Chapter 1268: True Face

Worldly Affairs

The jade bone was involuntarily pulled by the spiritual energy of the magic treasure, like an inanimate object, shackled all over.

The crowd couldn't perceive the jade bone's aura, unable to tell if the ancient cultivator was merely bound by shackles or had already perished.

*Whoosh!*

At this moment, Old Devil Ye and Azure Monarch flew out of the blood pool almost simultaneously.

Azure Monarch rode out on the Azure Luan, enveloped by the River and Mountain Hidden Moon scroll. The Azure Luan puppet cried repeatedly, its calls full of anger.

Jing Yu followed at the rear. Her feathers were disheveled, and her aura was weak. She had expended a great deal of energy breaking the blood threads and was further injured in the subsequent battle. After dispelling the blood thread curse on the white bones and obtaining the Corpse Flower Blood Amber, she rushed over. Seeing that Old Devil Ye had already opened the cage and released the jade bone, she quickly activated her Thunder Mind Pearl to assist Azure Monarch.

Old Devil Ye truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost figure in the Northern Star Realm. Even with Azure Monarch and Jing Yu teaming up, they couldn't overcome him. Jing Yu dared not approach the two in direct combat, so she cast her innate divine ability from the periphery, wielding lightning to shoot out beams of thunder, attacking Old Devil Ye.

Old Devil Ye fought against two. Wherever he passed, heavy snow fell, and the blood froze. By his side, there was always a white shadow, formed by the merging of several previous white shadows. Sometimes it lunged at Azure Monarch like a living creature, baring its fangs and claws, preventing her and the Azure Luan puppet from approaching the jade bone. Other times, it transformed into a cloud of ice mist.

Jing Yu's thunder beams and Azure Monarch's attacks, upon entering the ice mist, were like stones sinking into the sea, absorbed by the mist, unable to harm Old Devil Ye in the slightest. The white shadow was a ten-thousand-year-old profound ice fragment that Old Devil Ye had inadvertently obtained in the Abyssal Ruins. It had been refined by ancient cultivators before, and Old Devil Ye had spent years comprehending it, devising a way to utilize it. He secretly refined others' Nascent Souls and fused them with the profound ice, creating an ice devil.

Although the ice devil appeared to be a puppet controlled by Old Devil Ye, its consciousness was actually chaotic, unable to act independently. It was more akin to a magic treasure, capable of both offense and defense, and had greatly contributed to breaking the seal earlier. However, even with the ice devil, Old Devil Ye dared not ignore the attacks from Azure Monarch and Jing Yu, being forced back several times when attempting to approach the jade bone.

The three individuals held somewhat conflicting thoughts; they were wary of the jade bone, yet also concerned that it might be fragile and destroyed by the residual force of their struggle, rendering their efforts futile. As a result, they were restrained, fighting from the bottom of the blood pool all the way to its outside.

*Crack!*

Finally, a shackle on the jade bone shattered from the residual force of a magic treasure.

Everyone's pupils suddenly constricted. The jade bone swayed precariously in their vision, yet still showed no signs of revival.

Azure Monarch let out a sharp cry, and the scenery from the River and Mountain Hidden Moon scroll manifested into reality. Her expression remained unperturbed. She calmly looked at the jade bone, silently chanting a spell. A moonlight beam illuminated the jade bone, and the lunar essence opened a path for the Azure Luan.

"Caw!"

The Azure Luan raised its head and let out a long cry, using the power of the moonlight to charge forward swiftly.

Old Devil Ye's face darkened, and he likewise reached out to grab the jade bone. At this moment, there was still some distance between him and the jade bone. The ice devil transformed into a cloud of ice mist, flew into his palm, and then materialized into a large hand of profound ice, appearing beneath the jade bone in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Blood Devil Avatar employed all its techniques, desperately struggling under the demonic flames. Qin Sang held nothing back, fully demonstrating the power of the demonic flames before everyone. The blood light from the Blood Moon Wheel had been suppressed to its limit by the demonic flames, barely managing to protect the Blood Devil Avatar. The blood light was dim like candlelight, almost imperceptible within the black sea of fire. The blood light was precarious, threatening to shatter at any moment. The three blood shadows, unable to evade, had no chance to catch their breath, and their consumption was terrifying.

