NOVEL NEXT Chapter 758: Do the Two Seniors Know of the Ancestral Demon Soil
The Divine Phoenix, Celestial Fox, and Dragon Turtle exchanged glances, their expressions strange.
The Nine Yin Saint also remained silent.
Only the Ancestor of Talismans laughed heartily. "No, no, no, the Flame Emperor and Martial Ancestor are still deep in the void searching for the Ancestral Demon Soil. They did not rescue us."
Ao Shan was stunned. "Then who could it be?"
The Ancestor of Talismans patted Shen Mo's shoulder. "Of course, it was my good disciple, Shen Mo!"
Before Ao Shan could speak, the Nine Yin Saint frowned and stood up. "Nonsense. What do you mean your disciple? Clearly, he is mine!"
The Ancestor of Talismans chuckled. "When I asked Shen Mo earlier, he did not reply, which means he accepted by default."
The Nine Yin Saint pointed at him and cursed. "Thieving old Daoist, shameless!"
The two began quarreling again.
These venerable Saint Realm figures, revered as ancestors and masters of Dao, now argued like common old men in the streets.
Yet in Ao Shan and Xiang Yuan's ears, those sounds faded away.
They looked at Shen Mo, eyes full of shock.
What?
It was Shen Mo who had rescued these saints?!
How could that be possible?
Was he not, like them, only recently advanced to the Saint Realm?
"The details can be explained later. For now, come aboard," the Divine Phoenix coughed lightly.
Only then did Ao Shan and Xiang Yuan ascend.
Xiang Yuan could not help but ask, "What kind of void beast is this? I have never seen it before."
The Celestial Fox smiled. "The void beast Shijie. It is extremely rare—only one exists in the entire race."
Ao Shan was astonished. "Were you the ones who captured it?"
The Dragon Turtle shook his head. "This void beast is Shen Mo's pet."
Ao Shan and Xiang Yuan's eyes went wide, staring again at Shen Mo, utterly speechless.
Aside from shock, jealousy stirred in Ao Shan's heart.
Why?
How could Shen Mo, a newly advanced saint, capture such a powerful void beast?
While he, a Dragon Saint, had been dragged into the Foul Swamp, gained nothing, and left covered in wounds.
How could the gap between people be so vast?
After some exchanges,
the Divine Phoenix asked Ao Shan and Xiang Yuan about what had happened earlier.
Xiang Yuan said with guilt, "The three of us were separated in the Foul Swamp. I could not find Shen Mo. Later I reunited with Ao Shan, but we were swept into the currents. When we emerged again, we were already here."
The Nine Yin Saint nodded. "It must have been a void whirlpool.
The void whirlpool is chaotic and disordered. To reappear here is already a great stroke of fortune.
Had your luck been worse, you might have ended up at the edge of the universe. Returning would then be near impossible."
Ao Shan asked, "Where are we heading now? Why not return to Shengxuan Heaven and Earth?"
The Ancestor of Talismans replied casually, "The Five Sacred Demon Kingdoms have pursuers closing in. We cannot return directly to Shengxuan Heaven and Earth. We must move in the opposite direction."
Ao Shan and Xiang Yuan nodded. "So that is the case."
At that moment, Shen Mo suddenly spoke. "Do the two seniors know of the Ancestral Demon Soil?
The Five Sacred Demon Kingdoms and the Corpse Demon Kingdom seem to be searching for its whereabouts."
The Ancestor of Talismans and the Nine Yin Saint exchanged a glance, falling into silence.
The Nine Yin Saint then said gravely, "The Ancestral Demon Soil is the birthplace of the demons. Though they can now suppress the myriad races, they cannot annihilate them completely.
Thus, they seek the Ancestral Demon Soil to harness the chaotic demonic qi, hoping thereby to step into the Great Dao Saint Realm."
The Ancestor of Talismans sighed. "To tell the truth, I am not certain whether the location I obtained is truly that of the Ancestral Demon Soil.
