River of Stars Chart

The four activated their magic treasures, striking simultaneously at the ancient restriction. The Yin Thunder Gourd spewed forth countless bolts of Yin Thunder, which merged together into an oppressive black cloud flashing with gloomy lightning, yet faintly radiating an essence of masculine vigor. This treasure had been forged by Demon Monarch Tongyou from the purest Yin earth fiend qi, after which he had utilized demonic secret arts to refine heavenly thunder into it, constantly tempering it until it gradually transformed into Yin Thunder. Aside from his natal magic treasure, this was the treasure Demon Monarch Tongyou had poured the most effort into. Qin Sang still relied on demonic fire as his primary means of combat. He had brought out all Eighteen Demon Banners to avoid being caught unprepared by sudden developments once inside, but he held back when driving them, making their display seem little different from the twelve demon banners before. Even so, the demonic fire's might was enough to draw wary glances. Demon Monarch Tongyou could not resist casting several extra looks his way. Jingyu had already assumed her demon form, poised and waiting in full readiness. With the Thunder Prayer Bead suspended before her, Jingyu spat clusters of vital essence onto it. The Thunder Prayer Bead shone with brilliant light, which mingled within the bead until it birthed a tiny silhouette of a Thunder-Devouring Falcon that darted toward the ancient restriction like an arrow released from a bowstring. The three attacks arrived almost simultaneously, surging side by side. Qingjun's Five Directions Pagoda was the swiftest of all. The Five Directions Pagoda was defined by the principle of suppression—a treasure crafted to subdue and overawe all five directions. It could also be directed inward to suppress incoming attacks, serving as a defensive measure. This ability could likewise be applied to the ancient restriction. The Five Directions Pagoda was only palm-sized, giving off a faint black glow without revealing the imposing aura typical of a top-grade magic treasure. Arriving above the ancient restriction, the pagoda halted abruptly, whereupon a gigantic projection of the pagoda appeared out of the void, an exact likeness of the physical artifact. The instant the pagoda's phantom appeared, the surrounding blood mist ceased flowing. The shockwaves from the clashing grand arrays traveled over, only to hit a barrier right here. Bang! The projection dropped straight onto the ancient restriction, suppressing its fluctuations. At the same time, the attacks from Qin Sang and the other two struck in rapid succession, piercing right through the projection. Boom! Demonic fire, Yin Thunder, and the falcon phantom fused in perfect harmony, slamming all at once into the ancient restriction's vulnerable point. The restriction had already been crisscrossed with fractures at its weakest point. Struck by this concerted assault, it had no time to mount a counterattack before those fissures spread like wildfire. A quantitative shift triggered a qualitative leap; the ancient restriction shattered with a roar, sending fragments flying everywhere. The shockwave of the restriction's collapse stirred up a tempest of terrifying might. However, its force had first been weakened by the suppression of the Five Directions Pagoda, so when the blast reached Qin Sang and the others, they were able to hold it off by activating their treasures. Meanwhile, the ancient restriction flared with radiance as power surged frantically toward the damaged area. Though they had managed to breach it by exploiting its preexisting damage, their cultivation was insufficient to injure its foundation; the restriction was already beginning to repair itself. The Five Directions Pagoda trembled repeatedly as its projection tenaciously pinned the restriction down, slowing the speed of its recovery. With the Yin Thunder Gourd hovering above his head, Demon Monarch Tongyou blasted an opening with Yin Thunder and took the lead, darting through the ancient restriction. Qin Sang and Jingyu came next, while Qingjun retrieved the Five Directions Pagoda last and followed right behind them. And the moment they attacked the restriction, the people at the blood pool sensed it. *** Above the blood pool, Old Demon Ye, the Blood Demon avatar, and Elder Tianzheng were focused entirely on unraveling the seal. Anxious about the battle outside, Elder Tianzheng cast occasional glances toward the entrance of the blood pool. Seeing that the Banner Gate Grand Array was exceptionally stable and firmly keeping their