Chapter Twenty-One: The Demon King of Nine Evils

A fleeting flash of blue light piqued Qingxu's curiosity, and he could no longer contain himself, venturing toward the main hall.

The entire underground palace complex was vast, spanning thousands of miles, its layout intricately arranged with winding corridors, pavilions, soaring eaves, and ornate brackets, all exuding supreme opulence. With its blood-dark hues, an aura of bloodthirsty dominance surged forth, sending tremors through the heart.

"What material was used to construct this palace? It's truly formidable!" The stone walls and rocky mountains of this subterranean world were already exceedingly robust, yet compared to them, the palace was even stronger.

Even with Qingxu's cultivation and supernatural abilities, a full-force strike would hardly leave a trace on the palace walls!

Following the main path toward the central hall, he encountered no obstacles, and within a short while arrived before the main entrance. The grand doors were tightly shut, above which hung a plaque inscribed with "Heaven Entrapment."

"Heaven Entrapment? Such audacity—can even the heavens be imprisoned?"

With the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman above his head, the Xuanmo Sword and the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan in hand, Qingxu ascended the steps and tried to push open the doors, yet they remained utterly unmoved. Even with the power of the Dragon and Tiger, a force of thousands of pounds, the doors would not budge.

Spiritual treasures, supernatural arts, brute strength—all proved useless. Entry into the main hall was impossible!

"Hmm? What's this?" Just as Qingxu was at a loss, he noticed the columns before the hall engraved with talismanic scripts. The inscriptions appeared ethereal, indistinct when viewed up close.

Sweeping his divine sense across the pillars, he discovered tens of thousands of talismanic scripts—twelve thousand nine hundred sixty in total.

These scripts exuded an ancient and boundless aura, as if birthed at the dawn of time, the beginning of antiquity. They were profound, mysterious, and contained infinite cosmic truths.

"Ah! I can't decipher them!" Qingxu prided himself on his mastery of dozens of talismanic languages, but these scripts were far too ancient, perhaps tracing back to the creation of the heavens and earth, or even to the primordial chaos. With all his knowledge, he still could not grasp their true meaning.

[Ancient chaos contains yin and yang, righteousness and evil depend on the heart, ...]

"So, it can be interpreted this way?"

...

"Now I understand!" Having comprehended the secrets of the talismanic scripts, Qingxu realized this palace was the work of the ancient Demon Ancestor Rahu, built to imprison a primordial powerhouse. Rather than a palace, it was more accurately a primordial formation.

The Nine Fiends Demon Formation!

It harnessed the earth's baleful energy, drew upon ancient demonic power, and was enacted through Rahu's supreme arts. Its might was boundless, manifesting nine demon kings. Whether immortal or mortal, any who entered here would be reduced to dust and ashes.

"Strange, this Nine Fiends Demon Formation should annihilate all living beings; why did it not attack me?" Qingxu was full of doubts.

According to the information from the talismanic scripts, this was a demonic realm carved out by Rahu, separate from the vast wilderness. The palace complex within was a manifestation of the Primordial Blood Demon Treasure, which, relying on the formation, connected to the great earth and drew on baleful energy.

The Nine Fiends comprised one main and eight subsidiary demon kings, with the main king in the central hall and eight subordinate kings arrayed in a pattern akin to the Eight Trigrams. Should any living being enter the palace complex, blood-fiend demonic flames would instantly descend, reducing even immortals to ashes in moments.

Having clarified the information, Qingxu knew the Nine Fiends Demon Kings were terrifyingly powerful. After all, they were stationed by Rahu to suppress the demon formation. Even the eight subsidiary kings possessed the might of a Great Golden Immortal; if he faced them, the gap was not merely slight!

As he pondered, Qingxu continued to investigate the Nine Fiends Palace, and was startled to find the Eight Trigrams formation incomplete, missing one subordinate Fiend Demon King.

"That's it! Ba Liming?" A flash of inspiration struck him, revealing the mystery.

With the Investiture of Gods system, Qingxu had discerned Ba Liming's origins—born from the fusion of spectral resentment and earth's baleful demonic energy. Clearly, the earth's baleful energy was meant for one subordinate Fiend Demon King; the only unknown was the spectral resentment, which likely had karmic ties to the primordial powerhouse sealed within the Nine Fiends Demon Formation.

