Ancient Restriction Seal

Inside the hollow, true demonic qi surged tempestuously. Although the ancient demon had been plotted against and his demonic might was diminished from before, joined by the East Pole Alliance Leader, he still forced the Western Nether Alliance Leader into steady retreat. Driven into a corner by the sword formation and the ancient demon, her situation was perilous in the extreme. The Demon Lord rushed toward the battlefield to rescue the Western Nether Alliance Leader. An uncanny smile played across the ancient demon's face. "Learning this seat's talisman formation and interfering with this seat once is one thing, but did you truly think this seat was out of moves? I had intended to keep a demonic attendant to serve me; it seems I can only groom another later." Receiving his orders, the East Pole Alliance Leader struck with all his might. *Boom!* The sword formation collapsed and converged into a spirit sword, slashing toward the Western Nether Alliance Leader like a rainbow piercing the sun. The Western Nether Alliance Leader was forced to wield her precious flute in defense, its divine light dimming. Yet unexpectedly, the ancient demon reversed his hand, crushed the East Pole Alliance Leader's crown, and ripped out his Nascent Soul. The Nascent Soul was bound by shackles conjured from a demonic restriction. Agony covered its face; knowing it was about to be devoured, it instinctively struggled against the ancient demon. The ancient demon snorted coldly, suppressed the Nascent Soul, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed ravenously as his aura surged wildly. The chain markings on his body instantly grew even fainter than before. "Die!" Riding the remaining momentum of the sword formation, the ancient demon flickered and appeared almost pressed against the Western Nether Alliance Leader, staring blankly into her eyes. Their gazes met. The Western Nether Alliance Leader's face was filled with horror. *Rip!* Scared out of her wits, the Western Nether Alliance Leader desperately fought to hold him off, but suddenly felt a chill across her chest. Looking down, she saw that her torso had been ripped open, disemboweled. Her Nascent Soul fled her body, but fared even worse than the Beichen Alliance Leader's; before it even had a chance to teleport, it was immobilized on the spot and snatched up by the ancient demon. At this sight, the Demon Lord was startled and retreated beyond the hollow without hesitation. Scanning his surroundings, not a single person remained by his side. Old Devil Mou had been crushed to death by the Demon-Suppressing Stele, and the Western Nether Alliance Leader had been devoured by the ancient demon. A wave of desolation washed over him. The Demon Lord glared at Lingzhuzi. Had this man not disrupted things and entangled him for so long, he could have saved at least one of them. At this moment. The old woman and the elder sat cross-legged on one side of the hollow. The elder had ingested medicinal pills, and the old woman was helping him heal his injuries. Lingzhuzi and Madam Li were on the other side of the hollow. The Demon Lord stood alone at the entrance of the hollow. The three factions faced one another, surrounding the ancient demon in the middle. "Three great human experts gathered together—what a grand display!" The ancient demon sneered, chewing the Nascent Soul with an enraptured look on his face. Facing three late Nascent Soul experts, he showed not the slightest panic. Since the human cultivators did not strike, he had no intention of moving either, devoting all his efforts to absorbing the power of the three Nascent Souls to break the seals upon him. "Fellow Daoist must be Fairy Nangui, am I right? Who would have thought that Fairy Nangui, once hailed as the greatest beauty of the Canglang Sea, would now be an aged crone and a successor of the Four Sages Palace? No wonder you vanished without a trace back then." Sensing the old woman's venomous glare, the Demon Lord paid it no mind, smiling as he greeted her. "I never imagined that the heir of the Demonic Island, who once settled scores so frankly and boldly, would turn out to be so despicable and vicious!" Fairy Nangui snapped in rage. She had already learned the full story from her senior brother and hated the Demon Lord to the bone. "This seat calculated that the Four Sages Palace would certainly have top experts and ordered Old Devil Mou to stand by, yet I did not expect there to be two of you. It seems the Four Sages Palace has nearly recovered its vitality. Truly worthy of being successors to the Four Sages—such deep heritage. Winners take all, and losers are in the wrong. If Fairy Nangui wishes to avenge her fellow disciple, this seat can certainly oblige. However, with the ancient demon and the old Daoist eyeing us like tigers, I fear now is not the best time for revenge. Furthermore, Fairy's aura seems somewhat peculiar. Could it be that you employed the Four Sages Palace's renowned Origin Sacrifice Great Art? I