Volume Two, Travels in the State of Qi - Chapter 165: A Thankless Task

Previously, everyone had been tortured by the demonic Qi and had consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy. Now, they were all slowly recovering with the help of Zhang Heng's spiritual liquid and the energy from the Immortal Spirit Spring.

Just at this moment, Night Wuji, who was supposed to be dead, suddenly stood up.

"A corpse is rising!" a disciple cried out in panic.

This bizarre scene instantly drew everyone's attention. Ling Tian and the others stood up, wanting to step forward and investigate.

Right then, without any warning, Night Wuji's body began to emit demonic Qi—endless, continuous streams of demonic Qi.

Before long, boundless demonic Qi filled the space, and darkness engulfed everything. Everyone felt as though they had plunged into an endless abyss of darkness.

Panic instantly spread among the crowd. Wasn't Night Wuji already dead? Why had he stood up again?

Enveloped by the black Qi, ordinary disciples all found it difficult to breathe, and even the Heavenly Origin realm powerhouses felt their auras become unstable.

Could this be the coercion of a demon?

"Ah, hahaha..."

A soul-shivering, terrifying laugh echoed through the air.

"Everyone, be careful!" Emperor Qi stepped forward to shield the others, his expression grave as he gazed at the figure of "Night Wuji." In his left hand, a small, cyan-blue mirror emitted a faint green light, casting a glimmer of illumination within the pitch-black space.

Only then did everyone remember that Emperor Qi possessed a supreme holy artifact, the Qingtong Mirror, which happened to be the nemesis of all demons and evil entities.

On the other side, "Night Wuji" stirred. He twisted his neck and swung his arms, seemingly adapting to his new vessel.

"Are you all preparing a welcoming ceremony for this lord?" "Night Wuji" spoke, his voice dripping with an enchanting and eerie aura.

"Who are you?" Emperor Qi demanded loudly. They had beaten Night Wuji to the point of complete annihilation; survival was utterly impossible. Therefore, the person standing before them was most likely no longer Night Wuji.

"Hahahaha! I have been slumbering for so long that I almost forgot who I am. I only remember that you mortals address this lord as the Demon Sovereign."

Demon Sovereign?

The younger generation was filled with confusion, as they had no inkling of what a demon actually was.

The Heavenly Origin experts, however, thought to themselves that they were doomed.

All of them had read ancient texts and possessed a certain understanding of the Demon race. Six hundred thousand years ago, the demons who invaded the Immortal Cultivation World were led by twelve Demon Sovereigns. Later on, Senior Qing Yangzi of the Qingfeng Holy Land discovered a forbidden power, which enabled him to seal away all twelve Demon Sovereigns.

Never did they expect that, six hundred thousand years later, a Demon Sovereign of the Demon race had broken through the seal. This meant that catastrophe was destined to befall the entire Immortal Cultivation World.

And the very first sacrificial victims of this great war would undoubtedly be everyone trapped within this enclosed space.

For even the weakest Demon Sovereign could rival a peak Saint Lord. Even though six hundred thousand years had weakened him, he was still far beyond what this group could handle.

"Disgusting abomination, instead of hiding properly in the depths of the earth, you dare to come out and wreak havoc. Six hundred thousand years ago, the seniors of my race could seal all of you away; six hundred thousand years later, I can do the same!"

As he spoke, Emperor Qi hurled the Qingtong Mirror forward while chanting incantations incessantly. The small mirror instantly expanded to a height of several zhang, radiating an ancient and majestic aura alongside dazzling green light.

Facing such fierce and formidable coercion, the ordinary disciples of the various sects turned pale with fright. To be honest, they had always looked down upon the Qi Kingdom, because Emperor Qi's cultivation was only at the first stage of the Heavenly Origin realm, whereas their own sects boasted dozens of Heavenly Origin experts.

It was only at this moment, seeing Emperor Qi wield a holy artifact, that they truly understood why the Qi Kingdom had stood as one of the seven ancient empires for millions of years without ever declining.

Emperor Qi gazed coldly at the figure ahead.

He could not afford to waste any more time. This demonic entity had just been reborn and was currently at his weakest state. If he wasted any more time allowing him to recover even a fraction of his power, they truly would not stand a chance.

