The Ancestor of All Demons

The Red Flower Princess absorbed all of Xie Ying's spiritual energy, and after also absorbing Xie Shan's essence for a long time, her Dao skills and divine abilities are far beyond what they used to be.

Even though her body was cut in two, her divine abilities and transformations remained unchanged, and her power was undiminished.

The three volumes of the Heavenly Book left by Shi Feiyang for the young emperor mainly encompass understanding the Great Dao, governing the nation, and nurturing the people. Although they also contain some cultivation content, their upper limits are not high.

The most powerful part is setting up an altar to summon a dragon soul as the guardian dragon of the nation using the celestial fate of the Great Ming. It would have a temple built for it, receive worship, and be nourished by dragon qi for cultivation. There is also a part in the sacrificial process that teaches the dragon soul how to cultivate and grow stronger.

True dragons in this world are already extremely rare. This dragon soul originally belonged to a triangle ink dragon with a Dao level of five thousand years. It once battled with a person, its physical body was taken, and its primordial spirit could not return to its body, forcing it to hide in an ice cave beneath Xian Kong Island.

Later, the ancestor of Xian Kong, preparing to move, intended to transport all possessions to the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain.

His Xian Kong Island, along with the Immortal Mansion below, had already been moved; various rare flowers and herbs, and numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures accumulated over the years, were also transported.

Because Shi Feiyang instructed him to guard the north gate of the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, he stayed here with his disciple Ling Weisou.

While organizing possessions, he also wanted to settle past karma. He released from prohibition all the anomalies punished in the past by the ancestor of Xian Kong, issuing a warning and setting them free. Prohibitions near the Xuanming Realm were also lifted one by one. Ling Weisou, a kind-hearted person and disciple of the ancestor of Xian Kong, had some ties with the dragon soul. Seeing the impending great tribulation, he pleaded with Ling Weisou to take him to the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain to seek refuge with Shi Feiyang.

Ling Weisou communicated this to the ancestor of Xian Kong, who didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble. After a brief calculation, through Ling Weisou, he showed the dragon soul a clear path, saying that the Central Plains emperor was holding a sacrificial ceremony to summon a guardian dragon for the nation. If the dragon soul could secure an imperial appointment as a Dragon God, receive incense from thousands of households, it would not only comfortably survive the celestial tribulation but also achieve merit and Dao, ascending to the Spiritual Space.

So the dragon soul flew to Central Earth and found many dragon souls rushing in from all sides — various types like jiaos, shens, lis, qius, even the One-Horned Blowing Pythons and different kinds of clawed pythons, all vying to become the guardian dragon of the nation.

In addition to having five thousand years of effort, it had also learned spells from a side path cultivator. Though it had lost its physical body, it managed to suppress all rivals with its strength, eventually driving the others away and ascending the altar alone. The young emperor communicated with him using the heavenly book's magic artifact. He introduced himself as Long Xuan. The young emperor shared a portion of the cultivation methods from the heavenly book with him, making Long Xuan immensely joyful, realizing it was the cultivation method of the Mysterious Sect. He wiggled his tail even more excitedly, vowing to the young emperor that anyone who disturbed the Great Ming's realm would be torn and eaten!

Today, the Blood Demon appeared in the Forbidden City, with the Blood Shadow pouncing on the young emperor. Long Xuan manifested to rescue him, having cultivated for many years and been revered by the masses. His entire body condensed into golden light, baring his claws and teeth to protect the young emperor, blocking all the two streams of Blood Qi transformed by the Red Flower Princess.

Long Xuan tangled with the Blood Qi. The young emperor again summoned the Mo Long Immortal Sword to strike. The Red Flower Princess roared in anger, surging the Blood Qi, from which dozens of Blood Shadows, all avatars of the Red Flower Princess, flew out and surrounded the young emperor from all directions.

Long Xuan coiled around the young emperor three or four times, fully protecting him, and continuously exhaled golden light to repel the Blood Shadows.

