The Demons Gather; Land of the Ancient God

"Pfft!"

Before long, Wang Qingyue came flying back, coughing up blood.

He could not even defeat a single clone that was a realm higher than his own; provoking four of them naturally resulted in nothing but a brutal beating.

Wang Qingyue wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked, "Old fellow, when are we going in?"

"We are still waiting for others."

Duanmu Ji replied.

Qin Hao looked toward the distance and said, "They are here."

"Whoosh!"

No sooner had he spoken than a streak of Flowing Light descended from afar, transforming into an Elder.

This Elder was tall and thin, holding a horsetail whisk, giving off an air of refined, otherworldly grace.

The moment he appeared, he frowned. "Duanmu Ji, why are there so many people?"

"Ancient Emperor!"

Duanmu Ji said, "This Fellow Daoist Wang Qingyue can help us pass the Earth Element Pass, Fellow Daoist Qin can assist us in breaking through the second pass, and the remaining Young Friend Wang possesses the Death Curse Technique, which will play a vital role in the third pass!"

After speaking, he secretly transmitted his voice to Qin Hao and the others: "This is Gulan, but we call him the Ancient Emperor. His cultivation is even stronger than this Old Man's. He appears to be a righteous cultivator, but in reality, he has committed countless slaughters and is a famous arch-demon of the Inner Sea."

Qin Hao took a deep look at the Ancient Emperor. This old fellow was the most well-hidden of them all; his cultivation seemed ordinary, but in truth, he was stronger than any of the other Demon Lords.

"Boom!"

A roar echoed, and another Dragon Boat appeared on the horizon.

Standing at its prow was a handsome man in red robes.

Behind the man stood a youth who looked to be about twenty years old.

The handsome man in red said with a detached expression, "It is quite lively this time!"

"Six Desires Demon Lord, it seems that in the thousand years we haven't met, your cultivation has improved quite a bit!"

Duanmu Ji narrowed his eyes; he could feel the formidable power of the other's cultivation.

The Six Desires Demon Lord glanced at the group, and when his gaze fell upon Qin Hao, he could not help but reveal a hint of solemnity.

He could sense an aura on Qin Hao that even he found dangerous.

"Now we are just missing Meng Tuozi."

The Six Desires Demon Lord said, "I heard that Meng Tuozi offended a branch of the Giant Demon Clan in a Level 4 Cultivation Nation and has been hunted by the Ten War Devils for three hundred years. I wonder if he managed to survive."

"Speaking of the Giant Demon Clan, I heard from a senior in the Tiangang Kingdom that the headquarters of the Giant Demon Clan's Level 5 Cultivation Nation suddenly activated their Nation-Protecting Grand Formation, strictly forbidding anyone from entering or leaving!"

Wang Qingyue said in a deep voice, "I don't know what kind of incident occurred, but it looks quite serious."

Qin Hao's expression shifted; he guessed it was caused by the fall of the Giant Demon Clan Old Ancestor.

The Giant Demon Clan branches on the Vermilion Bird Star had long since declined.

After the Giant Demon Clan Old Ancestor was slain by him, the clan did not even have a single Infant Transformation Expert left.

If they could not produce another Infant Transformation Cultivator in a short time, the Giant Demon Clan might even fall from being a Level 4 Cultivation Nation.

The Giant Demon Clan had been quite overbearing in the past; once they fell, it would inevitably invite the covetous eyes of other Level 4 and Level 5 Cultivation Nations.

"Heh heh heh, even if this Old Man dies, I will drag the entire Giant Demon Clan Level 4 branch down with me to the grave!"

A hoarse voice arrived, and a giant green toad, several dozen feet tall, appeared.

Every time this toad leaped, it would teleport a vast distance; after only two leaps, it landed beside the group.

"Boom!"

It landed heavily on the ground like a small mountain, causing the earth to tremble violently.

Sitting cross-legged on the toad was a green-robed, hunchbacked Elder.

He had triangular eyes, a sharp mouth, and monkey-like cheeks, his face covered in pustules that emitted a foul stench.

Meng Tuozi stroked the pustules on his face and let out a sinister, cackling laugh: "Those old immortals of the Giant Demon Clan were all poisoned to death by me over these past three hundred years. If it weren't for the need to enter the Land of the Ancient God, I would have certainly wiped out their entire clan!"

