Yun Miao Sect Battles the Demon Scout Again
The golden-white immortal light at Ren Xiaoyao's fingertips was still trembling slightly, but the probing demonic consciousness clinging to his body suddenly became sharper, like a needle dipped in the demonic poison of the Nether Abyss, drilling into his Immortal Vein through the cracks in the stone house window. He could even clearly sense that the demonic consciousness was tracing the outline of his immortal essence little by little, following the faint Immortal Essence trace left from his battle with the Devil Creature the day before. Even the frequency of each flow of Pure Yang Immortal Energy in his dantian and the rhythm of his Immortal Vein pulsation were being precisely observed, as if it would completely ascertain the depth of his cultivation in the next second.
"We absolutely cannot make a move at the Ten Directions Sect." Ren Xiaoyao's heart sank, and the immortal light at his fingertips quietly receded. Although he had temporarily lost the combat power of Golden Immortal Peak, the demonic power of the Soul Chasing Talisman- Demonic Might was far beyond that of ordinary spells. Once it was detonated on the West Peak, the demonic energy carrying the power to tear apart the soul would be enough to overturn half a mountain. The sect disciples who were cultivating in the martial arts arena below the mountain had shallow immortal power and had not experienced the Immortal-Demon Great Battle. They probably couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of the demonic energy, let alone the soul erosion brought about by the spread of the Demonic Runes. At that time, the entire Ten Directions Sect might become a victim of the demonic calamity.
He dared not delay, carefully rolling up the fragments of the Tai Chi Immortal Method stacked on the stone table and stuffing them into his robes—these fragments contained the Ancient Tai Chi Art ' Demon-Bane mysteries, the key to restoring his peak combat power. He then carefully stored the two remaining low-grade immortal talismans (one a defensive "Azure Underworld Heart-Protecting Talisman," the other a concealing aura "Dust-Concealing Talisman") close to his body. Then, he flicked a wisp of golden-white immortal light, as thin as a hair, which slowly swept across the cracks in the ground. Wherever it passed, the Immortal Essence imprints he had left in the stone house over the past few days, the pure Yang immortal energy he had occasionally inadvertently leaked, and even the demonic flame remnants left by the demon detective, were all purified cleanly, leaving not a trace of immortal aura, as if no cultivator had ever lived in this stone house.
As he passed the herb garden in the courtyard, his gaze swept over the few Qi Condensing Grass Grasses with yellowing leaves—though these were merely low-grade spiritual herbs found everywhere in the Immortal Realm, they possessed the remarkable effect of neutralizing fluctuations in immortal energy. With a slight movement of his fingertips, two extremely faint streams of Spiritual Qi enveloped two of the tenderest grass leaves, silently drifting into his sleeve. With another flick of his fingertips, the grass leaves, still enveloped in Spiritual Qi, floated within his sleeve, without making any contact with his clothing to prevent premature dissipation of their Spiritual Charm. Having done all this, he lightly touched the bluestone with his toes, his figure as light as a willow catkin lifted by an immortal breeze, even the sound of his clothes brushing against the air was minimized, silently drifting out of the stone house and skimming down the West Peak's rock face. The loose pebbles on the rock face were gently supported by a wisp of immortal light emanating from his fingertips, and only after his figure had passed did the pebbles slowly fall back to their original positions, without even a trace of rolling, as if he had never lingered there.
He remembered that three days ago, when he surveyed the terrain of the Ten Directions Sect, there was a secret passage hidden by ancient vines on the back mountain of the West Peak. It was left by Ancient Immortal when they were mining and refining spiritual energy here. The inner walls of the passage still retained a faint spiritual Spiritual Qi from the mineral veins, which could cleverly conceal the aura of immortals and led directly to the Gobi Desert outside the mountain. At this moment, his immortal power surged slightly in his palm, and the ancient vines wrapped around the entrance of the secret passage seemed to have gained sentience, automatically parting to both sides to reveal a dark passage that could only accommodate one person. Before bending down to enter the secret passage, he raised his hand and flicked out a wisp of extremely faint Wood Attribute Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Qi landed on the ancient vines and merged with the aura of the plants themselves, completely concealing any traces that the entrance of the secret passage had been touched. Even if the demonic detective's demonic sense swept over it, he would only think it was an ordinary mountain vine.
