A sudden, violent surge of divine power rippled through the air ahead, instantly putting everyone on high alert. Hu Zhuojun hurriedly hushed the group, lowering her voice. "Silence! It's heterodox evil cultivators!"
Xu Ying looked surprised. The ripple was exceptionally powerful; the Qi Refiners clashing up ahead were clearly formidable—most likely peerless experts from the myriad heavens and worlds.
'Three combatants on one side, and they're using immortal arts. Could they be Qi Refiners from another world possessing an Immortal Dao lineage? What a frightening heritage...'
Before his thought finished, one of the demon Qi Refiners abruptly sped forward toward the source of the ripples, muttering, "Keep moving, the rest of you. I'm going to help!"
The remaining demon Qi Refiners hesitated for only a second before surging after him. "Those heterodox evil cultivators are terrifyingly strong! You can't handle them alone—wait for us!"
They sped away like lightning, leaving only four people beside Xu Ying and Hu Zhuojun.
Hu Zhuojun deliberated briefly, glancing at Xu Ying and the other four. "If you follow this direction for half a day, you will reach Zhenwu Monastery. You can rest there. It is guarded by the Tortoise and Snake Divine Generals, so those heterodox evil cultivators won't dare approach. Wait for us there."
Her figure flashed, and she darted off to join the fray.
Hu Zhuojun concealed her aura and masked her tracks as she raced toward the clash. Suddenly, sensing something amiss, she glanced back over her shoulder, only to find Xu Ying creeping along stealthily behind her.
She started, quickly keeping her voice low. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me at Zhenwu Monastery?"
Xu Ying trailed behind her and explained, "I don't know the way. Besides, I haven't repaid the money I owe you."
Hu Zhuojun fumed, "That's why I told you to go with them! They know the way!"
Xu Ying looked abashed. "I still owe you money..."
"Are you crazy enough to throw away your life just to pay a debt?!" Hu Zhuojun snapped in exasperation.
She had considered escorting Xu Ying to Zhenwu Monastery herself, but the monastery was half a day's journey away. Escorting him there and then rushing back to save her comrades would take far too long.
Hu Zhuojun raised her right hand and slowly curled it before Xu Ying's face, her petite knuckles cracking menacingly. Glaring fiercely, she warned, "Stick close to me! No wandering off, and no fighting! When we get there, all you're allowed to do is watch me face the enemy, understand?"
Xu Ying protested, "I'm actually quite strong..."
*Thump!*
Hu Zhuojun rapped her knuckles against his forehead and said crossly, "These enemies aren't like the ones you ran into at the front lines. They are far deadlier, got it?"
Xu Ying felt a surge of indignation. 'She hit my head again! Nobody dares hit my head! Maybe I should just take out this little demoness... But then again, I still owe her money, and she only hit me out of concern for my safety...'
He felt torn. If Hu Zhuojun had been utterly wicked and cruel, that would be one thing; the trouble was that she was a kindhearted demoness. Killing someone who hit his head out of good intentions made him feel terribly conflicted.
Hu Zhuojun crept forward cautiously, constantly looking back for fear Xu Ying might lose track of her. Yet every time she turned, she found him moving with even greater care than she was, his steps entirely silent.
She silently praised him in her heart. 'Though Ah Ying is young, his talent for sneaking around is quite something. He must have done plenty of wicked deeds in his time!'
The two of them advanced briskly without making a sound.
Atop the precipice of a cleaved mountain, a young man in light green robes stood facing the wind, looking down upon the battle below. Four demon Qi Refiners were besieging a young woman clad in a pink dress.
Those four demon Qi Refiners—two men and two women—possessed robust cultivations. Each had forged a Primordial Spirit and a formidable physical body. When they attacked, their demonic true essence swept forth in vast swathes, accompanied by an astonishing will to fight; even when grievously wounded, they fought to the death without yielding a single step.
Their combat style resembled that of ancient demon gods: as their techniques circulated, they manifested multiple heads and arms, unleashing fierce and relentless divine powers. Yet the pink-dressed maiden had also formed her Primordial Spirit, and though she was fighting one against four, she held the overwhelming upper hand.
She wielded Immortal Dao methods, and her divine powers were leagues beyond anything those demon Qi Refiners could match. Her strikes easily tore through their defenses, while they were utterly powerless to unravel her immortal techniques.