imagine you cannot sustain it for long!" The Demon Lord sighed, feeling a pang of regret. "This old man also knows the Origin Sacrifice Great Art—do you care to try it? Cough, cough..." The elder was consumed with fury. Although the Origin Sacrifice Great Art could temporarily cause one's cultivation to surge dramatically, the price was extraordinarily steep. Back then, seeing that the ancient demon had not yet broken the seal and the situation was not critical, he had refrained from using it. Little did he expect that so many harboring ill intent had been watching him, plotting to seize the Demon-Suppressing Stele. Lingzhuzi flicked his horsetail whisk. "This humble Daoist has no desire to make enemies of you all. However, the ancient demon must not be unleashed, lest the living beings of the Canglang Sea be plunged into misery." "Hypocrite!" The Demon Lord sneered sarcastically. "Who was it trying to snatch the Demon-Suppressing Stele just now?" "Had I known in advance that you, Demon Lord, sought to unseal the ancient demon, I would have done everything in my power to stop you. Alas, I only uncovered that you were gathering people and preparing the Five Elements Inversion Killing Formation, and only learned the truth after following you here," Lingzhuzi said solemnly. The Demon Lord's eyes narrowed slightly, and realization dawned on him. "Old Demon Yin's disappearance—that was your doing?" Lingzhuzi admitted candidly, "It did indeed take quite some effort." "Back then, I had only mentioned it to Old Demon Yin once, before preparations had even begun, yet you..." The Demon Lord snorted coldly. Knowing there must be more deceit behind it, he did not pursue the matter further, shifting his tone instead: "Even if the ancient demon is freed, what of it? If the three of us join hands, and with the Demon-Suppressing Stele, what difficulty is there in slaying this demon? Are you truly content to remain forever at the late Nascent Soul stage? This demon certainly knows countless secrets. If we work together to capture him and perform soul searching, we will surely find a way forward!" Lingzhuzi's expression shifted slightly, and he glanced at the ancient demon. The ancient demon was devouring the Nascent Soul and breaking the seal; hearing the Demon Lord's words, he did not even get angry. The ancient demon was indeed powerful, but as facts had proven, he fell far short of the legends. At this point, Fairy Nangui helped her senior brother stabilize his injuries and said coldly, "The ancient demon can be killed, but do you think there is only one ancient demon here?" "What do you mean?" Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord were filled with shock and suspicion. Fairy Nangui snorted coldly and pointed at the stone stele. "A colossal ancient restriction exists at Yitian Peak. Long ago, a rift opened in the ancient restriction here, releasing the ancient demon, who slaughtered countless human experts. Our four ancestors paid with their lives before they managed to seal the ancient demon here! Those altars scattered across the Inner and Outer Halls were actually built to repair the ancient restriction; sealing the ancient demon was merely incidental. The Demon-Suppressing Stele is no supreme treasure, but the core of the ancient restriction. Once the ancient demon is suppressed, you are welcome to examine it as you wish. If you dare release the ancient demon, by all means take the Demon-Suppressing Stele away." The two exchanged a look. Judging by Fairy Nangui's tone, it did not seem to be a lie. "It is said that among the Four Sages, there was a Deity Transformation stage existence, yet they had to sacrifice their lives to seal this demon?" Hearing this, the Demon Lord was taken aback, shocked by the ancient demon's past power. Fairy Nangui's words did indeed unravel an enigma. If the Four Sages had been willing to act, given the Witch Clan's strength at the time, they should not have possessed much ability to resist. There had been a feud of blood and sea between the two races, yet in the end, humanity had only driven the Witch Clan to the Witch God Continent and stopped there, giving the Witch Clan a chance to catch their breath. So it turned out that an unforeseen disaster had occurred in the Hall of Seven Kills! "If the ancient restriction opens, will more ancient demons be unleashed? Just how many devils are sealed beneath the mountain?" Lingzhuzi exclaimed in shock. "This demon has devoured three Nascent Souls; the three of us will find it difficult to suppress him in the short term, and after each activation of the Demon-Suppressing Stele, Senior Brother also needs time to prepare. Delay invites disaster. If you do not want devils dancing across the world, immediately send someone to repair the altars." Fairy Nangui handed the Demon-Suppressing Stele to the elder. "This..." Lingzhuzi hesitated. On the scene, the only one free to leave and repair the altars was Madam Li. Once Madam Li left, he too would be left all on his own.