The black and yellow mist gradually turned fiery red.
Before Charles's fingertips, a colossal Qiongqi stood, shaped like a tiger, its body flowing with lava-like flames. It also possessed a pair of enormous wings on its back.
"It's him!"
From behind the adult Qiongqi, a childish voice emerged. It was the juvenile Qiongqi that Xu Mu had beaten with the flat of his sword, nearly rupturing its anulus. It had actually returned to summon reinforcements!
"Mom, it was this human who beat me up so badly, my backside is split open!"
The juvenile Qiongqi's eyes were filled with tears as it complained aggrievedly.
"This, this, this..." Looking at the great demon before him, Charles felt as if he was being scorched and retreated, somewhat flustered, back into Xu Mu's body.
"A top-tier Domain Lord of the fifth stage, an ancient divine beast. Why aren't you running, what are you waiting for!"
Charles yelled. Hui Bai Tong hadn't even remade his body yet, and he didn't want to die like this, turning to dust.
"Hateful human, trespassing in forbidden territory and daring to bully my son!"
The large female Qiongqi roared and took a step forward, causing the entire space to tremble.
Flames splashed down from its body, melting the pervasive mist. Within it, it seemed, were the vengeful souls of abominations, which were incinerated and died completely, wailing as they turned into white steam.
"Such powerful fire!" Hui Bai Tong's solemn expression held a hint of excitement. He had already been unable to resist facing the descendant of Medusa, and now with the Qiongqi before him, if not now, then when?
"Come!"
Hui Bai Tong roared, his golden core surging with energy. Flames also appeared on his body, then climbed onto the hunting knife.
He was incredibly fast, his body instantly flying into mid-air, intending to confront the Qiongqi head-on!
"Madness, utter madness!"
Xu Mu's eyes in the celestial palace were filled with terror, and Charles let out a scream.
This was a fifth-stage Qiongqi, naturally endowed with spatial dao arts. Running might not even guarantee escape, yet this guy was charging forward!
Who did he think he was, Superman from the DC universe of Earth, all-powerful?
The hunting knife materialized a colossal fiery silhouette in the air, mottled and entwined with countless blazing phoenix phantoms. The Qiongqi's massive paw descended like a meteorite, and even the blazing silhouettes couldn't stop it for a single second.
Boom!
The hunting knife collided with the Qiongqi, and two different fires clashed. In an instant, Xu Mu's body was engulfed by the flames.
"Damn it!"
At that moment, Hui Bai Tong's face turned pale.
He had used all his strength, yet he still couldn't withstand the force of that single claw.
Therefore, he was going to be pushed down.
Thump!
As expected, the Qiongqi roared, exerting all its might to fiercely slam down on the knife. Like a mountain collapsing, Xu Mu's body, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, fell uncontrollably. Then, the exploding flames, like cannonballs, embedded themselves into the ground, creating a colossal pit of unknown depth.
"We're doomed, we're doomed! Why did you have to show off!"
Xu Mu's face in the celestial palace was pale. He had long anticipated this outcome.
Although he often spoke of dying, he didn't actually want to die. He hadn't truly avenged Wu Kui yet!
"Mom, was that a bit too harsh?"
Looking at the massive pit in the ground, the juvenile Qiongqi curiously leaned forward, sniffing the air, and then felt a bit guilty.
Although Xu Mu had struck its backside with his sword, the other party hadn't intended to kill, and it had been the one to steal and eat first.
"Dead is dead, just a human."
The Domain Lord Qiongqi casually licked its paw.
It could sense the sweetness on its tongue and the burning pain on its claw, and thus felt a surge of surprise.
A fourth-stage human, with a mere broken knife, had managed to cut its claw?
The fifth-stage human from a few days ago hadn't even managed to injure him, for he was a descendant of a divine beast, possessing the bloodline of an ancient Qiongqi, with a powerful physical body.
"Humans, as expected, are a race capable of creating miracles."
The adult Qiongqi mused inwardly.
He suddenly recalled the stories passed down through his clan since ancient times, the Era of Gods and Demons.
That war had no victor; gods and demons alike perished, and it was personally ended by Emperor Fuxi.
"This young man must also be one of the most exceptional among humans."
"But unfortunately, he has touched upon the forbidden."
The adult Qiongqi thought to himself, assuming Xu Mu was dead.
However, before this thought could fully form, a human voice echoed from the scene.
"As expected of an ancient divine beast, you are stronger than any Domain Lord I have ever encountered."
From the narrow, deep pit, a hoarse yet calm human voice emerged. Then, a hand covered in blood and dirt abruptly gripped the edge of the ground.
The juvenile Qiongqi's fur stood on end, and it recoiled, baring its teeth as it stared at the pit.
With its bones showing, the person's palm exerted a slight force, and they easily leaped out from the ground.
His upper body, clad in cloth, had long since been reduced to shreds by the flames, revealing a powerfully muscled physique beneath.
A layer of dark golden Dao origin flowed across his body.
This person was, of course, Xu Mu.
The two Qiongqi, one large and one small, simultaneously narrowed their eyes upon seeing him.
