For a moment, a thunderous roar echoed in the Vast Void, but no one had time to marvel at the abnormality of the noise. The Planetary Purgatory fragments did not collapse and instead morphed into smaller spheres. Demon Empress Bluefeather’s blue flames still coated them, but the fragments expelled a gaseous cloud to keep them at bay before zooming away from the flames.
The blue flame did not continue to entangle them. Instead, they shot toward where the core of the Planetary Purgatory once occupied, which was now replaced by a golden sphere that blinded all those within a million kilometers with golden light.
Demon Empress Bluefeather stared at the golden sphere, fury burning in her eyes. How could she not know what the golden light meant?
The Demon Clan had always been wary of spies because the Divine Beast Pseudo System’s strongest defense was the anonymity of its location. Because of this, the leaders of the Demon Clan, the Four Divine Beasts, had always maintained a state of wariness. Once a spy leaked the information, then the danger to the Divine Beast Pseudo System would skyrocket.
Thankfully, the Four Divine Beasts had always hidden the location of the Divine Beast Pseudo System from most of the other demon emperors, much less demon kings like Yujiao. Even the granddaughter of Demon Emperor Redraco, Honglin, did not know.
The lengths at which the Demon Clan went to hide the location went beyond the restriction of information. Surrounding the Divine Beast Pseudo System was a grand formation that blurred all investigative abilities or techniques. Someone just exiting would not be able to ascertain their location. Not even a demon emperor was exempt from this effect.
To enter, you needed a pair of parent-child artifacts. The parent artifact would be held by one of the Four Divine Beasts inside the pseudo system, while the other would be held by a demon emperor wanting to enter. The holder of the parent artifact would be able to sense the holder of the child artifact and determine the risk and danger. Only after deeming them safe would the holder of the child artifact enter the Divine Beast Pseudo System.
Furthermore, only the demons escorted by one of the Four Divine Beasts or a trusted demon monarch could enter or leave the Divine Beast Pseudo System. And during the process, the passengers must enter a realm artifact and have their sense of the outside obscured. All of this seemed extreme, but because of these extreme measures, the location of the pseudo system never leaked.
But now, that might change. Because of the secretive nature of the operation, only those trusted by the high echelon were chosen to perform this mission. In terms of trust, Yujiao ranked even higher than Donghai Longzi and lived in the True Dragon Realm longer than the latter, too.
For him to expose that Buddhist light now meant he was undoubtedly a spy. Even if he tried to exonerate himself by explaining that it was a technique he picked up would not convince Demon Empress Bluefeather.
True, he might have not gleaned much because he was inside the realm artifact, but that didn’t make the qingluan feel better. As one participant of this mission, he knew that the Divine Beast Pseudo System was preparing to relocate. Once news of that disseminated, then it would jeopardize their goal. How would they dare to move their home base with so many eyes seeking to expose them?
So many years of planning, all wasted because of a single spy and under her watch, too!
‘I should have known something was fishy,’ Demon Empress Bluefeather thought. Even if he reached the end of his ropes, he should have used the treasure the Demon Clan bequeathed onto him to escape, not shout out her name and expose her.
However, the demon empress did not know that Yujiao had attempted to use the treasure, but was still suppressed nonetheless. Yujiao had hoped that Demon Empress Bluefeather would have been able to extradite him from his predicament, but the Planetary Purgatory was far stronger than either of them thought. Knowing that it would be the end of him if he waited for the demon empress to shatter the Planetary Purgatory, Yujiao took measures into his own hands.
Although his life was saved, it also exposed his identity.
Demon Empress Bluefeather wanted to capture that damn traitor and bind him forever. Then, she would scale him piece by piece. Cut open his belly and devour his innards little by little. She would heal him so he could suffer torment for eternity. For the rest of his life, he could only watch his organs eaten little by little, but he would never be able to die because he would be healed.
Yujiao would not be able to escape or even kill himself. He could only suffer, unable to change anything.
As if sensing her thoughts, the golden sphere shot away into the distance.
