A black, unadorned sword lay across the chest of the youth with gray-white pupils.
Specks of cold starlight fell, carrying the aura of a demon god.
Domain Lord Qiongqi fell silent. This human had not lied. He had indeed opened the coffin, and had made the demon god's body into a weapon, bringing it to willing submission.
"How did you manage that!"
Qiongqi withdrew his claws. He now suspected if this human before him was a descendant of Fuxi, otherwise, how could he be so heaven-defying?
"That's not something you need to know, but I can answer your second question."
Seeing that the other party no longer attempted to expel him, or kill him, the gray-white eyed youth smiled slightly.
"My intention is simple: to stop those people from opening that palace."
"I don't know if you're aware, but the sealed soul of a demon god can seep out."
Domain Lord Qiongqi nodded, his voice booming:
"Of course. One of our tribe's tasks stationed here is to kill the souls that seep out. Every three to five years, he has to die once."
"But it seems you've failed," the gray-white eyed youth shook his head, sheathing the demon sword and pointing to the dark palace not far away. "After the demon god's soul seeped out, it was not only not killed by you, but it also possessed the bodies of our human cultivators."
"It spread rumors among humans, which is why so many people have come here tonight."
"What!"
Domain Lord Qiongqi was shocked. The demon god's soul had actually escaped right under his nose?
"Absolutely impossible."
After careful consideration, Domain Lord Qiongqi shook his head.
He had absolutely not missed any details, whether it was line of sight or spatial laws. There was no room for the demon god's soul to escape.
"It's certainly possible."
The gray-white eyed youth's expression was serious.
"You may not have heard of Sacred Relics. They are the most mysterious and enticing things in the world today."
"Among the Sacred Relics, there is one called the Heavenly Book, which records all the profound methods in the world. Three thousand and three thousand great daos, there is always one that surpasses your imagination."
...
After a while, the adult Qiongqi's eyes flickered. He had already believed Xu Mu's words.
After all, the surprises this human had brought him were too numerous.
"So you wish to form an alliance with us now, to jointly resist humanity?"
"Of course not."
Xu Mu shook his head.
"The mist you brought has caused the laws of heaven and earth to change again. With my own strength, or the abilities of those human powerhouses, perhaps we cannot kill the demon god's soul."
"Human greed is endless. Unless the demon god's secret is made public, those people will not give up. However, doing so would invite greater disaster. Some evil forces will do everything they can to revive the demon god!"
"Precisely why this matter must be kept secret," Qiongqi said, looking at the dark palace through the mist with a grave expression.
Should he speak or not, those humans would definitely not give up. What should be done now?
The gray-white eyed youth was also unsure of how to resolve the situation for the moment.
He crossed his arms, listening carefully to the surrounding sounds.
It seemed that everywhere had already turned into a battlefield. Countless great demons were fighting against human powerhouses, their abilities clashing incessantly, and space trembling.
"Never mind anything else, the first thing to deal with is the demon god's soul."
"It has parasitized the body of a young general named Ji Chang. He was trying to break the seal just now. Time is of the essence, you need to act quickly!"
"You're telling me this now!"
Domain Lord Qiongqi was shocked, then roared, using the divine beast race's unique talent skill to transmit his voice:
"Urgent situation! Urgent situation!"
"The demon god's soul has seeped out and is residing in the body of a human young general named Ji Chang. He is hatching a conspiracy. Eliminate him immediately!"
...
Rumble!
Qiongqi's roar spread through the core area of West Mountain, and all the descendants of ancient divine beasts and great demons guarding this place were simultaneously shocked.
The demon god's soul was actually trying to break the seal now?
The gray-white eyed youth listened to this beastly roar. Although he didn't understand the meaning, he could vaguely guess.
"I have to go. The laws of this mist are actually very simple. All it takes is to combine a drop of Qiongqi's true blood with spatial laws to break through!"
Xu Mu watched the other party's retreating figure and, upon hearing this, he was surprised as he drew his hunting knife with his fingertips. He had just cut through the other party's foot earlier.
"True blood, spatial laws..."
The gray-white eyed youth closed his eyes slightly. His soul traversed the Great Dao, as if heaven and earth had been inverted, falling into a profound and mysterious state.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps just a second, he opened his eyes again.
The mist then dissipated, as clear as a normal night, the world transparent.
"So simple?"
The youth scratched his head and then quickly searched for Ji Chang's figure.
"Where did he hide? I must find him."
"Do you want to come with me?" he turned and asked.
The young Qiongqi, seeing that Xu Mu had learned their innate skill in an instant, was filled with even more fear.
"Perhaps not," Qiongqi said with a frightened voice. "Brother Hero, I have something else to attend to, so I'll be leaving!"
With that, he used his innate divine ability and drilled into space, attempting to escape.
Looking at the spatial turbulence before him, the gray-white eyed youth shook his head, and then he also tore open a space and dived in.
