*Thump!*
The demons tumbled out of the sword killing formation, crashing into the ground with an impact that shook the mountains below.
Without the Saint King's protection, they dared not continuously contest the sword killing formation.
Everything had happened so abruptly. With so many demon kings suddenly appearing, demonic qi soared to the heavens in an instant. Nearby cultivators were alarmed, turning their gazes from Dishou Mountain into an immediate uproar.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The cultivators reacted as though facing a mortal enemy, summoning magical treasures of various shapes and forms to point at the demons from afar.
Refusing to show weakness, the demons bared ferocious snarls and faced off against the cultivators. Those with hotter tempers even directly revealed their demon forms, baring sharp fangs and claws.
Those brought to the Nineteen Misty Rain Prefectures by Bai Xiao were all Transformation-stage demon kings possessing formidable strength, but exposed before so many cultivators, they were inwardly apprehensive, nowhere near as fierce as they appeared on the surface.
They could sense that the eyes of some cultivators had turned greedy.
Cultivators occupied the mainland, while the demon race lived far away across the East Sea. In recent years, they had coexisted in relative peace, their ancient blood feuds gradually diluted by time; yet if given the chance to hunt down the other, neither side would ever hold back.
At that moment, a white figure descended from the sky, laying bare the full aura of the late Transformation stage.
The ill-intentioned cultivators reined in their gazes one after another, seized by wary dread. Even if they could surround and slaughter these demon kings, they had to weigh whether any among them could withstand the fierce counterattack of a Great Sage of the demon race.
Bai Xiao let out a cold snort and swept his eyes over the mountains with an unyielding posture, finally looking toward Dishou Mountain with a furrowed brow.
He was not worried about their own predicament. The Saint King had brought them inside surely not to send them to their deaths. From the looks of it, the Saint King had arrived in company with the Buddhist Saint, so they likely shared a mutual understanding already.
That Daoist Master had failed his tribulation.
Yet the Saint King had made such a strange move instead. Had some other unexpected upheaval occurred upon the mountain?
"Keep up!"
The Azure Fox Saint King's voice rang out, her tone grave as never before.
Bai Xiao's heart tightened. Daring not delay, he rallied his subordinates and flew forward.
Seeing Bai Xiao, the cultivators' aggressive intentions had already cooled. Hearing this command barked at a Great Sage of the demon race, combined with sensing a fleeting yet immense aura, they abruptly realized the truth.
High above in the sky, a green silhouette seemed to flicker past, treating the sword killing formation as nothing at all.
"It looks like... the Demon Race Saint King!"
The cries of astonishment had barely risen when another pointed toward Dishou Mountain and yelled:
"Look over there!"
At the summit of Dishou Mountain, a figure had appeared at some unknown moment—robed in a kasaya and holding Buddhist prayer beads, unmistakably a kindly-faced old monk.
Those who recognized him cried out in succession.
"It's the Buddhist Holy Monk!"
"Saint Huiguang!"
"A Deity Transformation cultivator has appeared! They aren't missing!"
"If so, why did Daoist Zilei rush his tribulation?"
"Both Saint Huiguang and the Demon Race Saint King have shown themselves. Where is True Monarch Danyu?"
...
Setting aside the reactions of the cultivators across the immortal abode...
Having possessed the demonic body, the Demon Spirit repelled Old Demon Fan in a single strike and forced the Poison King to resort to his sacred relic divine ability for self-preservation. The monstrous demonic will that erupted in the process alarmed Saint Huiguang.
Only now did Saint Huiguang learn that an ancient demon had been sealed beneath Dishou Mountain, surviving all the way to the present day. At last, he understood why Daoist Zilei had forcibly undergone his heavenly tribulation within the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
At this moment, Saint Huiguang's scheme to round up all the remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect in one fell swoop could no longer be accomplished; remaining in hiding was pointless.
No matter what, the ancient demon had to be dealt with first; everything else had to be set aside.
Even though Saint Huiguang had not lived through that demonic tribulation, he knew full well how terrifying it was. The Wuxiang Immortal Sect's fall from prosperity to ruin, and the Two Southern Barbarian Prefectures—still blanketed in toxic miasma to this day and never recovering their former state—served as clear proof.
If the ancient demon were unleashed, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Saint Huiguang descended from above.