"This place is quite famous in the demonic realm. It is called Dao Weeping Pass, formerly named Dao Initiation Pass, said to be the gateway that unlocked the wisdom of the Great Dao."
The green-robed youth on the cliff murmured leisurely, "Back then, our venerable immortal masters broke through this pass to open the path deep into the demonic realm. They fought bloody battles to purge the alien dao and lay the foundations for ten thousand generations of peace. Who could have thought that after all these years, as the Dao wanes and the demons wax, the Demonic Dao would rise once more?"
Not far from him, a blue-clad youth scanned their surroundings, taking in a landscape scarred by cataclysmic destruction, littered everywhere with traces left behind by clashes between gods and demons.
Fissures and chasms crisscrossed the ground, and lingering remnants of divine powers still welled up from the depths, radiating dazzling yet lethal colors.
There were mountains that looked as if they had been split by an axe. Passing between them, one could see massive holes punched clean through the peaks, their walls polished glassy smooth and wide enough for dozens of people to walk abreast.
Seen from afar, faint flickers of light pulsed within the caverns—the indelible brand of Dao images. That had been an avenue bored through the mountains by a single arrow feather!
Brilliant swathes of multi-colored auroras also painted the sky, occasionally flaring with world-shattering ripples that receded as swiftly as they appeared, thoroughly terrifying to behold.
"Martial Uncle Wu Bing, the demon Qi Refiners are endless," the blue-clad youth remarked as he gazed into the distance. "Our Fire Cloud Sect joined forces with the seven great immortal sects to enter Dao Weeping Pass and eradicate evil to defend the Dao, but it's only a drop in the bucket. The only way to eradicate the Demonic Dao once and for all is to march straight into the demonic realm's heartland!"
The young man, Wu Bing, appeared only a few years older than the blue-clad youth. In truth, his profound cultivation granted him ageless youth; he was actually seven or eight centuries older.
Wu Bing smiled. "The demonic realm is not lacking in masters. Uprooting it will not be that simple. The true luminaries of our Taishi Great World have all penetrated deep into the demonic realm's interior to confront the demon gods and peerless figures of the Demonic Dao. Jiang Fu, you must redouble your cultivation. Once your strength reaches that level, you too will earn the right to venture deep into the demonic realm!"
The blue-clad youth, Jiang Fu, eyes shining, looked down at the pink-dressed girl and shouted, "Senior Sister Yun Yi, hurry it up! Reinforcements are coming!"
Even as he spoke, the demon Qi Refiners who had shared the boat with Xu Ying had already charged into the fray, attacking the pink-dressed maiden, Yun Yi.
Though Yun Yi was skilled and daring, the newcomers possessed solid cultivations, each an adept who had forged a Primordial Spirit. Her composure instantly shattered under the onslaught!
In particular, these eight demon Qi Refiners had comprehended various splendid Dao images upon the sea of fire. As they unleashed their divine powers, fiery dragons and phoenixes wheeled through the air, converging upon Yun Yi in waves!
After parrying several exchanges, Yun Yi was forced into a desperate retreat. Wu Bing called out, "Jiang Fu, go help Yun Yi."
Jiang Fu was already itching for action. He summoned his Primordial Spirit and plummeted from the cliff like a falling star, landing beside Yun Yi with a chuckle. "Playing with fire before our Fire Cloud Sect is nothing short of courting self-immolation! Red Emperor Banner!"
His Dao image unfurled into a massive crimson banner blazing with flames, radiating the majestic pressure of the Immortal Dao. With a tremendous roar, it swept out and drew the fire dragon of one demon Qi Refiner directly into the cloth. The very next instant, the demon Qi Refiner himself was engulfed by the Red Emperor Banner, incinerating his body and Primordial Spirit to ash!
Wu Bing nodded in silent approval. 'Jiang Fu's talent is indeed far superior to Yun Yi's.'
In the time it took to speak, Jiang Fu slew another opponent while fending off the siege of the remaining four demon masters. With her burden greatly lightened, Yun Yi managed to strike down an adversary as well.
Right at that moment, a young woman abruptly burst into the fray, her palms fluttering like lightning as she delivered vicious strikes toward Jiang Fu and Yun Yi simultaneously.
