Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

The Red-clothed Ancestor’s physical body crumbled, his Divine Spirit disintegrating against the sky.

All that remained were masses of crimson flames, which gradually transformed into streaks of scarlet light that adorned the heavens.

Su Bai stood amidst the clouds, slowly lowering his hand as his gaze flickered.

He spread his Divine Thoughts, enveloping the spot where the Red-clothed Ancestor had died.

After a thorough scan, he confirmed that the Red-clothed Ancestor had not used any Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell escape techniques.

Immediately after, Su Bai focused his Heart Spirit on the Purification Tripod and checked the Red-clothed Ancestor’s information.

[Criminal: Chen Chixiao (Red-clothed Ancestor)]

[Sin Level: Eight-Star]

[Strength: Returning Void Realm First Layer]

[Status: Deceased]

The Red-clothed Ancestor had been a cultivator at the First Layer of the Returning Void Realm, so the reward he provided Su Bai was bound to be substantial.

However, Su Bai didn’t immediately claim his reward. Instead, he looked down, his gaze falling upon some of the Demon Path powerhouses within the city.

Ming Luo Ancestor and the others he had just suppressed were merely the most powerful group. Many other Demon Path powerhouses were still lurking within the city.

Although their cultivation realms were not particularly high, in terms of sheer numbers, they far outstripped the batch of experience piñatas like Ming Luo Ancestor.

If all added up, it would be a very substantial profit.

「Meanwhile, inside Canglan City.」

"Look, the dark clouds in the sky are gone!"

"Strange. This weather is so strange."

"Did anyone else feel like they just saw a vision of a Dragon and a Phoenix? But it disappeared in the blink of an eye!"

"I don’t know, maybe I was just seeing things."

As the dark clouds gathered on the horizon completely dispersed, the city’s many residents and tourists began to venture outside.

They pointed toward the horizon, talking amongst themselves and sharing their speculations.

Meanwhile, the expressions of the few experts who knew the truth changed drastically.

"It seems the battle is over."

A middle-aged swordsman frowned, his gaze profound as he spoke.

「At the same time, inside a tavern.」

"Senior, do you think he’ll be alright?"

Xu Ningxiu looked toward the horizon, her brow deeply furrowed.

The brilliant light on the horizon reflected in her eyes, shrouded by so many clouds that it was impossible to see the details of the fight.

"Given Senior’s strength, he should be fine."

Mu Yu, standing beside her, said with a rather solemn expression.

He had previously seen Su Bai in action back in Ling County, so he naturally had some confidence in him.

But Ming Luo Ancestor and those other Demon Path powerhouses were no pushovers. Each was an expert famous in their own region, and when united, they were a force that made many others deeply wary and unwilling to cross them.

Because of this, he wasn’t truly confident either.

The two of them stood at the window, looking up at the horizon.

They strained their eyes, gazing into the distance.

But their cultivation was still too low, making it impossible for them to know the specifics of the situation.

High in the heavens, Su Bai’s gaze slowly fell upon the Sun and Moon Sect.

As the largest Demon Sect in the city, the Sun and Moon Sect naturally had many powerful members.

Even though Su Bai had suppressed several of its Nine Tribulations Realm ancestors, the sect still housed three more ancestors with considerable cultivation.

「Inside the Sun and Moon Sect at that moment.」

The three remaining Nine Tribulations Realm ancestors had gathered all the disciples and Elders into a large Cyan Hall.

The three stood in the center of the hall, their gazes fixed on the heavens as they spread their Divine Thoughts to their absolute limit.

Unfortunately for them, high in the sky, Su Bai had already used his formidable Power of Divine Thought to shroud the entire battle zone.

As a result, they had no idea who had won the battle between Su Bai and the group led by Ming Luo Ancestor.

"This time, Ming Luo Ancestor gathered so many experts, and they even had the Red-clothed Ancestor from the Returning Void Realm holding the line."

"The battle should be ending soon, I imagine."

Among the three, an old man in blue robes spoke softly, a smile on his face.

"As it should be."

Another black-robed elder agreed with a smile.

