Thump, thump, thump.
Gazing at the hill-like object enveloped in swirling, misty radiance, He Mu found his heartbeat involuntarily syncing with its slow expansion and contraction. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress it. Gradually, dizziness and exhaustion overwhelmed him.
What was even more alarming was that all of this was happening while he was under the protection of the five-colored sword light—red, cyan, yellow, white, and black—emanating from the Li Xian Sword!
Just then, two soul-shaking sounds suddenly reverberated in his ears. One was a mighty roar, vast and overwhelming, as if suppressing all living beings. The other was a clear, high-pitched cry, descending from the heavens above, beautiful and melodious.
Dragon’s roar and phoenix’s cry intertwined, swirling around like a whirlwind, dispelling all the eerie influences brought by the ancient hill-like object—Jiu Li and Ao Qin, sensing the danger, had each unleashed the divine sounds unique to their races with the help of the Five Virtues Qiankun Fan and the ice-like immortal sword!
He Mu’s mind cleared instantly, pulling him back from the brink of unconsciousness. Frowning, he spoke gravely, “This object’s strangeness far surpasses that of a demon king. We are likely outmatched. If we force our way forward, we may perish on the spot. It’s better to retreat for now and report what we’ve seen to our elders before making further decisions.”
Was this an opportunity or a danger?
The cautious He Mu, still affected by the earlier eerie influence, felt that recklessness was not an option.
The expressions of Jiu Li and the other demons turned somewhat peculiar. After exchanging glances, they nodded almost imperceptibly. Then, Jiu Li turned to He Mu with a slightly apologetic smile. “Mr. Yueluo, rest assured. The previous gains will be shared equally with you. If there’s anything left from what lies ahead, you’ll be given priority.”
“What do you mean?” He Mu immediately sensed something amiss and asked sternly.
Jiu Li’s expression turned serious. “After seeing this object, we realized our mission here is complete. What comes next is beyond our capabilities.”
He Mu’s heart stirred as if understanding something. Hesitantly, he asked, “Are you saying…?”
Before he could finish, Jiu Li nodded slightly. “We all have preparations for summoning our elders’ divine presence—altars pre-arranged with corresponding artifacts. Even within the fragments of the Primordial Immortal Realm, inside the Nine-Headed Great Sage’s cave, as long as there are no powerful restraining formations, we can call upon our elders to descend with partial power, intervening from afar to eliminate the danger ahead and disperse the swirling radiance and mist.”
After explaining, she unconsciously added, “Of course, such an act won’t escape the notice of those who are watching, inviting unforeseen variables. That’s why it can only be used at the last moment. By then, even if others detect it, tracing the source, penetrating the formations, crossing the wasteland, climbing the divine mountain, and repelling the mindless demon gods will take time. It’ll be too late for them to interfere or stop us… We truly weren’t hiding this from you deliberately. It simply wasn’t necessary until now.”
This makes sense… He Mu’s first thought after hearing Jiu Li’s explanation was one of relief.
I knew the young demon gods wouldn’t entrust such an important matter entirely to their descendants without any safeguards. What if something went wrong?
Then, a mix of emotions surged within He Mu. After weighing the current situation, he let out a bitter laugh. “If the young demon gods can break through the barrier ahead, giving me a chance at great rewards, and you’ve already promised me a share of the previous gains, what objections could I possibly have?”
His thoughts raced, but he couldn’t recall any similar instructions or hints from his master. Recognizing the reality, he knew his own strength was insufficient to deal with the eerie object before him.
Jiu Li wanted to offer some words of comfort, but all that came out was a soft sigh. Then, she retrieved a simple, five-colored altar from her storage ring and placed it before her. She arranged mottled stones, vibrant feathers, and swirling water in their designated positions before embedding the Five Virtues Qiankun Fan at the core. The entire assembly took only a few breaths.
Meanwhile, Ao Qin, Gu Yue, and Golden Scale Fairy also set up their own summoning altars, using an ice-crystal sword, a pair of rusted bronze rings, and a golden-scale whip as catalysts.
