“What should we do then?” In the dim and shadowy surroundings lit only by faint glimmers, Haswula wasted no time pondering other matters and asked directly.
It was the proposal of Haswula’s counterpart, the Patriarch of the Unpredictable Life and Death Sect, “Emperor of Yama,” to counterattack nearby, so naturally he needed to understand the specific plan and the basis for it.
The blood-red mist churned, accompanied by faint splashing sounds as if from another world. Influenced by invisible forces, the mist twisted and writhed, gradually forming a map marking the primeval forest, frozen tundra, icy lakes, and rivers within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.
Toward the northern part of the map, a red dot marked a specific location—the convergence of the forest here and an ancient frozen lake.
“There lies a hidden realm, once the secluded cultivation site of the ancient Devil Monarch at the end of antiquity,” the Emperor of Yama said indifferently, his voice cold.
“The Devil Monarch?” Haswula had heard of this name before. He was a legendary figure at the end of ancient times, the master of the Devil Emperor’s Claws after the Devil Emperor’s fall. He had risen from a humble human slave to become a formidable practitioner of the Devil Path.
At his peak, the Nine Nether Realms had already withdrawn, leaving him without reinforcements. Yet, relying solely on his own strength, he gathered a large number of residual evil spirits and demons caught between the Devil Sage and the Human Emperor. With unparalleled wisdom, he transformed their bloodline techniques into martial arts suitable for cultivation by humans.
Thus began the Devil Path among humans. Once people were divided into good and evil, they could no longer be completely eradicated.
The current evil sects, apart from the Luo Religion and the Su Nu Sect, all venerate the Devil Monarch as their founding patriarch. Sects such as the Heaven-Annihilating Gate, the Crimson Robe Sect, the Benevolenceless House, the Asura Temple, and the Unpredictable Life and Death Sect can all trace their lineage back to the “Primordial Devil Path” established by the Devil Monarch, whether through schisms or accidental inheritances. Some sects even evolved independently after encountering certain Nine Nether masters while practicing the Devil Path techniques modified by the Devil Monarch.
Yet even such a founding master of the Devil Path could not escape the changes of heaven and earth. It was said that he passed away peacefully before the middle ancient era. Since then, none of the subsequent masters of the Devil Emperor’s Claws had ever reached such a height. The last one even perished together with a certain dying great master.
No one expected such a significant figure to have a secluded cultivation site hidden in the ice plains. Each of the golden-tent warriors was quite shocked and excited.
In the deep coffin, the Emperor of Yama explained, “Although our sect has suffered several disruptions in transmission, the places where secrets and techniques were hidden remained relatively concealed and well-preserved, hence we know of the Devil Monarch’s secluded cultivation site.”
“There is little left there, at most traces of the Devil Monarch’s martial arts practice and experimentation for cultivation. However, if the hidden realm is opened and guided by secret techniques, devilish Qi will surge out, instantly affecting the natural laws within hundreds of miles, transforming the area into an Illusory Devil Domain, isolating spiritual senses and creating various illusions.”
“At that time, we will first lure one or two Grandmasters here, giving them the opportunity to seek help. Once the other Grandmasters arrive, we will open the hidden realm, use the Illusory Devil Domain to separate them, and then we will overwhelm them with superior numbers, defeating them one by one. Finally, we will deal with Ye Yuqi of the Huamei Villa. Since she possesses a token from Master Lu, we must spare no effort and fully utilize the illusionary domain to have any hope of capturing her alive.”
Haswula listened quietly, feeling that success was quite likely. Their opponents were not inexperienced newcomers; they would certainly anticipate their counterattack. His initial plan was merely to gather strength and either kill or capture one or two Grandmasters before the other Grandmasters arrived for reinforcement, thus severely weakening the enemy and deterring them from further pursuit or pressure, thereby completely escaping the pursuers.
Now, with the hidden realm of the Devil Monarch as an unexpected trump card, it seemed they could finally vent their anger, severely damage the Central Plains forces, restore some balance in the comparison of Grandmaster-level powers, and provoke Master Lu, preferably to the point of him suffering a martial arts breakdown.
“No wonder the Emperor proposed a counterattack nearby,” Haswula sighed. “However, the enemy is powerful, with far more Grandmasters than us. To swallow them whole, we must make thorough preparations. Please, Emperor, lead us to inspect the hidden realm first.”
The Emperor of Yama did not say much. The coffin flew forward, dark winds rising as it headed north.
Haswula looked at the other Grandmasters and secretly transmitted his voice: “No matter what demands the Emperor of Yama makes, we must not separate. A Grandmaster’s living body is neither good nor evil, neither from the grasslands nor the Central Plains. Be wary of any underhanded moves he might make.”