It so happened that Old Demon Fan was fleeing for his life, nearly colliding with Saint Huiguang. Looking closely at who had arrived, Fan's face changed in an instant, shifting between light and dark, his heart filled with tangled, conflicting feelings.
Comparatively speaking, relief was what predominated.
He did not know what sudden turn of events had occurred within the seal, but the ancient demon's strength had abruptly surged to the point of controlling the Five Elements Crown. Though it had only been a single strike, it had truly broken Old Demon Fan out into a cold sweat.
That phantom demon was a life-saving divine ability refined at tremendous cost, yet it had been lost right here.
With Saint Huiguang arriving at the critical juncture, at least someone could deal with the trouble of the ancient demon.
What Old Demon Fan worried about was how Saint Huiguang intended to deal with him, given that he was also one of the instigators.
"Greetings, Holy Monk!"
Old Demon Fan calmed his breathing, stepped aside, and bowed in greeting.
Saint Huiguang gazed deep into the hollow of the mountain, paying him no heed.
Not daring to show any anger, Old Demon Fan looked up toward the heavens. Beneath the dispersing tribulation clouds, Daoist Hegao caught Daoist Zilei's mortal remains with both hands, covering up the grotesque state brought about by the heart demon tribulation to preserve his brother's final dignity.
Daoist Hegao silently looked down at his senior brother, his expression stiff, showing no overt grief.
Nevertheless, Old Demon Fan could guess how Daoist Hegao felt at this moment.
No one could have imagined that Daoist Zilei, having weathered all three disasters, would perish at the hands of the heart demon tribulation.
Old Demon Fan sighed inwardly, wondering why True Monarch Danyu had not appeared. Remembering that Bajing Abbey was the root cause of this turmoil, his heart settled considerably.
As the saying went, the law did not punish the masses; besides, he had Tianhao Tower backing him, so the old bald donkey would surely have to show some consideration for appearances.
While Old Demon Fan's thoughts ran wild, Saint Huiguang's gaze pierced through the turmoil, taking in the scene inside the mountain hollow.
Sensing his gaze, the demonic body jerked its head up.
*Boom!*
Their eyes met, and both felt a jolt in their minds.
Saint Huiguang was alarmed by the madness in the demonic body's eyes. When he and the Azure Fox Saint King had discussed the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao, they had deduced that if they were ever assimilated by the voice, they too would gradually sink into such madness.
However, the aura within the demonic body was far too chaotic, preventing him from discerning it clearly for the moment.
The Demon Spirit, on the other hand, was startled by the sudden appearance of a Deity Transformation cultivator, feeling a distinct sense of threat.
She had no interest in demonic tainting across the entire realm; her sole aim was shaping her own spirit. Without a Deity Transformation cultivator present, she could have slaughtered freely throughout the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, devoured enough cultivators, and found a secluded place to enter closed-door cultivation, resisting the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao while consuming the Demon Child to mend her true nature—promising a bright future on the Great Dao.
Yet of all things, another unforeseen accident had occurred!
The five-colored pillars of light chasing Old Demon Fan were abruptly recalled by the Demon Spirit. Shooting backward like five ropes, they wound over the giant cocoon and violently yanked the Poison King down.
"How dare you!"
Saint Huiguang let out a thunderous shout.
Old Demon Fan had sent a voice transmission conveying the crucial points, letting Saint Huiguang know that the giant cocoon held the Poison King and revealing the demonic body's intentions. If the demonic body were allowed to devour the Poison King, not only would their side lose a formidable combatant, but the demonic body's strength would inevitably increase further.
*Whoosh!*
The Five Elements Crown bound the giant cocoon and dragged it before the demonic body.
Even as it pulled, five-colored spiritual light relentlessly battered the cocoon, leaving its surface pitted and visibly deformed.
At the same time, the demonic body plummeted, attempting to retreat back into the seal.
Right at this moment, a burst of Buddhist light slipped from Saint Huiguang's palm—an edict talisman bearing a Buddhist mantra. It drifted down from above, seemingly slow yet deceptively swift.
A five-colored beam of light surged toward the sky, crashing directly into the Mantra Edict.
*Snap!*
The Mantra Edict proved surprisingly fragile, shattering on impact.