As he spoke, he stepped off the giant toad's tongue and walked down slowly.

"Pfft!"

The Ancient Emperor rolled his eyes and said, "The Giant Demon Clan of a Level 4 Cultivation Nation is merely a branch. If you truly wiped them out, you would be hunted by the Giant Demon Clan of a Level 5 Cultivation Nation—that is a force our entire Demon Cultivation Sea cannot afford to offend."

Meng Tuozi curled his lip and flicked his large sleeve. The giant toad immediately shrank in size, becoming the size of a palm, and landed on his shoulder.

The Six Desires Demon Lord frowned. "Meng Tuozi, a thousand years have passed, and the stench on you is only getting worse."

Meng Tuozi glared at him and said, "Old scoundrel, others may fear your Six Desires Demon Art, but this Old Man does not!"

The two stared at each other, and violent spiritual energy began to surge between them.

"Enough, let's just hurry up and activate the formation to enter!"

Duanmu Ji interjected, fearing that the two would start fighting on the spot.

"Hmph!"

Six Desires Demon Lord let out a cold snort and immediately stepped forward, casting a series of hand seals toward the Teleportation Array.

From time to time, he would take out various materials and integrate them into the structure.

Soon, he finished modifying the Teleportation Array and said to the group, "According to our agreement, Old Man shall provide four Supreme Grade Spirit Stones this time!"

He slapped his Storage Bag and produced four of them.

Duanmu Ji, Ancient Emperor, and Meng Tuozi each took out two stones with expressions of reluctance.

A total of ten Supreme Grade Spirit Stones finally activated the array completely.

"Enter!"

Following a roar from Six Desires Demon Lord, the group of eight stepped into the array.

"Hum!"

The next moment, a violent pillar of spiritual energy surged, and the group vanished.

When they reappeared, they had already crossed the Shattered Star Chaos and arrived on a vast plain.

Directly in front of them stood an oval-shaped ring of light.

Ancient Emperor glanced at the restrictions outside the light ring and said, "The seal has not been broken, which means no one has entered for a thousand years."

Meng Tuozi asked, "How shall we distribute the treasures we obtain?"

"It is too early to discuss that; let us wait until we have passed the third trial!"

Duanmu Ji spoke indifferently.

Once Ancient Emperor opened the seal, the group filed into the oval light ring.

Upon entering, Qin Hao found that this place was very similar to the Extinction Realm located behind the Outer Realm Battlefield.

Everything was pitch black, with numerous giant boulders floating and drifting slowly through the void.

After entering, each person claimed a boulder for themselves.

"What is that?"

Wang Qingyue exclaimed.

The group looked downward, where two lanterns several feet in size were glowing.

But if one looked closely, they would realize those were actually a pair of pupils—bloodthirsty pupils.

Meng Tuozi said in a deep voice, "At the very least, this is a Desolate Beast equivalent to the Grand Perfection of God Transformation!"

"Ignore it!"

Six Desires Demon Lord said, "We were able to pass through safely a thousand years ago; as long as we do not provoke it, there should be no problem."

Following this, the group began to sprint rapidly across the floating boulders.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the void, and a purple-red Flood Dragon thousands of feet long emerged from behind them, lunging to devour the group.

It opened its maw and spat out a stream of black smoke; wherever it passed, every giant boulder was completely melted.

Meng Tuozi took a sharp breath, inhaling the black smoke. The hump on his back grew higher and higher, and more and more pustules appeared on his body.

Ancient Emperor summoned a large bell and attacked the Flood Dragon. Ripples of energy struck one after another, preventing the beast from advancing.

Just then, the Flood Dragon opened its mouth, unleashing a violent suction force. A red light suddenly surged from within, directly sweeping the bell away.

Ancient Emperor realized he had lost his connection to his magical treasure.

"Return my treasure!"

Seeing this, Ancient Emperor roared and gave chase directly into the distance.

As for Meng Tuozi, lost in his own thoughts, he followed closely behind.

"How boring!"

Qin Hao knew that Ancient Emperor was putting on an act, and that Meng Tuozi was merely after the Flood Dragon's Poison Marrow.

"Forget it, I might as well head to the true first trial and wait there!"

He quietly slipped away from the group and headed forward.