The sheer magnitude of controlling demonic energy, transcending realms and harnessing power to break through to the level of the Ten Directions Fiend, was enough to stir his heart—so immense that he resolved to take a gamble and see if he could refine this demonic energy.
Demonic energy, after all, was merely another form of the primal energy of heaven and earth. By all rights, if he could condense worldly energy into Yuan Power within his body, he should equally be able to condense demonic energy, making it an internal source of strength for his use; they were simply two states of the same fundamental power. While they differed in certain aspects, both could grant power to a Celestial Master.
If he could effectively wield demonic energy without succumbing to Qi deviation, possessing an additional source of power ought to genuinely enhance his cultivation. Perhaps it could truly propel him to the next level.
Integrating the demonic energy into his body, changing the form of the Yuan Power within, would surely make his strength superior. As long as he could truly master the demonic energy, in the realm of the Nine Palaces Heaven, fusing demonic energy with the energy of heaven and earth should theoretically surpass a Celestial Master who cultivated only one form of power.
He ran through these possibilities in his mind. The suggestion from the Primordial Toxin seemed viable, yet he still harbored reservations, fearful that the demonic energy might not integrate with his physical form, especially since the power of the Four Sacred Beasts coursed through his blood.
Faintly, he sensed a potential conflict between the strength of the Four Sacred Beasts' blood and the demonic energy. He worried that if he truly began cultivating using demonic energy, it might provoke some unforeseen change in the power of the Four Sacred Beasts.
However, he kept this concern to himself and did not share it with the Primordial Toxin. Donning the Soul-Governing Crown, the surrounding fiends and strange flora recoiled, clearing a path for him unimpeded as he approached the summit of the peak.
Suddenly, Ji Changkong became intensely focused, signaling the Primordial Toxin to be wary as well.
Fiends parted ways around him. All that Ji Changkong saw were bizarre and grotesque demons, similar in nature to the fierce beasts of the Five Elements Continent, yet each one radiated towering demonic energy and was coated in thick, viscous venom, with sharp demonic spikes bristling outwards.
These fiends shared a resemblance to the Three-Headed Hellhound Demon, yet they lacked the intelligence of the Three-Headed Pointed Demon, possessing only the most direct, primal impulse to kill.
The countless fiends numbered perhaps hundreds of thousands. Among them, those possessing the vitality of an Eight Trigrams Celestial Master were likely a few thousand strong, while those with the vitality of a Seven-Star Celestial Master numbered in the hundreds of thousands—too many to count.
Within the throng were several fiends whose vitality matched that of a Nine Palaces Heaven master. These were the fewest in number, yet there were still about a hundred of them. These demons, exuding dense demonic energy, showed no fear of Ji Changkong, despite his Soul-Governing Crown, nor did they display the appropriate caution towards the Primordial Toxin.
Surprisingly, these fiends with vitality comparable to Nine Palaces Celestial Masters actually parted ways proactively upon seeing Ji Changkong and the Primordial Toxin approach, allowing the pair passage deeper inside.
Hiss!
The Dragon Radiance Longblade suddenly emitted a sharp cry from its residing Dragon Soul. The blade erupted outwards, oscillating violently in the void.
Ji Changkong’s expression shifted slightly; he knew the Dragon Radiance Longblade would only manifest so rashly if it detected an immense threat.
Beside him, the fiends possessing the formidable vitality of Nine Palaces Celestial Masters stared intently, their gazes fixed on the soaring Dragon Radiance Longblade, their eyes flashing with intense hatred, as if they wished to tear Ji Changkong to shreds.
Ji Changkong froze, now even more hesitant to move recklessly. Watching the powerful fiends surrounding him fix him with such overt hostility, he abruptly halted and cautiously glanced behind him.
Behind him, an impenetrable mass of fiends!
Hundreds of thousands of demons had surrounded him. Suddenly, these fiends seemed to have lost their fear of him, as if they were silently awaiting something.
The Dragon Radiance Longblade gyrated in the void. For some unknown reason, it had become agitated here, its body emanating surging killing intent, desperate to annihilate every demon in sight.
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
This single message resonated from the Dragon Radiance Longblade, urging Ji Changkong to destroy every demon present, leaving not one alive.
Ahead lay the summit of the mountain peak, the source of the towering demonic energy. Yet, Ji Changkong dared not advance a single step further.
“These fiends are terrifying. Nearly a hundred creatures with such immense vitality—their true strength cannot be far behind that of a Nine Palaces Celestial Master. Where on earth is this place, to harbor so many dreadful demons?” the Primordial Toxin asked, glancing around in utter astonishment.
Ji Changkong offered a bitter, wry smile, though his expression remained grave, refusing to relax his vigilance. He subtly signaled the Primordial Toxin, indicating his intent to temporarily withdraw. From the look in the demons’ eyes, he sensed profound, consuming hatred. Based on the Dragon Radiance Longblade’s reaction, he felt he had walked into a trap. Facing nearly a hundred demons whose life force matched a Nine Palaces Celestial Master, he knew he stood no chance of victory, thus preparing for a tactical retreat.
