“This ancient demon is a bit different. Judging from its tone, it must have held a certain status back then. These ancient demons are actually not many in the demon realm anymore. Those who survived always know a lot of secrets. If I devour it, I can obtain its memories. Then I can provide you with a lot of useful secret knowledge.”
"Is that so? In that case, let's see what you can do." Lu Xuan said, releasing the Heavenly Demon directly. Lu Xuan had always felt something was off about this wisp of Heavenly Demon's remnant soul. It was definitely not an ordinary extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon. However, Lu Xuan's understanding of extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons was actually very limited. Therefore, he only restrained it but did not take any further action. This was the first time the Heavenly Demon had made a request. Lu Xuan also wanted to see what changes this guy would make.
Marquis Nanlong and the cultivator surnamed Lu only saw a humanoid ghostly figure suddenly emerge from Lu Xuan's shadow, enveloping the black mist in the air with lightning speed.
The black mist let out an angry scream, but it was utterly useless. The seemingly thin and powerless shadow was incredibly resilient. As the black mist struggled, the entire shadow writhed and danced in mid-air, even changing into various different shapes. Clearly, a fierce battle was unfolding between the two.
About an incense stick's time later, the dark shadow stopped writhing. Then it slowly shrank into Lu Xuan's shadow. The ancient demonic spirit that had been struggling earlier had completely disappeared. This surprised Lu Xuan somewhat.
When Lu Xuan subdued the Heavenly Demon, it was actually very weak, with a cultivation level of only around Golden Core to Nascent Soul. Even after being quietly nurtured in Lu Xuan's shadow for over a hundred years, it only reached the Nascent Soul stage. This was because Lu Xuan rarely fed it. However, the fact that it was able to devour the Ancient Demon's primordial spirit in such a short time still surprised Lu Xuan. He concluded that this remnant soul of the Ancient Demon might have a significant origin.
The Marquis of Nanlong and the cultivator surnamed Lu, who had been merely bystanders from beginning to end, felt like two clowns. They were toyed with by their opponent and then rescued by others. Their Dao hearts were completely damaged. Fortunately, Lu Xuan didn't intend to cause them any trouble. He simply buried the sealed land completely and then led everyone away from the pool.
However, as soon as they stepped out of the pool, they sensed an overwhelming demonic aura from another direction.
------------
Chapter 540 Encirclement and Suppression
The ancient demon was split. Its primordial spirit was sealed behind the Blood Curse Gate in the pool of water. Its physical body, however, was sealed in another part of the Fallen Demon Valley, the very place explored by the Ghost Spirit Gate.
However, access to that place was hidden within some kind of large-scale barrier. The members of the Ghost Spirit Sect somehow obtained a map and a key. Of course, this was only superficial. In reality, it was still a trap.
All these clues originate from a former high-ranking cultivator named Cangkun Shangren. It is said that he once ventured into the Fallen Demon Valley, gained great wealth, and successfully escaped, leaving behind a treasure map. Now it seems that, for some unknown reason, Cangkun Shangren made a pact with the ancient demons. All his maps and keys were traps used to lure human cultivators there.
However, the demonic energy that has been exposed is somewhat beyond Lu Xuan's imagination.
"Let's go, it looks like the show's already started. Let's go check it out."
.............
At this point, less than half of the Ghost Spirit Sect members remained. The Transformation Intent Sect and the Joyful Union Sect, who had originally cooperated with them, had also suffered heavy losses. No, it wasn't just a matter of heavy losses; in fact, the Joyful Union Old Demon was nowhere to be seen among the crowd.
Meanwhile, a thick, dark fog was leisurely chasing after the group. A tall figure could be vaguely seen within the fog. The fog would occasionally unfurl, sweeping away any human cultivators attempting to stray from the group and force them back into formation.
"This can't go on. It's keeping us under its control. Once it digests the old demon Hehuan's nascent soul, we'll have even less of a chance. If we all join forces, there's still a glimmer of hope."
The speaker was Wei Wuyai. As a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he was naturally a veteran of countless battles. Putting aside the catastrophic loss caused by the Ghost Spirit Sect, their only chance of survival now lay in uniting their efforts.
The demon behind them was simply too terrifying. They had made preparations. An unknown demon was sealed within the confines of the magical barrier, so they used an array to trap it.
But what was terrifying was that when the demon broke free, the array they had set up was torn apart instantly, like paper. The Hehuan Demon King, who was at the forefront of the attack, reacted swiftly, setting up six layers of defense in an instant. However, the defensive system composed of six different magical treasures and spells failed to prevent the demon's surprise attack.
All they saw was a jet-black claw that tore through all defenses and pierced the chest of the Hehuan Old Demon. Then it pulled out the opponent's nascent soul and swallowed it whole.
That scene caused all the cultivators, including Wei Wuyai, to lose all will to resist and turn to flee. The ancient demon followed leisurely, killing cultivators intermittently and devouring their Golden Core or Nascent Soul. In the blink of an eye, the Ghost Spirit Sect group was reduced to about half its original size. This included four Nascent Soul cultivators and a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators.
At this moment, everyone gathered together, with Wei Wuyai at the core, forming a defensive formation. They mobilized their magical power to block the encroachment of the black mist in the air.
