Chapter 564: Life Ancient Demon, Prison King's Authority

Upon realizing everything that had just occurred, cold sweat inexplicably beaded on Jail King Spirit Official's back. The Grand Extinction Chaos Cauldron World-Punishing Celestial Light was a hybrid divine ability that no single person, not even a Refinement Void cultivator, could unleash alone. Yet, the Heaven Refining Demonic Venerable had managed to deploy it once through a clever trick. The power of this ability was immense; even a direct hit on a Dao Integration cultivator could severely wound them. Therefore, this trump card was indeed beyond his expectation. These top cultivators from the lower realms were more formidable than even the Refinement Void cultivators of the True Spirit Realm, each a cunning and devious old fox.

"Fortunately, my skill proved greater," he muttered. At this moment, he no longer regretted the consumption of the Pure Lotus Immortal Qi. A slight smile played on his lips as he waved his hand and directly entered the Ice Prison Realm.

At the Sword Sect's main gate, as soon as the Old Turtle's aura extinguished, several spatial rifts suddenly opened, and Jail King Spirit Official reappeared, holding the Void Banner. Upon seeing this, Daoist Grand Void instinctively tightened his grip on his long sword. He secretly sent a voice transmission to the Demonic Venerable: "If we accumulate the power of the world one more time, do you have the confidence to kill him again?"

The Heaven Refining Demonic Venerable shook his head and replied, "That battleship's load is too high. Even if we could gather the world's power again, we wouldn't be able to use a Celestial Light of that magnitude. I didn't expect him to possess such a realistic doppelganger technique."

Although the two were communicating via voice transmission, once Jail King Spirit Official's true body entered the Ice Prison Realm, even if he could only exert the power of a peak Soul Transformation cultivator, his superior essence allowed him to utterly overwhelm his opponents.

He laughed. "What, are you surprised to see me? You ants, instead of being grateful for the superior immortals' teachings, dare to defy the Immortal Palace's will. If the Ancient Demon is unsealed, all of humanity across the myriad heavens will suffer. You truly have no sense of the bigger picture. We should never have passed down the orthodox cultivation methods to begin with."

"Hmph, what a joke!" Venerable Grand Void snorted coldly. "So, for the sake of someone else's 'bigger picture,' our Ice Prison cultivation world must be sacrificed? On what grounds? How many resources has the Immortal Palace given you to make you fight so desperately? Don't tell me you're doing this for free. If you are truly holding your ground here for a noble cause, then consider what I just said as unsaid."

As soon as he said this, Jail King Spirit Official found himself without a rebuttal. After all, it's easy to stand by and watch when it doesn't concern you; anyone can stand on moral high ground and condemn sacrifices as long as they are not the ones being sacrificed. This was a rather contentious issue.

"Slick and devious, I will ensure your bodies and souls are utterly annihilated," he declared. He repeatedly uttered harsh threats, but with no real achievements in battle. Jail King Spirit Official had clearly learned his lesson and chose to target the weaker opponents this time. He was proficient in the Dao of Space, and his Grand Void Escape Technique was masterful. The Five-Colored Sacred Master's Grand Void Escape Art from years ago was taught by him.

Upon its activation, a purplish-black swirling wormhole swallowed him, while another large opening appeared behind Dan Chenzi. The Void Banner violently thrust out, and Dan Chenzi's face tightened. His vital spiritual treasure, the Black Tortoise Flowing Light Cauldron, rapidly expanded, enclosing him securely within its protection.

"—Block!"

A piercing clang of metal echoed, and the immense force sent Dan Chenzi flying backward. Venerable Grand Void teleported in synchronously, his pure white sword light tearing through space and fiercely slashing towards the void wormhole. However, it quickly closed, only to reappear in the path where Dan Chenzi had been struck.

"Void Great Hand Seal!" With a grasping divine ability, Jail King Spirit Official seized both Dan Chenzi and his cauldron. Spiderweb-like spatial cracks began to invade inwards. Dan Chenzi's screams nearly dispersed the clouds for a hundred miles. Both he and his cauldron were shockingly shattered into countless pieces. His nascent soul had barely escaped when it was devoured by a large void mouth, which chewed a few times, and then he completely vanished.

"Junior Brother Dan Chen!" Venerable Grand Void's eyes turned crimson, overcome with grief and indignation. Yet, he instantly perceived the opponent's objective. Setting aside his rage, he hastily shouted, "Junior Brother Pure Yang, run!"

Pure Yangzi's heart jolted. Both he and Dan Chenzi were at the fifth layer of Soul Transformation, while Jail King Spirit Official's true body was a peak Refinement Void existence. Although due to immortal rules, he only dared to exert the strength of a peak Soul Transformation cultivator, his 'peak' was far more powerful than that of Heaven Refining and Grand Void, arguably the strongest Soul Transformation level! He could barely stay within the limits while still unleashing the strongest combat power a Soul Transformation cultivator could achieve. If Dan Chenzi was instantly killed, how much better could he fare?

