"Um?"
A cold smile curved Qing Huan's lips, and the joy deep in his eyes instantly froze into ice.
Without even turning around, in the blink of an eye, the void beside him silently bloomed.
A pure, flawless, and pristine white Twelve-Grade Lotus Platform appeared out of thin air. Its petals unfurled layer by layer, and a pure and vast purifying aura rippled outwards like waves, completely enveloping the space behind him.
The halo appeared gentle, yet it contained the supreme power to tear apart all evil and filth.
"Ah--!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream, so piercing it was inhuman, filled with disbelief and overwhelming resentment, suddenly rang out.
The condensed killing intent dissipated as if it had struck an invisible, solid wall.
A withered figure shrouded in thick, swirling black mist was seen flying backwards from the edge of the Lotus Platform's halo, its withered claws clutching half its cheek, hissing and hissing between its fingers, emitting black smoke scorched by the holy light, the dense demonic energy melting away rapidly like ice and snow under the blazing sun.
The black mist surged violently, barely coalescing into a twisted and ferocious face. One single eye, as red as blood, stared intently at the World-Purifying White Lotus, its greed almost materializing and dripping down.
"Pure... World-Purifying White Lotus?! You... you junior, you actually possess a spiritual treasure of this level?!"
His voice was hoarse and shrill, conveying a sense of bewilderment and madness at being abandoned by the times.
Qing Huan then slowly turned around, his movements calm and unhurried, carrying an indifferent air of looking down upon ants.
He examined the monstrous creature struggling and writhing in the black mist and holy light before him:
A tattered, decaying ancient robe clung precariously to his skeletal body, a cracked, oddly shaped bronze bell jingling softly with each trembling movement.
Most strikingly, in his right hand, clenched like a withered branch, he held tightly a palm-sized, jagged metal fragment that still exuded a sharp aura capable of cleaving through anything!
This object was the murder weapon used in the attack.
"Rahula's stray dog?"
Qing Huan spoke calmly, with a hint of obvious amusement.
"It's not easy to have survived this long."
The Demon Lord seemed utterly enraged by this dismissive attitude; the black mist around him surged violently, attempting to dispel the purifying holy light that was causing him extreme pain.
"How dare you be so presumptuous, you junior! When our ancestors roamed the Primordial Wilderness, you were probably still crawling in some mud pit!"
I am the vanguard general under the Demon Ancestor Rahula, the Bone Demon Venerable!
If it weren't for that old Hongjun colluding with those despicable scoundrels from Yin and Yang... how could I be lying in wait here! Hand over the Lotus Platform! We'll spare your primordial spirit!"
"Oh? The Bone Demon Venerable?"
The mockery in Qing Huan's eyes deepened.
"The name sounds impressive, but the tone is as foul as ever."
Suddenly, with a soft laugh, the Twelve-Grade World-Purifying White Lotus, which suppressed the void and made the Bone Demon Venerable extremely wary, vanished without a trace in a flash of light, at his will!
Only a pure and sacred aftertaste remains, slowly flowing through the space.
This abrupt action startled the Bone Demon Venerable, who then erupted into deafening laughter, as if he had witnessed the most ridiculous thing in the world:
"Hahaha! Ignorant brat! How dare you remove your own barrier!"
"Truly, Heaven is helping our ancestor! Today, it is fitting that our ancestor has regained the treasure and is able to rise again!"
The crimson eye blazed with an intense, greedy light, like two burning flames of hell.
Amidst his maniacal laughter, the Bone Demon Venerable Lord slashed the fragment in his hand forward with a sudden motion!
A pitch-black spatial rift, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, silently spread out, carrying the terrifying sharpness of the laws of cutting, heading straight for Qing Huan!
Beyond the crack were countless wailing and twisted demonic shadows, the "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring Souls Rifting Sky Slash Divine Power" refined over countless Kalpa!
Faced with an attack powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal, Qing Huan didn't even lift an eyelid.
He simply extended his right index finger and lightly touched the dark crack that was engulfing him.
"Buzz--"
With a soft chime, a point of crimson gold suddenly lit up at the fingertip!
That point of crimson-gold light instantly expanded and burst forth!
A Twelve-Grade Lotus Platform, even more enchanting and domineering than the World-Purifying White Lotus, appeared out of thin air!
The lotus petals are carved like the purest red jade, crystal clear, yet heavy as if they contain a burning sea of the Blood Sea!
At the heart of the lotus, there are not lotus seeds, but clusters of ever-pulsating, incomparably pure divine flames!
This fire is Innate Divine Flame, burning away all tangible and intangible impurities in the world, scorching away the Karma and sins of all living beings!
Karma Red Lotus!
"Boom--!"
The sharpness of that cutting law was as fragile as paper in the face of karmic fire, instantly scorched, twisted, and incinerated!
A piercing hissing sound erupted, and the demonic shadows that surged out from the countless cracks emitted a silent shriek under the illumination of the fire, instantly turning to ashes without leaving a trace of black smoke.
The terrifying power of karmic fire even traced back along the invisible attack trajectory, scorching towards the Bone Demon Venerable himself!
"Ah--!!"
An even more piercing scream rang out. The thick black mist on the Bone Demon Venerable's body boiled and burned violently, as if doused with boiling oil!
Each wisp of black energy represents the karmic debt of killing, greed, and evil thoughts he has accumulated over countless years!
At this moment, illuminated by the supreme karmic law of the Karma Red Lotus, it was ignited like dry tinder!
"A twelfth-grade... Karma Red Lotus?!"
The skeletal face was utterly contorted in extreme pain and disbelief, its single eye bulging as if about to burst.
"How could this magical treasure also be in your possession?! You... who are you?!"
The divine flames scorched the demonic energy, emitting a sizzling sound and a strong, acrid smell spreading throughout the air.
Who I am is unimportant.
Qing Huan's voice remained clear and steady amidst the howling demonic energy of the burning karmic fire, carrying an all-encompassing indifference.
"The important thing is, you old relic, you've been sleeping for too long, your brain has been rotten by the ghostly winds."
He shook his head slightly, his tone filled with a regretful yet sarcastic tone.
"Old bones, open your one remaining dog eye and take a look. What kind of world is this? Demon Ancestor Luohu? Ha, he's long since become a legend. His lineage has vanished into thin air, leaving not even a trace in the Primordial Wilderness."
You're here indulging in your pipe dreams, breathing in the corpse energy of chaotic beasts, and clutching a piece of scrap metal like a treasure...
His gaze swept over the fragments of spiritual treasure in the Bone Demon Venerable's hand, his contempt evident in his expression.
"Still fantasizing about reviving the Devil Dao? How laughable! How pathetic! How utterly pathetic!"
"You bastard! How dare you insult me, you junior!"
Driven to the brink of madness by this series of humiliations, the Bone Demon Venerable felt the pain of his demonic energy being scorched by karmic fire pale in comparison to the mental trampling.
It roared and slammed its withered claws against its shriveled chest, producing a hollow, muffled sound.
"Puff!"
He spat out a mouthful of thick, ink-black demonic blood, exuding an aura of decay and poison.
The demonic blood seemed to have a life of its own; instead of spilling, it instantly transformed into a massive demonic net covering an area of hundreds of feet in diameter!
Above the Demonic Net, countless vengeful spirits roared with ferocious faces, and numerous curse runes flickered and faded, converging into the pure power of the Law of Vengeance Myriad Poisons Annihilation Corrupting God Net!