Ghost Chariot's death had cost the Demon Clan one of its leading generals.
But it had also delivered a resounding slap across the face of the entire Demon Court!
Someone had actually dared to kill a Demon Saint of the Demon Clan in broad daylight in the Great Wilderness!
If they did not avenge this, what would become of the Demon Court's authority?
Solar True Fire flickered around Eastern Emperor Taiyi. The phantom of the Chaos Bell drifted above his head, giving off a low hum that reflected its master's equally turbulent emotions.
Just as silence and fury entwined in the hall,
"Your Majesty!"
a slightly panicked voice rang out from beyond the hall.
A flash of white light followed, and Demon Saint Bai Ze stumbled into the hall.
He was renowned for his wisdom and composure, but now his face was filled with shock and disbelief. He had even forgotten his usual manners.
"Your Majesty! Eastern Emperor!"
Bai Ze's voice was hurried, with a tremor in it.
"Ghost Chariot... Ghost Chariot's Soul Fire has gone out!"
He held an ancient-looking Bronze Lamp in his hands.
The flame inside had gone out completely, leaving only a wisp of smoke that slowly dissipated.
According to the Demon Court's rules, anyone who reached the Daluo Golden Immortal realm had to leave behind a wisp of their Natal Soul Fire.
A strong Soul Fire meant its owner was safe and sound.
A wavering Soul Fire meant its owner was in danger.
And when the Soul Fire went out completely, as it had now, it meant the owner's body and spirit had been destroyed, and their True Spirit had dispersed!
During his routine inspection, Bai Ze had noticed the abnormal state of Ghost Chariot's Soul Fire at a glance. That was why he had hurried over to report it.
But when he looked up and saw the grim expressions on Di Jun's face upon the throne and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's beside him, he immediately understood.
Of course. With the two Your Majesties' transcendent cultivation, they must have sensed Ghost Chariot's death before he had.
"Your Majesty... about this matter..."
Bai Ze steadied himself, trying to say something.
Di Jun raised a hand to interrupt him, his sharp gaze fixed on the extinguished Soul Lamp in Bai Ze's hands.
Di Jun's voice was low as he asked,
"Bai Ze, can you use what remains of this flame to trace the scene of Ghost Chariot's death?"
At once, every gaze in the hall turned to Bai Ze.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi looked over as well, golden flames flickering in his eyes.
This was one of the main reasons Di Jun had required every member of the Demon Clan above the Daluo Golden Immortal realm to leave behind their Soul Fire!
Bai Ze had been born with a divine ability to commune with all things and understand the past and present.
To a certain extent, he could use the traces and remnants of a living being's aura and soul to retrace their past fragments!
Bai Ze took a deep breath. The alarm on his face eased, replaced by intense concentration.
He bowed slightly.
"This subject will do his best."
He had no confidence that he would succeed.
Especially since the other party had been able to obscure the Heavenly Secret, leaving even Your Majesties unable to discern his origins. His strength had to be terrifying.
But this was their only lead in tracking down the culprit!
Bai Ze formed mysterious incantation seals with both hands. A hazy white light rose around him, and Dao Rhyme spread through the hall.
The wisp of smoke above the Soul Lamp, on the verge of dispersing, responded to his pull and slowly gathered together.
A blurry screen gradually unfolded in the empty space before Bai Ze.
At first, nothing could be made out.
The demons in the hall held their breath. Even Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi stared intently at the screen.
The scene in the screen slowly grew clearer.
It showed a blood-soaked valley, with the ground stained red and human corpses strewn everywhere!
In the middle of the scene, Ghost Chariot was laughing wildly.
Opposite him, a Primordial Unity Witch General, drenched in blood, staggered and fell toward a dark-red pool of blood on the ground.
At the sight, Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi furrowed their brows.
Ghost Chariot had been slaughtering the Human Race? And clashed with the Witch Clan?
That was hardly surprising. The Witch and Demon Clans were already bitter enemies, and their rank-and-file members were constantly skirmishing.
But no Primordial Unity Witch General alone could possibly have killed Ghost Chariot!
The crucial moment came next!
Just as the Witch General was about to fall into the blood pool, a green figure appeared without warning between Ghost Chariot and the Witch General!
It was as if he had been there all along, merged with heaven and earth, and had only now been captured by the lingering image of the Soul Fire.
But!
When Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi tried to make out the Green Clad Figure's face and aura, the scene in the screen turned utterly blurry!
An invisible haze seemed to shroud him, blocking all attempts to peer into him.
They could only make out the vague outline of a human figure. His appearance, cultivation, and origins were all impossible to discern!
Even the way he had appeared left no trace!
"Hmm?"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi's pupils contracted. He could not help letting out a startled exclamation.
Di Jun's expression darkened in an instant!
As expected!
Even by using Ghost Chariot's Natal Soul Fire to retrace the scene, they still could not see the culprit's true face!
