Chapter 461
"Qingyunzi!" Tongming Shangren asked, "We bear no ill will towards your Seven Great Saints. Why did you kill my disciples of Tongming Mountain?"
"…"
The Great Saint Qingyun remained silent, but suddenly, Mingde Shouzuo trembled all over and exclaimed, "You are not the Great Saint Qingyun!"
As he spoke, a flash of auspicious clouds appeared above his head, and a Yang God descended from it, wielding a jade ruler to shield the others.
His reaction was incredibly swift.
But the Great Saint Qingyun was even faster—he exploded!
Even Mingde Shouzuo could not have anticipated that a transformation god, one who valued his life above all else, and who had repeatedly jumped between the righteous and demonic paths just to survive, would fight so desperately.
Desperately enough to leave everyone stunned.
The spiritual energy accumulated over tens of thousands of years by the Great Saint Qingyun, the refined soul, transformed into the most terrifying spell.
In the heavens and earth, it was as if the grandest fireworks display had erupted, but what scattered around was not just spiritual energy, but blood.
This fiery display was like the final elegy of Tongming Mountain!
The transformation gods of Mingde Shouzuo each had their protective treasures, and while they were caught off guard, they sustained some injuries.
But the disciples left on Tongming Mountain had no means to guard against such a catastrophe.
The disciples who had just survived the onslaught from the bird's beak had no time to rejoice before, in the blink of an eye, their souls were shattered.
Tongming Shangren trembled all over, his heart twisted in agony. Tongming Mountain was home to the majority of his disciples—this self-destructive strike from the Great Saint Qingyun had nearly wiped out his entire sect!
Not to mention that the spiritual vein of Tongming Mountain was now severed.
It could be said that Tongming Mountain was finished!
He looked at this scene, his face a mask of bewilderment. Everything had happened too quickly, in the blink of an eye, what was once a bustling Tongming Mountain, filled with disciples, had transformed into a hell on earth.
"Tongming…" Chengkong naturally understood his feelings for Tongming Mountain and couldn't help but murmur.
"…Who is it?" Tongming Shangren's voice seemed to come from the abyss, "This is not Qingyunzi!"
"This is…" Mingde Shouzuo sighed, but then denied his own speculation, "This is Qingyunzi who has practiced the secret arts of the demonic path."
"I just didn't expect that the Demon Ancestor would be so…" He stood on the fractured mountaintop, gazing outside, "regard transformation gods as mere fodder."
…
It was rare that Youming Xian and his master thought of the same thing.
He stood behind the Demon Ancestor, watching the grand fireworks on Tongming Mountain, a sense of sorrow for the fallen filled his heart.
Though he too resented the betrayal of the Seven Great Saints and had killed Yin-Yang Luocha, witnessing a transformation god die without the power to resist, helplessly, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
"There are indeed only a few transformation gods on Tongming Mountain."
The Great Demon Ancestor of Great Freedom slowly materialized from the void. The black moon behind him shone brightly again, and drops of blood began to rise from the ground, coalescing into a lark that chirped softly before diving into the black moon.
Youming Xian keenly sensed that the aura of the Great Demon Ancestor seemed to have become even more tangible than before.
He suddenly understood why the Great Saint Qingyun had to die—
The blood and soul of the Great Saint Qingyun had become a tonic for the Great Demon Ancestor.
As for delivering a heavy blow to Tongming Mountain, it was merely a matter of making use of resources and casually probing the strengths and weaknesses of the sect.
Returning to the sea of blood…
Youming Xian glanced at the black moon. Though he had long suspected, he now understood what the sea of blood truly was.
"Born as a servant, dead as flesh and blood, all things serve my being."
Youming Xian recalled a line from the Great Freedom Secret Classic, and only now did he once again confirm the nature of this Demon Ancestor.
He looked at his original master, Mingde Shouzuo of the Taishang Dao. What difference was there between Taishang Dao and the demonic path?
At this moment, Mingde Shouzuo had no time to pay attention to this wayward disciple. He fixed his gaze on the Great Demon Ancestor, his tone betraying a hint of unease: "Great Demon Ancestor…"
"Since you know my name, why do you not kneel?"
The words of the Great Demon Ancestor were calm and collected, yet they carried an arrogance that made them sound like a truth.
No one present felt that his words were overly arrogant.
After the Great Saint Qingyun had demonstrated the ironclad rule that cultivators must not violate their own lineage, they now deeply understood another ironclad rule:
Only the Dao Fruit can contend with the Dao Fruit!
The black moon cast a cold light, illuminating the collapsed mountains.
Both Mingde Shouzuo and Chengkong sensed the changes in the world around them.
This black moon was devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
In an instant, the rules of the universe seemed to have shifted!
The spiritual power within them felt sealed, tightly constricted within their dantians, secret techniques, spiritual treasures, talismans, and magical artifacts all became ineffective!