The secret passage Black Tide. Water droplets condensed on the rock walls occasionally dripped down, making a "tap-tap" sound in the empty passage, echoing clearly and continuously. Ren Xiaoyao activated the Tai Chi Immortal Method, and a faint golden light slowly appeared in his eyes—the spiritual sense of Golden Immortal cultivator far surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator. Even in complete darkness, it was enough to penetrate a three-zhang-thick rock wall. At this moment, his spiritual sense spread out like a searchlight, and every rock and every crack in the passage was clearly presented in his mind. He moved extremely fast, yet always remained light. When his feet landed on the ground, they only lightly touched the dust, without stirring up a single speck of dust. The silence in the secret passage seemed never to be broken—he knew that the demonic scout's demonic sense was extremely strong. Even leaving a trace of Immortal Essence or a strange sound could allow the other party to track him down, making it difficult to escape.
Half an hour later, Ren Xiaoyao emerged from the other end of the secret passage. Outside was the Gobi Desert beyond the Ten Directions Sect. The howling wind swept through the sand, carrying the dry air unique to the Border Wasteland of the Immortal Realm. The distant sand dunes gleamed a pale yellowish-brown in the dim morning light, stretching as far as the eye could see. He raised his hand to wipe away the few specks of dust on his face, his fingertips flicking with immortal power to shake off all the sand from his clothes. Then he looked eastward—there was a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Qi there. Although it was far less dense and rich than that of the core areas of the Immortal Realm (such as the South Heaven Gate and the Jade Pool Fairyland), it was several times stronger than that of the Ten Directions Sect. Moreover, the Spiritual Qi energy contained a faint Demon-Bane intent, which was the direction of the Yun Miao Sect that he had sensed earlier.
He dared not linger. His toes lightly touched the pebbles of the Gobi Desert, and his figure instantly transformed into a pale golden afterimage. Pure Yang Immortal Energy condensed into a thin layer of Immortal Mist beneath his feet, propelling him swiftly across the Gobi. The pebbles beneath his feet were gently swept away by the force of the Immortal Mist, leaving not even a clear footprint. Only a faint wisp of immortal wind swept past him, only to be instantly dispersed by the Gobi sandstorm, completely erasing any trace of his progress.
Two days later, at dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, the outline of the Yun Miao Sect came into view. This sect was nestled between two connected immortal mountains, its main peak, "Yun Miao Peak," soaring into the clouds. A light mist swirled around its midsection, and occasionally, Immortal Crane would glide through the mist, emitting clear cries. At the Foot of the Mountain stood a three-zhang-tall white jade archway, carved entirely from Kunlun Jade from the Western Regions. The Demon Suppressing Runes- suppressing runes. The runes flowed smoothly, vaguely forming the prototype of an Ancient Demon-Breaking Formation. In the morning light, the runes shimmered with a faint golden light—these were Immortal Pattern personally inscribed by Golden Immortal cultivators. Each rune contained pure Purifying Power, constantly radiating a pressure that suppressed demonic energy. Ordinary Devil Creature, let alone approaching the Yun Miao Sect's gate, would be terrified and their souls would fly away even a hundred zhang away from the archway.
Ren Xiaoyao slowed his pace, straightened his slightly worn coarse cloth robe, and tucked his loose hair behind his ear, trying to make himself look like an ordinary wandering Rogue Cultivator. Just as he was about to walk towards the archway, he suddenly heard a very faint whooshing sound behind him—the sound was as light as the wind blowing through his hair. If it weren't for his keen intuition honed by thousands of years of Immortal-Demon Great Battle as Golden Immortal cultivator, he would not have been able to detect it at all.
