Chapter 17
"Little fellow, I must admit that you are strong for one so young, being able to keep up with me, especially as a body cultivator. But it ends here. Today, I am giving you two choices: either you follow me back to the Devil Sect, or you die here and now," one of the Little Demon Kings spoke, his eyes filled with stern determination.
Wang Shitian, however, only responded with a mocking smile on his face. To him, this threat was pathetic and only served to reinforce his understanding that this Little Demon King was not willing to fight him with everything on the line.
He was uncertain about the technique the Little Demon King used to summon two clones, but he was sure that their strength would be slightly weaker than the original. This was a common weakness of all cloning techniques, as the clones could only possess a portion of the user's power.
"You want to make me die here? With just you?" Wang Shitian's face oozed with contempt as he retorted. The Little Demon King grew infuriated, but he refrained from saying anything further as one of his bodies began to chant.
Black Qi waves emanated from his body, soaring into the sky, while the other two bodies launched an attack on Wang Shitian together.
"Blood Slash!" "Ghost Claw!"
The two bodies called out their respective techniques as the one wielding the red flying sword unleashed a red arc towards Wang Shitian. Simultaneously, a ghostly claw descended upon him.
Without wasting a moment, Wang Shitian's hands radiated a golden glow as two palm prints, each about one meter wide, shot forth in front of him, blocking the onslaught.
Boom! A resounding collision occurred, creating shockwaves that pushed both parties backward. However, the Little Demon King holding the red sword suddenly appeared beside Wang Shitian, his palm imprint visible.
"Blood Devil Imprint!" He slapped Wang Shitian, who managed to block the attack in the nick of time. Wang Shitian retaliated by thrusting his hand forward, but to his surprise, there was no impact. Just before their hands collided, the Little Demon King halted his strike, but the imprint in his hand shot forth and entered Wang Shitian's hand, leaving an imprint of its own.
Wang Shitian noticed something amiss, but it was too late. His blood started flowing towards the imprint, being absorbed into it. The thought of severing his hand crossed his mind, but before he could act, a voice resounded.
"It is time for you to pay the price for your insolence."
Wang Shitian turned and saw the Little Demon King, who had been casting a technique, his eyes streaming with blood. He appeared extremely exhausted, visibly aging as his white hair turned gray. His eyes turned black, resembling an abyss that sought to devour Wang Shitian's soul.
The events unfolded rapidly, taking only a short period of time. "Death Ray," the Little Demon King uttered, and a beam of black light shot from his body, striking Wang Shitian. Darkness enveloped him, and he suddenly lost consciousness.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Little Demon King appeared in the form of a soul. However, this time his appearance was different. He still possessed white hair, but his face now bore the maturity of a middle-aged man. This was the manifestation of the 7th Prince of the Darkmoon Sect, Mo Xingtian.
Surveying the sea of consciousness as if it were his domain, Mo Xingtian was about to cast a spell when he sensed a lurking danger.
Deep within Wang Shitian's consciousness, in a place not easily detected, existed a small world. This world consisted solely of an ocean—an ocean of blood. Stretching as far as the eye could see, it was a sea of crimson. At the center of the ocean stood a mountain of corpses, and atop it sat a figure enveloped in golden light.
Suddenly, the figure opened its eyes and gazed in the direction of the Little Demon King. A golden light shot forth from its eyes, obliterating all traces of the black devilish Qi in its path.
"No, how can this be? How can he be connected to such an existence? What is such a being doing in the body of this brat? No, no, no! I refuse to accept this..."
Boom!
The golden light struck, annihilating every trace of the Little Demon King's consciousness within Wang Shitian's mind. The golden light permeated every part of Wang Shitian's body, destroying even the blood devil imprint. Then, it gradually receded as the figure closed its eyes once again, returning to its state of meditation.
After obliterating the Little Demon King's consciousness, only pure soul energy remained within Wang Shitian's mind, nourishing it and making it stronger.
Outside his body, as soon as the Little Demon King's consciousness was destroyed, the two clones collapsed and perished.
Deep within the secret realm of the Darkmoon sect, nestled atop a mountain peak, resided Mo Xingtian in his cultivation cave. The sight that greeted him was one of immense suffering, with blood seeping from every facial orifice, rendering his complexion deathly pale. Gravely wounded by the backlash resulting from the annihilation of his split soul, he found himself facing a peculiar circumstance—the severity of the backlash far surpassed what was expected. His soul was in shambles, and the path to recovery remained unknown, both in terms of time and the resources required. Gritting his teeth in resentment, Mo Xingtian realized that his cultivation progress would be greatly impeded, and the worst part was that he had no knowledge of what had transpired. His split soul had been eradicated without even a fleeting thought to convey the events that had unfolded. Frustrated and filled with hatred, he stared intensely in the direction of the border, as if attempting to penetrate the secret realm's barriers and peer across space to witness the unfolding events.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Wang Shitian, a formidable battle was raging within the territory of the Malevolent Earth Sect. The sect master and all the disciples of the One Leaf Sect had reached the Malevolent Earth Sect, and the clash that ensued shook the very foundations of the land. The sect masters showcased the might of their techniques, overwhelming their opponents. However, the tides swiftly turned when three core formation cultivators emerged, emanating a potent aura that weighed heavily upon the disciples of the One Leaf Sect.
In response, the Li Tianming shattered a token, summoning two figures to materialize in the sky within a matter of moments. These figures, clad in white robes adorned with intricate patterns, possessed an imposing aura. With a wave of their hands, they dispelled the oppressing force bearing down on Li Tianming and the others, allowing them to regain their composure. These two individuals were none other than the core realm seniors who had long resided in the One Leaf Sect.
Locked in a fierce standoff, the auras of the five core realm cultivators intensified, threatening to annihilate everything in their surroundings. Weaker cultivators fled in desperation as the pressure became unbearable. Even Li Tianming retreated to a safe distance before coming to a halt. Among the Darkmoon sect's cultivators stood a woman, a young man, and the elderly Mo Zhe, whose aura rivaled that of the old man from the sky-covering sect, displaying exceptional strength.
A battle between five core realm cultivators was about to erupt—a spectacle unseen in the region for nearly a century. The impending clash promised unprecedented consequences. Yet, just as the combatants prepared to unleash their powers, a beam of light shot forth from the distance, finding its way into Mo Zhe's outstretched hand. Intrigued, he employed his divine sense to examine the object and was met with astonishment. He then gazed at the old man from the sky-covering sect for a prolonged moment before retracting his aura.
Mo Zhe swiftly transmitted a message to the other two cultivators, and after exchanging glances, they turned on their heels and departed. As they made their retreat, the younger man from the sky-covering sect, his body radiating a righteous aura, was about to make a move when he heard a commanding voice: "Don't move." Perplexed, he looked toward the old man but refrained from launching an attack. Thus, they, too, retraced their steps and returned to the One Leaf Sect.
Following their departure, a cataclysmic battle ensued, pushing the Malevolent Earth Sect to the brink of annihilation. In the course of this conflict, one of the core disciples from the One Leaf Sect fell, leaving only two remaining. The sect master of the Malevolent Earth Sect, accompanied by a few elders, fled the scene. It was an unequivocal victory for the One Leaf Sect, marking the culmination of the war, at least for the time being.
Returning to their sect, the One Leaf cultivators honored their fallen comrades with a solemn funeral, paying tribute to their sacrifices. Despite the sorrow that hung in the air, a sense of triumph permeated the atmosphere as they celebrated their hard-fought victory.