Chapter 318

“Demonic energy?” Lin Xun frowned.

“Isn’t there enough demonic energy in the Demon Realm?”

“To break the formation, it must be done from outside,” Wen Hemian shook his head.

“The Demon Clan hasn’t caused any major disturbances yet, meaning the formation, though flawed, isn’t severely damaged. The number of demon cultivators that have escaped is still small—for them, destroying the formation would be nearly impossible.”

He Zhizhou, forgetting his pain in surprise, asked, “Could they be targeting Pei Ji? But he’s been able to suppress his demonic energy just fine. Compared to the demons in the Demon Realm, he shouldn’t have more demonic energy than them, right?”

“The Demon Clan values bloodlines highly. The purer the bloodline, the more potent the demonic energy. The reason we don’t sense Pei Ji’s demonic energy is because he’s been suppressing it with all his might and hasn’t fully succumbed to it,” Wen Hemian explained.

“During the brutal war back then, many demon lords and demon monarchs were wiped out, leaving their hope in the next generation. And most of the demon lords… didn’t have offspring.”

In other words, Pei Ji might very well be the Demon Clan’s only hope to break the formation.

“If they can drive him to madness, throw his mind into chaos, make him succumb to demonic possession, and then pierce his heart with countless arrows, severing his meridians, they might be able to offer him as a sacrifice to the formation… and possibly break the Two Element Dust Formation.”

Lin Xun froze.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and when he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, more than it had ever been before.

“So, they captured Senior Sister—”

Wen Hemian’s expression darkened.

“To throw Pei Ji’s mind into turmoil, they likely plan to kill her right in front of him.”

—

The white mist’s words were accurate.

When Ning Ning emerged from the Ziwei Realm, she found herself standing in a long, dark fissure, the cliff tops high above barely visible when she looked up.

She surmised that the vine demon had dragged her underground, and after struggling free, she had accidentally fallen into the Ziwei Realm.

So, upon coming back out, she was now within the deep canyon where the Ziwei Realm was located.

She knew nothing about the terrain of the desert, but luckily, she had brought a map in advance.

Using the light from her sword, she carefully searched and soon found the canyon’s exit on the map.

As she examined the map, she couldn’t help but think that this place was incredibly remote.

For the sword spirit in the Ziwei Realm to end up here, it must have been struck by an unimaginably powerful force.

As for its owner, they had most likely passed away years ago.

Where could the sword’s physical form be?

Her immediate priority was to reunite with the others, so she didn’t dwell on the thought for long.

After confirming her location, she quickly folded the map and was about to leave the canyon when she heard footsteps in the endless darkness.

Ning Ning’s body tensed.

The canyon was not wide, and with so little sunlight, darkness stretched endlessly in both directions.

The silent rocks on either side cast heavy shadows, creating a suffocating atmosphere just from being there.

Moreover, the footsteps came without warning, light as a ghost, brushing against her eardrums and sending chills down her spine.

The unknown was the most terrifying.

Ning Ning tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it and defend herself.

But in the next moment, her brow furrowed.

A faint fragrance had wafted into the air at some point.

The scent was bone-chilling, as if it could effortlessly seep into every drop of her blood, making her entire body go numb.

During her time with the Xuanxu Sword Sect, she had grown accustomed to drawing her sword in battle.

She never expected the opponent to use poison straight away.

Her consciousness gradually began to slip away, like waves crashing haphazardly against the shore.

Then, she heard a young man’s voice, soft and out of place amid the surrounding demonic energy, his tone excessively gentle: “Take her away, but don’t be too rough.”

With the last trace of her remaining awareness, Ning Ning turned her head.

Not far behind her, five or six demon clan members were approaching.

Leading them was a young man, appearing to be around her age.

Due to the dim light, she couldn’t make out his features, only his tall and slender figure.

He looked familiar, like someone she had seen before.

As her muddled thoughts slowly came together, Ning Ning blinked in shock.

Wow.

This was the figure from her dreams.