Dao Yao Conspiracy, Part 1

"What business do you have with me, fellow Daoist? I don't think we've ever met. We have no quarrel, so your words are rather impolite," Zhou Qing frowned, deliberately trying to play dumb. In his heart, however, he was frantically searching for a solution.

"Spare me the nonsense, brat! Hand over the Gouchen Heavenly Book and the secret techniques for the Twelve Divine Demon Annihilation Formation, and I, the Old Ancestor, will spare your life. Otherwise, I'll shatter your primordial body and let your soul suffer the torment of hellfire for eternity, never to be reincarnated." Xuan Yuan Dharma King made no apparent move, yet the entire space instantly froze. Zhou Qing found it difficult to even breathe.

What a formidable being. He can control the entire space without even moving. I fear even the Five Grandmasters combined wouldn't be his match! How could such a powerful Yao appear in this world? Zhou Qing's vision darkened. He sighed, realizing his good fortune had finally run out.

Under Xuan Yuan Dharma King's pressure, Zhou Qing's aura uncontrollably surged. With a roar, his shirt ripped apart. Similar to Liao Xiaojin's transformation, two wings, over a zhang long and three feet wide, appeared behind him. These wings were as thin as cicada wings but shimmered with golden light. This was the result of Zhou Qing forcefully merging the Primordial Spirit Golden Silkworm with his main body, a mutation.

With a powerful flap of his immense wings, Zhou Qing, unfazed by his transformation, wore a grave expression. A black, ancient, and unadorned blade, over a zhang long, appeared from the void, completely unlike the previous blood-red and eerie Blood-Devouring Divine Saber. Zhou Qing snatched it into his hand. Instantly, Zhou Qing's aura surged outwards. Crack! Crack! With a few light sounds, the space that Xuan Yuan Dharma King had sealed was restored to its original state. Zhou Qing had used the divine saber's power to break through Xuan Yuan Dharma King's seal in one fell swoop.

"Your Daoist magic is peerless, Senior. If you intend to rob a junior of their possessions, though I am no match for you, I will still fight with all my might. Do not speak those words again. They wouldn't have fooled anyone hundreds of years ago!" With the saber in hand, Zhou Qing's confidence soared, his aura not at a disadvantage as he spoke eloquently.

"Senior's lines are a bit dated, aren't they!" Hearing Xuan Yuan Dharma King launch into such a classic monologue, even Zhou Qing, facing a formidable enemy, couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and disbelief.

Xuan Yuan Dharma King's face flushed rarely, showing his discomfort. In his past battles, whether against members of the Daoist Sect or Yaos and Mos, he would always deliver such a speech, which he found quite imposing. He never expected that times had changed, his words were no longer popular, and had instead become a laughingstock.

Xuan Yuan Dharma King chuckled, "Well said, you sharp-tongued brat!" He suddenly noticed Zhou Qing's bizarre transformation and couldn't help but be stunned. His eyes shot out sharp beams of light, fixing on Zhou Qing as he asked doubtfully, "Green Robe's Six-Winged Golden Silkworm? I knew long ago you had cultivated a Second Primordial Spirit, but I never imagined you would use a living creature as a magical artifact. Such a wondrous technique exists in the world! That Golden Silkworm is about to evolve to four wings. Back then, Green Robe used so much human blood and souls without evolving this quickly. You must have obtained some heavenly treasure. What a pity, even this is not enough to contend with me, the Old Ancestor. Just obediently comply and hand over the items before I change my mind!" Xuan Yuan Dharma King was confident he had Zhou Qing firmly in his grasp and feared no variables. He failed to notice the ancient, dark, and unadorned Blood-Devouring Divine Saber in Zhou Qing's hand.

Ever since the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber had expelled the energy of the Seven Treasures Mystical Tree Staff, its sharpness had been contained, and it had fully recovered its original color, showing no peculiarities. This caused Xuan Yuan Dharma King to misjudge it for a moment, failing to notice this ancient demonic saber that had shone brilliantly during the Investiture of the Gods war.

"Senior's cultivation is profound, and naturally, you do not take a junior like me seriously. However, if I do not resist with all my might, wouldn't that be looking down on me, Senior? The items you desire are in my hands. If you wish to take them, it depends on whether you can convince me wholeheartedly!" With his mind immersed in the saber's body, Zhou Qing carefully felt the profound mysteries of the Twelve Divine Demon Annihilation Formation. He gained a new understanding of this top killing formation of the Demonic Dao, his confidence greatly increasing. This old monster of an antique wouldn't have good intentions. He likely wouldn't let me go after taking the items; he'd probably kill me after taking them. Besides, the Gouchen Heavenly Book isn't even with me.

Zhou Qing had coincidentally just entered the path of the Union of Heaven and Man, gaining a slight understanding of the heavenly heart. His state of mind had greatly improved, and his spiritual power had also soared. He could now control the True Essence transformed by the Primordial Spirit Golden Silkworm with greater ease and agility. Previously obscure points were now clear, and his mind was bright. He was confident that the chance of the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber backfiring had significantly decreased. Facing this unfathomable opponent, he was completely fearless, his aura and tone not at a disadvantage.

"The brat is indeed impressive. Knowing he's no match for me, the Old Ancestor, yet daring to challenge me. He does have a bit of my old demeanor. However, although I appreciate you, if you don't hand over the items, I'll have to search your corpse." Xuan Yuan Dharma King nodded. Without any visible action, a beam of bloody light shot out from behind him. The blood-red light, as thick as a bucket, transformed into a colossal palm, about ten zhang in size, and fiercely grabbed towards Zhou Qing. The space distorted, all colors lost their hue, leaving only a faint red, which bore some resemblance to the scene when Zhou Qing's Blood-Devouring Divine Saber activated. The only difference was that the momentum was not as grand, and the bloody light was not as viscous.

Zhou Qing looked at the giant blood-red hand slowly descending from the void, his expression grave. For cultivators, manifesting physical forms from their Primordial Spirit and True Essence was not difficult. Any expert at the Spirit Transmutation stage could achieve it. Even cultivators in the Qi Induction Late Stage could barely manage it with certain secret arts, with varying degrees of power and might. Zhou Qing was confident that his Primordial Spirit manifesting a large hand would not be much smaller than this blood-red hand.

Crack, crack! With a few faint sounds like cracking eggs, several Falling Devil formations that Zhou Qing had secretly set up around him were completely shattered by the invisible pressure. The wails of ten thousand ghosts and mournful cries reached his ears. Zhou Qing saw that the giant blood-red hand slowly pressing down was faintly surrounded by vengeful spirits. Streams of black energy gathered and dispersed between its fingers, and countless human-like faces filled with pain, ferocity, despair, and fear flickered in and out of existence.

This fellow is truly audacious, using living souls to refine demonic arts. Judging by the momentum, there must be thousands of souls within. As expected of an ancient demon, his actions are lawless, disregarding all heavenly principles and human decency. Zhou Qing marveled inwardly.

Living souls were different from ordinary souls. They were obtained by capturing people and torturing them until their resentment reached its peak, then forcibly extracting their souls using soul-searching techniques. Magical artifacts and arts refined with such living souls were the most vicious and powerful in the world, specifically designed to counter the profound techniques of the Daoist Sect. However, they were also extremely difficult to refine and prone to exposure. As soon as someone from the Demonic or Yao paths refined them, they would often be hunted down by members of the Daoist Sect. Even their own kind would try to seize them. Therefore, for thousands of years, few had gathered so many living souls. Xuan Yuan Dharma King was clearly preparing for a swift kill and didn't want to waste any more words.