354: Chapter 354 The Appearance of a Demon

Young Sect Master knelt on one knee at the edge of the deep pit.

The solid, golden flame armor on his body had long since shattered into pieces, turning into specks of golden light that dissipated into the world.

His Profound Yang True Body had completely collapsed, and the flame mark between his brows, which he had been so proud of, was so dim it was almost invisible.

Golden essence blood continuously spilled from the corners of his mouth—that was the fatal sign of damage to a Pure Yang Cultivator's Origin!

His aura was withered to the extreme; it felt as if the strength to even lift his eyes had been drained away.

Only deep within his eyes remained a lingering trace of extreme disbelief and shock, as he stared fixedly at the figure on the other side of the deep pit.

And on the other side of the deep pit—

Li Jiuyou knelt on one knee, yet his spine remained stubbornly straight like a cold pine tree.

The heaven-supporting, earth-standing Nine Nether Monarch manifestation behind him had long since collapsed during the collision of powers, turning into a sky full of dark Death Qi that slowly flowed back into his body.

His face was as pale as paper, even colder than the cold jade from the deepest part of the Nine Nether.

The black markings that had previously crawled all over his cheeks were now dim and lusterless. From his seven orifices, viscous black blood was continuously seeping out, sliding down his jaw and dripping onto the rubble at the bottom of the pit, blossoming into eye-piercing, shocking black flowers.

His aura was as weak as a candle in the wind, and every breath carried a broken, strange sound.

His body had already reached the edge of collapse; it seemed as if a mere breeze would completely extinguish this candle-like vitality.

Forcibly summoning the ancient manifestation, exhausting his life's essence blood and Origin, the shackles of his Nine Yin Absolute Veins were forcibly broken, and he had suffered the violent backlash of the Extreme Yang power—his body was already at the end of its rope, exhausted of all oil and light.

Yet, he still stubbornly raised his head, his gaze like a torch, locking tightly onto the half-kneeling Young Sect Master opposite him.

In those eyes stained with faint light, there was not a trace of fatigue, only an unyielding, never-admitting-defeat stubbornness that burned like an inextinguishable fire.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's gaze was fixed firmly on the two figures in the deep pit.

No one spoke, no one moved; even their breathing was subconsciously kept to the lightest, as if a heavy boulder was pressing down on their hearts.

Who won? Who lost?

This question swirled crazily in everyone's mind, yet no one dared to easily answer.

Young Sect Master braced the ground, trying his best to struggle to his feet—his fingers dug deeply into the rubble, his knuckles turning white as paper.

But as soon as he exerted force, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, his figure staggering, and he heavily knelt on one knee again, unable to rise. Only unwillingness and resentment surged in the depths of his eyes.

And Li Jiuyou—although his appearance was a hundred times more tragic than Young Sect Master, bleeding from his seven orifices and on the verge of death, he still maintained the posture of kneeling on one knee.

His spine was straight, his gaze locked onto the other party like a hawk, without a trace of wavering or submission.

On the high platform, the Enforcement Elder's expression shifted uncertainly, his gaze wandering back and forth between the two.

Finally, he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the waves surging in his heart, and announced in a deep voice—that voice, wrapped in thick spiritual power, spread to every corner of the Martial Arts Arena, clear and firm:

"This battle... Li Jiuyou, wins!"

These five short words were like a boulder thrown into a lake—yet they did not stir up a single cheer.

Li Jiuyou in the deep pit, the moment he heard this verdict, his body, which had been tensed to the limit, suddenly relaxed.

An extreme sense of exhaustion instantly swept over his whole body; he almost collapsed to the ground, but he still braced himself against the ground, barely maintaining his posture.

In his eyes, an unprecedented, brilliant light suddenly erupted!

This was the ecstasy of having given everything and finally proving himself!

It was the relief of breaking through ten thousand doubts and defeating the Northern Region's number one Prodigy!

It was the burning heat of half a lifetime of suppressed grievances, unwillingness, and humiliation erupting at this moment!

He won!

