Chapter 462: Fierce Power of the Evil Dragon, Arrival of the Celestial Demon Lord

The scepter wasn't long and had a golden yellow base color. A true dragon coiled around it, clutching a dragon pearl in its mouth at the scepter's tip. This was the true "Human Emperor Authority" form of the Coiling Dragon Ring, capable of demonstrating its formidable power as a privilege artifact anywhere, at any time. It also served as a special offensive spiritual treasure, though its method of use was unique and would not be elaborated on for now.

At that moment, Wang Yu forcefully plunged the Coiling Dragon Scepter into the ground. An invisible wave instantly swept across the entire Eastern Capital, and forty-nine beams of light shot up into the sky from various points within the city. Horrifyingly sinister and malevolent evil energy transformed the entire sky into a dark canopy. As black clouds rolled, thunder rumbled from forty-nine vortices. A terrifying heavenly might suddenly descended. However, it was hard to comprehend how heavenly might could be summoned without any cultivators undergoing tribulation.

This sudden change caused the expressions of the Nascent Soul cultivators hovering outside the city to turn grave. Unsure of what was happening, they began to speculate.

"Could it be… that the Yellow Springs Temple Master broke through during the battle, triggering the Soul Transformation heavenly tribulation? Otherwise, it's difficult to explain why heavenly might would descend."

"But that's too incredible. His opponent is a true Soul Transformation Venerable; how could he be given a chance to break through?"

"Your words make sense, fellow daoist."

"One should know that besides cultivators breaking through, heavenly might can also descend if a calamity befalls a realm. If this place is ominous..."

The cultivators' discussions were not without reason. This place was indeed ominous. First, the Human Emperor's kin were wiped out, then the lives of an entire city were drained by a second "True Immortal Descendant" in an attempt to heal the root injury caused by a divine punishment. The grievances and karmic sins were all suppressed by a unique Feng Shui formation. Accumulating for over 100,000 years, they suddenly erupted, combined with the power of the Yin-Yang Killing Formation. The affected area extended beyond just the Eastern Capital, potentially implicating half of Cloud Ridge Province.

Wang Yu's action was truly vicious and cruel, clearly not intending for any of these people to survive. He activated this shared-fate technique with the Coiling Dragon Scepter. After retrieving it, he fled far from the Eastern Capital without looking back, having no intention of cleaning up the battlefield or collecting spoils. His gains were already more than sufficient. By stirring up the situation, the blame would most likely fall on Yellow Springs Temple. Even if the Temple Master appeared to explain, it would be futile, as people tend to believe what they see rather than the truth explained by others.

Moreover, even if the Yellow Springs Temple Master miraculously survived, he would be severely wounded. He likely wouldn't show his face until his injuries healed, or until he broke through to the Soul Transformation stage using the gains from the Longevity Medicine Vault. He would hide for as long as possible, until the day he successfully broke through to Soul Transformation. Red Sky was in a similar situation regarding this. However, he would likely remain active for a period. Wang Yu assumed he wouldn't die and would make him one of his targets for pursuit. So time was urgent; he needed to return to the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect's mountain gate as quickly as possible to explain things to his close friends, and also hand over the Scarlet Jade Peach of Longevity he obtained from the Peach Blossom Immortal to the Blood-Eyed Demonic Flood Dragon.

Although he was eager to take over Old Yu's inheritance, it was not a good idea for Yu Tangtang to cultivate with him when he could barely protect himself. Wang Yu also preferred solitude.

Shortly after the aurora, covered in black lightning, departed, the entire Eastern Capital collapsed with a roar. Red Sky Demon Venerable and the Yellow Springs Temple Master were both horrified. They tried to fly forcibly but were shocked to discover that even though most of the Eastern Capital was destroyed, the damned anti-flight restriction was still active. This meant the core carrying the restriction was likely hidden in a spatial interlayer; otherwise, it wouldn't still maintain such a high restrictive effect.

They couldn't fly, and escape techniques were difficult to use. Given the scale of the Eastern Capital, they couldn't escape in a short time, meaning they could only face the onslaught of this killing formation head-on. The Yellow Springs Temple Master gnashed his teeth in fury. He knew who was responsible; after all, he had just been meticulously teaching the person! But now, having taken his Yellow Springs Temple's divine abilities and legacy, that person had turned hostile. This was typical demonic cultivation behavior, yet also incredibly audacious. Very few people dared to deceive a leader of a peak power like him, unless they were utterly clueless, which the perpetrator clearly wasn't.

"—Wang Yu!"

"This Temple Master swears to be your sworn enemy!"

Red Sky, surprised by the overheard name, noted the information. His Wrathful Blood Avatar exerted power again, combining with the effects of Red Sky Demonic Light to restrict the Yellow Springs Temple Master in place. Simultaneously, various defensive measures were deployed. These included temporary formations formed by array flags, defensive rune arrays composed of thousands of talismans, and spiritual light barriers released by ancient relics. Of course, the strongest defense was a secret technique unleashed by Red Sky Demon Venerable, transforming him into a massive black and red boulder in the blink of an eye. There was also a low-grade fifth-tier cauldron-shaped spiritual treasure, inverted to protect his main body. These measures were both swift and comprehensive, and the Wrathful Blood Avatar disappeared thereafter.

