Chapter 59: The Demon Rune Sect vs. the True Sun Sect

Somewhere in the secret realm.

Snow fell thickly, the sky dark and foreboding. A lone figure stood amidst the snow, before him the shattered remains of a cold fiend, its body torn into pieces. Judging from its size and the lingering aura from the corpse, it had clearly been a formidable Golden Core creature in life.

The man was tall and imposing, dressed in blue robes and a high crown. His bearing was majestic, akin to a mortal emperor—stern and awe-inspiring without anger.

In the distance, a beam of light flashed across the sky, arriving before him in the blink of an eye. The man reached out and caught it; a jade token landed in his palm. From the token, the soul of Yan Qichang emerged, clasping his hands in salute. “Senior Brother Pang, about the Demon Talisman Sect…”

He proceeded to recount in detail the events that had transpired within the Buddha Cavern.

Pang Zeyao listened without expression, nodding.

“I am already aware. Rest and recover for now. When we return to the sect, I will help you find a suitable spiritual body for possession.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Yan Qichang bowed deeply, his soul withdrawing back into the jade token.

Pang Zeyao’s gaze pierced through the falling snow. He muttered to himself, “When did the Demon Talisman Sect produce such a character?”

“With swordsmanship like that, even in the Heavenly Sword Sect, few could match it…”

Before the words were fully spoken, the man had vanished.

…

Buddha Cavern.

The four from the Demon Talisman Sect composed themselves and returned to the surface.

At the fissure on the ground, two clusters of spiritual light struggled, trapped within a formation. Looking closely, one could discern two graceful female figures within the light.

Zhang Xiao from the Primordial Demon Hall hurriedly stopped Meng Zitiao and the others. “Don’t strike, brothers. These are mine!”

As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Pang Yue.

The three laughed silently and watched as he entered the formation, personally subduing the two female cultivators.

Moments later, Zhang Xiao emerged with the two women. Everyone’s eyes lit up.

One woman was mature and voluptuous, alluring and seductive. The other was pure and delicate, like ice and jade. Both now wore pitiful expressions, evoking sympathy.

“Judging by their magical fluctuations and charm techniques, they must be from the Sect of Joy,” Meng Zitiao commented.

“Thank you, brothers, for allowing me this,” Zhang Xiao said with a smile, producing a conch-shaped magical artifact.

The conch swelled with the wind, expanding to ten yards across, revealing luxuriously decorated rooms inside.

Zhang Xiao led the women inside to settle them, then happily emerged again. He pointed at the conch, shrinking it to the size of a fist and hanging it from his waist.

“Junior Brother Zhang, your Wishful Pavilion is impressive!” Meng Zitiao exclaimed.

Zhang Xiao chuckled, “This is my little hobby, so I’ve put in some effort over the years.”

Pang Yue asked curiously, “How many women do you have in your Wishful Pavilion now, Junior Brother?”

Zhang Xiao replied modestly, “Not many, not many, barely a hundred…”

Everyone was speechless.

Hong Ren released a pitch-black flying boat. “We’d best hurry to the rendezvous point!”

…

Amidst the snow and wind, a thousand-foot-high cliff loomed over the landscape.

Its face, as if cut by a giant blade, revealed a smooth stone surface inscribed with four ancient characters—

Nine Nether Demon Sect.

Before the cliff, streaks of light whirled through the snow, clashing in battle.

Flashes of fire and thunder occasionally lit the stormy sky.

Below, more than twenty Demon Talisman Sect cultivators watched the fight, standing guard.

The combatants were the three major true disciples of the Demon Talisman Sect—

Ye Xue from the Ice Demon Hall.

Luo Qingyuan from the Flame Demon Hall.

Zhang Shaoqian from the Thunder Demon Hall.

The three joined forces, besieging a giant clad in platinum armor.

The giant was burly and tall, golden light flickering over his body. A wheel-sized orb of True Flame circled him, casting a red glow for yards around!

