Seeing the face of Di Zun, with its serene smile of liberation, Meng Qi and the others felt a spontaneous chill in their hearts.
What exactly did Gu Xiao Sang intend to do? Why did she kill Di Zun?
Throughout the journey, had she intentionally left behind faint traces so that Meng Qi’s group wouldn’t lose her trail?
This enchantress, with her split personality and unpredictable mind, was capable of letting her teammates meet a tragic end—truly a terrifying thought!
Instinctively, Meng Qi and others slowly stepped back, guarding the entrance to the underground hall. However, they weren’t overly fearful, as they had strength on their side and were numerous. Unless Gu Xiao Sang had already reached the level of Half-Step Beyond Scenery, alone she could only seek her own doom, and the other two were still being pursued and wouldn’t arrive anytime soon.
“Don’t be scared. I thought I was ugly,” Gu Xiao Sang’s soft and melodious voice echoed in the hall, revealing her to Meng Qi and the others.
She was sitting atop a large rock, chin resting on her hand, her white dress as pure as snow, smiling radiantly, her white boots gently swaying.
“Attack!” Luo Shengyi shouted, unwilling to give the demoness time to stall. Whatever her plans were, as long as they kept pressing her, there was hope to unravel them—unless she was prepared to sacrifice herself.
Luo Shengyi’s intention was shared by Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and others. Blades and sword qi crisscrossed the air, white mist and starlight rising.
Gu Xiao Sang seemed weightless, floating with the wind, dodging the attack, landing by a peculiar stone door, smiling as she said, “Haven’t you heard the sounds from inside?”
Dongdongdong, dongdongdong. As she spoke, something behind the strange stone door seemed to be swelling, ramming against it.
Witnessing this, Meng Qi dared not slacken, charging forward like the wind as the Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade swept through worldly dust toward Gu Xiaosang.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiwei swung her sword, its light sinister and oppressive, like an invitation from Yama.
Luo Shengyi threw a punch, unadorned and unchanging, simple yet grand and mighty, its aftertaste lingering.
Qi Zhengyan slashed with his golden sword, sending chunks of rock flying toward Gu Xiao Sang.
But at that moment, the stone door exploded open, and a surge of demonic energy gushed out, completely engulfing Meng Qi and the others.
Golden light flickered across Meng Qi’s skin, his forehead throbbing, yet the demonic energy was overwhelming, instantly pressing him into darkness.
…
At the summit of the Sacred Volcano stood a rock formation engulfed in black demonic flames, continuously exuding demonic energy that corrupted the surrounding area, casting an eerie and blood-red hue over the entire peak.
This was the Demon’s Graveyard, and the blazing demonic flames were the origin of the Sacred Volcano’s name.
Before the Demon’s Graveyard stood a magnificent temple, where numerous disciples of the Devil Sect came and went, worshipping the Demon Lord, everything orderly and quiet.
Suddenly, the Demon’s Graveyard erupted violently, with a torrent of demonic energy surging into the sky and enveloping the entire area. The disciples near the temple were instantly drained of their flesh, their skin rapidly withering until they turned into desiccated mummies.
“The Demon’s Graveyard, it’s completely opened!” A senior, not on the summit, cried out in shock and disbelief.
Wasn’t it said that only when someone with immense fortune and destiny arrives would the Demon’s Graveyard fully open, inheriting the legacy of the Devil Sect and allowing the Demon’s Might to return to the world?
One by one, the Devil Sect’s elders and disciples stared in disbelief at the scene, unable to accept that the legend would truly manifest in this world!
Gu Kongshan, who was chasing Hu Buwei, suddenly felt a tremor and looked up, seeing distant black smoke turning the sky dark for hundreds of miles.
Even from this distance, the sinister and bloody aura was palpable.
Zheng!
The Fengyun Blade in Gu Kongshan’s hand trembled, the surrounding clouds and wind growing more turbulent. The true dragon and white tiger engraved on the blade became increasingly lifelike, their majestic aura radiating outward, sending a shiver down Gu Kongshan’s spine.
Zheng!
The Blade of Wind and Cloud suddenly broke free from Gu Kongshan’s grasp, streaking across the sky like a meteor, flying straight toward the Sacred Volcano.
At the same time, the Taihua Sword in Madam Huan’s hand and the Dawnweaver tightly gripped by Elder Shouque both erupted with dazzling radiance, unleashing an overwhelming pressure before soaring into the clouds. Like streaks of lightning, they streaked toward the Sacred Volcano amidst thunderous flashes.
Bright stars lit up on the silver-white metal glove, its distant and ancient brilliance making the “Human Venerable” shudder, unable to suppress it further.
Zheng!
The Star-Grabbing Hand broke free, like a rain of stars flowing backward, surging toward the Sacred Volcano.
“What’s going on?” Yun Tingfeng looked on in astonishment.
The Human Venerable’s expression was complex, neither happy nor sad: “A person of destiny has arrived. With the Demon’s Graveyard fully opened, the four sealed divine weapons sensed the change and automatically released all seals, unleashing their full power to suppress the Demon’s Graveyard.
Of course, it was only suppression. To reseal it, someone must control them.
“A person of destiny…” Yun Tingfeng narrowed his eyes. No outsiders should have entered the Sacred Volcano yet. Who could this destined person be?
Could it be her? He immediately thought of Xiao Zi, who always acted mysteriously.
What was she planning? Yun Tingfeng, his expression serious, said to the Human Venerable, “We must return to the Sacred Volcano immediately!”
If they couldn’t gain the greatest benefit, they should at least share in it!
On the path where the Heavenly Venerable and Su Yuanying traveled, both stared blankly at the four streaks of light racing toward the Sacred Volcano, momentarily unable to react.
