Demon King Mo Wang spit out a mouthful of blood as the golden sword had pierced his chest. Thankfully for him, he had protected his heart. Dark blood ran across the immaterial blade. As the blood was spewing out of his wound, the blade itself began to crack. That wasn't ordinary blood. Suddenly, flames erupted from this dark blood.
Before Emperor Weide could attack again, Demon King Mo Wang grabbed the tip of the sword and completely ripped it away from his wound. The hilt even went through his chest avoiding his heart once more but tearing through his muscles. This time though, the blade had lost most of its luster. Even Emperor Weide could feel something soiling him. After all, that sword was the manifestation of his Sword Spirit, his understanding of the Dao of Sword.
Once he was freed, Demon King Mo Wang was still bleeding profusely but the blood was indeed black and covered in flames. It flew in the air and turned into thousands of bloody bats with fangs of fire. With absolutely no doubt, Emperor Weide could tell that each bat had been formed by a dead soul. All those creatures were the defiled souls of Demon King Mo Wang's victims.
The cauldron of bats went straight for Emperor Weide, ready to tear him apart. At the same time, Demon King covered himself in this ominous fire. The 'Domain of the Three Confluences' was being torn apart. Right now, it was entirely covered in bloody cracks and now there were even flames burning space itself. Unfortunately for Emperor Weide, he had not been able to train enough with this pseudo-Domain. In fact, it had only been a few months since he had finally broken Cao Shui's mind completely. He had barely refined her soul in order to turn it into this Domain. But he had wanted to try it out as soon as possible. That had been a mistake as the toll on him was too big. However, he had still discovered a few insights.
In a few years, he would fully mastered this Domain. Besides, it would be very compatible with him after absorbing Cao Huiying's Soul Embryo. According to his estimation, it would take a decade or two, no longer. As soon as she had formed a strong Soul Embryo, he would rip it away from her and refine it. When he would be a Sage, no one could stand in his way. Mankind would prevail!
Before achieving all that, he still had to survive this fight. But Demon King Mo Wang seemed to be in a worse state than he was right now. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to die. Thus, he simply had to make sure not to die along with him.
"Bastard! I'll rip you apart! I'll drink your blood and feast on your flesh!"
Enraged, Demon King Mo Wang saw his bats unable to cover the distance until Emperor Weide, space was stopping them. Although their flames were slowly eating away at the Domain, it wasn't fast enough. The Demon King could feel his strength leaving him. He had to do something fast.
Disregarding his survival, he completely unleashed his blood essence. Spitting out some bright blood, it turned into a golden flame. Contrary to all of Demon King Mo Wang's techniques, this one seemed fully orthodox. But it wasn't at all. Indeed, his blood essence had been nourished by the blood of many humans in order to become so potent.
Demon King Mo Wang recited a strange mantra. Even Emperor Weide did not recognize it. But Cao Yun and Dian Mo would have. This was an ancient form of Moshenhua. In fact, it was very similar to what the human spies sent by the demons had used during their suicide attacks in various provinces of the Hongchen Kingdom. Of course, Emperor Weide didn't know about it yet.
In fact, even Demon King Mo Wang had no idea of what was going on. However, the demons seemed to know very well what the demonic cultivators had prepared and they were ready for it. In fact, they had even launched their attack a few days prior so that their troops would be ready to act the day it mattered. By now, they were all where they were supposed to be to destabilize the Hongchen Kingdom. Without Cao Yun's warning, no one would be the wiser.
Thankfully, Sha Diyi had been sent against him. They had not thought that Cao Yun could either survive or even explore her memories. That was a stupid mistake. By trying to get rid of every potential threat, they had created it instead.
As he was using his last technique, a powerful use of the blood runes within himself, Demon King Mo Wang felt something strange. For an instant, it was as if someone else had overtaken his blood runes. Although it was very short, it reminded him of what Emperor Weide had told him. Could he really be manipulated by Empyrean Asura, or by someone else entirely?!
The thought emerged in his mind, but too late. As soon as he had regained control of his blood runes, it was too late. They all got activated at the same time. In every direction, his wings exploded into a mist of blood that spread throughout the 'Domain of the Three Convergences'. That mist of blood was also saturated in Evil Qi and Death Energy. The Domain was a manifestation of Cao Shui's broken soul. Those energies were able to corrode it. Despite Emperor Weide's attempt, his Domain was about to crumble.
Before it could be thoroughly destroyed, Emperor Weide took it back within his own sea of consciousness. If he let it be damaged too much, he wouldn't be able to use it before a long time. In the worst scenario, he might even lose it completely. But he knew that as soon as he would become a Sage, this Domain would become way more powerful as he would be able to imbue more and more of himself and of his understanding of the Dao within.
Finally, the 'Domain of the Three Convergences' was no more. Thus, Demon King Mo Wang was able to see his victory in front of him. Now, he could use his full strength without being suppressed by this pseudo-Domain. However, it was too late for him. Without warning, all of his blood runes erupted out of his body. Before his confused gaze, they formed some kind of sphere around him.
Around that sphere, space itself began to weaken. From the outside, Demon King Mo Wang's aspect was constantly changing as though he was in a sphere of moving gas. But it was space itself that was fluctuating because of those blood runes. Demon King Mo Wang finally understood that he had indeed been deceived. In all the manuals he had read, what was transpiring in front of him was never discussed. But he could tell that someone had activated his blood runes for some unknown purpose.
In Demon King Mo Wang's mind, many possibilities emerged. It wasn't Emperor Weide because he seemed to be as surprised and as wary as him. And Mo Wang was absolutely certain it wasn't Empyrean Asura. But then who?! Who could be powerful enough to manipulate his blood runes?!