"This is true demonic energy, this is the aura of a demon. Do not harbor any illusions. These things feed on human cultivators and will absolutely not let us go," Wei Wuyai shouted, realizing the danger. This forced the cultivators to fight with their lives on the line, and for a time they managed to hold off the ancient demon's pursuit.
This ancient demon was originally just the body of the ancient demon that Lu Xuan had killed before. However, over a long period of time, it developed an independent consciousness. This allowed it to successfully inherit the true demon body and obtain all its power. Because it possessed a physical body, and the original one at that, its combat strength was far greater than the ancient demon Lu Xuan had encountered. It had almost touched the edge of the Nascent Soul stage. However, the environment of the human realm still limited its power; otherwise, Wei Wuyai and his group would have been slaughtered long ago.
At this moment, Wei Wuyai was also filled with regret. He knew he shouldn't have run away; he should have attacked directly instead. Because now it seemed that the ancient demon wasn't as unstoppable as he had imagined. If he had taken the initiative then, he might already have suppressed his opponent.
In retrospect, the ancient demon's attack was merely a ploy to intimidate them. Their retreat allowed the demon to calmly absorb the Hehuan Old Demon's nascent soul. Now, they truly cannot withstand it.
Wei Wuyai unleashed his poisonous mist, refined over a thousand years, creating a stalemate with the black mist in the air. He also noticed that the ancient demon seemed unwilling to take direct action to subdue them, instead playing cat and mouse. This gave him hope. If they could create a commotion here and attract the attention of cultivators elsewhere, and by pooling the strength of all the human cultivators in the Fallen Demon Valley, they still had a fighting chance.
The ancient demon in mid-air seemed unconcerned about Wei Wuyai's thoughts. It continued to press down on them at its own unhurried pace. It was well aware of its problem, so it acted cautiously, trying not to waste its true demonic energy.
At this moment, its only worry was in another direction. The primordial soul, which was connected to its body and mind, had just vanished.
Although the ancient demons were arrogant and domineering, they never truly underestimated humans. This was because they themselves had been defeated and sealed away by humans. Therefore, the moment they sensed the disappearance of the primordial spirit, the ancient demons decided to finish the battle quickly.
Wei Wuyai and the others felt that the defensive system they had just been barely holding on had suddenly become precarious. The demonic flames in the sky intensified, seemingly growing impatient and ready to wipe them all out.
At this moment, Wei Wuyai's expression changed slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he called out.
"Everyone, concentrate your strength and open the barrier. Then retreat to a distance of 100 miles." Although the crowd didn't understand what this meant, it was understandable that they would follow the orders of a powerful cultivator under these circumstances.
At this moment, the ancient demon's expression also changed slightly. He sensed an aura that made him extremely uncomfortable—the aura of the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder. Suddenly, thirty-six Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords, crafted from Golden Thunder Bamboo, flew overhead.
He quickly set up an array around the ancient demon. The ancient demon hesitated for a moment. He had two choices: ignore the strange sword array and continue chasing the group of human cultivators; or turn around and prevent the sword array from taking shape, giving the human cultivators a chance to catch their breath.
A thought flashed through his mind. The ancient demon still decided to stop this strange sword formation. This physical body had been through countless battles and instinctively sensed the hidden danger emanating from the sword formation.
Meanwhile, Wei Wuyai and the others finally escaped the black mist's reach. They stood a hundred miles away, gazing at the ancient demon in the distance with astonishment and uncertainty. At that moment, a familiar voice rang in Wei Wuyai's ears.
"Do not approach within a hundred miles of the ancient demon. Everyone should use spells or magical artifacts to attack from a distance. Since it resides in the human realm, as long as it is prevented from consuming the nascent souls of human cultivators, it will be unable to recover its true demonic energy."
------------
Chapter 541 Taking it personally
Lu Xuan's words echoed throughout the entire Fallen Demon Valley, reaching a radius of a thousand miles. At least a thousand cultivators in the surrounding area heard them. Incidentally, after everyone from the Ghost Spirit Sect had entered, the blockade at the entrance was lifted. Therefore, subsequently, a large number of independent cultivators and cultivators from small sects entered Fallen Demon Valley.
A large number of cultivators, drawn by the battle, approached the battlefield. Lu Xuan and his group also arrived at the edge of the battlefield, and took the opportunity to remind Wei Wuyai.
"This is an ancient demon that has been sealed away. Their power comes from the true demonic energy. However, the true demonic energy cannot be replenished in the mortal realm. Therefore, it must rely on devouring the nascent souls of human cultivators and then assimilating them with the true demonic energy within their bodies. Only in this way can it recover from its depletion."
Therefore, it dared not recklessly use ranged spells in battle, as that would deplete its power without timely replenishment. Instead, everyone used ranged attacks to continuously weaken its true demonic energy. Only after its power was exhausted could they attempt to kill or capture it.
In just a few words, Lu Xuan completely exposed the Ancient Demon's weakness. This caused the Ancient Demon's face to darken in the encirclement.
Although he wasn't afraid of the cultivators around him—even if they knew his weakness, they were nothing more than slightly larger ants—the human cultivator who had spoken, and the young man beside him, gave him a different feeling. Especially the sword formation that had almost trapped him earlier, which instilled in him a deep sense of dread.