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“I don’t know either.” Landon frowned, equally puzzled. “Could it be that the Immortal Cloud Pavilion sent two people this time?”

“Impossible.” The figure within the painting let out a cold sneer. “The Northern Domain’s Demons has been preparing for this for so long precisely to tie down the Immortal Cloud Pavilion. The fact that they managed to spare even one Saint Realm expert to come here is already no easy feat. Two? Aren’t they afraid the northern defensive line will collapse?”

“Then it seems one of them must be a fake.” Landon sighed. “We calculated every possibility, yet an unexpected variable still slipped through in the end.”

“I knew I couldn’t count on you.” The figure in the painting cursed resentfully. Her form suddenly became indistinct, the lines composing her body spreading apart as though soaked in water before dissolving into a shapeless blot of ink. The ink was crimson red, like fresh blood.

“I’ll hold him off for now. You keep the blood sacrifice going.” After leaving behind those icy words, the crimson blot shot into the sky, rushing toward the increasingly overwhelming aura drawing near.

Daoist Kumu abruptly came to a halt in mid-flight. Staring at the crimson stain before him, he seemed to recall something, and his expression instantly turned grave. “The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence?”

“Heh, you’ve got some insight.” The ink… no, the blood… writhed and slowly reconstructed itself into a drifting figure.

It was the silhouette of a woman. An imperial crown rested upon her head, and she wore flowing imperial robes. Her features were blurred beyond recognition, yet her pair of golden eyes radiated overwhelming majesty.

“I never imagined this old Daoist would live to see the Demon Emperor again.” Daoist Kumu sighed. He lowered his gaze to his trembling hands as memories of the terrifying presence from a thousand years ago resurfaced vividly in his mind.

“Even though it’s only a single drop of blood, even though a thousand years have passed, it still makes me tremble.”

“If that’s the case, then why not withdraw?” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence demanded with imposing authority, “Retreat now, and I shall spare your life.”

“Heh.” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence had intended to intimidate Daoist Kumu into retreating, yet after hearing those words, he instead broke into a strange grin. “I am indeed quite frightened at first. But the moment I heard those words, I suddenly wasn’t afraid anymore.”

“…Why?”

“Because if you were truly the Demon Emperor, how could you possibly say something like ‘I’ll spare your life’ to a human she would have regarded as nothing more than an ant?”

Daoist Kumu’s broad Daoist robe suddenly billowed violently as though caught in a raging gale. A piercing brilliance burst forth from his weathered eyes, while behind him, the phantom of a withered tree standing between heaven and earth gradually emerged.

With a mocking smile, Daoist Kumu said, “You are indeed the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence. Unfortunately, during the thousand years the Demon Emperor was imprisoned, a new consciousness was born within you. So… you are not her.”

“So what if I have a new consciousness? I already possess her power.”

“Heh, it seems you truly don’t understand.” Looking at the figure that had once struck terror into countless hearts, Daoist Kumu revealed a trace of disdain. Yet that disdain was not directed toward the Demon Emperor herself, but toward the consciousness born from her Blood Essence.

The reason the entire human race had feared the Demon Emperor back then was not merely because of her overwhelming strength. It was also because of her merciless cruelty, her bloodthirsty brutality, and above all… her absolute fearlessness.

Back then, after the ancestor of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion had successfully taken that final step and become invincible beneath the heavens, the Demon Emperor had still challenged him of her own accord despite knowing the outcome. Although she was defeated, she still managed to wound the ancestor of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion across that seemingly insurmountable gulf, shocking the entire world.

But this Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence before him had only thought about stalling for time from the very beginning.

“If the real Demon Emperor were standing here, even if she were only at the First Heavenly Strata of the Saint Realm, this old Daoist would turn around and flee without hesitation. But if it’s merely a cowardly consciousness like yours, then even if you possess a portion of the Demon Emperor’s power… what of it?”

Having said that, Daoist Kumu no longer hesitated and struck the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence with a palm. The phantom withered tree behind him quivered gently. Then, upon one of its barren branches, a trace of vibrant green blossomed.

It was a single illusory leaf. Yet under the caress of the breeze, it gradually became tangible before drifting free from the branch. Crossing the boundary between illusion and reality, it floated forward with the wind.

Carrying boundless life force, the green leaf descended upon the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence with crushing might.

It was the purest power, one that naturally suppressed demons and all evil beings. Merely approaching her caused the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence to sizzle violently, as though oil had been poured onto blazing flames.

The withered tree bloomed once more. Daoist Kumu knew he could not afford to drag out the battle. The moment he made his move, he attacked with his full strength.

“How dare you look down on me!” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence let out a shrill scream. A massive phantom tail slowly manifested behind her before surging forward to intercept the falling green leaf.

At the same time, she thrust out her own palm to meet Daoist Kumu’s strike head-on. Using the point where their palms met as the dividing line, waves of emerald and crimson erupted like two incompatible tidal surges, crashing together with the deafening roar of thunder.

From the epicenter of their clash, countless homes were crushed into rubble, and no one knew how many innocent people perished in their sleep. Neither of them paid any attention to that.

Their palms separated. Daoist Kumu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back three steps. Yet the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence was forced back seven.

“Heh, it seems this old Daoist still has the upper hand.” Without even bothering to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, Daoist Kumu mocked her openly. “If the Demon Emperor knew the piece she split off was this useless, do you think she’d regret creating you?”

“You decrepit old fool! How dare you humiliate me like this!” Just as expected, the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence flew into a rage. She abruptly extended a hand toward the Ye family’s estate and made a grasping motion.

“Blood, come!” As her furious cry rang out, torrents of blood surged toward her like converging rivers. Mixed within the howling wind seemed to be Landon’s furious roar, but it was quickly scattered and swallowed by the gale.

The Blood Essence had only one thought left in her mind now: kill the old man before her. She had completely forgotten that her role was merely to delay him. Without hesitation, she drained away all the blood that should have been reserved for the blood sacrifice.

Her aura rapidly swelled. Yet upon witnessing this, Daoist Kumu quietly let out a sigh of relief. This should buy them plenty of time.

Looking down below, he saw that the residents of Maplefall Town had finally awakened from the terrifying shockwaves. Panic spread through the streets as they fled in every direction.

No matter what, they should be able to create some trouble for the enemy. Of course, that would also make things far more troublesome for him. Still, the Gongsun family should have already begun their operation by now.

As long as every Stabilizing Stone had been put into position, no matter what tricks the enemy had prepared, the formation should remain stable. And as long as the formation held, the enemy would never be able to stir up a real catastrophe.

The only question was how many innocent lives would be lost tonight. He let out a soft sigh.

For some reason, the ones occupying his thoughts at that moment were the two little girls he had met at the temple not long ago. One should have become his disciple, a girl who appeared foolish but possessed great wisdom. The other was likely the descendant of some ancient monster, cunning and full of schemes.

Especially the latter. At a time like this, she would probably have been able to lend a hand. But… “It’s a good thing I didn’t drag those two into this muddy mess. Otherwise, this old Daoist’s sins would have grown even heavier.” The thought filled him with a small sense of relief.¹