Chapter 671: Array Loopholes, Entangled Causality

As Lin Yu expected, the Taoist temple Mystic Cloud Master mentioned was exactly the one that Seagull and the other two had seen before.

This immediately made Snowy Owl, Seagull, and High Mountain wary and suspicious.

"Master Mystic Cloud, the mountain bandits' stronghold sits right next to your temple. Why have you turned a blind eye to it all these years?"

High Mountain, being the most straightforward among them, asked bluntly.

After all, Mystic Cloud Master came from a prestigious orthodox sect, and it was his duty to eliminate demons and uphold righteousness—bandits terrorizing the region like that should have been dealt with too.

Mystic Cloud Master sighed. "The reason for this is tied to why I’m alone in these mountains. You’ll understand once we arrive."

He continued, "The Taiqing Sect currently has over three hundred disciples active across the Two Mountains, Six Hells. Do you know how many demons at the Twelve-String level alone exist within those Six Hells?"

None of the six could answer, since they knew little about the Prison Mountain Realm.

On Lin Yu’s side, unless Old Zheng spoke up or Shen Bingmiao’s little guide mentioned it, he was in the dark too.

Seeing no one could answer, Mystic Cloud Master went on, "According to the Four Great Daoist Sects’ records, the number of active Twelve-String demons that have been confirmed alive is over three thousand!"

Hearing this, even though the group had mentally prepared for a large number, they were still shocked.

"Three thousand?!"

A Twelve-String demon was no ordinary minor fiend. Even Sanyang, a demon leader who ruled a mountain and commanded a territory, was only at the Seven-String level!

Though the Prison Mountain Realm was vast, with countless peaks rising everywhere, three thousand Twelve-String demons... was still far too many.

"How has humanity even survived in this world?"

Li Nian couldn’t help muttering the question.

"From what we’ve seen along the way, not much survival going on."

Seagull cracked a dark joke.

Mystic Cloud Master said, "Exactly. That’s one reason why I’m the only one stationed near Twin Saw Mountain now. Although the seal here is weakening, in the grand scheme of the Two Mountains, Six Hells... it’s not considered an urgent crisis yet."

He sighed. "The Deqing Temple sent people twice before, but they’re ultimately a second-rate sect. The cultivators they dispatched lacked sufficient insight and cultivation—they couldn’t see the truth. The Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord is no ordinary demon; its abilities excel at concealment, and its nature is insidious in the extreme."

Along the way, the old Taoist spoke unhurriedly, and soon they arrived at the temple.

"Everyone, we’re here!"

Mystic Cloud Master announced, then stopped in front of the temple.

Lin Yu looked up and examined it.

As expected...

"This temple is identical to the one we saw before!"

Flying Knife couldn’t help exclaiming, his voice laced with unease.

"What... what’s going on here?"

Feeling something eerie, Flying Knife stopped at the entrance, unwilling to go inside.

Lin Yu chimed in, "Indeed, Senior Mystic Cloud. Your temple here is exactly the same as one we saw inside Twin Saw Mountain not long ago."

Mystic Cloud Master turned to Lin Yu, seemingly unsurprised. "So you found that temple inside Twin Saw Mountain too."

"Young friend, don’t worry. This is my method for restraining the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord," Mystic Cloud Master said with a calm smile. "There are five such temples—one inside Twin Saw Mountain and one on each of the four surrounding peaks."

"Although our founder’s array was exquisitely designed, and I dare not tamper with the original formation, I can still modify a new formation on top of it," Mystic Cloud Master explained, a hint of shame in his voice. "But this formation can only restrict the Demon Lord’s main body’s movements... Over the years, many merchant caravans passing through and residents living here have fallen victim."

As he spoke, Mystic Cloud Master pushed open the temple door.

Lin Yu nodded and followed him inside without hesitation.

After all, he could sense that Mystic Cloud Master wasn’t lying or putting on a show—his mind harbored no malice toward their group.

The interior of this temple was identical to the one before—even the damage to the deity statues and the wear on the floor were nearly the same.

Lin Yu quietly slipped around to the back courtyard, where, sure enough, a skeleton dressed in tattered Taoist robes sat withered in the yard!

Seeing the bones, Lin Yu asked again.

"Senior Mystic Cloud, this temple isn’t five separate buildings you constructed—it’s truly the same one, isn’t it?"

Mystic Cloud Master nodded. "Young friend, your observation and insight are sharp... The five temples on different peaks are indeed one and the same."

"I only built the one inside Twin Saw Mountain. The other four temples appeared because I turned the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord’s own abilities against it."

"You’ve likely seen some of the Demon Lord’s powers by now. Besides releasing those spider silks and its subordinate spider demons, its core ability is to make people vanish without a trace, then turn them into puppets."

"Although the Taiqing Sect’s records are vague on this, after decades of dealing with it in these mountains, I’ve roughly figured out its most fundamental ability," Mystic Cloud Master said solemnly. "It’s a natural talent called 'Causality Silk.' This demon can use its spider silk to rewrite a person’s past."

"The deeper your causal entanglement with it, and the shallower your own causal web, the easier you fall victim. The only defense is to hold firm to your true self—if you notice any deviation in your memories, you must immediately recall your real past and re-sort your causality."

"It doesn’t truly alter someone’s past experiences, but it can deceive Heaven’s Dao and others... It’s like overlaying a fabricated past of falsehood onto the truth."

"And this ability consumes a person’s living soul—once it fully overwrites your past, that soul becomes a puppet at its mercy."

"This is why I haven’t reported to the Taiqing Sect, nor dared to spread this matter widely. For years, the Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord has been trying to free itself by rewriting its own past."

"But altering the past is a profound act against Heaven’s will, so it needs a massive number of living souls. The closer those souls are tied to its imprisonment—like us Taiqing Sect members—the more effective they are for its modifications."

Mystic Cloud Master paused, then continued, "I turned this against it. I made no resistance, actively letting the demon devour my past."

"What it doesn’t know is that I’ve also cultivated my innate technique, the 'Incarnation Beyond Self.' After it devoured 'Mystic Cloud Master,' I immediately activated my incarnation, letting my true body perish along with the Dao, while triggering the formation I had set up!"

"In the end, the 'Mystic Cloud Master' puppet it created died instantly, and the formation activated at the moment of death, sealing the four loopholes in its own manufactured 'past' arrays!"