Chapter 1085: Soul Slave

The Ancient Demon's avatar was not to be underestimated.

When Immortal Maiden Nanguai moved the Demon Suppressing Stele, the Demon Lord immediately found himself in a precarious situation. Even though the Nine-Lives Mystic Tortoise came over in time to assist the Demon Lord, it was still suppressed by the Ancient Demon's avatar.

The situation on the other side was even more perilous. Four grand cultivators besieged Demon Qingzhu. The situation was only marginally better than before, in that they weren't easily defeated one by one. With Demon Qingzhu's surging power pressing down, they were forced to retreat step by step, and signs of defeat quickly appeared.

Just at this critical moment, a scene that filled everyone with elation reappeared. Qingzhu's will was firm; facing such a formidable opponent, he still did not abandon hope. He hid within the fragments of the spirit sword, and the demonic soul was powerless against him for a time. This physical body originally belonged to Qingzhu. Even with a vast power disparity, Qingzhu could influence the demonic soul's actions while resisting with all his might.

Demon Qingzhu's aura fluctuated. Though not intense, and even faint, at such a crucial moment, it was enough to become a vulnerability that Lingzhuzi and the others could exploit. The situation improved slightly.

The elder, with a solemn expression, knew the situation was critical and raced against time to refine the Heavenly Phoenix Feather. At this moment, Qin Sang, holding a lotus seed in one hand and the Ghost Seal given to him by Sunü in the other, shrank backward.

Before the great battle, the elder had set up a barrier for the young man and woman to protect them from the devastating aftermath. Qin Sang, moving closer, also benefited from this protection. However, with such an intense battle raging, it was uncertain if this barrier could withstand the full impact of the residual power.

The young man and woman were visibly nervous, concerned about their two grandmasters' plight. They noticed Qin Sang's actions but merely glanced at him, having no mind to pay attention. They were also curious how this person had appeared there, but it was clearly not the time to ponder such questions.

Qin Sang leaned against the edge of the space, opened his left hand, and revealed the Ghost Seal. Upon realizing that the physical body occupied by the Ancient Demon's avatar was indeed Sunü, Qin Sang recalled the Ghost Seal she had given him. Sunü had suspected the East Pole Alliance had ill intentions toward her, fearing she would be used as a vessel and suffer soul possession. To guard against this, she gave the Ghost Seal to Qin Sang. However, Sunü could never have imagined that such a terrifying Ancient Demon would be the one plotting against her body.

Could a mere Ghost Seal still be effective? Acting on the principle of a desperate gamble, Qin Sang activated the Ghost Seal according to the method Sunü had taught him. Unexpectedly, the situation changed too rapidly. The secret technique was not yet complete when, in an instant, the Heavenly Phoenix Feather changed hands and the great battle erupted. Both battlefields were in grave danger.

Qin Sang's lips moved slightly. As the secret technique neared completion, a surprising scene unfolded: a wisp of black mist suddenly emerged from within the Ghost Seal, transforming into a human figure that looked strikingly similar to Sunü! The 'Sunü' figure was contorted in pain, her expression twisted, as she let out a silent wail.

"This..." Qin Sang felt astonished. Before he could examine it closely, he suddenly felt his body tense as a gaze locked onto him. Looking up in surprise, he found the Demon Lord staring directly at him.

The moment Qin Sang activated the Ghost Seal, a faint layer of ghost patterns suddenly appeared on the Ancient Demon's avatar's face, emitting unusual fluctuations that did not belong to the Ancient Demon's avatar. Compared to the Ancient Demon's avatar's aura, the ghost patterns' fluctuations were extremely weak, simply incomparable. But upon seeing the ghost patterns, the Demon Lord's eyes suddenly lit up, and he instantly locked onto the source: the Ghost Seal in Qin Sang's hand.

"Give it to me!" The Demon Lord's loud cry rang in Qin Sang's ears. His body stiffened, then he felt his hand lighten as the Ghost Seal was snatched into the Demon Lord's palm.

"Oh? A soul seed or a slave imprint? Interesting!" The Demon Lord burst into laughter, as if he had found some priceless treasure.