"Not good!" Almost instinctively, he turned to the side, his body swaying like a willow branch in a gentle breeze, drifting several feet to the left. The instant he moved, a jet-black Demonic Threads grazed his shoulder, landing with a "whoosh" on a nearby rock. The moment the Demonic Threads touched the rock, it began to corrode violently, like molten iron in scorching demonic flames. Black smoke rose, and a pungent, fishy stench filled the air. A Black Hole, about half a foot deep, quickly appeared in the rock, the rubble at Black Hole edge continuously Demonic Qi Erosion, turning into black powder. Even more terrifying, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was distorted and corrupted by the demonic energy, the once clear Spiritual Qi becoming murky, as if stained with ink.
"Fellow Daoist Yun Xiao, you hid quite quickly." A hoarse voice came from the nearby woods, and the gray-robed undercover agent slowly emerged. The gentle smile on his face had vanished, and the Demonic Intent in his eyes surged like a tangible substance, as if black mist flowed in his pupils; his once fair fingertips were now wrapped in Demonic Qi, which condensed in his palm into a Demonic Vortex the size of a fingernail. The Demonic Vortex continuously devoured the surrounding Spiritual Qi, making the air thick and viscous, and each breath carried a bone-chilling cold.
Ren Xiaoyao straightened up, the golden-white immortal light in his palm quietly gathering, but he did not release it outwards. His face did not show the slightest panic. He simply looked at the other party calmly. "Your Excellency following me for several days, chasing me all the way from the Ten Directions Sect to here. Now you are finally willing to reveal yourself?" He deliberately concealed the unique pressure of Golden Immortal, only releasing spiritual pressure comparable to that of an ordinary sect cultivator, so as not to expose his identity too early. He did not know the attitude of the Yun Miao Sect towards Golden Immortal cultivators, nor did he want to attract unnecessary suspicion because of his special identity, and he did not want the demon spies to know that he still had the strength to fight.
The undercover agent sneered, and the Demonic Vortex at his fingertips suddenly expanded, instantly increasing to over ten feet in diameter. Amidst the surging demonic energy, faint black Demonic Runes flickered within—the "Soul Devouring Mark" unique to the Demon Realm, specifically used to erode a cultivator's soul. "The Ninth Ancestor wants your Immortal's Soul. Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, it's useless. If you know what's good for you, surrender, and I might let you die a quick death; if you resist, the feeling of that soul-chasing power tearing apart Immortal's Soul is not something an ordinary person can endure—even if you were once Golden Immortal, now your immortal power is greatly diminished, you're nothing more than a broken-winged Immortal Bird, no match for me at all!"
"You cowardly demon cub, how dare you speak ill of immortals?" A cold glint flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. The golden-white immortal light in his palm suddenly surged, dazzling like two small suns. Yin and Yang Energy intertwined before him, forming a Tai Chi Phantom about ten feet in diameter. The phantom slowly rotated, radiating a rich purifying immortal power. The turbid air around him, polluted by demonic energy, instantly became fresh and clear. Even the remaining demonic marks on the ground slowly dissipated under the shroud of immortal power, turning into wisps of black smoke, which were absorbed into the Tai Chi Phantom and completely purified. "You've been lurking in the immortal Immortal Realm for a hundred years, pretending to be a hypocrite for a hundred years, deceiving countless cultivators with your disguise. Today, I'll show you that the power of immortals is far beyond what Devil Cultivator like you can contend with!"
