The sky and earth darkened, devoid of color, in a chaotic haze. This was the scene before the Qin sisters. When everything settled, they saw only “Yuanhuang,” with no sign of the other three elders.
“Even Yuanhuang Senior’s sleeve is a great divine ability…” Qin Shuanglian, a veteran Repeater, possessed no shallow knowledge. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder he was a Grandmaster who had survived three or even four deadly tasks!
Thinking back to the ten-zhang-tall giant and the pitch-black vortex capable of destroying heaven and earth, the Flesh Mountain Demon General’s death was well deserved. If Yuanhuang Senior had unleashed his full strength, the demon general would have been reduced to nothing more than ashes!
Moreover, Yuanhuang Senior hadn’t even displayed the realm of “Heaven is Dead, Yellow Heaven Shall Rise” that had intimidated Celestial Masters like Tianshi and the venerable monk in the Black Mountain Demoness world.
Then, she watched Meng Qi fly toward the pitch-black mountain.
“Big sister, are Yuanhuang Senior and the others alright?” Qin Shuanghua had witnessed too many things today that exceeded her comprehension. Instinctively feeling intimidated, she asked anxiously.
Qin Shuanglian gazed toward the towering mountain peak, her eyes shimmering with a strange brilliance. “They’re fine. Yuanhuang Senior’s true strength surpasses what we’ve seen by no less than two or three times. He has long reached the ‘Yellow Heaven Established’ realm of severing the past, rivaling gods and Buddhas.”
“Yellow Heaven Established?” Qin Shuanghua was puzzled, looking up at the sky. What did that mean?
Yet the more she pondered, the more profound it seemed.
…
Within the secret realm, time flowed differently from the outside world. In a courtyard somewhere, the Ziwei Star Lord and others had gradually returned.
With their strength and the strange abilities acquired in the Reincarnation World, they could investigate clues far more swiftly and effectively than ordinary people.
Xi, wearing the mask of the “Solar Sovereign,” maintained a calm and steady aura like a mountain. He spoke calmly, “This world has frequently suffered demon tides and is filled with heart-devil humans and traitors. Therefore, people are particularly sensitive toward strangers, and everyone pays attention. Many commoners today saw an ordinary man in green robes wandering about, followed by black-clad servants.”
“I’ve also heard of this news,” the Northern Dipper Star Lord, with a gloomy and ruthless nature, replied briefly.
“What is he doing?” the Ziwei Star Lord interjected.
He had mainly changed his appearance and identity today to establish contact with the ruler of Changning City.
The woman wearing the Queen Mother of the West mask spoke in a low, magnetic voice, seemingly deliberately disguised: “He frequently interacts with common people, appearing to chat casually, asking about their life experiences, probing into their painful memories, but never revealing his own purpose or inciting anything.”
“What transformation does he intend to bring…” the Ziwei Star Lord murmured. However, he soon released his doubts, speaking composedly, “Regardless of his intentions, as a disciple of the Demon Lord entering a human city plagued by demon tides, he has placed himself in danger. We’ll later inform the ruler of Changning City about the infiltration of an evil demon, provide clues, and let them take the lead, stepping into traps.”
“And we’ll lie in ambush nearby, seizing the opportunity to strike with full force.”
The ruler of Changning City would not act rashly, but once they tested him—a practitioner of the Demon Lord’s cultivation method—no matter how well concealed, the profound connection to the Nine Nether Demons would inevitably be exposed. Conflict would be unavoidable.
After finalizing their plans, just as he was about to proceed methodically, he suddenly heard the Queen Mother of the West say, “I have a suggestion.”
“What suggestion?” the Ziwei Star Lord frowned inwardly. The “Queen Mother of the West” had a special identity and a powerful background, often behaving arrogantly, causing dissatisfaction among many former teammates. Only the cold and silent Northern Dipper Star Lord, who only enjoyed killing, could tolerate her.
The Queen Mother of the West looked around and said slowly, “I suggest we ambush and kill ‘Crazy Blade’ opportunistically after completing the main mission.”
The Ziwei Star Lord immediately felt anger. Was she questioning his previous decision?
“‘Crazy Blade’ easily killed the Master of Benevolent Mansion and forced the others to retreat amidst the joint attack of the Joyful Bodhisattva, the Ritual Divine Envoy, the Benevolent Mansion’s two divine weapons, and a Dharma Token. His strength is evident, as is the peculiarity of time-related treasures?” The Ziwei Star Lord adjusted his mindset, patiently explaining, “I have always been proud of my strength, but I dare not claim superiority over the Master of Benevolent Mansion who wields a divine weapon. Xi inherited the ancient Solar Sovereign’s legacy and cultivated the Five Virtues Divine Skill, currently reaching the ninth heaven, with combat power equivalent to a Grandmaster, but still inferior to the current Joyful Bodhisattva, especially without a divine weapon.”
“And you’ve just entered the Grandmaster level, while the Northern Dipper hasn’t even crossed the second heavenly threshold. Can you two together handle the Ritual Divine Envoy, even without a Dharma Token?”
“Our combined strength doesn’t match the formation that previously surrounded ‘Crazy Blade,’ not to mention the presence of Jiang Zhiwei, who rivals the former Su Wuming. She is said to have already reached the eighth heaven.”
He didn’t mention Ruan Yushu and the unknown member, as they hadn’t reached the Grandmaster level, with too great a gap.