The Flame Emperor and Martial Ancestor each also obtained the location of an ancient ruin, but they too were uncertain if it was the true site.
After we met, they each set out toward those ruins.
We did the same, but were suddenly besieged by a great number of demon saints, and so we were trapped there for hundreds of years."
As the Ancestor of Talismans had said, all of these saints who wandered the heavens and realms had once obtained clues regarding the Ancestral Demon Soil.
In particular, the Flame Emperor, Martial Ancestor, the Ancestor of Talismans, and the Nine Yin Saint, such formidable figures, had even gained coordinates to ancient ruins.
Yet without exception, these coordinates were extremely distant.
Nearly all lay at the edges of the universe.
Even for saints, to traverse countless stars to reach those places would consume immeasurable time.
If, upon arrival, it proved not to be the Ancestral Demon Soil, then would that not be a waste?
Even so, many saints still went.
For hidden within was the chance to drive out the demons completely.
Even if only the faintest hope remained, they would do all they could.
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.
As great powerhouses bearing the fate of the human race, they were obliged to lead humanity forward.
Otherwise, they would go against the human Dao and bring about their own destruction.
The Ancestor of Talismans and the Nine Yin Saint thus planned to head toward ruins known as the Demon Valley.
Tens of thousands of years ago, large numbers of demon-men had appeared there, of immense strength—so strong that even many true demons were inferior to them.
For a time, many demon-men even seized high positions within the Five Sacred Demon Kingdoms and the Corpse Demon Kingdom.
Then there arose arguments within the demon race, claiming that the hybrids of demons and humans, the demon-men, were the most powerful and most intelligent beings.
That demon-men were the ultimate lifeform destined to unify the heavens and realms.
Yet this dominance lasted only over ten thousand years.
Suddenly, they weakened greatly, as though they had all lost their source of strength at once.
From then on, demon-men were gradually rejected by the demon hierarchy.
Those who appeared afterward never regained past glory, becoming merely ordinary demonized humans.
"Demon Valley? I have heard of it before," Ao Shan nodded repeatedly.
He had lived far longer than Xiang Yuan and Shen Mo, with far greater experience.
Shen Mo suddenly said, "If we return to Shengxuan Heaven and Earth now, we may not be of much use. It would be better to go directly to Demon Valley. Perhaps there we may find clues to the Ancestral Demon Soil.
However, not all of us can go. Some must return to Shengxuan Heaven and Earth to resist the demon army of the Five Sacred Demon Kingdoms."
The Ancestor of Talismans and the Nine Yin Saint both nodded in deep agreement.
After discussion, it was decided that the Divine Phoenix, Celestial Fox, and Ao Shan would return.
The Ancestor of Talismans lent his Great Dao Saint artifact, the Futian Treasure World, to the Divine Phoenix.
This treasure was not only supreme in defense, but also had immense speed, able to borrow the power of stars to accelerate.
With it, the Divine Phoenix and the others could return to Shengxuan Heaven and Earth as swiftly as possible.
Shengxuan Heaven and Earth was, after all, the birthplace of humans, beasts, and dragons.
It could not be allowed to fall into error.
After watching them depart,
Shen Mo and the others continued forward on the Shijie, speeding through the turbulent void currents.
Their destination was Demon Valley!
…
"What? Not a single one of them?"
When Youhuang heard the report, his brows furrowed deeply.
Shizhu sighed softly. "We filled the void for nothing. Not only was Shen Mo absent, but even the Ancestor of Talismans, the Nine Yin Saint, and the three beast saints of the Divine Phoenix all vanished without a trace.
I suspect they may already have escaped."
Kuangni sneered from the side. "I said from the start, the Corpse Demon Kingdom's lot would amount to nothing!
To let saints slip away so easily!
The corpse division of the demons is truly worthless!"
Shizhu's face darkened at the insult, but his strength was no match for Kuangni. He dared not speak, and could only endure.
Youhuang said grimly, "I will personally contact the Great Demon Lord of the Corpse Demon Kingdom!"