Chapter 147: Ancient Demonic Fiendish Qi Bell

The Lords of the Ten Thousand Demons stood in breathless silence. The orthodox sect leaders did not hurry forward; they, too, wanted to see what the legendary supreme artifact of the Demon Cult—the Ancient Demon Bell of Malevolent Qi—actually looked like.

The Emperor of Radiant Darkness gave a cold laugh. His presence surged, and the nine golden dragons embroidered on his imperial robe seemed to spring to life, blazing with dazzling light.

“Let the Nine Hells unite, and the Demon Gods bow before me! With my blood, I open Chaos!”

As his resonant voice rang out, a cloud of blood suddenly burst open. The nine golden dragons shot forth, trailing a sky-piercing aura of blood, and vanished into the void. The Demon Cult’s leader disappeared before everyone’s eyes in a manner both eerie and inexplicable.

“A blood sacrifice!” Master Zhishang cried, his face twitching in shock.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The tolling of a bell rang from the void, each peal deeper than the last, like a summons from antiquity. The entire Savage Demon Mountain Range trembled, as though ancient fiends were on the verge of emerging into the world. Boundless malevolent energy billowed upward. Beneath the clouds, tens of thousands of Demon Cult disciples howled in frenzy, greedily absorbing the surging demonic qi. Their faces all shone with feverish madness.

“The Demon Cult truly is wicked. To possess such a defiant and vicious relic!” Wan Shixian clicked his tongue in dismay.

Master Zhishang’s expression was grim as well. “Amitabha. Since we have gathered here, we must not allow such a fiendish weapon to remain in the world and bring calamity upon the living. Fellow cultivators, this must be our first priority.”

“Agreed!” Ximen Feiyu, Palace Master of the Hanheng Palace, flashed a keen, hateful light in her eyes and ground her teeth. “Those disciples of mine were surely tortured to death by the demonic scum. Today, they will pay for that blood debt!”

Sorrow crossed the faces of the sect leaders, and they voiced their agreement as one.

Demonic qi surged from the depths of the void, spreading across nearly a thousand li of the Savage Demon Mountains. It slowly gathered into a mass as the bell continued to toll and malevolence swirled through the air. Terrifying ghosts and vengeful spirits drifted in every direction, their baleful aura piercing the heavens.

A deep, mind-shaking hum rose from beneath their feet. At that single resounding note, the countless clouds of demonic qi suddenly vanished, and the sky cleared. Amid layers of circling talismanic runes, the Ancient Demon Bell of Malevolent Qi finally appeared once more in the world. Vast power burst forth. The bronze bell stood ten zhang tall, its surface engraved with obscure, indecipherable characters, ancient in style and magnificent in form.

The moment it appeared, the orthodox cultivators felt an overwhelming force descend upon them. Yet this force was not evil demonic qi.

It was pure and vast, imbued with an utterly firm and radiant will. Indeed, it seemed even more righteous and untainted than the sect-sustaining treasures possessed by the leaders present.

“What is going on? This is clearly an immortal treasure! How did it fall into the hands of the Demon Cult?” Xiao Jin, leader of the Hanshan Sword Sect, cried, eyes wide.

“Xiao is right,” Master Zhishang said solemnly. “In this old monk’s view, the Ancient Demon Bell of Malevolent Qi must once have belonged to the immortal sects. The Demon Cult happened upon it and refined it into an evil treasure to guard their sect, yet even they cannot suppress the righteous spirit within.”

“Hahaha! Monk, do the greatest treasures in the world really belong to one side or the other? Since you claim it is a righteous treasure, then let you all taste the might of demonic qi!” The Emperor of Radiant Darkness’s majestic face appeared upon the bronze bell, his voice carrying like a peal across a hundred, even a thousand li.

Roar!

A thunderous howl erupted from nowhere. The terrifying demonic qi that had vanished reassembled in an instant into a human face. Fifty or sixty zhang across, it was wrapped in endless malevolence and resentment as it slowly swept toward them.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Master Zhishang hurriedly sent forth his spirit and formed a Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin, its Dharma form standing guard before him. The bodhisattva bore a vajra pestle, a blue lotus, and all manner of weapons—swords, spears, and halberds among them. A thousand eyes blazed on its brow like the sun. Its white form was immaculate, unsullied by even a speck of dust.

