A Gathering of Demons

White mist surged through the towering ancient forest like a rushing river, gradually thinning and dispersing.

A vast, dark mass of demons slowly emerged from the heavy fog.

Whoosh—

Demonic aura swept wantonly through the ancient trees like invisible blades, whipping fallen leaves into the sky.

The piercing clang of bronze gongs rang out in every direction.

Leading them was a group of weasel-headed, human-bodied creatures, more than a hundred strong. They wore earth-colored Daoist robes, held bronze gongs, danced and gestured wildly, baring their fangs. Every so often, they would fiercely strike the gongs in their hands.

These demons were known among the people as Yellow Immortals. They were not skilled in slaughter, but excelled at bewitching people. Even now, people in some remote mountain villages within Moat Dragon still suffered at their hands.

Behind the weasels came a group of white-bone spirits.

Most of them were women. Above their necks were ghastly pale faces, while below their necks lay nothing but stark white bones. Draped in silks and satins, they carried green lamps, terrible demonic aura rippling around them.

At the center of the white-bone spirit procession, a group of corpse zombies carried a crimson sedan chair with four corners. Its red silk curtains fluttered in the demon wind, revealing the woman within.

The woman reclined lazily inside, propping her head up with one hand, utterly at ease.

She wore only a thin white gauze robe. Her exposed skin was deathly pale, like a corpse that had been dead for years yet never decayed.

Her hair hung loose, her pupils completely black and deep as an abyss. The narrow corners of her eyes curved slightly, and a sinister smile hung on her face.

"White Bone Madam..."

On the mountaintop, Xu Yan's pupils contracted.

Beside him, Qin Nishang stared wide-eyed in stunned silence, scarcely daring to breathe.

White Bone Madam had already been a great demon scourging a thousand miles decades ago. Back when Xu Fei had entered the Wanderer of Mortal World realm and was in the prime of his life, even he had been unable to completely exterminate her. He could only drive her deep into Mang Mountain.

The demon horde passed by in an endless stream, stretching so far that its end could not be seen.

Terrifying demonic aura blotted out the sky and sun, forming howling gales that made even the clouds in the heavens tremble.

Demons, devils, ghosts, monsters—too many to count.

Painted Skin Ghosts, yakshas, centipede spirits, tiger ghosts, white fox demons, corpse zombie kings, merfolk from the cliffs of the Eastern Azure Sea...

Every demon, devil, ghost, and monster to be found in the Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains had come!

Before long, the ground seemed to tremble faintly.

Within the demon mist, the outlines of enormous monsters appeared once more. Such a terrifying presence could only belong to a Demon King who had walked the Great Dao!

The two held their breath. Xu Yan could feel Qin Nishang's delicate body trembling beside him as she clutched his arm tightly.

Xu Yan's palms were sweaty as well, his expression taut.

In such circumstances, even the slightest rustle would be instantly detected by those Demon Kings, given their cultivation.

Roar—

Several enormous mountain ogres let out low roars as they carried a black stone throne as high as a small hill forward step by step. The earth beneath their feet seemed to quake, dust filling the sky.

Upon that throne reclined a gigantic demon with a wolf's head and human body. Its eyes resembled crimson suns, and the chilling demonic aura it gave off was the strongest in the entire procession.

"Whistling Wind Demon King!"

Xu Yan was stunned. Even this demon had emerged from seclusion? What exactly were they planning? Could they be preparing to invade Great Yin Dynasty territory?

This wolf demon was known to all throughout Great Yin. Back when Emperor Jiaguang had risen to dominance in the Eastern Continent and expanded his territory, he had fought this demon in a battle that turned heaven and earth dark, sinking a thousand miles of land.

In the end, Emperor Jiaguang had relied on the imperial dragon aura of several Dragon Cities to force it back.

Later, the Whistling Wind Demon King had gone somewhere to recuperate and had never emerged again. Seeing him now left Xu Yan deeply astonished.

After the procession of Demon Kings passed, the rear was filled with countless lesser demons, dense as a locust swarm sweeping across the land.

