Demon Lord

On Liangqiu Island, the landscape had undergone a drastic transformation, completely overtaken by a banner formation. Phantoms of great banners, each a full thirty feet tall, stood either planted into the ground or suspended in midair. At the formation's center, the formation plate hovered, expanded to countless times its original size. The banners radiated a rich yellow light that converged entirely toward the formation plate. At the center of Liangqiu Island, yellow light shot into the sky, consolidating into an enormous cocoon of light. Across the surface of the cocoon, dense runes and miniature banner phantoms flickered erratically as they rotated with it. Trapped inside was a tiny figure, desperately and furiously battering against the cocoon. Any bystander who witnessed what was inside would have been utterly astounded—for it was a Nascent Soul. His physical body was nowhere to be seen, already destroyed by the killing formation, leaving only a solitary Nascent Soul trying to teleport to freedom. Yet the cocoon of light proved remarkably tough. Far from breaking under his assault, it rapidly compressed inward, easily thwarting every teleportation attempt. Powerless to halt it, the Nascent Soul could only watch in despair as the cocoon shrank. "Who on earth are you?!" With a ferocious grimace, the Nascent Soul roared in fury, but no answer came. Countless banner silhouettes drifted onto his Nascent Soul, carrying some sort of binding power. His resistance grew weaker and weaker until he was on the verge of being sealed entirely. Two mysterious figures hovered on either side of the light cocoon, driving the formation plate with all their might. One of them, a gray-robed person, seemed to sense something and turned to look into the distance. Yet he made no move to leave, remaining focused on manipulating the banner formation to trap and eliminate their quarry. The banner formation possessed immense power. Under the combined efforts of the two, the Nascent Soul stood no chance of resisting. Crack! Finally, the formation plate shattered, scattering down like a shower of yellow light. The cocoon had shriveled to a tiny size, and the Nascent Soul within fell completely silent. Just like that, a Nascent Soul expert had been captured alive. With a wave of his sleeve, the gray-robed person swept the light cocoon into his robes, then swept his gaze across the surroundings to confirm that no traces remained after the destruction of the formation plate. At that moment, his companion flew over. "That went smoothly enough. We've finally captured Old Demon Yin alive. Time to pull out—those old ghosts have likely caught wind of this and are already hurrying this way. If we don't leave now, it'll be too late." The black-robed man glanced left and right. "Why hasn't your soul servant returned yet?" "She's dead," the gray-robed person replied flatly, looking toward the direction where the woman had fallen. "Her quarry turned the tables on her." The black-robed man gaped in surprise. "Dead? And against a single opponent? Refining those two soul servants cost you a great deal of effort. Even back when you and I were in the late Core Formation stage, while we might have been able to defeat one, destroying her would have been nearly impossible... You really ran into a tough customer!" "No matter how tough, he's just a junior at the Core Formation stage..." A trace of irritation laced the gray-robed person's voice. Transforming into a streak of light, he shot away. Before long, the two arrived where the woman had fallen. The ocean stretched unobstructed before them. The culprit had long since fled, leaving not the slightest trace behind. *** Having eradicated the soul body, Qin Sang fled far into the distance without delay. Taking a wide detour and hiding for a full day, Qin Sang confirmed that no pursuers were following him. He then set off toward Quheng Island, intending to gather information. On the way to Quheng Island, he could clearly sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere. Almost all the islands along his route had activated their protective grand formations, and the cultivators he crossed paths with were hurrying along with grave expressions. Inquiring around, Qin Sang intercepted a Core Formation cultivator and learned what had transpired over the past few days. "The island master of Yinzhu Island is dead! They say that two nights ago, he was ambushed in plain sight by mysterious experts. A distinguished Nascent Soul expert, yet whether he is dead or alive remains unknown, and his whereabouts are a mystery! Not only him, but