Qian Jin himself felt as if the stars in the sky were clasped in his hand, and the lightning within the pale clouds was under his command! The wind and cloud Dou Qi swirled together, birthing an unprecedented transformation!

The wind moves, the clouds rise, and lightning is born!

These were the words the Master of the Four Seasons Valley once spoke, meaning utterly lost on Qian Jin until this very moment, when understanding finally dawned! When the clouds in the sky gathered to a sufficient thickness, a gust of wind would summon wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning! This was the true Wind and Cloud Dou Qi!

Under the pressure of the Rank Ten Dou Soul, Qian Jin unleashed the pinnacle strike of his career!

In that instant, an indescribable sense of heroic grandeur surged within Qian Jin. The dense spirit of the Iron Arm Mantis seemed to descend completely upon him. The surrounding demons instinctively recoiled, as if hesitating meant being utterly submerged by the sheer momentum of his advance.

In a flash of insight, the colossal Dou Soul uncoiled like an octopus, wrapping around Qian Jin’s Chao Xu Soul as his own hands swept out from beneath his ribs, unleashing a storm of palm shadows that coalesced into a massive funnel roaring toward Qian Jin.

"Swallow the World!"

Shansiming's hands spread wide, seemingly intending to devour Qian Jin’s star-carrying punch whole. Everywhere the attack passed, the splitting air was utterly absorbed into the vortex.

"You cannot swallow it!" Qian Jin’s momentum reached its absolute zenith, confidence brimming as his fist slammed down from the heavens. The net of fists woven by Shansiming’s hands exploded and scattered amidst a chain of deafening roars, and his head suddenly found itself directly beneath Qian Jin's descending blow.

Almost simultaneously, the Chao Xu Soul Qian Jin had mustered shattered completely upon impact. Shansiming’s Rank Ten Dou Soul pressed down with crushing force, and three immense plumes of flame erupted from within Qian Jin’s body!

These three flames writhed rapidly in the air. The red, white, and black flames coiled and instantly formed a new Chao Xu Soul! A Chao Xu Soul akin to a newly reborn Demon King! It lunged again toward Shansiming’s Dou Soul, which was already spent from the clash.

Boom! Shansiming’s Rank Ten Dou Soul was completely blocked by Qian Jin’s other Chao Xu Soul. The black flame swiftly pierced into the Rank Ten Dou Soul, and the soul's arm began to change color, looking as though the demon had been poisoned.

The other arm rapidly developed a layer of white frost. Before the third arm could descend, Qian Jin’s Chao Xu Soul opened its mouth and spat out a jet of searing flame, instantly incinerating the opposing limb.

Crack! With the Dou Soul wounded, Shansiming’s physical body also lagged by half a beat. Qian Jin’s fist smashed directly into his head, the ferocious power piercing through his body and into the earth, causing the ground to explode into a significant crater.

Clang, clang, clang...

A metallic, serpent-like inscription fell to the ground, emitting a crisp chime. Shansiming’s body burst apart completely, and even the scattered bones revealed faint, carved glyphs.

Capture alive? Qian Jin gasped, taking deep breaths. That was impossible for him! Moreover, the moment Shansiming saw his ring, a flicker of intent to betray and report the information flashed in his pupils; how could Qian Jin allow him to live?

Qian Jin was certain that Shansiming, capable of orchestrating such a massive engineering feat, possessed considerable ability, especially concerning that serpentine inscription, which was known as the Lesser Wisdom Sigil. If one set aside certain biological constraints and applied this sigil, learning ability would increase astonishingly, even expanding the user’s capacity for thought.

Qian Jin believed Shansiming had understood everything the instant he saw the ring. Since capturing him alive meant he wouldn't reveal anything about the Undead, it was best to eliminate him immediately and prevent his secrets from leaking.

"Your Highness." Qian Jin retracted his Dou Qi and kicked the Lesser Wisdom Sigil into the air: "Look what I have here."

Lucifer Seirig snatched the sigil tossed by Qian Jin and examined it closely, a look of profound astonishment spreading across his face: "This is...?"

"This is a control formation, to put it plainly," Qian Jin stated, picking up Shansiming’s remains and scrutinizing them. "When this sigil is installed on a demon's body, they will obey the installer's commands perfectly. Simultaneously, they appear to retain their independent demon nature, but in truth, they become a puppet."

Seirig stared blankly at Qian Jin. If that were the case, he might have inadvertently appointed a subordinate harboring malicious intent as his supervisor.

"Just now, he could even mobilize the power of a coffin," Qian Jin sneered. "While doing so might prevent his Dou Soul from truly reaching the pinnacle power of Rank Ten, it was still formidable. What if he could command the power of more than just one coffin?"

