Chapter 1346 |
Chapter 1346: The Heavenly Ancient Demon King?
Having left the Universe Region via the space stone, they now entered the Heavenly Region.
"Why does this Heavenly Region feel like a complete and intact paradise?
Coming here, I feel an inexplicable sense of calm."
"But since this place is so intact, the opportunities here must be endless."
"The number of legions gathered here should also be the largest."
As soon as they arrived, the members of the Demon Warrior Legion began discussing.
Su Jingzhen and the others were mildly taken aback.
Su Jingzhen looked at Huo Yang and You Yue: "This place is quite different from what I initially imagined.
While there may be opportunities here, there are also dangers. Let’s be careful."
Back in the Ancient Mystic City, they had encountered the Void Devourer.
The Void Devourer had managed to keep the Ancient Mystic City in perfect order, but now, everything in the Heavenly Region seemed completely normal.
If there was indeed a powerful being still alive here, its strength would likely surpass that of the Void Devourer.
Having experienced it before, they knew how much danger could be hidden beneath the surface of such a peaceful scene.
As a result, Su Jingzhen and the others proceeded with even greater caution.
As usual, they didn’t plan to explore the outer regions.
Although it seemed like there were many opportunities in the outer areas, they headed straight for the core—the Heavenly Ancient City.
Along the way, they encountered many legions.
Whenever they came across the Heavenly Water Family or their vassals, Huo Yang would not hesitate to annihilate them.
As for the legions of other forces, they no longer held much interest.
After all, they had already swept through seven regions.
They had destroyed over two thousand legions and absorbed over two thousand strands of legion killing intent. Yet, for You Yue, they were still just a step away from reaching the true Demon King level.
Given this situation, You Yue understood that the issue wasn’t the amount of legion killing intent they absorbed.
Rather, the Demon Warrior Legion itself might not yet have the foundation to reach that level.
Perhaps the combined strength of the two thousand five hundred warriors wasn’t yet sufficient, or perhaps their numbers were insufficient.
In any case, all of this would require You Yue to find the answers after the trial.
Similar to the other regions, the closer they got to the core of the Heavenly Region, the denser the spiritual energy became.
Yet Su Jingzhen and the others felt no repelling force.
In fact, the closer they got to the core, the more legions they encountered.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few Heavenly Water Family legions gathered here.
Of course, whenever the Demon Warrior Legion encountered them, they were annihilated.
The massive Heavenly Ancient City stood on a plain, its aura imposing.
The multicolored light hovering above it seemed to signify the prosperity of this place.
What caught Su Jingzhen and the others off guard was that there were no barriers around the Heavenly Ancient City.
The city gates, and indeed any part of the city, were open for entry.
When Su Jingzhen and the others entered the city, they quickly noticed that while everything seemed normal, there was still something eerie about it.
The streets were clean and orderly, and all the palace gates were tightly shut.
Along the way, they saw many legions from various forces breaking into these closed palaces.
However, these palace gates didn’t require much effort to open.
With a gentle push, they swung open.
Inside, aside from the lack of tangible treasures, there were various carvings, inscriptions, and other forms of inheritance that anyone could study.
At this moment, most of the palaces in the Heavenly Ancient City were occupied by legions from various forces.
In contrast, the streets were becoming increasingly empty.
No conflicts broke out among the forces over the inheritances.
Everything was eerily quiet, filled with a strange sense of order.
The more Su Jingzhen saw, the more uneasy he felt.
This situation was completely different from the other seven regions.
In his view, the legions quietly studying the inheritances in the palaces seemed to have been subtly controlled by some hidden presence.
They were like puppets on strings.
"Be careful!"
Su Jingzhen couldn’t help but remind You Yue and the others again.
The Demon Warrior Legion’s killing intent had already condensed.
As for You Yue, she directly formed the Legion Holy Shield with the killing intent dragon, enveloping everyone.
As they were speaking, the gates of a majestic palace in front of the Demon Warrior Legion suddenly opened on their own.
A radiant light of the Great Dao shone from within.
Even without a closer look, they knew the inheritance inside must be extraordinary.
Seeing this, many members of the Demon Warrior Legion began to breathe heavily.
They seemed to be drawn in.
Their eyes turned to You Yue, as if waiting for her command to rush in and receive the inheritance.
"The light of the Great Dao is so dense. If I can comprehend even a fraction of it, I might be able to break through my current realm."
"Commander, please ask the Legion Commander if we can go in and study it.
Throughout these seven regions, the Grand Commander has easily absorbed the core energy of each ancient city.
Then the cities disappeared. Although we’ve received many rewards from the Grand Commander, very few of us have actually broken through in cultivation."
