"I merely wish to discern, what affair pertains to the Great Brahma Demon King?"

The man toyed leisurely with a blade of grass in his hand. In this expanse of the void, the sun blazed like fire, casting the earth in a hue of white gold. Adorned in a golden robe shimmering with numerous Sorcery Diagram Physiognomies, he exuded an eerie, coercive presence. As he spoke, over fifty cultivators from various sects stood by, listening in silence, not one indulging in whispered chatter.

Of course, this silence was also due to their standoff with a formidable adversary, which had the atmosphere stretched taut with tension.

The man appeared the most at ease, his smile beaming as he regarded the female cultivator opposite him, his gaze seemingly piercing through the shadows beneath her hood:

"Esteemed fellow Daoist, known as Incense Slave, was it not you who two days prior first broached the matter of the Great Brahma Demon King? It left me wracking my brains in confusion, unable to fathom the crux of it. Today, as fate would have it, we meet again. Could it be by the divine decree of the Sorcerer God that you are here to dispel our perplexities?"

That day, the female cultivator had merely pressured Wen Shifei into posing the question, without directly addressing the Great Brahma Demon King, yet she was credited with initiating the discourse. Now, her entire being concealed beneath a hooded cloak, her visage obscured, her tone flat, though her words retained a measure of politeness: "Why should the illustrious Young Master Boyang exhaust his eloquence when wisdom like pearls is in his grasp?"

The man in the golden robe, who was none other than Xia Boyang of the Thousand Mountain Sect, clapped his hands with a chuckle: "Indeed, that is true. I was initially in the dark, but upon seeing you, Daoist, clarity dawned upon me, and I grasped some semblance of understanding."

As he spoke, he gestured to the surrounding cultivators to relax their vigilant stance: "With friends from the Rakshasa Sect present, numbers are inconsequential. Besides, we are all neighbors and kin, why should we draw swords and crossbows against each other?"

Xia Boyang's amiable demeanor seemed harmless to man and beast, but those familiar with him would never take it at face value, Incense Slave included.

Their encounter was entirely coincidental.

Initially, Xia Boyang had been coerced by the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave to enter the Sword Immortal's Secret domain, from which he later escaped, vanishing without a trace. However, in the subsequent ten or so days, he was far from idle, leveraging the influence of both the Thousand Mountain Sect and Flying Soul City to rally a group of experts from the Jade Purification Alliance, forming a force capable of contending with the Northern Land Demon Gate.

For the past two days, in this complex and interwoven Void World, this band of individuals, under Xia Boyang's leadership, had been causing considerable inconvenience to other cultivators, though merely as a nuisance.

Lacking a clear objective, devoid of planning, and riddled with internal complexities, such a group could only ever play the role of a troublemaker, which was far from what Xia Boyang wished to see.

It was while he racked his brains over the effectiveness of his team that Incense Slave, alone and unaccompanied, emerged within this void, coincidentally clashing with his group.

In that moment, his proclamation of "clarity and enlightenment" contained not a hint of exaggeration.

"It puzzles me," he continued, "that the Great Brahma Demon King, content to reign solitary within the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion, should now extend his influence to this realm. If it is a matter concerning your esteemed sect, then all is well. The Cultivation World may be oblivious, but the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion has its own channels. Presumably, the distinguished personage of your sect... would not wish for the Great Brahma Demon King's reach to extend into this realm. To sever with a timely strike, that would be most fitting indeed."

In his final words, Xia Boyang employed a special technique to blur his voice, ensuring that only the Incense Slave directly before him could discern his words clearly. Then, he raised his voice, his tone brimming with jovial warmth: "We and your esteemed sect are but neighbors and kin; there's no need for formalities between us. Should you require any service, feel free to lead us!"

Xia Yangyang believed his message was crystal clear—you, the Rakshasa sect, must have premeditated plans, or at the very least, possess deep insights. In this forsaken place, we're counting on you to guide the way.

He awaited the Incense Slave's response, but in the next instant, the blade of grass slipped from his hand.

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Without warning, a blood-red storm arose, darkening the skies. As they confronted each other before the Void Rift, the dense Bloodthirsty Qi swiftly engulfed them. The team, composed of cultivators from over a dozen sects, descended into chaos. At least seventy percent believed they were under attack by a formidable adversary. In an instant, countless Body-Protecting True Shas and protective auras flared, figures darted in every direction, and some, provoked by the Bloodthirsty Qi, began to brawl with their comrades, exacerbating the pandemonium.

With the highest cultivation and wisdom in the team, Xia Boyang, though caught off guard, quickly regained his composure. His commanding shout steadied the situation. The blood-red storm had come swiftly and dissipated just as quickly. However, once the tumult subsided, every member of the team was disheveled and, to their great shame, some were even wounded. As the initiator, Xia Boyang felt a profound loss of face; the momentum he had built diminished by ninety percent.

