Chapter 1823: Sun and Moon Divine Deer

The palace was vast.

Inside the palace, it was empty and bare.

Deep within the palace, there was only a hexagonal stone platform, resembling a wellhead. It was unclear what had been stored there previously. The Five Elements Crown floated directly above this platform.

Anyone familiar with the Five Elements Crown could immediately recognize that the fierce radiance was none other than the Grand Five Elements Absolute Divine Light!

At that moment, the Grand Five Elements Absolute Divine Light, like a sharp arrow, instantly struck him.

The Grand Five Elements Absolute Divine Light: its normal application prohibits, while its reverse application annihilates!

It was the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light that attacked Xia Hou.

Before Xia Hou could steady himself, his vision was flooded with a kaleidoscope of colors, and an overwhelming sense of extreme danger assaulted his mind.

He had deliberately stayed a step behind the Azure Fox Sage King, entering only after confirming there was nothing unusual inside the palace. Unexpectedly, the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light bypassed the Azure Fox Sage King and headed straight for him.

The Azure Fox Sage King claimed that this treasure was not a post-celestial spirit treasure, and it was unknown why a spirit had been born within it. Perhaps due to the unique environment within the treatment altar, the spirit's evolution was incomplete, leaving it flawed and unable to fully transform.

Just now, Xia Hou had indeed sensed an extremely chaotic consciousness within the crown, consistent with the Azure Fox Sage King's description. Such a chaotic state could not be faked.

Even as the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light approached, that consciousness remained chaotic, and the Five Elements Crown's attack showed no warning whatsoever.

Xia Hou's expression changed abruptly. He instinctively retreated, but it was too late. Black and white energies surged violently from the top of his head, reaching to the heavens, forming a black and white vortex in an instant. However, it suddenly became stagnant.

The Azure Fox Sage King, who was beside him, had, at some unknown point, gripped a thin silver ring in her hand and now opened her palm, aiming it directly at Xia Hou.

The thin silver ring was precisely the halo that had repeatedly achieved great success in battles recently.

A silver gleam shot towards Xia Hou, conjuring a huge halo out of thin air, which perfectly encircled the black and white vortex just as it formed.

The Azure Fox Sage King's timing was impeccable!

The halo contracted, imprisoning the vortex in place. The black and white within the vortex became distinctly separated, and its momentum was immediately greatly diminished.

Under normal circumstances, Xia Hou might not have feared it, but now facing a life-or-death crisis, he had no time to resist.

‘Whoosh!’

A golden light shot forth from Xia Hou's chest.

The golden light was dazzling, and within it was a bone armor resembling a shield.

The bone armor was entirely golden, shaped like a turtle shell, but much thinner—as thin as cicada wings, in fact—so thin that one could see through it with the naked eye.

Xia Hou had never used this treasure during his encounter with Hong Yuzi, secretly keeping it as a precaution. He hadn't expected the attack to come so suddenly, and now deploying it seemed somewhat hasty.

‘Boom!’

The bone armor expanded like a large umbrella, and was immediately struck by the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light. The five-colored radiance instantly engulfed the golden light.

Only a series of ‘cracking’ sounds could be heard as the bone armor vibrated and developed spiderweb-like cracks.

Immediately, five-colored light penetrated the cracks, continuing to converge into a single stream, and with a thunderous roar, it bore down on Xia Hou under his horrified gaze!

The Azure Fox Sage King calmly watched Xia Hou, a peculiar glint appearing in her eyes as she witnessed the astonishing power of the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light.

When she first discovered the Five Elements Crown here, she had nearly triggered an attack.

Whenever she recalled it, the Azure Fox Sage King couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear. If she hadn't been manipulating the Five Elements Crown in turns within the Guixu for many years, making her extremely familiar with it, and thus vigilant enough to stop in time, she might have perished there.

Having been out of their control for decades, the restrictions they had placed on the Five Elements Crown had long since become ineffective.

The Azure Fox Sage King, realizing the danger, dared not approach easily and reluctantly retreated, thus leading to today's scheme.