Just as the three of them were focused on the heavens above,

「In the Soul Pavilion of the Sun and Moon Sect.」

CRACK!

The flames of the Soul Lamps arranged in the center of the pavilion, once burning fiercely, began to weaken until they finally sputtered and died!

They had entered Jie Mie.

Seeing that the Soul Lamps of several Nine Tribulations Realm ancestors, including Ming Luo Ancestor, had all been extinguished,

The guard watching over the Soul Pavilion, his face pale with terror, immediately reported the situation to one of the sect’s ancestors.

"What?"

"Ming Luo Ancestor’s and the others’ Soul Lamps have been extinguished!?"

Among the three, a white-browed elder whose cultivation had reached the Ninth Tribulation Realm Third Level cried out in shock after hearing the guard’s report.

His expression was completely stunned!

In that instant, panic and terror gnawed at his Heart Spirit like venomous vipers, and an overwhelming sense of dread completely consumed him.

"Quick... Quick!"

"Activate the Protective Sect Array!"

In the next breath, a blue-robed elder in the hall, a cultivator at the Ninth Tribulation Realm Fifth Layer, immediately snapped to his senses and commanded anxiously,

He was now the most powerful ancestor in the Sun and Moon Sect, so he naturally held the most authority.

"Yes!"

At the blue-robed elder’s command, the other Elders dared not delay. They transformed into streaks of rainbow light and shot out of the hall to activate the Sect Protection Array.

"AHH!!"

Unexpectedly, they had barely flown out of the hall when the disciples inside heard a series of bloodcurdling screams drifting in from outside.

The expressions of the three remaining Nine Tribulations Realm ancestors changed drastically, their faces becoming as dark as storm clouds.

They hastily employed various techniques, desperate to escape the Sun and Moon Sect.

But just as the three of them took to the sky, about to transform into beams of light and flee,

WHOOSH!

Three masses of deep red Karmic Fire tore through the layers of clouds from high above.

They plummeted down violently!

In a single instant, they enveloped the three ancestors’ bodies!

"Damn it! What is this?"

"AHH!!"

Despite trying every method at their disposal, the three of them could not escape the frenzied assault of the Karmic Fire. Soon, they were suppressed by Su Bai and imprisoned within his Dharma Tripod Prison.

And the Sun and Moon Sect was not the only Demon Sect in Canglan City.

Su Bai sat enthroned in the heavens, his gaze sweeping over the city below.

With a mere thought,

Streaks of Karmic Fire surged from the horizon, transforming into roaring dragons that plunged into Canglan City.

"What is this thing? How dare it disturb me?"

"Ah!"

In the eastern part of the city, a Demon Sect ancestor in secluded cultivation was suddenly engulfed by Karmic Fire. Jolted awake, he let out a series of agonized roars.

His features twisted into a savage mask of agony!

Finally, he vanished from where he stood.

"Senior! Spare me!"

Some Demon Sect ancestors with lesser cultivation prostrated themselves on the ground, their faces contorted in pain as they repeatedly begged for mercy.

At that moment, wails and roars rose and fell in waves throughout Canglan City.

Then, the people of the city watched in utter horror as one powerful figure after another, each with a formidable aura, was enveloped in deep red Karmic Fire and spirited away into the sky.

They vanished without a trace.

「Deep within the clouds.」

After suppressing all the Demon Path powerhouses in Canglan City, Su Bai checked his Experience Points.

Only then did he feel a sense of satisfaction.

This trip could now be considered a perfect success.

Next, he began to draw the reward from the Red-clothed Ancestor.

A moment later,

A massive, deep-red prize wheel appeared before Su Bai’s eyes.

As the pointer slowly came to a stop, Su Bai received over ninety million Experience Points and over two million Tier Two Experience Points.

[Accumulated Experience Points: 113,000,000!]

Su Bai glanced at his accumulated Experience Points, then poured all of them into his Martial Arts Realm.

BOOM—

Two or three breaths later, the Dragon Gate inside Su Bai’s body trembled slightly, releasing an even more potent fluctuation.

