With a smile on his face, Qu Huan spoke in an unhurried manner. "I know everyone must have many questions. However, the most urgent matter right now is breaching Yucheng."
He pointed toward Yucheng. "Now that the defensive grand formation has lost the Nether Crystal Pagoda, they won't have time to mend the breach. This is the optimal moment to break the formation. Once we breach the outer city, the Sin Abyss will have no choice but to turtle up inside the inner city, and as soon as our main army arrives, we can besiege them completely. With nearly half of the Sin Abyss's Nascent Soul cultivators killed or wounded, I'd like to see just how long they can stubbornly hold out!"
"What did you say? Nearly half of their Nascent Souls fell at Old Demon Ye's hands?"
Even as steady and composed as Daoist Zhenyi was, he could not remain calm upon hearing this news. His grip on the Qianyu Horsetail Whisk tightened abruptly, and an exclamation escaped his lips.
Qin Sang and the other two were even more astounded.
According to the intelligence Qu Huan had transmitted earlier, Old Demon Ye had openly rebelled in Yucheng and slaughtered his allies, so the others must have joined forces to attack him.
Under the watchful eyes of all, Old Demon Ye had actually managed to kill and wound so many people and still escape.
Just how terrifying was Old Demon Ye's strength?
Not even a genuine late Nascent Soul great cultivator could achieve such a staggering feat. Perhaps only a legendary mighty figure of the Deity Transformation stage could pull it off.
A wave of chill rose in Qin Sang's heart.
Could Old Demon Ye have concealed his true strength all along?
If Old Demon Ye had gone on a slaughter spree at the Blood Lake, he doubted whether he and Senior Sister could have escaped with their lives.
"It is indeed true, though there is another reason behind it. Those who fell were mostly newly ascended Nascent Souls from the past two hundred years. Old Demon Ye was playing a massive game of chess, and what is even more terrifying is that no one yet knows what his true intention behind all this is!"
A look of profound marvel surfaced on Qu Huan's face.
Soon after, under Qu Huan's guidance, the group altered their formation-breaking strategy. Locating the vulnerabilities in the defensive grand formation, they unleashed their trump-card magic treasures and launched an all-out assault.
As they attacked the city, they listened as Qu Huan revealed the inside story.
"The origin of everything began with the Sin God Palace. Back then, while the righteous and demonic factions of the Sin Abyss were not at each other's throats, they were far from harmonious. The reason they joined hands was also due to that incident. My cultivation was low then, so I lacked the qualifications to enter the Sin God Palace; everything I know was heard later, and I only understand the general outline. To know the specific details, one would have to ask the participants themselves. We once swore solemn inner demon oaths at the Xingheng Sect, but now that Old Demon Ye has engaged in mass slaughter, the very foundation of the oath no longer exists, and I have nothing left to worry about."
Qu Huan slowly recounted a secret. "Back then, Old Demon Ye and the others discovered a fiendish demon in the Sin God Palace. It was said to be an ancient demon trapped there until this day, and it was still alive! The fiend was exceedingly ferocious, and they nearly released it, which would have courted catastrophe. In the end, the righteous and demonic paths joined forces and paid a painful price before they finally managed to slay the fiend!"
A fiendish demon!
Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat, and he sensed Qingjun's gaze.
The two exchanged a look, both struck by a sudden realization.
The so-called fiend was very likely an ancient demon as well, perhaps even connected in some way to the Demon Sovereign from the Hall of Seven Kills.
No wonder a phantom image of an ancient demon had appeared on the Sin Abyss's side during that battle at the Ziwei Palace immortal formation!
No wonder he had sensed an aura similar to the Demon Sovereign's on the Nether Crystal Pagoda!
The Sin God Palace had imprisoned an ancient demon, only for it to be counter-slain by the cultivators of the Sin Abyss.
Qin Sang was secretly surprised. It was certain that this demon's remaining power had been far inferior to that of the Demon Sovereign; otherwise, even if every cultivator in the Beichen Realm had gathered, they would still have been no match for it.
"What did they discover on that demon?"
Qingjun acutely caught onto the key point.