several nearby Core Formation experts who didn't understand the situation drew near the battlefield and were caught in the crossfire and killed, suffering heavy casualties. Those scoundrels were so brazen that the two island masters were infuriated and ordered a thorough investigation. The major powers of both the righteous and demonic factions across the Liefeng Archipelago have been mobilized, arresting many cultivators of unknown origin. Everyone is in a panic right now. Fellow Daoist, if you don't have pressing business, you'd best not wander around. Do as I'm doing and hurry back to your cave dwelling to lie low until the storm blows over, lest you invite misunderstanding." The cultivator made no attempt to conceal anything, recounting what he had seen and heard in detail. "Yinzhu Island? If I recall correctly, that island master was an expert of the demonic path. Could it be a vendetta?" Qin Sang frowned, taken by surprise. He had originally thought that Luo Daotong's backer was one of the two island masters of Quheng Island. Thinking back carefully, he remembered that Yinzhu Island was a renowned, large island nearby, and its master seemed to belong to the demonic path. "Who knows? After all, he's a mighty figure of the demonic path—how could he lack enemies? Many fellow Daoists share that suspicion..." The man lowered his voice, speaking conspiratorially. "Rumors on Quheng Island say that this island master's identity is far from simple. He isn't just an ordinary Nascent Soul expert; he has intricate ties to the Demon Lord! That's why the two island masters are so alarmed and working so hard—they fear the Demon Lord's punishment. When the Demon Lord flies into a rage, a million corpses fall; leveling the Liefeng Archipelago wouldn't be surprising in the least! No matter where those killers hide, they will almost certainly be dragged out. The cultivation world is going to be in turmoil for a while..." Shaking his head as he spoke, the man cupped his hands to bid Qin Sang farewell. Qin Sang watched him depart. *To think it was the Demon Lord!* A chill welled up from the bottom of his heart. The demonic path was by no means a monolith. Yet as the number-one expert of the demonic path, the Demon Lord led what was undeniably the strongest faction. Who else could order the master of Yinzhu Island around and summon several Nascent Soul experts? Qin Sang suddenly understood why Senior Qingzhu had been so cautious, concealing his identity and hiding in an out-of-the-way corner for two hundred years. His enemy was none other than the Demon Lord! This was an opponent that inspired pure despair. No matter how extraordinary Senior Qingzhu's talent was, there was no way he could have attained the strength to contend with the Demon Lord in a mere two hundred years. Qin Sang recalled how, back at the Heaven Tower, merely being brushed by the shockwaves of the battle between the Demon Lord and the Grand Shaman had nearly cost him his life. He felt even more hopeless than Senior Qingzhu—he did not even possess the qualifications to stand before the Demon Lord. *I've finally found out their identity and know who to guard against... but this adversary is simply too terrifying. One of the great cultivators standing at the pinnacle of the Canglang Sea—how could anyone guard against him? Aside from steering clear, there is nothing I can do. Let's just hope Senior Qingzhu didn't become enemies with the Demon Lord because of that teleportation formation...* Qin Sang smiled bitterly. At the same time, he also felt puzzled by what had occurred a few days ago. The other party had set their sights on Luo Daotong and the master of Yinzhu Island at the very same time he did. Was it truly just an existing grudge against the master of Yinzhu Island, and a pure coincidence? The situation was shrouded in mystery, but he lacked the power to seek out the main culprits and unravel the truth. *Forget it. Even though I didn't get to meet Senior Qingzhu in person, I didn't come away empty-handed. For them to dare make a move against the Demon Lord's people, they must have come well-prepared. This storm won't subside easily. It's time to leave before I get swept up in it. I've been away long enough; it's time to head back. Once I return to Tianxing Island, there are still plenty of things to attend to.* Qin Sang resolved to depart the Liefeng Archipelago immediately. His background was dubious; if he was captured and mistaken for an accomplice of the killers, he would truly suffer a terrible injustice. Changing direction, he flew toward the outer reaches of the Liefeng Archipelago.