Trying to escape, Mo Wang realized that the same problem he had faced in the Domain was preventing him from escaping. Indeed, as space was being distorted, no matter how much he tried to move, he couldn't escape. He had the sensation of moving at an incredible speed. But from the outside, he was absolutely immobile.
Just before the blood runes accomplished their mission, Demon King Mo Wang finally thought of someone who could have manipulated him and his blood runes. After all, they had found the 'Blood Runes' method in a private library of Demon God Da Mo. But it was impossible! Right?!
Sensing his death getting closer, Demon King was terrified. It wasn't death that was terrifying him, but the name he had in mind. Thanks to the library, they had discovered that Demon God Da Mo's body had been recreated from a drop of blood. And they had tried to get it so they could fuse their own soul with it so in order to become stronger. But this body could also be used by someone else than them... Maybe everything they had done since discovering the library - even discovering the library itself - had been planned by someone else.
Could Emperor Weide know it as well?! Was he also being manipulated?! Was the Empyrean Asura also following orders or being used by his Demon God?!
Unfortunately, Demon King Mo Wang would have no time to tell his hypotheses to anyone. The truth would be hidden from him forever. Indeed, the blood runes connected each other through tendrils of blood. Then, they suddenly contracted toward Demon King Mo Wang. Space itself collapsed and a powerful force began to suck in everything toward this single point. In the very structure of space and time, there was now a hole.
Demon King Mo Wang's body had been completely crushed. All of his blood and even his very soul had been consumed in order to produce this rift in space. Although Emperor Weide was not an expert in space, he had a feeling he knew what was going on. If he had been present, Sect Leader Xuan would have recognized it. This rift in space was still being formed so it was sucking in all the Qi around it, but also every object in order to feed. Once it would be complete, then someone could go through it and attack the Imperial Palace.
Unlike the rifts that had appeared all over the Hongchen Kingdom, this one would be permanent. If no one stopped it, there would always be an access to the Hongchen Kingdom right in the Imperial Palace. Only by consuming a late Spirit Warrior could this rift be formed. It stood to reason that it needed to feed on other Spirit Warriors to reach a critical energy enabling it to be stable enough.
And indeed, the suction force was so strong that every Spirit Warrior around the rift was being sucked in. Even Emperor Weide was subject to this force. Whoever had activated this had waited for all the Spirit Warriors to be exhausted by hteir fights. Although they could resist, they were being slowly sucked in. Unless they combined all their strength, they couldn't be sure of the outcome. Unfortunately, none of them had any deep knowledge of the Dao of Space. The only one who would know what to do was Sect Leader Xuan but he had remained in the Wubei Sect.
Thus, their only choice was to use brute force to try and isolate it, hoping it would run out of energy before they did. At that moment, Emperor Weide sent a telepathic message to everyone, even the demonic cultivators. For better or for worse, they had to unite their strength. Besides, Demon King Mo Wang had been killed so the demonic cultivators were still shocked. Since they weren't thinking straight, they were easily swayed by Emperor Weide's authority. In his words Xiao Xuefeng sensed a form of mental attack.
It wasn't too sophisticated, but it was clearly of form of suggestion. Against a Mortal or a Mortal Warrior, this could force them to do exactly what he wanted for a certain amount of time. Now, he was simply trying to impulse something. Once the demonic cultivators would be working alongside them, they wouldn't be able to stop or they would be sucked in the rift to feed it further.
Unfortunately, the suction force was also working on the ground below.
In Cao Yun's sea of consciousness, Dian Mo was very agitated. In that rift, he had recognized something. It had lasted for a very short amount of time, but he was certain of it. For a split second, Demon God Da Mo's spirit had been there!
Looking at the rift formed by Demon King Mo Wang's very being and his blood runes, Dian Mo also recognized a technique his master had been trying to perfect. This was a technique using blood runes in order to pierce through space and time, creating some form of rift in the universe. Through this rift, one could then send armies over vast distances. Even for a Reborn Demon, that technique was too much. In fact, only a cultivator who was about to exit their own universe would be able to pull it off over vast distances. But if someone was trying to do so on a smaller scale, there was a chance of success. However, the cost would be tremendous.
And indeed, the cost was the blood and soul of several late Spirit Warriors.
Unlike Dian Mo, Cao Yun was not paying attention to what was going on above him. He was still in shock in front of his younger sister. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind. That young woman Yong Ke was really Cao Huiying. Emperor Weide had captured her, she had been terribly wounded and her mind had been tempered with. After all, she didn't remember a thing and it wasn't just because of the violence of her injuries. No, Cao Yun was certain that Emperor Weide had done something to her mind to keep her under his control.
The reason was obvious. He needed her to cultivate and to become a Spirit Warrior as soon as possible. Indeed, his main goal was to extract and refine her Soul Embryo in order to become a Sage. That meant that his sister was just considered as cattle. He was fattening her up before killing her.
From shock, Cao Yun's emotions instantly went to deep rage and hatred. However, before he could tell anything more to his sister, he felt as though he was flying in the air. The bloody rift in the sky was pulling him toward itself. Unlike the Spirit Warriors, he couldn't fly so he couldn't resist it at all. Maybe he could try to use his spear. But then, he saw Cao Huiying also being sucked toward that rift. Even if he didn't know what it was, he knew it was bad news.
In Xiao Xuefeng's residence, Hongyu was still in the process of forming her fifth core. There was no doubt that she would succeed, but it was taking some time. All this time, she was looking in the distance. The moment she saw her brother being sucked into that ominous thing, she knew something was wrong.
Without any hesitation and despite her wounded wing, she flew toward the young man. Feng Yingyue instinctively tried to grab her but Hongyu was too fast even for her. Most array formations on the ground had been destroyed or stopped to save energy for more important ones. Thus, Hongyu was able to fly directly toward Cao Yun.