The leaders of the various sects either formed sword formations or raised their treasures in defense, while freeing their hands to deal with the face of demonic qi.

“Single-Character Sword Light!” Wan Shixian, leader of the Tianshan Sword Sect, struck first. His Thunder God Sword traced a brilliant streak of lightning, piercing through the demonic face in an instant.

Pfft!

The demonic qi seemed to have eyes. The moment it was pierced, the gap filled itself, leaving no trace of the attack.

“Demonic illusion, perish! Nine-Nine Returning to One, Supreme Treasure Wheel, Seal of Creation and Rebirth!” Kun Lun Zi, master of the Taiji Academy, danced through the air, stepping upon the Eight Trigrams diagram of Heaven and Earth, with the golden wheels of sun and moon shining behind him. His bearing was peerless.

A white seal shaped like the wheel of sun and moon slowly emerged, turning as countless golden rays blazed forth. It shattered the void, unleashing a potent aura of destruction as it struck toward the demonic face.

Wang Qinghao, leader of the White Cloud Sword Sect, unleashed the “Life-Breathing Crosswise Sword.” Sheng Baiyu, master of the Sword Sect, launched the “Thousand Slashes of Mysteries.” The other leaders of the great sword sects also brought out their greatest techniques. The sky blazed with overwhelming force as sword qi of every hue exploded in a barrage. Before the demonic face could reach them, it had already been torn into pieces and destroyed, unable to gather itself again.

Nearly ten sect leaders had struck at once, and together they had finally withstood this strange and terrifying wave of demonic qi.

“Hahaha, excellent! That was merely a small test of a treasure left unused for a thousand years. Now it’s time for you to die! Ancient Demons of the Great Wastes—Cangwu, Gaiyou, Zhuxiao, heed my command! By the decree of the Demon God, appear!”

The Ancient Demon Bell of Malevolent Qi sent out three beams of light—one blood-red, one white, and one black. They shot toward the sky, twisting the space around them. Within the distortion, three towering figures slowly appeared, each several zhang tall. They wore savage armor studded with bone spikes. Though their hands held no weapons, the aura they radiated was charged with a powerful urge to destroy and annihilate.

“Ancient demon souls!” Jun Wuji, who had only just recovered some of his power, was stunned by the three ancient demons before him.

“Indeed! This is the treasure that protects our sect. It contains the souls of eighteen ancient demons. What you see is only the tip of the iceberg. If I kill you all today and seal you inside the bell, I’ll add a fine number of living souls to its collection!” The Emperor of Radiant Darkness laughed triumphantly. The instant his words fell, the three ancient demons crossed a hundred zhang and struck with their fists!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their three punches were like the collapse of heaven and earth. Lightning and blood-red light rained down together, as though a bloodstorm had begun. Destruction filled the world.

Crack!

Sheng Baiyu, master of the Sword Sect, failed to dodge in time and was shattered by Cangwu’s punch. His nascent soul shrieked as it fled from the pile of bloody remains, taking refuge behind Master Zhishang.

“Amitabha! Demonic fiends, this old monk will guide you into the cycle of rebirth!”

Master Zhishang stood with one palm raised. The crystal vajra prayer beads in his right hand flew out and expanded in an instant. Eighteen beads shone with the light of the Buddha, while golden vajra mantras flowed across them and the Buddhist swastika blazed brightly. The beads scattered, encircling the most ferocious of the three ancient demons, Cangwu, then contracted fiercely inward.

Cangwu spread the fingers of one hand, and malevolent qi erupted. Like leaves in an autumn gale, eighty-one palms struck out in rapid succession, battering the beads around him. Clouds of smoke and light burst violently into blooms of blood.

Master Zhishang felt sweetness rise in his throat. He hurriedly steadied his mind and began chanting the mantra that subdued demons through the six faculties, six sense-objects, and six consciousnesses. White lotuses bloomed in profusion as Buddhist hymns filled the sky.