He, this Nine Yin Absolute Veins, who was regarded by the Sect as an anomaly, by fellow Disciples as an evil being, and by heaven and earth as a cursed vein—had finally won against the Northern Region's number one Prodigy, won against the Xuantian Sect Young Sect Master, Young Sect Master!

He struggled, exhausting his last ounce of strength, attempting to brace the ground and stand straight—even if his steps were unsteady, even if his body was already on the verge of collapse, he wanted to stand upright and dignified, welcoming this glory that should have belonged to the victor!

Even if this glory came from a Sect that had rejected and despised him from beginning to end.

How he had looked forward to it—

Even if it was just a belated word of recognition, even if it was just a faint cheer, even if it was just a look that no longer carried disdain and disgust.

However—

What he waited for was not cheers, not the Sect's commendation, and certainly not even a shred of recognition.

The Xuantian Sect Master slowly stood up.

His black Daoist robe moved without wind, and as his sleeves fluttered, his majesty was fully displayed.

He stood at the very front of the high platform, looking down at Li Jiuyou in the deep pit from a high position—there was not a trace of the joy a victor should have on his face, only a bone-chilling solemnity.

And an unquestionable pressure of a Sect Master. That pressure fell heavily, causing the entire venue to fall into deathly silence once again, as if even the wind had frozen.

"Li Jiuyou."

The Sect Master's voice rang out, low and cold, wrapped in spiritual power, spreading across the surroundings, forcibly suppressing all whispers.

Every word was like cold iron, smashing hard into Li Jiuyou's heart:

"Although you won, the power you used is Nine Nether Death Qi—sinister and treacherous, confusing people's minds and eroding their Origin."

"The Nascent Soul you condensed is the Nine Nether Nascent Soul, which deviates from the Xuantian Sect's Pure Yang Righteous Path and is completely contrary to our Xuantian Sect's principles."

"The manifestation you summoned is an unheard-of visage of an evil being, with overwhelming pressure, stirring up Nine Nether baleful Qi and disturbing all living things in the four directions!"

"Such power is not the orthodox Legacy of our Xuantian Sect, and it is even more incompatible with the Northern Region's Righteous Path—leaving it in the world will surely be a disaster for the common people!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an irrefutable decisiveness and sternness:

"Although you luckily won today by relying on this evil power, it is by no means an honor; it is truly going astray!"

"Our Xuantian Sect has been established for one hundred thousand years; our Foundation lies in the orthodox Xuantian Sect, the glorious Pure Yang Dao, and we take it as our duty to protect the Northern Region's Righteous Path and shelter the common people of the world!"

"How can we allow such evil, heterodox ways to tarnish our Sect, confuse the public, and stir up criticism from heaven and earth?!"

"Therefore, after deliberation by this Sect Master and the various Elders—"

The Sect Master's gaze landed on Li Jiuyou, cold without a trace of warmth.

Every word was like a final verdict from the Nine Heavens—each word piercing the heart:

"Strip Li Jiuyou of all rankings and rewards from this Sect competition!"

"Considering that you are still a Disciple of this Sect, and that you have consumed too much and suffered heavy injuries in this battle, no other punishments will be added for the time being."

"However, from today on, you must enter the 'Suppression Tower' to reflect for ten years, recite the Xuantian Sect's orthodox scriptures daily, and use Pure Yang power to cleanse the evil Qi in your body until the Nine Nether Power is completely removed and your heart returns to the Righteous Path—only then can you return to the Sect!"

Boom—!

These words were like a thunderclap on flat ground, exploding in everyone's heart!

Stripping rankings! Confiscating rewards! Entering the Suppression Tower to reflect for ten years! And forcibly cleansing the Nine Nether Power in his body!

What kind of place is the Suppression Tower?

It is the place where the Xuantian Sect specifically suppresses evil beings and imprisons criminals—the Pure Yang power inside the tower is monstrously blazing, designed specifically to restrain Yin and evil powers!

Those who enter the tower must endure the suffering of Pure Yang power burning their bodies and scorching their bones every day, not to mention a Cultivator like Li Jiuyou who carries the Nine Nether Power and has condensed the Nine Nether Nascent Soul!