Or rather, aside from some secret techniques of the Five Sects, most spells and talismans lost their efficacy under the light of the black moon—they finally understood what it meant to be utterly powerless!
The Great Demon Ancestor stood there, not even making a single move, only uttering a single sentence, yet everyone understood—they were now lambs to the slaughter!
The only one still capable of resistance was the Qingping Sword!
The Qingping Sword flew from Xie Qingxue's waist, pointing at the Great Demon Ancestor, faintly protecting the transformation gods present.
"The Qingping Sword…" At this moment, the Great Demon Ancestor's tone finally showed some emotion. He seemed to recognize the Qingping Sword, speaking as if he were meeting an old acquaintance, "If you were still in the hands of the Heavenly River, I would leave immediately…"
Xie Qingxue's eyes flashed with determination. Behind her, a river of stars suddenly appeared, cascading down, and spiritual energy surged into the Qingping Sword.
The Qingping Sword gained an additional three points of might, its sword light as bright as snow, even more radiant than the black moon.
"This technique is not bad," the Great Demon Ancestor praised, "If you were just three points stronger, I would truly have no way to deal with this new body of mine."
"If you offer up this technique, I will only take the sword and spare your life."
Xie Qingxue remained silent.
The Great Demon Ancestor shook his head, no longer speaking. The black moon above him slowly rose, as if it had lost patience.
Xie Qingxue turned to glance at Yan Wushuang behind her. Just moments ago, she had risked everything to protect this junior brother from the self-detonation of the Great Saint Qingyun, but now…
In the void, a portal flickered, and Yan Wushuang was suddenly swept into it.
The Sun and Moon Bell!
Zheng Fa held the Sun and Moon Bell, landing above Xie Qingxue's head.
"Those who are unable to fight, enter the Nine Mountain Realm!"
From the self-detonation of the Great Saint Qingyun to the appearance of the Demon Ancestor, the changes had been rapid, and even Zheng Fa had only just grasped the situation.
But there was no time to waste!
The power of the Demon Ancestor was unfathomable; if they waited until he had severely injured Xie Qingxue, the risk would be too great.
Zheng Fa settled the disciples of the Nine Mountain Realm and immediately moved to rescue Yan Wushuang.
Chengkong was momentarily stunned, looking up at the Sun and Moon Bell, his mind recalling what Zheng Fa had said earlier about saving him once more.
Zheng Fa… truly is a righteous man!
But alas, this cave heaven world is ultimately not omnipotent…
"A treasure of the cave heaven?" The Great Demon Ancestor's tone remained indifferent, and he even asked, "Zheng Fa of the Nine Mountains?"
…No, why are you so fixated on me, old man?
A mysterious light emanated from the black moon behind the Great Demon Ancestor, striking the Sun and Moon Bell.
In the next moment, the Nine Mountain Realm unexpectedly gained another black moon!
From that black moon, a figure slowly emerged—who else but the Great Demon Ancestor?
"Aside from you in the Nine Mountain Realm…" His gaze swept over the trembling Blood River Old Ancestor, then turned to Jiao Wuji, but he paid little attention, focusing instead on Zheng Fa: "And there’s also Zhang Wuyi…"
Zheng Fa couldn't help but turn to look at Sister Zhang beside him.
The Great Demon Ancestor's gaze followed his to Sister Zhang's… hand!
In Sister Zhang's hand, the Pure Bamboo shone brightly, and a golden bamboo shadow swept across the sky of the Nine Mountain Realm, heading straight for the black moon.
The Pure Bamboo and the black moon began to clash within the Nine Mountain Realm.
But Sister Zhang was ultimately within the realm, while the black moon came from outside; in just three breaths, the Pure Bamboo gained the upper hand, striking the black moon and driving it out of the Nine Mountain Realm.
Outside the realm, the Great Demon Ancestor snorted, and the black moon behind him dimmed slightly.
"Pure Bamboo!"
He spoke with an unusual hint of agitation.
Chengkong and the others turned back to see Sister Zhang stepping forward, not leaving the Nine Mountain Realm, but standing right at the portal, holding the Pure Bamboo, her gaze icy.
One man can hold the pass, a thousand cannot break through.
"Advance!"
At this moment, who still doubted the safety of the Nine Mountain Realm?
Chengkong and the others hurriedly retreated into the Nine Mountain Realm, and the Great Demon Ancestor did not even attempt to stop them, his gaze not even lingering on them.
It seemed that to him, the number of transformation gods was inconsequential.
The only ones worth his attention were the Qingping Sword and the Pure Bamboo.
Meanwhile, within the Nine Mountain Realm, Chengkong felt as if he were dreaming. He looked at Sister Zhang's back, then turned to Zheng Fa, his eyes filled with confusion.
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