The Red Flower Princess sought a swift resolution. Finding the dragon soul strong, unable to defeat it quickly, she dared not linger in battle. She hastily combined all the Blood Shadows, forsaking the young emperor, and flew toward the southwest.

She had just ascended when she saw a beam of purple light over a hundred zhang long shooting across the air, faster than lightning—it was the Purple Ying Sword!

This witch dared not confront it, knowing the speed of the Taiqing Immortal Technique was unparalleled. Fleeing elsewhere might not escape. She employed a blinding technique, her body dispersing in midair, transforming into countless Blood Qi, scattering all over the sky, while she quietly descended, entering the body of a small eunuch.

Li Yingqiong and Yu Yingnan, after slaying the Red Flower Princess's avatar and some calculations, returned. Witnessing the distant thunder three thousand miles away and the towering Blood Qi, they realized the witch was present. They hastened back to the capital. Seeing the witch ascend into the air, Li Yingqiong initially released the Purple Ying Sword to strike.

The witch dispersed into rampaging Blood Qi. Yu Yingnan released a magical treasure, resembling a starlight-formed white gauze, drifting out like a dome, sealing all directions, not allowing any Blood Qi to escape. Then, together with Ziling and the others, they combined their spells, releasing the Taiqing Divine Light and Pure Yang Demonic Extinguishing Immortal Fire, burning toward it.

Li Yingqiong and Zhou Qingyun stood shoulder to shoulder, knowing these were the witch's blinding techniques, and she must have escaped below.

Soon, both locked their gaze onto a small eunuch. At once, they pointed, and the Purple and Blue Double Swords fused and flew down toward the eunuch.

The young emperor, confused, released his Mo Long Divine Sword to intercept, blocking the Purple and Blue Double Swords, "What are you doing?"

Though the Mo Long Sword was extraordinary, it couldn't rival the Purple and Blue Double Swords, let alone face both simultaneously. His Dao level was far inferior to the two Heavenly Immortals, causing the sword's light to rapidly shrink.

Li Yingqiong, impatient by nature, had no desire to explain. She waved and released a magical treasure, a transparent glass dome, enclosing the young emperor and his protector Long Xuan. Then she directed her sword at the eunuch.

The Red Flower Princess had already left the eunuch, slipping into the Imperial Palace.

The Purple Ying Sword swept past the eunuch, slicing him in half. At this moment, the eunuch's spiritual energy was drained by the Red Flower Princess, leaving an empty shell. The Purple Ying Sword plunged straight in, pursuing the Imperial Palace.

The Red Flower Princess flew out the palace window, circling behind.

Yu Yingnan, Ziling, and Shen Ruolan had already anticipated and waited here. Each of the three women released several small flags, forming twelve gates, merging into six flag doors descending from heaven.

The Red Flower Princess sensed an impending catastrophe, terrified, desperately trying to escape underground. But she was covered by the flag door array, light bursting, colorful beams flying, enveloping the space where the array was shrouded. Space twisted, and all dust trembled like germinating seeds, forming strong resonance. The Red Flower Princess was firmly captured, unable to escape.

Just as the six flag doors were about to enclose the Red Flower Princess, suddenly a massive demon claw descended from the sky.

It was a woman's hand, fair and tender, with long fingers that could almost easily grasp the entire Imperial Palace.

The demon claw fell, reaching towards the Liuhe Flag Gate.

"Wretch! Restrain yourself!" Yu Yingnan and the other two simultaneously released their flying swords, wildly unleashing the Taiyin Divine Thunder.

The three flying swords were not top-tier, but as they had cultivated to the Heavenly Immortal level, their immortal swords were refined by Pure Yang Qi, granting them extraordinary power. All of them pierced into the demon claw, coupled with a series of Golden Light Thunders and the Pure Yang Immortal Fire, causing the demon claw to explode with a bang!

A drop of blood dripped from the exploded blood mist, falling above the Liuhe Flag Gate, rapidly expanding, then unfolding from the inside out, transforming into a blood-soaked lotus flower.

