The Demon Venerable stretched out his right hand and grabbed the Chaos Pearl.
Zhang Tianxing's expression changed. " Demon Venerable, why did you come out so quickly?"
The Demon Venerable burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the underground palace. " Zhang Tianxing, do you think I didn't know the seal would be weakened? Three days ago, when you began to weaken the seal, the aura of the Chaos Pearl had already seeped out. I sensed the Chaos Pearl was about to appear, and I used two hundred years of my primordial power to forcibly break through the seal. Although I lost some cultivation, what is this price to obtain the Chaos Pearl?"
The Demon Venerable held the Chaos Pearl in his hand, and a dense surge of Power of Chaos flowed from his palm into his body. His aura began to rise, and the surrounding air distorted.
Snow Empress gripped the long sword at her waist, staring coldly at the Demon Venerable.
The Demon Venerable looked at the Snow Empress, his smile widening. " Snow Empress, how have you been? I've held a grudge ever since you injured me with your sword last time. But I don't have time to settle old scores today. Once I've refined the Chaos Pearl, I'll come and play with you slowly."
Before he could finish speaking, the Demon Venerable transformed into a streak of black light, soaring into the sky and flying out through the hole in the ceiling.
Zhang Tianxing shouted, "Stop him!"
Snow Empress had already leaped into the air and chased after the cave entrance. She passed through the cave and rushed to the ground. Above the Ziwei Sect, the Demon Venerable hovered in mid-air. The Chaos Pearl spun continuously in his palm, and more and more Power of Chaos was absorbed into his body. His body began to swell, black scales appeared on the surface of his body, and two curved horns grew on his forehead.
The Demon Venerable is transforming into Primordial Demon God.
The Snow Empress drew her sword, its tip pointing directly at the Demon Venerable. A cold, snow-white light emanated from her blade, and the surrounding air temperature plummeted. She pushed off the ground with both feet, transforming into a white streak of light that pierced straight into the Demon Venerable's chest.
The Demon Venerable waved his hand, and a black wave of energy blasted towards the Snow Empress. The Snow Empress dodged to the side, and with a flick of her sword, she slashed at the Demon Venerable's right arm. The Demon Venerable withdrew his right hand, and with a slap of his left palm, he unleashed a cloud of black mist, forcing the Snow Empress back.
After several rounds, the Snow Empress realized that the Demon Venerable's strength was indeed much greater than before. Although he had just broken through the seal and expended his primordial power, the Chaos Pearl was constantly replenishing his energy. With each passing breath, the Demon Venerable's power increased. The longer the fight dragged on, the smaller the Snow Empress's chances of winning became.
Snow Empress retreated several feet, the cold light on her sword intensifying. She gathered all her Spiritual Power, preparing to unleash her strongest attack.
Seeing the Snow Empress's actions, the Demon Venerable sneered. He stuffed the Chaos Pearl into his chest, and the Chaos Pearl merged into his flesh and blood. The Demon Venerable's body changed again; a pair of black wings grew from his back, his hands turned into sharp claws, and his eyes turned completely blood red.
"It's too late," the Demon Venerable said, his voice hoarse and low. " The Chaos Pearl has become one with me. Even if you kill me now, it won't matter. The Chaos Pearl has become a part of me. You can't destroy it unless you destroy me too."
Zhang Tianxing rushed out of the underground palace and turned pale when he saw the Demon Venerable's current appearance.
"Miss Snow Empress, he's right," Zhang Tianxing said. " The Chaos Pearl has already merged with him. The only way now is to destroy him along with the Chaos Pearl. But we can't do that. With his current strength, even the two of us combined are no match for him."
The Snow Empress's hand gripping the sword trembled slightly. The scene she witnessed three months ago while sealed reappeared before her eyes. In the future, she had become Primordial Demon God, her blood-red eyes filled only with endless madness and destruction. Now, the Demon Venerable was becoming the same thing.
