Chapter 137: The Three Great Heavenly Demons

"You have arrived," Yuwen Bi said faintly.

Sensing his aura, Pang Yue's eyes flickered with a deep, eerie glow. His nameless pupillary technique suddenly pierced through to reveal a bizarre sight!

Countless exceptionally vivid butterflies densely covered the entire body of the Vice Sect Master of the Demonic Talisman Sect.

These brightly colored butterflies, varying in size, continuously fluttered in and out of his body in an uncanny and inexplicable manner.

He instantly realized that the figure before him must be his master's Demonic Talisman avatar!

Respectfully, Pang Yue said, "Twenty-three years ago, Master instructed me to come after my Dao foundation reached perfection. Now that my cultivation is complete, I have come specifically to pay my respects."

Yuwen Bi smiled faintly. "Given your aptitude, managing to find me in such a short time exceeds my expectations... Ah, I understand now... You must have harvested Ye Bing!"

"Tell your master, how does the Ice Palace Master taste?"

In Pang Yue's mind, the noble and graceful posture of Ye Bing, the Ice Demon Palace Master, involuntarily surfaced.

He hurriedly shook his head and said, "Master speaks of Palace Master Ye Bing? My relationship with Palace Master Ye Bing is entirely innocent..."

Hum!

Yuwen Bi let out a soft cold hum.

Pang Yue instantly felt as though a thunderbolt had exploded beside his ears; his divine soul trembled, and he almost fainted on the spot.

"Do not try to deceive your master! The aura on your body is unmistakably that of the Ice Demon lineage. You might as well wear a sign across your forehead saying—I just completed dual cultivation with a female Core Formation cultivator from the Ice Demon Palace!" Yuwen Bi mocked.

How could Pang Yue have anticipated that this master of his would be such a gossipy individual?

He immediately gave a brief account of the events between himself and Ye Xue.

As for the Ten Directions Freezing Demonic Dao and the Glacial Soul Divine Light, he simply glossed over them.

Hearing this, Yuwen Bi fell into a prolonged silence.

Pang Yue secretly guessed that he was pondering the profound secrets of the Glacial Soul Divine Light, and inwardly hesitated whether he should reveal the full origins of this divine ability.

Suddenly, he heard Yuwen Bi sigh with regret, "You are still too naive... With such a prime opportunity, why didn't you pull Ye Bing in as well to cultivate together?"

Pang Yue was stunned, staring blankly at his master's back.

"Think carefully, in your cooperation with Ye Bing, did you profit more, or did Ye Bing profit more?" Yuwen Bi sneered.

Pang Yue reflected on this and thought to himself, If I possessed the same cultivation level as Ye Bing, what conditions would I dare not propose?

Yuwen Bi sighed softly, "Never mind, there may still be opportunities in the future. Just remember not to show any mercy when the time comes."

"I shall strictly obey Master's command."

Daring not to argue, Pang Yue obediently acknowledged the order.

Yuwen Bi continued, "I have already selected the Heavenly Demons required for your advancement to the Core Formation stage. There are three types in total; you may choose one yourself!"

With a gentle flick of his sleeve, three images appeared before Pang Yue's eyes.

On the left was a winding river surging with monstrous demonic energy.

In the center was a dark, towering city emanating a chilling demonic aura.

On the right was an ancient, heavy, pitch-black bell.

Pang Yue recognized the Heavenly Demon in the center; it was the Heavenly Capital Heavenly Demon, ranked thirty-fourth among the three thousand Heavenly Demons!

The Heavenly Demons on the left and right, however, were completely unheard of.

He bowed and said, "I ask Master to enlighten me."

Yuwen Bi explained, "The Yellow Springs Heavenly Demon is ranked eighty-ninth. It excels at corrupting vital energy, subduing all laws, and poses the greatest threat to orthodox practitioners.

"The Heavenly Capital Heavenly Demon is ranked sixty-fourth. It can devour and control boundless Heavenly Demons, evolve a demonic domain, seal the void, and possesses the strongest offensive power of the three."

Pausing slightly, his voice lowered as he introduced the Heavenly Demon on the right: "The Epoch Light Heavenly Demon is ranked nineteenth. It excels at manipulating... time."

Pang Yue asked in astonishment, "If it can manipulate time, why is it only ranked nineteenth?"

Yuwen Bi replied, "Heavenly Demons ranked in the top fifty are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, exceedingly difficult to encounter. Do you know where the rankings of the three thousand Heavenly Demons come from?"