From within the lotus flower, six blood rivers flew out like waterfalls descending from the sky. Each blood river coiled around a flag gate, halting them in mid-air.

"What a witch!" Li Yingqiong and Zhou Qingyun shouted angrily, flying over the Imperial Palace, releasing the Purple and Blue Double Swords to strike the lotus flower.

On the lotus, demon light flashed, revealing a woman wrapped in semi-transparent red gauze, with a graceful figure. It was the Princess of Stone God. She reached out and sacrificed the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword to block the Purple and Blue Double Swords.

The Red Flower Princess had long sensed it was the Princess of Stone God, terrifying her to the core. Fortunately, at this time, the flag gates were entangled by the blood rivers, greatly weakening their restraint on her. She cast a spell to break free and directly tunneled underground.

Just after entering the ground, she felt something was wrong, as if a beast meeting its nemesis. She urgently tried to escape upwards when she heard a stern shout, and demon light converged from all sides, pressing towards the center. Then two hook-shaped rays of light flew straight over, hooking her.

The hooks were one green and one blue, with a blood glow on them. One pierced into her face, directly hooking into her brain, and the other pierced into her chest, stabbing the heart area, immediately locking her primordial spirit. They then brought the Red Flower Princess out of the ground, presenting her before the blood lotus of the Stone God Princess for submission.

This fellow was none other than Mahayana Venerable Sikong Zhan!

The item he held in his hands was the Lie Que's Double Hooks, which had been reforged with magic.

Back by the Blood Pool, his double hooks were forcibly stolen by Red-Handed Venerable Zou Qin, who brought a group to publicly humiliate him, bullying him harshly.

Sikong Zhan was filled with grief and indignation, his anger reaching its peak. Yet, he didn't dare to react, secretly swearing in his heart: If he had been with his senior brother in the past, as the Vice Sect Leader of the Wutai Sect, he would not fear the likes of Jiulei God and Zou Qin, and could hold his own in a two-versus-two battle, with a fair chance of victory!

It was infuriating that Deng Yin couldn't handle things impartially, speaking grandly but acting despicably!

Better not let me find an opportunity. If I get a chance, I will surely take revenge, making sure both you senior brothers die by my hands!

Others couldn't hear his inner words, but Deng Yin and several other Great Demons heard them loud and clear.

Deng Yin didn't care; he had heard such thoughts many times. After all, which demon didn't harbor resentment or anger in their heart? Who could become a demon without such feelings?

The essence of being a demon is supposed to be this way!

The more hatred, the better.

What's more, when the subordinate demons were at odds, it was exactly to Deng Yin's liking. Demons were all selfish and self-serving. As long as he remained the strongest, he could always suppress them, ordering them to do his bidding!

As for one day when his strength wasn't the strongest? Well, then being betrayed and dealt with would be what he deserved. This is the way of the Demon Path! The supreme truth of demons' survival!

They didn't care, but Jiulei God felt an itch in his heart, after all, Sikong Zhan's revenge was targeted at his junior brother, and he himself was included.

He was about to strike first to eliminate Sikong Zhan.

Deng Yin was happy to nurture this conflict, letting them fight each other, leaving the strongest one in the end.

However, the Princess of Stone God stepped forward, directly summoning Zou Qin to her side, speaking both tough and soft, forcing him to return the Lie Que's Double Hooks, handing them back over to Sikong Zhan.

Sikong Zhan, having been hinted by her words, realized his innermost thoughts had been overheard, causing a cold sweat to break out. At the moment of his grief and helplessness, having completely offended Jiulei God, he wisely hurried to express his loyalty to the Princess of Stone God, acknowledging her as his master.

The Princess of Stone God desired just that, and she took him as her close aide, even imparting some contents of the 'Blood God Scripture,' teaching him to use the Blood Demon Great Method to reforge the Lie Que's Double Hooks.

This time, the Princess of Stone God came to capture the Red Flower Princess, aiming to act before Deng Yin, accompanied by her own confidants—one being the Red Lotus Demon, and the other being this Mahayana Venerable.