The Demon Lord was only too pleased. He immediately tossed a medallion to Madame Li. "With this Demon Island Medallion in hand, Madame Li, you may take a few helpers to repair the altars with you. That should speed things along."
"Here are the locations of the altars and the method to repair them. The three primary sacrificial altars are of paramount importance. With this talisman, you can enter the Trial Realm; there is a primary sacrificial altar within as well."
Fairy Nangui handed a jade slip and spirit talisman to Madame Li and informed her of the locations of the three primary sacrificial altars.
With Fairy Nangui's guidance, it would not be as fraught with trouble and peril as it had been for the three alliance leaders before.
Lingzhuzi could not say much against it.
Madame Li nodded, suppressed her injuries, collected all the items, and flew down the mountain.
The gazes of Fairy Nangui, the Demon Lord, and Lingzhuzi shifted, settling upon the ancient demon.
Facing the three great experts, the ancient demon paid them no heed. Instead, he looked toward the area outside the hollow, appearing to have noticed something amiss, a strange glint in his eyes.
Then, a trace of fury surfaced on the ancient demon's face, and he ground his teeth. "To think that this seat would one day suffer a backlash from a demonic attendant and end up as bait!"
The three were taken aback at his words.
Just then, the mountain rocks shuddered violently.
*Boom!*
All around the hollow, swathes of rock face peeled away, and boulders rumbled downward with a deafening roar.
The earth trembled.
Countless fossilized spiritual trees shattered, crashing to the ground as loose rocks flew in all directions.
Those ancient palaces, already exceedingly decrepit and teetering on the verge of ruin, were swept up in the violent tremors, collapsing in vast swathes as clouds of dust billowed into the air.
*Crack!*
Like a bolt from the blue!
A fissure abruptly tore open along Yitian Peak.
*Rumble, rumble...*
The fissure spread rapidly from the distance, crossing the mountain slope and piercing through the entire cliff face, growing wider and wider. Stones plummeted into the abyss, which was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Looking down from midair, the hollow lay directly at the center of the fissure, torn clean open by the rent earth.
Alarmed, everyone took to the air one after another to evade the falling boulders.
Even so, they did not forget the ancient demon, remaining arranged around him in a circle to prevent him from escaping amidst the chaos.
The ancient demon showed no intention of leaving whatsoever. He stood motionless on the ground, enveloped in true demonic qi, which shattered every falling stone into powder.
Unscathed, he stared fixedly into the fissure, his expression shifting erratically.
"This is..."
Fairy Nangui frowned, staring into the depths of the fissure.
Down within the abyss, all was pitch-black, with the faint silhouette of a black curtain emerging.
Within the curtain, myriad runes flickered in turn. The power of the ancient restriction blanketed the subterranean depths, ultimately forming an impenetrable expanse.
Yet now, a crack visibly marred that curtain.
The crack was as fine as a strand of hair, barely discernible to the naked eye, but it signified a flaw in the ancient restriction!
Beneath the stele in the hollow, an altar had originally been situated.
At this moment, that altar sat right atop the crack in the curtain.
Beholding this sight, Fairy Nangui gasped, "A rift in the ancient restriction!"
The elder swept his gaze across the area, tracing the origin of the spreading fissure, and discovered it had originated from the direction of the precipice. His expression drastically changed.
"Not good!"
The young man and girl were still in the grand hall.
The upheaval had begun there; who knew what had become of the two successors?
The elder swiftly sent a voice transmission to Fairy Nangui. Disregarding his own injuries, he seized the Demon-Suppressing Stele, flickered into motion, and shot toward the precipice.
*Swish!*
From the depths of the fissure, a massive black net suddenly flew out, hurtling toward the elder as swift as lightning.
Having just suffered from a sneak attack, the elder was naturally on his guard. Sensing something amiss at once, he let out an enraged roar. A brilliant rainbow ray erupted and slashed into the black net.
He was utterly furious; this was the second time he had been ambushed.
Every single one of these people seemed to have targeted him!
The most renowned factions among the human race were almost all gathered here; where had this newcomer come from?