Relying on her familiarity with the Five Elements Crown, she secretly used a secret technique to mask her own fluctuations. Xia Hou, however, was unaware of the crucial points and, upon entering the palace, immediately drew the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light, thus becoming a pawn for the Azure Fox Sage King to test the waters.

She glanced at the Five Elements Crown out of the corner of her eye.

Using Xia Hou to test the Five Elements Crown confirmed some of her suspicions.

This divine light was not dominated by the spirit, or rather, it was not a conscious attack by the spirit.

After arriving in this realm, there was no Heavenly Dao Demonic Sound, but demonic thoughts had already arisen and were difficult to dispel. The spirit had not yet awakened from its madness and confusion, merely continuing to instinctively devour demonic souls.

Over the past century, the spirit had gradually devoured demonic souls, and as the consumption continued, its power steadily increased.

This Reverse Five Elements Divine Light far surpassed its power when they had controlled it.

If the spirit had already consumed the demonic souls and regained consciousness, the Azure Fox Sage King admitted it would be difficult to subdue the spirit, making it impossible to seize it by force. She might even have changed her plan to first cooperate with Xia Hou to suppress the spirit.

As it appeared now, the spirit had not awakened. Perhaps a sliver of clarity emerged from its instincts, leaving behind this protective divine light to attack anyone who attempted to approach. After years of brewing, its power was astonishing.

The Reverse Five Elements Divine Light, triggered by Xia Hou, returned to normal. The spirit remained inactive, seemingly unwilling to attack proactively unless someone posed a threat to it again.

However, based on the Azure Fox Sage King's understanding of the spirit, anyone attempting to control this treasure would first face a backlash. Furthermore, even taking the Five Elements Crown from here would be far from easy.

Of course, before taking the Five Elements Crown, there was one more thing to do.

Her bringing Xia Hou here wasn't merely to use him as a pawn.

Xia Hou was her carefully chosen target!

‘Pfft!’

Demonic blood gushed out.

Xia Hou's entire body trembled violently, as if struck by a heavy blow. He flew backward, and a gaping bloody hole appeared on his chest.

The Reverse Five Elements Divine Light pierced through the bone armor and struck him.

Xia Hou was instantly sent flying out of the palace, spitting blood. A power of absolute annulment spread through his body along the wound.

To make matters worse, two black dragons rushed out from the palace gate, opened their mouths, and spewed two torrents of black flames, instantly engulfing Xia Hou.

At the same time, Xia Hou was alarmed to feel a sinister wind assault him from the side, catching a glimpse of the Azure Fox Sage King, her eyes glinting with murderous intent.

“You vile harlot! You truly harbored ill intentions!”

Xia Hou roared furiously.

A cold sneer played on the Azure Fox Sage King's lips. With a flick of her fox tail, three tails detached, transforming into three streaks of light that shot straight towards Xia Hou.

First, the Grand Sealing and Annihilation Array trapped Hong Yuzi, forcing out his essence blood.

Then, fighting two black dragons alone outside the palace, depleting his strength.

Finally, he was heavily wounded by the Reverse Five Elements Divine Light.

Everything was proceeding according to her plan. Xia Hou's strength had been weakened layer by layer, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Amidst his furious roars, Xia Hou's eyes became bloodshot, erupting with monstrous killing intent. His vital energy vibrated like thunder, and his body suddenly expanded, finally revealing his demonic form.

Xia Hou was a deer demon who had achieved enlightenment. His true form was strikingly different from the black and white deer shadow seen earlier: his entire body was pure white, exceptionally magnificent, with not a single strand of impure fur, save for the bloodstain seeping from the wound on his chest.

Upon seeing this, the Azure Fox Sage King's brows furrowed slightly. She inexplicably felt an ominous premonition, but the arrow was already on the string, and she had to let it fly!

The three fox tails transformed into avatars, surrounding Xia Hou along with her main body.

The Azure Fox Sage King's cultivation was vastly superior to what it once was. Having plotted for a long time, she exerted her full strength. The divine ability she unleashed now was incomparable to her past attempts.

