Eighty-Nine: Cultivator of the Demonic Sect, Part Three

Deep within Salt-Mist Island, inside a cavern, a gaunt man in white sat beside a pool of wondrous beast ointment, his expression cold and austere.

He looked to be in his twenties. His spotless robes were immaculate, yet demonic intent surged around him, and his aura rose and fell in unstable waves.

Before him, a great formation hummed as it turned.

Within the formation, a transparent heavenly demon, like a round mirror, lurched and slowly spun.

A Void Mirror Demon.

This mirror demon was about ten feet across, roughly circular in form, though its rim bristled with countless angular edges. Its whole body shimmered with a crystal-clear, glazed luster.

Behind the man in white, countless tiny black talismans rose into being and flowed into the Void Mirror Demon’s body, forcibly refining it.

Even with the wondrous beast ointment to intoxicate the heavenly demon, the danger of demonic corruption during the seizure of its power remained terrifyingly high.

Over the past half year, he had spared no effort. From selecting the heavenly demon to forging his demonic talisman avatar, every step had been fraught with peril.

The mirror demon before him was the second demonic talisman avatar he had refined.

After a while, the Void Mirror Demon suddenly trembled and scattered into a mass of dense demonic qi.

Within that demonic qi was a ball of golden light, unmistakably its innate divine ability.

The demonic qi abruptly collapsed, then condensed into a talisman three feet long. Fine, intricate dark-gold patterns covered its surface, gleaming brilliantly.

The instant the demonic talisman took shape, a chaotic demonic will quietly appeared in the white-robed man’s sea of consciousness and surged toward his soul.

"It’s here!"

The man was instantly on guard. His divine sense became a shard of luminous blade-light, slashing at the demonic will.

The demonic will was severed in a single stroke and slowly dispersed.

Before the white-robed man could even rejoice, he suddenly felt a black demonic intent rise from his soul, binding it tightly.

Not good!

He was shocked. His soul blazed with light as he fought with all his might.

Outside, the man sat cross-legged on the ground, and half his body suddenly turned insubstantial.

That half of him collapsed at once, becoming countless shattered mirror-lights that flashed and collided.

Yet the other half remained flesh and blood.

A brilliant glow shone from between his brows as he invoked a secret art, forcibly suppressing the demonic intent within his sea of consciousness.

After a long while, the strange phenomena about him gradually faded, and his body returned to normal.

"Phew... that was close."

He murmured with lingering fear.

"The seizure of a heavenly demon’s path is more dangerous each time..."

"It seems I’ll have to find a secret art to strengthen the soul before I can continue using this method."

"Still, with two demonic talisman avatars, I at least have some means of self-preservation. Even if Pang Yue comes seeking revenge, I’ll have a bit more confidence."

His eyes flickered as he schemed in silence.

Just then, a deafening crash came from outside.

The cavern shook, and stones tumbled down.

The man in white paused. His expression darkened like still water. Unhurriedly, he收收 the heavenly demon seizure formation, then shifted his body and turned into a streak of mirror-light, vanishing into the air.

On the island, the protective formation shattered into a sky full of streaming radiance.

More than a thousand cultivators poured in.

Flight lights came like rain.

The disciples of the Spirit-Devouring Island fled in all directions, and the two sides fought fiercely in the air.

Suddenly, a blinding white light appeared.

Thunder rumbled and erupted with a boom.

The lightning struck friend and foe alike, killing and injuring countless cultivators from both sides in an instant.

Then eight more flashes of white light appeared in succession and exploded one after another.

For a time, Salt-Mist Island was ablaze with fierce lightning, and spiritual currents ran wild in chaos.

...

In the passage leading to the oil cavern, a streak of black sword-light abruptly condensed and slashed into empty space.

Clang!

Ripples spread through the void.

A nearly transparent round mirror quietly appeared.

The mirror turned, presenting its sharp edge as it spun and sliced toward the sword-light.

The black sword-light flickered like a star-flung pebble and flashed past, striking the center of the round mirror!

Crack!

The mirror-light shattered.

