Translator: CinderTL
Deep within the Tuocang Mountains, a thousand-zhang cliff face glowed with intense blood-red light. The cliff surface rippled like water. Six Bronze Key Coffins pierced through the cliff, and Song Wen and the other five emerged from them.
The first thing they saw was Gui Ni floating in mid-air, holding a black Ghost Banner. Upon seeing them, a cold smile spread across his face.
"You've finally come out. I've been waiting here for quite some time."
As he spoke, Gui Ni waved the Ghost Banner, unleashing a torrent of Ghost Qi. The Ghost Qi, as black as ink, instantly spread out, blotting out the sky and the sun. Within a radius of several hundred miles, the world plunged into darkness.
"Gui Ni, what do you mean by this?" Yang Yu demanded in a deep voice.
"What do I mean?"
Ghost Qi surged around Gui Ni, his killing intent reaching the heavens. He swept the Ghost Banner across the sky, pointing it at the group.
"Hand over the Fallen Immortal Blood, and I'll let you leave unharmed. Otherwise, you'll all be buried here."
"Just you alone?" Yang Yu sneered, his face filled with disdain. "That's utterly preposterous."
"Who said I'm alone!"
The moment Gui Ni finished speaking, five demon beast figures suddenly materialized on a distant mountaintop behind him. They were none other than the Gold-Eating Ant Queen and four Fourth-Tier Ant Kings.
Gui Ni had actually brought them all out, and they had even reached some form of cooperation.
Yang Yu's disdain vanished, replaced by a more amiable expression.
"Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but there is no Fallen Immortal Blood within the Divine Blood Hall. Our expedition yielded nothing."
"Really?" Gui Ni's face was filled with doubt.
"Absolutely true. If you harbor any doubts, you can verify this with the other Fellow Daoists," Yang Yu said.
Gui Ni retorted, "You're all in cahoots. How could you possibly tell me the truth?"
Yang Yu's expression turned cold. "Gui Ni, that's a bit too much. The absence of Fallen Immortal Blood in the Divine Blood Hall was confirmed by a wisp of divine sense left behind by Vice Sect Leader Xu Geng of the Divine Blood Gate himself. How could it be false?"
"Xu Geng?"
Gui Ni's expression shifted between surprise and uncertainty. He had never heard that name before.
He turned to face the Ant Queen and communicated with her through spiritual sense transmission, seemingly asking about Xu Geng.
After a moment, Gui Ni turned back.
"Yang Yu, did you truly see Xu Geng's divine sense?" Gui Ni asked.
"Yes," Yang Yu replied.
"Very well, I believe you," Gui Ni said, raising a finger toward Song Wen. "Fellow Daoists, if you wish to leave, I won't stop you. However, Yin Shuo must remain."
Yang Yu shifted slightly, flying several dozen feet to the side and revealing Song Wen, who had been behind him.
His meaning was clear: he didn't want to get involved in the conflict between Song Wen and Gui Ni.
Mi Hai, standing nearby, saw a glint of calculation flash in his eyes. It seemed he saw an opportunity to obtain the Soul Destroying Demon Pill.
Mi Hai didn't say anything, but like Yang Yu, he put some distance between himself and Song Wen.
If Gui Ni killed Song Wen, Mi Hai could use information from the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall to trade for the Soul Destroying Demon Pill. After all, Gui Ni was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and the pill would be of little use to him.
If Gui Ni failed to eliminate Song Wen, Mi Hai would remain on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Just then, Mo Yexue suddenly spoke.
"Gui Ni, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have a few demonic beasts helping you."
As she spoke, Mo Yexue summoned her flying sword.
The sword pulsed with radiant light, and Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, dispersing the surrounding Ghost Qi.
"Mo Yexue, your Spiritual Power should be nearly depleted, right? I advise you not to get involved and risk getting burned," Gui Ni said.
"What if you add me to the equation?" Lan Chen flew forward from behind.
"And me," Xue Mei added.
Gui Ni's expression darkened. "Lan Chen, Mo Yexue, I don't want to make enemies of you. You'd best not interfere."
Before his words had even faded, the Ant Queen and four Ant Kings behind him suddenly took flight, hovering beside him.
"Gui Ni, stop wasting time on them. That Human named Yin Shuo killed my Fourth-Tier Phantom Wing Butterfly. He must die today. Anyone who dares to stand in our way will become our enemy," the Ant Queen's voice echoed in everyone's minds.
The chilling aura radiating from Gui Ni abruptly softened, replaced by a respectful demeanor. "Yes, I obey the Ant Queen's command."
"Hahaha..." Mo Yexue's laughter suddenly rang out, dripping with mockery. "Gui Ni, I was wondering how you escaped the Underground Ant Nest. Never did I imagine that you, a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator and the Profound Yin Sect's top disciple, would willingly become a lapdog for a vile beast. Truly a laughingstock, utterly ridiculous."
"Human Race, how dare you ignore us Demon Race! We are no less noble than you humans. If you can enslave demons, why can't we enslave you?" the Ant Queen demanded.
Over a dozen days ago, after Song Wen and the others escaped the underground ant nest of the Dark Orchid Realm through a Teleportation Array, the Ant Queen did not kill Gui Ni as Song Wen had expected. Instead, she forced Gui Ni to open his Sea of Consciousness, where she planted her unique Divine Sense Secret Technique. This allowed her to control Gui Ni's life and death, ensuring his absolute obedience.
Then, with Gui Ni in tow, she found another Teleportation Array in the Youlan Realm. She had Gui Ni activate it, and together they traveled to other Small Secret Realms.
According to information passed down through generations of Ant Queens, after several teleportations, they arrived at a place called the Hall of Foreign Affairs, where they found ten Bronze Key Coffins.
Using these coffins, the Ant Queen not only freed herself from the prison that had held her for thousands of years but also brought four Ant Kings and five Third-Tier Gold-Eating Ants out of the Divine Blood Hall.
Mo Yexue ignored the Ant Queen and turned to Yang Yu and Mi Hai instead.
"Yang Yu, Mi Hai, what do you say? Gui Ni has become a lapdog of the Demon Race, serving their interests. He's trying to kill Yin Shuo, and this is no longer a personal feud between them. It's a conflict between the Demon Race and the Human Race. Are you really going to stand idly by while a fellow human is slaughtered by demons?"
Mo Yexue waved the banner of the human-demon conflict, hoping to drag Yang Yu and Mi Hai into the fray. But they were not fools to risk their lives so easily.
"This is the Tuocang Mountain Range, a territory of the Demon Race. Even though humans and demons mingle here, it's best for us not to get involved," Yang Yu replied.
Mo Yexue was about to say more when she suddenly received a spiritual sense transmission from Song Wen.
"Daoist Mo, thank you for your righteous words. But please leave first. Gui Ni and the Ant Queen won't be able to keep me down. Immortal Maiden Lan Chen, Daoist Xue Mei, you two should leave as well. I will never forget your kindness today."
Upon receiving the transmission, the three women immediately remembered the Life Substitution Art Song Wen had used to ambush Gou Jun. Without hesitation, they all took flight together.
Seeing the sudden departure of the three women, Yang Yu and Mi Hai also flew off in different directions.
In an instant, only Song Wen, Gui Ni, and the five Gold-Eating Ants remained.
(End of the Chapter)
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