After a while, Su Yuanying’s facial muscles twisted, and he spat out hatefully, “What has she done?”
He had long sensed something ominous about Xiao Zi. Witnessing this scene, he directly blamed her.
“Return to the Sacred Volcano,” the Heavenly Venerable said without hesitation.
Su Yuanying agreed, “Fine!”
If he could obtain even a trace of the Demon Lord’s residual will, how much stronger would his “Evil God” become!
The four sects of Fengyunzhuang, slowly advancing, also witnessed this mythical scene, each filled with dread, unsure of what to do.
“The Sacred Volcano has suffered a major upheaval. I’m a bit worried about Master Zhen Ding and the others,” Zhang Yuanshan said gravely to Fu Zhenzhen.
Fu Zhenzhen bit her lip slightly, “But we don’t know where they chased her to.”
“Yes, we should continue advancing toward the Sacred Volcano,” Zhang Yuanshan could only suppress his inner worries. At times like these, worry was useless; one must act practically.
…
Meng Qi suddenly awoke, his sword held horizontally, assuming a defensive posture.
“Where am I?” He looked around in bewilderment, finding himself in a semi-desert. The only oddity was that the sand wasn’t gray or yellow, but entirely pitch-black.
Above the sky, there was no sun, only a crimson red moon.
Zizi, golden light shimmered on Meng Qi’s body, pure and clear, melting away wisps of black energy attempting to infiltrate.
“Demonic energy invasion…” Meng Qi vaguely guessed what was happening. Even with the protection of the Golden Bell Shield, feelings of despair, breakdown, bloodlust, and cruelty surged within him, nearly causing him to lose his true nature.
This backlash was even more severe than the one from using “Severing Purity”! Meng Qi muttered to himself, forcefully concentrating his mind and fully activating the Golden Bell Shield.
Zizi, the demonic energy continued to erode. At this moment, Meng Qi once again felt as if he had returned to the Stupa practicing the Golden Bell Shield. But back then, if he couldn’t endure, he could stop himself. Here, however, he had to resist or risk being invaded by the demonic energy, losing his humanity!
If he couldn’t return to the Reincarnation World in time, he might even become a walking corpse.
Using this situation, Meng Qi roughly guessed he had been sucked deep into the Demon’s Graveyard. As for what to do next, he was completely clueless. But he couldn’t wait around; he had to find a way out.
Thus, he fully activated the Shape-Shifting Art, his forehead aching, his spirit extending outward, following a subtle sixth sense to choose his direction.
The poplar trees were twisted and gnarled, silhouetted against the crimson moon and pitch-black sand, resembling demons waiting to devour flesh, evoking a suffocating and desolate atmosphere.
As he walked, Meng Qi suddenly felt the place was familiar, as if he had seen it before.
“Impossible, when have I ever been to the Demon’s Graveyard? Not even in my past life…” Confused, Meng Qi couldn’t dwell too much on this question. He had to maintain the Golden Bell Shield to resist the demonic energy’s invasion and emotional interference, while remaining alert for potential ambushes.
With white bindings around his legs and wearing monk shoes, he carefully stepped forward on the soft yet sticky sand, feeling an indescribable nausea.
Suddenly, Meng Qi sensed movement. He swiftly drew his sword backward, cutting precisely into a demon that had erupted from the soil.
It resembled a human, but with blood-red eyes, protruding black horns, a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, drool dripping, and hands with ten fingers glowing ominously, giving an extremely dangerous vibe.
The blade struck flesh, yet it felt like cutting through rotten wood, slicing off a pile of black, twisted flesh.
The Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade emitted a dark crimson glow, as though the sun itself had descended. The demonic fiends shrieked in agony, their suffering even more intense than if they had been struck.
Witnessing this, Meng Qi unleashed his swordplay to its fullest, each strike imbued with profound intricacies—so intricate that the demonic entities found no escape.
The demon shrieked incessantly before finally collapsing to the ground, rapidly decomposing into a skeleton.
“This demon, or was it an infected human?” Meng Qi frowned inwardly.
Don’t think the victory came easily. It was largely thanks to the Evil-Dispelling Blade’s power to vanquish malevolence. Otherwise, the demonic entity, skilled in concealment and corruption, would have forced Meng Qi to remain fully vigilant, relying on his footwork and sword techniques to defeat it—equivalent to facing an opponent who had just unsealed their acupoints.
Of course, with the Golden Bell Shield, Meng Qi wasn’t afraid of being hit a few times.
“I hope not too many demons come at once… and I hope none much stronger appear…” Meng Qi muttered a few “Amitabha Buddhas” and continued forward. Perhaps blessed by the Buddha, he only encountered a few demons on the way, all acting alone.
“Perhaps without a leader, the demons didn’t like to gather…” Meng Qi thought to himself, but soon his eyes widened.
It wasn’t due to demons, but a collapsed temple. It looked exactly like the one where he, Chen Xiao, and Luo You had taken refuge during a sandstorm!
“No wonder it felt familiar! This place is clearly a corrupted version of the outside world…” Doubt and surprise surged in Meng Qi as he cautiously approached the ruined temple.
As he reached the temple entrance, he froze, a chill running down his spine, for sitting inside was a white-clad girl, ethereal and exquisitely beautiful.
“Gu Xiao Sang…” He almost spat out the three words from his throat.
Gu Xiao Sang had her head down, sobbing softly. Hearing the sound, she looked up, surprised and delighted, saying, “Master, is that you?”
Uh, young lady, did you forget to take your medicine… Various confused thoughts arose in Meng Qi’s mind.
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