"I feel that the reason our Demon Warrior Legion hasn’t reached that next level is because our cultivation is still too weak. This is our chance!"
"..."
Many Demon Warrior Legion warriors grew increasingly restless as they looked at the light emanating from the palace.
Even the legion killing intent they had condensed began to waver.
Their minds were being influenced.
Seeing this, Su Jingzhen and You Yue were once again shocked.
Just by opening a palace and emitting some light of the Great Dao, the Demon Warrior Legion was on the verge of collapse.
How terrifying was that?
This pressure was even more frightening than facing a half-step Demon King.
"Everyone, snap out of it!"
You Yue’s aura surged, and her voice, amplified by the still-intact killing intent dragon, echoed in everyone’s ears.
Having seen the legions quietly cultivating in the palaces along the way, You Yue and the others knew that if the Demon Warrior Legion succumbed and entered the palace before them, it would be difficult to escape.
"Everyone, focus! Continue toward the core of the Heavenly Ancient City!
Devote yourselves entirely to the legion killing intent!"
Hearing You Yue’s stern command, the warriors who had been distracted quickly regained their senses.
They were filled with regret.
Under You Yue’s urging, they quickly moved toward the core.
After they left, a creaking sound came from the palace they had just passed.
As they went deeper, more and more majestic palaces opened on their own.
The light of the Great Dao emanating from them grew denser.
The temptation became even greater.
The Demon Warrior Legion advanced through more than a dozen streets.
The surrounding palaces no longer contained any legions.
This meant that all the legions that had gathered in the Heavenly Ancient City had succumbed to the temptation of the inheritances in the palaces.
Su Jingzhen looked ahead.
He could vaguely see a corner of the palace left behind by the Heavenly Demon Sect.
He felt a hint of excitement.
As long as he absorbed the core energy left by the Heavenly Demon Sect, he would uncover all the secrets of this place.
At this moment, You Yue and Huo Yang’s gazes turned to another majestic palace nearby.
Suddenly, the light of the Great Dao appeared above the palace.
Countless runes condensed into powerful inheritances.
Their eyes gradually glazed over.
If even they were affected, the other warriors were even more entranced, their breathing heavy.
They could no longer move forward.
"Husband, this place seems quite good. If the Demon Warrior Legion can obtain this inheritance, I think we might be able to take that final step."
You Yue suddenly turned to Su Jingzhen and spoke.
Without hesitation, she led the Demon Warrior Legion into the palace.
Seeing this, Su Jingzhen was horrified.
"Wife, don’t go!"
Su Jingzhen immediately took out the black brick.
The light of the world emanated from it, trying to pull You Yue and the others out of their trance.
But it was too late.
The legion killing intent that the Demon Warrior Legion had condensed had already collapsed.
Su Jingzhen was once again horrified and quickly separated himself from the Demon Warrior Legion.
He wasn’t dragged in.
Everything had happened too quickly.
The two thousand five hundred warriors, along with You Yue and Huo Yang, entered the palace and were immediately drawn to the murals and carvings on the walls.
They all sat down and entered a deep state of cultivation.
The palace gates stayed open wide.
The light of the Great Dao shining from them grew even more intense.
It seemed to be luring Su Jingzhen in as well.
Su Jingzhen’s eyes remained clear, but he grew more serious.
They were just one step away from reaching the core palace. Su Jingzhen regretted bringing You Yue and the others along.
If he had come alone, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.
Standing in the street, Su Jingzhen thought for a moment.
The dark light on the black brick in his hand grew brighter.
The power of the world flowed through him.
Without hesitation, he also entered the palace.
Although he knew he should head to the core energy left by the Heavenly Demon Sect first, he needed to ensure You Yue and Huo Yang were safe.
With the power of the world flowing through him, he feared nothing.
As he stepped through the palace gates, a mysterious energy swept over him.
It seemed to be probing all his secrets.
Su Jingzhen ignored it.
He was enveloped in the light of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
He didn’t believe that any lingering presence in the Heavenly Ancient City could surpass the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Inside the palace, Su Jingzhen saw that You Yue and the others were in a stable state.
They were all in a deep state of cultivation.
This state was definitely not normal, but Su Jingzhen was relieved.
At least for now, they weren’t in any danger.
Su Jingzhen then turned to leave.
But as he tried to exit the palace, a powerful repelling force appeared at the gates, seemingly trying to stop him.
The palace gates stayed open wide, but an invisible barrier had formed.
"I don’t know who you are, but with these tricks, you’re far from being able to stop me!"
Seeing the barrier, Su Jingzhen frowned again.
