C1764 A Stab from Behind!
Yu Yuan believed that the Extreme Intelligence had secretly returned to the Origin Realm, targeting the Origin Realm God, as both were Abyss Evil Gods.
Yet, the Extreme Intelligence and the Origin Realm God appeared to hold differing philosophies, leading to some discord.
According to Awkwafina of the Shadow Clan, the Origin Realm God was well aware of the absence of a ruling Evil God in the Abyss, and Tan Xiaotian was the prime candidate.
Nevertheless, the Origin Realm God kept this a secret, not informing the dark beings of the Abyss, nor attempting to sway Tan Xiaotian with this knowledge.
After taking Tan Xiaotian and Youyu to the Gray Domain, he merely banished Tan Xiaotian to a small pocket realm without disclosing the truth.
The self-serving Origin Realm God feared that if Tan Xiaotian reached the Abyss, he would become a formidable Evil God of darkness, commanding respect from both worlds and threatening his own status.
His aim was to amass enough power in this world first, to become unbeatable in the Abyss.
The Origin Realm God aspired to emulate Beilstein's dominance in the Abyss, seeking absolute sovereignty.
Only after ensuring his supremacy over all other Evil Gods, including the Shadow Evil Gods and the Extreme Intelligence, would he dare to welcome Tan Xiaotian, allowing for the existence of such a dark Evil God.
Regrettably, his ambitious designs were thwarted by Beilstein.
Currently, the Abyss was in utter turmoil due to the Great Demon God Beilstein's arrival.
Most of the Origin Realm God's power, upon returning to the Abyss, was now allied with the other Evil Gods to confront Beilstein.
The Extreme Intelligence, though an Abyss Evil God, originally hailed from the Vast Expanse.
This Divine King, once a sage, possessed a nobility and inclusiveness surpassing that of the Origin Realm God, even convincing Pei Yuling to join his ranks.
He extended an olive branch to Tan Xiaotian, first aiding his escape from the City of Light, then promising to elevate him to the supreme ruler of darkness across both realms.
Was this how he managed to persuade Tan Xiaotian?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
While Yu Yuan pondered, more spirits and phantoms from all directions were devoured by Tan Xiaotian's Dark Cushion, silencing the three mighty Ghost Kings.
"Don't be afraid; I'm not like Youyu. He took advantage of my absence to slaughter the vulnerable in my Devil Palace, which is utterly contemptible!" Tan Xiaotian's words dripped with scorn as he gestured toward the Ghost King, bathed in a five-colored aura, along with the Heavenly Ghosts and those who had sworn fealty to Youyu years ago. "I merely seized the chance to claim a few ghosts for myself. They were destined to be sacrificed by the Yin Meridians anyway. Why not let me benefit instead?"
After a brief pause, his tone turned icy. "When I, Tan Xiaotian, seek vengeance, I go after your Ghost God himself, not indulge in a senseless massacre in his absence."
The domineering presence of a Devil Dao overlord was unmistakable.
With a whoosh, the Dark Cushion soared, hovering over the Dragon Slash Platform, hunting down the distant souls and ghosts.
The three great Ghost Kings clung to Yu Yuan in a panic, fearing proximity to Tan Xiaotian might spell their doom at the hands of this mercurial Devil Lord.
Though these Ghost Kings' might rival that of Unrestrained Stage cultivators, they stood no chance against a supreme force like Tan Xiaotian, and the thought of resistance didn't even cross their minds. The disparity in power was simply too vast!
"Youyu, having ascended to godhood through the Ghost Dao of the Yin Meridian, has inevitably taken on some of its underhanded nature. Maybe once the Yin Meridian is gone, he'll shed that aspect. Frankly, I have no respect for him! Had he sought his revenge against Zhu Zhen during my time in the Vast Ocean, I might have actually admired him."
"I would have even refrained from intervening, allowing two supreme Primordial Spirits to duke it out and settle their fates."
"His decision to strike in my absence has already placed him at a disadvantage. Moreover, in his assault on Zhu Zhen, he caused collateral damage, leading to the deaths of many Devil cultivators within the Devil Palace!"
Tan Xiaotian's declaration resonated with everyone present, prompting the esteemed cultivators of the Vast Ocean and the Origin Realm to ponder deeply.
"If I, Tan Xiaotian, were to act as he did and sought revenge in his manner, the three great Ghost Kings, the Fiend Sect, the Ghost Wizard Sect, and the Yu family would have been eradicated from the Vast Ocean long ago!"
Tan Xiaotian snorted coldly.
"Compared to others, I find your approach more admirable," he suddenly said, turning his gaze to Yu Yuan and then casting a glance toward the Heavenly Source Continent. "You nearly wiped out all the senior cultivators of the Thunder Sect, yet when you made your move, the exalted Wai Zhuo was present. Wai Zhuo is a notch above you in rank, and even he couldn't stop you. Your attack was forthright and honorable."
"At the Profound Sky Sect, you shattered the Empyrean Array and could have inflicted devastating losses, but you refrained because of Cao."
"You are far more candid and honorable than Youyu!"
