Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm

Ren Xiaoyao sat cross-legged on the bluestone platform in the center of the secluded cave. The pale Golden Immortal power swirling around his fingertips fell like crumpled gold foil onto his heart. During the battle with the Immortal Envoy, he had to activate his soul barrier in order to win quickly. His soul, which was already being corrupted by the Demonic Curse, was thus agitated. The remnant souls of the four demonic envoys in his body took the opportunity to stir. In particular, the Chain Demonic Seal on his left arm and the Mist Demonic Seal on his west side were like two lurking poisonous ants, gnawing along his meridians. The tearing pain mixed with the cold spread along his limbs and bones, causing fine beads of cold sweat to seep from his forehead. The hair at his temples was stuck to his cheeks with sweat, and even his breathing became somewhat labored.

His eyes were slightly closed, and his fingertips formed the starting hand seal of the Qingyun Sect's core cultivation technique, the "Azure Cloud Immortal Art." The immortal energy within his dantian was awakened like a dormant stream, flowing slowly along the Ren and Du Meridians. When it passed the Danzhong Acupoint, the immortal energy transformed into a warm, gentle Light Orb, softly enveloping the restless demonic energy; when it swept across the Shenting Acupoint, it acted like a fine brush, removing the evil fragments from the surface of his soul. With each cycle, the pain in his chest lessened, and after half an hour, the immortal energy within his body finally returned to a stable state. He slowly opened his eyes, the lingering weariness replaced by clarity. He reached out and grabbed the Creation Spear leaning against the stone platform—the "Immortal" patterns on the spear suddenly emitted a soft golden light, like living vines winding their way up his palm, condensing into a pale gold talisman at his wrist, seemingly silently protecting his soul and dispelling the remaining chill. He gripped the spear shaft tightly, a steady tremor emanating from it, as if resonating with his heartbeat. He turned and stepped out of the secluded cultivation cave, heading towards the sect's dungeon on the back of Cang Xuan Mountain.

The deepest part of the dungeon lies a hundred meters beneath the mountain. The entrance is concealed by three layers of restrictions: a "Spirit Locking Array," a "Demon Suppressing Talisman," and a "Maze Formation," allowing only one person to pass through by bending low. Descending the steep Stone Steps, the chill seems to surge from a thousand-year-old ice cellar, seeping into the clothes through the collar and cuffs, feeling like fine ice thorns slicing across the skin. Even the breath exhaled condenses into white mist, turning into tiny water droplets upon touching the Stone Steps. In the dim space, only the three Purification Barrier gleam with a striking pale golden light, like three walls of light embedded in the stone wall, trapping the two Immortal Envoy envoys in the center. The barriers were jointly set up by ten elders of the Qingyun Sect, each containing pure Purifying Power. As the light flows, a faint "humming" sound can be heard—the sound of Spiritual Qi colliding with demonic energy.

Two Immortal Envoy lay slumped on the cold bluestone slab, their limbs tightly bound by the Immortal Locking Chains. These chains were forged from "Immortal Slaying Iron," a material passed down for a thousand years by the Qingyun Sect, mixed with "Kirin Sand." The chains were covered with "Evil-Dispelling Runes," barely visible to the naked eye. Under the influence of spiritual light, the runes flickered as if alive. When they touched the demonic energy emanating from the Immortal Envoy' bodies, they emitted a "sizzling" corrosive sound. Pale golden spiritual light spread along the chains, burrowing into their meridians like maggots, gradually eroding the remaining Sinister Power. At this moment, the two were weak, their faces as pale as paper, their lips cracked and peeling. But the moment they saw Ren Xiaoyao, their previously dim eyes suddenly lit up, revealing a strange excitement. The corners of their mouths simultaneously curled into the same sinister arc—an arc with deliberate disguise, as if they were not prisoners, but hunters who had already set a trap and were waiting for their prey to come to them.

"Ren Xiaoyao... you've finally come." The Immortal Envoy on the left spoke first, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against rusty iron, each word carrying undisguised malice. "You think... capturing us will uncover the truth?" Ren Xiaoyao didn't reply. He knew that Demon Realm cultivators were best at using words to disturb the mind. He condensed a wisp of pure immortal power at his fingertips, which spun rapidly, forming a small, inch-long blade of light—this was the starting stance of the Qingyun Sect's secret technique, "Soul Searching Technique." The blade contained the power of the "Calming Heart Incantation," which could extract memories and resist the backlash of demonic energy deep within the sea of consciousness. By simply probing this wisp of immortal power into the opponent's sea of consciousness, he could follow the threads of memory to extract the Demon Realm forces behind them, their objectives, and even information about the Demon Realm realm's defenses.