He activated the Demon God mark on his brow.
With the power of the world and the Demon God mark, he stepped forward.
The barrier and the repelling force from the palace couldn’t stop him.
He easily returned to the street.
"Creak…"
At the same time, a creaking sound, like that of rotting wood, came from the palace.
Su Jingzhen didn’t notice.
He looked toward the central palace that held the core energy.
"My wife and the others are in a state of cultivation there. They should be safe for now.
I want to see what kind of demon is behind all this."
Uncertain of the threat ahead, before heading to the final palace, Su Jingzhen’s consciousness once again entered the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
He summoned the Ancient Desolate Demon King, the Earth Ancient Demon King, and the other five Demon Kings.
"Everyone, I’ve encountered trouble in the Heavenly Ancient City."
Su Jingzhen then explained the situation in the Heavenly Ancient City.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect has this?
I don’t remember the Heavenly Ancient Demon King having any mounts or spirit beasts that could survive the Great Annihilation.
Not every demon beast has the abilities of a Void Devourer."
The Ancient Desolate Demon King frowned as he spoke.
Hearing this, the Ancient Mystic Demon King added, "At least during our time together, the Heavenly Ancient Demon King didn’t have any spirit beasts of that level.
But his strength was indeed the greatest among the eight of us.
He was also skilled in unorthodox methods. It’s possible that what’s happening in the Heavenly Ancient City is the work of some of his creations!"
Hearing this, the other Demon Kings, such as the Ancient Flood Demon King and the Ancient Yellow Demon King, nodded in agreement.
"The Heavenly Ancient Demon King had many creations. Those lifeless things were capable of unleashing power comparable to a Demon King back then.
After countless years, it’s possible that those things have developed sentience.
But it’s fine. As long as the Envoy can awaken the Heavenly Ancient Demon King, he’ll handle everything."
Hearing the seven Demon Kings’ words, Su Jingzhen grew even more puzzled.
What kind of lifeless creation could manage the Heavenly Region so well?
"What exactly are these lifeless creations you’re talking about?"
Su Jingzhen asked directly.
The Ancient Desolate Demon King spoke again: "Mechanical beasts, puppets, ancient refined corpses… basically, any unorthodox technique you’ve heard of, the Heavenly Ancient Demon King has dabbled in it and mastered it."
Hearing this, Su Jingzhen was stunned.
He suddenly thought of the many legions quietly cultivating in the palaces, like puppets on strings.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
If these creations could manage the Heavenly Region so well, they must be at least at the Demon King level, as the Ancient Desolate Demon King had said.
Now, without the Demon Warrior Legion by his side, Su Jingzhen wasn’t sure if he could even reach the palace of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
But after a moment of thought, he gathered all the power he could borrow from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
He held the black brick tightly.
The Demon God mark on his brow shone brightly.
He resolutely continued toward the core palace.
As he got closer, more palaces opened around him.
Creaking sounds came from within.
It was as if some terrifying demonic noise was trying to disrupt Su Jingzhen’s mind.
"Is that the sound of puppets or mechanical beasts?"
Su Jingzhen wondered to himself.
The light of the Great Dao from the surrounding palaces was so dense it almost enveloped him.
But he remained unmoved.
Soon, he reached the palace left by the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Here, the repelling force was at its peak.
At the palace gates, Su Jingzhen suddenly saw a figure.
It stood there quietly, seemingly smiling at him.
It was an old man in a moon-white robe, his expression kind.
Su Jingzhen felt a tremendous pressure from him.
He immediately projected the old man’s image to the Ancient Desolate Demon King and the others in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
"Do you recognize this person?"
Seeing the old man’s image, the Ancient Desolate Demon King and the others were surprised.
"This image… isn’t that the Heavenly Ancient Demon King? Envoy, since you’ve awakened him, why haven’t you brought him here?"
Seeing the Heavenly Ancient Demon King, the other seven were elated.
"You’re saying this is the Heavenly Ancient Demon King?
But I haven’t even entered the core energy left by the Heavenly Demon Sect. I’m still just at the palace gates!"
While Su Jingzhen’s consciousness was communicating with the Ancient Desolate Demon King and the others, the old man at the palace gates smiled again and spoke.
"It’s surprising that you’ve made it this far.
But this is not a place you should be."
As he spoke, the old man’s smile remained, but Su Jingzhen felt the air around him grow heavy.
A strong killing intent emerged!
"If you are the Heavenly Ancient Demon King, do you recognize this mark!"
Su Jingzhen’s heart was heavy, but his aura also surged.
The Demon God mark on his brow shone brightly.
As the demonic light flashed, the pressure around him shattered!