The Demon Lord's words were laced with sarcasm directed at Youyu, accusing him of exploiting his absence to strike at his demonic cultivators in a rather underhanded manner, influenced by the aura of the Yin Meridian.
Yet, after his speech, not even the three great Ghost Kings—Luo Yue, Qianjie, and Youyu—could offer a rebuttal.
Because it was the truth.
"Zhu Zhenxun practiced the secret arts of the Ghost Wizard Sect and was constantly under Youyu's thumb. The fight was never fair from the start!" Tan Xiaotian snorted again, his gaze dropping to the earth beneath him. "With the Yin Meridian covertly aiding him, it's no wonder Zhu Zhenxun met his end. Yet, whether it was Han Miaoyuan or the authorities of the Demon Palace, they all seemed to forget that I was still out there, carving out new territories for the Boundless Great World. They just stood by and watched Zhu Zhenxun perish!"
"They don't care to show me respect, huh? Haha!"
Crack!
Not far from there, in the Demon Palace, the statue of the Demon Phoenix was engulfed by a flurry of Space Light Blades. Swathes of purple demonic energy were torn asunder.
A small, dark vortex suddenly appeared, encircling a black eye with the souls and spirits that Tan Xiaotian had devoured.
The black eye drew soul power from the vortex, merging it with the Space Light Blades, slicing the Supreme Demon Phoenix statue into fragments and grinding the purple feathers into a mix of light and dust.
The majestic purple phoenix, poised to soar into the heavens, finally shattered.
Her true form, located deep in the Dim Starfield, was locked in combat with the Blood Devil Clan's mightiest and reinforcements led by Reid. Unbeknownst to her, she sensed the disturbance at the Demon Palace back in the Boundless Great World.
However, she couldn't return now.
Not only was her return impossible, but the connection between her true form and the Demon Palace had also been disrupted due to the attack on the purple phoenix statue, gradually severing its lifeline from the Boundless Great World.
"The Demon Palace!"
"The Demon Palace is trembling. There are sharp Space Edges appearing inside the hall!"
"Who is attacking the Demon Palace?"
"It has to be the Space-time Dragon, Zhong Chichen. He must have taken advantage of the chaos to return and strike at the Demon God!"
Cultivators from various sects and the mighty warriors on the moon were shocked as they gazed toward the northern part of the Quietus Continent, toward the sacred ground of the demons—the Demon Palace.
"The Demon Palace, of all places!"
Yu Yuan was visibly taken aback. He hadn't anticipated that Supreme Wisdom, who had arrived in secret with Tan Xiaotian, would amass his soul power and manipulate the spatial laws of the Boundless World to target the statue of the Supreme Demon Phoenix.
And it was Tan Xiaotian who had paved the way for him!
Without Tan Xiaotian's assistance, the Abyss Evil God, Supreme Wisdom, could not have returned so stealthily, let alone bypass the protective Demon Energy surrounding the Demon Palace.
Supreme Wisdom's initial strike, wielding Space Edges, failed to breach the Demon Palace.
This was because the Demon Palace, like the Profound Sky Sect and the Sword Sect, was guarded by a Seventh Level ancient Demon Array.
Supreme Wisdom was able to appear inside the hall and target the purple phoenix statue only with Tan Xiaotian's help.
"You shouldn't be surprised."
Tan Xiaotian nonchalantly waved his hand, causing more distant souls and ghosts to uncontrollably fall into his Dark Cushion. "How could such deep-seated hatred be forgotten with time? The valley in the Ascension Mountain Range became his grave. He prided himself on his intelligence but was outwitted by those two."
"This grudge, this humiliation, he will never forget."
"Even if he fell into another world and became an Evil God, he would seek to settle this score. As for me, I can only agree to confront demons not of my kind. The old fellow and I are both human; I won't lend a hand against him."
The Demon God disclosed his pact with Supreme Wisdom.
He was aware that the Demon Phoenix sought to establish its own domain and break free from the Boundless Great World by invading the Origin Blood Continent. Moreover, as a demon aspiring to become the sovereign of all creatures in the Eon Realm, he was more than willing to betray the Demon Phoenix.
Moreover, he had long harbored a dislike for the Demon Phoenix!
Previously, without so much as a warning, the Demon Phoenix had sought out the Primordial Yang Sect and made an attempt on Yuwen Hao's life, which instantly enraged Tan Xiaotian. Disregarding Han Miaoyuan's attempts to dissuade him and the outbreak of internal strife within the Boundless Great World, he immediately decided to take action against the Demon Phoenix.
Bearing a deep-seated grudge and having uncovered the Demon Phoenix's plots, Tan Xiaotian readily agreed to the terms offered by the Wisdom Divine King, which were quite favorable.
No matter the outcome of the Demon Phoenix's endeavors in the Dim Starfield, he was determined to assist the Wisdom Divine King first, severing the Demon Phoenix's ties to the Boundless Great World!
He was intent on ensuring that the Demon Phoenix could not easily return, nor could it effortlessly harness the power of the Boundless Great World to draw strength from the blood of all living beings!