A cold sweat broke out on Seirig’s forehead. He knew absolutely nothing of this technique employed by Shansiming. If Shansiming had no ulterior motives, he should have told him everything, yet he remained stubbornly silent.

"If you feel I was wrong to kill your chief runemaster," Qian Jin shrugged, "you are free to punish me."

Seirig looked at Qian Jin in silence, the emotions flickering rapidly in his eyes, various deductions and thoughts racing through his mind. Who is trying to harm me? How can I conceal the news of Shansiming’s death...?

"Dead! Shansiming is dead?"

Lucifer Zenshi stared at the shattered effigy before him, his eyes filled with shock and rage: "How could he be dead? Why precisely now? Lucifer Zhifeng betrayed me! Now my most important pawn placed near Seirig is gone?"

A gray script slowly materialized on Lucifer Zenshi’s forehead, a pattern infinitely more complex than Shansiming’s, shimmering with an aura of necromancy. His Fallen Angel Bloodline Battle Form activated unconsciously. The Dou Soul rising behind him was no longer elegant and handsome as before.

The colossal Dou Soul was the gray of death, and even its black wings had turned ash-colored. The proud black hair of the Lucifer clan turned gray upon his head at that moment.

"Now, how will my plan proceed?" Lucifer Zenshi smashed the desk beside him with a fist. "I infiltrated the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea and obtained a mysterious and magnificent power! I also received mysterious and magnificent instructions regarding the mysterious coffin clusters—that power should be mine! It must be mine! Who exactly killed my pawn?"

"Jiliu Feijing," Lucifer Seirig’s expression quickly regained its usual composure. "First, I must thank you. This Shansiming clearly possessed some extraordinary secret, and he was likely not helping me. This confirms what you told me earlier: this magic circle has a massive flaw; if truly utilized, it might drain all my essence away."

"Secondly, I need your help." Lucifer Seirig’s expression turned utterly grave. "I need your assistance. If you fully support me, when I unite the Human, Demon, and Barbarian tribes, I will appoint you the Human Governor! All humans will be under your rule! You may pick any of the beautiful human women you desire!"

"I will help you complete the essence draining," Qian Jin said, gesturing to his surroundings. "Everything here belongs to me for ten years. I need to conduct research on it. As for the Human Governor? I have no interest."

Lucifer Seirig smiled. Just as expected! Although Jiliu Feijing's strength surpassed all imagination, he was, after all, a runemaster. Seeing everything here instantly captivated him, making him disregard even the position of Human Governor—this was truly a runemaster.

"I can agree to your terms," Lucifer Seirig shrugged indifferently. When he unified the three tribes, Jiliu Feijing would die. Such immense essence might truly allow him to reach the legendary state of immortality.

"Your Highness..." A demon appeared in the hall via a secret passage and whispered carefully into Lucifer Seirig's ear: "His Majesty wishes to meet Master Jiliu Feijing. He also mentioned that since the Prince and Princess have returned, you should begin preparations for the upcoming Imperial Contest."

"The Great Demon King wishes to see me?" Qian Jin was slightly surprised. He had heard the true ruler of the demons was secretly practicing, attempting to fully merge his two bloodline powers into one to achieve a breakthrough. How could he have time for him?

"Indeed," Lucifer Seirig smiled wryly at the wreckage around them. "The Great Demon King invites you to dine with him."

"Dinner together?" Qian Jin raised an eyebrow. "It's not even noon yet; it seems there is ample time."

"Yes! If the Master is interested in this area, you may familiarize yourself with it now. I will arrange for a demon to remind you of the time. Will that work for you?"

"No problem." Qian Jin looked at Lucifer Seirig, who had made the suggestion. "Why? You won't stay here?"

Lucifer Seirig smiled broadly. Jiliu Feijing was still a runemaster. If other demons had heard the summons of the Great Demon King, they would already be nervously preparing clothes and studying etiquette. Yet, this man still wished to research here. As long as this ruin was in hand, Seirig was confident he could wrest this asset away from Lucifer Liushui!

"Me? I must go arrange the matters for the Imperial Contest. This contest is highly valued in our Lucifer clan; the patriarchs of all major tribes will attend. The arrangements for this event have always been the duty of the successive Crown Princes."

Qian Jin gradually understood Lucifer Seirig's meaning. This Imperial Contest was not merely an affair of the Lucifer royal family; it was also a display for the other tribes—showing that the Lucifer clan’s retainers possessed considerable strength, a manifestation of overall power. Although this contest wouldn't feature the absolute top young talents like the New Demon King Tournament, it served as a measure of overall prowess.

"Is that so," Qian Jin nodded. "May I participate?"

Lucifer Seirig froze. This Jiliu Feijing was even more combative than rumored! He actually wished to participate in this Imperial Contest?