But she remembered what the old man had said. The future her sent a guardian to wait for her and tell her those things, which meant that there was still a sliver of reason deep within her. It was this sliver of reason that made her set up the seal and arrange all of this before she became a demon god.
That sliver of reason is her salvation in the future.
Snow Empress took a deep breath. She sheathed her longsword.
Zhang Tianxing was stunned. "Miss Snow Empress, what's going on...?"
The Snow Empress did not answer. She looked at the Demon Venerable and slowly said, " The Chaos Pearl contains the will of Primordial Demon God. You are refining the Chaos Pearl now, and its will is eroding your mind. When it completely devours you, you will become a second Primordial Demon God. At that time, you will no longer be the Demon Venerable; you will merely be the vessel of the Chaos Pearl, a monster that only knows destruction."
The Demon Venerable Lord's wicked smile froze. His eyes flickered, as if a moment of clarity had crossed them.
The Snow Empress continued, "You think you control the Chaos Pearl. But you're wrong. From the moment you grasped it, it has been controlling you. Don't you feel it? Your consciousness is fading, your memories are disappearing. You can still remember that you are the Demon Venerable now, but in half an hour, you will forget who you even are."
The Demon Venerable's body began to tremble violently. He raised his hands, looking at the claws covered in black scales, a hint of terror in his eyes.
"My... my consciousness..." The Demon Venerable's voice became fragmented, "I do... feel something is devouring my... my mind..."
He suddenly clutched his head and let out a painful roar.
"I cannot let it control me." The Demon Venerable raised his head, his blood-red eyes fixed on the Snow Empress. " Snow Empress, kill me. Kill me while I still have my senses."
The Snow Empress shook her head. "I won't kill you. Don't you want the power of the Chaos Pearl? I can tell you another way."
The Demon Venerable gritted his teeth and asked, "What method?"
The Snow Empress said, "I will remove the Chaos Pearl from your body. Although it will cost you two hundred years of cultivation, your sanity will be preserved. Moreover, I will help you seal the Chaos Pearl so that it can never cause harm again. If you want the right to rule the human world, I can negotiate with you. If you want power, I can help you find other opportunities. But you must give up the Chaos Pearl."
The Demon Venerable remained silent for a long time. His body trembled incessantly, the horns on his forehead flickered in and out of view, and the black wings on his back opened and closed. The will of the Chaos Pearl and his own will were fiercely battling within his body.
Finally, the Demon Venerable let out a long sigh. He stretched out his right hand, palm facing his chest, and grabbed hard. A ball of gray light was pulled out from his chest, and the Chaos Pearl reappeared in his hand. His horns disappeared, his wings vanished, his scales faded, and he transformed back into the handsome man in black robes, only his face was much paler than before.
The Demon Venerable threw the Chaos Pearl towards the Snow Empress. The Snow Empress reached out and caught it. The gray pearl emitted a faint light in her palm, and was icy cold to the bone.
"You win," the Demon Venerable said weakly. "I shouldn't have touched that thing. It almost turned me into a monster."
Snow Empress handed the Chaos Pearl to Zhang Tianxing. Zhang Tianxing took the pearl and immediately took out more than a dozen runes to stick on it, temporarily sealing the Chaos Pearl.
The Demon Venerable glanced at the Snow Empress, turned around, and staggered away into the distance. His figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Snow Empress stood there, gazing in the direction where the Demon Venerable had disappeared. She still gripped her sword tightly. She knew the Demon Venerable wouldn't let it go. He had lost the Chaos Pearl and his cultivation today, and he would definitely find a way to retaliate. But at least she had passed this test.
Three months from now, that scene of transforming into Primordial Demon God will not happen again.
Snow Empress looked up at the sky. The stars were bright, just like the ones she had seen three days ago when she emerged from the iceberg. She exhaled softly, sheathed her sword, and followed Zhang Tianxing back to the Ziwei Sect.