Just as the celestial energy blade was about to touch the Immortal Envoy's brow, the Immortal Envoy suddenly let out a piercing, maniacal laugh! The laugh was as sharp as a demonic raven's cry in the dead of night, shaking the dust off the dungeon's stone ceiling. Small pebbles rolled down the cracks in the stone, hitting the bluestone slabs with a "tap-tap" sound, and even the moss on the stone walls was shaken off. "Ignorant brat! You dare to use the Soul Searching Technique in front of me? It's simply showing off your skills before an expert!" An aged yet overwhelmingly powerful voice exploded from the Immortal Envoy's body, booming like thunder in the small dungeon, making Ren Xiaoyao's eardrums numb. Even the Creation Spear in his hand trembled slightly, and the runes on the spear suddenly flashed at a faster frequency, as if resisting this pressure.

Immediately afterward, the demonic energy surrounding the Immortal Envoy immortal surged violently! Black mist churned like boiling water, gushing out from his seven orifices and pores, forming a ten-foot-high vortex of demonic mist—as the vortex spun, it emitted a suffocating, Evil Qi, actually breaking through the suppression of the Immortal Locking Chains: the pale golden light on the chains dimmed rapidly in the demonic energy, and fine cracks appeared on the originally sturdy surface of the chains, emitting a soft "crackling" sound. Black demonic energy seeped from the cracks, as if the chains were being slowly corroded, as if they would completely break at any moment!

The Black Demonic Qi, like a soaring ink Ink Dragon, rose from the crown of the Immortal Envoy's head, circling three times in the air before gradually condensing into a ten-foot-tall phantom. The phantom wore a tattered black-patterned Demonic Robe, its hem worn from the erosion of time, with dried Demonic Threads still clinging to the edges, yet still embroidered with dense "Soul Devouring Demonic Markings"—each Demonic Runes writhing like a living creature, emanating a chilling, Evil Qi. A single glance was enough to send shivers down one's spine, as if countless tiny, remnant souls were screaming in one's ears. Thick, impenetrable black mist swirled around him, within which countless translucent remnant souls could be vaguely seen struggling: there were cultivators in immortal robes, heavily armed soldiers, and figures of the elderly, women, and children. Their faces were contorted, filled with pain and resentment; clearly, their souls had been forcibly refined, becoming part of the phantom's power.

With each breath of the phantom, the temperature inside the dungeon plummeted by three percent, as if the air itself had frozen, and a thin layer of White Frost condensed on the stone walls. The pale golden light of the triple Purification Barrier was forced inward by this chill, its radiance dimming by nearly half. The runes on the barrier's surface flickered at a slower frequency, like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment—and even the light of the outermost barrier began to show fine cracks, signs of being forcibly suppressed by demonic energy.

"I am the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm! I wield Demon Realm ' Soul Devouring Hall ' and command a million Demon Soldiers!" The illusory figure slowly raised its head. Although its face was shrouded in black mist, obscuring its features, its gaze was like a tangible ice blade, fixed firmly on Ren Xiaoyao. Its tone was filled with unquestionable domineering arrogance, as if it were looking at an ant that could be crushed at any moment. "The Demonic Curse within you is a pawn I personally laid three hundred years ago—back then, I captured four demon envoys in the ' Mystic Demon Battlefield,' extracting their remnant souls to refine into your divine soul. This was both to monitor your movements and to temper your divine soul with demonic energy. Now that you can suppress them single-handedly, it's clear that your divine soul's strength far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators in the lower realms. You are a rare 'vessel'!"

He paused, the black mist around him surging even more violently, as if appraising a rare treasure, sweeping from Ren Xiaoyao's head to his feet. His tone became more seductive, like a viper's hissing, enticingly saying, "If you obediently submit to me, I will bestow upon you the title of ' Soul Devouring Marquis ' of the Demon Realm, granting you command of ten thousand Demon Soldiers. I will also impart to you the ' Soul Devouring Demonic Art,' helping you break through your current realm and become a powerful figure revered by Three Realms! Do you know what glory this is? The Qingyun Sect in the lower realm is nothing but a frog in a well, Cang Xuan Mountain is even less worth mentioning—being trapped here guarding a small world is not as good as following me to rule the Three Realms, making all living beings kneel before you. Wouldn't that be a thousand times better?"