Before any joy could rise in the Demon Spirit, the fragments suddenly erupted with immense Buddhist light, illuminating the entire mountain hollow. By the time the Demon Spirit realized something was amiss, it was already too late.
The Mantra Edict had never been aimed at the Demon Spirit—its true target was the seal!
Wherever the Buddhist light reached, the five-colored light of the seal froze as if cast in iron, and a faintly ethereal swastika symbol had somehow imprinted itself over the seal.
In the nick of time, Saint Huiguang had perceived the most crucial detail: for some reason, the demonic body's aura was intimately bound to the power of the seal, allowing it to hide within the seal and escape this place.
To suppress the demonic body, he had to cut off its retreat first, ideally severing the connection between the demonic body and the seal to catch the turtle in the jar.
The power of the seal was suppressed by the Mantra Edict.
The demonic body stiffened, feeling as though a rigid barrier had formed beneath it. It let out a shrill shriek, and the Five Elements Crown blazed with light as five-colored spiritual brilliance plunged straight downward.
*Boom!*
The Mantra Edict shattered completely.
However, Saint Huiguang had never planned on resolving the trouble with only a single Mantra Edict. As the Mantra Edict shattered, eight clusters of silver light simultaneously lit up within the mountain hollow.
The silver lights spun like wheels, wondrous and profound—the Buddhist treasures known as the Fahua True Wheels.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
The Fahua True Wheels locked onto the demonic body at the same instant. Ribbons of silver light materialized around the demonic body like silver rings, encircling it and suddenly tightening.
The Azure Fox Saint King finally arrived.
A yellow light shot into the hollow of the mountain—a rustic piece of spiritual jade, appearing entirely natural without any trace of human carving.
The spiritual jade coordinated seamlessly with the Fahua True Wheels. Nor was it attacking the demonic body; amid the roaring rush of crashing waves, boundless spiritual water gushed forth from the jade. Part real and part illusory, the seemingly gentle currents proved sharper than the keenest blades, rapidly severing the connection between the demonic body and the seal.
Yet this was only temporary.
Two Deity Transformation cultivators!
The demonic body looked up, violent waves surging in its demonic eyes alongside utter resolve!
Inside the demonic body, the Demon Spirit disregarded the presence of the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao and moved directly to merge with the true nature!
...
Echoing alongside the sound of waves was the Azure Fox Saint King's sharp question:
"Old monk, what on earth is going on?!"
Saint Huiguang had no time to explain. As he revealed himself, his throat vibrated, unleashing a roar like a dragon's cry and a tiger's roar that reverberated across the entire immortal abode, laden with murderous intent:
"Anyone approaching Dishou Mountain shall be executed without mercy!"
It remained unclear what the ancient demon had done earlier; any cultivator approaching the demon risked being tainted by demonic corruption, and such corruption could under no circumstances be allowed to spread, lest another demonic tribulation be ignited.
The roar boomed like thunder, striking terror into everyone.
At this moment...
Qin Sang's avatar had been focused on observing the heavenly tribulation, standing upon the mountain.
Yue Lingtian had reached the foot of Dishou Mountain, stunned by Daoist Zilei's failure.
Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao were locked in combat. Fighting two against three, Mo Xingdao was ultimately no match for Su Zinan and fell at a disadvantage, managing to turn the tide repeatedly only by relying on his puppet's supreme escape arts.
Having obtained the Consonance Immortal Fruit, Mo Xingdao was already thoroughly satisfied and wished to leave the immortal abode. Yet unless he discarded his physical body and utilized the puppet's Yin-Yang Escape Art to get away, shaking off Su Zinan would not be easy.
The sudden appearance of Saint Huiguang caught everyone by surprise.
By this point, they had pieced together the sequence of events.
Bajing Abbey had tolerated the remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect to borrow a path through the immortal abode to enter the Immortal Palace, only for the path to be severed. Coupled with Daoist Zilei's hurried tribulation, all these signs basically corroborated the previous rumors.
Something had definitely gone wrong in the Immortal Palace, trapping the Deity Transformation masters of the Daoist and Buddhist factions within!
Their attention had been focused on one another, never anticipating that the Deity Transformation cultivators would return.
Qin Sang's avatar charged into a nearby cave, doing everything possible to transmit his thoughts to his true body.