He swiftly transformed into a dazzling golden sword light and fled into the distance. Jail King Spirit Official did not appear behind Pure Yangzi. The Yellow Springs Demonic Venerable, who was observing the battle, felt a chill in his heart as his spiritual sense furiously warned him. A void wormhole appeared behind him, and the banner-spear once again unleashed a space-piercing strike. The Heaven Refining Demonic Venerable had already been on guard; he suddenly appeared. Demonic flames surged, forming a black fiery fist that violently collided with the banner-spear. After a fierce explosion, the opponent retreated immediately.

"Pure Yang!" It was another feint. It could be said that as long as the cultivators couldn't restrict his Grand Void Art, no one could catch him. By maintaining this tactic, the cultivators would only be defeated one by one.

Pure Yangzi's heart clenched. He immediately realized that fleeing was useless and started moving towards Venerable Grand Void. But how could an instant escape method be outmaneuvered? Just as the void wormhole opened and Pure Yangzi was about to fall into the trap, Wang Yu couldn't help but make his move. No matter how pessimistic he was about the battle's outcome, he would act when his intervention was needed.

"Secret Art: Chains of Heaven, Taiyin Eye Technique: Empty Moon!" A dual spatial lock was activated. The longer the spatial chains condensed by the Secret Art of Chains of Heaven, the better its effect, with seemingly no upper limit. After years of accumulation, his silver chains could almost seal off half a continent. The Empty Moon Eye Technique was also a fifth-tier restriction eye technique that solidified space. When combined, although they couldn't completely suppress Jail King Spirit Official's Grand Void Art, they could make it incredibly sluggish, preventing instantaneous deployment. This momentary interval gave Pure Yangzi precious reaction time.

His Pure Yang Spirit Sword fiercely slashed forward, using the resulting backward force to propel himself further back. Venerable Grand Void finally caught up. His eyes seemed to blaze with boundless rage. He pondered for a moment, and the sword light instantly ripped through the firmament. This was a fifth-tier perfected divine ability—the Sky-Severing Sword Draw!

The void wormhole directly shattered, his escape technique broken. Jail King Spirit Official fell out somewhat disheveled, a faint trace of blood seeping from his chest, indicating that the previous sword strike had truly wounded him. His expression instantly turned extremely grim. He was wounded... this was not a good sign. These natives were already extremely wary of him due to the power disparity, yet they dared to besiege him even when it seemed like certain death. It was clear that these were inherently lawless individuals. But with his invincible golden body broken, these people would likely become even more frenzied, no longer thinking of counterattacks, but actively launching assaults!

As expected, upon seeing him bleed, the Heaven Refining Demonic Venerable suddenly burst into laughter. "Villain, you too are flesh and blood, and you will die if killed! I will make you understand the true essence of the Heaven Refining Dao!"

The next instant, a layer of profound darkness spread from Heaven Refining's body, forming an eerie, pitch-black domain of law. His Soul Transformation realm Heavenly Refining Intent quietly merged into it. It completely enveloped Jail King Spirit Official, who seemed to sink into a corrosive domain. His robes and hair began to vanish, and his skin turned a fiery red. He was clearly resisting this refining power.

"—An ant trying to shake a tree!" Jail King Spirit Official snorted coldly and clenched his right hand. Hundreds of spatial-rending silver blades shot out in all directions from his fist. The Heaven Refining Law Domain was instantly shattered, and another grand divine ability was unleashed: "Void Heaven Burial Finger."

A purplish-black finger, imbued with the intent of death, pointed towards Pure Yangzi. Venerable Grand Void swiftly flashed to block, manifesting a grayish-white tower shield that horizontally intercepted the Heaven Burial Finger's path. The result was that this spiritual treasure, which had accompanied him for countless years, was directly crushed into fragments as the death intent swept over. Venerable Grand Void hastily threw out another fifth-tier mid-grade chessboard spiritual treasure. Its shining spiritual light instantly vanished, its spiritual essence completely gone. The spiritual treasure, now devoid of its essence, was flung away, but the Heaven Burial Finger was completely blocked.

Jail King Spirit Official said indifferently, "I'll just see how many times you can block it!" With that said, he flicked his fingers repeatedly, unleashing three consecutive Void Heaven Burial Fingers. Both the Heaven Refining Demonic Venerable and Venerable Grand Void's expressions turned grim. Were they about to lose? No... absolutely not!!!

Rewind time to when the righteous and demonic factions first began their confrontation. As the second-in-command of the demonic path, the Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable, with the Sword Sect's tacit approval, used earth-elemental techniques to escape deep into the floating immortal mountain's underground. His target had long been decided: the Ancient Demon of Life sealed within the immortal mountain!

However, this place was completely different from what he had envisioned. Instead of the expected earthy and rocky interior, the mountain contained vast amounts of pinkish flesh, growing grotesque hands, legs, heads, and torsos... all of which, without exception, were human-shaped. The interior of the floating immortal mountain was hollow and completely covered by deformed flesh, implying that the seal itself was unstable, and the Ancient Demon's power had long permeated it, thus forming the bizarre appearance of a flesh domain.