Ren Xiaoyao's eyes sharpened, and his immortal power instantly tightened, like a fully drawn bowstring. The Creation Spear in his hand trembled with a "hum," and the "Extinction" runes on the spear suddenly lit up with dazzling silver-white lightning! The lightning danced at the tip of the spear, emitting a "sizzling" sound. The cold air in the air was dispelled by the lightning, and pale blue electricity swirled around him, forming an invisible protective circle—when the electricity touched the black mist, it made a "crackling" sound, and the black mist was instantly burned with tiny holes. "Wishful thinking!" he shouted sharply, his voice resolute and as cold as ice. "I am a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, a student of Elder Xuanzhen. Since childhood, I have taken it upon myself to protect the Human Realm and resist demons. How could I submit to you, a wicked demon from the Demon Realm? You went to great lengths to have your subordinates impersonate envoys of the Immortal Court and planted Demonic Curse within me. What is your conspiracy? Do you want to use me to open a passage to the Demon Realm realm, or do you want to weaken the Qingyun Sect to pave the way for a subsequent invasion by Demon Soldiers?"

"A conspiracy?" The Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm sneered, his laughter filled with disdain and mockery, as if Ren Xiaoyao's question was utterly ridiculous. "In my eyes, what need is there for conspiracies to deal with cultivators from the lower realms? Strength is everything!" His illusory figure suddenly expanded, growing from ten feet to twenty feet tall. Black Demonic Qi surged towards Ren Xiaoyao like a flood bursting its banks. Wherever it passed, the bluestone floor of the dungeon was corroded into tiny pits, with faint traces of demonic energy remaining in the pits, emitting a pungent, stench like rotting flesh. Even the moss on the stone walls withered and turned black instantly. "Your soul is already deeply connected to the Demonic Curse. From the moment the Demonic Curse was planted, you became my 'vessel'—I originally intended to wait until you completely controlled the remnant souls of the four demon envoys before taking your body; since you refuse to submit willingly, then I will act now, directly devouring your soul and completely taking control of this body!"

He paused, and a thin Demonic Threads emerged from the black mist, pointing towards the Creation Spear in Ren Xiaoyao's hand. His tone became greedy. "This Creation Spear in your hand is High Antiquity immortal weapon, containing the four powers of 'Life, Death, Devouring, and Immortality.' If I could use it, opening the passage between the Human Realm and Demon Realm realms would be a piece of cake! Then, a million Demon Soldiers would flood into the Human Realm, first flattening Cang Xuan Mountain, then slaughtering the Qingyun Sect, turning the entire human world into a 'pasture' for the Demon Realm —the souls of all cultivators would be refined into demonic pills, Mortals would become food for the Demon Soldiers. How delightful!"

Before the words were even finished, the demonic energy surging towards Ren Xiaoyao suddenly condensed, converging like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea into a gigantic demonic claw over ten feet in size! The claw was covered in sharp black scales, each shimmering with a ghostly green light. Thick Demonic Fluid seeped from between the scales, corroding small holes in the bluestone slabs when it dripped onto them. The claw's nails glowed with a chilling, poisonous green light; merely approaching it caused Ren Xiaoyao's soul to feel a sharp, piercing pain, as if countless tiny poisonous needles were pricking it. The claw, carrying the power to Sky-Rending Strike, directly attacked Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness—this was the "Soul Devouring Claw," the signature secret technique of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm. It required the remnants of the souls of a thousand cultivators to be refined; once caught, the soul would be instantly torn to pieces, leaving no chance for reincarnation, only to become nourishment for demonic energy, forever condemned to eternal damnation.

Ren Xiaoyao was prepared. His "Immortal" runes suddenly erupted, and golden rays of light, like the rising sun surging from within him, condensed into a semi-circular, solid barrier in front of him. The Purifying Power contained within the light was the nemesis of demonic energy. The approaching black mist melted away like ice meeting fire the moment it touched the light, emitting a "sizzling" sound and dissipating into wisps of black smoke. At the same time, he held the Creation Spear horizontally in front of his chest, continuously channeling immortal power into the spear. The "Devouring" runes instantly lit up with a deep blue light, and a small Energy Vortex formed at the spear tip. A powerful suction force surged from the vortex, forcefully drawing some of the demonic energy towards the spear tip. The demonic energy was rapidly purified in the blue light, the blackness gradually fading away, transforming into pure Spiritual Qi, which flowed into Ren Xiaoyao's body along the spear, replenishing his consumed immortal power and stabilizing his previously somewhat sluggish aura.