“Xuanyuan! The new generation Xuanyuan!”
Suddenly, a piercing, razor-sharp voice sliced through the air from the summit of the towering peak ahead, sharp as a blade scraping against stone.
Startled, Ji Changkong was stunned into silence. Xuanyuan? How could someone know his identity? How could they know he would come here? What in the blazes was going on?
He had arrived here via the passage that the Martial King of Heaven had established to communicate with the Demonic Continent. When the Martial King was setting up that narrow channel, he had been affected by the power of the Soul Suppression Melody. Perhaps a flaw in the construction of the tunnel was what sent him to this utterly alien continent.
This continent was not in the Solar Star Domain; who knew how many star systems separated it from the Five Elements Continent? How could anyone know of his existence?
While confusion reigned in his mind, a demon with the head of a python but the body of a human slowly descended from the summit of the great peak.
A suffocating wave of demonic energy poured off the demon. With every step it took, its immense vitality pressed down upon Ji Changkong like a mountain.
“You haven’t reached the pinnacle of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, nor did you arrive via the passage beneath the Poison Dragon Mire. You… were pulled in unintentionally?” The python-headed demon also seemed puzzled.
This was the formidable entity whose life force the soul-scanning probe had detected earlier—even greater than that of Cao Xuanqi!
“Poison Dragon Mire? The tunnel below?” Ji Changkong exclaimed, staring blankly at the demon. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“So, you still don’t understand your destiny.” The demon’s triangular eyes appraised Ji Changkong maliciously. Then, spotting the Dragon Radiance Longblade hovering in the sky, it suddenly reached out and tore at the air behind it.
Behind the great peak, an invisible curtain seemed to be ripped apart!
Above the peak, a vast, shimmering vortex materialized. Within it, meteors collided, and strange rays of light shot out erratically. This was a region of spatial turbulence, another realm.
At the center of this turbulent zone was a massive tunnel, wide open, where water patterns rippled. The aura of the Four Sacred Beasts faintly emanated from within. Deep in the tunnel, there seemed to be an incredibly strong, transparent barrier.
Beyond this transparent barrier lay murky, black water. Deeper still in the tunnel, pieces of pitch-black stone gleamed faintly. A colossal creature occasionally revealed itself in the dark waters of the passage.
Ji Changkong felt as if he’d been struck violently, his eyes wide with indescribable horror. He pointed towards the black water at the tunnel’s depth. “This—this is? What is this?”
“The Poison Dragon Mire!” the python-headed demon enunciated slowly.
Indeed!
It was truly the Poison Dragon Mire!
The aura of the Four Sacred Beasts lingered in the tunnel, and the stones submerged in the black water deep within were the Black Jade Essence Crystals he knew best!
The colossal creature that periodically appeared was none other than the Heavenly Winged Dragon, which should have been imprisoned beneath the ground of the Ouroboros Divine Cult in the Western Regions!
Heavens! What was happening? Ji Changkong was utterly bewildered.
“You were supposed, originally, to enter from here!” the python-headed demon gestured towards the spatial turbulence vortex hanging above the demon-shrouded peak, pointing to the tunnel glimpsed beneath the Poison Dragon Mire. “You are the new Xuanyuan. You should have emerged from this tunnel. Your mission is to kill every living thing on our continent. That is the mission of every generation of Xuanyuan!”
“Just as I should have opened this tunnel, leading all the creatures of this continent into your Five Elements Continent. That is your and my destiny!”
The python-headed demon continued in its piercingly sharp voice, looking at Ji Changkong, “It seems… you are a bit early. You have not yet reached the realm of the Nine Palaces Heaven. It looks like the Ancestral Demon finally has a chance to see the light of day again!”
“What in the absolute hell is going on?” Ji Changkong couldn’t help but curse.
“This is the battle between the Ancestral Demon and the Four Sacred Beasts! You and I represent their opposing sides! I achieved my current power by relying on the Ancestral Demon’s demonic energy, while you, too, relied on the essence blood of the Four Sacred Beasts and the energy of heaven and earth to become a Nine Palaces Celestial Master. The Ancestral Demon is imprisoned here by the Four Sacred Beasts, and the Four Sacred Beasts are likewise severely injured and dormant on the Five Elements Continent, relying only on people like you and me to continue the struggle.”
“The Ancestral Demon nourished us with demonic energy. Our mission is to storm the Five Elements Continent, utterly destroy it, and release the Ancestral Demon from here. Your mission is to prevent all this from happening, to slay every living thing on our continent, leaving us no chance whatsoever!”
“Six hundred years. The Ancestral Demon has waited another six hundred years, cultivating me, cultivating us, so that we may enter your continent, slaughter your kind of life, and annihilate the dormant bodies of the Four Sacred Beasts. Only then can the Ancestral Demon break free!”
The python-headed demon suddenly let out a piercing, shrill roar. The sound was excruciatingly sharp, and all the surrounding fiends converged upon the spot, as if intending to tear Ji Changkong to shreds.