Outside the Thousand Mysteries Secret Realm, figures still crowded together, a sea of heads surging.
Earlier, Ning Xuanyuan had resonated with the Demon God's figure, causing the secret realm to close and preventing those who came afterward from entering. But precisely because of that, the crowd was even less willing to leave.
The Thousand Mysteries Secret Realm had existed for so many years, yet nothing like this had ever happened before. Could someone bring the inheritance into the world this time?
On closer thought, it did not seem impossible. Although few people had entered the secret realm this time, every one of them was a supreme prodigy.
The Blood Scion of the Asura Domain, the five young kings, the Moon Spirit Palace's divine maiden, the Sword Emperor Sect's Sword Heir, Heaven's Gate Palace's young Thunder Venerable, the Dao-Demon Sect's demon heir, the Demon Dragon Clan's dragon heir, and the Demon Peng Clan's crown prince were all individuals of extraordinary talent.
This was especially true of the Moon Spirit Palace's divine maiden and the Asura Domain's Blood Scion. The former had condensed forty-nine will runes, while the latter had reached a world-shaking ninety-nine!
Such results could be said to have no equal in the past. And if the inheritance appeared, there would be none to equal them in the future either.
The only question was, if the inheritance really did appear, which of them could suppress all rivals and claim it?
Everyone waited with bated breath.
"The secret realm has opened!"
Someone suddenly shouted, and countless gazes shot over at once. Ripples spread through the seal-covered void, and a huge spatial rift tore open.
Beyond the layers of overlapping spatial rifts, several figures emerged one after another, led by none other than Ning Xuanyuan. Behind him were naturally Qin Lang and the other four.
After the six emerged from the spatial rift, the spatial passage did not close, but remained open. However, waves of spatial fluctuations radiating outward from within told everyone that the passage seemed to work in only one direction.
One could come out, but not go in.
After leaving the secret realm space, Ning Xuanyuan glanced at the crowd outside, then led the others behind him toward the Nine Dragons Carriage high in the sky.
Not long after they left, three more figures flew out of the spatial passage. But the way the three came out gave people the impression that they had been forcibly kicked out.
"They're Jian Wuya of the Sword Emperor Sect, Su Ting of Heaven's Gate Palace, and Li Tianxing of the Dao-Demon Sect!"
"Look, the spatial passage is closing!"
Immediately afterward, everyone saw that once Jian Wuya and the other two had left the secret realm, the overlapping, intersecting spatial rifts were actually closing slowly!
What was going on? Where were the others? Why hadn't Ao Mo, Teng Yi, and Luo Wanwan come out?
Those quick of mind immediately realized what had happened, and their hearts trembled violently. Could those people all have died inside?
Apart from Li Tianxing, both Jian Wuya and Su Ting had their respective factions.
"Wuya?" On the Sword Emperor Sect's side, a man who looked like an elder went to meet Jian Wuya. "How did it go?"
Jian Wuya shook his head slightly and cast a discreet glance in the direction of Ning Xuanyuan and the others. Then he said in a low voice, "We'll talk when we get back."
Seeing Jian Wuya's reaction, the elder's eyes flickered, and an expression of surprise appeared on his aged face.
Could it be?
Likewise, people from Heaven's Gate Palace gathered around Su Ting. No one knew what Su Ting said, but the Heaven's Gate Palace experts who had come with him could not help glancing toward the people of the Asura Domain. Their gazes were filled with particular shock.
Boom!
Just then, a terrifying demonic pressure and a heaven-shaking killing intent suddenly swept in from the distant horizon. Demonic clouds billowed like surging waves of ink, crushing heaven and earth.
Within those demonic clouds appeared the figure of an incomparably enormous demon dragon. A suffocating demonic pressure descended, and countless people felt their breathing falter and the Qi and blood in their bodies churn.
Some with weaker cultivation even spat blood and staggered, their eyes full of terror.
The Demon Dragon Emperor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Court in the Demon Domain!
"Who killed my son?" The violent voice rolled across the heavens like an exploding thunderclap. Endless killing intent and fury could be heard within it.
Countless people looked on in terror and retreated frantically.
This was an emperor-level great demon, capable of unleashing world-destroying power with a mere gesture. The Demon Dragon Emperor's furious roar also confirmed what everyone had suspected.
Ao Mo and Teng Yi were dead.
Amid the roiling demonic clouds, a pair of crimson dragon eyes appeared, their fierce gaze sweeping over the crowd below.
The experts of the Sword Emperor Sect and Heaven's Gate Palace hurried to protect Jian Wuya and Su Ting as they retreated, but no one spoke.
They had not killed them.
"I killed that loach. Oh, and that sparrow too." On the Nine Dragons Carriage, Ning Xuanyuan turned around and looked at the Demon Dragon Emperor in the clouds. "What of it?"
A loach and a sparrow?
Everyone was speechless.
"You killed my son!" An even more furious voice came from the Demon Dragon Emperor. The demonic clouds covering the horizon suddenly churned violently, revealing his enormous body.
The Demon Dragon Emperor's body stretched a full thousand zhang! The black scales covering him were as sharp as blades along their edges, and as he moved, they tore gashes even in the void.
The killing intent in those enormous dragon eyes had nearly condensed into substance, and their blood-red gaze cast a crimson hue over the entire space.
"Whoever you are, you dared to kill my son. I will have you dead!"
A gigantic dragon claw swept out across the distance, accompanied by a rumbling roar. The void beneath the claw collapsed, such was the terror of its power.
Qin Lang and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they all stepped forward to stand in front of Ning Xuanyuan, even though they knew full well that in the Demon Dragon Emperor's eyes, they were nothing but a group of ants.
Ning Xuanyuan, however, stood calmly with his hands behind his back, merely watching the Demon Dragon Emperor coldly, a trace of disdain in his eyes.
The enormous dragon claw hurtled down, and the fierce wind it raised left Qin Lang and the others unable to breathe, their bodies stiff. But just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them, facing the Demon Dragon Emperor's claw head-on.
The figure raised one hand, and an incomparably sacred light bloomed in the sky, dazzling and brilliant, instantly illuminating the darkened world. Waves of holy pressure surged and churned as sacred radiance spread. Bathed in Holy Light, the figure looked incomparably majestic at that moment, like a sage descending into the world.
A huge palm print materialized in the sky and blasted toward the dragon claw. With a tremendous crash, heaven and earth trembled, the dragon claw recoiled, and the palm print shattered.
The Demon Dragon Emperor's voice echoed across the sky again, but this time it was filled with shock and anger.
"Ye Xuankong!"
Holy Light filled the air, and the figure came fully into everyone's view.
Still as a deep pool, towering as a mountain, he radiated a mighty presence. He was none other than the Asura Emperor's direct-line son, Ye Xuankong!