He Was a Demonic Spirit Born from the Black Lotus, Another Continuation of the Demon Ancestor

At the summit of Que Mountain, the battle raged fiercely.

On one side was destructive black light; on the other, purifying white light. The two forces clashed without end, as though heaven and earth were about to be torn apart. The mountain shook violently, surrounding peaks collapsed, and ravines split open across the ground.

If not for the black lotus deliberately holding back its power, unwilling to completely destroy this mountain range, and Zhu Yin tacitly narrowing the range of his attacks, this immortal mountain rich in spiritual energy would have long since ceased to exist.

Yet the more this was the case, the heavier Zhu Yin's heart became.

Because it meant that the World-Destroying Black Lotus was not moving on its own. It was highly likely that it had developed intelligence, or was even being controlled by some powerful being.

The moment he considered this, he did not dare let down his guard. He directly took out a powerful Dharma treasure—the Soul-Seizing Drum, a Medium-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. As he activated the drumbeat, a sinister ripple immediately surged into his divine sense.

But the Pure-Cleansing Bell within his body immediately rang out, releasing purifying light that blocked the force eroding his Primordial Spirit. Even so, he still felt his divine sense sway, and had to draw upon the power of his Freedom Dao Fruit before steadying his mind.

At that moment, a muffled groan also came from within the black lotus, showing that the other side was not faring well either.

Zhu Yin's heart tightened. This black lotus seemed to be connected to the legendary Demon Ancestor Rahu. It was far too dangerous, and dragging this out would be extremely disadvantageous to him. He decided that he had to end this quickly!

A dazzling Merit Golden Wheel appeared behind his head. He swung out a Merit Spirit Axe and Spirit Hoe, while simultaneously revealing his true form—a jade-green bamboo Dharma manifestation towering ten thousand zhang high, its momentum unstoppable!

Although the Ninth-Grade Black Lotus was powerful and originally evenly matched with the Ninth-Grade White Lotus, under the suppression of Zhu Yin's Merit Golden Wheel, the repeated strikes of his spiritual treasures, and the crushing force of his Dharma manifestation, it retreated step by step. The black light began to scatter, and its might greatly weakened.

Despite holding every advantage, Zhu Yin did not dare lower his guard in the slightest.

Two powerful Dharma treasures suddenly flew out from the black lotus!

The first was a silver-white Bell engraved with mysterious Dao inscriptions and radiating intense "power of time." When its chime rang out, Zhu Yin's previous attacks actually began to reverse!

The second was a scroll. It had originally been filled with the aura of life, but once unfurled, it released terrifying devouring divine light, transforming into deathly energy and frantically absorbing the life force around it!

Zhu Yin's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he used the Great Freedom Seal. A mountain-sized seal crashed down, suppressing the Bell of time and restoring time to normal.

Immediately afterward, he summoned the Mystic Light Heavenly Plow, which transformed into a colossal plow ten thousand zhang long and rammed into the scroll with endless sharpness, blocking the devouring light.

At this point, in order to completely suppress the black lotus, Zhu Yin brought out his ultimate treasure—the Fallen-Treasure Coin. This was a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure that had slumbered for many years and could finally be used.

He had originally believed that this strike would force the master within the black lotus to reveal himself, or draw the treasures within the lotus into his Treasure-Gathering Basin.

Unexpectedly, although the Coin's power of transaction truly left the black lotus completely unable to resist, it did not knock it down, much less collect it into his Treasure-Gathering Basin.

Zhu Yin frowned, suspicion rising in his heart:

Could I have been wrong? Is no one controlling it? Is there a treasure spirit inside instead?

But if it was a treasure spirit, how could it possess those two Dharma treasures related to time and life?

Unless those treasures had been innate to the Ninth-Grade Black Lotus, or had been left here by some ancient powerhouse.

A string of questions surfaced in his mind, but Zhu Yin did not rashly enter the space within the lotus core. He knew that one absolutely could not act recklessly around something belonging to the Demon Ancestor.

His gaze turned cold as he issued a threat. "If you refuse to come out, then even if I must expend Merit, I will completely destroy you!"

As he spoke, the golden wheel behind his head spun and formed a golden sword that shot straight toward the lotus core.

At that moment, black light flashed within the lotus, and a black-robed figure appeared.

He had long hair draped over his shoulders, skin as white as snow, and handsome features tinged with wickedness. His deep eyes seemed capable of drawing in one's very soul.

If Zhu Yin's will had not been so firm, that single glance would have been enough to make him lose focus.

Zhu Yin snorted coldly and intensified the suppression once more. The ten-thousand-zhang jade bamboo Dharma manifestation crashed down viciously. Only after the black-robed youth coughed up blood did he speak.

"Who exactly are you? What is your connection to the Demon Ancestor? Why have you appeared on Que Mountain?"

As for why he had ambushed him, Zhu Yin already had an answer in his heart. Not a single formed living being remained on Que Mountain. They must have been devoured by this black lotus—or rather, by the man before him!