He wielded a serrated broadsword, cleaving arcs of flaming blade that forced Ye Xue and her companions to be wary.

A third-tier magical treasure: the Shark Tooth Blaze Blade!

When the five major factions entered the Absolute Ice Domain, each sent true disciple-level cultivators.

Of these, Xuanji Island’s highest evaluation was given to only two individuals.

One was Ye Xue of the Demon Talisman Sect.

The other stood before them now—the giant in golden armor.

Shentu Hao of the True Sun Sect!

He had a fateful encounter in childhood, acquiring an ancient body-refining technique. After cultivating it, his physique became immense and exceptional.

It was said this technique could be trained all the way to the Nascent Soul realm, ranking among the era’s finest.

Shentu Hao took this as his foundation, also practicing the True Sun Sect’s “Great Sun True Flame Art,” advancing swiftly and fiercely.

The third-tier Shark Tooth Blaze Blade he wielded was another artifact gained through fortune, which recognized him as its master and bonded with his blood essence. Thus, even at the Foundation Establishment stage, he could unleash its full might.

For these reasons, Shentu Hao was lauded as the foremost below the Golden Core among True Sun Sect cultivators!

Rumor had it that Shentu Hao once claimed: among Foundation Establishment cultivators, none could survive a single strike from him. If any could, then surely not two!

Now, the three true disciples of the Demon Talisman Sect fought Shentu Hao with all their strength, the battle fierce and intense.

There had originally been a true disciple from the Primordial Demon Hall, but he had been slain by Shentu Hao’s blade not long before.

Many other Demon Talisman Sect cultivators had fallen as well, leaving none daring to join the battle.

The three-day rendezvous approached.

Through the snow, more Demon Talisman Sect disciples arrived, but could only watch from afar.

Many had perished on the journey.

In the distance, a pitch-black flying boat approached, hovering at a safe distance after observing the scene.

Hong Ren pondered briefly, then raised the Threefold Divine Wind Fan and joined the fray!

With his arrival, the pressure on the three was eased somewhat.

Ye Xue, a golden pellet suspended above her head, wielded the second-tier Ice Moon Sword to deflect Shentu Hao’s flaming blade arcs. She shouted coldly,

“Shentu Hao, if you do not retreat, today I will risk burning this false core and cut you down beneath my sword!”

With the false core in hand, Ye Xue’s power approached that of a Golden Core master. Her Ice Moon Sword, a second-tier treasure, rivaled the Shark Tooth Blaze Blade in might.

Yet, they still could not match Shentu Hao.

He swept and struck among the four, and any misstep could spell death.

Aboard the distant flying boat, Meng Zitiao could not help but remark, “Shentu Hao’s strength would easily rank among the top three of our Demon Talisman Sect’s true disciples!”

He glanced at Pang Yue. “Only Senior Brother Xu Wentian from the Primordial Demon Hall might be his equal.”

Pang Yue, using his secret pupil art to observe the spiritual currents, replied, “We should move further away. Senior Sister Ye Xue is about to detonate her false core.”

In the arena—

Shentu Hao laughed boldly, swinging his blade to force back the four Demon Talisman Sect disciples. He sneered, “So this is the great Demon Sect! Hah, farewell!”

With that, he spun around and transformed into a streak of platinum light, soaring into the sky.

Just as everyone relaxed—

Shentu Hao suddenly veered, shooting straight toward the black flying boat.

“You dare kill a disciple of my True Sun Sect?”

A thunderous shout echoed across the heavens.

The next moment, a blade light split the air, striking toward Pang Yue!

A hundred-foot-long arc, radiating scorching heat like molten iron, sharp and deadly, aimed straight at Pang Yue’s brow.

Even before the blade arrived, a surge of overwhelming intent had locked onto him.

Should he attempt to evade, a relentless tide of deadly attacks would surely follow.