Demonic qi gushed out, filling the passage.

Then the demonic qi collapsed and gathered into a talisman.

A white-robed figure also appeared leisurely, staring in astonishment at the black sword-light.

"Huh, it’s you!"

An astonished voice came from the void.

Then the black sword-light flashed, revealing a figure.

"Pang Yue?"

The white-robed man instantly lost himself for a moment, then exclaimed in shock, "How are you here?"

Pang Yue looked at him with a strange expression. "Senior Brother Ning, that’s what I should be asking. Why are you here?"

The two stared at each other, speechless.

Ning Daozhen’s entire body surged with spiritual power as he watched Pang Yue warily, his face growing colder and more grave by the moment.

Pang Yue suddenly smiled. "Since fate has brought us together, I’ll send Senior Brother on his way."

"That is not certain."

Ning Daozhen gave a cold laugh and struck without hesitation.

Two round mirrors silently manifested in the void and suddenly sliced toward Pang Yue!

Black light flashed about Pang Yue, and two small mountains appeared out of thin air, blocking the mirrors.

"The Inviolable Heavenly Demon..."

Ning Daozhen ground out the words between his teeth.

He had not expected Pang Yue to have cultivated the Heavenly Demon Seizure Path so quickly, and to have already refined the highly ranked Inviolable Heavenly Demon!

Pang Yue casually pointed at Ning Daozhen.

At once, Ning Daozhen felt the spiritual currents throughout his body shift, and he was sealed within a golden bubble!

He acted at once, throwing a punch. Flames exploded violently.

Great Strength Flame Demon Fist, combined with Pure Yang True Fire.

The fist radiance slammed heavily against the thin membrane of the golden bubble, yet only a faint, almost inaudible sound came from it.

Golden light flickered on the bubble, and the fist radiance dissolved entirely into nothingness.

"No..."

Ning Daozhen’s face showed a trace of panic as he was about to use even more powerful means to break free.

Suddenly, a large hand reached unimpeded into the golden bubble and clamped around his head!

Rushing demonic power fell like a waterfall, pouring in from the crown of his head, and in a single instant it sealed all the spiritual power in his body.

"Senior Brother Ning, after all this time, your strength still hasn’t improved..."

"You’re far too weak."

"You truly disappoint me, Pang Yue..."

A mocking voice rang in his ear.

Ning Daozhen opened his mouth to speak, but a tremendous force suddenly struck down from above, and his head was instantly crushed apart!

From their chance encounter to the end of the battle, only a few breaths had passed.

Thus fell the most outstanding figure of the current Ning clan generation.

...

Above the sea.

Two streaks of flight light, one black and one white, shot forward at great speed.

Behind them, more than ten streams of light pursued relentlessly.

Far ahead in the high sky, a violent detonation suddenly rang out.

A dazzling burst of light flashed, then stretched sideways and spread across the heavens!

Immediately after, a fleeing streak of light shot away in terror, crossing half the sky at astonishing speed before vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

"A Golden Core grand cultivator..."

Such a thought flashed through everyone’s minds.

The commotion just now had clearly been caused by two Golden Core grand cultivators fighting, with one defeated and fleeing.

But whether it was the Golden Core from Spirit-Devouring Island that had lost, or the one from the Wang clan, no one knew.

Both sides hesitated. If they blundered into the victorious Golden Core grand cultivator and it happened to belong to the opposing faction, then...

The two fellow disciples from Salt-Mist Island exchanged a glance. The man in white robes’ eyes flickered as he activated his spiritual sight and looked into the distance.

Suddenly, his face lit with joy.

At once, he urged his spiritual power and pointed one hand toward the sky. A streak of spiritual light shot upward and burst open violently.

A giant mouth emblem appeared high in the vault of heaven, clearly visible from afar.

Seeing this, the pursuing cultivators immediately cried out, "Bad news! Ahead is a Golden Core grand cultivator from Spirit-Devouring Island. Run!"

As they spoke, more than ten people each turned their flight lights around and fled at top speed.

Just then, a faint voice sounded in everyone’s ears.

"Think you can get away?"