Her garments fluttered like wisps of azure clouds. Fair, slender hands darted out from beneath the swirling azure mist; with a sharp rip, her strike pierced right through the Red Emperor Banner and slammed into Jiang Fu's chest!
Jiang Fu coughed up blood and tumbled backward, gripped by sheer terror. 'She broke my immortal art, the Red Emperor Banner!'
The Fire Cloud Sect was a venerable, orthodox sect of the Taishi Great World, its founding patriarch having studied under the Red Emperor and passed down numerous immortal arts. That world possessed a profound heritage; unlike the Yuanshou world, which had endured several Great Purges, the Taishi Great World had never suffered one, allowing its immortal arts to be preserved intact.
Jiang Fu had assumed that once he unleashed an immortal art divine power, these demons would have no way to counter it. He had never expected a demonic maiden to suddenly appear and casually dismantle the Red Emperor Banner he had laboured so painstakingly to refine!
The demonic maiden spun in place, her pinned tresses bursting free and lengthening on the wind, each strand turning as sharp as a sword as they darted and slashed toward Yun Yi!
Yun Yi retreated frantically, but the maiden's Primordial Spirit was already lurking behind her, planting a heavy palm into her back. Yun Yi spewed blood, her aura wilting instantly.
The maiden was none other than Hu Zhuojun. In a single clash, she had severely wounded both "evil cultivators." Meanwhile, Xu Ying trotted over to the fallen demon Qi Refiners, helping them back to their feet.
Just as Hu Zhuojun moved to finish off Yun Yi and Jiang Fu, a sense of grave danger flared in her mind. She circulated her technique and channeled all her true essence to strike behind her! Her Primordial Spirit soared forth, standing eighty zhang tall, and mirrored her strike behind her!
*Boom!*
A dull, heavy explosion reverberated through the air. Wu Bing effortlessly deflected the blow, his aura wavering only slightly. He looked at her in surprise. "Demon girl, your realm may not be high, but your cultivation is remarkably strong. You must hail from a prestigious lineage in the demonic realm."
Hu Zhuojun stumbled back several paces, her heart sinking. Wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, she shouted, "Ah Ying, take the others and run! I'll cover the rear!"
"All right!"
Xu Ying agreed cheerfully and immediately said to the surviving demon Qi Refiners, "Sister Zhuojun is holding the rear! Let's get out of here!"
The demon Qi Refiners glared at him in fury. "If you want to run, run alone! We will stand and die with Senior Sister Hu!"
"You, Xu, you've got no loyalty! Senior Sister Hu and the rest of us were blind to trust you!"
Wu Bing strode forward, a hundred-zhang Primordial Spirit rising behind him to loom over the void. He smiled faintly. "Even if you want to leave, none of you are going anywhere."
The moment his Primordial Spirit emerged, divine immortal melodies echoed all around, laden with profound principles beyond the comprehension of mortal men. The demon Qi Refiners beside Xu Ying suffered instant chaos in their Dao hearts upon hearing it. Their internal Dao images lost control, causing them to cough up blood from violent backlash!
The Primordial Spirit behind Wu Bing extended a single finger with calm, breezy poise, yet that finger carried the boundless profundity of the Immortal Dao. Runes of the Immortal Dao drifted around its tip as he chuckled. "I am in the Ascension stage. If I used my full might, I would only invite ridicule from the masters of the Demonic Dao. If you can withstand a single finger of mine, I will let you all walk free."
Though the finger strike appeared simple, in Hu Zhuojun's eyes, it was impossibly profound. Every minuscule fraction of movement contained countless intricate variations, leaving her no way to dodge or deflect!
With a loud cry, she surged with every shred of magic power she possessed. Aligning her Primordial Spirit and flesh in perfect unison, she focused all her strength into her fingertip to meet Wu Bing's incoming strike!
At that very moment, the Qi Refiners beside Xu Ying roared in unison, summoning their Primordial Spirits and thrusting their fingers forward alongside hers to counter Wu Bing's blow.
Xu Ying shouted as well, manifesting his three-inch Primordial Spirit to join the assault. Wu Bing caught sight of the miniature Primordial Spirit and sneered coldly, "Just padding the ranks!"