He followed the trajectory left by Qiongqi in space, and then extended his right hand.
And so, that slender palm touched the stiff fur.
The young Qiongqi stood by a pool of water, fearfully turning his head to meet the gaze of those gray-white eyes.
"Brother... Brother Hero, is there anything?"
"Nothing," Xu Mu's body smiled slightly. "I'm just short of a mount."
"From now on, there will be as much dried meat as you want. If you follow me, how about it?"
...
...
Above the majestic and vast dark palace, stood a young general.
The fierce wind blew his battle armor, and thick darkness enveloped his body. Even the terrifying abilities that occasionally splashed up from below struck him, yet the young general remained unmoved.
It wasn't because he wasn't afraid of pain, but because this was simply not his body.
"My lord, the demonic beasts below have retreated for some unknown reason."
From the mist, a phantom resembling an old man slowly floated up. It was Vilitan.
Just moments before, the guarding divine beasts below had rushed to the front of the palace and engaged in battle with those terrifying Domain Lords. But after a beastly roar, they had all disappeared, scattering in all directions as if searching for something.
"It doesn't matter, it's just giving them some time to break the formation."
Ji Chang's voice was sinister. As he spoke, a faint aura of wickedness flickered in the corners of his eyes, clearly indicating that the one controlling this body was no longer the overbearing and unparalleled young general.
It was the demon god's soul.
"I tried it your way just now, and that first layer of the formation set by that Fuxi brat is indeed不堪一击 (invulnerable, literally 'cannot withstand a single blow')," the demon god, controlling Ji Chang's body, looked at the long halberd in his hand with emotion.
That sealing formation had been running continuously for tens of epochs. Although there was a considerable period in between when the world was desolate, many peerless powerhouses had attempted to break it, but all failed.
And now, he could control a body as weak as an ant and, with a single halberd strike, create a crack in the formation, all thanks to his newly recruited subordinate.
"There are actually seven such miraculous things in the world."
"When I am revived, I will collect all seven. Even if Fuxi were to be resurrected, he would likely not be my match."
The demon god laughed wildly, as if he could already see the day he would once again rule the world.
"My lord, that..."
At this moment, Vilitan's voice pulled the demon god back from his fantasy.
"The people below seem to be calling for you."
...
Three minutes ago, below the dark palace, countless great demons retreated like a tide.
"What's going on?"
The Burning Fire Dharma form pierced through the heavens and earth, his eyes radiating golden light, like a deity.
Three seconds ago, he was still in an intense battle with an unknown great demon. The opponent was no weaker than him, but why would they retreat even if it meant taking a palm strike from him?
"Don't know, they all ran."
The battlefield was spread out, and everyone was fighting separately. All the Domain Lords transmitted messages, stating that the great demons they were fighting had all retreated.
"Don't know what they're up to. Let's use this opportunity to break the door quickly!"
Burning Fire gritted his teeth, his Dharma form formed a hand seal, and slammed it down on the door.
But this time, no one joined him.
"You still want to try?"
Yun Miaomiao's face was pale, blood at the corner of her mouth. She had just been besieged by two peak Domain Lords. They had spewed fire and petrified her. Their abilities were terrifying, and she was already severely injured!
"I think we should just give up. This place is too dangerous, let's retreat for now."
Her words caused everyone to fall silent.
No one wanted to retreat. An opportunity was right before them. They had paid a heavy price, so why should they retreat in disgrace at this point?
But reality was too cruel. The defensive formation they had desperately attacked had only developed a few dozen shallow cracks, like white marks instantly ground onto hard steel. This formation showed no sign of collapsing.
—In fact, if it weren't for Ji Chang's single strike, they wouldn't have even left a scratch.
At this pace, even another year wouldn't be enough for them to enter this palace.
So, should they give up?
Burning Fire's face was filled with unwillingness, then he suddenly remembered something and shouted loudly:
"Where is Ji Chang!"
"Where is Ji Chang!"
Rumble...
Several shouts echoed through space. The Domain Lord powerhouses before the palace instantly understood Burning Fire's intention.
The results they had painstakingly achieved in breaking the formation were actually less significant than Ji Chang's initial halberd strike. After all, before that, the formation had been intact, and he had created cracks with just one strike.
That former peerless prodigy must know some secrets they didn't.
If he were willing to help break the formation, there would still be a chance to obtain the Sacred Relics tonight!
"Starting from the point of the first halberd strike, fifteen meters to the southeast, three meters to the northwest."
Speaking of Ji Chang, Ji Chang arrived.
The young general holding the long halberd emerged from the mist, his expression blank, yet he exuded an inexplicable pressure.
He casually pointed at the gate of the dark palace, indicating the weak points of the formation. It was all written in the Heavenly Book.
"Here, here, here, and these places. Arrange people to strike simultaneously."
"One blow, and it will be broken."
...