Intricate, ancient patterns of gold and purple slowly materialized on the Dragon Gate, giving it a mysterious air.

Under the constant infusion of Experience Points, Su Bai’s cultivation also rapidly broke through.

Finally, he reached the Dragon Mansion Realm Third Layer!

Su Bai glanced at his now-depleted Experience Points and sighed internally.

’The higher the Martial Arts Realm, the more Experience Points it requires.’

After composing himself, he began to draw the Red-clothed Ancestor’s Cultivation Technique.

Then, a large, crimson ball of light shot into Su Bai’s mind.

The Red-clothed Ancestor’s memories were rather simple. He was either in arduous secluded cultivation or hunting living creatures to practice his Demon Skills.

However, when the man was a hundred years old, his luck had been extraordinary. He had stumbled upon a mysterious legacy within an Immortal Mountain Spiritual Land and ultimately obtained a special Cultivation Technique.

After a while, Su Bai finished reviewing the memories.

He checked his rewards.

[Cultivation Technique: Red Qilin Palm! (Ninth Grade!) Realm: Returning to the Essence! (3,000,000!)]

Although the Red Qilin Palm was only Ninth Grade, Su Bai tried it out for a moment and immediately noticed something unusual.

The power of this Red Qilin Palm was a great deal stronger than that of a typical Nine-grade Technique.

Moreover, it seemed to be only half of a complete technique.

"It seems this Ninth-Grade Red Qilin Palm is a branch of some Super-grade Cultivation Method," Su Bai murmured softly to himself.

A look of delight then crossed his face.

’Perhaps I can use Merit Points to forcefully reverse-engineer the complete Super-grade Cultivation Method.’

’If so, it won’t be long before I possess a second Super-grade Cultivation Method.’

’Combined with my existing [Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation] and the [Dragon Phoenix Dao Scripture], my strength is bound to increase significantly again.’

After he finished drawing his rewards, Su Bai took a single step and returned to the tavern.

"Senior!"

Seeing Su Bai return, Xu Ningxiu and Mu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, their voices tinged with pleasant surprise.

"Our business here is finished. Let’s go."

Su Bai suggested with a smile after chatting with them for a moment.

"Alright!"

The two were slightly taken aback for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

Riding the brilliant twilight rays that descended from the sky, the three of them left the city gates and vanished into the distance.

"Where on earth did such an invincible figure come from?"

"To be this terrifying..."

Watching Su Bai’s party disappear into the distance, an ancestor from one of Canglan City’s Righteous Sects stared blankly and murmured aloud.

Withdrawing his gaze, he felt incredibly fortunate. ’Thank goodness I’m not an ancestor from a Demon Sect.’

’Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have been suppressed by that man too.’

"The winds of change are blowing..."

After a long silence, he spoke, his expression complex.

Now that this man had suppressed so many experts from the Demon Sects, he feared another bloody storm was about to sweep through the Dayu Immortal Dynasty.

...

After leaving Canglan City, the trio headed for the Bi River.

Along the way, they encountered all sorts of people, passed through one small city after another, saw mountains and rivers, and witnessed both good and evil.

「The next day.」

Su Bai and his companions arrived at the Bi River.

A fine drizzle was falling, causing mist to rise from the water’s surface. The sun could not break through, so the mountains and river before them were rendered in shades of inky gray-black, differing only in depth and tone.

From a distance, the willow branches along the bank, fine as silk, swayed in unison with the wind. A small boat glided quietly across the river’s surface. Everything, near and far, was hazy, making it impossible to tell where the misty clouds ended and the foggy rain began.

The old boatman and the leisurely travelers below were but tiny black specks, and everything was hazy, as if the world had fallen into a dream of fog.

"Senior, will we meet again?"

Before they parted, Xu Ningxiu stood tall in the misty rain, holding her silver spear. A trace of sorrow in her eyes, she asked,

"If it is destined, we will naturally meet again someday."

Su Bai said with a smile as he boarded a small boat.

Under the watchful eyes of the two on the shore,

The small brown boat sent out one cyan ripple after another.

It drifted further and further away.

Slowly, it disappeared into the misty rain...