"You're not dead?"
The Domain Lord Qiongqi, whose pupils could rival the sun when hung in the sky, asked with slight consternation.
He hadn't expected this human to be able to withstand his claw.
Although blood dripped from his lips, the person's body seemed largely unharmed. But how was this possible? He was a divine beast!
The flow of flames on the Domain Lord Qiongqi's body seemed to freeze. He doubted his own eyes.
His physical body was countless times more robust than a human's. In such a fierce collision, even its claw had been nicked, so how could a human be unharmed?
"We are even now, so please do not strike again."
Seeing the Domain Lord Qiongqi's eyes ablaze, seemingly preparing to make another move, Hui Bai Tong, unwilling to endure a second round, quickly spoke.
After that blow, he had a rough understanding of the Domain Lord's strength and had no intention of fighting further, as even with his full effort, victory was impossible.
The urgent matter at hand was to find the soul of the demon god controlling Ji Chang, kill it, and then stop those people from opening the palace!
However, the Qiongqi showed no mercy. In its eyes, these humans were all greedy villains.
"Those who trespass in forbidden territory, get out of Xishan!"
The adult Qiongqi roared, shaking heaven and earth, and countless vengeful souls in the vicinity turned to ash.
Xu Mu sealed his five senses with his divine soul power. He stood silently in place until the world regained its quiet, then he spoke:
"I am not begging you to spare my life, but to discuss an important matter."
"I know that the palace seals the soul of a demon god, so it must not be opened."
"Therefore, perhaps we can cooperate."
Xu Mu spoke his intentions with a face full of sincerity. He wanted to cooperate with the other party so that he could move freely without restrictions.
"Demon god?" Upon hearing these two words, the adult Qiongqi froze. Immediately, two colossal fire dragons erupted from its eyes, engulfing the entire space as if it had fallen into a molten inferno.
Rumble!
Xu Mu's right hand carved an opening in the air, and his body suddenly appeared twenty meters away.
Even so, he was still affected. Burning hot fire elements crawled onto his body, canceling each other out with the Dao origin.
"You even taught him this? You unfilial wretch!"
The Domain Lord Qiongqi shrieked, seemingly about to set the sky ablaze.
"Don't you know that leaking the secret of the demon god is punishable by death!"
The adult Qiongqi turned its head and roared at its juvenile offspring.
Regarding the demon god, only their race of guardian divine beasts knew about it, and it was strictly forbidden to tell outsiders, with violators to be executed without exception. This was a rule set by Emperor Fuxi, passed down from generation to generation for countless years!
The juvenile Qiongqi was so frightened it began to cry. It wanted to retreat but was firmly locked in place by the oppressive aura.
So it shook its head frantically:
"I didn't... I didn't tell him!"
"Then how did he know about the demon god, and why can he use spatial dao arts here?!"
The Domain Lord Qiongqi bared its fangs, its maw slightly open, as if ready to swallow its own child at any moment, its heart filled with immense pain.
Their divine beast race found it incredibly difficult to procreate and continue its lineage. The entire clan now had only this little one, yet he had violated the prohibition.
"It really has nothing to do with me!"
The juvenile Qiongqi trembled non-stop, then quickly shouted:
"Good... good sir, please speak up for me!"
"You ask me so many things about that dark palace, have I told you anything!"
Hui Bai Tong raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction, but it did make sense. Otherwise, why would the world have never heard the name of the demon god after so many years?
"It truly has nothing to do with him."
Xu Mu drew the demonic sword, then tapped it lightly. The simple seal on it was removed, and an aura of extreme cold-blooded violence immediately spread through the space.
It was the pressure of the Demon God's Horn.
"The coffin was opened by me because there was no guard. I knew about it myself."
Hearing this, the Domain Lord Qiongqi quickly turned its head. It stared at the sword in Xu Mu's hand, its eyes suddenly narrowing.
Dark, cold, bloodthirsty, violent, greedy, sinful... The aura emanating from it was indeed that of a demon god!
"There was no guard because it didn't need one."
Glaring fiercely at the young Qiongqi, the Domain Lord Qiongqi turned around and took a step forward, directly appearing before Xu Mu. Its colossal paw hovered over his head.
"Within that underground palace, there are murals of ancient gods that automatically attack anyone attempting to break the seal. Moreover, those chains were personally arranged by Emperor Fuxi. With your strength, how could you possibly open them?"
The Qiongqi's paw slowly pressed down, its expression carrying the arrogance of a divine beast:
"Speak quickly, who helped you, and what is the purpose of rescuing the demon god!"
Xu Mu shook his head, seemingly oblivious to the impending death. He looked up, meeting the Qiongqi's gaze with a calm expression:
"Rescue him? Why would I rescue him?"
Hui Bai Tong held the unsheathed sword, formed from the Demon God's Horn, horizontally across his chest.
He joined his index and middle fingers, and from the tip to the hilt, he meticulously brushed away the dust, revealing the sword's original dark luster.
"Can't you see? This is no longer a demon god."
"He is now my weapon."