After Chen Zhan and his wife left, time seemed to stretch out in the cave, each moment carrying a heavy weight.
Li Qingshan continued to delve deeper into the first stage of the " Eight-Nine Profound Art," "Summoning Demons and Implanting Embryo."
His aura became increasingly restrained and profound, but occasionally his eyes would flicker.
The nascent Demonic Embryo, floating in the depths of the Bitter Sea, would reveal a trace of primordial chaos, a breath of destruction and rebirth, creating a strange contrast with his usual calm demeanor.
Gu Xin and Yuan Qingqing dared not relax their vigilance in the slightest.
However, an invisible sense of oppression, like a gradually spreading poisonous fog, began to erode this temporary peace.
It comes not only from external searches, but also from the universe itself.
Li Qingshan was the first to notice something was wrong.
He finished a brief meditation, his brows furrowed slightly as he sensed the subtle changes in the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.
The spiritual energy was still abundant, but it seemed to be mixed with an indescribable "impurity," an aura that made people feel uneasy and restless.
This aura is invisible and intangible, yet it subtly influences the mind and spirit, like a frog being slowly boiled in water.
Have you noticed that you seem more easily agitated lately?
Li Qingshan spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent stone hall.
Upon hearing this, Gu Xin snapped out of his reverie about sensing the Heart of Sacred Battle. He carefully contemplated it for a moment, then his expression changed slightly. "Indeed."
I was just trying to calm the lingering turmoil in my Heart of Sacred Battle, but I found my emotions somewhat out of control, and a nameless anger was faintly rising within me.
Yuan Qingqing was even more direct. Frustrated, she slammed her fist into the stone wall beside her, making a dull thud and leaving a shallow fist mark.
"Damn it! I feel so suffocated, I want to smash something up! Is there something wrong with the spiritual energy in this godforsaken place?"
Li Qingshan's expression was solemn. "It's not that there's a problem with the spiritual energy itself, but rather that a layer of Calamity Qi seems to permeate the world."
Before Senior Chen Zhan left, he mentioned that the Calamity Qi was becoming increasingly severe, and now it seems that this was not an exaggeration.
It stirs up the negative emotions deep within living beings, amplifying murderous intent, restlessness, and violence.
If this continues, I fear that beings with lower cultivation levels will descend into madness. Even we must constantly guard our minds to avoid being corrupted by it.
Upon hearing this, both Gu Xin and Yuan Qingqing felt a chill run down their spines.
They recalled that they had indeed felt more anxious than usual lately, initially attributing it to stress, but it turned out to be due to changes in the environment.
"When great chaos is about to break out, there will be signs."
This Calamity Qi is one of the signs.
Li Qingshan looked out of the cave, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick stone walls, seeing the invisible aura of calamity permeating the Chaotic Mountain Range. "The feeling of being spied on earlier was probably not an ominous sign; we must leave as soon as possible."
Just as the three were feeling heavy-hearted due to this strange change in the world and were about to leave, an indescribable and terrifying pressure descended without warning!
It didn't approach slowly from outside the cave, but seemed to come directly from the depths of the Void, as if the entire sky had suddenly collapsed, bringing an unparalleled heaviness and suffocating feeling, and slammed down hard on the cave's restrictions!
"Buzz, click-clack,"
The ancient barriers surrounding the cave, which had withstood countless years and numerous impacts, now groaned in despair!
The light flickered violently, and countless hidden divine runes were forced to surface, swirling wildly like a swarm of bees under a deadly threat, trying to resist this destructive pressure.
Who is it?
Gu Xin's expression changed drastically, and the holy light around her instantly erupted to its peak, like a small Sun rising in the stone hall, her fighting spirit soaring to the sky.
He could sense that this oppressive aura was far stronger than that of the Blood Angel God Emperor who had searched for them before. It carried an absolute power that looked down on all living beings and disregarded everything, as well as a deep, cold, and dark aura that seemed to freeze the soul!
Yuan Qingqing let out a low roar, and the violent demonic energy was like a tangible blood-red smoke. Her fists clenched tightly, her bones cracking, and she had already entered a half-demon battle state, her eyes filled with vigilance and ferocity.
Li Qingshan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand.
This aura is definitely not that of an ordinary God Emperor!
Its inherent superiority even reminded him of the faint aura that Chen Zhan occasionally revealed!
Is it the peak of the God Emperor?
Or is it a terrifying existence that has already reached the threshold of the Heaven Rank?
The space was silently lifted like a curtain, Dao Body stepped out and descended into the stone hall.
He was tall and wore ancient black armor, which was engraved with mysterious dark red runes that looked as if they were drawn from congealed blood.
Behind it, twelve jet-black wings slowly unfurled, not the pure white of an angel, but the darkness that seemed to condense from the abyss itself, each feather seemingly containing endless laws of depravity and temptation.
The newcomer was strikingly handsome, almost otherworldly, with pale skin and deep, emotionless eyes filled only with a coldness like that of ancient ice and an absolute indifference that regarded all things as mere straw dogs.
