A Chill

*Whoosh!* While Jing Zhengyang was suffering in agonizing suspense, several streaks of light cut through the sky from the distant horizon. Among these newcomers, aside from three Void Piercing experts, Peak Master Moyou of the Void Refining realm was also present. Yet even with this Void Refining peak master in their midst, the group still seemed to be led by one of the Void Piercing figures. This Void Piercing cultivator was none other than Zong Wenxian's personal disciple, who had rushed over from the Northern Domain—the Junior Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect groomed to be the future Lord of the Southern Domain: Langya. "Patriarch Jing, what is the situation? Have the Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators invading our Nandu been suppressed?" Without waiting for a reply, Langya added immediately, "While traveling in the Northern Domain, I heard that the Southern Domain was in trouble and rallied my forces at once to come provide support." Jing Zhengyang glanced at the junior sect master... *Support?* *More like coming to claim territory.* Once Yaoguang died, the Southern Domain would undoubtedly revert to the sect master's direct administration. And Wu Changfeng's performance lately had clearly fallen short of expectations; leaving the Southern Domain under his governance was out of the question. Therefore, nine times out of ten, this personal disciple of the sect master—who stood just one step away from Void Refining—would oversee the Southern Domain as interim administrator. It would also serve as early preparation to familiarize himself with the role of Lord of the Southern Domain. However... That assumed everything went according to plan. The present reality was... "I do not know the exact situation inside Nandu either," Jing Zhengyang said. "Sect Master Yaoguang... seems to have had the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation repaired... Right now, the formation has completely cut off Nandu from the outside world. No news can get out, and none can get in." "Completely cut off..." Langya said in a deep voice, "Is it possible that Nandu has already fallen, and the Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators are currently trying to take control of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation? Could they be aiming to use Nandu as a stronghold to swallow the entire Southern Domain and seize its forty-nine provinces from our Heavenly Dao Sect?" Jing Zhengyang paused, vaguely guessing his angle. "Then what does Junior Sect Master Langya intend to do?" "We force the grand formation open from the outside! We must never allow the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation to fall into the hands of the Shadow Moon Sect! Otherwise, with the might of two Void Shattering experts, five demon cultivators, and the power of this formation, Nandu will become a mortal threat to our Heavenly Dao Sect!" Langya spoke with utter conviction: "Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian, Supreme Elder Chiyun, and Supreme Elder Guli have all arrived. Furthermore, Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan has also rallied forces and is poised to strike..." At this point, he paused briefly. "The teleportation array within the sect connecting to Nandu suffered a malfunction, and the supreme elders went to inspect the border first, which is why we only arrived just now. However, as long as we enter Nandu and recalibrate its teleportation array with the sect's, our sect's experts can arrive directly in the Southern Domain through the array to handle the enormous crisis posed by the Shadow Moon Sect massing troops at the border." As for the "malfunction," Jing Zhengyang naturally knew the truth. Most likely, not only had the teleportation array "malfunctioned," but the shadow-recording stones in that area had also "happened" to break. That way, when the time came, an investigation would find nothing. Of course, he would never voice such thoughts aloud. Instead, he gave a firm nod. "Then we shall do as the Junior Sect Master says." "Good. I will summon the supreme elders at once and use the formation talisman left behind by the Dao Lord to force open the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation." Langya quickly began sending transmissions. His justification sounded grand and righteous. Yet Jing Zhengyang knew what was truly going on. The Shadow Moon Sect using Nandu as a stronghold to invade the Southern Domain? How could it be that simple? It was merely an excuse. The formation had held for half a month without shutting down; the most probable reason was that Yaoguang's side had not lost. They might even hold the upper hand. Under such circumstances, forcing the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation open was the most advantageous choice for Langya. If Yaoguang and the Eight Desolations Demon Lord were locked in a stalemate, their