133: The demon is born, and the Yuanying gathers

The warm, slightly clumsy, yet deeply affectionate touch had not entirely faded from her lips.

Rumble—!

The ground beneath their feet, however, let out a deep, muffled roar without warning.

The entire Immortal Cave, along with the vast, desolate land outside, trembled and shook violently under this power.

It was as if a giant beast, imprisoned for eons, was struggling deep within the earth, trying to break free from its last shackles.

Su Meier's body stiffened abruptly, her peach blossom eyes, which had just been hazy with affection, were instantly replaced by horror.

Crushed stones rustled down from the cave ceiling, hitting the ground and raising fine dust.

On the walls, hideous cracks, like black venomous snakes, rapidly spread, interweaving into a web of despair.

Lin Fan and she separated sharply.

The rare tenderness on his face, which had almost melted everything, vanished without a trace in an instant.

It was replaced by an extremely cold, knife-sharp scrutiny.

He turned around abruptly, his gaze like lightning, staring fixedly at the stone wall in the deepest part of the Immortal Cave.

He knew he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

That wisp of Ancient Immortal remnant was not just an ultimate “experience package.”

It was also the last and most crucial Seal suppressing a terrifying existence in this place.

Now, this Seal had been “eaten” by him.

Crack!

A crisp, ear-splitting crack, louder than any sound before, clearly echoed from the core of that stone wall.

The sound did not seem to come from rock.

Instead, it came from the Foundation of the world.

From the complete collapse of some rule.

Boom!

Without giving anyone time to react.

The stone wall in the deepest part of the Immortal Cave instantly exploded, turning into a sky full of dust.

An indescribable, pure black Devilish Qi, formed by malice, chaos, madness, and resentment, burst forth from the shattered opening like a breached black celestial river.

It was not merely gas.

Within that ink-black torrent, countless twisted, pained, wailing faces could be clearly seen.

The most desperate and shrill curses of billions of living beings being slaughtered could be heard.

This Devilish Qi, carrying a terrifying power capable of polluting the entire world and dragging all life into eternal decay, shot up into the sky.

The entire Secret Realm of Souls, at the moment this Devilish Qi burst out, fell into an unprecedented riot.

The remnant Souls wandering in the gray mist, the Soul beasts lurking in the depths of the swamp, all let out screams of extreme fear from the deepest part of their Souls.

They no longer attacked each other, no longer followed instinct.

They had only one thought.

Escape.

To escape this place where the apocalypse had arrived, at all costs.

Su Meier's cheeks instantly lost all color, turning deathly pale.

That pure, condensed malice, just a wisp of its aura, made her Soul feel as if it were immersed in the most foul venom, beginning to show signs of corrosion and assimilation.

A warm and strong hand timely grasped her cold palm.

Lin Fan gently pulled her behind him, and the transcendent “Immortal Dao Qi” on him, which was at odds with the entire world, naturally unfolded an invisible barrier.

All the invading Devilish Qi, as soon as it approached three feet around him, sizzled as if encountering its nemesis, instantly dissolving and evaporating.

Only then did Su Meier feel the sense of defilement that had almost driven her mad recede. She leaned against Lin Fan's back, watching the black pillar of light that had broken through the Immortal Cave and shot into the sky, her heart still pounding uncontrollably.

“What... what is this thing?”

Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.

“A big fellow.”

Lin Fan's tone revealed no emotion, but his eyes were more solemn than ever.

He could feel that the essence of this Devilish Qi was of the same Origin as the “Heavenly Demons” that had invaded the Immortal Realm, which he had seen in the Immortal remnant before.

It was just that this one, perhaps because it had been Sealed for too long, had its power weakened countless times.

Even so, it was by no means something the Cultivators of this world could contend with.

That black pillar of Devilish Qi, after breaking through the gray sky of the Secret Realm of Souls, did not stop.

It tore through the spatial barrier of the Secret Realm and appeared in the outside world.

Heavenly Vault Fortress.

This magnificent Immortal city, suspended above the sea of clouds, was still bustling with people and exceedingly lively.

Countless Cultivators were shuttling between various stalls and halls, either trading, seeking treasures, or engaging in eloquent discussions.

Suddenly.

Someone seemed to sense something and subconsciously looked up.

