Binding Immortal Rope

The Palace of White Bones floated in the sky, surrounded by drifting white clouds, exuding an air of celestial mystery.

Ziyue Xue stood leisurely on the back of the Ice Phoenix, her snowy white feet gleaming as she gazed at the Palace of White Bones. In her hand, three round, dazzling golden cores spun endlessly, as if she were playing with them, causing the disciples of the White Bone Demon Sect, who watched her as though facing a deadly enemy, to twitch at the corners of their eyes.

Not long ago, this woman had blocked the gate, seeking an audience with the sect master, the Seven Kill Demon Lord. Two elders of the sect had gone out to teach her a lesson, only to be slain by her on the spot! The disciples hurried to inform the other elders and send word to the sect master. Yet the sect master was deep in cultivation, having set a restriction around himself, and none dared disturb him...

The woman in floating white robes seemed remarkably patient, waiting outside the Palace of White Bones for three whole hours.

Suddenly, a stream of radiance flashed, and Pang Yue appeared out of thin air beyond the palace. He cupped his hands toward the woman and said, "Greetings, fellow cultivator from the Realm of Ten Thousand Puppets. May I ask your name?"

Ziyue appraised Pang Yue with a glance, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged in her heart. Her brows knitted slightly as her nose twitched, catching a certain scent. With a half-smile, she said, "My Daoist title is Ziyue... Fellow Pang, you are quite the romantic!"

Pang Yue’s aged face flushed, and he forced a polite but awkward smile. "Fellow Ziyue, you have a keen nose... Hmm? Have we met somewhere before?"

Ziyue's expression flickered with surprise. "I feel the same!"

Pang Yue frowned in thought. Given their cultivation and status, neither should easily forget anyone they had met. Why, then, did both feel an uncanny sense of déjà vu?

This was far from normal.

Ziyue’s beautiful eyes studied Pang Yue. "Not only that, but when I first heard your name, it struck me as oddly familiar."

Pang Yue shook his head. "I have never heard your name before, fellow cultivator."

"Is that so?" Ziyue seemed to recall something, then asked, "Have you ever heard of Ran Yunxin?"

"Ran Yunxin..." Pang Yue was momentarily stunned, the same strange sense of familiarity rising in his heart.

Their gazes met, and they both saw the shock in each other’s eyes.

"You’ve come from afar as a guest. Why not come inside and talk?" Pang Yue pondered for a moment before inviting Ziyue in.

Ziyue shook her head, glancing at the Palace of White Bones. With a wave of her delicate hand, a golden cord flew out from her sleeve.

At the instant she made her move, Pang Yue's Seven Kill Sword also shot forth—a blazing sword light slashed directly at Ziyue’s brow.

Clang!

A layer of blue ice encased Ziyue, sending her flying backward! Yet it blocked Pang Yue’s lethal sword strike.

The golden rope, its radiance subdued, suddenly wound itself tightly around Pang Yue. No matter how he tried to dodge or escape, it was futile! Not even the divine light from the Book of Remorse could shake the golden rope in the slightest.

This ordinary-looking rope, as if the very embodiment of the laws of heaven, bound Pang Yue with an irresistible force. His magic power and divine sense were completely sealed.

"A seventh-rank treasure!" The Book of Remorse transmitted a vague thought, allowing Pang Yue to judge the grade of the golden rope. He could not feel aggrieved for losing.

Ziyue’s brow throbbed with pain. Though she had blocked the Seven Kill Sword, the sword energy had still invaded her body, forcing her to hastily suppress it with her power. A single misstep, and the rampant sword energy would erupt, causing her body to shatter and her life to end!

Within her sea of consciousness, a fierce and overwhelming killing intent ravaged her soul, inflicting a severe wound upon her spirit.

Among experts, victory and defeat are decided in an instant.

Having no time for anything else, Ziyue quickly sat cross-legged in the air, suppressing her injuries.

Within the Palace of White Bones, several golden core auras stirred, ready to strike down Ziyue.

"Do not interfere!" Pang Yue called out, stopping Dantai Xue, Gao Yan, and the others.

Although Ziyue appeared gravely wounded, she clearly had many cards left to play—especially that Ice Phoenix, which exuded an aura even Pang Yue found dangerous. If Gao Yan and the others acted rashly, they would gain nothing but disaster.

In less than the time it takes for half a cup of tea to cool, Ziyue had suppressed her injuries. Then, pointing with her finger, a purple stream of light shot forth, burrowing into Pang Yue’s brow.

Immediately, Pang Yue felt his soul bound by countless purple chains, threatening to destroy him at any moment. He gave a wry smile and sighed, "A Nascent Soul cultivator’s methods are indeed extraordinary!"

Though it was a duel between him and Ziyue, in reality, he had just experienced a taste of the Old Ancestor Wuhua’s power.

Ziyue looked at Pang Yue with a complex expression. Though she had subdued him with the Soul-Sealing Talisman, his earlier sword strike had left a deep mark in her heart, shaking her Daoist resolve in ways she could not yet fathom.

The Binding Immortal Rope quietly released Pang Yue and returned to Ziyue’s side.

Pang Yue regained control of his power and divine sense, but dared not act rashly. At this moment, his soul was trapped by a talisman of unfathomable subtlety. With all his experience and cultivation, he could not decipher how to break it.

For now, he could only submit.

Such is the way of survival for demon cultivators.

"Now we can visit your sect as guests," Ziyue said with a soft hum, glancing at Pang Yue.

...

"What? You wish to extract the World Essence from this realm?" In an ancient grand hall, Pang Yue exclaimed in astonishment.

Ziyue nodded indifferently. "Since the founding of the Nine Gods Sect, every disciple has had but one mission: to conquer the myriad heavens and seize their World Essence."

Pang Yue replied, "If this realm loses its World Essence, its spiritual energy will be depleted within a hundred years. The cultivation world here will cease to exist."

"That is correct," Ziyue said, fixing her gaze on him. "Fellow Pang, your power is impressive. You should come with me to the Realm of Ten Thousand Puppets. My Palace of Extreme Cold still lacks a vice master."

Pang Yue hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "It seems I have little choice in the matter. May I at least bring some with me?"

Ziyue smiled. "You may bring everyone from the White Bone Demon Sect if you wish."

"Then I thank you, fellow cultivator." Pang Yue bowed.

Ziyue produced a scroll of formation diagrams and handed it to Pang Yue. "Use this to arrange a grand formation for me. In half a year, I will use it to extract this realm’s essence."

Pang Yue glanced at the diagrams and frowned. "The treasures needed for this formation are truly enormous!"

The formation, named the Heaven-Seizing Array, required a staggering amount of rare materials.

"What, are you reluctant?" Ziyue raised an eyebrow.

Pang Yue laughed and put the diagram away. "No matter. Though the White Bone Demon Sect cannot compare to the foundation of the Nine Gods Sect, arranging a single formation is still within our means."

"However... by my calculations, the spiritual stones required to activate this array are astronomical. Even if you gathered every stone from the entire Xu Yuan Continent, it would not be enough!"

Ziyue replied, "This formation is a Nascent Soul-level array, passed down from my master. It is not powered by mere spiritual stones. Do not worry—the means of activation are my concern. You need only construct the array."

Half a day later, Ziyue departed from the White Bone Demon Sect.

Pang Yue summoned all the golden core elders for a council. Not long after, the White Bone Demon Sect announced the closure of its gates.