Before he finished speaking, his figure flashed, appearing as if by Teleport about ten feet in front of the spy. The Immortal Blade Tai Chi Phantom instantly split into two sharp immortal Immortal Blade. The blades were formed entirely of golden and white immortal light, with a faint crimson-gold hue surrounding their edges—the aura of Pure Yang Immortal Energy within his dantian. Even with only sixty percent restored, they still carried the unique Demon-Bane pressure of Golden Immortal as they slashed towards the spy. Wherever the Immortal Blade passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a "humming" immortal sound, clear yet carrying an irresistible majesty. The pebbles on the ground were kicked up by the force of the Immortal Blade, scattering to both sides. Even the trees in the surrounding forest were slightly bent by the immortal power, their leaves rustling as if trembling in the face of the Immortal Blade ' power.
The undercover agent's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Ren Xiaoyao's immortal power to be so much stronger than the intelligence reports. According to the intelligence from the Demon Realm, Ren Xiaoyao had been ambushed by the Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm during the battle in the Cave Heaven, severely damaging his immortal power to less than 30%, making it extremely difficult for him to even maintain his Golden Immortal Realm. Yet, the power of this Immortal Blade before him had clearly recovered to over 60%, and its Demon-Bane attribute was extremely strong, far exceeding his expectations. He dared not be careless and quickly took out the Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman from his robes, frantically injecting demonic energy into it from his fingertips. The talisman instantly unfolded in the air, transforming into a black talisman paper about ten feet in size. The Demonic Runes on the talisman paper writhed like living beings, each Demonic Runes radiating a bone-chilling cold. Countless fine Demonic Threads shot out from the talisman paper, raining down on the Immortal Blade Immortal Blade, attempting to block its attack.
With a deafening roar, demonic energy and immortal power collided violently in mid-air, the shockwave spreading outwards. The surrounding bushes were uprooted, sending soil flying into the distance; a shallow trench, about a foot deep, split open in the ground, the bottom still lingering with the lingering Immortal and Demonic Power. The two forces clashed and sizzled, occasionally punctuated by sparks. The undercover agent used the force of the shockwave to retreat several steps, regaining his footing. His fingertips rapidly formed hand seals, and he chanted obscure demonic incantations, the chants carrying a thick, bloody stench, as if countless wronged souls were howling. "Soul-Chasing Power, Condensate!"
As he chanted the incantation, the Demonic Runes on the Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman suddenly lit up, and black demonic light gathered together like a tide, transforming into a pitch-black demonic claw about ten feet in size in the air. The claw was covered with fine demonic scales, each scale shimmering with an eerie red light, and the claw tip was surrounded by a dense power of soul-chasing. Even though Ren Xiaoyao deliberately concealed his aura by using his Immortal Method, he could clearly feel that his Immortal's Soul was firmly locked, and even the flow of Immortal Essence became sluggish—this Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman could actually lock onto an immortal's original soul, which was even more troublesome than he had expected. It was obviously Demon Realm artifact specially crafted by the Demon Realm to deal with Golden Immortal cultivators.
"I've long heard that the Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman can lock onto the soul, and seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation." Ren Xiaoyao remained calm and composed. He took a deep breath, and the Pure Yang Immortal Energy within his dantian surged forth like a tide, flowing through his immortal Immortal Vein Tai Chi Phantom in front of him. In an instant, a dazzling crimson-gold hue appeared within the originally golden and white Tai Chi Phantom, and the phantom's rotation speed suddenly increased, transforming into a golden immortal vortex with a diameter of about ten feet. The vortex emitted a strong purifying immortal power, like a giant whirlpool, drawing towards the demonic claws.
"Sizzle--" The moment the demonic claw touched the golden celestial vortex, it emitted a piercing sound. The black demonic energy was like ice and snow encountering raging fire, quickly melted and dissipated by the Purifying Power within the celestial vortex. Even the demonic scales on the claw shattered inch by inch under the erosion of the celestial might, turning into black powder. The undercover agent's face turned deathly pale. He could clearly feel the demonic energy he had injected into the claw draining away at a visible rate. If this continued, not only would the power of the demonic talisman be exhausted by the celestial power, but even his own Demonic Essence would be forcibly devoured by the celestial vortex. At that point, let alone taking Ren Xiaoyao's soul, he himself might be completely annihilated.
