Moments later, the grand witch priest suddenly activated the divine patterns and reached toward the stone pillar. The pillar flickered with light, runes dancing as a strange scene surfaced, then vanished again.

She did not grow discouraged and continued to try repeatedly. Each attempt made the pillar’s glow last longer.

The faces of those around her brightened with increasing excitement. Old Devil Fang waited quietly nearby, making no move to disturb her.

Sometimes, the grand witch priest would extend her hand to test; other times, she stood still, immersed in comprehension.

After a long while, she finally seemed to understand something. Her eyes flashed with realization, and she swiftly formed seals, sending streaks of hand seals into all eight stone pillars.

In an instant, the pillars blazed with dazzling light. The entire stone hall shone as bright as daylight.

A strange fluctuation spread outward from the eight pillars, converging toward the center of the array. Yet after only a moment, the brilliance dimmed again, as if it were about to fade away.

The grand witch priest paused, let out a soft sound of surprise, then rapidly changed her seals, activating the divine pattern with all her strength to maintain the array.

At last, the array stabilized, and the fluctuation between the pillars grew more distinct. The others began to sense something as well, their expressions turning peculiar.

"How could it be..." Before the speaker could finish, the array was fully activated. A gentle, moonlit radiance rose from the platform, forming a luminous teleportation array that gleamed with silver light.

Seeing the full array, even the grand witch priest froze. The group exchanged uncertain glances, faces filled with confusion.

An elder could not help but exclaim, "A teleportation array! There’s no mistake, it’s definitely a teleportation array! But why would there be one here, and where does it lead?"

The array she had awakened turned out to be a teleportation array! There was already one such teleportation array in Witch God Mountain that connected to the Demonic Sea. Though the two arrays appeared vastly different, both shared the same distinct spatial fluctuation.

No one had expected to find an ancient witch race teleportation array hidden here. A barrier outside, two layers of sealing arrays within... Were all of them meant solely to conceal this teleportation array? Everyone found it unbelievable and could not reason out the purpose.

"Those seals might have been meant to hide the existence of this teleportation array," the grand witch priest said after a moment’s thought. "It’s impossible to know now whether our witch race and the humans were allies or enemies in ancient times. This place lies deep within a human sect’s territory. Perhaps our ancestors constructed these seals to keep humans from discovering it..."

The others nodded quietly. Her theory seemed plausible enough. Countless years had passed, and the truth was long lost. But where did this teleportation array lead? Could it connect to another immortal cultivation world, much like the Demonic Sea?

At the thought, several elders’ eyes gleamed with excitement. A new cultivation world meant new possibilities, perhaps even a path to the Divine Transformation Realm, perhaps surviving remnants of their kin, or at least new resources.

Old Devil Fang saw through their hopes and sneered. "Don’t think too highly of it. The teleportation array lies within Seven-Kill Hall. With our strength, we can’t seize it from humans. Even if it leads to another cultivation world, we’d only be able to travel once every few decades. Besides, I doubt this array can transport us very far..."

The question now was: What lay on the other side? Was it safe or perilous?

Old Devil Fang hovered motionless, calm and composed. To step through without certainty was to court death. If danger awaited beyond, there might be no return. He had no intention of being anyone’s test subject.

Just then, an elder stepped forward, tapping the Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist. A Demonic Core Realm spirit beast appeared before him.

"We can test what lies beyond. I have a secret technique that allows me to attach my consciousness to a spirit beast." As he spoke, he ordered the beast to step onto the platform.

The grand witch priest took out several middle-grade spirit stones and began to activate the teleportation array.

With a flash of light, the spirit beast vanished. Everyone’s gaze fell on the spirit stones, noticing that they had consumed little spiritual power.

"The teleportation distance is very short. It’s likely still within Seven-Kill Hall, perhaps leading to a hidden realm." The grand witch priest analyzed.

Before she could finish, the elder who had sent the beast suddenly turned pale and let out a muffled groan.

Under the astonished eyes of the group, he swallowed a pill. Color slowly returned to his face, and he exhaled deeply, speaking with regret. "It’s dead."

Everyone was shocked. "It died the instant it arrived?"

The elder nodded gravely. The revelation left the rest uneasy.

This man was a master of beast taming. The spirit beast he had raised was no ordinary creature. It was at the Demonic Core Realm and skilled in evasion techniques, yet it had not survived even a few moments.

No one spoke. After finally finding traces of their witch ancestors, they could not simply give up. Someone had to take the risk. But who?

The silence was broken when an old man stepped forward and said solemnly, "Grand Witch Priest, my great tribulation is due within a few years, and I have little hope of surviving it. Dying here is no loss. If I can contribute something to the race before that, I’ll die without regret. I have no sect nor disciples of my own, but a few descendants remain. Should I fail to return, I ask that you look after them."

The grand witch priest straightened and said solemnly, "Rest assured, Daoist Wan. I will see that they are taken to Witch God Mountain to cultivate in peace."

Elder Wan nodded, then stepped forward and activated the teleportation array. The others waited in tense silence.

After a while, the array suddenly flared with light. Their hearts leapt in joy until they saw the state of Elder Wan.

His skin had turned black, faint wisps of dark qi rising from his pores, his aura weak and flickering.

A gray-robed cultivator darted to his side, checked his condition, and immediately produced a bottle of spirit pills for him to take.

"Daoist Wan has been poisoned," the gray-robed cultivator said softly.

Elder Wan nodded gratefully and sat cross-legged, refining the medicinal energy to force out the remaining toxin bit by bit. Gradually, his complexion improved.

"No wonder that spirit beast died the moment it crossed over," Daoist Wan said with a bitter smile, "The other side is a deadly land thick with poison—colorless, odorless, and impossible to guard against. I was caught unprepared and got poisoned at once. Even after taking my detoxification pills, the toxin barely subsided, so I returned as quickly as I could. I didn’t have time to look around, but aside from the poison, there didn’t seem to be other dangers. Still, everyone must stay cautious. If one inhales too much of that miasma, even a Spiritual Infant cultivator may perish."

After hearing this, the grand witch priest and Old Devil Fang exchanged a glance. Old Devil Fang chuckled darkly. "As expected, it must be the Dark Valley. I didn’t expect this teleportation array to connect directly to the inner hall. Humans have monopolized that place for so long, now we can finally claim our share."

The grand witch priest responded softly, "Seven-Kill Hall contains three great poisonous lands. The Purple Mist End, filled with Purple Mist, and the Celestial Blossom Lake, covered in poisonous algae, both lie in the outer hall. But unless one enters their deepest cores, their poison isn’t this fierce. A Spiritual Infant cultivator being instantly afflicted means only one possibility: the Dark Valley within the inner hall, where it’s said invisible and scentless poison pervades every breath, impossible to defend against."