“Get back here, traitor!” Demon Empress Bluefeather shouted. She could let the immortal monarchs live, but she couldn’t let Yujiao leave. Even if he had already transmitted the information despite her jamming, she still wanted to stop him on the off chance that he failed.
Of course, why would Yujiao do as she wished? Although the now-golden dragon didn’t know what would happen to him if he fell into Demon Empress Bluefeather’s talons, it would undoubtedly be something he would not be looking forward to. So, he fled with all his might.
The bodhi seed was a talisman refined by the Sūryaḥ Buddha as a final trump card to save his life. How could a demon empress’s means exceed that of a Buddha?
Demon Empress Bluefeather didn’t know the exact power and the maker of the talisman, but she could tell that if nothing changed, Yujiao would escape from her. So, she summoned her realm artifact, the Sacred Fire Grotto. Instantly, a world of flames materialized in the Vast Void. Its boundaries grew, like claws reaching out to trap Yujiao.
The Vast Void disappeared, and in its place was a burning sky. The torrent of fire clumped together to form colossal cables, all coiling toward the golden sphere like vipers intent on piercing its surface with their poisonous fangs. They struck the barrier, but only succeeded in unraveling themselves, akin to eggs smashing into a rock.
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The unraveled flames grabbed the golden sphere and coated it, forming a layer of pure fire. The temperature rose to an unbearable degree. Even a demon king would find it hard to last long at such extreme temperatures, but the golden sphere ignored everything and continued on its trajectory.
Demon Empress Bluefeather frowned. She thought the binding power of the Sacred Fire Grotto would at least slow down Yujiao, but it was as if the golden sphere had jumped out of the five elements, no longer able to be contaminated by the mortal world.
She snorted. The flames streamed toward her, fueling her. Her avian body grew thrice its original size, but it wasn’t just her size that had changed. Her speed also skyrocketed. Before Yujiao could react, a shadow fell over him. Demon Empress Bluefeather’s avian form was already above the golden sphere, talons stretched out.
The talons closed in around the flame-covered sphere. Within her talons, the red flames covering the sphere heated up and turned blue. Even with her avian head and beak, anyone could see the vindictive grin forming upon the demon empress’s face.
But before that smile could last long, a brilliant golden light dispersed the beautiful but deadly blue flames, and they disappeared like smoke. The light intensified, piercing through the boundaries of the Sacred Fire Grotto and blinding Demon Empress Bluefeather.
When she recovered her vision, Yujiao had disappeared. Demon Empress Bluefeather roared at the burning sky. The land and the very air reverberated with her anger. Fire burst in and out of existence as the temperature increased.
Demon Empress Bluefeather couldn’t sense Yujiao anymore and knew she had failed. Not only had she exposed her presence for nothing, the Immortal Court and Numinous Sword Sects would definitely dispatch immortal emperors to hunt her down, and the entire operation needed to be canceled, all because of her. She had become a sinner of the Demon Clan.
She turned her head and directed her wrath-filled gazes at the immortal monarchs. While attempting to trap Yujiao, the Sacred Fire Grotto also absorbed the immortals in the Vast Void. Since it was destined that she would be hunted, she didn’t mind going all out and killing all the immortals present.
Ba Shifang and the others sensed Demon Empress Bluefeather’s naked killing intent. They all raised their guards, but they were like butterflies trapped in a spider’s web. Ba Shifang controlled the fragmented Planetary Purgatory to flee, intent on escaping outside the boundary of the Sacred Fire Grotto.
Demon Empress Bluefeather unleashed a cry and soared toward the closest fragmented Planetary Purgatory. Simultaneously, the boundary of the Sacred Fire Grotto shrunk. Although it became smaller, space became more stable, and it became even more difficult to pierce the dimensional boundary.
She arrived at the first one, the one that contained Ba Shifang. It was not a coincidence since the demon empress kept track of him because she saw him as the greatest threat. She rammed straight into the fragmented Planetary Purgatory.
The fragmented Planetary Purgatory only possessed a fraction of the original technique’s might. How could it withstand the full might of a demon empress empowered by a realm artifact?