The others realized it as well. The merging of the Sin Abyss's righteous and demonic factions, their ambush at the Ziwei Palace, and their mobilization of troops to invade the Tianxing Plateau—all of this had occurred after slaying that demon. It was bound to be connected!
Qu Huan glanced at Qingjun in surprise, then nodded. "A great deal! When the demon was on the verge of death, taking advantage of its weakened state, they performed a soul searching secret art on it. The demon failed to react in time, and the art actually succeeded. Although the demon quickly struck back in retaliation, they still reaped a bountiful harvest. For instance..."
Qu Huan paused slightly, and his next words left everyone thoroughly shaken.
"The Nether Crystal Pagoda, a pill known as the Withered Yuan Pill, secrets concerning the Blood Lake, and... that passageway between the Sin God Palace and Ziwei Palace!"
That ambush at the Ziwei Palace immortal formation had nearly doomed the Xiaohan Realm and Celestial Alliance beyond redemption, and it was precisely that battle that had marked the beginning of turmoil throughout the Beichen Realm.
"So that was it."
Recalling those past events, the expressions of the group turned varied and complex.
"Having tasted sweetness from slaying that demon, and learning through soul searching that another demon was imprisoned in the Blood Lake, they intended to repeat the same trick. However, the demon's might had cast a shadow over them; fearing that failing to slay the demon would instead draw fire upon themselves, they waited until recently, when the demon grew weak, before daring to enter the Blood Lake. Unexpectedly, they arrived too late and obtained only a jade skeleton..."
Qu Huan let out a sneer. "However, looking at it now, there was probably something more to it. From the hunt against the demon in the Sin God Palace onward, from beginning to end, it is very likely all a scheme laid by Old Demon Ye—and today is the day of its grand finale!"
Daoist Zhenyi's brows knit tightly. "What does Fellow Daoist mean by this? Also, is this Withered Yuan Pill just a medicinal pill, or...?"
The others pricked up their ears as well.
Just now, Qu Huan had deliberately mentioned the Withered Yuan Pill without explaining it.
It sounded like a pill, yet to be ranked alongside the Nether Crystal Pagoda, and derived from the memories of an ancient demon, it had to be of paramount importance!
"The Withered Yuan Pill is the true reason that forged the alliance between the Sin Abyss's righteous and demonic factions and ignited this war."
Qu Huan turned his palm, revealing a dusty-gray spirit pill, and held it out for all to see. "This pill can drastically increase the chances of breaking through bottlenecks. Not only can it aid Core Formation stage cultivators in forming their Nascent Souls, but it also possesses miraculous efficacy for Nascent Soul cultivators!"
"What?"
"A divine pill that breaks through bottlenecks! No wonder the Sin Abyss's Nascent Souls surged so suddenly!"
"How much does it increase the chances?"
...
The moment these words were spoken, an uproar erupted.
The eyes of everyone present locked onto the Withered Yuan Pill, burning with intense heat.
The Withered Yuan Pill was utterly inconspicuous—dusty gray, without peculiar markings or alluring medicinal fragrance. It was hard to imagine that it possessed such miraculous efficacy!
Qin Sang was quite tempted as well, his eyes fixed on the Withered Yuan Pill.
However, he did not lose his reason. Qu Huan clearly had more to say; holding a Withered Yuan Pill, he had not consumed it himself but instead displayed it openly, so there was bound to be something fishy.
The method of concocting the Withered Yuan Pill came from an ancient demon's memories, so it was unlikely to be benign, and hidden dangers likely lurked within.
Noticing the greed in their eyes, Qu Huan was not surprised. It was precisely due to this greed that the cultivators of the Sin Abyss had spared no thought in embroiling all living beings in a catastrophe.
At the thought, Qu Huan mocked himself inwardly. What right did he have to criticize others? When he first learned of the Withered Yuan Pill's miraculous efficacy, had he not nearly lost his head as well?
"In the memories obtained from soul searching the demon, the Withered Yuan Pill had no evident drawbacks and possessed such miraculous efficacy. One can imagine how Old Man Tianzheng and the others felt back then. In their wild ecstasy, they decided to refine the Withered Yuan Pill almost without hesitation. And among the spiritual materials required to concoct the Withered Yuan Pill, there is a profound, inscrutable thing called the Killing Intent of Man!"
Chapter 1302