"Since you refuse to surrender, then let's perish together!" A ruthless glint flashed in the undercover agent's eyes. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black demonic blood—his natal demonic blood accumulated over a hundred years of cultivation, containing extremely strong Demonic Might. The demonic blood landed on the Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman, and the Demonic Runes on the talisman instantly turned blood red. The size of the talisman also surged to more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters). Amidst the surging demonic energy, the roars of countless Demonic Soul could be faintly heard. These Demonic Soul souls were the souls of cultivators he had devoured, and now, driven by the demonic blood, they appeared exceptionally ferocious. "Soul-Chasing God-Extinguishing!" he roared, his voice becoming shrill with excitement. He pointed his finger at Ren Xiaoyao, and the Demonic Runes patterns on the talisman instantly condensed into a pitch-black Demonic Pillar. The Demonic Pillar was about ten zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) thick, with countless struggling Demonic Soul wrapped around its body, interspersed with countless tiny Black Runes — the Immortal's Soul, carrying an aura of world-destroying destruction, shooting towards Ren Xiaoyao's face.
Ren Xiaoyao's pupils contracted slightly. He could clearly sense that the power contained within this Demonic Pillar was several times stronger than before. Wherever the Demonic Pillar passed, even space seemed to be distorted, and the Spiritual Qi in the air was completely drained, leaving only dense demonic energy. If he were struck by this Demonic Pillar, even with the protection of Yin and Yang Energy, his Immortal's Soul would be severely damaged, and he might even fall directly from the Golden Immortal Realm, becoming a mere Mortals and unable to cultivate anymore.
He dared not be careless in the slightest. His hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals, his fingertips shimmering with divine light. He chanted the core Mnemonic of the Tai Chi Immortal Method, his voice steady and powerful. "Yin and Yang Yin and Yang Mutual Generation, Heaven and Earth form a shield!"
As he Mnemonic, the golden celestial vortex in front of him suddenly contracted, transforming into a palm-sized yin- Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant. The pendant floated in front of his chest, its surface runes shimmering with golden and white celestial light. As the runes flowed, a semi-transparent Immortal Barrier spread out from the pendant, protecting his entire body within it—this was the unique Natal Immortal Shield of Golden Immortal cultivator, condensed from his own Immortal Essence and the Tai Chi Profound Meaning. Even using only 60% of his immortal power, it was enough to withstand a full-force attack from an ordinary Devil Cultivator.
At the same time, he crushed the Qi Condensing Grass leaves in his sleeve. The Spiritual Qi in the grass leaves and the Pure Yang Immortal Energy quickly merged in his palm, transforming into a crimson-gold immortal Immortal Sword Qi. Although this Sword Qi was only a low-level Immortal Method, it condensed 60% of his pure Pure Yang Immortal Energy. Moreover, after being neutralized by the Spiritual Qi of the Qi Condensing Grass, its aura became exceptionally restrained, yet it carried the unique Demon-Bane attribute of Golden Immortal, enough to break through the defense of the Demonic Pillar.
"Bang—" The moment the crimson-gold Immortal Sword Qi collided with the pitch-black Demonic Pillar, the world seemed to fall silent for a moment, even the sound of the wind vanished. Then, a shockwave several times stronger than before spread outwards from the point of impact, shattering the surrounding rocks into countless fragments; dust filled the air, enveloping the figures of the two, and even the white jade archway of the Yun Miao Sect in the distance trembled slightly. The Demon Suppressing Runes on the archway sensed the intense Demonic Might, their light becoming even more dazzling. The golden runes seemed to come alive, rapidly circulating on the archway, forming an invisible barrier to block the invasion of demonic energy.