arrival to slay the demon lord would be a tremendous feat, and the credit would belong to them. If Yaoguang had someone backing him who had trapped the Eight Desolations Demon Lord and was eradicating the demon cultivators, opening the formation would allow them to smoothly reap the spoils while erasing whatever information needed to be erased. Either outcome was far better than waiting around and doing nothing. "I shall assemble my forces immediately to prepare for the ensuing battle," Jing Zhengyang said at once. "No need. The three of us are more than enough to handle these Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators." At that moment, a divine thought drifted over. Immediately following it, a flying-boat-type void Dao artifact shot through the air like a beam of light. When the flying boat came to a halt, three supreme elders—Jing Yuntian, Chiyun, and Guli—appeared at the same time. Among the three, Jing Yuntian and Guli were both Void Shattering cultivators aligned with Sect Master Zong Wenxian. "The Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation has yet to close. With the forces at Sect Master Yaoguang's disposal, it is impossible for him to withstand the Shadow Moon Sect's two demon lords, Eight Desolations and Dark, for this long. Nine times out of ten, Nandu has already fallen. To prevent the crisis in Nandu from spreading across the entire Southern Domain, I will use the reserve talisman to force the grand formation open!" The moment Jing Yuntian arrived, he made an immediate decision. "Wait. We should first attempt to contact Sect Master Yaoguang inside the formation," Supreme Elder Chiyun interjected, trying to stop him. "What if Sect Master Yaoguang is at a critical juncture using the formation to eradicate the Eight Desolations and Dark Demon Lords, and your sudden breach allows those two Void Shattering demon cultivators an opportunity to escape?" The deputy sect master he backed was Shen Junyan; he was not on the same side as Sect Master Zong Wenxian. "No one knows what the situation inside the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation truly is right now. Contacting them rashly could easily alert the enemy," Supreme Elder Guli chimed in. "Let us proceed as Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian suggested and force open the formation. As for whether the two Void Shattering demon lords, Eight Desolations and Dark, might escape? With the three of us here, are you afraid we cannot intercept them?" "Still..." Supreme Elder Chiyun started to object further. However, Jing Yuntian, who held the reserve talisman for the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, had already moved directly above the section of the formation corresponding to the Domain Lord's Estate. He abruptly activated the talisman in his hand and struck it into the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. As ripples spread outward in concentric rings, the entire Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation surged violently. "On guard!" Jing Yuntian shouted, but secretly threw a meaningful glance at Jing Zhengyang. Jing Zhengyang caught the look and nodded slightly, immediately assuming a posture on the surface as if facing a mortal foe. Only... Though struck by the talisman meant to control the formation, causing the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation to shudder, the formation... It did not open. It remained sealed, isolating the inside from the outside. This outcome left Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian momentarily stunned. "How could this be?" Looking at the reserve talisman he had driven into the formation, he almost suspected he had brought the wrong item. Fortunately, this state lasted only a moment before the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation began to shift again. Brilliant light rippled in all directions, parting the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation just enough to open a gap. Through this gap, everyone above the formation could finally "see" what was taking place inside. Yet the first sight that met their eyes was a grotto-heaven. A grotto-heaven spanning over a thousand li. Within that thousand-li grotto-heaven, an intrinsically terrifying yet immensely weakened heavenly demon origin churned ceaselessly, struggling to escape. Yet it was firmly suppressed by the grotto-heaven, unable to break free by even a hair. Not far off, two Void Refining demon cultivators were already pinned under the Dao artifact Heaven-Sealing Stele. Two other Void Refining demon cultivators were still resisting, but under the coordinated siege of Wu Changfeng, Qi Sha, Ling Ruogu, Chi Yu, and others, their situation had become precarious in the extreme. This scene stunned everyone. However, once they sensed the identity of the heavenly demon origin being refined by that grotto-heaven, whether it was the Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators like Langya, Moyou, and Jing Zhengyang, or the three Void Shattering supreme elders Jing Yuntian, Chiyun, and Guli, all of them sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. "That is... the Dark Demon Lord?! The heavenly demon origin of the Dark Demon Lord?!" "The Dark Demon Lord's demonic body has been shattered?" "This is Yaoguang's grotto-heaven?! He is refining the heavenly demon origin of a Void Shattering demon cultivator like the Dark Demon Lord?!" Only moments after being shocked by the sight of the Dark Demon Lord's origin being refined, a far more critical question struck them. "Where is the other Void Shattering demon cultivator?" "The other Void Shattering demon cultivator was the Eight Desolations Demon Lord, right? Where did the Eight Desolations Demon Lord go? I cannot sense his aura inside the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation at all!" "Can someone tell me what on earth happened inside this formation over the past half-month?!" The vanished Eight Desolations Demon Lord. The Dark Demon Lord being refined. Two Void Refining demon cultivators pinned down. And... Two Void Refining demon cultivators under siege, clearly on their last legs. Every detail seemed to proclaim a terrifying truth to the world. Defeat! The Shadow Moon Sect's two Void Shattering demon cultivators and five Void Refining demon cultivators had struck together, storming into Nandu, and yet the result... Was total, catastrophic defeat! Not only were two of the Void Refining demon cultivators suppressed, but the Dark Demon Lord, a Void Shattering expert, was actively being refined. As for the vanished Eight Desolations Demon Lord... Thinking of that Shadow Moon Sect supreme elder who had instigated this retaliation, everyone present—even the three Void Shattering supreme elders Jing Yuntian, Chiyun, and Guli—felt an uncontrollable chill run down their spines. "You gentlemen certainly took your time getting here." Right at that moment, Yaoguang's divine thought echoed from within the formation: "Though your manner of arrival wasn't exactly friendly—forcing the formation open? Someone out of the loop might think you were trying to open an escape path for the Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators and rescue them from their plight." Jing Yuntian could hardly care about the jab and pressed in rapid succession, "Yaoguang, where is the Eight Desolations Demon Lord? And what is that inside your grotto-heaven..." "The Dark Demon Lord, naturally. As a supreme elder in the Void Shattering realm, you can't be incapable of recognizing the heavenly demon origin of one of our Heavenly Dao Sect's greatest adversaries, can you?" Facing this Void Shattering supreme elder, Yaoguang responded placidly, "As for the Eight Desolations Demon Lord... Since he dared to lead a host to attack my Nandu, he naturally had to pay the price for his actions. Two days ago, his heavenly demon origin was completely refined by me." Even though they had already harbored suspicions, Jing Yuntian, Guli, Jing Zhengyang, Langya, and the others still could not help but widen their eyes in shock. The hidden spies from various sects observing from the shadows gasped even more violently. "How... is that possible..." *Whoosh!* At that moment, the two besieged Void Refining demon cultivators suddenly ignited forbidden arts, attempting to break through the encirclement of Qi Sha, Wu Changfeng, and the others. Taking advantage of the gap in the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, they bolted desperately to escape with their lives. Yet before they could even dash out of the formation's boundary, the power of Yaoguang's grotto-heaven swept out and drew both of them inside. "As you can see, the battle is not over yet. Forgive me for not welcoming the supreme elders properly," Yaoguang said. As he spoke, the breach in the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation shuddered and began to seal shut once more. Seeing this, Jing Yuntian was just about to make a move and force his way into the formation. Just then, Yaoguang's divine thought came through again: "By the way, demon cultivators are ferocious. You gentlemen had best not enter the formation rashly. Otherwise, once trapped within, should a Void Shattering demon cultivator seize the opening... even with your status as Void Shattering supreme elders, your lives might be forfeit, wouldn't you say?" As this thinly veiled warning was uttered, Supreme Elders Jing Yuntian and Guli froze in their tracks. Recalling the Eight Desolations Demon Lord, who had already been completely refined and perished on the spot, as well as the Dark Demon Lord, currently undergoing refinement and facing imminent death... Both supreme elders felt as though plunged into an abyss of ice. They watched helplessly as Yaoguang faded back into the formation, not daring to take half a step forward.