Suppressing his anger, he turned to the Incense Slave again. Surprisingly, the female cultivator had not seized the opportunity to flee but instead gazed thoughtfully into the blood-drenched Void Rift.

"This damned place is truly baffling," Xia Boyang cursed under his breath to dispel the awkwardness, before continuing the earlier conversation: "In such a realm, unity and cooperation are essential to confront the challenges ahead. My friend, there's no need for courtesy..."

Even as he spoke, he found his own words oddly flavored. Unable to discern the Incense Slave's expression, he only heard her faint voice: "At the present level, I do not deem myself capable of shouldering such responsibility, so there's no need to trouble everyone."

With that, she turned to leave. How could Xia Boyang let her go? Without a second thought, he called out, "Wait!" and his aura began to shift.

As the leader, his movement startled the already unnerved team, eliciting an exaggerated reaction. Instantly, the sound of Sword Resonance filled the air, the atmosphere around them tensed and then shattered. The Incense Slave cast a cold glance back, her form becoming ethereal. The Rakshasa Illusion Technique fears no group attack. Yet, surrounded and failing to strike first would have cast doubt on her intellect.

Xia Boyang, realizing the situation spiraling out of control, also anticipated the Incense Slave's tactics. In an instant, offense and defense were exchanged, and he interwove with the Incense Slave several times. The Witchcraft of Thousand Mountains and the Illusion Power of Rakshasa, both inherently mutable, transformed and collided, igniting waves of dazzling light—a sight to behold. However, the disordered aura also made it difficult for nearby cultivators to intervene.

"Hmm?"

Xia Boyang sensed something subtle in his heart, but before he could confirm it, the cultivators observing from the outskirts suddenly stirred. The aura, already disrupted by the duel, faced another violent disturbance. The intensity was such that even the combatants couldn't help but turn their heads to look.

What they beheld were limbs torn asunder and a surge of blood soaring skyward.

After the initial shock, Xia Boyang was seething with rage. Who was this scoundrel that dared to launch such a stealthy, lethal attack?

In that moment, he could hardly afford to concern himself with the Incense Slave. With a sharp whistle, he commanded his troops, executing a formation they had practiced over the past few days. They vacated the blood-drenched ground, nearly fifty of them separating into layers, their forces converging. As long as they could lock down the Aura, even an opponent of the Golden Elixir Upper Level could be shattered in an instant!

Xia Boyang's gaze was piercing, cutting through the crowd to the source of the bloodshed. Unbeknownst to them, a large object had been placed there:

"Is that... a coffin?"

"The intelligence gathered these past few days seems to suggest so."

That individual recounted to Yu Ci in a whisper the events of the standoff between the Northern Land Demon Gate and the Lichen Sect, as well as the various conflicts within the Boundary River over the last two days, summarizing the key points which naturally centered on the Great Brahma Demon King.

However, what Yu Ci was most concerned about was something else: "Temple Master has arrived?"

The details whispered in his ear were so vivid, one might suspect the informant had been lurking nearby during the events. Consequently, Yu Ci's train of thought was slightly disrupted, leading him to offer a wry smile: "The small fry are dealt with, and now the big fish arrives... this is..."

He took a deep breath, leaving his sentence unfinished, and returned to the main topic: "The Great Brahma Demon King! How does such a figure suddenly emerge out of nowhere? No, that's not right, back in Cliff City..."

Yu Ci's memory was exceptional; he naturally remembered the information inadvertently gleaned during the encirclement and attempted kill of the Blood Monk. Yet, for some reason, upon learning that it was the Rakshasa's Incense Slave who had first revealed the secrets, his thoughts became even more convoluted than anyone else's, leaving his mind in disarray.

He simply asked, "What exactly is that fellow up to?"

"It appears now that the shadow of Qu Thunderbolt-Free has set its sights on Master Yuan Dao. Master Yuan Dao perished due to the Demonic Cataclysm, and the Solar Divine Sword Embryo was reduced to ashes, yet his physical body was left unscathed. Instead, it underwent some transformation due to the taint of the Demonic Cataclysm..."

"Transformation?"

Yu Ci pondered for a moment, recalling the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave who lacked a corporeal form and thus struggled to attain the Dao. He speculated, "Is it aiming for Possession?"

"Perhaps. At the very least, Master Yuan Dao's coffin has fallen into his hands." The individual responded indifferently, seemingly with a different line of thought. After a pause, he added, "The Great Brahma Demon King is no saint; there's no need to stir up such turmoil for a mere shadow in this realm. Yet, he has been quite active of late..."

Yu Ci shrugged, "So what now? What should we do?"

The individual fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You have a good relationship with Yu Zhou?"