He Mu watched coldly from the sidelines, retreating several steps. His disguise wouldn’t hold under the scrutiny of a Legendary powerhouse, so it was better to keep his distance.
Of course, since the summoned power was only a fraction of their true strength and not their full presence, the chance of detection was slim. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Jiu Li’s expression turned solemn as she ascended the five-colored altar. Raising her right hand, she pointed at the Five Virtues Qiankun Fan like a sword.
Suddenly, purple, white, cyan, black, and yellow lights flared up, spiraling along the altar before converging into a fountain of light, forming an illusory gate adorned with mysterious patterns.
Bang!
The gate swung open, and from within, a finger as real as illusion extended. The surrounding light condensed into a sacred, thirty-three-layer golden pagoda, which immediately pressed down upon the slowly expanding and contracting object.
Silently, the “cloud veins” resembling blood vessels around the periphery crumbled like collapsing buildings, spreading toward the core. The hidden dangers lurking in the shadows dissipated under the golden light’s sweep.
Elsewhere, the clouds above Ao Qin’s head formed a vast, white “ocean.” It split open, revealing a massive mouth adorned with dragon whiskers, spewing forth a torrent of ice crystals. Wherever it passed, everything froze, turning the world into a pristine, translucent dreamscape—beautiful yet chilling to the bone. The radiant mist surrounding the hill-like object solidified into ice.
Around Gu Yue, howling winds materialized into a skeletal bone wreathed in pale flames. Fanned by the wind, the flames swelled, sweeping across the land toward the ancient object. At the same time, Golden Scale Fairy summoned a lake-sized expanse of crimson-gold energy beneath her feet, which surged forward alongside the flames.
Together, they shattered the frozen radiance into fragments, raining down like a storm.
Amidst the overwhelming auras, He Mu watched as the hill-like object crumbled within moments.
Boom!
Streams of radiant light burst forth, and layers of mist dispersed. The “hill” shattered like an egg, revealing its core—a cluster of ancient, interwoven blood droplets.
Each droplet was distinct yet entangled, crimson with a hint of darkness, as if reflecting the void itself. Their mere presence slowed the descending golden pagoda, the ice-crystal breath, the skeletal flames, and the golden-scale whip, as if they were mired in a swamp, separated by countless mountains and rivers.
The blood droplets, which had been slowly fusing, now began to separate under the external force and the interrupted gestation, reforming into flawless, perfect crimson spheres suspended in midair, as if ready to scatter at any moment!
It seems the Nine-Headed Worm intended to use these ancient blood droplets to nurture something, but its death at Ling Mountain cut off the process, leaving them incomplete after eons… He Mu’s mind reeled as he began to understand the ancient demon god Jiu Feng’s arrangements and the current situation.
The power of Legendary beings was immense. In an instant, the golden pagoda and the ice-crystal breath struggled free from their restraints, reaching for different blood droplets. Jiu Li, Ao Qin, and the others couldn’t help but smile—success was within reach, and no unforeseen variables had appeared!
But just then, the Primordial Immortal Realm suddenly darkened, as if something had gone wrong. The golden pagoda froze mid-air, its power cut off, and it began to crumble.
The ice-crystal breath, skeletal flames, and golden-scale whip also lost their substance, fading back into illusions before dissipating entirely.
“What happened?”
He Mu and the others widened their eyes in shock and confusion.
……
In the Hall of Fantasy, the Five Virtues Phoenix, who had been channeling power from afar, suddenly opened her eyes in alarm.
“The connection is severed…”
Her link to the summoning altar had been cut off!
She could no longer transmit her power!
Deep within an ice-crystal planet, a dragon’s roar echoed through the void, brimming with fury.
“Who severed the connection?”
……
In the Jade Void Palace of Kunlun Mountain, Meng Qi’s eyes remained half-lidded, but faint streams of black-and-white divine light flickered within them.
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