Chapter 2117: The Fall of Bloodlight

A month later, the entire demon world was stirred by the “Annihilation of Immortals Decree” issued by Yuan Yan.

The immense rewards offered by the decree even tempted some of the demonic Saint Ancestors. Moreover, the target specified in the decree was merely a mere Body Integration cultivator from the human race of the Spirit Realm, making it even less of a concern for these Saint Ancestors. Though most did not mobilize their true forms, they dispatched numerous avatars instead.

However, a select few Saint Ancestors who were on friendly terms with Yuan Yan received some more confidential information. After careful consideration, they quietly refrained from taking action.

Even so, the avatars of several Saint Ancestors, along with some Body Integration-level demonic Venerables, were enough to stir up most of the demon world.

Two months later, on the outskirts of Jadeite Demon City—one of the major cities in the demon world—Han Li’s traces were finally discovered and reported to the four demonic Venerables stationed in the city.

Near the city’s teleportation array, the four demonic Venerables ambushed Han Li and his group. However, the Crab Daoist suddenly struck, effortlessly killing all four Venerables with a single attack. The sheer display of power stunned the nearly ten thousand demons nearby, allowing Han Li and his companions to boldly leave Jadeite City via the teleportation array.

Three and a half months later, Han Li’s whereabouts were once again discovered—this time in the famous perilous land known as “Shimmering Gold River Valley.”

The renowned Saint Ancestor Tian Ya dispatched an avatar along with three other demonic Venerables to intercept Han Li.

After an unknown fierce battle, Tian Ya’s avatar and two of the Venerables perished on the spot, while only one Venerable, skilled in escape techniques, barely managed to flee the valley.

News of this spread rapidly, causing an uproar among the demons across the land.

Half a year later, the true form of Saint Ancestor Xue Guang, accompanied by two avatars and several subordinates, suddenly appeared in a small town called “Sinking Water Town.” There, he exposed the disguised identities of Han Li and his group and unleashed a terrifying demonic technique, intending to capture them alive.

Without hesitation, Han Li and the Crab Daoist launched a counterattack.

After half a year of recuperation, Han Li had nearly fully recovered his vitality. Moreover, the immense benefits he had gained from the Spirit Cleansing Pond and the Pure Spirit Lotus—previously tempered in his battle against the Nirvana Avatar—were now fully realized, greatly advancing his Sacred Demon Art.

Thus, Han Li immediately activated his Second Nirvana Transformation, wielding unimaginable divine power that allowed him to hold his own against Xue Guang’s true form.

After a day and night of relentless battle, the entire town was nearly destroyed, and many demons who had gathered to spectate were either injured or killed.

Shockingly, the battle ended with Xue Guang’s true form severely wounded and fleeing, while his two avatars and all his subordinates were annihilated.

If the previous two battles had only just made the demons aware of the Crab Daoist’s terror, this battle finally made them realize Han Li’s fearsome power—placing him on par with the Crab Daoist.

But the real shock came days later when a high-ranking demon discovered Xue Guang’s mutilated corpse in a mountain range a million miles away from Sinking Water Town.

The corpse’s skull had been split open, its contents emptied—suggesting that not only had Xue Guang’s physical body been destroyed, but even his Nascent Soul had been forcibly extracted.

Once this news spread and was confirmed by other high-ranking demons, the demon world was thrown into even greater turmoil.

Saint Ancestors who had previously been eager to act were now horrified and sent their avatars to investigate the true cause of Xue Guang’s demise.

After all, while the demon world encouraged fierce competition among its races—even the deaths of demonic Venerables were not uncommon—the assassination of a Saint Ancestor was an event that had not occurred in tens of thousands of years.

Though some suspected Han Li and the Crab Daoist, most believed that another Saint Ancestor with a grudge against Xue Guang had seized the opportunity to strike.

As a result, even the most powerful Saint Ancestors—second only to the Progenitors—though unafraid of Han Li and the Crab Daoist, became wary and abandoned any thoughts of direct confrontation.

After all, sending avatars against them would be like throwing meat to a dog—never to return—while mobilizing their true forms risked drawing the attention of their enemies. As for ordinary demonic Venerables, without the leadership of a Saint Ancestor, none were foolish enough to seek their own deaths.

Thus, Han Li and his group—once hunted by all—suddenly became a hot potato that no demon dared to pursue.

Of course, superficial investigations and bounties remained, but they were merely for show.

