"Hahaha, Yan Xiao Kai, do you have anything to say now?" The demon laughed, "Anyone who angers me will not have a good ending."
Xiao Kai's expression completely wilted, and he sat on the ground, "I have nothing to say. Go ahead and do it."
"Good! Not bad, you may be cunning, but you are straightforward," the demon said, "Since that's the case, I'll kill you first, then slaughter the Flowing Cloud Water Pavilion, and then destroy Kunlun, breach Shu Mountain, and step on all of your so-called six major sects one by one!"
"Up to you," Xiao Kai still had a bit of boldness, patting his chest, "Come on, this position, it's my heart area. Hit me here and I'm done."
"Good, I will fulfill your request," the demon nodded with satisfaction, "The heart of the chosen leader should make a good treasure."
Its knuckles were sharp and looked like a curved tiger's claw, seeming capable of shredding steel. Without hesitation, it dug toward the spot that Xiao Kai had pointed out!
Lan Tianyu sighed softly and quietly closed her eyes.
"Never expected that despite all the calculations, I still let down Grandmaster Granny's expectations," she thought quietly, "Once this Star of Death emerges, who knows if the cultivation world will still exist a year from now."
Little did Lan Tianyu know, there was a deeper meaning behind Xiao Kai's request.
In the clothing at his heart area, there happened to be the legendary Wordless Book.
In the instant before the demon's hand was about to touch Xiao Kai, it suddenly saw a strange smile on his face. It felt something was wrong but wanted to pull back, yet it was too late.
That hand, which held all the demon's power, accurately pierced through the shirt on Xiao Kai's chest, hitting the cover of the Wordless Book!
"Crack!" A lightning bolt struck down, seeming to appear out of thin air, streaking toward the demon's head!
A few days ago, the very same lightning bolt had caused Master Songfeng from Yellow Mountain to be severely injured, with his Qi greatly weakened. The might of this lightning bolt was evident.
As Xiao Kai was about to burst into laughter, he saw the demon, unperturbed, clench its fist and directly clash with the lightning bolt that was striking down.
"Bang!" The thunderous sound echoed. The incredibly strong lightning bolt was crushed into nothingness by its fist.
"Goodness," Xiao Kai sighed inwardly, "It's not even afraid of divine punishment?"
"Afraid of divine punishment? Afraid of lightning?" the demon looked up to the sky, pointing with one hand upward and the other downward, cursing, "Damned Heavens, ever since I began cultivation, it's been minor tribulations every ten years, a major one every hundred, and a great one every thousand. Not to mention countless random calamities that have come my way from all over the place. In the five thousand years since then, I have faced nearly a thousand heavenly tribulations, almost more frequent than eating and drinking. If even a regular lightning bolt can't be handled, I would have perished fifteen thousand years ago!"
Just as it was cursing, another bright lightning bolt struck down from the sky. The demon, without hesitation, threw another punch, obliterating the lightning bolt once more.
"Hmph, this level of heavenly tribulation doesn't even require my inner core," the demon shouted, "Just my physical strength alone is enough to handle it! The forty-nine tribulations, the seventy-nine great tribulations, the ninety-nine great tribulations, bring it on! I'm not afraid of you!"
"Finished, it's finished," Xiao Kai's heart had frozen at this moment, "This maniac isn't even afraid of divine punishment. I'm truly out of moves." He remembered very clearly that the divine punishment only occurred twice, from Jia Zhengjing to Master Songfeng, both were only twice. And now, the demon had already passed through two lightning bolts. It was evident that the final move, the Wordless Book's divine punishment, which Xiao Kai had always considered as a last-resort lifesaving straw, was indeed useless against it.
"Wait, no..." Lan Tianyu murmured, "Look, it's changing..."
Indeed, in just a few seconds, the skies had subtly changed.
The Moonlight Forbidden Territory on the vast plain, which had been shrouded in demon aura for tens of thousands of years, had never seen a cloudy or sunny day. This place did not belong to any earthly realm but was opened up as a parallel space by ancient immortals using great magic power. It already existed when the world was created, and there were no basic rules of "climate" here. It was supposed to never have sunshine or rain. Yet at this moment, in this fleeting moment, the weather had changed.
Black clouds appeared in the sky from nowhere, gathering in patches, thickening, piling up layer by layer, looking as if they could fall from the sky at any moment. At the edge of these amassed clouds, flashes of lightning were constantly shining - obviously, super lightning was silently brewing!
The heavenly demon was a little nervous, glanced up at the sky, and quietly clenched its fist.
