At this moment, Chen Jinshu was indeed a bit angry, but she still forced herself to calm down. After all, excessive emotional fluctuation during zither playing would severely impact the effectiveness of her sound-based techniques.
As her melody flowed forth, those cultivators—whether demonic or from the Feng family—who had not taken precautions were instantly drawn into an illusion.
Around Chen Jinshu, multicolored butterflies began to flutter in great numbers, drifting gently through the air. At some point, the once sparse ground had become a vibrant sea of flowers. The fragrance filled the air, bringing Chen Jinshu a sense of comfort and peace.
But for those trapped by her sonic illusion, the experience was far from pleasant.
The butterflies that danced before their eyes rendered them immobile. When the flower scent reached their nostrils, their surroundings shifted—there were no flowers, only a wasteland of bones and corpses.
Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu had already sealed off their five senses in advance and were thus immune to Chen Jinshu's sound-based illusion.
After her confrontation with Outer Sect Senior Brother Feng Lingchuan, Chen Jinshu had realized the limitations of her technique: it was nearly useless against cultivators with impaired hearing.
Later, she consulted her master, Shui Huanmeng, who helped her find a solution.
Zither music wasn't just heard—it could also be felt: through skin, through vision, even through the perception of soundwaves in the air.
Thus, simply blocking off hearing was no longer enough. Her current technique could now be perceived through multiple senses. This allowed her illusions to take full effect without falling prey to a single sensory block like before.
While Chen Jinshu used her melody to control their enemies, Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu used their own methods to bind the affected individuals. By the time the tune ended, the captives were still lost in their illusions, unable to escape.
"Junior Sister! How should we wake them up?"
"Wake them up? The Feng clan members are not our responsibility. Let them fend for themselves. Anyone who dares attack disciples of the Xuanming Sect—this is their end."
"As for the demonic cultivators, interrogate them. If they don't have anything useful, kill them," Chen Jinshu replied coldly.
"Understood."
Du Yi nodded, gathered the demonic cultivators into a group, and pulled off their black cloaks. When their faces were revealed, all three were stunned.
"Isn't that Senior Brother Li?"
"That's the sixth disciple of Yanlie Peak!"
In that moment, a terrifying thought exploded in their minds. Still, they had to investigate before jumping to conclusions.
"They have spider-web-shaped markings on their necks. Could it be some kind of mind control technique?" Jiang Daoyu pulled down the collars and found dark red spiderweb-like marks on their necks.
"Senior Brother Jiang, should we try a soul-search?" Chen Jinshu asked.
"Let's try." Jiang Daoyu immediately cast a soul-searching spell on Senior Brother Li.
But the moment the spell touched him, the man died instantly, blood flowing from his seven orifices.
"There's a restriction in their minds. The moment they try to reveal anything, they die."
Jiang Daoyu's expression darkened.
"Should we seal the rest and bring them back to the sect for the elders to handle?" Du Yi suggested.
"We'll have to. But how are we supposed to transport so many? Storage bags can't carry living beings."
"Put them in beast bag. Though mine can't hold many." Chen Jinshu looked at the five surviving demonic cultivators—one had died.
Her pouch was already carrying her pet, Xiao Yin; space was limited.
"Kill three of them. Bring two." Du Yi made the decision without hesitation and struck down three of them.
"What about the Feng family cultivators?"
"If we touch them, there may be consequences. They likely have restrictions placed on them. If investigated, we won't be able to defend ourselves."
They then turned to the two surviving Xuanming Sect disciples nearby, both only at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
After questioning, they learned some of the truth: the Feng family had approached them under the guise of cooperation, hoping to use their insider knowledge of the secret realm's resource points.
But the two had trusted the wrong people. The Feng family cared only for their own interests and had no intention of keeping their word. Chen Jinshu did not offer to partner with them. She simply advised them to be more careful going forward and find another sect team to travel with.
Half an hour later…
Chen Jinshu and her two senior brothers explored near Longyan Pool and came upon a hidden stone stele. The stele was split into black and white, forming a yin-yang pattern in the center—an eight-trigram diagram.
"Junior Sister! We found the Yin-Yang Boundary Stele!" Jiang Daoyu said, his voice filled with excitement.
The Yin-Yang Boundary Stele was a mysterious trial site of inheritance. If one passed the spirit guardian's test, they could earn a powerful inheritance.
However, its location was extremely hard to find—only those with extraordinary luck could stumble upon it. This was why the sect master had only briefly mentioned it during his lecture on the secret realm's resources.
What's more, the stele's location constantly shifted. It might be near the pool now, but the next time, it could be in a desert thousands of miles away.
Its movements were unpredictable.
Over the past few centuries, fewer than fifty Xuanming Sect disciples had discovered this place.
"Didn't expect our luck to be this good," Du Yi chuckled.
Sect inheritances were valuable, but often didn't suit every disciple. The Yin-Yang Stele, on the other hand, assessed each challenger and offered the most suitable legacy based on their attributes.
"Wow! You really do find good stuff when you follow Xuanming Sect disciples!"
But just as they were celebrating, an irritating voice called out nearby. It was the Feng clan cultivators, the same ones Chen Jinshu had trapped earlier in her sonic illusion. Chen Jinshu wasn't surprised they had escaped so quickly—coming from a major clan, it was only natural they had some tricks up their sleeves.
"Following us around is a bit rude, don't you think? Didn't your family teach you manners?" Du Yi said with a mocking tone.
"Hmph! The secret realm's resources belong to the capable. As long as we get the opportunity, any method is justified," the Feng family cultivator replied coldly, clutching a white jade pendant as if ready to defend himself at any moment.
"No need to be so defensive. We're not going to eat you. If we really wanted to kill you, do you think you'd still be breathing?" Chen Jinshu said indifferently.
The Yin-Yang Stele's trial might be framed as a test for inheritance, but it could just as easily become a death trap if the challenger lacked the strength.
The sect master had warned: the trial was full of strange dangers. One could try their luck, but if they failed, they mustn't push further.
"Well, if you believe you've found your opportunity, please go ahead. Let's see just how strong you really are," Chen Jinshu said, stepping aside and gesturing for the Feng clan to move forward.