It was none other than Lucifer, the fallen angel king, the once shining morning star, and now the ruler of Hell!
His gaze swept over the three men who were on high alert, pausing for a moment on Li Qingshan. He seemed slightly surprised by Li Qingshan's restrained yet strangely demonic aura, but then his expression returned to its usual calm.
As for Gu Xin and Yuan Qingqing, the surging holy light and demonic aura seemed no different from fireflies in his eyes.
" The Heart of Sacred Battle is indeed here."
Lucifer spoke, his voice deep and magnetic, yet carrying a chilling quality that seemed to freeze one's mind.
There was no unnecessary talk, no questions asked, and no negotiation.
Only a naked verdict based on an absolute disparity in strength.
In his eyes, these three beings, who were merely at the God King level, were no different from ants and could be crushed at will.
Before he could finish speaking, Lucifer had already made his move.
He didn't even use any fancy moves; he simply raised his right hand, which was gloved with dark metal, and made a Void towards the three of them!
In an instant, Li Qingshan, Gu Xin, and Yuan Qingqing all felt the surrounding air become like a massive, heavy iron, squeezing inwards at an alarming rate!
The space itself seemed to have transformed into a cage, threatening to crush them along with the stone palace!
That was the pure, overwhelming manifestation of the law of power!
"Holy Light, Judgment!"
Gu Xin roared, pushing her holy war will to its limit. Brilliant holy light condensed into a giant light sword, slashing towards the invisible spatial constraints!
"Roar! Earth-Shaking Strike!"
Yuan Qingqing unleashed her fists, the immense demonic power resonating with the power of the earth, transforming into two violent, earth-yellow shockwaves that fiercely met the attack!
However, their attacks, when they landed on that invisible spatial compression force, were like a mud ox sinking into the sea, only causing tiny ripples in space before being completely annihilated.
The gap in strength is too great!
Their faces turned deathly pale instantly, and for the first time, despair appeared in their eyes.
With just a casual clench of their fists, they felt the approach of death!
At this critical moment, Li Qingshan, who had been silent all along, made his move.
Unlike Gu Xin and Yuan Qingqing, he didn't unleash his energy; instead, it was as if he had unlocked some kind of shackle within his body.
"Buzz!"
An aura far deeper, more ancient, and more violent than Gu Xin's holy light and Yuan Qingqing's demonic energy suddenly awakened, like a primordial beast that had slumbered for millennia!
Li Qingshan's eyes were instantly filled with pure black ink, with no whites visible, leaving only a bottomless darkness.
Beneath his skin, chaotic demonic patterns emerged, writhing like living things.
The original gentle and restrained aura vanished, replaced by raging demonic flames!
Dark demonic energy erupted from his body, shooting straight to the top of the cave and crashing into the protective barrier. The entire cave exploded under the impact of Lucifer and Li Qingshan's demonic energy.
His black hair danced wildly without wind, and even the ends of his hair were tinged with wisps of demonic flames.
The first stage of the Eight-Nine Profound Art, Demonic Embryo, is now fully activated!
"Boom!"
Li Qingshan also threw a punch, without dazzling divine light or a grand momentum, only the purest and most essential physical power.
Mixed with destructive and chaotic demonic energy, it crashed violently into Lucifer's Space Restriction!
"Snap!"
As if the sound of shattering glass rang out, the invisible spatial pressure was actually cracked by Li Qingshan's punch, which contained the power of the Demonic Embryo!
"What?"
A clear flicker of surprise finally appeared on Lucifer's perpetually indifferent face.
How could a mere Middle God King manage to break through his Space Restriction with just his physical body and a strange demonic aura?
However, what surprised him even more was yet to come.
As Li Qingshan fully activated the Eight-Nine Profound Art, the Void behind him began to distort violently.
The first thing to appear was a demonic figure shrouded in a hazy, chaotic aura. He stood with his back to all living beings, seemingly independent of time and space, exuding an invincible aura that could suppress the universe and sweep across the world.
Although his face was not visible, his lonely and majestic figure was enough to make the world pale in comparison!
Above the demonic figure, a blurry, illusory bell floated, its surface seemingly imprinted with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, and the cycle of creation and destruction of the universe.
Although it was illusory, it exuded a suppressive power that made even Lucifer's heart tremble!
"What kind of battle spirit is this?"
Lucifer's pupils contracted slightly. From that bell, he sensed a power of time and space laws that transcended his understanding.
Immediately afterwards, another demonic figure appeared, its body engulfed in black Sun True Fire, like a black sun that had fallen into demonic ways, burning away the heavens and illuminating the darkness!
That demonic power, a blend of intense heat and destructive force, was chilling.
The third demonic figure was the silhouette of a woman with an unparalleled figure, standing on a twisted and roaring black road.
His body was surrounded by destructive runes of law, as if he could wither all things and plunge the universe into death with a single thought.
The Great Emperor Wushi!
Holy Emperor of the Sun!
Western Emperor!