"Ah..." Tammy Tang let out a startled cry, then immediately fell silent.
She had never been to Celestial Beyond, but she knew how powerful the Sacred Dao Sect was there. Not just her—every disciple of the Phoenix Clan understood this. Although the Sacred Dao Sect never bullied others with their power, Tammy Tang knew that in Celestial Beyond, only disciples of the Sacred Dao Sect bullied others; no one dared bully the Sacred Dao Sect’s disciples. The reason was simple: the Sacred Dao Sect had Lord Ye.
Even if the place they were now wasn't exactly within Celestial Beyond, it couldn't be far. Since they were in the vicinity of Celestial Beyond, and even the bodies of Sacred Dao Sect disciples were being discarded so carelessly into the array foundation, it was clear that the changes in Celestial Beyond were far greater than she had imagined.
Vera Tang and Tammy Tang both fell silent; obviously, Vera Tang also knew this must be near Celestial Beyond. If, even in the vicinity of Celestial Beyond, someone dared to throw Sacred Dao Sect disciples into the array foundation, it clearly meant her brother was in trouble—or, at the very least, he couldn’t resolve what was happening here.
If even her brother couldn’t resolve it, Vera Tang had no idea who could.
After a long silence, Tammy Tang finally said, "No wonder Nora from the Primordial World dared to say she would merge all our realms into the Primordial World. It turns out they've been running wild in Celestial Beyond to this extent."
"Sister Tammy, I want to go out and take a look right away. Otherwise..."
Tammy Tang understood exactly what Vera Tang was about to say. She interrupted before Vera could finish, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you expect me to just wait here for you? Since we’re here, we’ll go together. The Phoenix Clan’s Saintess Hanhuang has a close relationship with Lord Ye. If something happens to Lord Ye, the Phoenix Clan won’t be spared either. Do you think I can just hide here and feel at ease?"
Vera Tang quickly said, "Sister Tammy, I’m not asking you to hide. It’s just that if both of us are exposed and something happens, then there’ll be no one left to send word out."
Tammy Tang gave a self-deprecating smile. "If this were in the old days, our realm would still have a few strong cultivators. At least Lord Ye could stand up for us, and no one would dare refuse him. But now, Lord Ye might be in trouble too, and even Sacred Dao Sect disciples are being slaughtered and thrown into the array foundation at will. Who else can we turn to? Even if we leave one behind, what’s the point? Who would we send word to?"
...
Just as Vera Tang had said, her Realmbreaker Array Disk could not only break through an entire realm, but tearing through a protective array was as effortless as breathing.
With a gentle activation, a soft white light split open the tightly woven array foundation. The two women stepped through the light, and in the next moment, found themselves outside the array.
To Vera Tang and Tammy Tang's surprise, they had emerged into a grand hall. Nine massive pillars stood in the hall, and at their center was an altar—clearly the site of a sacrificial array.
In that instant, Vera Tang and Tammy Tang understood why there were so many corpses beneath the array foundation. All those bodies had been sacrificed here. To dare use Sacred Dao Sect disciples as offerings in such a grand array—this spelled grave danger for the sect.
A cultivator at the Transformation Realm sat in a corner of the hall. When he saw Tammy Tang and Vera Tang step out from the array foundation, he almost thought he was seeing things.
But in less than a breath, he reacted and cried out, "Someone’s breached the array!"
Immediately, the Transformation Realm cultivator slapped the alarm beside him to signal an intruder.
Tammy Tang and Vera Tang realized at the same time that their inexperience had cost them dearly. Had they been more seasoned, they would have killed or at least subdued the cultivator before he could raise the alarm.
Though the Transformation Realm cultivator was some distance away, the gap in cultivation was so great that if they had acted immediately, they could have killed him before he had a chance to react.
Unfortunately, their moment of hesitation cost them the chance.
"Vera, hurry! Let's go!" Realizing their chance was gone, Tammy Tang grabbed Vera Tang and dashed out of the hall.
"You think you can just walk away after breaching the Celestial Beyond’s guardian array?" Just as Vera Tang and Tammy Tang rushed out, a chilling voice echoed in their ears. A man dressed in white appeared within their divine sense.
He was undoubtedly a Half-Step Dao Fusion Realm powerhouse. Despair surged in Vera Tang and Tammy Tang’s hearts. They were only at the early Hunyuan stage; against a Half-Step Dao Fusion, they weren’t even worthy sacrifices. Worse still, behind him, two more late-stage Hunyuan experts were approaching.
Vera Tang didn’t bother looking at the Half-Step Dao Fusion cultivator rushing toward her. Her divine sense swept the street—there were plenty of cultivators, though far fewer than the bustling Celestial Beyond she remembered.
Hundreds of distant onlookers watched with sympathy, clearly aware of the fate awaiting those who entered the Nine-Pillar Array in Celestial Beyond. Knowing there was no way out, Vera Tang didn’t hesitate—she plunged straight into the crowd.
"Trying to run?" Just as Vera Tang dove into the crowd, a giant handprint swept toward her. Under the pressure of the opponent’s divine essence, she could barely struggle forward a few steps.
...
From the moment Vera Tang and Tammy Tang arrived in Celestial Beyond to the moment they were captured, only a dozen breaths had passed.
All around, the cultivators lowered their heads, not daring to look at Vera Tang and Tammy Tang as they were taken away. One small, frightened female cultivator shrank into the crowd, keeping her head down. Only after the white-clad powerhouse had left with the two women did she dare to glance nervously around.
After confirming no one was watching, the petite female cultivator quickly slipped away.
Only when she reached her tiny room did she finally breathe a little easier. She set up a barrier and took out an object from her palm.
It was nothing but a small fragment of a jade slip, inscribed with a single line: "If one day a knife-carrying cultivator named Joe Di arrives in Celestial Beyond, tell him we've been captured—Vera Tang. He can help you shape the Dao, and even nurture it."
...
Vera Tang didn’t bother looking at the Half-Step Dao Fusion cultivator rushing toward her. Her divine sense swept the street—there were plenty of cultivators, though far fewer than the bustling Celestial Beyond she remembered.
Hundreds of distant onlookers watched with sympathy, clearly aware of the fate awaiting those who entered the Nine-Pillar Array in Celestial Beyond. Knowing there was no way out, Vera Tang didn’t hesitate—she plunged straight into the crowd.
"Trying to run?" Just as Vera Tang dove into the crowd, a giant handprint swept toward her. Under the pressure of the opponent’s divine essence, she could barely struggle forward a few steps.
...
From the moment Vera Tang and Tammy Tang arrived in Celestial Beyond to the moment they were captured, only a dozen breaths had passed.
All around, the cultivators lowered their heads, not daring to look at Vera Tang and Tammy Tang as they were taken away. One small, frightened female cultivator shrank into the crowd, keeping her head down. Only after the white-clad powerhouse had left with the two women did she dare to glance nervously around.
After confirming no one was watching, the petite female cultivator quickly slipped away.
Only when she reached her tiny room did she finally breathe a little easier. She set up a barrier and took out an object from her palm.
It was nothing but a small fragment of a jade slip, inscribed with a single line: "If one day a knife-carrying cultivator named Joe Di arrives in Celestial Beyond, tell him we've been captured—Vera Tang. He can help you shape the Dao, and even nurture it."
...