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

At the summit of Que Mountain, the battle was in full swing.

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

Had the black lotus not deliberately reined in its power, unwilling to utterly destroy this mountain range, and had Zhu Yin not tacitly narrowed the range of his attacks as well, this immortal mountain brimming with spiritual energy would have long since ceased to exist.

Yet the more this was so, 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 dared not be careless. He directly brought out a powerful Dharma treasure—the Soul-Seizing Drum, a mid-grade innate spirit treasure. As he activated its drumbeat, an eerie ripple immediately surged into his divine sense.

But the Pure-Cleansing Bell within him immediately rang out, releasing purifying light that blocked the force invading his Primordial Spirit. Even so, his divine sense still swayed, and he had to draw upon the power of his Freedom Dao Fruit before he could steady his mind.

At that moment, a muffled groan 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 connected to the legendary Devil Ancestor Rahu. It was far too dangerous; dragging this out would be extremely disadvantageous to him. He decided that he had to end this quickly!

A resplendent golden wheel of merit emerged behind his head. He swung out a merit spirit axe and spirit hoe, while revealing his true form—a towering emerald bamboo Dharma manifestation ten thousand zhang high, its momentum like a rainbow!

Though the Ninth-Grade Black Lotus was powerful and originally evenly matched with the Ninth-Grade White Lotus, under the suppression of Zhu Yin's golden wheel of merit, the successive strikes of his spirit treasures, and the crushing force of his Dharma manifestation, it retreated step by step. Its black light began to scatter, and its might greatly diminished.

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

Suddenly, two powerful Dharma treasures flew out from the black lotus!

The first was a silvery-white great bell, inscribed with mysterious Dao patterns and radiating dense "power of time." When its chime rang out, Zhu Yin's previous attacks actually began to reverse!

The second was a scroll painting. It had originally been full of life aura, but once unfurled, it released terrifying devouring divine light, transforming into deathly energy that madly absorbed the life force around it!

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

Immediately afterward, he summoned the Mystic Light Heavenly Plow, transforming it into a colossal plow ten thousand zhang long. Carrying endless sharpness, it smashed into the scroll and blocked the devouring light.

At this point, in order to completely suppress the black lotus, Zhu Yin brought out his trump card—the peerless treasure, the Fallen-Treasure Coin. This was a top-grade innate spirit treasure that had slumbered for many years and could finally be used.

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

Yet unexpectedly, while the coin's power of transaction did indeed render the black lotus completely unable to resist, it did not knock it down, much less draw 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 merely a treasure spirit inside?

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 born alongside the Ninth-Grade Black Lotus, or had been left here by some ancient powerhouse.

A string of questions rose in his mind, but Zhu Yin did not rashly enter the lotus-heart space. He knew that with an object belonging to the Devil Ancestor, he absolutely could not act rashly.

His gaze turned cold as he issued a threat. "If you do not come out, then even if I must expend my merit, I will still destroy you completely!"

As he spoke, the golden wheel behind his head spun, transforming into a golden sharp sword that shot straight toward the lotus heart.

At that moment, black light flashed from within the lotus, and a figure in black appeared.

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

Had Zhu Yin's will not been firm, that single glance would have been enough to make him lose himself.

He snorted coldly and intensified the suppression again. The ten-thousand-zhang emerald bamboo Dharma manifestation crashed down fiercely. Only after the young man in black coughed up blood did he speak.

"Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with the Devil 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 fully formed living creature remained atop Que Mountain. They must have been devoured by this black lotus—or rather, by the man before him!

The young man in black wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth. He did not answer immediately, instead gazing thoughtfully into the distance, as if recalling something from the past.

After a moment, he smiled faintly. "I did not expect anyone to still remember the Devil Ancestor."

"Didn't you ask who I am? I am Mo Luo—the Devil Ancestor, Rahu!"

Zhu Yin's heart shook.

Though he had long suspected that this black-clothed man was related to the Devil Ancestor, he had never expected that he was actually Rahu!

But Zhu Yin did not retreat. Though their clash had been brief, he had already seen that while the other party's cultivation was powerful, he was only at the late stage of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. If not for Zhu Yin's complete array of Dharma treasures and divine abilities, they truly might have ended up both wounded.

But now, he already held the advantage.

Zhu Yin also thought of the Buddhist Sect's future Devil Ancestor Wutian. That person was also called Mo Luo, also possessed a black lotus, and also had long hair. He did not know whether the two were connected.

This made him scrutinize Mo Luo even more closely.

As Mo Luo looked at the enemy before him, who knew neither fear nor retreat, a trace of respect arose in his heart as well. He knew that someone capable of suppressing him was no ordinary cultivator, but certainly one of the finest among those of the same realm.

Even as an enemy, he had no choice but to admit that the other party was strong.

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

What came next would likely unveil an even deeper secret...

Deep within Que Mountain lay a mysterious fissure, difficult for outsiders to detect.

Within that fissure, the black lotus floated as golden light streamed down. A mysterious man named Mo Luo sat atop it, his expression indifferent, 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 came to understand the whole sequence of events.

It turned out that as early as the previous era, Ancestor Zhu Yu had offended the Devil Ancestor. Knowing that he would not live long, he arranged his affairs in advance. Yet unbeknownst to him, the Devil Ancestor had been watching all of it from the shadows.

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

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

Taking advantage of the time when Ancestor Zhu Yu dismissed his disciples and opened the mountain gate, he secretly planted that lotus seed in Que Mountain. He then secretly guided him to discover this fissure between reality and illusion, where the Heavenly Dao was weak and difficult to locate.

Afterward, he had Ancestor Zhu Yu use the Undying Spirit Light to seal this Daoist 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 Devil Ancestor was defeated and even shattered the west, drawing the wrath of heaven and resentment of earth.

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

At that very moment, the Devil Ancestor also quietly revived and struck again while heaven and earth were in balance.

Within the fissure between reality and illusion, a surge of devilish qi descended from the heavens. The long-slumbering lotus seed awakened, blooming with dim light as it took root and sprouted.

The wisp of divine consciousness hidden within also awakened.

Though it was only a wisp of remnant spirit, weak in strength and fragmented in memory, it carried the Devil Ancestor's will. It was prepared to reignite the Dao-Demon War in the future, even to summon the Devil Ancestor back to the Primordial Wilderness.

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

Though Que Mountain was not a top-tier blessed land, the Devil Ancestor had long left behind vast amounts of heavenly materials and earthly treasures within the lotus seed, providing sufficient support for its growth.

By the time the black lotus had matured into the Ninth Grade, the divine consciousness had also been fully remolded, and the Devil Ancestor's incarnation—Mo Luo—was born.

He was a devil spirit born from the black lotus, another continuation of the Devil Ancestor.

In order to grow stronger, Mo Luo began devouring the living creatures in the mountain, and he also refined the spirit treasures left behind by Ancestor Zhu Yu.

Though he had remained secluded in cultivation, never seeing the outside world or encountering any opportunities, Mo Luo successfully cultivated to the late stage of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal through the power left behind by the Devil Ancestor and his own insights.

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

He had not expected someone to suddenly barge in and shatter this peace.

That person was Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin's origins were no small matter either. He was a mighty being transformed from a top-grade spirit root, with a powerful foundation and astonishing aura.

Mo Luo did not wish to expose himself, so he acted to suppress the intruder—but failed.