Qingxu had grasped the sequence of events: in ancient times, Rahu set the Nine Fiends Demon Formation to seal a primordial power. All was calm until three thousand years ago, when, for reasons unknown, Ba Liming was born. As a result, one subordinate Fiend Demon King collapsed and returned to the main hall, occasionally wreaking havoc before finally becoming the Xuanmo Sword.

It was precisely because one subordinate Fiend Demon King had scattered that the Nine Fiends Formation was incomplete, and this primordial formation was now losing its power, its effectiveness utterly spent.

"No wonder Ba Liming possesses Rahu's supernatural arts—his origins are truly extraordinary. To settle the karma between them, there is bound to be turmoil!"

Understanding the situation, Qingxu began to ponder a way to leave. He was curious about this demonic realm and the primordial powerhouse sealed within, but knew his own limitations; his cultivation was far from sufficient to unravel these mysteries. The Nine Fiends Demon Kings alone left him helpless.

Though the Nine Fiends Demon Formation was now ineffective and the demon kings could not attack of their own accord, if Qingxu entered the palace under their suppression, he would surely be slain.

Only if all seven Great Golden Immortals were eliminated could one enter the main hall, at which point the main Fiend Demon King's strength would be unfathomable, and even the sealed primordial power might be in peril.

"Without the cultivation of a Great Golden Immortal, I must not attempt to probe these mysteries!" he sighed inwardly. How difficult it was to become a Great Golden Immortal!

Earth Immortal and Celestial Immortal were merely entry-level ranks, still considered lower immortal positions. Mysterious Immortal counted as middle rank, at which point one could comprehend cosmic secrets and perceive universal mysteries. Only True Celestial and Great Golden Immortal were upper ranks, their lifespans akin to heaven, pure and free, enduring countless tribulations without perishing.

Celestial tribulations could be divided into three levels: first, thunder and fire (four-nine, six-nine, nine-nine); second, killing tribulations (heaven and earth's killing tribulations, which even Great Golden Immortals must endure if they commit offenses); third, the ultimate (primordial tribulations, reshaping the universe, all below Primordial would be reduced to dust, with no hope of survival).

This underground realm was carved out by Rahu's supernatural arts; only those with the cultivation of a Primordial Loose Immortal could break free!

At this point, there was no other way. Qingxu pondered for a long time, and found only one solution: to use his original avatar in conjunction with his shifting arts. As he was at the peak of Great Golden Immortal, he could shake the demonic realm, risking destruction but likely able to escape.

"Having acquired the Xuanmo Sword and lost the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman—how fair is that! I'm not even sure whether I've gained or lost this time." Qingxu smiled bitterly to himself. Comparing the Xuanmo Sword to the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman, the latter was superior, but the sword could be used indefinitely.

Priorities must be weighed!

The Jade Purity Immortal Talisman was indeed precious, but it was merely crafted by the Original Heavenly Venerable. Given time, it would not be impossible to obtain a few more, but if he could not bear to part with it, he would never escape the demonic realm. Once his spiritual power was exhausted, death would be inevitable—at best, "dying of old age in peace."

For those who cultivate the Dao, refining qi can extend life by fifty years, forming the Golden Core by a hundred, transforming the spirit by two hundred. Earth Immortal grants a cycle, Celestial Immortal a yuan, Mysterious Immortal accords one thousand five hundred yuan cycles. Only by attaining the fruit of the Way of Taiyi and becoming a True Immortal can one share the lifespan of heaven and earth, shining with the sun and moon. Qingxu was at the mid-stage of Earth Immortal, with a lifespan of one cycle; even with deep innate roots, it would never exceed one yuan cycle.

Given the circumstances, he could only relinquish the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman.

"Perhaps, when my cultivation is higher, I can return here!" Qingxu thought, excitement stirring within. Ba Liming possessed ancient demonic supernatural arts; the other eight Fiend Demon Kings surely did as well. The blood-transforming energy, ancient demonic aura, earth's baleful energy, and the mysterious primordial power—all these were tremendous benefits!