Chapter 420 - 210: Battle
The crowd was startled and immediately turned towards the voice.
The speaker was a tall burly man standing behind Lin Linzi. He stood a full twelve feet tall, resembling a mighty gate guardian. His left cheek was scarred, and he carried a giant axe on his back.
Outsiders originally thought he was merely the bodyguard of this talented disciple. Could it be he was not as simple as he seemed?
The Mo Luo Palace members wore unusual expressions, for this big oaf’s voice was not like this normally. The leaders, including the Blood Robe Old Monster, were already kneeling in trepidation, respectfully bowing:
"Greetings, Palace Master!"
The other disciples were shocked and quickly followed suit, kneeling and paying homage.
Amidst the voices of welcome, the tall burly man expressionlessly extended his hands, shoved them into his chest, and forcibly split his body open!
His chest was hollow, devoid of any organs, yet from amidst the gruesome flesh emerged a young cultivator with a slight smile on his face.
This was a tall, pale-faced young man with an extraordinarily handsome yet slightly demonic appearance. He wore a black robe with golden patterns, and there was a vertical eye-like blood mark on his forehead, adding a bit more of an eerie aura to his presence.
As soon as he appeared, Lin Linzi respectfully bowed and greeted, "Master."
Heavenly Demon Emperor!
With that, everyone around scrambled away in horror, as if they had seen an extremely terrifying Evil God.
Only now did they realize, perhaps Lin Linzi’s earlier boasting outside the Grotto Heaven, followed by his immediate response to Shangguan He’s rally, were all guided by him in the shadows.
And that burly man, nonchalantly closing up his chest, shrunk by several sizes, as if his sole purpose had been that of a "human skin."
"Sikong Luoyan..." Ji Mingyu frowned slightly, staring at this troublemaker who suddenly jumped out.
He was none other than the current Palace Master of Mo Luo Palace, known as the "Heavenly Demon Emperor."
He had cultivated the "Other-Transformed Self-Realization Heavenly Demon Emperor Scripture" to an exceedingly high level. On the surface, he still appeared human, but internally, he was likely not much different from a true Outer Celestial Demon.
Practitioners of this demonic technique could corrupt other cultivators. With each corrupted individual, their own power increased slightly. Corrupting more powerful cultivators yielded better results.
Hence, cultivators in the world avoided them like poison. Even those of the demonic path were extremely wary of them.
It was just that each generation of practitioners in Mo Luo Palace was limited, and given the deep heritage of the sect, if it weren’t for these advantages, the orthodox and unorthodox paths might have joined hands long ago to destroy them.
As for Sikong Luoyan’s current level, the last time he acted publicly was over a century ago, and he had achieved the eighth level of cultivation. What level he was at now was hard to say...
Seeing him suddenly appear in the Grotto Heaven and stop Primordial Monarch Taixu from leaving, many were inwardly stirred. Was he going to involve himself personally?
To be honest, Shangguan He, being of orthodox origin, had a strong dislike for Mo Luo Sect and had even less fondness for an inhuman monster like Sikong Luoyan.
But remembering the Patriarch’s instructions before his departure, and recalling the "curse" his family had borne for over six hundred years, he ultimately sighed inwardly without speaking.
"Do you want to oppose me?" Ji Mingyu looked coldly at the eerie man.
"Oppose? Hardly. It’s just that I am extremely interested in the ’Devouring Yuan Demon Technique,’" Sikong Luoyan still smiled.
"I have long admired the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable, but alas, in those days, my cultivation was lowly, merely an unknown soldier, with no chance to meet the Venerable, though I have heard of the fame of the Devouring Yuan Demon Technique sweeping the world."
"It’s a rare occasion to see the reincarnation of the Demon Venerable today. I wish to invite him to Mo Luo Palace for a philosophical discussion."
"If Primordial Monarch Taixu is pressed for time and has no leisure, perhaps Chu Xuan could simply recite the Devouring Yuan Demon Technique. I assure you I will not harm a hair on anyone here from the Shangguan family, I would even kill them all right away if it pleases me."
With these words, the Shangguan family members naturally glared fiercely at Sikong Luoyan!
Hearing him refer to himself as "this Venerable," everyone was even more puzzled and uneasy, for like titles such as True Lord, Primordial Monarch, or Demon Saint, typically only those of the ninth stage would address themselves in such a way. Could Sikong Luoyan have actually broken into the ninth stage?
Or perhaps he was merely intimidating others with his words, as no one usually dared test his strength.
The Blood Robe Old Monster and other ambitious individuals were secretly anxious at this moment. They couldn’t afford to compromise! If you all make a deal, what’s left for us?
Chu Xuan remained impassive, meeting the gaze of this Heavenly Demon Emperor directly, "Sikong demonhead, don’t you find yourself ridiculous?"
"You just believe whatever Shangguan He says?"
Sikong Luoyan wasn’t angry, only teasingly said, "Indeed, the Shangguan family has no substantial evidence, but your level of suspicion grows ever higher. No need to mention Yu Zhanfeng, Su Mengqing, and Ji Yuanjun, both from the era of the Celestial Evil."
"Now, six or seven hundred years later, they suddenly appear to protect you. It’s hard for me not to suspect something."
"Even if there’s only half the chance you’re the Celestial Evil, it’s worth trying, for this is the Devouring Yuan Demon Technique we’re talking about!"
"Even if eventually you’re not, I’m not afraid to offend your righteous path. After all, you are all hoping for my death anyway."
"But if you truly are, the rewards would be immense. If you were in my place, would you still find it ridiculous?"
To be honest, this demonic technique’s allure to Sikong Luoyan far outweighed that of any Blood God Armor or mysterious treasure.