Chapter 328

At the heart of the desert, demons were everywhere.

A dense, bloody mist filled the sky, with an indistinct, dark red hue covering everything in sight.

When one looked up, it seemed as though even the lone moon on the horizon had been stained crimson, arousing an inexplicable sense of foreboding and murderous intent.

The desert bandits and Lu Wanxing, with limited cultivation, could barely restrain a few demon cultivators; He Zhizhou and Lin Xun fought back waves of demon forces together, while Tian Xianzi focused entirely on suppressing the demonic energy surging within Pei Ji, his brows knit tight.

“Not good; the demonic energy on that boy is gradually dissipating.”

Under a distant sand dune, Qing Heng tightened his grip on his long blade and called urgently to Huo Qiao, “They’re guarding him… we can’t break through!”

Huo Qiao responded with a quiet “Mmm.”

Qing Heng wasn’t wrong.

With their current strength, even approaching Pei Ji was challenging.

It was almost laughable.

The once-dominant Demon Realm, which once stood as an equal rival to the cultivation world, was now left with a group of low-ranking underlings.

These Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators in the desert were already the best the demon clan could muster.

Pei Ji was already close to being possessed by the demonic energy; if he took just one more step, they could escape the formation and leave.

But somehow, the overwhelming vortex stirred up by Pei Ji had gradually subsided.

The fierce sandstorm had stilled, like a retreating tide revealing submerged shapes beneath the water—a dark-clothed young man, who should have lost consciousness, was now rising from the ground, retrieving his longsword.

The dark night framed his tall, slender figure.

Pei Ji had awoken.

Their plan… had failed.

None of this was supposed to happen.

They had devised a way to scatter the members of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, sending Liu Xiuyuan to eliminate He Zhizhou, Lin Xun, and Wen Hemian.

As for Tian Xianzi, they had arranged for demon cultivators to intercept him so he couldn’t come here.

By then, Ning Ning would die, Pei Ji would be sacrificed to fuel the sacrificial formation, and three Demon Gods would emerge from the formation.

With the cultivation world already in a similar state of decline, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

It was supposed to be this way.

At that time, all their kin could leave the desolate and remote Demon Realm, escaping the death-laden desert, heading towards the endless cities, rivers, mountains, and the fabled snowfields, pure and vast, blanketed in white.

Being bound in a cage was truly unbearable.

“My lord!”

Qing Heng said urgently, “Pei Ji failed to complete his demonic possession, and with Tian Xianzi guarding nearby, there’s no hope of breaking through the Two Elements Dust Formation… We should retreat to the Demon Realm quickly!”

Yet the young demon lord was silent for a long time.

When he turned back to look at Qing Heng, his expression was calm as still water.

Huo Qiao spoke with a tone as ordinary as ever, “Apart from him, there’s still another who can break the formation, isn’t there?”

Qing Heng froze.

“If I can lead everyone out, there will be a fierce battle to come. Take care.”

He lifted his gaze as he spoke, looking up at the lone moon in the sky.

Seeming to recall something, he turned his head and met the eyes of the tall, strong man beside him.

A breeze arose.

With a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, Huo Qiao straightened his back, brushed off his wind-blown and slightly disheveled clothing, and said, “Like this… do I, as your lord, look a little less pathetic, Qing Heng?”

=====

Elsewhere, at the heart of the battle.

Ning Ning had managed to break free from Pei Ji’s sea of consciousness and, after some quick assessment, roughly grasped the current situation.

The demon clan’s plan to push Pei Ji into demonic possession for the sacrificial formation had failed now that the demonic energy had dissipated.

Their plan had undoubtedly gone down the drain, and they no longer had any chance to turn things around.

Surrendering was their best option.

As for the “system” lodged in her mind—the original owner of this body, “Ning Ning”…

In theory, the cycle of cause and effect had closed when she discovered the tome detailing time and space reversals, creating a fatal deadlock.

Yet so much time had passed since then, and the original owner hadn’t killed her.

It was probably not out of mercy but rather because she still needed Ning Ning alive.

