Wait a minute, where is my master?

With those words spoken,

confused expressions appeared on several people's faces, including that of the Bronze Gate.

Since their Spiritual Sense could only cover a limited range, they had to rely on the descriptions provided by the little Taoist to understand the situation ahead.

It's not that they suspected Jin Xu of deceiving them.

However, the act of the mighty Demon Lord blowing up his own arm...

Was it a twist in human nature, or a degeneration of morality?

Thus,

within the speeding golden sphere of Spiritual Power, the two women and the gate all speculated about the Demon Lord's actions.

"Temple master, could it be that Elder Qin's trash talking earlier infuriated the Demon Lord so much that, in a fit of extreme anger, he resorted to self-mutilation?"

Little Yu Yaoer fell silent for a moment before offering her speculation first.

But the Bronze Gate immediately spoke up in rebuttal.

"Impossible, although people can do anything when extremely angry. However, the Demon Lord is only arrogant, he's not... stupid, and he had already held back those trashy words, choosing to leave the spot directly,"

Elder Qin, who was about to blurt out a coarse phrase, promptly changed his language in time.

"Then why did he blow up his own arm?"

Yu Yaoer scratched her head, murmuring to herself with a puzzled look.

Little White, on the other hand, suddenly spoke up with eyes full of wisdom.

"Elder Qin, Little Yu, do you think it's possible that the Demon Lord wanted to return to the Nine Provinces Realm?

"And that he, unaware of his own limits, tried to use brute force to break through the Spiritual Power barrier set up by the temple master, which resulted in his arm exploding?"

Upon hearing this answer, the Little Fish Demon immediately nodded in agreement.

As soon as Elder Qin heard this, the weight in his heart grew heavier.

If even the mighty Demon Lord could explode his arm attacking the barrier you've set up, just what kind of power does this little Taoist possess?

"I have spent my life seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster. It seems that my decision to try to escape from that small Taoist temple back then was really a mistake,"

He lamented silently in his heart, then quietly contemplated his future as he gazed at the little Taoist's silhouette.

...

...

Within the burial ground of the Purple Spirit Elephants,

the demon cultivator controlled by the Origin of the Demon Realm, currently lay stiffly on the ground.

His right arm had completely disappeared, and even the right side of his face was now a bloody mess.

A fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul was somewhat dazed; he didn't know if it was because he had drawn too much of the Divine Soul Power to break through that sinister barrier just now,

or because he was too desperate at the moment.

Damn it, why!

My Divine Soul possesses an indestructible quality, yet when I infused it into the Annihilation Mist intending to use it as a drill to break through the golden Spiritual Power barrier.

How did the backlash force that erupted from it completely shatter it? What's going on!?

"Didn't that mysterious existence's inheritance state that as long as one doesn't ascend to the Upper Realm, this indestructibility characteristic cannot be destroyed by anyone in the Small Thousand World?

"Could it be that this mysterious human Cultivator came from the Upper Realm?

"But I am merely a Divine Soul Fragment casually torn from my true body; what makes me significant enough to provoke such an effort from others?"

"If we're talking about eradicating the main body, it might be somewhat possible for someone to have been sent from the Upper Realm,"

The fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul pondered for a moment, only to feel his consciousness becoming increasingly muddled.

He knew this was the side effect of having exhausted his Divine Soul Power earlier about to erupt.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait for death, even if I can't return to the Nine Provinces. First, I'll rely on the World Origin's properties to hide within this heaven and earth, then wait until..."

Struggling to sit up from the ground, he shook his increasingly groggy head subconsciously, about to take the next step.

But he suddenly became aware of a piercing golden light shining down on him from above.

The fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul was about to look up when he sensed a force similar in origin to the Spiritual Power barrier sweeping down, firmly binding his battered body in place.

"So you've caught up with me after all,"

He looked down at the chains of golden spiritual power binding him and spoke with a hint of resignation.

Meanwhile, Jin Xu descended from the sky, enveloped in golden luminescence.

The two women were left behind in the territory of the Purple Spirit Elephant Clan, temporarily looking after the Little Purple Spirit Elephant. Elder Qin, not wanting to face this personage from days past, willingly retreated back into the storage bracelet.

"Now that I'm already captured by you,

may I ask how you came to know I was hiding in this Demon Realm, and how did you precisely pinpoint that I've eroded the World Origin of this Small World?"

Seeing that the Taoist-clad cultivator remained silent, the fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul pressed on with another question.

Jin Xu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this,

speaking with a somewhat playful tone.

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't coming for you, and I had no idea that the illustrious Demon Lord would be hiding in this Small World of the Demon Realm."

"What?!"

The fragment of the Divine Soul sharply raised his head, skepticism filling his one good eye, his consciousness, already fuzzy, now feeling somewhat clearer.

"My purpose here is for the World Origin of the Demon Realm, and you... should be considered an accident, or perhaps a surprise.

"By the way, shouldn't you have been sealed in the Nine Provinces Realm?"

The little Taoist spoke, stepping forward a few paces and arriving in front of the other party, using the penetrating insight of his Spiritual Eyes to secretly probe the person before him.

In Jin Xu's vision, the man who seemed utterly defeated had behind him a phantom filled with endless vitality, yet also intermixed with strands of destructive black qi and fragments of broken runes, as if life and death, light and darkness were intertwined.

Upon hearing the words of the little Taoist, the fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul, initially suspecting the other had spoken to taunt and humiliate him, began to believe a portion of what was said.

"It seems his words are not false; otherwise, he should know that at this moment, I am nothing but a few fragments of the main body's Divine Soul.

However, from his words and understanding of the body's seal, he must come from the Nine Provinces. Yet, during the Great War between the immortals and demons, I don't recall a cultivator of the Righteous Path with such exceptional cultivation? Could it be because I am but a fragment of the soul that I've lost some memories?

"Or could this be some old monster who never revealed themselves in those days and has taken a Youthful Pill?"

The fragment of the Divine Soul was secretly pondering in his heart.

Suddenly, he saw the little Taoist pull out a palm-sized box with a dull green jade inlay from his storage artifact and bring it close to his face.

As the box came to within half a foot's distance, the dull green suddenly lit up.

Then, he heard Jin Xu say,

"Hmm, Senior Chi once mentioned that the jade on this Source Box would glow when it comes into contact with the Origin. It seems that this body of yours does indeed contain the Origin of the Demon Realm.

"However, your Origin seems to be mixed with a lot of filth."

The fragment of the Demon Lord's Divine Soul looked towards the little Taoist in confusion, seeing a bright light suddenly rising from the other's hand as he spoke.

For some reason, an alarm went off in his heart, and a chill instantly rose on his back.