Chapter 481 - 364: Fire Qilin? Battle with the Celestial Nether Sword Sect Prodigy

No one knew how long this passage stretched on. Lin Chang’sheng and the others kept walking deeper, but it seemed like they’d never reach the end.

"What’s going on here?"

Zhou Qibai couldn’t help but ask. If they kept walking like this, who knew when they’d be done?

"Could this be another maze array? Why do I keep feeling like we’re walking in circles?"

Hou Shaojie voiced his doubts too, because he was starting to recognize places they’d already walked through.

This left Lin Chang’sheng a bit stumped as well.

He’d studied arrays enough to reach entry level, knew a thing or two about the grand arrays,

but he still wasn’t at perfection—he couldn’t fully comprehend this one.

"Why don’t we just make a mark and see?"

Yu Tingting waved her sword aura against the stone wall nearby, slashing out a symbol. Every time they walked a bit farther, she’d mark the wall again.

But after they’d walked for half an hour, they noticed they’d somehow wound up back at the starting point.

"Looks like this really is an illusion array. Getting out of here won’t be easy!"

Zhou Qibai frowned.

Every year, the first round of the Celestial Pride List contest was different—but it was always tough.

If it were easy, how would you test who’s really the best of the best?

"It’s an illusion array, alright. Eyeing the path won’t break it!"

Xiaobai’s voice echoed in Lin Chang’sheng’s mind.

The Nine-tailed Demon Fox was reputed for its mastery of such arrays, so it knew what it was talking about.

Hearing Xiaobai’s advice, Lin Chang’sheng immediately had everyone close their eyes and use divine sense to guide themselves.

Lin Chang’sheng led the way, Hou Shaojie and Zhao Shuang’Er right behind, then Zhou Qibai and Yu Tingting, with the rest of the celestial prides trailing at the end.

Just then, Lin Chang’sheng was clearly the leader—whatever he said, no one argued.

After all, nobody else had any better ideas.

When everyone shut their eyes and released their divine sense, the passage started to look different.

Lin Chang’sheng walked forward about a hundred meters and ended up heading straight for a stone wall.

Just as he was about to run headlong into the wall, a wave shimmered across it—and Lin Chang’sheng passed right through, vanishing from sight.

Soon, the rest also slipped through the wall and disappeared into the passage.

By the time Xiang Tian arrived, the place was already empty.

"Was it really an illusion array?"

Xiang Tian’s heart skipped a beat. If he’d been stuck here, he’d never have figured out a way to break it.

Who would’ve thought Lin Chang’sheng was this sharp?

Xiang Tian followed their lead, closed his eyes, and used his divine sense to find the way.

Soon enough, he found the exit, crashed into a wall, watched ripples spread—and vanished.

No one knew how long they’d been walking when Lin Chang’sheng finally saw a huge stone chamber ahead, prompting him to slowly open his eyes.

The others opened theirs too.

The stone chamber was about the size of two soccer fields, with a massive stone altar at its center, and a strange statue set atop the altar.

The statue stood three zhang tall—its head was like a deer, horns like a bull, tail resembling a fish, and claws like a dragon.

It was a bizarre sight, not something people saw every day.

"That’s a Qilin statue! Why would it be here?"

Yu Tingting recognized it at once!

"Enough curiosity—don’t invite trouble. The passage out is over there. Follow me!"

Lin Chang’sheng noticed another exit across the chamber and planned to lead everyone straight through and out of there.

No one could tell if there was another array or some hidden threat waiting here.

Better safe than sorry.

But a few young cultivators ignored Lin Chang’sheng’s warning, insisting on a closer look at the statue. One of them even reached out to touch it.

"Ah—!"

The second a disciple’s palm made contact with the Qilin statue, sharp bits of stone sliced into his hand, drawing a bright stream of blood.

The blood dripped onto the statue, causing cracks to spider across its surface.

"W-what’s happening?"

The disciple didn’t have a clue. Was this not just a statue?

Could it really be a sealed, living Qilin?

Turns out, he was right—this Qilin had been trapped here by a grand array, and once awakened, it would become a ruthless beast, slaughtering every living thing in sight.

"Move it, now!"

Lin Chang’sheng was utterly speechless. He’d told them not to cause trouble, and yet someone had to go looking for it.

Without another word, Lin Chang’sheng bolted toward the exit in the rock wall.

The rest scrambled to escape too.

No one knew just how strong the Qilin might be—if it was too powerful, they might never get out alive.

RUMBLE—

In less than three breaths, all the stones covering the Qilin fell away, revealing its true form.

The fierce beast stood three zhang high, its whole body crimson and ablaze with fierce flames—it was a Fire Qilin.

What ripped open the disciple’s hand wasn’t mere stone, but the scales on the Fire Qilin itself.

Those scales were tough and sharp as dragon scales.

ROAR—

The Fire Qilin woke with a furious bellow, venting all its pent-up rage.

The roar rocked the chamber, making the whole stone room shake violently.

Then the Fire Qilin lunged forward, flattening a disciple on the ground and tearing him apart in an instant.

Even a Divinity Transformation cultivator’s body was nothing but paper in its grasp, utterly defenseless.

"Soul-Splitting Martial Seal Palm!"

"Infinite Mountain Shattering Fist!"

"Sword Waves Over Heaven!"

....

The rest of the disciples unleashed powerful immortal techniques in a desperate bid to hold off the Fire Qilin.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Their countless attacks struck the Fire Qilin with deafening thunder, but all they managed to do was push it back a few steps—without causing any real harm.

"That Fire Qilin is at least Late Stage Void Refining—it’s way out of your league. Run!"