Pang Yue thought for a moment and said, "It seems they were derived from a shattered stone tablet within the ruins of the Fallen Immortal Island. To this day, no one has been able to assemble the complete list of three thousand Heavenly Demons."

"Correct."

Yuwen Bi nodded. "No one knows where that stone tablet came from. Over tens of thousands of years, all the fragments capable of being pieced together amount to no more than a third of its original form.

"This Epoch Light Heavenly Demon is one of the three known most formidable Heavenly Demons.

"Another is the Divine Idol, ranked thirteenth, but no one has ever laid eyes upon it.

"There is also the Punishment Clash, ranked seventh, possessing the power to reverse Dao principles... Two thousand years ago, a peak Core Formation elder of our sect attempted to usurp the Dao of this demon, but was ultimately corrupted by it, crashing into the outer void and disappearing without a trace."

Hearing this, Pang Yue felt a slight chill in his heart.

Previously, relying on the divine soul tempered over hundreds of years within the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Realm, coupled with the Primordial Wuxuji Monument, he had wantlessly executed the art of Heavenly Demon Dao Usurpation, succeeding every time.

He had thought that Heavenly Demon Dao Usurpation was nothing much to him.

Little did he know he was merely walking along the edge of a cliff!

How could truly powerful Heavenly Demons ever allow themselves to be manipulated at will?

The three types of Heavenly Demons selected by Yuwen Bi were all ranked within the top hundred, far surpassing anything Pang Yue had previously witnessed.

After pondering for a moment, his gaze finally settled on the Heavenly Demon on the right, and he said in a deep voice, "Master, this disciple wishes to choose the Epoch Light Heavenly Demon."

Yuwen Bi remained silent for a moment before saying, "Choosing this Heavenly Demon means a ten-to-one chance of death.

"Before you, I also had several disciples of astonishing talent, but they all perished at the hands of this Epoch Light Heavenly Demon...

"Heavenly Demon Dao Usurpation is contending against the heavens for one's life. Have you thought it through?"

With a firm expression, Pang Yue replied, "This disciple has thought it through."

Yuwen Bi said, "If you can succeed, you will be qualified to become the tribulation of mortality for Ping Taiyan."

With that, a pot of Blood-leaf Demonic Grass flew from his body and hovered quietly in front of Pang Yue.

"Go. Fortune is unfathomable, and I shall await your return."

Pang Yue accepted the Blood-leaf Demonic Grass, respectfully stored it away, and bowed. "Thank you, Master!"

With a distant sigh, Yuwen Bi spoke no more.

A surge of spiritual light erupted from Pang Yue, and he departed from the giant cliff.

Inside the quiet chamber.

Pang Yue looked at the Blood-leaf Demonic Grass before him with a calm expression.

Using this grass as a medium, combined with the Heavenly Demon Dao Usurpation Formation, he could summon the Epoch Light Heavenly Demon down to the mortal realm.

Back then, Xu Wentian attempted to breakthrough to the Core Formation stage, drawing down the Myriad Tribulations Hand Heavenly Demon, but ultimately failed to withstand the might of the demonic corruption. Falling short at the final hurdle, he transformed into a demonic monstrosity and was suppressed by the Law Enforcement Hall elders.

Through the ages, how many cultivators had been trapped at this very bottleneck of Core Formation!

Moreover, the path he had chosen was the most arduous one of all.

Decades of crossing through this world had finally led him to this day.

The thread of the Great Dao was as difficult to climb as ascending to the heavens!

"Core Formation..." Pang Yue murmured.

Thousands of miles away from the Demonic Talisman Sect, on a desolate island.

The Demonic Talisman avatar stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out at the boundless expanse of sea and sky.

A demonic vine emerged from the void, winding its way forward to stop before him.

Hanging from the demonic vine was precisely a storage pouch!

The Demonic Talisman avatar removed the storage pouch, tucked the demonic vine back into his sleeve, and then spun around to transform into a streak of pitch-black sword light, abruptly vanishing without a trace.

Inside the cave dwelling on Zhuoguang Mountain.

The Demonic Talisman avatar walked into the secret chamber, his figure dissolving into thousands of pitch-black talismans that merged into Pang Yue's body.

A single storage pouch drifted leisurely downward.

Pang Yue swept his divine sense into the storage pouch, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

Over the years, although the Heavenly Sword avatar cultivated the Nine Swords of the Human Emperor and received resources from the Heavenly Sword Sect, the consumption remained immense.

Fortunately, within Youtian Market, a stable income had been established.

Over the course of twenty years, a fair number of treasures had been accumulated.

Pang Yue opened the storage pouch, and immediately a brilliant aura of treasures radiated forth!