Seeing Azure Monarch and Jing Yu safe and sound, Qin Sang felt a slight relief. Witnessing this scene, he knew that victory or defeat hung by a thread. Looking at the Blood Devil Avatar, which was desperately trying to stop him, a cold glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. He snorted, and the endless demonic flames suddenly converged towards the center, forming a fire dragon that roared and charged forward.

A look of alarm appeared on the Blood Devil Avatar's face; it knew it likely couldn't withstand this attack. Old Devil Ye glanced here, his lips moving slightly. The Blood Devil Avatar's expression suddenly stiffened, then the three blood shadows rushed towards the center, merging into one. Instead of returning to its original form, it became a fist-sized blood bead, which, instead of retreating, charged directly at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang frowned, sensing trouble, and immediately summoned his tortoise shell shield without hesitation. The next moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the center of the demonic flames.

*Boom!*

Old Devil Ye had actually self-destructed the Blood Devil Avatar! The demonic flames bore the direct impact, torn apart by the aftershock. In an instant, countless demonic flames scattered, and fire waves swept across the sky. The Blood Devil Avatar and the blood bead vanished, leaving the battlefield in chaos.

Qin Sang hadn't expected Old Devil Ye to be willing to self-destruct the Blood Devil Avatar, and he was too slow to dodge. He and the demonic banner were engulfed by the backward-rolling demonic flames, their fate unknown. Everyone's attention had been drawn to the struggle for the jade bone, yet the battle between Qin Sang and the Blood Devil Avatar had ended so tragically. Old Devil Ye's Blood Devil Avatar, fighting Qin Sang alone, had been forced to a dead end without any assistance!

Everyone gained a new understanding of the demonic flames' power and the strength of the Moonlight Demon King, displaying looks of shock. Some even wondered if it was the Feathered Demon King in disguise.

The Little Cold Domain side was both surprised and delighted. Old Devil Ye's avatar self-destructing was equivalent to losing an arm, which would surely cause him great damage. Even if they couldn't reclaim the jade bone, it was not in vain. However, what concerned them was the dead silence at the center of the demonic flames, making them wonder about the Moonlight Demon King's condition. The power of the Blood Devil Avatar's self-destruction was no small matter, and it had targeted the Moonlight Demon King directly. Would he have perished from the sudden attack?

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Suddenly, the scattered demonic flames swirled back. The scene at the center of the demonic flames was revealed to everyone's sight. The eighteen demonic banners stood askew. The demonic banner formation had been impacted, but most of the force was absorbed by the demonic flames, leaving the banners themselves intact. In the middle of the numerous demonic banners, a figure appeared behind the tortoise shell. His breathing was rapid, his hair disheveled, and his face was ashen, yet he stood tall and unyielding!

"Eh?"

Someone noticed that the Moonlight Demon King's mask had disappeared, destroyed during the Blood Devil Avatar's self-destruction, revealing his true face. Since the Moonlight Demon King's emergence, he had always worn a mask. Seeing his true face, everyone couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Although he appeared excessively young, almost like a teenager, his appearance and features were not strange. Why was it necessary to conceal himself with a mask, feigning mystery?

However, among those who had previously attended the Cangheng Island assembly, several people recognized this face, feeling a sense of familiarity and abruptly recalling that past event. This person, named Qin Sang, had unexpectedly appeared, demanding the reward promised to him by the alliance of the two domains two hundred years ago. He was originally a disciple of Shaohua Mountain, yet he stood beside Leng Yuntian, who was Azure Monarch, and was at odds with his grandmaster, Dongyang Bo. There seemed to be some deep-seated grievances between them, an undercurrent of tension.

"It's him!"

"This person is a human cultivator, not a demon king! This is truly fortunate for our human race, and fortunate for the Little Cold Domain!"

"So that's it!"

These people were all astute, and they instantly understood the reason for Qin Sang's hidden identity, enlightened.