"Master, it seems that heaven is angry," Bai Lu whispered to Lan Tian Yu, "People have human nature, and heaven has its own will. The way this heavenly demon speaks is too rebellious, and it looks like heaven is going to teach it a lesson."
Lan Tian Yu found this statement bewildering and unprecedented, but after thinking it over, nodded and said, "That seems to be the only explanation."
The heavenly demon gazed at the sky for a good three minutes, then suddenly emitted a strange cry. It no longer cared about dealing with Xiao Kai and the others, instead, it turned around and ran, heading straight for the exit of the Moon White Forbidden Area. It seemed to want to escape from the forbidden area.
But it was too late. Countless flashes of lightning suddenly converged in the sky, forming a super light column with a diameter of at least ten meters, and struck down towards the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, which was running frantically.
"Oh Heavens..." Lan Tian Yu began to lament, she could only utter these three words and completely lost the ability to speak.
This lightning was so huge that it couldn't be simply described as "lightning". After countless eons, such lightning had never been heard of before, and it was unlikely to be heard of in the future. Only at this time, in this moment, in this situation, and under this backdrop, could such an unparalleled and unprecedented miracle appear in such a clear and unmistakable form in front of one's eyes!
It's no wonder that even the heavenly demon, who wasn't afraid of even the most dreadful calamities, was scared off by this lightning.
This lightning, with its irresistible might, struck directly at the heavenly demon. The snow-white torrent had submerged the heavenly demon in an instant, as if hot magma had engulfed an ant struggling for survival with ease.
Once the lightning passed, the dark clouds in the sky instantly turned transparent and dissipated without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened.
Xiao Kai picked up the unconscious Qinghong, and nodded to Lan Tian Yu, "Let's go check it out."
"Okay," Lan Tian Yu nodded, "This time we must find out whether the heavenly demon is alive or dead."
The ground struck by the lightning had turned completely black. Even the most sturdy metal would have turned to ash. But Xiao Kai couldn't find any trace of it. Suddenly, he heard Ning Xiang shout from the other side, "Look over here."
Ning Xiang was standing almost 20 meters away from where the lightning had struck. There were a few inconspicuous brown spots on the ground that appeared slightly moist. Xiao Kai smiled at Ning Xiang, "You are very observant."
Lan Tian Yu dipped her finger in the brown spot, found it slightly wet, and brought it to her nose. She said in a low voice, "It smells of blood."
"Could it be... the heavenly demon's blood?" Bai Lu said.
The group looked at each other, feeling somewhat horrified. Could it be that the heavenly demon had really managed to escape under such a terrifying divine punishment?
Just as they were pondering, Ning Xiang pointed and said again, "Look over there!"
She was pointing at the archway leading into and out of the Moon White Forbidden Area. The entire archway was made of dark metal, but now, at a certain position next to the archway, a clear dark red fingerprint was visible.
Lan Tian Yu gasped, feeling a chill down her spine. Her hands and feet turned cold, as she said in a miserable tone, "It indeed managed to escape."
"No way. Our ancestor said that I could destroy it as soon as I arrived. By rights, it should have been finished, shouldn't it?" Xiao Kai pondered.
"No, our understanding might be a little wrong," Bai Lu interjected, "Heaven's will is inscrutable, the aura of demons is pervasive. To eliminate small nuisances, the gate to the apocalypse is opened. Have you not noticed that these four sentences, apart from their obvious meaning, also have a deeper significance in themselves?"
After muttering for a moment, Lan Tian Yu nodded, "To eliminate small nuisances, the gate to the apocalypse is opened. Does that mean, in order to destroy the heavenly demon, we need to open the gate to the apocalypse? But what exactly is the gate to the apocalypse?"
Bai Lu shook her head, "I've never heard of the gate to the apocalypse. Perhaps other sects might know."
After thinking for a while, Lan Tian Yu asked, "Should we send someone to inquire in other sects?"
Bai Lu shook her head, "Master, I don't think that's a good idea."
Each of Lan Tian Yu's three disciples had their own characteristics. Ning Xiang was hot-tempered and resolute, Qinghong was naive and shy, while Bai Lu was methodical and thoughtful. Even in such a critical moment, Lan Tian Yu valued the opinion of her eldest disciple greatly.
Bai Lu said, "The heavenly demon said earlier that it planned to kill the chosen leader of the heavenly gate, exterminate the Flowing Cloud Water Pavilion, then destroy Kunlun, and invade the Shu Mountain. Now that the heavenly demon has escaped, the realm of cultivation will soon be plunged into chaos. I think the priority now is not to find out what the gate to the apocalypse is, but to immediately set off for Kunlun, and warn Feihe Shangren to ensure the safety of the sect and not give the heavenly demon the chance to kill."