Xu Yan swept his gaze over them. There had to be at least a hundred thousand—an endless black mass covering the mountains and plains, enough to make one's heart pound in terror.

It took two full hours for the enormous procession to pass.

Xu Yan and Qin Nishang's hearts raced. They exchanged a glance and let out a slight breath of relief.

Xu Yan then looked deep into the mountains behind them and listened keenly in every direction.

There, camps stretched one after another, brightly lit, while the clamor of demons rang out without end.

"Xu Yan... let's leave this place quickly," Qin Nishang said, her eyes trembling slightly. She no longer had the same fearless courage as before.

There had been seven or eight Demon Kings in the procession alone. Who knew whether there were other demon troops deep in the mountains?

If she still clamored about slaying demons and eliminating evil with her cultivation, that would not be bravery—it would mean water had gotten into her head.

"Two more hours until sunrise. Let's wait a little longer. It would be even better if we could hear the Emperor Bell ring," Xu Yan said after taking a deep breath.

Though the skies here were dark and sunless, with no sunlight falling through to distinguish day from night,

it was still far safer than leaving now.

Counting the hours in his heart, Xu Yan and Qin Nishang quietly emerged from the bushes as soon as the hour of the dragon arrived.

After sensing that there were no demonic beasts or spirits within a thousand zhang, the two cautiously left the small mountain.

Mountain ranges surrounded them on every side, making even their bearings difficult to discern.

They did not know where east, south, west, or north lay, but they knew that as long as they traveled in the direction opposite the demon camp, they would surely be safer!

Riding spirit winds beneath their feet, the two fled warily through the ancient forest.

Qin Nishang kept her divine sense fully extended, while Xu Yan continued listening keenly in every direction. His expression remained taut, and he did not dare relax in the slightest.

The moment they sensed the aura of any demonic beast or spirit, they immediately concealed themselves.

After traveling like this for two full days, both of them looked far more exhausted, their faces slightly pale.

Then, with a tremendous BOOM, the sound of a great bell startled them awake.

It came from the depths ahead. It seemed they had chosen the right direction—at the very least, they were not heading east.

After making his assessment, Xu Yan said gravely, "We should be in the southeastern region of the Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains now. This is where the most demonic beasts gather."

The Li Ancient Secret Repository lay in the northeastern part of Mang Mountain. As its emergence drew near, the Emperor Bell would occasionally tremble and ring.

That was likely why all the demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters there had flocked toward the southeast in one great rush.

Within the ancient forest, towering, gnarled trees blocked out the sky and sun, while the heavens above remained choked with dense demonic aura.

In two days, the pair had traveled less than a thousand miles.

Demonic beasts and spirits often flew past overhead, forcing Xu Yan and Qin Nishang to stop and go repeatedly. How could they dare fly without restraint? If they did, the demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters here would have discovered them long ago.

When that happened, only a dead end would await them!

Wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads, Xu Yan and Qin Nishang hid behind an ancient tree.

Even at that very moment, a swarm of bat demons flew past in the heavens behind them, flapping their wings and carrying tridents. There were more than a thousand of them!

The two pressed themselves against the tree, holding their breath without making the slightest sound.

Demon Kings had gathered together. What exactly were the Demon Race of Mang Mountain planning to do...?

Xu Yan watched the bat demons fly past in formation, his brows furrowed.

Could they be heading for the Li Ancient Secret Repository?

That would undoubtedly be jumping into a sea of fire themselves. Ever since it had been confirmed that the ancient repository contained the Emperor Bell, these demons could forget about laying a hand on it. The Dao chimes of the Emperor Bell would crush both their souls and bodies into dust.

Taihao Sovereign was the sacred ancestor of humankind. When the Li Clan forged this Emperor Bell, it was not only to worship the Sovereign, but also to awe the great demons of primordial antiquity.

Even those primordial great demons could not withstand it, much less the Demon Race of today. Though the Emperor Bell had also endured endless ages,

its divine might might no longer compare to what it had been in primordial times, but suppressing the current Demon Race would still be more than enough.