Chapter 852: Double-headed and Four-armed

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 6: Heavenly Spiritual Treasures

"From your tone, it sounds like you've seen it firsthand. Haven't you never entered the Demonfall Valley?" Han Li's heart stirred, prompting him to ask a pointed question.

"Hmph, just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean I haven't heard of it. When I entered the valley, several of my friends, though their powers were far inferior to mine, were still formidable cultivators. Yet, even working together, only one barely managed to escape with his life. That goes to show the immense power of the ancient demon's demonic arts." Grand Immortal Dayan snorted a few times, clearly intending to make a point.

Han Li smiled. Just as he was about to ask another question, a pained roar suddenly erupted from the black mist fleeing in the distance. Immediately, a whirlwind tore through the black demonic mist, scattering it completely and revealing Nanlong Hou within.

When Old Ancestor Linghu and the white-robed woman got a clear look at him, their expressions drastically changed, and they gasped in unison.

Was this still human?

The Nanlong Hou before them had completely transformed into a two-headed, four-armed monstrosity. He now sported two grotesque heads on his neck, one large in front and a smaller one behind. From his shoulders, front and back, sprouted four unnaturally long demonic arms that reached past his knees.

The front head was covered in patches of purple scales, and a white horn, several inches long, protruded from its forehead. However, its features—eyes, nose, and general size—still resembled his original head.

Yet, behind that head, another smaller head had forcibly emerged from his neck, looking entirely like a fiendish ghost.

While this second head also had horns on its forehead and scales on its cheeks, its face was green with prominent fangs. Its inky black lips would open and close, revealing a long, black-red-purple tongue, covered in barbs, that shot out about a foot before retracting in a flash, much like a viper.

Even more chilling, the pupils in this head's eyes were narrow slits, glinting with a silvery-white cold light. As its eyeballs moved, they conveyed not a shred of emotion, clearly something no human could possess.

Not only his heads, but his body below the neck and all four long arms were likewise covered in dense, impenetrable deep-purple scales. The tips of his ten fingers had grown bone-like spurs for nails, which glinted with silvery-white light as he clenched and unclenched them, looking incredibly sharp.

Seeing this terrifying sight that sent shivers down their spines, Old Ancestor Linghu and the white-robed woman's hearts tightened. However, as Nascent Soul cultivators who had lived for countless years, they weren't easily intimidated. The moment Nanlong Hou revealed his form and stood still, they simultaneously directed their magical treasures to attack him.

A five-colored beam of light flashed, instantly enveloping Nanlong Hou.

Old Ancestor Linghu was overjoyed. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately sent down the large white ring.

The demonic soul's front head remained emotionless, like a corpse. But the one behind it split into a wide grin, a hint of sarcasm playing on its lips.

As the large ring flashed and suddenly appeared above its head, descending rapidly, the demonic soul, still within the five-colored light beam, lightly waved its four arms. Instantly, four demonic hands flared with purple light and firmly gripped the giant ring, displaying no sluggishness whatsoever.

This startled Old Ancestor Linghu. He frantically urged his magic, causing the ring to radiate light and tremble violently, trying to break free. However, the four large hands gripping it were like iron, unmoving in the slightest.

The demonic soul's back head let out a sinister laugh, then abruptly opened its mouth and spat out a jet of ink-black liquid, which struck the giant ring squarely.

The ancient treasure, which had been shimmering with spiritual light, let out a mournful cry as the black liquid struck it. Its spiritual light completely dissipated, and it turned pitch black, flickering with an eerie dark glow.

"My Mingyang Ring?" Old Ancestor Linghu cried out in alarm. The moment the ring's color changed, he instantly lost his mental connection with the ancient treasure. His face became ashen.

It was truly incredible that this demonic soul could defile an ancient treasure and then seize it for its own use.

At this moment, three of the demonic soul's four hands released the ring, while only one held onto it, waving it gently a few times. A series of overlapping ring phantoms appeared. Both heads displayed expressions of satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad! I was just lamenting the scarcity of usable treasures I possessed; this one, while mediocre, is quite suitable," the front head of the demonic soul said in human speech. Simultaneously, its other three arms moved over its body, and with another flash of light, a black flag and a small sword, also glowing with black light, appeared in two of its hands. The last hand remained empty.

"Hehe! Although I can only demonize a few of your cultivators' treasures, these few are more than enough to handle things for a while," the demonic soul chuckled sinisterly.

Han Li, distracted by setting up the formation, had slowed down the Golden Arc and fireballs, causing them to fall far behind. The golden Devouring Beetles, which had been keeping pace, hesitated when they saw the demonic soul with its two heads and four arms. They circled in place, seemingly afraid to advance.

Han Li was startled. Through his mental connection, he could sense the Devouring Beetles' instinctive fear, filling him with surprise and doubt.

Furthermore, upon seeing this demon employ its two-headed, four-armed demonic art, he immediately recalled the image on the Brahma Saint Tablet and the three-headed, six-armed demon statue enshrined in Immortal Cang Kun's cave. He wondered about the connection between the three.

The flag in the demonic soul's hand was the ancient Wind Banner treasure that Old Man Lu used to control gales. The small sword also looked very familiar; after a moment's thought, he remembered it was one of the ancient treasures from the ancient cultivator's remains. He hadn't expected it to be defiled and used by the demonic soul.

