The Snow Empress recognized the three people. They were the three strongest rogue cultivators in the Southern Frontier Demon Cultivator Sect besides the Demon Venerable. Each of them cultivated a strange and unorthodox technique and usually refused to submit to the others. However, they had joined forces to attack, clearly aiming for the Source of Chaos.
The Demon Venerable fought three against one, yet he held his own. His swordsmanship was fierce and unpredictable; each strike defied convention, sometimes a straight thrust, sometimes a horizontal slash, sometimes his sword light splitting into thousands of black threads Entanglement entangle his opponent, and sometimes the sword itself transforming into a pitch-black curtain that swallowed all of his attacks. The Poison Elder's green mist was swallowed by the black curtain as soon as it approached within three feet of him, the Fire Barbarian 'Mars flaming hammer struck the sword, sending sparks flying but failing to harm him in the slightest, and the Shadow Phantom's sneak attacks were always anticipated by him, forcing him back with a counter-sword.
But Snow Empress could tell that the Demon Venerable was struggling. He appeared to be handling the situation with ease, but every time he blocked a claw from the Poison Elder, parried a hammer from the Fire Barbarian, or repelled an attack from the Shadow Phantom, the black ripples beneath his feet would tremble slightly. The strength of those three was no weaker than Li Xuanqing's, and their combined attacks were relentless. Although the Demon Venerable's cultivation level was higher than theirs, it would be difficult for him to win against three opponents in a short time.
Moreover, Snow Empress noticed that further along the horizon, a new presence was approaching.
"Hurry up." The Demon Venerable's voice came from the sky, still calm, but more urgent than before. "The junior is here, and the senior is coming soon. If you dawdle any longer, your 'good master' might just arrive in person."
Snow Empress's heart skipped a beat. She knew, of course, who the Demon Venerable Lord meant by "good master." The Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, her mentor, Perfected Qingxuan. That Old Gu who had been in seclusion for nearly a century—if even he couldn't sit still and had to personally descend from the mountain...
She dared not think any further. She lowered her head and focused all her Divine Capital on the Source of Chaos in her hand. The sixth seal, the seventh seal, the eighth seal... With each seal that fell, her face grew paler, but she dared not stop, nor could she stop.
The mountain wind howled. The battle in the sky grew increasingly fierce. Poison Elder had three fingernails severed by the Demon Venerable's sword. Enraged, he spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which merged into the poisonous mist. The green mist turned pitch black, and its toxicity increased several times over. Fire Barbarian slammed his flaming giant hammer onto the mountain peak on the other side of the desolate mountain. With a deafening roar, the entire small mountain was smashed to pieces, and scalding lava flowed from the rubble. Shadow Phantom had its illusory true form pierced by the Demon Venerable's sword. It groaned and retreated dozens of feet, the illusory light surrounding it suddenly dimming by more than half.
The Demon Venerable himself was also injured. His left shoulder was grazed by the Fire Barbarian's giant hammer, tearing a hole in his black robe and revealing the panel beneath. The panel was charred black, with faint red cracks spreading across it. Taking advantage of the moment, the Poison Elder slashed at his back with a claw, leaving three deep, bone-revealing claw marks shrouded in green mist that was corroding his flesh. The Shadow Phantom's final blow pierced his right rib; the wound was small but extremely deep, and blood flowed down his black robe, dripping onto the rocks at his feet.
But he remained standing, suspended in mid-air, holding two swords, his back to the desolate mountain, facing his three opponents, and the faint smile on his face was still there.
"Is that all?" The Demon Venerable spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, pointing the tip of his sword at the Poison Elder. "You spat out quite a mouthful of blood just now, but how many more can you spit out? Two more, and your lifespan will be exhausted."
The Poison Elder's face was already withered, but now it looked even worse. He really couldn't afford to waste any more time. That mouthful of blood essence was the accumulation of three hundred years of cultivation, and once it was spat out, it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to replenish it. Although the Demon Venerable was injured, his aura was not diminished at all. On the contrary, he was like a ferocious Ferocious Beast that had been provoked, and his fighting spirit became even more intense.
Fire Barbarian's hand, gripping the giant hammer, trembled slightly. His Spiritual Power was also greatly depleted; each strike was delivered with full force. The fact that the Demon Venerable had withstood over a dozen of his blows without falling was beyond his expectations. Shadow Phantom couldn't discern anything amiss, but the illusory light surrounding him had become almost transparent; that sword strike had nearly cost him his life.
The three exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw a desire to back down.
But at that moment, the entire world suddenly fell silent for a moment.
The silence was eerily eerie, as if someone had instantly removed all sound. The wind stopped, the crackling of lava on the Fire Barbarian hammer ceased, the hissing of the Poison Elder's green mist stopped, and even the chirping of insects and birds in the distant mountains vanished. Only absolute, stagnant silence remained between heaven and earth.
Then, a beam of light descended from the heavens.
The light was not dazzling; in fact, it was extremely gentle, warm and smooth as jade, and bright as the moon. It descended from the highest point of the sky, unhurried and gentle, like a waterfall cascading from the heavens. But everyone—including the Demon Venerable, the Poison Elder, the Fire Barbarian, the Shadow Phantom, and even the Snow Empress kneeling on the ground halfway up the desolate mountain—felt the same thing the moment the light appeared.
Insignificant.
That feeling of insignificance came from the depths of the soul. It was like an ant looking up at a towering mountain, or a drop of water facing a vast ocean. Although the source of that light was far away in the heavens, and its master had not yet shown himself, the aura of its vastness, as starry as the sea and as majestic as a mountain, already made everyone present feel breathless.
Perfected Qingxuan is the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the mentor of the Snow Empress, and one of the few remaining Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators in the Eight Desolations Continent.
He really came.
The Demon Venerable's expression finally changed. He dropped the smile that had been constantly on his face, crossed his twin swords in front of him, and a look of unprecedented solemnity flashed in his dark eyes. He knew that he couldn't stop Perfected Qingxuan in his current state. In his prime, he might have been able to go toe-to-toe with this Old Gu, but the damage from breaking the seal hadn't been fully recovered, and he had just been injured in three consecutive battles. Facing Perfected Qingxuan now, his chances of winning were less than one in ten.
The soft light fell on the top of the barren mountain. When the light faded, the figure of an old man was revealed.
Perfected Qingxuan appeared to be about sixty years old, with a gaunt face, white hair and beard, and dressed in a plain moon-white Daoist robe. He didn't even have a decent magic weapon hanging at his waist, making him look like an ordinary old Daoist priest. But even though this old man was just standing there doing nothing, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of dozens of miles spontaneously gathered towards him, forming a faint halo visible to the naked eye. Even the air seemed to bow down to him.
" Little Zun," Perfected Qingxuan spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority, "It's been many years, and your demonic arts have improved once more. It's just a pity you've chosen the wrong path. The Source of Chaos is not something you should touch."
The Demon Venerable was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. This smile was different from his previous mocking and cynical ones; it carried a genuine sense of relief. "It's an honor that my master still remembers to call me Little Zun Venerable. Back in the Wuji Grotto-Heaven, I thought you had long forgotten about your worthless disciple."