As she summoned her avatars, the Azure Fox Sage King opened her mouth and spat out a green jade bead, which shattered into a cloud of green mist.

The green mist spread, enveloping both the three avatars and Xia Hou.

The next moment, the green mist twisted, and strange lines and runes seemed to emerge within it, connecting her to the three avatars.

In an instant, an astonishing pressure erupted from the green mist, surging towards Xia Hou.

The two black dragons' attention remained on Xia Hou, making them accomplices to the Azure Fox Sage King.

Dragon flames surged forth.

Xia Hou quickly became disheveled, large patches of his fur scorched black, with multiple horrifying wounds. His counter-attack weakened, leaving him with only feeble roars.

Suddenly, an unusual divine light flashed in the Azure Fox Sage King's eyes, erupting abruptly the moment her gaze met Xia Hou's.

Caught off guard, Xia Hou's body instantly stiffened, his eyes glazed over, and he sank into an endless illusion, even forgetting to resist.

A rare flicker of excitement appeared in the Azure Fox Sage King's eyes.

Mo Xingdao's self-destruction was irrelevant!

As long as she could control Xia Hou and make him her demon thrall, not only would her strength greatly increase, but her future endeavors would also be much more convenient, and her true self wouldn't have to rely on a Demon King.

She, too, had once been a king; how could she be willing to remain subservient to others!

In fact, the Azure Fox Sage King quite liked this realm. With the demon race and human race at loggerheads, there was much she could accomplish.

However, even if she were eventually to join the Gui Fang Kingdom, it would only be after she achieved the Refinement Void stage.

The situation looked exceedingly favorable.

Suddenly, Xia Hou twisted his stiff neck, and his eyes cleared from their dazed state.

His anger vanished, replaced by a mocking expression. “You vile harlot! Do you know why my clan is called the Sun and Moon Divine Deer?”

The Azure Fox Sage King's breathing suddenly became ragged, and a flush spread across her alluring face. The alluring power in her eyes intensified, but it was all in vain.

Xia Hou's deer body began to transform: from one side, his white fur started turning black.

The Sun and Moon Divine Deer possessed extraordinary innate talent, naturally having two forms.

This was different from having two souls within one's body. Both forms were the true body, with identical divine abilities and strength, and only one primordial spirit, so there would be no internal conflict or division.

In their youth, Sun and Moon Divine Deer were white deer by day and black deer by night, with no other special features apart from the change in appearance.

This divine ability was extremely difficult to cultivate, but once it reached mastery, the two forms could transform freely.

Moreover, during the transformation, not only could expended strength be restored, but injuries sustained in the other form could also be suppressed, and most detrimental states affecting the self could be shed.

The Azure Fox Sage King's allure technique fell into this category!

In essence, the Sun and Moon Divine Deer clan naturally possessed nearly double the strength!

Although the two forms could not appear simultaneously and their strength could not be stacked, how many could withstand the successive fierce battles against two Demon Marquises at the late Soul Transformation stage?

Imagine planning to slay a powerful enemy, only for their strength to suddenly recover completely. How would one feel?

The Azure Fox Sage King's expression drastically changed. She gave Xia Hou a deep look. “As expected of the second Demon Marquis under the Demon King, I underestimated you! No wonder you dared to come alone.”

“If I hadn't come alone, how would you dare to bring me to this treasure location?” Xia Hou sneered, his killing intent soaring to the heavens.

The white deer gradually transformed into a black deer!

During the transformation, his wounds healed at a visible pace, Xia Hou's aura grew steadily stronger, his weakened state vanished, and his strength steadily returned to its peak.

The Azure Fox Sage King took a deep breath. Already decisive by nature, seeing that the situation was unwinnable, she unhesitatingly interrupted her allure technique and swiftly waved her jade-like hand.

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

The three avatars shattered in response. Their fragments merged into the green mist, making it incredibly dense, almost tangible.

The dense mist sealed Xia Hou and the black dragons within. At the edge of the mist, a huge green ring emerged.

Xia Hou's strength was recovering, but subduing the two black dragons and breaking through the seal could not be accomplished instantly.

