Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2343 Chapter 1072: Nightmare of the Evil God (Part 3)

"You have seen me."

A jolt went through the Taoist. *Impossible*, he thought. *I never turned my head. How could I have seen these things?*

He swiftly turned to verify, but as he did, seeing nothing, a realization struck him:

"Oh no, I've been tricked!"

However, it was already too late. His Primordial Spirit reacted sluggishly, but his body moved even faster.

By the time he grasped the predicament, the Taoist had already turned his head. In a mere instant, he saw a head suspended amidst the withered trees.

It was a singular human head, its flesh decayed, yet its eyes remained, fixed upon him with a ghastly, sinister gaze.

And it wasn't the only one.

The Taoist beheld not just one head, but the entirety of the withered forest, his face instantly draining of color.

The desolate expanse was filled with barren branches, densely adorned with countless human heads.

"I have seen you!"

The head directly in his line of sight smiled eerily.

Simultaneously, all the heads within the desolate woods turned as one, their mouths gaping open, and they began to cackle grimly.

Every single one of them proclaimed:

"I have seen you!"

Thousands of unsettling, piercing voices converged, like demonic incantations that bypassed the Taoist's eardrums to stab directly into his mind, causing his head to spin and his Primordial Spirit to falter precariously.

True Man Situ, leading the group, his expression contorted in shock, cried out, "Not good!" He immediately channeled his Primordial Spirit, activating the True Mantra. The brilliance of the Seven Stars Formation was invoked, shielding everyone's Divine Thoughts.

Yet, while the Seven Stars Formation was potent against Evil Qi, it offered little defense against the onslaught of these sinister voices.

The chilling wails persisted, echoing around them.

The spectral faces of the heads seemed to whisper directly into their ears:

"I have seen you!"

"You cannot escape!"

"Stay forever..."

Wenren Wan endured the most torment.

His Cultivation was merely at the Golden Core stage, incapable of out-of-body experiences. His Divine Thoughts, guided by the Great Dream, were inherently vulnerable. Compounding this, he had forcefully forged a bridge within the Sea of Consciousness using his Divine Sense to bear the burden of everyone forcibly crossing the black mist into the Evil God's nightmare. Now, his Divine Thoughts were already fragile. The disturbance of the demonic voices caused his Divine Soul body to show signs of imminent collapse.

Witnessing this dire situation, True Man Situ exclaimed in alarm,

"Quick, the Three Pure Ones Bell!"

The female True Man clad in white, positioned beside Wenren Wan, heard the command. Enduring the cacophony of sinister voices, she swiftly employed the Lotus Skill. Pure, white Divine Thought flowed outwards, manifesting a bell crafted from golden jade, etched with ancient inscriptions, before her.

This artifact, the Three Pure Ones Bell, was a supreme treasure of the Divine Way. It could only be activated by one possessing the Taoist inheritance and a pure, righteous heart.

The white-robed female True Man exerted her full strength to awaken the Three Pure Ones Bell. Instantly, a clear, resonant sound rippled forth, silencing the sinister voices.

The demonic sounds ceased their assault on their ears, and Wenren Wan's condition saw a marked improvement.

"Hurry, let's go!"

True Man Situ urged in a grave tone.

Without further hesitation, they retreated swiftly under the protective aura of the Three Pure Ones Bell's righteous resonance, leaving behind the spectral withered forest and its morbid adornment of heads.

Emerging from the withered forest, they reached the ashen slopes of a mountain. Here, still shaken, everyone halted for a brief respite.

But time was of the essence, allowing little opportunity for rest.

"We must press on. We need to reach the depths of Black Mountain as swiftly as possible," True Man Situ stated, rising to his feet. As he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze froze, and a frown creased his brow.

Someone was missing?

Exchanging uneasy glances, their expressions shifted immediately as the gravity of the situation dawned on them.

"Where is the scholar?"

"Wasn't he with us when we exited the withered forest?"

"Is that so?"

"I can't recall if he managed to escape..."

A somber mood descended upon everyone.

True Man Situ knitted his brows, contemplated for a moment, and then declared, "Let's return to look for him."

Having faced adversity together, they couldn't simply abandon him to his fate if he was in peril.

Furthermore, the scholar occupied a unique role; both the Heavenly Secret Skill and the Eight Diagrams Exorcism Plate were incredibly useful. Everyone retreated, and soon, the scholar's figure was visible beyond the desolate woods.

He was not ensnared within the withered forest, consumed by a cacophony of demonic voices. This twist of fate was seen as fortunate, and True Man Situ and the others exhaled in relief.

However, just as the group began to relax, the burly man, his body adorned with Runes, knitted his brows and commented:

"His demeanor... seems peculiar?"

Although no one else was present, the scholar, his back turned to them, appeared to be holding something and engaging in intimate gestures.

The burly man frowned, stepped forward to grasp him, but was immediately startled and hastily recoiled.

The scholar turned around, revealing his face and neck covered in vivid red lip marks.

These marks, imprinted by an unknown entity, were a shocking crimson, writhing like worms. They seemed to be drawing blood, consuming flesh, causing the scholar's body to rot and decay incrementally. The lip marks themselves continued to expand, spreading inch by inch...

A shift in expression swept across everyone's faces upon witnessing this ghastly sight.

True Man Situ let out a gasp.

The scholar's countenance displayed a mixture of infatuation and profound regret.

He appeared lost in desire, unable to break free, yet all the while, a part of him understood he had fallen into a snare, struggling with remorse and anguish. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, True Man Situ did not hesitate. He produced a Pure Yang Talisman and affixed it to his chest, intending to suppress the incessantly spreading, vividly red, yet simultaneously pure and fiendishly cruel 'lip marks'.

Under the talisman's suppression, the scholar's Primordial Spirit seemed to sear as if under a blazing sun, emitting wisps of white smoke.

Yet, the malevolent Qi persisted in its advance.

True Man Situ's fingertips pulsed with Starlight. Focusing his intent, he pointed at the scholar's forehead. Seizing a fleeting moment of lucidity afforded by the Seven Stars Entry into God technique, he urged:

"Quickly! Recite the chant!"

The scholar's lips moved, a silent struggle against reluctance evident.

True Man Situ implored, "If you do not depart now, you will face utter annihilation, both in form and spirit!"

The scholar gritted his teeth, a sense of shame for his perceived 'weakness' coloring his features. With a look of both embarrassment and suffering, he uttered the mantra True Man Situ had imparted. Then, the Seven Stars Formation flared, and his entire Primordial Spirit began to contort. It was forcefully wrenched from the nightmarish grip by the power of the Seven Stars.

However, he was already 'tainted'.

True Man Situ was uncertain of his subsequent fate – whether he would survive or perish.

True Man Situ let out a slow sigh, his gaze sweeping the surroundings, a growing sense of dread filling his heart.

He could not ascertain the precise events that had transpired.

But it was clear that some monstrous entity had been operating in the shadows, luring the scholar and corrupting him.

Without even confronting the Evil God, one of their party of fourteen had already been lost.

And this nightmare, born of the Evil God, had finally bared its unseen, sinister fangs...