll be trapped," Clara said.
"I'll help you search," Evan replied.
They began searching. Not far away, a woman watched them and smiled, "How interesting. I wonder what Old Demoncloud will do when he finds out? Heh."
That woman was none other than Xiao Xiang. If Evan saw her, he'd be utterly shocked.
Meanwhile, Evan and Clara searched quickly. Evan was curious—where did the Demoncloud Legion usually hide? Surely they didn't just appear out of nowhere. He wanted to ask, but seeing Clara pressed for time, he held back. He realized only by helping her get the artifact could he learn how to enter the Demoncloud Zone.
Evan unleashed countless strands of spiritual sense—like tens of thousands of people searching at once. Soon, he spotted something. When he saw it, he was stunned: "How big is that thing?"
"I don't know. I've never seen it," Clara replied.
"I think I might have found it," Evan said.
"Oh? What did you find?" Clara asked curiously.
"Come with me," Evan said. Knowing time was tight, he quickly led Clara to the spot. Once they reached an open area, he said, "We're here."
"Here? For what?" Clara asked in confusion.
"Look above your head—and under your feet," Evan said.
Clara listened, glancing down. She noticed a shadow and grew curious. Then she looked up and saw a gigantic object hanging overhead, suspended in this area. From outside, it looked just like a cloud—no one could tell what was inside.
Seeing this, Clara was stunned. "That must be it! But it's so big—how do we move it?" "With a spatial ring," Evan replied.
"That's right, I almost forgot. Let's do it," Clara said.
Evan flew up and examined the Eight-Faced Mirror. It was enormous—ten meters tall—hanging in midair and emitting black mist. Even more surprising, Evan saw the shadows of many people moving inside, as if they had no idea what was happening outside.