The Azure Fox Sage King lightly tapped her foot, pulled back, and flew away. She didn't seize the opportunity to escape, but rather retreated into the main hall.

Xia Hou watched this, letting out a disdainful snort. Since this demon fox was blinded by greed and wasn't fleeing now, he wouldn't mind dealing with her as well.

As for that crown, he was determined to have it!

‘Roar!’

Xia Hou lifted his head and roared fiercely. Barely any white fur remained on his body.

A sheen ran across his black fur, adding a touch more majesty than in his white deer form.

His pitch-black antlers jabbed upward, and dense black energy split into two streams, surging towards the constantly entangled black dragons.

Upon contact, the two streams of black energy exploded, causing the black dragons' bodies to tremble and collide with each other.

The black energy did not disperse but instead seized the opportunity to converge, forming a long rope that tightly bound the black dragons together.

The two black dragons twisted their bodies, causing the black energy rope to dissipate with crackling sounds.

Xia Hou, however, ignored that scene, leaping forward, the tip of his antler acting like a sharp sword, fiercely thrusting towards the location of one of the avatars.

Just then, Xia Hou saw the scene inside the hall, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

Inside the palace, ripples spread across the void.

Faint green light flickered, and where the ripples diffused, large areas of spectral figures appeared.

The spectral figures quickly solidified.

Most of them were demonic beasts, with only a few in human form.

Although these demonic beasts couldn't compare to Hong Yuzi's elite soldiers, their formation was orderly, clearly indicating they were demon soldiers who had undergone careful group training.

The demon soldiers surrounded a talisman altar, led by a woman in a green dress with a delicate appearance. This woman's cultivation had astonishingly reached the early Cavern Profound stage!

A Great Demon at the Demon Marquis level!

“Troop Altar!”

The relaxed expression on Xia Hou's face vanished instantly.

This demon fox had actually shattered a magic altar and absconded with it, making her a rebellious soldier!

The talisman altar was capable of accommodating demon soldiers at the early Cavern Profound stage. The person whose altar was shattered by the demon fox must have been a Cavern Profound True Lord.

The woman in green led the demon soldiers, arrayed within the palace, facing the Five Elements Crown. She continuously waved a precious banner in her hand.

The demon soldiers' formation shifted accordingly, highly methodical. With the combined efforts of the demons, various talismanic diagrams flickered above their heads.

As the demon soldiers moved, streaks of light flew from the demon array, shooting towards the well platform.

As they neared the Five Elements Crown, the streaks of light became gentle, weaving into a fine net that cautiously enveloped the Five Elements Crown, to prevent backlash from the spirit.

The fine net was nearly complete.

The demon soldiers had clearly not just been summoned. When she ambushed Xia Hou, the Azure Fox Sage King had already summoned the talisman altar and managed to conceal the demon soldiers' traces, quietly preparing to retrieve the treasure.

During the retrieval, the Five Elements Crown could not be disturbed, nor could her intentions be exposed, otherwise, it would provoke the spirit's hostility.

This was not easy; sweat beaded on the green-clad woman's forehead. With a sharp cry, the demon array's momentum surged. The fine net swiftly closed its last gap, then pulled backward, intending to retrieve the Five Elements Crown.

The Azure Fox Sage King retreated towards the demon array, her eyes revealing regret.

This scheme had originally been a plan to kill three birds with one stone.

Acquire a puppet, suppress Xia Hou, and seize the Five Elements Crown.

Unfortunately, she had miscalculated Mo Xingdao and also miscalculated Xia Hou, leading to two failures.

However, the Azure Fox Sage King never forgot her true objective. Even when the situation looked highly promising, she never let arrogance get the better of her.

As long as she could take the Five Elements Crown and master this treasure, her previous failures would mean nothing. With her intellect, she would eventually succeed.

It was only regrettable that she had never imagined she had miscalculated one more person.

Someone she thought she would never see again in this lifetime!

A fierce, swirling cold wind suddenly rushed into the palace.

Four Teng Snakes bared their fangs and claws, charging directly at the green-clad woman.

Within the biting cold wind, there was also a black line composed of raging flames!