Chapter 4175: Alien Demons

A towering, steep peak rose majestically, its summit crowned by a vast bluestone plaza. There, a magnificent, resplendent palace stood, its plaque bearing the three large silver characters 'Qingyuan Palace,' which shimmered with an aura of precious light.

A thick, azure light barrier covered the palace gate, with a small sword emblem visible on its surface.

A seven-colored Chaos Beast, resembling a ferocious tiger, was repeatedly crashing into the azure light barrier. The barrier rippled with each impact, and waves of sharp, azure sword energy swept forth, striking the seven-colored Chaos Beast successively, leaving faint traces of blood on its body.

The seven-colored Chaos Beast opened its massive jaws and spat a thick stream of crimson flames onto the azure light barrier, imbued with the Law of Fire. Its right hoof then slammed down onto the ground, unleashing a torrent of crimson fire that enveloped the entire palace.

Just then, a black light surged forth from behind it without warning and instantly plunged into the seven-colored Chaos Beast's body. “Outer Realm Demon! No…”

The seven-colored Chaos Beast let out a desperate cry. Before it could complete its words, its body convulsed and collapsed. Black light erupted from the Chaos Beast's body, transforming it into a burly man.

“Haha, after all these years of waiting, I finally have a physical body!” The burly man laughed maniacally.

“Outer Realm Demons! You again.” An extremely cold female voice rang out.

No sooner had the words faded than six thick beams of light shot forth, reaching the burly man in an instant.

As the burly man prepared to dodge, a resonant bell chime echoed, sending an unbearable, sharp pain through his Soul Sea. It felt as if a massive boulder had crashed into his consciousness.

The burly man's body trembled violently. By the time he regained his senses, the six massive light beams had already struck him, annihilating him and utterly destroying his soul.

A golden, shimmering colossal pagoda flew from the distance. Its exterior was intricately inscribed with numerous exquisite runes, and a thick, long cannon barrel extended from each of its six levels. The top of the golden pagoda opened, and a pot-bellied elder in a red robe emerged, accompanied by Fang Yue.

“To think we’d encounter an Outer Realm Demon here,” the red-robed elder lamented. “Even a Taiyi Golden Immortal-stage Chaos Beast couldn't withstand it and was instantly annihilated.”

Outer Realm Demons are a unique type of entity. Cultivators breaking through to the Mahayana stage attract them; should cultivators fail to eliminate them, they will eventually succumb to the illusions created by these demons. Furthermore, locations where numerous beings have perished accumulate vast amounts of resentment and malevolent energy. These areas serve as fertile ground for the propagation of Outer Realm Demons.

Ancient battlefields, due to the immense number of casualties, amass vast quantities of resentment and malevolent energy. Over time, Outer Realm Demons are born there. These particular Outer Realm Demons exist solely as souls, without physical bodies. They can possess other beings, transforming them into new life forms; even Chaos Beasts are not immune. Outer Realm Demons specifically target the souls of other beings, excelling at stealth and being extremely difficult to detect.

Possessing soul-defensive treasures or mastering soul-related laws makes it more challenging for Outer Realm Demons to possess a host, though this also depends on the Outer Realm Demon's cultivation level.

Outer Realm Demons cultivate by absorbing resentment and malevolent energy, thereby strengthening themselves. They can also devour other soul entities. The more resentment, malevolent energy, and soul entities they absorb, the more powerful an Outer Realm Demon becomes. Upon possessing other beings, Outer Realm Demons can transform into various forms and also advance their cultivation level. They are typically proficient in the Law of Malevolence and the Law of Blood.

“There’s nothing to be done,” the red-robed elder stated. “Places like the Qiankun Ruins are particularly prone to birthing Outer Realm Demons. These demons are all soul entities, specializing in soul attacks. No matter how formidable one's physical body, if the soul is extinguished by them, possession is inevitable.”

Whether it is a Chaos Beast or an immortal, if their soul is destroyed, their life and cultivation cease to exist. Compared to the remnant souls of mighty cultivators, Outer Realm Demons are far more formidable. While powerful cultivators may not necessarily possess soul attack abilities, Outer Realm Demons invariably do. Furthermore, they excel at concealment, making them exceedingly difficult to detect.

“As long as we remain inside the immortal vessel, it will be quite difficult for them to enter,” Fang Yue said, her gaze fixed on Qingyuan Palace.

She formed a hand seal, and six top-grade Immortal Annihilation Cannons fired in unison. Each unleashed a thick beam of light, which successively struck the azure light barrier. The azure light barrier, as if made of paper, shattered instantly, and the palace gate was blasted wide open.

The red-robed elder summoned a humanoid puppet beast, which then flew into Qingyuan Palace. A short while later, the humanoid puppet beast flew back out.

“There are no issues,” the red-robed elder suggested. “I will go in and explore. Senior Sister Fang, please remain outside to assist me.”

Fang Yue gave a few instructions, permitting the red-robed elder to enter Qingyuan Palace to search for treasures.

In a long, narrow valley, a youth in golden robes and a man in crimson robes walked slowly forward. Judging by their attire, they were clearly disciples of the Five Immortal Sect.

The Five Immortal Sect had brought dozens of Golden Immortal cultivators into the Qiankun Ruins, but these Golden Immortal cultivators were only searching for treasures in the outer perimeter. Taiyi Golden Immortals, however, ventured into the deeper parts of the Qiankun Ruins for treasures.

“I heard that Demonic Corpses and Outer Realm Demons roam the Qiankun Ruins,” the golden-robed youth said as he walked forward. “Encountering a Demonic Corpse isn’t so bad; at least there’s a chance to escape. But encountering an Outer Realm Demon means trouble.”

A scream erupted from behind them. The golden-robed youth was startled, quickly cast a defensive spell on himself, and as he turned, a massive red fist slammed towards him.

With a muffled thud, the golden-robed youth was sent flying backward. His protective spiritual light flickered, growing translucent. A black light shot forth, effortlessly piercing his protective spiritual light and burrowing into his body.

The golden-robed youth let out a shriek, his body convulsing. A short while later, the golden-robed youth stood upright.

“Finally, I have a physical body. From now on, we can also cultivate,” the golden-robed youth said with a smile.

“Come, let's acquire that item. It will greatly benefit our future cultivation,” the crimson-robed man said.

They had been possessed by Outer Realm Demons. Strictly speaking, they were now new entities. They had also absorbed the identity information of their host bodies. As a result, even their own kin, let alone outsiders, would find it difficult to detect their change.

They quickened their pace, disappearing into a dense, dark forest.

Within a vast, boundless dark forest, Wang Qingfeng advanced cautiously, his face etched with vigilance. In one hand, he held a shimmering golden orb. He had become separated from Wang Changsheng and the others. Even with the Immortal Transmission Mirror, he couldn't reach them, forcing him to search for treasures alone.

Above Wang Qingfeng, the void rippled. With a flash of yellow light, a colossal yellow seal materialized out of thin air and slammed down towards him. Simultaneously, a powerful gravitational force, imbued with the Law of Gravity, erupted from the ground.

Wang Qingfeng's right index finger flared with crimson light as he thrust it towards the massive yellow seal. With a dull thud of clashing metal, the colossal yellow seal was sent flying backward.

Wang Qingfeng formed a hand seal, and a vast expanse of crimson flames erupted from the ground, spreading in all directions and reducing numerous trees to ashes. He then lightly pointed his right index finger at a specific spot in the void, and a long red beam of light shot out, streaking directly towards a particular point in the void.