No wonder the Heavenly Secret Deduction using the River Diagram and Luo Book had yielded nothing but Chaos!
This monster... was actually this powerful?
He could even interfere with the traces left behind?
"Can you make it any clearer?"
Di Jun's voice was icy, with a hint of unwillingness.
Fine beads of sweat had formed on Bai Ze's forehead. The white light around him wavered violently; he was clearly pushing himself to his limit.
"Your Majesty, this person's Dao Rhyme forms a barrier around him, cutting off all methods of divination. If I force the tracing, I fear the Soul Fire's remaining remnant will completely disperse..."
Just as the demons' hearts sank, and they thought the trail had ended there,
Bai Ze kept his eyes fixed on the subtle movements of the Green Clad Figure after he appeared in the screen. Suddenly, his eyes lit up!
"Your Majesty! Look!"
He spoke urgently and pointed to a corner of the screen.
"When this figure appeared, the Witch General had just fallen and was about to touch the human blood on the ground!"
"After appearing, his first action wasn't to attack Ghost Chariot. Instead... he waved his sleeve, lifted the Witch General up, and pulled him away from the pool of blood!"
Bai Ze spoke quickly, exhilaration in his voice as he revealed this crucial clue.
"Now look at Ghost Chariot!"
"Ghost Chariot was furious at this person's appearance, but his might inexplicably vanished once it came within three feet of him!"
"Then..."
In the screen, the blurry Green Clad Figure seemed to raise a hand.
The next moment, Ghost Chariot's massive Demon Saint body froze in place. Then... the scene abruptly ended. The screen shuddered violently and vanished with a pop.
The last wisp of smoke inside the Soul Lamp disappeared as well.
The tracing was over.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Bai Ze panted heavily, his face pale. The effort had clearly taken a great deal out of him.
But his eyes gleamed with wisdom as he looked at Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi and said gravely,
"Your Majesties, judging by all the evidence..."
"This person's strength is unfathomable. He is most likely... a Quasi-Saint Great Power!"
"It seems his motive for acting was... not simply to kill Ghost Chariot."
"It seems more likely that he acted because Ghost Chariot was slaughtering the Human Race and... deliberately making the Witch General come into contact with human blood!"
"Could it be that he cares greatly about preventing the Witch Clan from touching Human Race Blood?"
Bai Ze voiced the question that troubled him most.
"As for his identity, origins, and why he wanted to stop the Witch Clan from touching human blood..."
"This subject could neither trace nor deduce them."
He laid out all the information he had gathered, then lowered his head helplessly.
A mysterious powerhouse who might be a Quasi-Saint had acted because the Demon Clan was slaughtering humans—and because of one seemingly insignificant gesture—and instantly killed one of the Demon Clan's Demon Saints?
It sounded utterly absurd!
The Human Race?
That weak and helpless people created by Saintess Nuwa, struggling to survive in the Great Wilderness?
When had they ever had anything to do with a Quasi-Saint Great Power?
And why couldn't the Witch General be allowed to touch their blood?
The secret hidden behind all this was likely far more important than the loss of Ghost Chariot!
The golden flames in Di Jun's eyes slowly receded, replaced by a deep, unfathomable gleam.
He lightly tapped the armrest of the Demon Emperor's throne with his fingers. The dull, rhythmic knocks echoed through the silent hall.
"Bai Ze."
Di Jun spoke. His voice had regained its usual authority, but carried an unquestionable decisiveness.
"This subject is here." Bai Ze bowed.
"Go personally to the edge of the Witch Clan's territory and capture a Witch General."
Di Jun's tone was calm, as if he were giving an order about some trivial matter.
"Remember, bring him back alive. His strength need not be great; the Taiyi Realm will do."
"Yes!" Bai Ze accepted the order.
"Also,"
Di Jun turned his gaze toward the hall's entrance. It pierced through the layers of palace halls and reached the distant human tribes.
"Go to the East Sea Coast and bring back the blood essence of a hundred humans."
He paused, then added,
"Be discreet. Do not cause another disturbance."
"I want to see just what that hidden Quasi-Saint is trying to conceal!"
"What kind of secret is hidden in this blood!"
"This subject will obey!"
Bai Ze replied solemnly. His figure turned into a streak of white light and vanished from the hall.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi still wore a deeply furrowed brow. He looked at Di Jun.
"Elder Brother, do you think there's really something strange about human blood?"
Di Jun slowly rose to his feet, Emperor's Aura billowing around him.
"If not, how can you explain that Quasi-Saint's actions?"
"He wasn't merely saving someone. It was more like he was... preventing some information from getting out."
"Perhaps Ghost Chariot unwittingly touched on some crucial secret when he toyed with them."
"And that secret is hidden in the seemingly ordinary blood of the Human Race!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi stroked the Chaos Bell, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"If that's true... this secret must be in the hands of our Demon Clan!"
Di Jun nodded slightly, his gaze profound.
"Let us hope... it doesn't disappoint me."
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