155: Chapter 155 Moon Shadow Celestial Venerable

True Demon Realm, Lava Wasteland.

This was a burning land. Lava meandered between the cracked, charred ground, steaming up toxic miasma of sulfur and ash.

Thin Spiritual Qi mixed with violent Devilish Qi; inhaling a single breath scorched the lungs.

Only the Blood-Red Vines at the edge of the fissures emitted an eerie, dark red luster.

In the center of the wasteland stood a massive altar built from bones and pitch-black Devilish Rock.

Floating at the top of the altar were three dark purple prisms arranged in a triangle.

The surface of the prisms was inscribed with complex spatial Devilish patterns, currently greedily devouring the vast Devilish power gathering below.

Around the altar, the Void Tempering Devil Emperor sat cross-legged in the main seat, his aura deep and oppressive like an abyss; the lava flowed around him automatically.

Three Body Integration Devil Saints guarded the sides; the one on the left had exposed fangs and a rugged face; the one on the right was thin with a sinister gaze; the last was a cold-aura female Devil Saint.

A dozen Soul Transformation Devil Venerables stood solemnly behind them.

Nascent Soul Devil Lords and Core Formation Devil Emperors sat cross-legged further out.

On the outermost perimeter were thousands of Foundation Establishment Devil Kings, densely packed! They were arranged in neat phalanxes, injecting their own Devilish power without reservation into the altar's base, which then gathered and surged toward the boundary-gap prisms in the air.

The tips of the prisms shot out a twisted purple-black beam of light, struggling to pry open a spatial rift leading to another realm.

Suddenly!

The Devil Emperor on the main seat suddenly opened his eyes, purple flames dancing wildly in his pupils!

"Retreat!" he shouted in a low voice, forcibly cutting off his connection to the altar, instantly severing the supply of massive Devilish power!

Hum—!

Losing its greatest support, the three boundary-gap prisms trembled violently! The rift, which had been barely maintained, immediately twisted crazily and contracted rapidly.

"Pfft—!"

"Ugh!"

The chain backlash erupted instantly!

The thousands of Foundation Establishment Devil King phalanxes below were like being struck by an invisible giant hammer; over one-third of the Flame Demons, unable to withstand the backlash of the instant reversal of Devilish power and the spatial collapse, exploded into a sky full of blood mist.

The Nascent Soul and Core Formation level Devil Cultivators also vomited blood and withered, collapsing from heavy injuries. The Soul Transformation Devil Venerables were also shaken, their Qi and blood churning, filled with shock and uncertainty.

The three Devil Saints swayed, their expressions changing slightly as they forcibly suppressed their discomfort.

"Lord Hongyan! What happened?" the rugged Devil Saint on the left asked urgently.

Devil Emperor Hongyan's face was so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water, a trace of lingering fear flashing deep in his eyes. He stared at the almost vanished traces of the rift, his voice hoarse: "On the other side... there is a Heavenly Venerable!"

"Heavenly Venerable?!" The sinister Devil Saint gasped. "Could it be that Wanshan Heavenly Venerable has arrived in person? Or Fengwu Heavenly Venerable?"

"I remember that there are only two Heavenly Venerables in Cangwu State," the rugged Devil Saint's eyes flashed with keen light. "Since one is already here in the southeast of Cangwu, that means there is only one Heavenly Venerable guarding the rift in the northwest of Cangwu."

"The Bone Demon Race and the Xuanming Race are responsible for that location; why not immediately leak the news of this Heavenly Venerable's appearance over there? Let them go and test it out."

Devil Emperor Hongyan's eyes flickered, and he pondered for a moment: "It is better to report this to Lord Tai Huang first; this is no small matter. Let Lord decide whether to send a message to the Heavenly Devils of the Bone Demon and Xuanming races."

From beginning to end, that cold-aura female Devil Saint remained silent, like cold rock, expressing no opinion.

Devil Emperor Hongyan glanced at her coldly, seemingly accustomed to her silence, and ignored her. The area around the altar was deathly silent, with only the surging lava and the gasps of the heavily injured; no one dared to question the Devil Emperor's decision.

Qing State, below Jinque Peak, by the lake.

After Sect Master Ling waved his hand to Seal the spatial rift, he landed slowly with Chi Wanhe.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, a water-green figure rushed over with a fragrant breeze: "Revered Master!" Xia Yingying threw herself directly into Sect Master Ling's arms.

Chi Wanhe watched her Junior Sister occupy the position that should have been hers, secretly grinding her pearly teeth; the little person in her heart was already stomping her feet frantically: 'That is my spot! It's mine!'