The other intended to transfer the fatal destiny onto Ning Ning, making her a substitute to bear the inevitable death tribulation.

Since the death tribulation hadn’t yet arrived, she couldn’t act against her.

In other words, the system’s previous threats—that failing her tasks would mean immediate death—were certainly hollow.

If she, the scapegoat, died prematurely, “Ning Ning” would have to take over before the tribulation arrived, without a shield, and face the same inevitable fate.

So, for now, the other would choose to keep her alive.

—But what could she accomplish in such a short span?

Ning Ning didn’t know, nor could she fathom.

The only reason she hadn’t perished alongside the system was that she’d understood the demon cultivators’ scheme to push Pei Ji into demonic possession through her death and had urgently come here to stop it.

But now…

The original had gone through hundreds, thousands of reincarnations without breaking the deadlock.

How could she hope to survive such a fate?

Perhaps ending her life to escape the cycle was her best choice now.

This thought flickered across her mind, and Ning Ning unconsciously tightened her grip on the Xinghen Sword.

In a brief daze, she suddenly sensed a blade wind like thunder, along with an explosion coming straight toward her.

—It was the demon clan man named Qing Heng.

Qing Heng was strong; if not for her earlier ambush, he wouldn’t have fallen so easily.

The long blade in his hand sliced through moonlit sand with a fierce intensity, stirring up violent gales and amplifying killing intent.

As he advanced, the remaining demon cultivators surged in from all sides, forming an encircling force around them.

It didn’t feel like an assault; more like an effort to block their path forward.

Ning Ning, unable to dodge, was about to draw her sword when she saw Pei Ji step forward and intercept the massive blow for her in an instant.

When the sword met the blade, a sharp, grating hum rang out.

“Something’s… off.”

The silent system suddenly spoke, its voice trembling with the same tone as Ning Ning’s, almost screaming at her, “Break through the siege! These demon cultivators only want to delay you; Huo Qiao, he—!”

The sentence went unfinished.

The demon cultivators, reckless and unyielding, came one after another.

Pei Ji shielded her, still carrying lingering demonic energy, and both his eyes and the blood spilling from his enemies were scarlet.

The clash of blades rang out around them, relentless, as though it would never cease.

And with no warning, from deeper within the desert, there came an earsplitting explosion.

Ning Ning caught the overwhelming scent of blood, the gusting wind howling like a banshee’s wail, drowning out the voice in her mind.

—Then the demonic energy burst forth like a gushing spring, transforming instantly into an abyssal beast with gaping jaws, swallowing the entire desert whole.

Tortured, pierced through a thousand times, sacrificed in the formation.

Someone had done this.

The system went silent, making no further sound.

“What’s going on?”

Tian Xianzi blocked an oncoming sword strike, quickly turning back to look at Wen Hemian beneath the dunes, “Senior Brother! This demonic energy, the Two Elements Dust Formation—”

Wen Hemian, guessing what had happened, transmitted his thoughts, “Someone is trying to break the formation. Demonic energy from the Demon Realm has seeped through a fracture… we need to head to the source of the demonic energy immediately.”

Other than Pei Ji, who else could possess such intense demonic energy?

Given the current decline of the demon clan, could it be their lord?

It was madness!

Tian Xianzi gritted his teeth, parried a demon cultivator’s blow, and shouted, “He Zhizhou, help me!”

Seeing the tide of demonic energy, He Zhizhou knew something was amiss.

He quickly grasped the elder’s intention, stepping forward to guard against attacks from the side.

The Two Elements Dust Formation was built with the spiritual energy of countless righteous cultivators.

A single source of demonic energy couldn’t break it completely, but if that fracture widened, it might unleash a truly terrifying creature from the Demon Realm.

Tian Xianzi had no strength left to smile bitterly and pressed his lips in a frown.

And he could already smell the presence of those creatures.

…The energy of the Demon Gods.

Tian Xianzi and Wen Hemian immediately moved toward the Two Elements Dust Formation, with Lin Xun protecting Wen Hemian at his side as they advanced deeper into the desert.

He Zhizhou covered their rear, preventing any demon cultivators from following.