Sure enough, the moment the Demon Sovereign caught sight of the Qingtong Mirror, a flash of apprehension stirred within him. A holy artifact? How could there be a holy artifact in this place? His current strength was less than ten percent of his prime. Facing a holy artifact, he would likely have to expend a considerable amount of energy.

With a brilliant flash of green light, Emperor Qi prepared to strike down the Demon Sovereign.

At that moment, Zhang Heng's voice rang out from afar.

"Emperor Qi, wait a moment."

Everyone looked at Zhang Heng in bewilderment. What was this kid trying to pull?

Zhang Heng offered a confident smile and said casually, "Emperor Qi, this ghost doesn't even have his own body; he must be pathetically weak. He's just putting on a spooky act right now. You don't need to make a move yet—let me go test him out."

With those words, amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Zhang Heng executed the Lesser Aurora Phantom movement technique and sprinted rapidly toward the Demon Sovereign.

Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react. The crowd was utterly dumbfounded! What on earth was Zhang Heng playing at? He shouldn't be someone acting so recklessly.

"Hahahaha!" The Demon Sovereign laughed triumphantly.

"Ignorant and arrogant brat, when this lord roamed this continent, your ancestors hadn't even been born yet."

Could this human brat be out of his mind? He was actually taking the initiative to buy time for him to recover! The Demon Sovereign resolved to tear this human brat to pieces to reward his kind consideration.

Although the Demon Sovereign had just resurrected and his strength was severely depleted, he was, after all, once at the peak Transcending Tribulation realm—far beyond what Zhang Heng could handle.

Moreover, Zhang Heng hadn't even drawn his Heart-Protecting Sword and had simply charged straight ahead like that; he was essentially walking to his death.

Zhang Heng's speed was truly terrifyingly fast. Even the Demon Sovereign was caught off guard for a split second before the youth closed the distance right in front of him.

Yet, no matter how fast his speed was, it was useless.

With a casual strike from the Demon Sovereign, a massive wave of demonic Qi swept toward Zhang Heng. The blow landed squarely on Zhang Heng's chest, instantly inflicting severe injury. A mouthful of blood gushed from his lips, spraying around the Demon Sovereign.

Zhang Heng flew backward even faster than he had charged forward. As he lay on the ground, he felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered.

Everyone stared blankly as Zhang Heng heroically charged forward only to be sent flying right back in an instant, freezing in place in utter shock.

Mu Wanqing flashed through the air, arrived at Zhang Heng's side, and poured a bottle of spiritual liquid down his throat, following instructions Zhang Heng had given her beforehand.

Regaining a shred of spiritual energy, Zhang Heng mustered all his strength to force out three words through gritted teeth:

"Hold him off!"

Though none of them understood why, these influential figures all heeded Zhang Heng's words. They summoned their various magical treasures and launched a fierce assault on the Demon Sovereign.

Because of the delay caused by Zhang Heng, the Demon Sovereign had managed to recover a fair amount of strength. Engaging in battle against the group of them, he fought ten opponents simultaneously without losing the upper hand in the slightest.

Supported by Mu Wanqing, Zhang Heng struggled into a sitting position and began slowly healing his wounds.

Damn it, this Demon Sovereign hits way too hard.

He couldn't help but complain internally. From now on, he was never taking on such grueling chores again.

If he hadn't been wearing Du Gu Bai's Heart-Protecting Sword, that single blow would have cracked his body wide open on the spot.

As time dragged on, the Demon Sovereign grew increasingly accustomed to Night Wuji's physical vessel. Coupled with the steady recovery of his power, Ling Tian, Emperor Qi, and the others gradually found themselves losing ground.

Yet, none of them retreated. Because the demons were the common enemy of the entire Immortal Cultivation World. If they fell back, the entire continent would face unimaginable catastrophe.

While they were no saints, as pillars of strength in their respective domains, it was naturally their duty to protect this land.

Thus, one Heavenly Origin expert after another rushed forward, only to be sent flying back by the Demon Sovereign one by one.

This battle was exceptionally tragic. At first, they had only sustained minor injuries.

As time wore on, however, they could no longer hold their ground.

For the Demon Sovereign's might was growing stronger with every passing moment.