A grim, tragic aura settled over the demon cultivators, their wills unified as one. They knew full well how terrifying a finger strike from an Ascension stage Qi Refiner was; it was not something Twelve-Story Pavilion stage Qi Refiners who had merely forged Primordial Spirits could hope to match.
Against this finger, they were certain to die!
Yet the moment their fingertips met his, Wu Bing's expression twisted in utter horror, and the hundred-zhang Primordial Spirit towering behind him mirrored his shock.
The tip of his finger detonated violently. A monstrous, crushing power swept in, reducing both his right hand and his Primordial Spirit's right hand to ash!
With a whoosh, he was hurled backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the cliff face of the cleaved mountain where he had stood moments before. Immediately afterward, the finger forces of Hu Zhuojun and the others erupted through his body!
Though the cultivation of Hu Zhuojun and her companions was far from overwhelming, their techniques were foreign and alien. Wu Bing shook like a sieve as more than a dozen bloody holes burst open across his flesh!
Hu Zhuojun had never dreamed their unified effort could yield such a staggering result, severely wounding an Ascension stage expert. Overjoyed and astonished, she spun around and shouted, "Run!"
The group rallied around her, carrying their wounded comrades as they fled in haste.
Just as Yun Yi and Jiang Fu prepared to pursue them, Wu Bing hastily raised a hand and croaked in a trembling voice, "Don't pursue!"
Before the bewildered pair could ask why, Wu Bing shivered violently, barely managing to pry himself out of the rock wall. Gritting his teeth against the agony, he wheezed, "There was a great master hidden among them... The power of that Primordial Spirit was utterly terrifying—it completely suppressed my own! I suspect... Little Celestial Venerable's disciple, Chu Tiandu, was hiding among them!"
Yun Yi and Jiang Fu blanched. In the demonic realm, the Little Celestial Venerable possessed an illustrious, unfathomable reputation that even immortals and gods held in deep dread. His disciple, Chu Tiandu, was one of the most dazzling rising stars of the demonic realm's younger generation, having intercepted and slain young prodigies from the myriad heavens and worlds time and again to forge an unmatched renown! Young masters from great worlds like Taishi, Yuanshi, Jianwu, Yongkang, and Longxing had once banded together to venture deep into the demonic realm to hunt him down, yet under their heavy encirclement, Chu Tiandu had not only survived, but wounded several of them, elevating his fame even further!
Wu Bing was convinced that Chu Tiandu had hidden among those cultivators and taken advantage of his carelessness to inflict a humiliating defeat!
"Jiang Fu, send a signal to the other seven immortal sects: Little Celestial Venerable's disciple, Chu Tiandu, has appeared at Dao Weeping Pass!"
Jiang Fu immediately channeled his divine power. His magic power surged forth, coalescing into a magnificent rainbow bridge arching across the sky, visible for ten thousand li! The sequence of Dao image imprints upon the rainbow bridge conveyed detailed messages.
Beside the long river running through Dao Weeping Pass, a burly young man with a bristling beard and tiger-like eyes looked up at the rainbow bridge, sudden delight washing over his face. "Chu Tiandu, you actually dared step out of the heartland and show yourself at Dao Weeping Pass! Excellent! My long search has not been in vain!"
In various corners of Dao Weeping Pass, others looked up at the rainbow bridge, their expressions turning to shock.
"Little Celestial Venerable's disciple, Chu Tiandu, has appeared at Dao Weeping Pass?!"
"This is massive news! Inform Young Master Changming at once!"
"The turtle has poked his head out of his shell! We must tell Li Pingsheng—he has never let go of his defeat at Chu Tiandu's hands!"
Meanwhile, within Zhenwu Monastery at Dao Weeping Pass, a youth in purple sat perched atop the ridge of the grand Zhenwu Hall, staring up at the rainbow bridge in the sky with a face full of utter bewilderment.
Though a demon Qi Refiner, he recognized the secret Dao image imprints of the Fire Cloud Sect and easily deciphered the message on the rainbow bridge. He muttered in astonishment, "I only just arrived at Dao Weeping Pass—how was I discovered so fast? But the location indicated by the bridge seems wrong... It's saying I'm way over there!"
He gazed into the distance, where the demonic maiden Hu Zhuojun was leading her group in a frantic sprint—and where Xu Ying, disguised as a demon, blended seamlessly into their ranks.
Chapter 331