The Yellow Springs Temple Master was eroded by the demonic light. His movements were much slower than Red Sky's. Not only did he lack as many diverse methods, but he also used fewer layers of defense, only able to grit his teeth and use the temple's foundational spiritual treasures to form stronger protection.

"Quality over quantity for techniques; I can definitely block it!"

Faced with the imminent danger, this was all he could do to comfort himself.

As time passed, in less than three breaths, a dragon's roar, piercing through clouds and shattering rocks, erupted from the collapsing giant pit, seemingly carrying endless resentment. A crimson fiendish dragon, entirely formed from negative emotions and various negative energies, suddenly soared from the abyss. Over a thousand zhang long, it was incredibly massive and magnificent. The terrifying aura it emitted was enough to make early Nascent Soul cultivators tremble and dare not meet its gaze, like rabbits encountering an eagle. An instinct from the depths of their bloodlines urged them to flee from this terrifying entity!

"A crimson dragon-shaped creature... no, this is a formation spirit condensed by an array. There's no life force, only endless karmic sin and a desire for slaughter."

"What a terrifying formation; even a Soul Transformation Venerable would struggle to survive it."

"Not necessarily. This formation has no controller, so its unleashed power is fixed. If a Celestial Array Master were here, they might be able to break it."

"Heh, you talk a good game. Why don't you go in and try? Why stand so far away? Are you afraid it'll fly out and eat you?"

The crowd began to argue, while Wang Yu had already successfully moved far away from the Eastern Capital. After hearing the loud dragon roar, he couldn't help but look back and immediately froze. A fiendish dragon should be a pitch-black creature of resentment. It would possess no intelligence or spirit, born solely for slaughter, a typical agent of destruction for destruction's sake, with no autonomy. But this one was not only crimson but also condensed from a formation. Most of the surging resentment belonged to itself, not drawn from the ancient corpses of the Eastern Capital's populace.

A certain thought quietly emerged. "This isn't a fiendish dragon, but the resentment of the Fire Spirit Essence that the descending immortal devoured in ancient times."

Spiritual veins of heaven and earth could transform into various attributes. The most typical were the Five Elements spiritual veins, with the highest probability of birth. The so-called Fire Spirit Essence was a fire spiritual vein gaining sentience and intelligence, becoming one of the true living beings between heaven and earth. These elemental spirits were favored by heavenly will, natural managers of the world, beneficial for its growth, and thus garnered divine favor. The immortal who devoured the Fire Spirit Essence to subdue demons was therefore struck by divine punishment. A descending immortal at the end of the ancient era suffered a similar fate; both were classic examples of those who perished due to reckless actions. Wang Yu naturally took this as a warning, remembering it very clearly.

However, the resentment of the fire vein essence transforming into a crimson dragon was indeed unexpected. This meant that the second Human Emperor of yesteryear very likely foresaw his own end. Whether Red Sky and the Yellow Springs Temple Master could withstand such a powerful trump card was completely unknown. Wang Yu felt there was an eighty percent chance they were doomed. Such a sight forced him to flee even faster, almost reaching the edge of the region where the Eastern Capital ruins were no longer visible.

Near the Eastern Capital, the cultivators were terrified. Those who were timid and cautious had already begun to shield others, ready to flee at any moment. The fiendish dragon's situation was unusual and could not be judged by common sense. The possibility of it leaving the Eastern Capital to attack them had to be considered, so retreating at this moment was a wise act of precaution.

In the city, Red Sky Demon Venerable was the first to suffer, possibly because his aura was stronger, attracting more of the fiendish dragon's attention. As its dragon claws swiped, they tore open three dark spatial rifts, forcefully dismantling all of Red Sky's defensive measures with an incredibly dominating posture. Finally, one claw struck the low-grade spiritual treasure, the massive cauldron, denting it and forcibly breaking through his bloodstone secret art's defensive state. With just one strike, he was beaten like a dead dog. Its power was too immense to accurately gauge its specific strength, but it certainly reached the mid-Soul Transformation stage or higher; otherwise, Red Sky wouldn't have been so utterly helpless.

"Pfft—"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Red Sky stared intently at the crimson fiendish dragon, his face filled with disbelief.

"How could… such a method be left behind…" he muttered softly. His mind was racing wildly. "It's illogical… this is completely illogical! The suspicious downfall of the Immortal Dynasty, there's no reason this trump card wouldn't have been used to resist, unless everyone died instantly."

The fiendish dragon, brimming with resentment, paid no attention to Red Sky Demon Venerable. It turned its body, and this time its dragon tail, wrapped in spatial waves, lashed out, as if half the world were pressing down. Red Sky closed his eyes in despair. But then, a familiar, majestic voice suddenly rang in his ears, sounding so pleasant.