As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the Soul Chasing Talisman Sub-Talisman was revealed to be covered with spiderweb-like cracks. The black talisman paper drifted slowly through the air like withered leaves, turning to ash the moment it touched the air, leaving not a trace of demonic energy, as if it had never existed. The undercover agent coughed up demonic blood, staggered back several steps, his face as pale as paper, demonic blood constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth, and the Demonic Runes on his body had become dull and lifeless. The surging demonic energy had now dissipated like a receding tide, leaving only wisps of faint demonic breath lingering around his body.
He stared at Ren Xiaoyao in disbelief, his voice trembling noticeably, his eyes filled with fear and resentment. "You... how could your Pure Yang Immortal Energy recover so quickly? The intelligence said that after the battle in the Cave Heaven, your immortal power was less than 30%, and you were almost unable to maintain your Golden Immortal Realm. How could you still have such strong power?"
Ren Xiaoyao did not answer. He slowly walked towards the undercover agent, the Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant in his palm still shimmering, emanating immortal power like an invisible immortal rope, firmly binding the undercover agent—the immortal might of Golden Immortal inherently has a suppressive power against Devil Cultivator. Even if the opponent had been lying low for a hundred years and possessed profound Demonic Essence, they would be powerless to resist his immortal might and could only submit to the binding power of immortality. "The Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm sent you here to die, so you should be prepared to die." His voice was calm and undisturbed, yet it carried the unique majesty of an immortal, making even the surrounding air solemn, as if even heaven and earth trembled at his words.
"No! I can't die! Ninth Ancestor is waiting for me to bring your Immortal's Soul back to claim the reward!" The undercover agent struggled to resist, trying to mobilize the remaining Demonic Essence within his body, but found that his body was tightly bound by immortal power, unable to move even a finger. The Demonic Essence within his body was suppressed by the immortal might, unable to flow, like frozen ice. A trace of despair flashed in his eyes as he watched Ren Xiaoyao condense crimson-gold immortal Immortal Sword Qi at his fingertips once again. The Demon-Bane aura on that Sword Qi grew stronger and stronger, causing his Demonic Soul to tremble incessantly, as if it would be purified by the Sword Qi in the next second.
"Pfft—" The crimson-gold Immortal Sword Qi pierced through the undercover agent's brow instantly, without the slightest resistance. The moment the Sword Qi entered his body, it transformed into countless tiny Immortal Fire, spreading throughout the undercover agent's body like wildfire. These Immortal Fire carried pure yang power, and wherever they passed, the Demonic Essence within the undercover agent's body melted instantly, like ice and snow encountering the scorching sun; even the Demonic Soul hidden in his sea of consciousness let out a mournful howl under the burning of the Immortal Fire, being purified and dissipated inch by inch, leaving no possibility of reincarnation.
The undercover agent froze on the spot, the fear and resentment in his eyes gradually solidifying before quickly losing their luster. His body slumped to the ground, the Demonic Runes on his skin completely fading under the residual warmth of the Immortal Fire, leaving not even a trace of a Devil Cultivator. He seemed to have simply collapsed as an ordinary cultivator whose lifespan had run out. Only the pool of still-smoldering black demonic blood on the ground retained a faint fishy smell, but even that was completely wiped away by the purifying immortal energy in the air moments later.
Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the undercover agent's corpse, slowly withdrawing the immortal light from his palm. The Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant transformed into a stream of light, re-merging into his dantian. He raised a hand to rub his temples—the attack had severely injured the Devil Cultivator, but it had also consumed nearly twenty percent of his Pure Yang Immortal Energy, slowing the flow of Immortal Essence within his dantian. He knew that killing this undercover agent was only a temporary solution to the crisis. The Nine Ancestors of the Demon Realm were meticulous; since they could send an undercover agent to infiltrate the Immortal Realm for a hundred years, they must have left some kind of connection on the agent. Once the undercover agent died, the Ninth Ancestor would definitely detect it immediately, and would certainly send even stronger Devil Cultivator to hunt him down, perhaps even personally intervening.