Hunting down a few “homeless dogs” was far more profitable than provoking the righteous sects capable of summoning Law-body experts at any moment. Haswula believed that if it weren’t for the five Grandmasters in their party and the divine artifact “Solar-Defying Bow,” making it impossible for the nearly solitary Emperor of Yama to prevail easily, he would never have chosen cooperation but would have directly “harvested” them. Therefore, splitting up would be tantamount to seeking death!
Experienced as they were, the Grandmaster-level golden-tent warriors nodded silently, tightening their mental vigilance.
Seeing their slight tension and unease, Haswula chuckled within the voice transmission: “No need to worry too much. The Unpredictable Life and Death Sect has suffered heavy losses in recent years, leaving only one Grandmaster, who must guard the main altar to prevent rebellions by the living-dead. Now, with just one Grandmaster and several living-dead under him, he cannot threaten us!”
“He has divine weapons, but so do we!”
The golden-tent warriors all exhaled in relief. Indeed, the Unpredictable Life and Death Sect had reached a point where they had to forcibly elevate their sixth-Heaven peak experts using fresh Grandmaster bodies instead of promoting them normally, so there was no need to fear them as before.
Each of them employed their methods, following the coffin wrapped in blood-yellow mist heading north, maintaining a moderate distance between each other—not too close to be simultaneously struck by a sudden divine weapon attack, yet close enough to quickly assist each other.
…
Several fur-clad hunters from the ice plains were cautiously advancing, surrounding their prey from four directions.
They were men and women, all with strong muscles or hidden extraordinary explosive power. Some carried long spears gleaming with cold light, while others had their hands free. Among them were two teenagers, a boy and a girl, relatively slim and delicate in appearance, their faces filled with curiosity, seemingly the promising young generation following their elders on a hunting expedition for training.
The prey in the encirclement was a silver-scaled giant serpent, as thick as a water barrel, over thirty feet long, each scale the size of a palm, emitting a faint chill, harmonizing with the snow-covered trees.
It flicked out its bright red tongue, its two dark red eyes revealing coldness and cruelty, leisurely devouring a snow sheep, defying the hibernation habits of snakes, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Suddenly, a spear flew like a shooting star, aiming precisely at a dark red circle on the serpent’s back, exactly seven inches behind its head.
Clang! At the critical moment, the silver-scaled serpent calmly shifted its body slightly, allowing the spear to strike only its body, producing a sound like metal striking metal, leaving not even a faint white mark.
Suddenly, it reared up halfway, its head emitting a crystalline glow. A tiny protrusion slowly grew, then opened its mouth to spray—not poison, but a frigid current.
Crack! One hunter was directly hit by the frigid current, his skin turning pale blue, rapidly solidifying into an ice statue, lifeless.
“Bad! This silver serpent has just completed its transformation!” The most experienced hunter turned around without hesitation, one hand gripping his spear and the other pulling his daughter, intending to escape behind the massive trees.
At that moment, the silver serpent let out a dragon-like roar. Its mouth opened wide, howling winds surged forth, the surrounding air currents rolling violently, trees uprooted and snapped, and the hunters involuntarily stumbled backward, chaos erupting.
The gap between the two sides was now as vast as heaven and earth!
The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy felt extreme panic, only sensing the stench of the serpent, its terrifying mouth, and involuntarily trembling all over.
Was this the transformed Fierce Beast? It was practically a serpent deity! Despair surged within his heart.
At that moment, he saw a black-clad man in tight-fitting clothes walking toward him, carrying an exaggeratedly long saber on his back.
He drew the saber, slowly cutting forward. The surroundings darkened, as if distorting, and the silver serpent immediately flew toward him, actively rushing to meet the saber.
Silently, the silver serpent split into two, electricity crackling within its flesh.
“Have you seen people like these? Or noticed any unusual traces?” The little boy stared blankly, still not recovering from the shock as he heard the black-clad man’s question.
The man’s handsome appearance was distinctly different from his own tribe. Could he be one of the mighty warriors of the ancient southern empire mentioned by the elders? A warrior capable of soaring through the skies and moving underground?
He had effortlessly slain the terrifying silver serpent with a single slash!
The hunter leader gasped for breath, still shaken with fear. He first thanked Meng Qi for saving their lives, then recalled: “This morning, we found that all the game near the path leading north to a frozen lake had fled.”
“That’s right. A child also noticed shadows in the northwest ice valley, thinking it was a ghost haunting the place.”
“Two traces. Could it be that it’s not just Haswula’s group?” Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow, pondering where to go first.
After thinking, he habitually chose the left path. Coming from the south, he decided to head first to the northwest ice valley.
As the tall black figure vanished into the forest, the boy and girl bit their lips, lost in contemplation. Could they ever become such formidable warriors, effortlessly vanquishing terrifying direbeasts?
Would they spend their entire lives within the tribe, never daring to venture deep into the ice plains or explore other places?
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