Perished

The shattering of the mask had been intentional on Qin Sang's part. Dongyang Bo already knew his identity; there was no longer any need to hide. Using Old Demon Ye's Blood Demon avatar as a sacrifice, the timing could not have been better! The avatar's self-detonation sent a violent shockwave slamming into the demonic banners. Without time to reorganize the banner array, Qin Sang flicked his sleeves to gather all the demonic banners, recalled his demonic fire, and urged his sword forward to assist Qingjun against Old Demon Ye. Just then, however, he heard a mournful cry from the Qingluan, and his heart gave a sudden jolt. *** At the very moment the Blood Demon avatar self-detonated... The Qingluan and Old Demon Ye's gigantic profound ice hand had reached for the jade skeleton virtually at the same instant. *Boom!* The roar of the avatar's destruction drowned out their clash. Just as the Qingluan seized an arm of the jade skeleton, a terrifying chill crept outward. Frost surged along its sharp talons, encasing its body in ice in an instant. At the same time, an immense, overwhelming force struck. High in the blood-tinted sky, a Qingluan whose azure plumage was as pristine as landscape paintings—now encased within a layer of chill ice that made its ethereal luster stand out all the more—plummeted like a divine phoenix falling from the heavens, its long tail feathers trailing stardust-like flecks of ice that rained down below. The Qingluan let out a lingering wail. This swan song remained as crisp as a phoenix's cry, so crisp it wrenched the heart. Striving to fulfill its master's command, it ultimately fell short at the final step. Both sharp talons along with half of its body shattered alongside the profound ice, plunging into the filthy blood pool. Old Demon Ye's profound ice hand fractured inch by inch, blasting the Qingluan away, while shards of frost swept up the jade skeleton and flew back under the cover of the Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes. In the end, Old Demon Ye had still gained the upper hand! Qingjun's body shuddered violently. A startling trail of crimson blood seeped from the corner of her lips, and the scenery of rivers, mountains, and the bright moon shattered, impossible to maintain any longer. With the Qingluan puppet severely damaged, its master suffered a backlash. The Five Directions Pagoda and the Thunder Remembrance Bead tried to salvage the situation, but it was already too late. The jade skeleton was carried off by the Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes, out of reach. Breaking free from the shockwaves of the avatar's self-detonation, Qin Sang caught sight of this very scene, watching helplessly as Old Demon Ye surged toward the blood pool's entrance with the jade skeleton in tow. "The ancient cultivator is dead!" Just as Qin Sang was about to drive his sword in pursuit, Qingjun's cold, grim voice reached his ears. The Five Directions Pagoda broke off its pursuit of Old Demon Ye and abruptly veered at high speed toward another battlefield—where Old Man Tianzheng and Demon Monarch Tongyou were clashing! Qin Sang paused, instant understanding dawning upon him. When the Two Domains Alliance discussed and decided to enter the Blood Lake, they had established contingency plans. Old Demon Ye and Sin Abyss had plotted for many years. Meanwhile, the alliance had not even known Sin Abyss's true objective. Their scouting expeditions had yielded meager results, and the odds of disrupting Sin Abyss's scheme were likely less than ten or twenty percent. Indeed, it had played out just so: Old Demon Ye had first laid false trails, then used the blood gates and the Black Pagoda Array as obstacles to run them ragged. Had Jingyu not proven an unforeseen variable, by the time they deciphered the patterns of the Black Pagoda Array and found this place, Old Demon Ye would have long since made off with the jade skeleton. In the contingency plan, disrupting Sin Abyss's plot was the best outcome, but if they failed, they would catch Sin Abyss off guard and seize any chance to slay a Nascent Soul cultivator of Sin Abyss, weakening their enemy's power. Later, learning from Jingyu that a living ancient cultivator was trapped in the Black Pagoda Array, everyone finally understood what Sin Abyss was after. A living ancient cultivator possessed immense value, so everyone had naturally been very tempted. Yet a dead ancient cultivator—apart from the jade-like exterior of the bones being somewhat peculiar—was not much different from the remains of ancient cultivators they had encountered in secret realms before. When Qingjun grabbed the jade skeleton earlier, she had confirmed that it was completely devoid of vitality. The ancient cultivator had struggled to survive, refining his own body into this state, but had still failed to escape the fate of perishing. Before they had even entered, his oil had burned dry, and he was thoroughly dead. It was precisely because of