*Whoosh!* A strong yellow light erupted from the Demon Lord's palm as he furiously channeled the Taiyin Heavenly Ghost Divine Light into the Ghost Seal.

At this moment, the Ancient Demon's avatar looked down at its arm, intending to shatter the ghost patterns. With the Demon Lord's actions, the seemingly fragile ghost patterns suddenly surged with ghostly energy, actually blocking the Ancient Demon avatar's power. They instantly covered half the face and rapidly spread across the body. That face, which originally belonged to Sunü, was now split. One half was permeated with sinister and bizarre ghost patterns. The other half raged with bloodthirsty, insane demonic flames.

"If it's truly a soul seed or a slave imprint as the Demon Lord said," Qin Sang mused, "could it be that Sunü, to resist the soul possessing her body, voluntarily refined herself into a soul slave? And then, by combining her own power with that of her master, she could devour the opponent in return?" Qin Sang vaguely understood Sunü's scheme and was shocked by this woman's ingenuity. The idea of refining oneself into a soul slave, voluntarily handing over the Ghost Seal, and finding a master to resist the calamity of soul possession was simply too insane. Qin Sang was the master she had chosen. Even if successful, she would still become another's slave. Of course, the difference from being soul-possessed was that she would still be alive. In the cultivation world, as long as one lives, there is hope!

If her opponent had been merely a wisp of a remnant soul, not such a terrifying Ancient Demon, Sunü might well have succeeded.

"I wonder if the Ancient Demon hasn't completely devoured Sunü yet," Qin Sang murmured. "Or is Sunü's soul hidden within the ghost patterns, and the Ancient Demon's avatar, after breaking the seal, has been too busy with continuous battles to properly check its physical body? Who could have predicted that someone so weak, someone the Ancient Demon could completely disregard, could also scheme against it..." Qin Sang muttered to himself, inwardly exclaiming his luck, marveling that Sunü's arrangement had played such a crucial role at this moment. He remarked with emotion, "If I can get out of this alive, I really must thank her properly." He just wondered if Sunü was still alive.

The bizarre scene not only astonished Qin Sang but also completely blindsided the Ancient Demon's avatar, filling it with instant shock and fury. The Demon Lord, having mastered the Taiyin Heavenly Ghost Divine Light, was already exceptionally skilled in the path of Yin Ghosts. With the Ghost Seal now under his control, it would no longer be easy for the Ancient Demon's avatar to shatter the ghost patterns. Qin Sang looked at the Ghost Seal, now enveloped by the Taiyin Heavenly Ghost Divine Light. Its form had completely changed, surrounded by countless Yin souls, looking entirely different from before. And the fluctuations within the ghost patterns grew steadily stronger. The Ancient Demon's avatar suppressed with all its might, only able to compress the ghost patterns onto its cheek. Even reduced to a mere black dot, they could not be completely erased.

Both battlefields had encountered unexpected developments: in both cases, the individuals who had been soul-possessed were resisting through their own means. With the ghost patterns under his control, the Demon Lord naturally wouldn't squander this hard-won opportunity. He began analyzing the Ghost Seal, utilizing the Taiyin Heavenly Ghost Divine Light to improve it. The Ancient Demon's avatar was enraged. Staring intently at the Ghost Seal in the Demon Lord's hand, it charged over frantically. The Demon Lord and the Nine-Lives Mystic Tortoise exchanged glances. Using the tortoise shell, they desperately protected the Ghost Seal, contending with the Ancient Demon's avatar.

The originally critical situation was unexpectedly and barely stabilized. However, this situation could not be maintained for long.

At this moment, the elder finally performed the secret technique to refine the Heavenly Phoenix Feather. Silently glancing at both battlefields, he did not hesitate, sweeping his hand backward across the blood-red crystal wall. The Heavenly Phoenix Feather spontaneously combusted without fire. However, this time the flames were weak, their might far less than when the Flood Dragon King had activated them using the Phoenix Clan's secret technique earlier. Fortunately, this was enough! The blood-red crystal wall was scorched by the phoenix flames, appearing to melt. The Heavenly Phoenix Feather, appearing both real and illusory, tore open a gap in the blood-red crystal wall. Enveloped in phoenix flames, the elder stepped forward!