But when her gaze touched the awe-filled gazes around her, she had to take a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to pull her Junior Sister away, constantly chanting internally: 'I am the Senior Sister! Senior Sister! Must have the dignity of a Senior Sister! Must be dignified and steady when outside!'

Yue Xinxi, also in the Sea of Consciousness, was grinding her teeth too: 'This little idiot!'

This pounce was equivalent to filtering out all the negative evaluations she had painstakingly instilled along the way about the philandering Sect Master attracting bees and butterflies! What kind of love potion had Yingying been fed?

She looked at Sect Master Ling, her heart complex. This philandering Sect Master really cared about his disciples' safety. He probably had placed even more secret Restrictions on Yingying besides that jade pendant, which he could sense the moment it was triggered.

At this moment, led by Liu Sisi, all the prominent Cultivators present, including Jing Chengfeng, Jing Hong, Yun Menglu, Guan Yu, and Wu Baolin, respectfully stepped forward.

Guan Yu suppressed the extreme trepidation in his heart and cautiously bowed: "We... pay our respects to Moonshadow Heavenly Venerable!"

Everyone behind him showed fear in their eyes and also bowed deeply, "Pay respects to Moonshadow Heavenly Venerable!"

Ever since the Erosion Tide was suppressed, many unfamiliar faces with obscure auras and Loose Cultivators from other cultivation states had quietly flooded into Qing State. These people were seemingly inquiring about everything regarding Moonshadow Sect and Sect Master Ling.

These third-grade Sect Masters naturally and quickly captured a key piece of information from various channels—those powerful outsiders all respectfully addressed Sect Master Ling as "Moonshadow Heavenly Venerable"!

"Heavenly Venerable," these two words were like a thunderclap, shaking Guan Yu and the others to their core!

What is a Heavenly Venerable? Only a Tribulation Transcendence Stage mighty figure is qualified to be honored as a Heavenly Venerable!

So the "True Venerable Yueying" they had always called him was actually "Moonshadow Heavenly Venerable"? True Venerable and Heavenly Venerable, just a one-character difference, yet it represented the distinction between immortal and mortal, a difference as vast as clouds and mud!

Yun Menglu, Guan Yu, Jing Hong, Jing Chengfeng, Wu Baolin... everyone's hearts were in their throats, their eyes burning as they awaited Sect Master Ling's response. For them, this was not just a title.

Taking advantage of the gap while everyone was bowing, Chi Wanhe finally found a legitimate reason to pull Xia Yingying, who was still clinging to Revered Master's arms, to her side, whispering: "Revered Master has things to handle, come over and stand properly."

Sect Master Ling looked around at this group of Sect Masters, who looked respectful yet could not hide their intent to test him, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that was not quite a smile: "What? Sect Masters, are you here to test this Seat?"

A simple sentence, yet it made Guan Yu and the others feel as if they had instantly fallen into an ice cave! Their intentions were exposed to their faces; the immense pressure made fine cold sweat instantly seep from their foreheads, and the clothes on their backs were almost instantly drenched.

As someone who had dealt with Sect Master Ling before, Jing Hong reacted a step faster, biting the bullet and stepping forward, bowing deeply: "Heavenly Venerable, please see clearly! We have absolutely no intention of testing you! It is just that... the news is too shocking, and we were terrified, fearing that we might address you wrongly and needlessly tarnish your supreme prestige, Heavenly Venerable!"

Sect Master Ling's expression was calm, and he waved his hand casually: "This Seat does not care about this title. If you like to call me Heavenly Venerable, then do as you please."

Once these words were spoken, it was tantamount to a tacit admission!

In an instant, the shock in the hearts of Yun Menglu, Guan Yu, Jing Hong, Jing Chengfeng, Wu Baolin... could be imagined.

Sitting in a well and looking at the sky! We were truly sitting in a well looking at the sky! This thought churned in everyone's minds simultaneously.

If not for the Erosion Tide in the Scarlet Tree Sea in the northwest and today's demonic disaster, we would probably still be foolishly thinking that Sect Master Ling only had Soul Transformation cultivation!

Fortunately! Fortunately, this Moonshadow Heavenly Venerable has a detached temperament and does not like to haggle over these superficial names and secular etiquette! Otherwise... with our ignorant offense, I fear dying ten thousand times would not be enough!

Everyone's hearts surged, and they bowed deeply once more.

With a Heavenly Venerable sitting in Qing State! Our Qing State's cultivation world is likely to usher in an unprecedented opportunity for takeoff!