The Borderland, the Demon King’s Cave.
“Report — our army has achieved a great victory, Kunlun has fallen, and the Heavens’ Saint King is now attacking the Jade Pond!”
The Demon King’s Cave erupted in celebration. Peng, the Excited Demon King, grew greedy and said, “My beloved concubine, since we’re using Qiao San, why not go ahead and order him to attack Heaven itself? The Snow Lotus of the Jade Pond won’t be of much use anyway.”
Yu Shan’s long, beautiful eyes shimmered with a mysterious mist, and her slender, graceful face bore an ever-charming smile. “My King, perhaps your father wishes to test Qiao San’s abilities. Come, let me toast you, hehe…”
The bird-headed Demon King obediently succumbed to Yu Shan’s enchanting beauty and soon forgot all his suspicions.
The cave remained lively, but the Demon Queen’s expression subtly changed. She quietly summoned her trusted female demon and, with utmost seriousness, commanded, “Use every means necessary to discover the effects of the Jade Pond’s Snow Lotus. Even the slightest clue must be reported to me immediately!”
In the Celestial Realm’s capital, behind Kunlun Mountain, several shadowy figures carefully traversed through clouds and mist.
“Jing Lian, you’re so beautiful, why become a nun? Did Kunlun force you into the Dao? Hehe…” Qiao San joked while following the footprints left by the leading nun.
Jing Lian refused to engage Qiao San in conversation, ignoring his teasing. Her face remained tightly composed as she quickened her pace again.
“Hehe, Master, you’ve hit a wall!”
Hu Hou walked at the back, teasing Qiao San while carefully memorizing the path into the formation. As one of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Borderland, her experience surpassed all others.
As the group of five delved deeper into the misty clouds, they suddenly entered another world. The clouds instantly dissipated, revealing a clear, fresh sky.
Jing Lian pointed to the colorful glow in the distance and calmly said, “That’s the Jade Pond. The thousand-year Snow Lotus is inside. Let’s go.”
The young nun stepped forward, but Hu Hou quietly signaled her daughter. Tian Hu immediately floated ahead, linking arms with Jing Lian and smiling, “Little sister, I’m scared of the dark. Let’s walk together!”
Tian Hu could lie with her eyes wide open. Broad daylight, and she claimed to fear the dark.
Qiao San, the rogue, shrugged indifferently at Hu Hou’s mother and daughter’s caution, exchanging a knowing smile with Nu Mei. The young nun seemed genuinely unfazed or simply failed to see through the fox spirits’ intentions. Her calm eyes glanced naturally sideways, walking shoulder to shoulder with Tian Hu toward the Jade Pond.
As the colorful glow drew nearer and the fragrance of the Snow Lotus wafted closer, Qiao San couldn’t help but relax, delightedly inhaling the intoxicating aroma.
“Boom–“
The moment the Jade Pond’s spiritual essence entered Qiao San’s nose, the ground suddenly trembled. The colorful glow strangely retreated rapidly, and a dark, gaping hole abruptly appeared beneath the group.
“Ahh!” A sense of impending doom simultaneously struck everyone’s hearts. Hu Hou was the first to leap into the air on a cloud, but the black hole seemed to open like a beast’s mouth. In a whoosh, a terrifying vortex sucked the one man and four women inside.
Space flickered, reality transformed. In the blink of an eye, Qiao San and the others were ensnared by a formation, transported from behind Kunlun Mountain to a desolate void.
“Jing Lian, why would you repay kindness with betrayal?!” Qiao San, who rarely did good deeds, felt particularly furious after being made a fool by playing the rare role of a good guy.
Jing Lian’s throat was tightly gripped by Qiao San, yet she neither struggled nor denied. Instead, she smiled eerily and, in a sharp, grating voice, cackled, “Gwa gwa… Qiao San, you’re finished! My master has avenged himself! Gwa gwa…”
The young nun’s form fluidly transformed. Qiao San was greatly startled and, focusing closely, realized he was holding a man—the young master of the Chanting Sect he had personally killed!
“Chi Ya! How can it be you?! You dare to disguise yourself as a woman and fool me!” Thinking back to his fantasies about “Jing Lian,” Qiao San’s stomach churned with fury, and murderous intent surged to his fingertips.
“Don’t… don’t kill me!” Chi Ya’s face changed again, reverting to Jing Lian’s frightened expression. The tearful nun urgently cried, “Help… help me, I’m possessed by a malevolent spirit!”
“Aww…” Compassion for the fair sex had always been Qiao San’s weakness, and his killing intent halted abruptly.
“Gwa gwa… Kill me then! Come on, kill me!”
The lovely nun transformed again into the hideous Chi Ya, the vengeful ghost baring his teeth at Qiao San. Then, raising his fists, he didn’t strike Qiao San but instead punched himself squarely.
Qiao San instinctively loosened his grip, and the possessed nun’s body flew through the air, wailing. Blood sprayed like a fountain, scattering widely in this mysterious formation space, adding a bloody curtain to the scene.
What was this guy trying to do?!
Chi Ya’s strange actions left Qiao San stunned, but the spirit from the void instantly changed expression. “Qiao Sheng, quickly disperse the blood mist—it’s dangerous!”
Too late. Everything was too late! The moment the first wisp of blood mist drifted, no effort could stop the impending danger.
Qiao San flew toward Jing Lian, who was still tumbling midair. Though swift, a black shadow shot out even faster. With a beastly roar, it opened its maw wide, and Jing Lian’s body vanished.
“Ahh, an ancient mystical beast!”
Hu Hou’s face turned grim. Though she was one of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Borderland, she was utterly insignificant before a monster from chaos.
“Damn it!” Qiao San understood Chi Ya’s hatred toward him, but he couldn’t figure out why Chi Ya had appeared here or how he had cleverly possessed the young nun beforehand.
“Roar!” The ancient mystical beast emerged from the blood mist. A toad—magnified hundreds of times—threw its head back and roared. Qiao San felt the space around him contract violently. The world before his eyes twisted grotesquely, and their breathing became unbearably labored.
So strong! This was the power of an ancient mystical beast!
“Brother, we’ve been tricked!”
Nu Mei sighed belatedly, “This is Kunlun’s true ultimate weapon. Legends say the Celestial Realm has subdued many ancient mystical beasts, imprisoned by the Queen Mother. It turns out they were locked here in Kunlun, serving as her guardian deities. Sigh, the Queen Mother truly lives up to her reputation!”
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