Regardless of the connection, this was certainly not the time to investigate. He needed to provoke the demon and lure it into his Grand Metal Sword Formation.

With this thought, Han Li's expression darkened. He abruptly urged the Devouring Beetles forward, while simultaneously accelerating the Evil-Slaying Divine Thunder and purple fireballs, sending them all rushing towards the demon.

Upon seeing this, the demonic soul's two heads simultaneously let out strange, undulating cackles. Suddenly, its neck blurred, and the heads abruptly swapped positions. The front head moved to the back, while the fiendish ghost head came to the front, constantly extending and retracting its purplish-red tongue, a truly bizarre sight.

The transformed demonic soul coldly eyed Han Li's aggressive assault, clearly having no intention of dodging. It lightly waved its four arms, simultaneously raising the three treasures in its hands. Instantly, the small sword, the magic flag, and the ring all flared with dark light.

It seemed another fierce battle was about to erupt between Han Li and the ancient demonic soul.

But just then, a monstrous roar, like a clap of thunder, suddenly rumbled from afar. The immense sound echoed in waves from a distant place, resembling rolling thunder. It seemed the owner of the sound was in an extraordinary rage, acting with great ferocity. Even Old Ancestor Linghu and the others, hearing it from such a distance, felt their hearts tremble and expressions of horror cross their faces.

Han Li paused slightly, stunned by the astonishing roar, but both heads of the demonic soul opposite him simultaneously blanched. The demonic soul suddenly retracted its treasures, swayed, and without a second thought, transformed into a streak of black light, fleeing backward. As it fled, it also let out a similar long howl, and in a flash, it vanished like lightning.

The direction it fled was precisely where the howling originated.

Han Li was initially stunned. After a brief hesitation, he pointed a finger, pausing the Golden Arc, the Purple Luo Extreme Flame, and the insect swarm. He then squinted, watching the demonic soul disappear into a black speck, his expression growing thoughtful and uncertain.

If he remembered correctly, that fierce roar originated from the very spot where the astonishing airwave explosion had recently occurred, a place also marked on the Demonfall Valley map he possessed. Could something truly extraordinary be happening there?

Yet, the demonic soul had fled so hastily, even letting out a responding howl. Could there be another ancient demon there?

Han Li quickly considered all possibilities, his face deep in thought, remaining perfectly still.

The white-robed woman and Old Ancestor Linghu watched the demonic soul suddenly turn and fly away, and a great sense of relief simultaneously washed over them. Their expressions softened.

The white-robed woman had been particularly uneasy, as her prized treasure, the "Condensing Light Mirror," had proven unable to restrain the transformed Nanlong Hou.

Old Ancestor Linghu, though deeply regretting the loss of his treasure, felt fortunate to have escaped with his life. Had they not coincidentally encountered Han Li here, he and the Masked Moon Sect's Grand Elder would surely have faced a grim fate.

Another friendly cultivator who had entered the valley with them had, caught off guard, been killed when Nanlong Hou ripped out his Nascent Soul.

Now that the demonic soul had truly fled beyond return, Old Ancestor Linghu and the white-robed woman exchanged glances before finally approaching Han Li.

Han Li's displayed abilities had been truly astonishing; it was impossible for the two of them to simply fly away without a word.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I must thank you for saving my life this time. Otherwise, I would not have escaped this calamity," Old Ancestor Linghu said with a polite bow and cupped hands. His gaze then shifted, and he couldn't help but appraise the motionless tiger demon puppet and the Heaven-Severing Demonic Corpse, which exuded a chilling aura, standing beside Han Li. He secretly sighed, a hint of jealousy rising within him.

For someone so young to possess so many treasures and divine abilities, his future cultivation path was truly limitless! It seemed that striking a prior agreement with him to assist Yellow Maple Valley had indeed been the correct choice. As long as he was willing to intervene, Yellow Maple Valley should be able to defend itself for at least a thousand years, no matter how great the calamity it faced.

As for Senior Sister Nangong Wan, despite their previous unpleasant encounters, she could only force a smile and offer her thanks:

"I too thank Fellow Daoist for your great kindness!" the white-robed woman said, still visibly uncomfortable, her voice somewhat cold.

After witnessing Han Li's current divine abilities, any thought of seeking revenge on him had completely vanished from her mind.

"It's not really a life-saving grace; I was merely protecting myself," Han Li said unhurriedly, calmly raising a hand to recall the Golden Arc and other items, some into his body, others into his sleeve. "Now, what are your plans, Fellow Daoists? Are you interested in following to see?"

"Fellow Daoist Han, you jest," Old Ancestor Linghu replied, shaking his head repeatedly without a second thought. "That creature is extraordinarily powerful; only late-Nascent Soul cultivators can hope to deal with it. How could the two of us possibly pursue it?"

The white-robed woman remained silent, but her expression clearly indicated her strong agreement.

"In that case, so be it. While I am interested, it would be rather reckless to proceed alone. I'll part ways with you two here." Han Li felt a pang of regret. If two Nascent Soul cultivators were willing to accompany him, he would indeed want to see what was happening in the distance. But going alone, he decided, wasn't worth the risk.

With this thought, before the two could respond, he glanced again in the direction of the ceaseless monstrous roar. After only a moment, his expression suddenly changed, becoming grave.

"What? What's wrong?" Old Ancestor Linghu's heart skipped a beat at Han Li's expression. He quickly asked, simultaneously looking back himself.