Ten years of reflection—how is that any different from ten years of torture?

How is this a disposition for a victor? It is clearly a naked judgment!

It is the most thorough and ruthless denial and trampling of the victory he exchanged everything for!

In the deep pit—

The brilliant light that had just ignited in Li Jiuyou's eyes, belonging to a victor, froze at this moment, then shattered inch by inch, disappearing without a trace!

He raised his head in disbelief, his unfocused gaze piercing through the layers of the crowd, looking at those cold and indifferent faces on the high platform that were flying the banner of "justice"—

Looking at the Sect Master, looking at those Elders who had once accused him in every way and were full of fear, and then looking at those fellow Disciples below the stage who were either watching coldly, gloating, or still carrying disdain and disgust.

He had won.

He had given his all, burned up his essence blood, awakened that faint ancestral Legacy deep in his Bloodline, and with the body of the Nine Yin Absolute Veins, forcibly shook the Northern Region's number one Prodigy, broke through the shackles of his Realm—forcibly defeating that arrogant Young Sect Master!

He had once thought that if he won, he could prove himself, get rid of the "anomaly" label, be recognized by the Sect, and let everyone know—

Nine Nether Power is not an Evil Path!

But in the end—

What he got in exchange was such an ending.

This ecstasy and relief that had just overflowed in his heart were instantly swallowed by extreme cold and despair, as if falling into a ten-thousand-foot ice cave—even his Divine Soul was frozen until it ached inch by inch, almost shattering.

His hand bracing the ground trembled slowly. The rubble under his fingertips was crushed to powder, and the black blood seeping from his seven orifices flowed faster and more violently, staining the rubble beneath him red.

How vast the world was, how wide the Northern Region was, and the Xuantian Sect had been established for one hundred thousand years—yet there was no place for him, Li Jiuyou.

His Dao, in the end, was not tolerated by this world.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

Li Jiuyou suddenly laughed lowly.

The laughter was hoarse and broken, squeezed out with difficulty from the bottom of his throat, mixed with the bloody stench of blood foam—in an instant, it turned into a crazy, maniacal laughter that shook the entire Martial Arts Arena!

This laughter surged with bone-corroding sarcasm, wrapped in heart-piercing sorrow, and hidden with despair deep into the Divine Soul—like a Nine Nether cold blade quenched, it stabbed fiercely into the hearts of every person of the Xuantian Sect.

He laughed until his spine was hunched, and his hand supporting him on one knee trembled violently. The black blood seeping from his seven orifices mixed with hot tears sliding down from the corners of his eyes, leaving streaks of eye-piercing blood on his paper-pale face—he looked as miserable as a lone ghost crawling back from the abyss, without a trace of life.

"What a great orthodox Xuantian Sect! What a great glorious Dao!"

He raised his hand to point at the high platform, his laughter suddenly rising, carrying a hysterical questioning—the sound wave made the surrounding air hum:

"I, Li Jiuyou, was born in the Northern Region and grew up in the Xuantian Sect! Born with the Nine Yin Absolute Veins, since I could remember, I have been regarded by you as trash that heaven and earth cannot tolerate, discarded like old shoes!"

"The Sect's scriptures were not allowed for me to peek at, Revered Masters and Elders refused to teach me, and fellow Disciples wantonly bullied and trampled on me!"

"I had no way out, so I went alone into the Nine Nether Forbidden Land, fighting for my life in the piles of Death Qi, forcibly refining Yin and evil with my Physical Body, enduring the pain of my Meridians being broken inch by inch and my Divine Soul being scorched—step by step, I have only just managed to crawl to this day!"

"I won!"

He roared fiercely, his voice tearing, making the Void Realm tremble:

"I did not rely on the Sect's protection, did not rely on Revered Masters' help—just by relying on the Nine Nether Dao I realized through struggling on my own, I uprightly and honorably won against the Northern Region's number one Prodigy that you hold in your hands and revere as a heaven-sent person!"