"Stand up. For a dignified Demon Venerable to be humiliated by a fiendish dragon that can only exist for a moment, you disappoint me greatly."

Red Sky's great joy was immediately followed by intense shame. "Sect Master Senior Brother, this matter was indeed due to Red Sky's carelessness. I will reflect deeply after this."

"—Enough."

As the dragon's tail descended, an incredibly youthful and handsome cultivator stood gracefully, unmoving. He merely stomped his foot lightly. A dark magic array suddenly expanded, completely engulfing the crimson fiendish dragon. As his lips parted, he uttered, "—Refine!"

Black demonic flames abruptly surged. The terrifying fiendish dragon, which moments ago had been so arrogant, now resembled a small loach, unable to shake the magic array in the slightest, no matter how it thrashed about. Some of the observing cultivators recognized the newcomer and exclaimed in surprise.

"The Heaven-Refining Demonic Array! It's Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable himself!"

"Is this the power of a peak Soul Transformation Venerable? Truly unimaginable. It seems Yellow Springs Temple is in for a hard time."

The one who had pushed Red Sky to this point was the Yellow Springs Temple Master. Now that the Demon Sect Master, rumored to refine demons, immortals, and even heaven, had arrived, it was naturally the other's turn to suffer. The Yellow Springs cultivators among the onlookers instinctively began to flee. They abandoned their Temple Master without hesitation, some even preparing to return to the temple to pack their belongings and defect directly. In the eyes of many, this was a complete catastrophe. Conspiring to kill a Soul Transformation Venerable of the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect would, by any measure, require an explanation. Although the Yellow Springs Temple Master, hidden within his Yellow Springs Treasure Bottle, felt a heavy heart, he was not entirely despairing.

Demonic cultivators had their own way of doing things. Furthermore, this was a critical juncture in the war between orthodox and demonic factions. If one of the five Demonic Sects were lost, the balance of power between the two sides could completely overturn. As long as he paid a certain price and shifted the blame for the culprit, there was still hope for survival.

Just as he pondered a solution, Red Sky Demon Venerable suddenly spoke.

"Sect Master Senior Brother, don't let that little rat escape. Wang Yu of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect also bears undeniable responsibility for how the situation in the Eastern Capital unfolded."

This statement was clearly influenced by the Yellow Springs Temple Master's indignant words earlier, and partly by curiosity. He really wanted to know what was so special about Wang Yu that he could gain such high authority in the Eastern Capital, to the point where it was almost like the Human Emperor himself had arrived.

"A little rat?" Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable frowned. His vast and concentrated divine sense instantly locked onto Wang Yu's fleeing figure. Even from a great distance, Wang Yu was within his spiritual perception range.

"Fourth-layer Nascent Soul? What a powerful physical body..."

With a single thought, Wang Yu's surroundings suddenly changed, giving him a sense of impending disaster. A faint, distant, yet seemingly close voice suddenly rang out. It was still as concise and effective as before.

"Refine!"

Black demonic flames abruptly ignited Wang Yu. A domineering force invaded his body, refining everything it touched: flesh, meridians, demonic essence, divine sense, bones… absolutely everything. Everything Wang Yu possessed was refined into fuel for the demonic flames, relentlessly refining his entire being. Excruciating pain enveloped him. In an instant, Wang Yu was passively forced out of his aurora state back to his normal appearance. He was extremely decisive, immediately abandoning his physical body below the neck. His Nascent Soul retreated into his head, and he immediately activated the Yin Blood Pill secret art of the Corpse Demon Secret Technique. During the physical body's recovery process, black demonic lightning was unleashed, pushing his speed to the absolute limit! He successfully resolved the crisis.

Heaven-Refining Demon Venerable let out a sound of "Oh?"

"Interesting. The Heaven-Refining Demonic Flames aren't so easy to shake off." This was a refining trump card he specifically prepared for the Ancient Demonic Creatures. Its origin had already reached quasi-sixth tier. If not for the restrictive rules of the Ice Prison Realm, becoming a sixth-tier demonic flame would have been a natural progression. Therefore, he confidently said to Red Sky, "The Heaven-Refining Demonic Flames will bring his Nascent Soul back. No need to worry."

"With Sect Master Senior Brother taking action, Red Sky naturally trusts you. How should we deal with this Yellow Springs Temple Master?"

"He certainly needs to be killed, but not now. Let him die in the war between orthodox and demonic factions. What do you think, Temple Master?"

This condescending attitude, openly discussing his fate in front of him, truly laid bare the demonic cultivators' nature. The Yellow Springs Temple Master, despite his suppressed indignation, could only endure it. After all, clinging to life for a while longer might bring about change. To choose death over dishonor and show the spirit of a hero would mean dying on the spot. He could only remain silent, indicating his implicit agreement.

(End of Chapter)