Chapter 956: Break Free

After Ye Mo's statement, the voice turned frigid. “So you’ve been deceiving me? You have what you wanted, yet refuse to open the ruin?”

The two sentences sent a shiver down Ye Mo's spine. The power was palpable, but he quickly composed himself. “Deceiving you? Don't play the victim. I find your constant references to a 'ruin,' while never mentioning a 'seal,' disgusting. From start to finish, you schemed to trick me into opening the seal. I discovered these items; I never asked you for them. How is that deception?”

The voice fell silent. Ye Mo had indeed never directly solicited the items; the voice simply hadn't considered that.

The voice abandoned the argument, laughing. “Open my seal, and I swear I won't harm you; I'll let you leave. I possess many treasures. I'll give them all to you.

If you refuse, in a few years, I'll open the seal myself. You'll be my first victim. Even if you don't open it, do you think you can leave? This is an eight-gate spirit-locking formation. Without a level-8 teleportation rune like the one the previous visitor possessed, you'll be trapped here, like me.”

Ye Mo had wanted to ask who imprisoned this being and why the key was outside, but this revelation shifted his priorities. Escaping became paramount. He lacked a level-8 teleportation rune.

However, Ye Mo doubted the final claim. At most, he was trapped outside the seal—a vastly different situation from being sealed inside. If the latter were true, even the previous woman wouldn't have escaped.

Ignoring the voice's further pleas, Ye Mo remained silent. Eventually, the voice ceased, its owner apparently unable to sense the key.

Two days later, Ye Mo's fruitless search left him desperate. He sat, realizing his aimless wandering was unproductive.

He stared at the rink, certain its shifting position wasn't due to a changing wall, but to the hall's rotation. Upon entering, he'd faced the wall with the rink; finding that wall would reveal the entrance.

He began investigating the wall's disappearance. He suspected a stealth formation, but exhaustive searches yielded nothing.

A space formation door? The idea struck him. He'd entered through one; could the exit be similar?

This possibility disheartened him. Many types of space formation doors existed. While Ye Mo couldn't create one, he knew their activation requirements. If it was a space formation door, escape would be impossible.

Unless he someday mastered space formation door creation, he'd remain trapped in this eight-sided hall.

Days passed without a breakthrough, fueling his anxiety. The voice, sensing Ye Mo's disinterest, remained silent, seemingly waiting for him to seek help in defeat.

On the ninth day, dejected, Ye Mo examined the half-eye from the Three-eyed Purple Frog, attempting spirit control.

Half a day later, the eye vanished, replaced by rudimentary spirit sense refinement and attack techniques within his mind.

His elation eclipsed his escape plans.

“Hmm, a spirit sense attack?” the voice interjected.

The Three Birth Chant allowed him to glean knowledge from the slightest hint, forming his own techniques. This spirit sense attack was no different. His spirit sense, though not stronger, was refined, capable of a simple stunning attack.

Testing it on a wall, a massive door materialized!

Joy and astonishment warred within him. Could his nascent spirit sense attack be that powerful?

He quickly realized the truth: others were approaching.

Before their arrival, the power fluctuations revealed at least three Nascent Soul cultivators.

The door opened, but they hadn't entered. Ye Mo bolted, taking refuge beside the door, paralyzed by fear.

He would risk anything for freedom; death awaited him within regardless.

Leaving the hall, he heard the voice's furious rage, quickly silenced. He understood: he'd taken the key.

Confident in his stealth, he wasn't so sure against Nascent Soul cultivators. He blended into the surroundings, emitting no energy signature.

However, persistent spirit sense detection would expose him. He dared only to hide near the door, hoping its presence would mask him.

He couldn't risk the golden page world; its unchanging color would betray him.

“A door here. Cijiang likely entered,” a low voice announced nearby.

They sought Fei Cijiang. The value of a sect became clear.

Three quickly passed through the door; a fourth hesitated, almost retreating, before entering.

Ye Mo fled.

…

“Something wrong?” one asked.

The last cultivator frowned. “Something’s strange. Let’s leave. Upon entering, I sensed someone near the door, but entered subconsciously before investigating.”

“Someone who eluded us? Another Nascent Soul, perhaps stronger?”

He shook his head. “Perhaps not stronger, but certainly a Nascent Soul. Otherwise, how were we tricked? I'll return to che—Hmm?”

Turning, they found the door gone!

“This place is perilous,” the cultivator concluded.