The planet-like sphere shattered upon contact, exposing Ba Shifang and two other immortal monarchs hiding inside.
“Shifang!” Meng Tingfeng shouted. He burst out of the Planetary Purgatory fragment with a sword in hand. Four of the seven stars on the Seven Star Sword shone brightly, just like the night sky.
Ba Shifang did not answer. Instead, he and the other two monarchs all fled in different directions.
Demon Empress Bluefeather ignored Meng Tingfeng. Even in the Vast Void, she would not fear him, much less inside her realm artifact. Under her control, the air around the three immortal monarchs burst into flames. It wasn’t a fatal attack, but it would hinder and wound them all the same. The more time passed, the greater the danger of perishing.
Of course, she wouldn’t just rely on her realm artifact. Demon Empress Bluefeather chased Ba Shifang.
Ba Shifang gazed back to see the rapidly approaching demon empress. Compared to the other two, who received burns, he only got a few soot marks on his clothes, but that made Demon Empress Bluefeather want to kill him even more.
A golden pill appeared in his hand, and the demon empress instantly felt a sense of unease. Acting on instinct, she opened her beak. Seven rings of fire materialized in front of her. Demon Empress Bluefeather breathed a burst of flame. As it traveled its way through the rings, the fire became hotter and more intense, changing color along the way. After passing the seventh ring, the flame had a white-hot center edged in violet.
As for Ba Shifang, he simply ignited the golden pill in his grasp with his qi and threw it at the demon empress.
Unlike the Planetary Purgatory Pill Ba Shifang used before, the golden pill didn’t immediately show its effect when thrown. In fact, it just seemed like a simple ball as the violet flame neared it, ready to incinerate it to dust.
Demon Empress Bluefeather did not look down on it. She could still feel the unease, and the lack of reaction only made her warier.
Then, the golden pill made contact with her white-violet flame, and a pure white light filled her vision. Even as a qingluan that followed the path of fire, Demon Empress Bluefeather felt an unbearable heat. Acting on instinct, she retreated and cut off her attack.
The light didn’t blind her as long as Yujiao’s golden light had, but it still served its purpose. When she regained her vision, the demon empress glared hatefully at Ba Shifang, who was still fleeing.
Demon Empress Bluefeather felt the vitality of her realm artifact weaken. It was only a slight amount, nothing over five percent, but that shouldn’t have happened. Any spells within a realm artifact like the Sacred Fire Grotto should be suppressed. The realm artifact should have been able to siphon the qi used to fuel them and increase its own energy.
But the Sacred Fire Grotto could not absorb the energy of the golden pill. It was the same with the fragmented Planetary Purgatory. Both used a black qi filled with countless motes of light. That qi corrupted and corroded the air of the realm artifact. She had to spend more of the Sacred Fire Grotto’s energy to suppress it, further weakening it. Although it had not reached the point of having a noticeable effect on the Sacred Fire Grotto’s output power.
One or two wouldn’t be a problem, but what about ten, or even five?
Demon Empress Bluefeather didn’t believe that Ba Shifang could carry so much, nor did she believe that the other immortals had the same objects. If the Numinous Sword Sect or the Immortal Court could arm every monarch with a golden pill, then the Demon Clan should surrender directly.
Her current dilemma was whether to continue her chase of Ba Shifang or kill the other immortal monarchs first. Her choice was made for her as Meng Tingfeng rushed toward her.
The demon empress snorted. Even though she was wary of Ba Shifang, it did not mean she was afraid to fight, much less a mere sword monarch. Flame exploded from her feathers and she attacked Meng Tingfeng. Since he sought death, she will send him on the way.
Before she could kill the sword monarch, Demon Empress Bluefeather received an urgent transmission from Donghai Longzi.
“Empress Bluefeather, there’s something flying this way incredibly fast, likely the humans’ reinforcement. It won’t take long to reach—”
Donghai Longzi never finished as the Sacred Fire Grotto trembled. A crack appeared in the sky, revealing the Vast Void. From that crack appeared a young man dressed in purple with a golden coronet atop his head.