The black-robed youth wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth. He did not answer immediately, instead looking thoughtfully into the distance as though recalling something from the past.

After a moment, he smiled faintly. "I never expected anyone to still remember the Demon Ancestor."

"Didn't you ask who I am? I am Mo Luo. I am also the Demon Ancestor, Rahu!"

Zhu Yin was shaken.

Although he had long suspected that this black-robed man was connected to the Demon Ancestor, he had never expected that he was actually Rahu!

But Zhu Yin did not retreat. Though their exchange had been brief, he had already seen that the other party's cultivation, while powerful, was only at the level of a Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. If Zhu Yin had not possessed a complete set of Dharma treasures and divine abilities, they truly might have ended in mutual destruction.

But now, he held the advantage.

Zhu Yin also thought of the later Buddhist Sect's Demon Ancestor Wutian. That person was likewise called Mo Luo, likewise possessed a black lotus, and likewise had long hair. He wondered whether the two were connected.

This made him examine Mo Luo with greater scrutiny.

As Mo Luo looked at the fearless enemy before him, a trace of respect arose in his heart as well. He knew that anyone capable of suppressing him was no ordinary cultivator, but surely one of the finest among those of the same realm.

Even if Zhu Yin was an enemy, Mo Luo had to admit that he was strong.

He no longer concealed anything. Facing Zhu Yin's questions, his expression was calm and his attitude open...

What followed would likely reveal an even deeper secret...

Deep within Que Mountain lay a mysterious rift that outsiders would find difficult to notice.

Within that rift, the black lotus floated beneath cascading golden light. A mysterious man named Mo Luo sat upon it, his expression calm, as though waiting for fate's arrangements.

He looked at Zhu Yin and spoke.

"Let me tell you a story."

As Mo Luo slowly began to speak, Zhu Yin finally understood the whole sequence of events.

It turned out that as early as the previous era, Ancestor Zhu Yu had offended the Demon Ancestor. Knowing that he would not live long, he made arrangements for what came after his death. Yet the Demon Ancestor had secretly been watching all of it.

At that time, the Three Clans War was about to begin, and the Dao and Demon factions were also on the verge of war. Que Mountain was merely a chess piece casually placed by the Demon Ancestor.

He plucked a lotus seed from his own World-Destroying Black Lotus and concealed a wisp of divine sense within it.

Taking advantage of the time when Ancestor Zhu Yu dismissed his disciples and opened the mountain gates, he secretly planted that lotus seed in Que Mountain. He then covertly guided him into discovering this illusory rift where the Heavenly Dao was weak and difficult to locate.

Afterward, he had Ancestor Zhu Yu use the Undying Spirit Light to seal this Dao Field. On the surface, it was to prevent the inheritance from being destroyed, but in truth, it was to protect the lotus seed from disturbance.

Later, the Dao-Demon War erupted. The Demon Ancestor was defeated, and he even shattered the Western Lands, drawing the wrath and rejection of heaven and earth.

The Dao Ancestor then used the opportunity to gather the fortunes of heaven and earth. After recovering from his injuries, he successfully attained sainthood in this era.

At that very moment, the Demon Ancestor also quietly revived. Taking advantage of the balance of heaven and earth, he struck once more.

Within the illusory rift, a surge of demonic qi descended from the sky. The long-dormant lotus seed awakened, blooming with a dim glow as it took root and sprouted.

The wisp of divine sense hidden within it also awakened.

Though it was only a remnant divine spirit, weak in strength and incomplete in memory, it carried the will of the Demon Ancestor. It prepared to reignite the Dao-Demon War in the future, and perhaps even summon the Demon Ancestor back into the Primordial Wilderness.

Over the long years that followed, it grew alongside the lotus seed.

Although Que Mountain was not a top-tier blessed land, the Demon Ancestor had long left behind a great number of Heaven and Earth Treasures within the lotus seed, providing sufficient support for its growth.

Once the black lotus matured into the Ninth Grade, the divine sense had also been fully reshaped, and the Demon Ancestor's incarnation—Mo Luo—was born.

He was a demonic spirit born from the black lotus, another continuation of the Demon Ancestor.

In order to grow stronger, Mo Luo began devouring the living beings within the mountain and refining the spiritual treasures left behind by Ancestor Zhu Yu.

Although he had always cultivated in seclusion, had never seen the outside world, and encountered no opportunities, Mo Luo successfully cultivated to the Late Great Principle through the power left behind by the Demon Ancestor and his own comprehension.

He had believed that he could continue cultivating in seclusion here until the day he swept across heaven and earth.

He had never expected someone to suddenly break in and shatter this tranquility.

That person was Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin's origins were no small matter either. He was a mighty being transformed from a High-Grade Spiritual Root, with a powerful foundation and astonishing aura.

Mo Luo had not wished to expose himself, so he attacked in an attempt to suppress the intruder, but he failed.