However, the power of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm far surpassed that of any previous demon envoy. Even after 30% of their demonic energy was purified, their remaining power was still terrifying. Empowered by the demonic energy, the demonic claw slammed into the golden light barrier like a massive boulder. The barrier instantly rippled violently, its pale golden light flickering like a candle in the wind. The runes on the barrier's surface began to crack, emitting a "crack" sound, and a small crack spread from the center of the barrier. "Break for me!" the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm roared, injecting another 30% of their demonic energy. The power of the demonic claw surged, tearing fiercely at the crack. Finally, with a "boom," a fist-sized gap opened in the barrier! Like a beast smelling blood, the demonic claw broke through the barrier through the gap, carrying a chilling aura, and pierced into Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness!

In an instant, Ren Xiaoyao felt a heart-wrenching pain in his soul, as if his entire sea of consciousness had been torn in two! Countless sinister thoughts slithered into his mind like venomous snakes: first, the horrific scene of the Demon Realm cultivators slaughtering Mortals villages—flames engulfing wooden houses, crackling and burning, blood staining the stream at the village entrance, the cries of children, the pleas for mercy of the elderly, and the screams of women intertwining into a symphony of despair, a Devil Cultivator wielding a demonic blade, extracting the soul of a child from his body and crushing it in his palm; then, the image of Demon Soldiers trampling down Immortal Sect —the mountain gates collapsing amidst demonic energy. Collapsed, the remains of countless cultivators littered the Mountain Path. The once sacred immortal abode was shrouded in demonic energy. An elder of the Immortal Sect attempted to resist but was torn in two by Demon Soldiers, his soul refined into a black demonic core. Finally, countless tempting whispers repeated in his ear, "Give up, submit to me and you will gain endless power, never to suffer the torment of the Demonic Curse again." "The Human Realm will be conquered by the Demon Realm sooner or later. Resistance is futile. It's better to surrender sooner and at least save your life." "Look at those cultivators, they are all suffering. Just nod your head and you can free them..."

These images and whispers assaulted his consciousness like a tidal wave. His vision blurred, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and the cracks in his soul barrier widened, threatening to engulf him completely with his malevolent thoughts. In this critical moment, he suddenly remembered his discovery during his seclusion yesterday—the aura of the Demonic Curse within him and the demonic energy of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm shared the same "frequency," like flowing water from the same source, capable of resonating with each other!

"Since he laid the Demonic Curse, his power might be the 'key' to breaking Demonic Curse!" A thought flashed through Ren Xiaoyao's mind like lightning, instantly clearing his head. He no longer resisted the influx of demonic energy, but instead deliberately released his soul barrier, allowing the demonic energy of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm to spread along his sea of consciousness—when the demonic energy touched the Demonic Curse deep within his soul, the originally restless Demonic Curse miraculously calmed down, like a lost child finding its Way Home, clinging tightly to the demonic energy, no longer attacking the soul barrier, and even beginning to merge with the demonic energy, forming a black band of light.

Seeing this, the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm was overjoyed. The black mist around him surged even more violently, and his tone was full of smugness. "Those who know when to yield are the wise! If you had submitted earlier, why would you have suffered this physical pain? I keep my word and will definitely spare a wisp of your soul so that you can witness the grandeur of the Demon Realm ruling the Human Realm!" He frantically urged his demonic energy, trying to completely occupy Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness and obliterate his consciousness. But just as the demonic energy and the Demonic Curse completely merged, Ren Xiaoyao suddenly activated the "Azure Cloud Immortal Art," pressing his fingertips simultaneously on the "Life" and "Immortal" runes of the Creation Spear. Emerald Spiritual Light burst forth from the "Life" rune, carrying vigorous vitality, as full of life as a tender bud breaking through the soil in spring, capable of repairing damaged souls; golden rosy light bloomed from the "Immortal" rune, containing the purest and cleanest Purifying Power, dispelling evil like the midday sun, capable of dissolving demonic energy.

Two forces intertwined and entwined in the center of his sea of consciousness, forming a special pale green-gold light—this light possessed both the life-giving vitality of the "Life" pattern and the Purifying Power of the "Immortal" pattern, like a fine energy net that, following the demonic energy of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm, wrapped around the Demonic Curse within his body! Those Demonic Curse that had merged with the demonic energy began to struggle violently as soon as they touched the pale green-gold light, but were firmly locked by the golden light and could not break free.

