Chapter 283

Chapter 283: Escape from the Starfield Plain

One was a black fog that watched her Nascent Soul like a predator. The other was her own flame, keeping the fog in line so it did not dare to act up. One red and one black formed a strange balance.

Shen Sang Ruo was about to speak about this when the space around them shook hard. Her words changed as she snapped, “This place is about to collapse, leave first!”

With Ya Lan dead, the Formation that trapped them had vanished. Leaving was no problem. She scooped up the Dodder Flower Sprite, the Giant Beetle, and the Swift Snails, then told the Snake Maiden, “Change back to Little Shi.”

The Snake Maiden did not hesitate and shrank at once. Holding Little Shi in her arms, Shen Sang Ruo swung the Luan Feather Fan. Borrowing the wind, she shot upward.

Because the space was collapsing, bits of light showed overhead. Shen Sang Ruo was now sure this space was underground, so she flew faster. Near the top, she flung the Luan Feather Fan forward. Its feathers spread, each sharp as a blade, and cut open a hole just wide enough for them to pass. As they slipped through, the feathers came together again as a fan and returned to her hand. The whole move was smooth and clean.

Little Shi’s eyes shone as she said, “Wow, Elder Sister, that was amazing.”

The space was close to breaking fully. After flying out from underground, Shen Sang Ruo glanced down without thinking. The light she cast fell into the abyss, and she seemed to see some blurry Shadow Wraiths. She frowned, but before she could see clearly, the space collapsed completely, leaving a deep pit. A chain reaction started, and the nearby ground, which had looked solid, began to cave into that pit, spreading toward other parts of the Starfield Plain. The soil loosened, and the Devil Qi hidden below burst out everywhere.

Around her Nascent Soul, the black fog grew excited and flitted wildly, but the flame caught it and punished it, and it shrank back. [So this was Ya Lan’s plan, paving the way to take the whole Starfield Plain.]

“Leave the Starfield Plain first,” she decided, not stopping at all. The ground was collapsing, so the Swift Snails were no use.

“I know where the Barrier Ward is, over there,” Little Shi said from her arms, pointing the way.

Others in the plain also saw the disaster and rushed toward the outside along the silken lines of their flying tools. Shen Sang Ruo flew fast, not only to lessen the Devil Qi’s effect, but also to stop Immortal Lord Chang Li and the others. [I have to keep them from breaking the Barrier Ward.] If she was in danger, they would try anything, even breaking it by force. She only hoped it had not been broken yet. Without it, the Devil Qi inside would spread outside, which would be a big problem.

On the other side, Elders from all the sects were teaming up to hit the weakest part of the Barrier Ward. Immortal Lord Chang Li and Master Ling Xiao stood at the front, their faces grim. Two Late Divine Transformation Cultivators were using their full power. The force was so heavy that people nearby could barely stand. They were holding nothing back to break the Barrier Ward. Power like this could destroy the Warding Seal protecting a top sect, yet this Barrier Ward still did not move.

When they felt the ground shake and guessed something huge had happened inside the Starfield Plain, Immortal Lord Chang Li and Master Ling Xiao looked at each other and poured out even more Spiritual Power. The others clenched their teeth and did the same. At last, the Barrier Ward began to loosen.

Just as they caught their breath and prepared for one last strike, Shen Sang Ruo appeared in their sight. Immortal Lord Chang Li and Daoist Wu Wei lit up with joy. Seeing they were about to break the Barrier Ward, she shouted, “Do not break the Barrier Ward! There is a large amount of Devil Qi in the Starfield Plain!”

At her words, the Elders stopped at once, and the Barrier Ward steadied. Shen Sang Ruo let out a breath. “Good thing I made it in time.”

She carried Little Shi through the Barrier Ward. While flying just now, she had taken a moment to form a bond with Little Shi. With Devil Qi spreading in the Starfield Plain, she could not leave Little Shi alone, so she made a Bonding Contract. Little Shi was over the moon. She could not wait to run into the sea of consciousness to greet Zhu Miao and Kui Ox, but Shen Sang Ruo pulled her back. Business came first.

As soon as Shen Sang Ruo landed, everyone crowded around. Immortal Lord Chang Li and Daoist Wu Wei swept her up and down with Divine Sense several times. Only after they confirmed she was fine did they relax. Master Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen were overjoyed and stepped forward to check on her, calling, “Sang Ruo,” but the two in front blocked them. The pair stomped in frustration and tried to push through, but others hurried up as well, asking Shen Sang Ruo about what had happened.

Ming Xi asked first, “What happened inside the Starfield Plain? Why is there Devil Qi?”

Daoist Wu Wei echoed her, tugging his beard as he said, “Yes, your thread of silk snapped all of a sudden, it almost scared this old man to death. Your master was about to lose his mind.”

In this situation, Master Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen could not chase personal grudges. They had to let it go for now.

Shen Sang Ruo did not even look their way. She briskly summed it up: “After I found the Spirit Veins and Spirit Springs, a mass of Devil Qi dragged me away and cut my contact with the outside of the Barrier Ward. There is a sealed Great Devil inside. He has lurked there for a long time and wanted the Divine Soul Power I found, so he could break the seal and keep causing trouble in the Cultivation World.”

The scene went silent, then gasps and anger broke out. All eyes swung to the side. The Ziwei Pavilion Master and the other Auction Pavilion Masters hunched their necks. How could they have known there was a Great Devil inside? They thought it was at worst a Ferocious Beast. It was like opening a special, hidden danger box.

When they heard the words Great Devil, Daoist Wu Wei and Immortal Lord Chang Li seemed to think of something and traded a look. They had already confirmed the Great Devil Shen Sang Ruo spoke of was Ya Lan, the head of the Devil Cultivators back then, who was known for Soul Methods.

Immortal Lord Chang Li asked, voice tight with worry, “Where is the Great Devil now? How did you escape? Was your soul hurt?” Damage to the soul could not be checked by Divine Sense.

Little Shi spoke lightly: “She ate him. Do not worry.” Only then did people notice the unknown little Miss in her arms, but they cared more about what she had said.

Daoist Wu Wei scratched his beard and asked, “What do you mean by ate?”

“It is literal,” Shen Sang Ruo explained, her tone calm: “He tried to devour my soul, and I devoured him in return.”

The crowd drew sharp breaths. In their eyes, Shen Sang Ruo rose to a new, frightening level. She added, “He had lurked for years, and the ground under the Starfield Plain is full of Devil Qi. After I devoured him, the ground kept collapsing, and the Devil Qi was released everywhere.”