C1754 The Provocation of the Demon Palace
The night sky was pitch black.
Crack!
A Space Light Blade, bright enough to illuminate the entire Quietus Continent, cleaved into the Demon Palace, etching dense cracks into the revered structure.
A tremendous surge of Demonic Power, accompanied by deep purple flames, burst forth, engulfing the Demon Palace in its ominous embrace.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swash!
Seven more Space Light Blades, each more dazzling than the last, emerged from various rifts in the void, striking the Demon Palace in succession.
The Demon Palace, now shrouded in purple flames, trembled violently, instilling fear and unease in all beings across the land.
Purple feathers, each imbued with myriad bloodline laws, fluttered from the Demon Palace, acting like enormous fans to extinguish the Space Light Blades one by one.
Subsequently, the mysterious spatial rifts healed rapidly.
No further Space Light Blades materialized from the fissures, and no one launched another assault on the Demon Palace.
This seemed to be a trial, a warning, or perhaps even a challenge!
But who would dare to provoke the Demon Palace?
Around the palace, the ground came alive with vivid images of phoenixes, sacred elephants, and celestial serpents, as thick Demonic Blood flowed.
The Python Queen, Xu Zixi, along with Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, and other younger members who had cultivated the Demon Spell in their human forms, had not joined the pure Demon Race in the Dim Starfield. They were now assembled at the Demon Palace.
Their gazes were profound, struggling to come to terms with the attack on the Demon Palace, hardly believing the scene before them.
"Who could it be?"
Xu Zixi's soul spread out in search of answers, but she detected nothing.
Observers from the Babel Chamber of Commerce, the Red Devil Sect, the nearby Devil Palace, and various other sects and powers on the Quietus Continent all shared Xu Zixi's bewilderment as they gazed upon the Demon Palace.
Who could it be?
Who in the world would so boldly challenge the Demon Palace, daring to strike at the very heart of the Demon God's domain?
Moreover, to do so with such a resplendent and fierce Space Edge!
The Void Spirit Succubus met her end in the Gray Domain, Rovi perished deep within the earth's core, and Youyu, along with Zhong Chichen, fell in battle. The Origin Realm God was driven back into the abyss by the Great Demon God, Beilstein.
In the Eon Realm, who else could wield such a fearsome Space Edge?
Mastering spatial power to such a degree, who else could be so well-versed in the Vast Ocean and despise the Supreme Demon Phoenix?
One name emerged in everyone's thoughts.
——The Space-time Dragon, Zhong Chichen!
The Nagas bore a deep-seated hatred for the Demon Phoenix, a grudge dating back to ancient times. They loathed her for conspiring with the Divine Soul Sect, Ghost Wizard Sect, and Earth Demon to upend the Naga's dominion.
Zhong Chichen's ability to even expunge the Origin Realm Gate was a testament to his profound understanding of the Vast Ocean's laws and his unique status as the ultimate master in the cosmos.
"There's no mistake. It has to be Zhong Chichen!"
"Are the Nagas finally taking action against the Demon Phoenix?"
"It makes perfect sense! After all, Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie have been intent on avenging themselves upon the Demon Phoenix from the outset! In today's world, only Zhong Chichen is capable of ripping through the spatial fabric and unleashing such a dreadful Space Light Blade at the Demon Palace!"
Countless individuals were convinced that the assailant was none other than the Space-time Dragon, Zhong Chichen.
...
Within the Profound Sky Sect.
In a floating palace, Cao Jiaze, whose realm had plummeted from the Unrestrained Stage to that of the Yang God, suddenly clutched his head and let out a heart-wrenching howl.
As he screamed, blood seeped from his eyes, ears, and nose, painting a picture of utter despair.
Before long, he could no longer remain seated, contorting and writhing on the frigid stone floor.
A gruesome gash had split open his forehead as if an overpowering will had pierced through, plunging deep into his soul.
His primary soul had already retreated into his Yang God, dispersing into the nine Heaven Palace Seals.
A chilling presence had taken over his sea of consciousness, overwhelming his Yin God and relentlessly searching for his main soul's whereabouts.
"Little Ze!"
Lin Yu rushed in, seeing Cao Jiaze on the ground in agony. He quickly pushed a pellet into his mouth, commanding, "Place it on your forehead!"
"A poison, a poison pill?" Cao Jiaze shuddered.
Sizzling sounds filled the air as the pellet, akin to a copper ball, crackled with vivid scarlet lightning – the signature Blazing Soul Electricity of the Thunder Sect!
"It's working!" Lin Yu exclaimed urgently.
As the throbbing pain assaulted his mind, Cao Jiaze wasted no time in pressing the copper-colored pellet-like pill to his forehead.
With a sizzle, beams of "Blazing Soul Electric Current" erupted from the pellet, darting towards his sea of consciousness. They skillfully dodged his Yin God, systematically eliminating the invasive, chilling soul thoughts.