She paused and added, "The heavenly demon is proud and haughty. It will definitely do what it said. By going to Kunlun ahead of it, we can set an ambush and try to completely annihilate the heavenly demon."
Lan Tian Yu nodded, "That's right. It should be this way."
At this point, she suddenly noticed Xiao Kai's strange expression. He was holding Qinghong in front of him with both hands, looking nervous. Lan Tian Yu asked, "Chosen leader of the gate to the apocalypse, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, I'm fine... I'm fine," Xiao Kai said, "You guys talk, continue talking."
Lan Tian Yu gave him a suspicious glance but did not press further. She continued, "If we really want to defeat the heavenly demon, we will probably need the power of the heavenly gate. I wonder if the chosen leader is willing to go to Kunlun with us."
"Oh...Uh, okay, no problem," Xiao Kai said, "I suddenly feel very tired. Can you take me to rest first?"
Lan Tian Yu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly seemed to understand, and chuckled, "The chosen leader has worked hard today and naturally should rest early." She looked at the two women beside her and said in a low voice, "I wonder who the chosen leader would like to take along for rest?"
"Anyone will do, just find someone," Xiao Kai looked at the still unconscious Qinghong in his arms and said, "She also needs to rest."
Lan Tian Yu said, "That's fine. Ning Xiang, since there's nothing urgent to do right now, please take the chosen leader to rest. As for Qinghong..." Lan Tian Yu smiled mysteriously, "Let the chosen leader take care of her for now."
Xiao Kai didn't think much about it and nodded, "Let's go."
As he spoke, he held Qinghong even tighter, feeling the surging movements of the book of prophecy held in his chest. The book was almost urging him, and he had no choice but to hold Qinghong tightly and suppress the jumping of the book against his chest.
Just as the women had discussed earlier, Xiao Kai had realized that the book of prophecy was acting strangely. But the book was his top-secret, and he didn't want anyone to notice. Now, the book's movements were getting stronger, and Xiao Kai's footsteps also quickened. Ning Xiang walked ahead, suddenly hearing Xiao Kai's panting behind her, she couldn't help blushing, thinking to herself, "Could it be that he has desires for me?"
She had been quite repulsed by Xiao Kai before, but considering his performance today, she found him more tolerable. Being a young girl, she still admired heroes and, knowing that the master was ready to agree to any request, she pondered and felt her face heating up, thinking, "What if he wants to cultivate with me? What should I do?"
Thinking this way, Ning Xiang felt both shy and a little joyous. She walked ahead, smiling sneakily, without any trace of her usual hot-tempered demeanor.
She didn't realize that someone was even more shy and joyful than her, and that was Qinghong.
In fact, Qinghong had already woken up a while ago as Xiao Kai held her. However, with the strong male scent enveloping her, she felt like she was lying in an extremely warm and secure embrace. This sense of security was something the young girl had never experienced before, and she suddenly felt a bit confused about her feelings.
What was more difficult was that Xiao Kai suddenly pressed her against his chest. Her raised hips were positioned perfectly on Xiao Kai's chest, where there was an unusual jumping sensation, occasionally pressing against places that it shouldn't. This made the girl blush as her heart raced, feeling her entire body heating up.
Though she was only seventeen, she had already learned about the art of dual cultivation, and she knew all that she needed to know. Her mind kept pondering on one sentence: "He's being very bold, is he teasing me?"
However, Xiao Kai had no intention of teasing her. After Ning Xiang took him to the room, he handed Qinghong over to Ning Xiang without any hesitation, "Here, take her for a rest. I need to take a nap first."
Ning Xiang bit her lip, feeling a bit surprised, and asked, "Don't you need someone to accompany you?"
"You... don't you need someone to accompany you?"
"I don't need anyone," Xiao Kai said, "Let's go."
As he spoke, he held Qinghong even tighter, feeling the surging movements of the book of prophecy held in his chest. The book was almost urging him, and he had no choice but to hold Qinghong tightly and suppress the jumping of the book against his chest.
"Of course not, "Xiaokai said inexplicably, "I just want to sleep."
"Oh," Ningxiang looked a bit disappointed and nodded. "I'll go out then, but what about Qinghong?"
"What's wrong with her?" Xiaokai lay down on the bed nonchalantly. "Oh, it smells really nice in this room, even the blankets smell good."