this that throughout their dismantling of the blood pool's seals, the cage, and the shackles upon the jade skeleton, it had shown no reaction whatsoever. Over the years, quite a few ancient cultivators' skeletons had been unearthed in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and Ziwei Palace, among which were not a few extraordinary specimens akin to this jade skeleton. Experience had proven that it was exceedingly difficult to glean useful information from such remains. The ancient cultivator had already perished. Furthermore, now that the jade skeleton had fallen into Old Demon Ye's hands, snatching it back would be no easy feat. Qingjun made a prompt decision. Following the established plan, she shifted targets without warning, and the Five Directions Pagoda swung around to smash ferociously toward Old Man Tianzheng. Qin Sang caught on immediately. Glancing toward Old Demon Ye, he pivoted his sword ray without hesitation. Coincidentally, when the Blood Demon avatar self-detonated moments ago, it had happened to block Old Man Tianzheng's escape path, causing him to miss his optimal window to withdraw. Having also received Qingjun's prompt, Demon Monarch Tongyou, a veteran of a hundred battles, shifted tactics swiftly. His demonic seal stirred up endless fiendish winds, turning about to seal off the river of stars. The situation changed in the blink of an eye. Now, it was Old Man Tianzheng who was desperate to disengage, while Demon Monarch Tongyou clung to him relentlessly. Within the river of stars, Old Man Tianzheng's face was flushed with anger. Although he placed great importance on this traitor to Ziwei Palace, he had no intention of throwing away his own life. He had engaged Demon Monarch Tongyou to hold back a formidable foe for Old Demon Ye, while watching for a chance to retreat. The strength Qin Sang displayed had far exceeded his expectations. Sensing trouble ahead, Old Man Tianzheng had prepared to withdraw early on. Seeing Old Demon Ye and the jade skeleton burst out of the blood pool, he had been just about to act. That the Blood Demon avatar would be forced by the demonic fire to self-detonate had truly been an unexpected turn. Caught off guard and unfortunately swept into the fallout, Old Man Tianzheng had missed his golden opportunity. Yet he also knew that in such a critical, hair-raising juncture, the avatar's self-detonation was a desperate necessity, and Old Demon Ye could hardly be blamed. *Whoosh!* *Rumble!* Behind him, demonic qi billowed; he had already tasted the power of Old Demon Tongyou's natal demonic seal moments ago. Ahead stood the Five Directions Pagoda, capable of trading blows with Old Demon Ye's Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes without falling into disadvantage. To the flank, dazzling sword rays blazed with earth-shaking momentum. Once Qin Sang deployed his sword array, even the Blood Demon avatar could not break it easily. What was more, Qin Sang possessed the even more terrifying demonic fire; once that demonic fire regrouped, Old Man Tianzheng might well follow in the avatar's footsteps. Hemmed in on three sides, Old Man Tianzheng was in mortal peril! Ever since the two sides clashed, though the tides had shifted unpredictably, everyone had exercised restraint, rarely letting themselves fall into truly perilous situations. Who could have imagined that first the Blood Demon avatar would self-detonate, and immediately afterward Old Man Tianzheng would be plunged into dire straits? The situation was critical! Though Old Man Tianzheng had contingency measures prepared, doing this would inevitably take a heavy toll on his vitality. He could not help but sigh in his heart; he had no other choice now. The river of stars manifested by the Star River Chart had already been mostly tainted by Demon Monarch Tongyou. The remaining stars flared brilliantly, illuminating the heavens with a blinding glare. The river of stars vanished, leaving behind only an enormous mass of light. The sphere of light resembled a primal womb, pulsing gently. A giant composed of starlight rose, melding with the celestial bodies to straddle heaven and earth. Arriving from various distances, the Yin Thunder Gourd, demonic seal, Five Directions Pagoda, and ebony sword descended one after another, followed at last by the Thunder Remembrance Bead, laying siege to the giant. Riddled with wounds, the giant teetered on the verge of collapse, yet it remained fiercely resilient, fighting desperately to break out. *Crack!* A thunderstorm descended upon the world. Knowing this chance could not be lost, Qin Sang unleashed the Thunder Command Art. Heavenly thunder tore through the giant's form, but Old Man Tianzheng had long anticipated Qin Sang's techniques. From the starlight giant's wound emerged a celadon porcelain plate, and the arcing threads of lightning merely skittered across its surface. At the same time, the battle over the array at the blood pool's entrance was also decided.