Kun Lun Zi, Xiao Jin, and Ximen Feiyu joined forces against the ancient demon Gaiyou, while everyone else set upon Zhuxiao. They unleashed every ounce of their potential. Savage sword qi and spells blotted out the sky. Space shattered again and again, and terrifying gusts and flashes of lightning poured from the cracks, devouring everything around them.

The Lords of the Ten Thousand Demons could do nothing but stand by. Not one dared interfere. At that moment, they would not have risked their lives even with a blade at their throats. The terrifying strength displayed by the orthodox sect leaders left the demonic lords and overlords trembling with fear.

“Amitabha! The Dao gives rise to karma; the Buddha saves all beings. Eighteen Hells, cleanse and destroy ten thousand demons!”

The eighteen beads suddenly drew together, one after another entering Cangwu’s massive body. In an instant, ten thousand rays of golden light shone through his savage bone armor. Buddha’s radiance flooded the world.

With a roar of agony that shook heaven and earth, Cangwu exploded into a rain of blood, then crumbled into ash, his demonic corruption cleansed away by the Pure-World White Lotus.

The other two ancient demons were soon slaughtered through the combined efforts of the sect leaders. Two people suffered severe injuries in the battle, while the master of the Sword Sect was left with his body shattered.

“Don’t think you’ve won! I’d like to see how you plan to withstand fifteen ancient demons at once!” The Emperor of Radiant Darkness gave a cold snort. Fifteen beams of light shot from the Ancient Demon Bell of Malevolent Qi, forming a rainbow bridge, beautiful and haunting.

The orthodox sect leaders all changed color. They had thought the Emperor of Radiant Darkness was merely boasting, but the demonic bell truly held the souls of eighteen ancient demons!

Master Zhishang’s Buddhist prayer beads, his sacred weapon, had been destroyed. Even facing a single ancient demon would be difficult for him. Now that fifteen had appeared at once, the sect leaders felt as though they had plunged into an icy abyss.

Less than a hundred li from that fierce battle, a figure quietly slipped into the Valley of Absolute Poison. Thick dust coated his body, and several leaves clung to his clothes. His newly grown hair barely covered his forehead. It was Lin Feng, who had been lying low for several days.

“The orthodox masters must have come to the rescue. I can use this chance to find out where the Demon Cult’s prison is and save my master and the others!”

The Valley of Absolute Poison was desolate. Not a single disciple could be seen, and no one had even bothered with the damaged sacrificial altar. Lin Feng couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“Could the Poison King have gone to the Palace of Endless Vaults and been killed? What am I supposed to do now…” He frowned in thought, then suddenly came up with a plan. “I’ll capture someone and ask where the Ten Thousand Demons’ lair is. Then I can follow the trail!”

After leaving the Valley of Absolute Poison, he flew less than ten li before spotting another demonic stronghold. This was the Ten Thousand Demons’ Soul-Transfer Cave. He captured a disciple without any trouble and learned the location of the Heavenly Blessing Palace. Once inside, he did the same again, finally learning the route to the Cold Abyss from a Golden Core guard.

“Who goes there? Show yourself!”

At the entrance to the Cold Abyss, Lin Feng was peering cautiously inside when a thunderous shout startled him.

“Two Nascent Soul cultivators! I didn’t even notice them!” His heart chilled. He immediately cast the Wind-Riding Art and fled.

“Hmph. A nobody, daring to spy on us?” one of the old men guarding the Cold Abyss muttered coldly.

Lin Feng fled a thousand li without seeing anyone pursue him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and begin considering what to do next. Charging in and killing his way through was clearly impossible; two Nascent Soul cultivators could kill him in an instant.

Just then, the sound of surging waves came to his ears. He looked up—and his heart nearly stopped. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

A hundred-zhang wave, carrying a massive glacier, was surging forward from the Northern Sea. It swallowed everything in its path. Trees and rocks collapsed with thunderous force, and nothing could withstand the terrible disaster.

“Is this… a tsunami?”

As he murmured to himself, ten figures flew through the air above the glacier and the towering waves. Behind them came a figure as graceful as an immortal, riding slowly forward upon a luminous pearl.