Ningxiang's lips moved. She had intended to say "This is Qinghong's boudoir," but she thought better of it and pushed down the idea. She gently took Qinghong and said, "Then I'll leave first."
As soon as Ningxiang closed the door, Xiaokai immediately sat up and took out the Wordless Book from his pocket, laying it flat on the bed.
The page-turning rules of this Wordless Book were indeed quite special. The first time he turned the page, it just dripped a few drops of blood. The second time it absorbed a large amount of celestial aura. And now, on the third turn, it neither absorbed celestial aura nor blood, but was seized by the concentrated power of a celestial demon.
Xiaokai knew very well that the unprecedented and extraordinary super lightning just now was definitely not caused by the celestial demon angering the heavens, but by the celestial demon angering the Wordless Book.
He didn't know what level of existence the Wordless Book was, but it was evident that its authority was not to be violated. Jia Zhengjing touched it and fell twice, while Daoist Songfeng touched it and was struck by two heavenly thunders. This celestial demon was even more outrageous, actually pouncing fiercely. If such provocation could be tolerated, then it wouldn't be the Wordless Book.
Preserving his excitement, Xiaokai opened the third page according to the rules.
"Uh..." Xiaokai rubbed his eyes. "What is this?"
On the third page, there were neither humans nor demons or immortals. It was a hazy expanse that seemed to stretch to the end of the page, with no clue in sight.
"Xiaoguan, do you know where this is?" Xiaokai started asking for help.
"I don't know," Xiaoguan shook her head decisively. "It feels strange, I've never seen anything like it."
"What about all of you?" Xiaokai asked the other four real people.
"Well... It seems to have quite a bit of celestial aura inside," the reclusive real person furrowed his brows. "But this celestial aura seems a bit strange, different from what we usually absorb."
Xiaokai asked, "What do you think it is?"
"This should be a space," the erudite real person speculated. "Since this space exists, it must have its reason. Since there is celestial aura here, there should be hidden treasures, but in the rush, it's hard to say what exactly."
"Right," Zhenyuan real person said, "This should be a parallel space similar to the cultivation world. The celestial aura here is indeed somewhat different from what we know, but in my guess, its function should be more or less the same."
Xiaokai pondered, "Is there a way to figure it out?"
"Sure," the erudite real person said, "if someone goes in to explore, it will naturally become clear."
He looked at Xiaokai and added, "But we are trapped in the second layer of the scripture and can't explore it."
Xiaokai was instantly disheartened. "What should I do then?"
"You can try it yourself," the erudite real person smiled. "Since you are the owner of the scripture, theoretically, you should be able to enter and leave freely. Just silently think of your purpose, and you might enter. But I must make it clear, I don't know the mantra to enter and leave. If you go in and can't come out, I'm not responsible."
Xiaokai nodded, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist his curiosity. He thought to himself, "The Wordless Book has recognized me as its master, so it probably won't harm me. I'll give it a try."
He quietly sensed the space inside the third page and silently said, "Let me in, let me in..." After about three minutes of contemplation, he suddenly felt dizzy, closed his eyes involuntarily, felt the entire space ripple, and the next moment, he opened his eyes to find himself inside the third page.
It was a very strange place, completely filled with a hazy mist. Xiaokai strained to open his eyes and couldn't see even a meter ahead. He crouched down and felt the soft, damp ground, as if it were soft soil, without any anomalies.
Xiaokai reached out in front of him and found nothing. It seemed like there were no strange things lurking around him.
He dared not move forward and took out the essence of the Thousand-Year Xuan Iron, commanding it to extend. His idea was not bad, for the essence of the Thousand-Year Xuan Iron could extend indefinitely, but unfortunately, it still looked like an ordinary needle and showed no sign of movement.
Xiaokai called out quietly to Xiaoguan and the other four real people, but he didn't feel any response.
With that, Xiaokai began to hesitate. It seemed like this place could isolate all external information, meaning that even if he died here, no one would know. He had no idea if there was any danger here.
Feeling a bit scared, Xiaokai considered for a while and then thought that this was his territory and there shouldn't be any danger. Gritting his teeth, he took a step forward with no obstruction under his feet, easing his mind and taking a few more steps.
"Is there really nothing in this space?" Xiaokai stretched out his arms straight, waving them up and down as he walked slowly, hoping to discover any potential threat as soon as possible. He had been walking for five minutes, and though it was slow, he had covered about a hundred meters and still hadn't encountered anything.
Looking up at the sky, Xiaokai let out a loud shout: "Ah!"