While Daoist Zilei had been undergoing his tribulation, Qin Sang's true body had been wholly absorbed in breaking the restrictions on the stone hut, only to encounter trouble with the final layer. Witch Clan restrictions operated on entirely different principles from those of the human race, making his progress far slower than expected.
Fortunately, with the aid of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, and with the tremors of the seal constantly battering the restrictions, Qin Sang gradually unraveled the pattern.
He raced against time to break the restrictions, only for Daoist Zilei to fail his tribulation. The greatest threat had dissolved into thin air, bringing him a moment of relief, yet joy soon turned to sorrow.
Given the domineering strength of the Daoist and Buddhist sects, if he were trapped here, the best-case scenario would still be coughing up all his gains!
*Whoosh!*
Demonic fire instantly coated the entire stone door.
The restriction dimmed for a moment. Mustering the rest of his strength, Qin Sang finally pushed open a slit in the stone door and forced his way inside.
*Thud!*
The stone door closed once more.
His aura was doubly isolated by the remnant restrictions of the stone hut and the seal, meaning it should not leak out for the time being. However, he could not remain trapped here forever and could only take things one step at a time.
What Qin Sang did not know was that the intervention of Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King had spared him a disaster: having sensed someone breaking into the seal, the Demon Spirit had intended to take him along as well when fleeing.
Up on the mountain...
The others were just as quick to react.
Yue Lingtian turned and fled immediately.
Mo Xingdao and Su Zinan broke off their clash.
Su Zinan glared coldly at Mo Xingdao. Though extremely unwilling, he understood it was now impossible to snatch the Consonance Immortal Fruit from Mo Xingdao's hands.
"Let's see if you can keep hold of your prize!"
Su Zinan sneered. A yellow talisman abruptly appeared in his palm.
Years ago, when Old Demon Lu achieved the Deity Transformation stage, he was invited to Zhongzhou.
The Daoist and Buddhist factions had used the Dao beacon, qualifications to explore the Immortal Palace, and various other conditions to establish a covenant with Old Demon Lu, forbidding him from casually taking action or stirring up trouble in this realm.
Old Demon Lu had treated his adoptive son Su Zinan well enough, adding a stipulation to the covenant: regardless of what Su Zinan did, his life was to be spared once.
Su Zinan knew full well that with the matter of his demonic banners harvesting souls exposed, though Saint Huiguang could not kill him thanks to his adoptive father's lingering protection, that did not mean Saint Huiguang lacked other methods to torment and discipline him.
At the very least, the Three Corpses God-Perishing Banners could no longer be kept, and all his painstaking efforts would be ruined.
This talisman had been left to him by his adoptive father, known as the Mind-Manifestation Yin Transformation Escape Talisman. If used properly, it could evade the perception of a Deity Transformation master. With only one such talisman in existence, Su Zinan had no choice but to use it, pained though he was.
*Crack!*
The talisman shattered.
Su Zinan's figure blurred and vanished into thin air, his aura reduced to nothingness.
Mo Xingdao naturally understood the gravity of the situation and recalled his puppet, intending to depart.
Unexpectedly, an illusory phantom of a monk appeared before him, hands pressed together.
"Benefactor, please stay your steps."
At the same time...
Qin Sang's avatar, Yue Lingtian, and even Daoist Hegao were blocked by similar monk phantoms.
The tone was calm, yet carried an indisputable weight of pressure.
Yue Lingtian seethed with secret resentment.
Qin Sang was already prepared for this. Knowing his avatar could not leave safely, he made no struggle whatsoever, nodding placidly before slowly backing out of the cave.
Mo Xingdao reacted with extraordinary speed, but he only had time to send his puppet fleeing. Fortunately, the Consonance Immortal Fruit had remained on the puppet all along. His true body simply could not withdraw in time; abandoning his physical flesh, after all, was never an easy decision to make.
In truth, he had no chance of escaping with his Nascent Soul anyway, as the Azure Fox Saint King's divine sense had already locked onto him.
"Your puppet has some neat tricks, but your true self had better behave."
Laced within her seductive laughter was a chilling malice that caused Mo Xingdao's heart to run cold.
At that very moment, Saint Huiguang's voice echoed in everyone's ears:
"Help me suppress the ancient demon, and all your past deeds shall be forgiven."
Chapter 1678