His pupils contracted sharply.

“Look! What is that!”

A cry of alarm drew everyone's attention.

Above the Heavenly Vault Fortress, in the originally clear blue sky, a huge, pitch-black vortex was rapidly forming at a visible speed.

The center of the vortex was the pure pillar of Devilish Qi that had burst forth from the Secret Realm of Souls.

An ominous, oppressive, and heart-pounding aura descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Immortal city.

The sky was rapidly darkening.

It was as if daylight was being forcibly dragged into night by an invisible demonic hand.

Across the entire Eastern Desolate Continent, countless powerful existences in seclusion opened their eyes simultaneously at this moment.

Their gazes, by prior agreement, pierced through endless space, looking towards the direction of the Heavenly Vault Fortress.

On everyone's face, there appeared shock, solemnity, and even a hint of... fear.

“Devilish Qi! Such pure Primordial Devilish Qi!”

“The Seal of the Secret Realm of Souls... is broken?”

“Damn it! Which evil Devil Head has been born!”

Within the Heavenly Vault Fortress, the first to react were the Nascent Soul Old Monsters with heaven-defying cultivation.

West of the city, on the top floor of a hall where a top-tier Magic Treasure auction was taking place.

An old man in a crimson Daoist robe, with disheveled hair and beard, suddenly stood up, and the millennia-old cold iron chair beneath him instantly turned to dust.

He was Old Ancestor Chiyang of the Crimson Sun Sect.

He ignored the commotion in the auction hall below, only staring fixedly at the black vortex in the sky, his face extremely grim.

“This aura... could it be the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon that was Sealed ten thousand years ago?”

East of the city, in a teahouse shrouded in clouds.

A middle-aged scholar in a green robe, with an elegant demeanor, was leisurely sipping tea.

He sensed the Devilish Qi, and the hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

The next second, the elegance and calm on his face disappeared, replaced by a sharp Sword Intent.

He was Old Ancestor Chiyang's mortal enemy, the Azure Mystery Sect Master.

“The emergence of such a Devil Head is also an Opportunity. If I can slay it and take its demonic core, my ‘Azure Mystery Immortal Slaying Sword’ might achieve Major Achievement.”

North of the city, in a branch of Tianji Pavilion.

Yan Ziyue, in purple robes, with exquisite beauty and an ethereal temperament, stood on the stargazing platform.

She looked at the continuously expanding black vortex and the soaring Devilish Qi, and for the first time, an un-deducible, uncontrollable solemnity appeared on her beautiful face.

“The great calamity... has arrived early.”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Streaks of light of various colors, representing Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators, shot up from all directions of the Heavenly Vault Fortress.

Their targets all pointed to the same place.

The entrance to the Secret Realm of Souls.

In just a few tens of breaths, more than thirty Nascent Soul Old Monsters had gathered outside the unremarkable entrance valley of the Secret Realm.

Each one was a top-tier expert who could shake a region with a stomp of their foot.

At this moment, they all hovered in mid-air, looking at the wisps of black Qi continuously escaping from the Secret Realm entrance, their expressions all extremely solemn.

Inside the Immortal Cave.

Lin Fan, through a faint connection with the outside world, clearly “saw” the grand spectacle outside.

Not only did he not feel any tension or fear.

Instead, a calculating smile, which only Su Meier could understand, curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Enough people have arrived.”

He whispered to Su Meier behind him.

Su Meier was stunned, completely unable to comprehend his thoughts at this moment.

So many Nascent Soul Old Monsters outside, and an unimaginably terrifying Devil Head inside.

Wasn't this a certain death situation?

Why did he look... a little excited?

“A big show is about to begin.”

Lin Fan held her hand, his voice carrying a hint of inexplicable amusement.

“We need to find a good spot to watch.”

“And also... prepare to snatch kills.”

Su Meier was completely bewildered.

Snatch kills?

Whose kills?

Snatch the Nascent Soul Old Monsters' kills? Or the terrifying Devil Head's kills?

How was this different from actively jumping into a meat grinder?

Lin Fan, however, did not explain further.

With a thought, the “Immortal Dao Qi” that had completely merged with his Divine Soul Origin quietly circulated.

In an instant, the auras of both him and Su Meier seemed to be completely erased from this world.