"No! You dare... use my power to break the Demonic Curse?!" The Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm finally realized something was wrong. His voice was filled with disbelief, anger, and terror. He tried to withdraw his demonic energy, but found that his power was firmly locked by the pale green-golden light. Like a beast bound by iron chains, he could not move an inch. He was even being pulled by the pale green-golden light, entangled with the Demonic Curse in Ren Xiaoyao's body, trapped in the center of his sea of consciousness, like a fish on a chopping board, only able to let the Purifying Power erode him.

Ren Xiaoyao gave him no chance to react, his fingertip slamming into the "Extinction" mark on the Creation Spear —a silver-white lightning bolt exploded like thunder, gushing from the spear tip and instantly enveloping the demonic energy and Demonic Curse in his sea of consciousness! The Purifying Power contained within the lightning was the ultimate nemesis of Evil Qi. The demonic energy hissed and melted within the lightning, retreating rapidly like ice and snow meeting a raging fire. The phantom of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm began to shake violently, the black mist around him rapidly dissipating, revealing a blurry outline—an old face covered in wrinkles, its eyes filled with despair and resentment.

"Ren Xiaoyao! I will not let you go!" The Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm let out a shrill scream, his voice piercing through the sea of consciousness and causing the stone walls of the dungeon to tremble slightly. "There are eight more Progenitor in the Demon Realm, and their power far surpasses mine! The First Ancestor controls the ' Immortal Destruction Hall,' the Second Ancestor controls the ' Soul Erosion Valley '... They will avenge me, flatten Cang Xuan Mountain, grind you to dust, and ensure you are never reincarnated!"

The screams gradually faded, and the phantom of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm finally turned into a wisp of black smoke, completely dissipating in the silver-white lightning without leaving a trace. Meanwhile, the Demonic Curse within Ren Xiaoyao's body, under the interaction of demonic energy and Purifying Power, rapidly receded like melting snow—the previously hideous Chain Demonic Seal on his left arm changed from pitch black to dark gray, then to light gray, and finally dissipated into a wisp of green smoke, leaving only smooth skin, even the scars previously eroded by the demonic mark had disappeared; the Mist Demonic Seal on the western soul barrier also dissipated, the cracks left by the Demonic Curse completely healed, even becoming stronger than before, gleaming with a faint golden light. His immortal power surged and flowed like a river released from its restraints, nearly thirty percent stronger than before the Demonic Curse appeared, and even his sea of consciousness expanded.

As the last trace of demonic energy in his sea of consciousness was purified, Ren Xiaoyao slowly opened his eyes, let out a long sigh, and the stabbing pain in his chest completely disappeared. His soul became clearer than ever before, and even his eyes brightened, as if a heavy burden that had weighed on him for many years had been lifted. He moved his wrists, and the stiffness left by the demonic seal completely disappeared. The immortal power flowed freely from his fingertips, and even his punches were much lighter than before. He looked down at the ground and saw two dim Demonic Core lying on the bluestone slab—these were the Demonic Core from the bodies of the two Immortal Envoy. After losing the support of the power of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm, the black luster on the surface of the Demonic Core faded, and they became like ordinary Black Stone, no longer able to emit any demonic energy. You could even see that the surface was covered with tiny cracks, and it would crumble into powder with the slightest touch.

Ren Xiaoyao bent down and picked up the Demonic Core. His fingertips caressed the cold surface of the Demonic Core, and he could clearly feel the faint demonic energy remaining inside. The energy was of the same origin as the demonic energy of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm, but it was no longer a threat. He put the Demonic Core into the Storage Bag at his waist. The specially made "Evil-Dispelling Talisman" in the bag instantly lit up with a pale golden halo, completely sealing the remaining energy of the Demonic Core.

"The appearance of the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm is no accident," Ren Xiaoyao murmured to himself, a sharp glint in his eyes. The Ninth Ancestor mentioned that "there are eight more Progenitor in the Demon Realm," and explicitly stated that the First Ancestor was in charge of the "Immortal Destruction Hall" and the Second Ancestor controlled the "Soul Erosion Valley." Clearly, the Demon Realm had already divided its forces, and this operation must have been meticulously planned, not carried out alone. They went to great lengths to impersonate envoys of the Immortal Court, not only to seize his body and the Creation Spear, but also possibly to disrupt the Qingyun Sect's judgment and pave the way for the subsequent invasion of Demon Soldiers.

He gripped the Creation Spear tightly, turned, and stepped out of the dungeon. As soon as he reached the Stone Steps, he saw two Qingyun Sect disciples guarding the entrance. Seeing him emerge, they immediately bowed respectfully. "Senior Brother Ren! Are you alright? There was a strange noise coming from the direction of the dungeon just now; we were just about to go in and investigate!"