After Silvermoon steadied herself, her face was pale, but upon glancing at “Hua Tianqi,” a trace of mockery suddenly appeared at the corner of her lips.
“You are me, and I am you. If that person were to find out about this, do you think your situation would be any better? Moreover, though that person married Linglong, it was me he favored the most. Don’t forget who helped suppress you back then and forced you into slumber within my body.”
At these words, the smile on “Hua Tianqi’s” face vanished, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. But then he sneered, turned his head, and lightly pressed a hand toward a certain spot outside the formation.
With a deafening *boom*, the white teleportation array through which everyone had entered suddenly collapsed, revealing a pit several meters deep in its place.
The Silver-Winged Nightfiend and the Lion Hawk, who had been quietly retreating toward the teleportation array, froze in shock, their expressions darkening as they were forced to halt.
“Where do you two think you’re going? One looks exactly like the late Kongxuan Alchemist, yet reeks of corpse energy. The other, though altered in form, is unmistakably the spiritual beast Kongxuan once raised. Unless I’m mistaken, Kongxuan perished long before I was sealed away. It seems you’re his reanimated corpse, having cultivated to the Silver-Winged Nightfiend realm. Am I wrong?” “Hua Tianqi” stared coldly at the Silver-Winged Nightfiend.
“I never expected Fairy Linglong to recognize us so easily. Indeed, I once had the privilege of meeting you a few times,” the Silver-Winged Nightfiend replied with a bitter smile, his expression shifting uncertainly.
“The one who met me was your predecessor, not you. As for this Lion Hawk, it was merely a seventh-tier spiritual beast back then. Now it’s advanced to the tenth-tier—impressive enough to carve out a place even in the Spirit Realm.” “Hua Tianqi” snorted.
“Regardless, I still remember your peerless grace from back then. Why did you destroy the teleportation array?” Having been exposed, the Silver-Winged Nightfiend calmed down instead.
“Nothing much. Since you’re here, there’s no need to rush off. I might just need your help,” “Hua Tianqi” said dismissively.
The Silver-Winged Nightfiend’s face darkened.
Though he had no desire to stay, with the teleportation array destroyed, finding another exit would take time. After a brief hesitation, he fell silent for now.
“Hua Tianqi” ignored the two demons and turned his gaze toward the Xu-clan youth and the Ye Family cultivators, his lips curling into a cold smile. “Good, very good! I never expected so many human cultivators to come here, and all with such formidable cultivation!”
“Regardless of your esteemed status in the Spirit Realm or how you’ve possessed Fellow Daoist Hua, our Ye Family unsealed Mount Kunwu solely for the Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure. If you’re willing to hand over the Eight Spirit Ruler, we can help you escape this tower!” The white-robed scholar, having pieced together the situation, stepped forward respectfully.
“Xu here was about to say the same,” the Xu-clan youth chuckled, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Both men, cunning as they were, recognized the impossibility of defeating the possessed “Hua Tianqi” and instead sought to ally with him.
“The Eight Spirit Ruler? Fine. Whoever has the skill to claim it may step forward. I won’t stop you,” “Hua Tianqi” replied indifferently, his eyes glinting.
The Ye Family elder and the Xu-clan youth exchanged startled glances.
“What’s wrong? Too scared to take it now?” “Hua Tianqi” mocked.
Yet the two men grew even more hesitant to act.
Meanwhile, Lady Mu, who had been wary since “Hua Tianqi’s” appearance, discreetly retrieved an object from her storage pouch, careful not to draw attention.
“If you don’t want the treasure, why did you stop me earlier?” the big-headed freak, hiding at the far end of the palace, suddenly demanded sharply.
“Others may take it, but not you,” “Hua Tianqi” replied coolly, glancing at him.
“Why?” The freak’s face twisted with anger as he glared at his severed arm.
“Why? Not long ago, you met the avatar of the Sacred Ancestor Yuansha, didn’t you?”
“What Sacred Ancestor Yuansha? I know nothing of this!” the freak denied instantly, though his heart clenched.
“Though your contact with that demon was brief, you’re tainted with a trace of demonic energy invisible to most. I saw it at once. Deny it if you wish, but you harbored ill intent the moment you saw my soul casket. Had my host not awakened me first, I might have fallen to your schemes. Daring to use a Soul-Severing Talisman against me—you’ve got nerve,” “Hua Tianqi” said icily, his eyes flashing green.
The white-robed scholar, startled, quickly sent a sound transmission to the freak, but the latter remained stonily silent.
The scholar’s expression darkened.
“What is this Sacred Ancestor Yuansha? An ancient demon?” Han Li suddenly interjected.
“Hmph, Sacred Ancestor Yuansha?” “Hua Tianqi” glanced upward, evading the question with a cold laugh.
Han Li frowned. His instincts told him the ancient demon from Tiannan’s presence here was no coincidence.
As everyone fell into uneasy silence, a woman’s cold voice broke the stillness.
“Don’t be fooled, fellow Daoists. This woman is no Spirit Realm noble—she’s the Sacred Ancestor’s avatar, trying to deceive us. If you take the Eight Spirit Ruler, the ancient cultivators’ seal will break, unleashing calamity upon the human realm!”
It was Lady Mu of the Hua Xian Sect. She held a small green jade seal, from which a phantom of a five-clawed dragon emerged, snarling furiously at “Hua Tianqi.”
“The Dragon Transformation Seal!”
“Hua Tianqi’s” expression darkened. Without hesitation, he struck at her with a force that seemed to tear space itself.
Lady Mu raised the seal, and the dragon phantom expanded tenfold, intercepting the attack with a deafening clash.
Seizing the moment, Lady Mu and her companion summoned the Sun-Moon Shuttle and boarded it.
“Hua Tianqi” snarled, firing a silver beam at the shuttle—only for a phantom of an eight-horned deer to materialize and swallow the attack before vanishing.
“The Eight-Qi Deer!”
Han Li’s gaze snapped to the Eight Spirit Ruler, which now trembled violently, emitting radiant light as its eight beast phantoms grew vivid. The treasure was activating!
“Not good!”
“Hua Tianqi” paled and vanished into the palace below.
The Eight Spirit Ruler emitted a piercing hum as the formation flared. The ground split open, revealing nine massive altars, each bearing a towering golden blade.
“The Nine Truths Demon-Subduing Formation!” the white-robed scholar exclaimed.
Han Li, already retreating with Silvermoon, felt a flash of recognition at the name.
Before he could ponder further, a section of space collapsed, spewing torrents of demonic energy. A twin-headed, four-armed demonic figure emerged, laughing triumphantly.
The nine blades unleashed a golden radiance that blotted out half the sky, crashing down upon the demon.
The demon’s laughter cut short as it recoiled in fear—but a strand of golden light materialized above it, slashing down.
With a thunderous clash, a graceful figure appeared before the demon, raising a delicate finger to block the strike.
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