They were clearly standing there, yet they seemed to have become two inconspicuous specks of dust, two ordinary shadows.

Even if Divine Sense swept over them, no abnormality would be found.

This was an absolute suppression from a higher level of life.

Immortals, looking down on the mortal world.

Having done all this, Lin Fan, holding Su Meier, did not choose to escape. Instead, he moved closer to the source of the surging Devilish Qi.

He found a blind spot formed by a collapsed rock wall, which perfectly allowed him to see the entire situation in the center of the Immortal Cave while also perfectly concealing their figures.

The space was very small, and the two were almost pressed tightly against each other.

Su Meier could clearly feel the steady, powerful heartbeat coming from his chest.

She could also smell his unique scent, which made her feel incredibly safe.

Around them were the roars of Devilish Qi capable of tearing apart Souls, and beneath their feet was the collapsing earth.

Yet, being protected in his embrace like this, Su Meier's fear miraculously calmed down little by little.

She looked up, at his clearly defined profile, at his deep eyes that were intently gazing forward.

She suddenly felt that even if the end of the world came the next second, there was nothing to be afraid of.

She reached out and, actively and tightly, wrapped her arms around his waist.

Pressing her face against his warm back.

Lin Fan's body paused slightly.

He could feel the softness of the woman in his arms, and he could also feel her undisguised, wholehearted reliance.

He did not turn back, but his free hand gently covered the back of her hand wrapped around his waist, patting it tenderly.

Just then.

Boom!

Dozens of powerful and suffocating Nascent Soul pressures, like a tsunami, swept in from the direction of the Secret Realm entrance.

Dozens of streaks of light, in an almost crude manner, rushed into this already ravaged Secret Realm of Souls.

They hovered in the sky outside the Immortal Cave, looking at the soaring pillar of Devilish Qi and the surrounding land of bones, everyone's faces changed.

“It really is the ‘World-Destroying Demonic Fetus’! It actually broke through the Seal!”

A hot-tempered red-haired old man, who was Old Ancestor Chiyang, roared.

“Chiyang, stop spouting nonsense here! If it weren't for your Crimson Sun Sect's greed for the Demonic Fetus's power, wanting to refine it, why would the Seal have a loophole!”

The Azure Mystery Sect Master scoffed unceremoniously.

“Azure Mystery! You're slandering me!”

Old Ancestor Chiyang was furious, and his terrifying pressure instantly locked onto the other party.

“What? Want to fight?”

The Azure Mystery Sect Master was fearless, Sword Qi swirling around him, ready to strike.

“Enough!”

An old and majestic voice rang out.

An old man in a Bagua Daoist robe, with an Immortal-like demeanor, stepped forward; he seemed to have great prestige among the crowd.

“Now that the Demonic Fetus is about to be born, it is a great calamity for our entire Eastern Desolate. How can you allow yourselves to fight amongst yourselves here!”

“Daoist Master Tianyi is right.”

“The most pressing matter is to jointly re-Seal this Demonic Fetus, or... completely eradicate it!”

Although everyone temporarily suppressed their anger, the looks in their eyes were still full of vigilance and calculation.

Seal?

Easier said than done.

If such an extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon could be eradicated, the “Source of the Heavenly Demon” it would turn into after death would be a supreme treasure capable of helping even Nascent Soul Cultivators Breakthrough their Bottleneck.

Everyone present knew this well.

The so-called alliance was only temporary.

Once the Demonic Fetus truly appeared, an even more brutal battle would inevitably erupt among them.

Lin Fan, hidden in the dark, took all of this in.

The smile on his face grew wider.

Very good.

He was only afraid they would be united.

Each harboring their own ulterior motives was the best script.

Just as these Nascent Soul Old Monsters were wary of each other and arguing.

There was a “crack,” like the shattering of glass.

In the core of the Secret Realm, the last layer of spatial barrier that had originally Sealed the Demonic Fetus, under the horrified gazes of everyone.

Completely shattered!

A pure Devilish Qi, tens of thousands of times more intense than before, erupted with a roar.

Immediately after.

A laugh filled with endless resentment, endless madness, and endless ecstasy echoed throughout the world.

“Hahahahaha...”

“Thirty thousand years! It's been a full thirty thousand years!”

“This Lord... has finally come out!”