opponents out, he felt somewhat reassured. The three figures performed the same secret art, rapidly casting runes into the blood pool. Some melted into the gory water, while others drifted toward the black chains. Under their relentless casting, the seal on the blood pool was on the verge of being broken open. The waters of the blood pool could no longer remain calm. Rolling waves surged one after another, shaking the black chains into a continuous, rattling clatter. Right at that moment, Elder Tianzheng suddenly sensed the disturbance in the ancient restriction. His expression altered drastically. Guessing the cause at once, he cried out in alarm, "Not good!" His figure flickered as he charged toward the source of the disturbance. Old Demon Ye and the Blood Demon avatar turned a deaf ear and blind eye to everything outside, completely disregarding Elder Tianzheng's departure. Instead, they accelerated their casting even further, racing against the clock to unravel the seal! Elder Tianzheng's face was dark with fury. Their opponents seemed to know no less about the Blood Lake than they did; not only had they quickly located the core of the Black Pagoda Array and tracked them here, but they also knew precisely which spot in the ancient restriction was the weakest. Sin Abyss had only obtained this information by searching an ancient demon's soul; where had their enemies learned it? Puzzled beyond measure, Elder Tianzheng watched the restriction ahead as a fissure indeed split open, exuding the familiar aura of Yin Thunder. "Old Demon Tongyou!" Elder Tianzheng gave a cold snort. Having clashed with Demon Monarch Tongyou several times, he recognized the man at a glance. He had no idea how many people were following behind Tongyou. Knowing he could under no circumstances allow Tongyou to break in and disrupt Old Demon Ye's unsealing efforts, Elder Tianzheng swept his wide sleeve, sending a shooting star streaking through the blood mist. Enveloped within the starlight was a scroll. The scroll slowly unfurled, revealing first a boundless expanse of deep space, followed by specks of stars emerging and gathering into a sea of stars—it was none other than a River of Stars Chart. Though it looked like a mere picture, the starry sky depicted upon it seemed truly alive, its celestial bodies shifting and drifting incessantly. When the River of Stars Chart had opened fully, the scroll vanished into thin air. Vanishing alongside it was the ubiquitous blood mist. The entire area transformed into the sea of stars depicted upon the chart, locked down completely by the magic treasure. Having just passed through the ancient restriction, Demon Monarch Tongyou found himself cast into a chaotic void, contrary to what Jingyu had described. Moments later, a colossal celestial body dragged a long cometary tail into view ahead, hurtling toward him with astonishing momentum! Confronted by this celestial sphere, Demon Monarch Tongyou felt the momentary illusion that he was as puny as an ant. As the star bore down upon him, threatening to smash him to dust, Demon Monarch Tongyou showed no sign of fear. Instead, he sneered coldly, "The River of Stars Chart! Old Ghost Tianzheng, so you're here too!" With that, the Yin Thunder Gourd atop his head trembled, spewing forth countless bolts of Yin Thunder that surged head-on into the star. Yet after being impaled by the Yin Thunder, the menacing star proved to be an illusion, popping like a bubble pierced by a needle before shattering into pieces and vanishing on the spot. Unscathed, Demon Monarch Tongyou heard Elder Tianzheng's voice carrying menacing words into his ears: "Old Demon Tongyou, you actually managed to track us here—I underestimated you! But do you have any idea what is sealed beneath this pool? Ignorant fool, beware of meeting your demise here!" Tongyou sneered contemptuously, shouting back, "Nothing more than an ancient cultivator suppressed here! Enduring torture, torment, and isolation day and night, even if he hasn't turned into a devil, he must have long gone mad! In unsealing the blood pool without regard and freeing a devil, have you given a thought to the hundreds of millions of living souls in the Beichen Realm?" Hearing this, Elder Tianzheng was shaken to his core. The old demon truly knew this place inside out; he was fully aware of the blood pool's seal and the ancient cultivator. Thoughts raced through Elder Tianzheng's mind. Unlike Sin Abyss, who had only located the Blood Lake after soul-searching a demon, the Xiaohan Realm had known of the Blood Lake's existence long ago. Could they have visited the blood pool before?