Meanwhile, Han Li’s reputation spread far and wide across the demon world, striking fear even into the hearts of ordinary demons.

—

Inside a desolate mountain cave, an elderly man and a burly man sat cross-legged, facing each other.

The old man had unusually long eyebrows, a gaunt face, and a triangular topknot secured by a yellow wooden hairpin. His robe bore the image of a ferocious three-headed, six-armed demonic figure, giving him an eerie appearance.

The burly man wore black armor, had a thick beard, and exuded an imposing aura, though his expression was grave.

The aura emanating from both was terrifying, far surpassing that of ordinary demonic Venerables, yet not quite reaching the level of a Mahayana cultivator.

Their gazes were fixed on an object between them—a blood-red cauldron, about a foot tall, with a square upper section adorned with four ghastly face carvings at each corner.

The cauldron trembled incessantly, and agonized screams emanated from the carved faces, as if some demonic entity were imprisoned inside, suffering unspeakable torment.

“Xue Guang, why must you suffer so? Hand over the locations of those secret caves, and you’ll be spared this torment. Fellow Daoist Che and I have been imprisoned in the Demon-Sealing Lock for so long that we’ve developed immense patience. We could torture you for a thousand years without hesitation. In the end, you’ll still give us what we want. After all, we were once split from the same primordial soul—handing it over to us is, in a way, keeping it within the family,” the bearded man sighed, his tone almost consoling.

From his words, it was clear that the cauldron imprisoned none other than Xue Guang’s Nascent Soul.

“Indeed, if you return everything you took from us—and more—I might even show mercy and grant you a swift reincarnation. You know well that I, Che Qigong, keep my word, and Fellow Daoist Feng Xie is no liar either,” the old man added coldly, his long eyebrows twitching.

These two were none other than Che Qigong and Feng Xie, who had once been trapped in the Demon-Sealing Lock. Somehow, they had escaped and, after lurking in the demon world, seized the opportunity when Xue Guang was severely injured—destroying his body and capturing his Nascent Soul, now imprisoned in the cauldron.

Their words revealed a tangled web of grudges between them and Xue Guang, making it difficult to discern right from wrong.

“Hah… don’t… delude yourselves. I… never expected… to survive… once I fell into your hands. I’d rather… those treasures remain buried… forever than let you have them. Consider them… my burial goods. Without them… it’ll take you… thousands of years… to regain your former power. Now, during the demon world’s great calamity… with your current strength… a single misstep could mean death. This… is my only chance… for revenge… and I won’t… let it slip,” Xue Guang’s Nascent Soul gasped between screams, his voice dripping with venomous hatred.

“Fool! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Let me tell you—this Soul-Refining Cauldron hasn’t even unleashed one percent of its power. Once I activate it fully, your suffering will increase a hundredfold. Then you’ll truly know what it means to beg for death!” Che Qigong roared in fury.

He swiftly formed hand seals, chanting incantations before hurling a series of spells into the cauldron.

The cauldron erupted in bloody light, the four carved faces twisting into expressions of unbearable agony.

The screams intensified to a bone-chilling degree, yet Che Qigong remained unmoved, his face twisted in cruelty as he relentlessly fueled the cauldron’s torment.

Feng Xie, observing this, merely shook his head and closed his eyes, as if tuning out the horrific sounds.

—

Meanwhile, above an endless desert, over a hundred high-ranking demons with twin horns surrounded a man and a woman, their bodies drenched in blood.

The sands below were littered with mutilated corpses, their blood soaking deep into the ground.

The besieged pair consisted of a woman in white robes, standing serenely in the air, her beauty unparalleled, and a man in black armor, his face hideous and wielding a spiked club, shielding the woman.

They were none other than Bao Hua and Hei E!

Yet Bao Hua’s brows were slightly furrowed, her gaze dark as it swept over the demons.

These demons, identical in appearance and clearly of the same race, stood expressionless, their auras cold and lifeless.

Hei E, meanwhile, was drenched in blood, his killing intent palpable—evidently, the corpses below were his handiwork.

“Hmph, you fools really have a death wish. Even after so many of you have fallen, you still dare to pester us!” Hei E licked the blood from his lips and sneered.

One of the demons emotionlessly uttered a single word: “Attack.”

Instantly, all the twin-horned demons raised a hand, summoning black tokens before them. With a flash of dark light, shadowy orbs materialized and shot toward Bao Hua and Hei E from all directions.