Curiously, the "Blazing Soul Electric Current" from the pellet caused him no harm, as if it recognized his soul's unique aura.
Eventually, Cao Jiaze's excruciating headache subsided. His Yin God, once shrouded in sinister chill, was now free to bask in the metaphorical sunlight once more.
His main soul, previously dispersed and concealed within the nine Heaven Palace Seals, reconvened in his sea of consciousness.
With a pallid complexion, Cao Jiaze looked at Lin Yu, who wore a look of concern, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "The adversary aims to scour every trace within my main soul, with particular focus on the Soul Arts I practice, especially those related to the Divine Soul Sect."
"However..." Cao Jiaze paused briefly before continuing, "It doesn't match the Divine Soul Sect's methods."
The Soul Arts imparted to him by Han Miaoyuan were a fusion of techniques from both the Ghost Wizard Sect and the Divine Soul Sect, designed to one day enable him to ascend to godhood through the mysteries of the soul and to make contact with the Origin Soul beneath the earth's surface.
Thus, if a practitioner from the Divine Soul Sect were to intrude upon his sea of consciousness, he would certainly recognize it.
"I had my suspicions," Lin Yu acknowledged with a slight nod, seemingly unsurprised.
Cao Jiaze's expression shifted dramatically. "Ah!"
"The Sect Master anticipated this day might come, which is why he entrusted me with the pill's location before his departure. He confided in me alone; no one else is privy to this information. He also instructed me to keep an eye on you and to administer the pill should I detect any trouble," Lin Yu elaborated.
Cao Jiaze grew increasingly astonished. "Who is the Sect Master guarding against?"
"Reflect on it. Does the presence that invaded your soul seem at all familiar? You've ventured into Horror Land, where your Yin God was forged. It bears the imprint of that place," Lin Yu prompted.
Cao Jiaze was jolted, "It? How dare it?!"
"Because the Sect Master avoided the battle with Yu Yuan, because Tan Xiaotian was trapped in the City of Light, because the Demon Phoenix went to the Dim Starfield, and because Lin Daoke was powerless to replicate himself."
Lin Yu gave a cold smile, then gazed toward Horror Land and said, "It wants to uncover more secrets about the soul from the Soul Arts the Sect Master passed on to you. Moreover, it seems to have encountered a formidable foe in the Outland Star River. It's trying to master the Divine Soul Sect's Soul Arts to better know its enemy."
"Is the Divine Soul Sect going to confront it?" Cao Jiaze asked, astonished.
"I've heard that it has claimed one of its branches in the Epitaxial Realm for itself, thanks to Shehun. Youyu has been deployed by it to operate within the Outland Star River, apparently because other branches are facing similar predicaments," Lin Yu answered.
"This is incredibly complex," Cao Jiaze lamented, feeling overwhelmed.
...
At the Babel Chamber of Commerce.
Shi Jing'er, Jun Chen, Zhou You, Feng Zhong, and others convened in a secret chamber. They unanimously concluded that Zhong Chichen, who had ascended to one of the supreme ranks, was the only one capable of challenging the Demon God.
Whoosh!
The chamber's array, designed to block sound and soul, suddenly flared with brilliance, startling the chamber's titans, who were clueless about who was attempting to spy.
Jun Chen's expression was icy. As he was about to expose the intruder, a whisper of thought reached him.
His demeanor softened, but he maintained a stern face and huffed coldly.
Shi Jing'er, realizing the cause of the disturbance, relaxed and whispered, "Welcome back, Yu, triumphant as ever!"
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan, having returned in his true form to the vast expanse, addressed the group in the chamber, "I've come back to take Lau Ying's true form with me. In the Gray Domain, I discovered the ground beetle, and I'm curious to see if Lau Ying is fortunate enough to gain its favor."
He then fixed his gaze on Jun Chen.
Jun Chen, visibly excited, asked, "The ground beetle? A creature naturally marked with the profound truth of the stars—a genuine Starry Behemoth?"
Yu Yuan nodded with a smile.
"You really do care," Jun Chen said, the chill in his gaze slightly diminishing. However, he couldn't help but add, "Duan Yisheng from the Silver Moon Sect is still being held captive in the outer reaches by the Sword Sect. Aren't you going to do something about it?" His resentment toward Duan Yisheng was evident as he refrained from addressing him as his father.
"The Sword Sect has assured us that he will be safe for now. Regarding the Sword Prison out there, if they don't release him this time, it's likely to be breached once again," Yu Yuan said earnestly. "I've promised Lau Ying, as well as Mr. Tan, that your father will be unharmed."
With that, Jun Chen chose to remain silent.
"Lau Ying is indeed at the Babel Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to your connection, Jun Chen, we've taken great care to protect her," Zhou You said as he swept his whisk and gave a slight bow to Shi Jing'er. "I'll go and bring her over."
"Are the Nagas planning to strike at the Demon Palace?" Shi Jing'er inquired.
"Not at all."
