135: Chapter 134 Two Palace Masters

Meanwhile, deep within the Ximing Continent.

The main hall of the Heavenly Demon Hall.

It was unknown how many years ago this palace had been built; it was said to be the Daoist rite of an ancient Demonic Lord.

Built on the edge of a ten-thousand-fathom abyss, the entire palace was constructed from some kind of massive black stone, towering into the clouds and covering a vast area.

The outer walls of the palace were densely carved with demonic runes that flickered from time to time, emitting a heart-palpitating, eerie glow.

Two hundred-zhang-tall stone statues stood before the hall: one was a three-headed, six-armed demon general, and the other was a clawing demonic dragon. Their faces were hideous and lifelike, as if they could come to life at any moment.

The hall doors were wide open, and the interior was pitch black, seemingly endless.

Occasionally, ghostly blue ghost fires would drift out from the depths, circle the entrance a few times, and then drift back in.

Inside the hall, an everlasting lamp stood every ten steps along the corridors. The lamp oil was rendered from some unknown Yao Beast's fat, emitting a pungent, scorched stench as it burned.

At the end of the corridor was the main hall.

The main hall was incredibly large, with a dome reaching a hundred zhang high, embedded with countless night-luminescent pearls arranged in the shape of the stellar constellations of the great cycle. However, the light from those pearls was not white but an eerie blue, illuminating the entire hall in a sinister and terrifying way.

On either side of the hall stood twelve coiling dragon stone pillars.

Each pillar required ten people to encircle it. The dragons carved on them were not auspicious divine dragons but hideous demonic dragons, baring their claws as if they were about to burst out of the pillars.

The floor of the hall was paved with a type of black jade, polished to a mirror-like shine.

But upon closer inspection, one would find countless distorted faces sealed within the jade—men, women, young, and old. Some were in pain, some in despair, some in madness, all with their mouths open as if screaming silently.

At the deepest part of the hall was a high platform.

The platform had nine steps, each built from piles of whole skulls. These skulls were each the size of a large bowl, polished smooth and bright, gleaming a deathly white under the ghostly blue light.

Atop the platform sat two massive thrones, one on the left and one on the right, both cast from some pitch-black metal. The backrests were carved with intricate demonic runes, and the armrests were two open bone claws.

At this moment, a mass of black mist sat upon each of those two thrones.

To call them black mist wasn't entirely accurate.

Those two masses sometimes condensed into human forms, sometimes dispersed into mist, sometimes solidified like physical objects, and sometimes became illusory like shadows.

But no matter how they changed, that suffocating pressure always blanketed the entire hall.

That was the pressure of a Transformation God Daoist Lord.

The black mist on the left spoke first, its voice hoarse and low, like an echo from deep underground: "The Ximing Continent has been taken."

The black mist on the right let out a sharp laugh, like nails scraping against a sheet of iron: "Taken? The Ximing Continent was originally the territory of our Heavenly Demon Hall."

"Those small Sects were just things we couldn't be bothered to deal with. Now, it's time to go and take the truly good things."

"East Xuan Region." The black mist on the left uttered three words, each landing like a massive boulder hitting the ground.

The black mist on the right laughed again, even more sharply this time, causing the night-luminescent pearls above the hall to tremble: "The East Xuan Region is a fine place. Spiritual Qi is abundant, and Heaven And Earth Treasures are everywhere. Those so-called righteous great Sects each occupy the best spiritual mountains, drink from the best spiritual springs, and consume the best Spirit Medicine. And us? What does the Ximing Continent have? Deserts everywhere, and the deeper you go, the more barren it gets. Even the Spiritual Qi is as thin as a bone-scraping knife."

It spoke with a tone full of resentment.

The black mist on the left was silent for a moment before slowly saying: "Therefore, we must go and take it. Take a territory, a good territory. Even if we can't fight our way into the center of the East Xuan Region, we must occupy a piece on the edge."

"Exactly!" The black mist on the right suddenly condensed into a human form, revealing an aged face with sunken eye sockets, a high bridge of the nose, lips as thin as blades, and a hideous smile hooked at the corner of its mouth. "Occupy a territory, build a Branch Hall, and slowly encroach inward. Those righteous great Sects have been comfortable for too long. It's time to let them know what a true Cultivator is."

The black mist on the left also condensed into a human form, appearing as a middle-aged man with a resolute face but a sinister look between his brows. He looked at the old man on the right and said indifferently: "The two Battleships from the Shenduan Sect and the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion have already been surrounded. Four Late Nascent Soul Stage experts are enough to deal with those two. As for those Golden Core Stage Disciples..."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling slightly: "Consider it practice for the children."

The two Transformation God Daoist Lords looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

The laughter echoed in the hall, causing the skull steps to clatter, the distorted faces sealed in the jade to warp further, and the entire hall to tremble. The laughter became increasingly arrogant and unrestrained, as if the entire world was already within their grasp.

After laughing for a long time, the middle-aged man on the left finally stopped and slowly stood up. His figure cast a long shadow under the ghostly blue light, and that shadow twisted and deformed, turning into countless clawing demonic shadows.

"Pass down the order," his voice was calm yet carried an unquestionable authority, "all Disciples, all Elders, and all deacons of the Heavenly Demon Hall, set out. Target—the East Xuan Region."

The old man on the right also stood up, the smile on his face becoming even more hideous: "Invade the East Xuan Region, seize the spiritual lands, and slaughter those hypocrites who call themselves righteous Cultivators! The Ximing Continent is ours, and the East Xuan Region will be ours as well!"

The middle-aged man raised his hand, and a beam of black light shot from his palm, piercing through the hall's dome and soaring into the sky. The black light exploded high in the air, transforming into a massive symbol of the Heavenly Demon Hall, clearly visible for thousands of miles.

That was the signal to attack.

The entire Heavenly Demon Hall sprang into action. Countless demonic Cultivators swarmed out from everywhere—some riding black clouds, some treading on blood mist, some riding bone beasts, and some burrowing directly out of the ground. Qi Refinement Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, and Golden Core Stage Cultivators, they were as dense as a plague of locusts, blotting out the sun.

The first to receive the news were the four Late Nascent Soul Stage experts surrounding the Fourth-Rank Battleships of the Shenduan Sect and the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion.

Cang Xuanzi hovered in mid-air, looking at the black Jade Slip in his hand that had suddenly lit up, his expression calm. He put away the Jade Slip and looked at his three companions.

Granny Bone opened her cloudy old eyes, her withered fingers stroking her Bone Staff, and let out a low, strange cackle: "They've made their move?"

Tu Gang stretched his muscles, the black demonic runes on his body lighting up as he grinned: "It's about time."

Tong Yao held her Stuffed Bear, tilting her head as she asked curiously: "Which one do we hit first?"

Cang Xuanzi didn't answer. He simply raised his hand and pointed lightly toward the two Fourth-Rank Battleships.

The auras of the four Late Nascent Soul Stage experts erupted simultaneously!

An incredibly terrifying pressure crushed down toward the two Battleships like the sky falling. Those four auras intertwined, transforming into an invisible giant net that firmly enveloped the two Battleships.

Tu Gang was the first to act. With a wild laugh, he turned into a streak of black light and charged toward the Shenduan Sect's Battleship! He clenched both fists, the black demonic runes on them shining blindingly bright, and punched the Battleship's protective shield!

Boom—!