Walking on the bloody carpet of flesh, oozing pus, even the well-traveled Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable felt waves of discomfort. The air carried a sweet fragrance that was invigorating, even subtly boosting his life essence. It was truly incredible. He suspected this might be the reason for the longevity of the Sword Sect's Soul Transformation cultivators.

However, remembering the mission assigned by the Sect Master, he had no mind to refine life energy here. Instead, he advanced at full speed, quickly reaching the mountain's core. This place was surprisingly clean. On the reverted normal ground, a hellish great gate stood in the center. Its top and bottom were lined with tusk-like protrusions, making this "Gate of Hell" strikingly resemble the gaping maw of some creature. A young man with an unremarkable appearance sat upon what resembled a tongue. Clad in plain linen robes and gray trousers, with cloth shoes on his feet, he even waved with a faint smile when he saw the Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable approaching.

Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable: "..." He, too, experienced the same doubt Wang Yu had faced when confronting the Frozen Demon: how could an ancient demon's body possess consciousness? For caution's sake, he sealed his sense of hearing.

He took out a vivid red heart from his storage ring and threw it towards the Gate of Hell. This object was the key to unsealing the Ancient Demon of Life; it hailed from ancient times. Back then, when the Ancient Demon of Blood broke its seal, it fought fiercely against the lower realm cultivators. However, the Blood Demon's immortal characteristic allowed it to exert peak combat power even when torn into pieces. This heart came from the Blood Demon's true form, which had been dismembered in ancient times. The power it contained was sufficient for the Ancient Demon of Life to break through its seal.

However, as soon as the heart was thrown, it hovered between the upper and lower 'jaw teeth' of the Gate of Hell, as if blocked by an invisible barrier. Seeing this, the Ancient Demon of Life gracefully stood up. It attempted to take the heart itself, but as soon as it approached, the Gate of Hell slammed shut, instantly grinding the linen-clad youth into minced meat. As blood flowed freely, the Gate of Hell opened once more. The Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable was astonished to see another linen-clad youth emerge from the depths of the 'throat,' continuing to foolishly try and grasp the heart. Then it died again, and a third linen-clad youth walked out from deep within the gate.

The Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable couldn't help but swallow. This bizarre situation made him even more wary. He quickly retreated to the edge of the central area, silently observing the linen-clad youth's repetitive actions. What he didn't notice, however, was that as time passed, the linen-clad youth was dying more and more frequently. The deformed flesh was rapidly transforming into the youth's appearance and continuously converging. This caused the rocky texture of the central area to continuously transform into flesh.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield above the Sword Sect, with the appearance of the three Heaven Burial Fingers, Pure Yangzi and the others were plunged into a desperate, inescapable, and unblockable predicament. Neither Grand Void nor Heaven Refining could risk severe injury to themselves by using their physical bodies to forcibly block the attack. Killing Jail King Spirit Official still depended on their efforts. This involved a dilemma: whether to rescue out of years of camaraderie, or to sacrifice their comrade for the greater good...

At that very instant, their choice was, in fact, no different from the Immortal Palace's. It was the classic trolley problem.

However... a sudden change occurred in an instant. A bloody, grotesque beast suddenly burst through the rock layers of the floating immortal mountain and, without a word, swallowed the three Heaven Burial Fingers whole. The next second, it exploded into a shower of blood. But the crisis was thereby averted.

Jail King Spirit Official watched this scene in utter astonishment. Sensing a familiar aura, he grimaced and said, "Did you really release the Ancient Demon of Life? You are truly ignorant!" Although with the Ancient Demon's emergence, he could, by virtue of his authority as Jail King Spirit Official, be exempt from the immortal rules and unleash his peak Refinement Void power, the unsealing of the Ancient Demon meant his dereliction of duty was already a certainty. Once the Immortal Palace became aware, he would surely be held responsible. Furthermore, given the existence of the World-Punishing Celestial Light, he had believed that the release of the Ancient Demon was merely false information spread by cunning natives. He never thought these people had prepared two contingencies.

"Damn it." The Ancient Demon of Life also seemed to have caught the 'stench' of the Immortal Palace cultivator. Without needing the Earth Fiend Demonic Venerable to communicate, it proactively attacked. The linen-clad youth abruptly appeared in mid-air, extended a scarlet tongue, and licked his lips. "Quite flavorful."

Jail King Spirit Official was greatly alarmed upon seeing this. He took out thirty-six Void Banners, which instantly formed a void sealing array, and he forcibly suppressed the demon. Simultaneously, his peak Refinement Void aura was unleashed without restraint. He instantly appeared behind Pure Yangzi, slamming his large hand onto the other's head.

"Bridal Robe Secret Art, ascend!" Pure Yangzi's expression showed struggle, but it quickly became tranquil. As Jail King Spirit Official's cultivation was unrestrainedly injected, Pure Yangzi's strength rapidly soared. He instantly reached the Refinement Void stage, and thunderclouds rapidly gathered in the sky. Jail King Spirit Official's own cultivation, meanwhile, dropped to the mid-Refinement Void stage.

No one knew what he truly intended.