Although the elder had been prepared, his old injuries were far from healed, and the newcomer's strength was clearly no weaker than his own. The rainbow light failed to pierce the black net and was swallowed up by it instead.
The elder was forced back.
"Where does Fellow Daoist think you are going?"
A figure flashed out from the fissure, casually waving a hand to recall the black light, and looked at the elder with a smile. "To entice you into moving the Demon-Suppressing Stele of your own accord, I truly spent no small amount of effort."
When this person revealed his form, it was none other than Qingzhu!
However, his eyes held an unmasked madness and bloodlust. It was clearly a physical body puppeted by a demonic soul, not the real Qingzhu himself.
"Who are you?"
Seeing Demonic Qingzhu, all four present wore looks of surprise.
They had originally assumed another faction was involved, only to discover a complete stranger.
The Demon Lord, the Sect Master of the Tiandao Sect, and the successors of the Four Sages Palace—representing the pinnacle forces of humanity—had none of them ever laid eyes on this man.
"It truly is you!"
A sinister look flashed across the ancient demon's face, and he glared fiercely at Demonic Qingzhu. "I helped you break free of your predicament and imparted my cultivation arts to you, yet you dare betray me!"
"Not so, not so..."
Demonic Qingzhu shook his head repeatedly. "What this humble one has done has always been in accordance with the commands of Lord Demon Sovereign. It is merely that my master is not a split soul like you!"
The corners of his lips curved up in a mocking sneer. "Even if I were to pledge allegiance, it would be to a true demon. Did a mere split soul honestly expect me to serve him?"
The ancient demon was taken aback. "It's him! When were you bewitched by him?"
Demonic Qingzhu scoffed, "Before I ever met you, I had already forged an oath with him. The original body spared no expense to his origin essence to send you out. Yet you, a mere split will, were trapped in the seal for so many years that you developed rebellious thoughts and two-faced ambitions! Instead of smashing the altars and unraveling the ancient restriction, you sought to establish your own faction and turn from guest into master!"
The ancient demon's expression fluctuated. He sneered disdainfully, "He is I, and I am he. We spring from the same origin—who cares who is master and who is servant? What difference does it make!"
He swept a glare across the people in the air and suddenly came to a realization, furious to the point of hysteria. "You drew all these people here!"
The ancient demon was beside himself with rage. According to his original scheme, he had lured the three alliance leaders to undo the seal, after which Demonic Qingzhu would ambush the descendants of the Four Sages and seize the Demon-Suppressing Stele. Then, he would regain his freedom and sweep across the world.
Once his strength was restored, he would return to release the true body, devour his original self, and become the true Demon Sovereign.
Every single part of his grand plan had been ruined by Demonic Qingzhu!
Sealed for countless years, his strength was a shadow of its former glory. With his seals still unbroken and facing a siege by three late Nascent Soul experts, his odds were dire in the extreme.
"I merely went with the flow. Were it not to use you as bait to entice the Four Sages Palace into willingly removing the Demon-Suppressing Stele so I could make my preparations unhindered, and because breaking the restriction required your hand, there would have been no need to release you in the first place."
Demonic Qingzhu said indifferently, "When I left the Hall of Seven Kills and slipped into the Canglang Sea back then, I noticed a few clues and decided to beat you at your own game. I lured a few more opponents here for you, lest you actually manage to escape."
At this point, listening to the exchange between Demonic Qingzhu and the ancient demon, the four cultivators in midair had diverse expressions.
Hearing this, the Demon Lord's heart stirred. His eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Demonic Qingzhu from head to toe, and something suddenly clicked in his mind.
Though this man's face was unfamiliar, he gave off a sense of familiarity, as though they had met before.
"Are you the Sword Demon?"
The Demon Lord finally recalled someone.
Demonic Qingzhu turned his gaze toward him and nodded. "Fellow Daoist Yin held the Demon Lord in the highest esteem, and indeed your reputation is well deserved. It is a pity that unexpected circumstances befell me back then, preventing me from becoming better acquainted with you."
Chapter 1072