Chapter 757: Magma Core, Decisive Battle

A disturbance suddenly broke out in a corner of the Artifact Refining Sect. Soldiers descended from the sky, moving with incredible speed.

In just a moment, they had taken away the young woman spouting mad ravings.

The soldier in the lead glanced at Shen Bai and said, “Ke Xiaoran, is your madness cured?”

Shen Bai stroked his chin. “I suppose so.”

The soldier nodded. “If it’s not, you can come to the City Lord’s Mansion and see the City Lord.”

After saying this, the soldier turned and left with the young woman.

Shen Bai watched the soldiers retreat into the distance and thought, ‘Someone who has lived here their whole life suddenly discovers that everything is fake, and for that, they’re considered mad. How interesting.’

In that short time, Shen Bai had already pieced together everything he had just seen.

Within the vast Artifact Refining Sect, this woman was the only abnormality. Shen Bai didn’t find anything else amiss.

After thinking it over, Shen Bai decided not to linger and left the area.

As for visiting the City Lord’s Mansion, he decided to first see what he could get out of this Artifact Refining Conference.

After leaving that spot, Shen Bai resumed wandering around the Artifact Refining Sect.

As night fell and darkness replaced the light, the Artifact Refining Sect grew even more lively.

‘In such a bustling scene, I haven’t spotted anyone from the Demonic Forces. They’re really good at hiding.’

Shen Bai didn’t see anyone from the Three Great Demonic Forces, which he found a little boring.

After wandering for a while longer, Shen Bai left the Artifact Refining Sect by himself and headed back out to the streets.

The young man from that morning had told him not to leave alone, but with the Artifact Refining Sect so bustling, there was no one around to stop him.

The streets outside were equally lively, boasting a rare and vibrant nightlife. With lanterns and decorations hung everywhere, it was even more bustling than the nights in the Great Zhou Country.

At least, back in the Great Zhou Country, Shen Bai had never seen such a bustling nightlife outside of the Music Bureau and the brothels.

He wandered until late into the night.

Shen Bai tried talking to someone about the nature of their reality, but he was surprised to find that whenever the topic came up, people would automatically filter it out. They would even concoct their own version of logic that they considered normal.

‘In other words, very few people here can tell the difference between what is real and what is not.’

With this in mind, Shen Bai returned to the Artifact Refining Sect.

He decided to wait until tomorrow. Since he had nothing else to do tonight, he would continue grinding the Skill Level for his Bone Shifting Technique.

The Amber was hidden within his body, and with its threefold bonus to Skill Level gain, his Bone Shifting Technique was improving at a visible rate.

…

「Meanwhile.」

After hearing his subordinate’s report, Xu Sheng Taoist fell into deep thought.

“Impossible. How could Shen Bai just disappear? Didn’t you see him go to the Artifact Refining Sect?” Xu Sheng Taoist’s confusion deepened.

Monk Mingxin frowned. “He never came out?”

A member of the Wild Buddha Sect, who had already changed into the attire of Molten Rock City, nodded. “That’s right. After he entered the Artifact Refining Sect, it was as if he just vanished. It’s completely out of character for him.”

Dean Hou mused, “According to our calculations, the Magma Core is inside the Magma Domain. We’re definitely going to enter the Magma Domain during tomorrow’s Artifact Refining Conference, so I’m afraid we’re bound to cross paths with him.”

Xu Sheng Taoist snapped out of his thoughts. “It would be one thing if we knew his movements. After all, we’re entering as locals participating in the Artifact Refining Conference. But the problem now is that he’s vanished.”

That day, they had already devised a concrete strategy: to participate in the Magma Domain activities of the Artifact Refining Conference under the guise of locals.

They had also posted people around the Artifact Refining Sect as a precaution.

With Elixirs that could conceal their Qi, they’d be better able to track Shen Bai’s movements.

But now, Shen Bai had disappeared.

It was as if he had never been there at all. After entering the Artifact Refining Sect, he had never come back out.

Now they were flying blind, completely at a loss.

Dean Hou gritted his teeth. “Screw it! To hell with it! We have to enter the Magma Domain tomorrow. Otherwise, all this manpower will have been for nothing.”

“Once we’re inside, I don’t care what the situation is. As long as we get the Magma Core, we can make sure Shen Bai dies without a grave!”

Xu Sheng Taoist and Monk Mingxin exchanged a look, each seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes.

In truth, it was just as Dean Hou said. They had no other choice but to go all in.

The three of them discussed it again, and having made their decision, they waited for the morning.

…

「Time passed, and a night went by in the blink of an eye.」

When the first rays of morning sun shone in from outside, Shen Bai emerged from his state of grinding Skill Level and opened his door.

Outside, the courtyard of the Artifact Refining Sect was already packed with people.

Fortunately, the courtyard was large enough that even with hundreds, or even thousands, of people, it didn’t seem crowded.

Many members of the Artifact Refining Sect were on standby, maintaining order.

An old man with graying hair approached and said, “Ke Xiaoran, are you ready to enter the Magma Domain?”

This time, it wasn’t just outsiders who could enter the Magma Domain—members of the Artifact Refining Sect could also go in.

Shen Bai nodded. “I’m ready, Sect Leader.”

Shen Bai’s wandering the day before had not been for nothing; he had managed to get a general grasp of the relationships within the Artifact Refining Sect.

The old man before him was the Sect Leader of the Artifact Refining Sect, Situ Zhen.

Situ Sect Leader nodded. “Ever since members of the Artifact Refining Sect started being afflicted with this madness, you’ve become one of the more outstanding ones among us. I hope your condition won’t affect the Artifact Refining Conference.”