285: Chapter 286 Who is the Demon Lord?

Regarding the Holy Son of Daoxuan's pursuit of the Blood Devil, no one in the entire Middle Heaven had ever harbored even a shred of doubt.

It was simply too normal.

First of all, the identities of the two were worlds apart.

One was the Holy Son of Daoxuan, a favored child of heaven from the top-tier Eastern Domain Holy Land, the Daoxuan Immortal Sect, and the number one person among the younger generation of the Xuantian True Domain.

He was the representative of the Righteous Path and an idol revered by countless Cultivators.

The other was a notorious Devil Head whom everyone wanted to execute, a synonym for evil and bloodiness.

These two were like light and darkness, water and fire; it was fundamentally impossible for them to have any intersection.

Secondly, the timing did not match up either.

The Blood Devil had appeared out of nowhere ten years ago, and at that time, everyone knew the Holy Son of Daoxuan was in seclusion on Lake Heart Island, attempting to break through to the Guixu Realm.

One was in seclusion while the other was outside committing evil deeds; how could they possibly be related?

Therefore, when news broke that the Blood Devil had been blind enough to provoke the Holy Son of Daoxuan and was being personally hunted by the Saint, everyone's first reaction was that the Blood Devil deserved it and was getting his just deserts.

Who would suspect that from beginning to end, this was a play directed and performed by the same person?

...

Ghost Abyss.

One of the five great Forbidden Grounds of the Xuantian True Domain.

Legend has it that this place is a land of death evolved from the lingering resentment and the Immortal corpse of an Immortal who fell during the ancient era.

The entire Ghost Abyss, spanning tens of millions of miles, is shrouded year-round in a type of gray mist.

This mist not only isolates the detection of Divine Thought but also contains a bizarre power capable of eroding a Cultivator's Primordial Spirit and grinding away their vitality.

Inside the Ghost Abyss, Spiritual Qi is depleted and Laws are chaotic; it is a veritable forbidden zone for life.

Even powerhouses of the Guixu Realm do not dare to venture deep into it lightly.

To prevent the bizarre existences within the Ghost Abyss from escaping and wreaking havoc on the world, the various top Holy Lands of the Middle Heaven have taken turns since ancient times to dispatch elites to guard this place.

More than twenty years ago, when the Middle Heaven was still in a prosperous age of peace, the various Holy Lands built several small cities on the periphery of the Ghost Abyss to facilitate the rest and rotation of the Disciples guarding it.

Changyuan City was one of them.

It was less than three thousand miles from the edge of the Ghost Abyss, making it the closest to the Ghost Abyss among all the garrison cities.

Inside the city, in a fairly grand restaurant, it was the season for shifting guards. Many garrison Cultivators from various Holy Lands were gathered in small groups, drinking and chatting.

“Sigh, the world is truly unpredictable.” A Cultivator wearing the attire of the Eternal Dynasty took a sip of wine and sighed with emotion.

“Think back to twenty years ago, what a prosperous age of peace our Middle Heaven was. The Holy Lands awed the world, and who dared to be defiant?”

“But now? Demons dance wildly, the flames of war reach the heavens, and even we Holy Land Disciples, who were once high and mighty, have ended up in a state where we can barely look after ourselves.”

His words resonated with everyone present.

The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became somewhat heavy.

Indeed, in just twenty short years, the world had become like this.

These Cultivators guarding the Ghost Abyss stayed in this desolate place all year round with limited information. Every time they rotated guards and heard news from the outside world, it felt like the world had changed.

“Alright, alright, stop with the depressing talk.” A middle-aged Cultivator who seemed to have a more cheerful personality raised his wine cup, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

“I’ve heard some great news! An extraordinary figure has emerged in our Middle Heaven! Gu Changsheng, the Holy Son of Daoxuan, successfully stepped into the Guixu Realm not long ago!”

This topic indeed piqued everyone's interest.

“I’ve heard about this too! Reaching Guixu at less than a hundred years old! He’s practically a deity!”

“More than a deity! I heard that the reason the Saint came out of seclusion to hunt that Blood Devil was because the Blood Devil was blind enough to ambush one of the Saint's trusted subordinates!”

“Served him right! That Blood Devil relied on his bizarre Divine Ability and has harmed countless people over the years. This time he's kicked a steel plate!”

“Haha, exactly! I heard my Senior Brother say that the Saint has been chasing that Blood Devil for several months now. The Blood Devil was beaten like a dog with no power to fight back, and now he seems to have fled to the vicinity of our Ghost Abyss!”

“Is that so? Well, that’s great! Maybe the Saint will even stop by our Changyuan City to rest. When that time comes, we’ll be able to witness the Saint’s peerless elegance!”

“Heh, you don't say, if that Blood Devil is driven to desperation, he might actually flee into our Changyuan City, hoping to use the crowd to evade the Saint's pursuit!” one Cultivator joked.

However, just as his voice fell.

“Boom!”

A loud explosion rang out, and the entire Changyuan City shook violently.

The faces of all the Cultivators in the restaurant changed simultaneously.

They rushed out of the restaurant and looked up at the sky. In the next moment, everyone's pupils constricted to the size of pinpricks.

They saw that the originally clear sky had, at some point, been completely shrouded by a boundless sea of blood that emitted an infinite aura of bloodiness and evil.

The viscous sea of blood pressed down like a canopy, enveloping the entire Changyuan City.

A cold, venomous voice filled with endless killing intent came from the center of the blood sea, echoing in everyone's ears.

“Holy Son of Daoxuan... you have hunted me for months and destroyed my Dao foundation. This enmity is irreconcilable!”

“Today, I shall slaughter this city, drain the blood essence of every Cultivator here to restore my strength, and then return to fight you to the death!”

The Blood Devil!

It really was the Blood Devil!

He had actually come!

“It's the Blood Devil! It's really the Blood Devil!”

“He... he wants to slaughter the city!”

“Run! Run quickly!”

When that boundless sea of blood completely enveloped Changyuan City and that voice filled with venom and killing intent echoed in everyone's ears, the entire city instantly fell into endless panic and chaos.

Countless Cultivators, like headless flies, rushed madly toward the city gates, wanting to escape this Domain of death.

They knew that eight thousand miles away was another garrison city—Zhenyuan City.

There, a powerhouse of the Guixu Realm presided!

As long as they could flee there, they could survive!

However, how could the Blood Devil give them such an opportunity?

“Want to run? All of you stay behind and become the nourishment for me to restore my power!”

The Blood Devil's cold voice rang out once more.

The sea of blood that enveloped the entire city surged violently and became increasingly viscous.

Like an airtight bloody cage, it completely blocked off everyone's path of retreat.

A fairly famous Celestial Phenomenon Realm Cultivator in Changyuan City, relying on a defensive Magic Treasure in his hand called the 'White Jade High Tower,' was the first to rush toward the edge of the blood sea.

“Open for me!”

He roared, pouring all his magic power into the White Jade High Tower.

The White Jade High Tower expanded against the wind, transforming into a divine tower several dozen meters high that emitted a shimmering treasure light. With the force of ten thousand tons, it slammed fiercely against the bloody barrier.