The Queen Mother of the West listened quietly and directly replied, “I can summon help.”
“From where?” the Ziwei Star Lord was astonished.
The Queen Mother of the West slowly stood up, first glancing at Xi, then saying indifferently, “I know you have a divine weapon.”
“A divine weapon?” Both the Ziwei Star Lord and the Northern Dipper Star Lord turned their gazes toward Xi.
Xi remained silent, unmoving like a mountain, responding only with emotionless eyes.
The Queen Mother of the West said no more. She walked to the wall, retrieved a brush from her ring, its handle brown and cracked, the bristles smooth and soft, seemingly ordinary.
Without dipping it in ink, she directly painted on the wall with the brush, a vertical line, a horizontal line, then another vertical line, quickly drawing a door, eight chi high and three chi wide.
She then painted numerous strange patterns on the door, resembling talismans. When everything was completed, the Queen Mother of the West stepped back a few paces and used the brush to point seven times in the air before her.
Suddenly, the door outlined in ink was covered with a faint glow, gradually becoming real, with clear depth, as if it were no longer a painted door but a real one installed on the wall!
When the glow subsided, an eerie door, black as pitch and adorned with strange patterns, stood out on the wall.
The Queen Mother of the West extended her hand and pushed it from a distance. The door creaked open, slowly retreating backward.
A divine brushstroke summoned an immortal gate on a white wall! The Ziwei Star Lord and the Northern Dipper Star Lord stared in shock at the Queen Mother of the West.
Xi, wearing his mask, turned his face toward the Queen Mother of the West, as if muttering to himself or asking a question:
“A divine brush?”
Creak! The door was fully opened.
…
On the bustling streets of Changning City, Qi Zhengyan and the Black Armor Demon General walked among the slightly panicked crowd.
“Your Majesty, it seems someone is pursuing and searching for us,” the Black Armor Demon General suddenly sensed something in the void and quickly warned.
Qi Zhengyan’s gaze still carried compassion, seemingly unconcerned: “Those who engage in such endeavors certainly won’t have smooth sailing. However, there’s no need to worry. We’ve severed our aura, hidden our tracks, and changed our identities. Besides, we can’t spread the martial arts manual immediately anyway. There’s still much questioning and investigation to be done.”
“Thoughts are one thing; putting them into practice reveals how difficult it is to fathom people’s hearts and the complexity of worldly affairs. Without experiencing this firsthand, one remains an ivory-tower scholar untouched by the realities of life.”
He sighed deeply. Doing was much harder than saying, with countless details and problems needing attention and resolution.
At such moments, the philosophy of the Six-Destroying Yama grew especially enticing—no matter how intricate the circumstances or how numerous the details, everything could be obliterated through sheer force, attaining absolute serenity. Alternatively, it resembled the doctrine of the Great Freedom Heavenly Sovereign, where mastering everyone’s thoughts would effortlessly resolve all dilemmas.
…
The muddy black soil was soaked with blood, and the jagged rocks on both sides resembled grotesque demons.
Everything was the same as when Meng Qi had last seen it. The images of the successive inheritors of the Demon Emperor Claw along the way, the pitch-black pine tree at the peak, and the ancient bronze coffin covered in decay were all unchanged.
Arriving here, Meng Qi flicked his sleeve, throwing Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng out.
After stabilizing their postures, Jiang Zhiwei looked around with interest, then took out the fragment of the Haotian Mirror.
The mirror surface was dark and lifeless, yet the surrounding void resonated with it, reflecting countless universes, rivers of stars, vast and boundless.
Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng were seeing this peerless divine weapon of the ancient Haotian Emperor for the first time, momentarily stunned, as if drifting through endless universes for millennia, forgetting their past.
Clang!
Meng Qi lightly flicked the blade, the sound like a dragon’s roar, akin to the morning and evening bells, instantly awakening Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng, who were drenched in cold sweat.
At this moment, the illusions of countless universes and the ancient bronze coffin intersected. The pitch-black mountain trembled slightly.
At the front of the ancient bronze coffin, where two auras met, the void suddenly tore open, like lifting a water curtain.
Infinite radiance burst forth, shooting straight into the sky!
…
On the bustling street, the Black Armor Demon General and Qi Zhengyan simultaneously turned their heads toward the source, watching the radiant light pierce the heavens, illuminating the entire sky.
“The Demon Emperor Claw!” the Black Armor Demon General exclaimed, shivering involuntarily.
Qi Zhengyan’s expression slightly changed, then became expressionless, as if his face had frozen, letting out a faint sigh.
“Your Majesty, won’t you retrieve the Demon Emperor Claw?” the Black Armor Demon General asked excitedly.
“I aim to be the master of the Demon Emperor Claw, not its slave. Acquiring it now would be more harmful than beneficial,” Qi Zhengyan replied calmly, showing no emotion.
The Black Armor Demon General was stunned. This was the Demon Emperor Claw! The Demon Emperor Claw! One of the most powerful weapons in heaven and earth!
Yet the Demon Emperor regarded it as worthless!
“But I still need to go there. I cannot allow others to be enslaved by it, as it would bring great calamity,” Qi Zhengyan added after a moment of silence.
…
Within the courtyard, the Queen Mother of the West, the Lord of Ziwei Star, and the others also turned in shock, their eyes fixed on the distant horizon where a radiant yet eerie glow shimmered—dazzling yet sinister, concealing the deepest and darkest abyss of blackness!
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