In the center of the desert, demons are everywhere.
The blood mist is everywhere, and the view is full of blurry red. Looking up, it seems that even the lonely moon hanging in the sky is dyed bloody, and a murderous intention surges for no reason.
The bandits and Lu Wanxing are not very skilled, and can only barely restrain some demon cultivators; He Zhizhou and Lin Xun work together to repel the demon tide, while Tian Xianzi concentrates on suppressing the breath surging from Pei Ji's body, frowning all the time.
"Not good, the devilish energy on that kid is gradually dissipating."
Under the sand dunes in the distance, Qing Heng clenched the long sword in his hand and said to Huo Qiao hurriedly: "Those people are protecting him... We can't attack at all!"
Huo Qiao said "hmm".
What Qing Heng said was true. With their strength, it was difficult for them to even get close to Pei Ji.
It was ridiculous to think that the Demon Realm, which was once so powerful and competed with the cultivation world, was now only a group of low-level fry. This group of Jindan Yuanying cultivators in the desert was already the most powerful fighting force of the demon clan.
Pei Ji had already been possessed by the devil, and they were only one step away from escaping from the formation.
I don't know when, the turbulent vortex set off by Pei Ji gradually subsided.
The rolling sandstorms gradually calmed down, just like the tide receding, slowly revealing the shadows submerged in the water - the black-clothed boy who should have lost consciousness picked up the long sword from the ground, and the night was as dark as ink, outlining a slender figure.
Pei Ji woke up.
Their plan... failed.
Everything should not be like this.
They planned to separate the Xuanxu Sword Sect and send Liu Xiuyuan to kill He Zhizhou, Lin Xun and Wen Hemian. As for Tianxianzi, they would send some demon cultivators to block his way and prevent him from finding this place.
By then, Ning Ning would die, Pei Ji would enter the demon sacrifice formation, and the three demon gods would break out of the formation. With the current situation of talent shortage in the cultivation world, they would definitely not be able to resist.
It should have been like this.
By then, all the tribesmen will be able to leave the desolate and remote Demon Realm, walk out of this desert filled with death, and go to the endless cities, rivers, mountains, and the legendary snowfields covered in silver and white.
It is really hard to be bound in a cage.
"Master!"
Qing Heng said anxiously: "Pei Ji failed to enter the devil, and Tian Xianzi is protecting him nearby. There is no hope of breaking the two instruments of dust... Let's escape back to the Demon Realm as soon as possible!"
However, the young demon monarch was silent for a long time, and when he turned his head to look at him, his face was as calm as water.
Huo Qiao said in a very unusual tone: "Besides him, there is another person who can break the formation, right?"
Qing Heng was stunned.
"If I can take everyone away, it will be another bloody storm. Remember to take care of yourself."
He raised his eyes and looked at the lonely moon in the sky. He seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned his head to meet the eyes of the tall man beside him.
A gust of wind blew.
Huo Qiao smiled slightly, straightened his back, and tidied his clothes that were a little messy due to the wind and sand: "It seems that... I, the monarch, am not that cruel, right? Qingheng."
=====
On the other side, in the center of the melee.
Ningning successfully escaped from the sea of consciousness. After some consideration, she had roughly figured out the current situation.
The demons wanted to make Pei Ji enter the demon sacrificial array, but now that the demonic energy has dissipated, their plan has undoubtedly failed, and there should be no chance of recovery. The best solution is to surrender.
As for the "system" placed in her mind, that is, the original owner of this body, "Ning Ning"...
It stands to reason that since she found the secret book that records the time and space retracing, the circle of cause and effect has been closed, forming a dead end.
However, so much time has passed since then, and the original owner did not choose to kill her. I'm afraid it was not out of mercy, but she had to be saved first.
The other party wanted to transfer all the cause and effect of the inevitable death to her, just to let Ning Ning bear the destined death for him. Now that the death has not come, it is impossible for him to attack her.
That is to say, the system had threatened her solemnly before that if she did not complete the task, she would be executed on the spot, but in fact it would not be so.
Once she, the scapegoat, died in advance, "Ning Ning" would occupy this body before the death came. At that time, without a shield, she would not be able to escape the fate of death.
So for the time being, the other party would choose to keep her life.
——But what can she do with such a short gap?
Ning Ning didn't know, and couldn't think of it.
The reason why she didn't die with the system at that time was because she knew the plan of the demon cultivator, who wanted to use her death to induce Pei Ji to become a demon. In order to stop this conspiracy, she hurriedly came here.
As for now...
the original owner has reincarnated thousands of times but failed to break the deadlock. How can she survive such a fate?
Perhaps ending this cycle of reincarnation by committing suicide is her best choice now.
This thought flashed through her mind, and Ning Ning subconsciously grasped the Star Mark Sword. In
a trance, she suddenly realized that not far away, there was a thunderous sound of a knife, mixed with the sound of heavy explosions, coming straight towards her.
——It was the demon man named "Qing Heng".
Qing Heng was quite powerful. If she hadn't ambushed him before, he would definitely not have fallen so easily.
He swung a long knife with great force, cutting through the watery moonlight and the continuous yellow sand. The wind blew violently in all directions, and the murderous aura surged.
Following his move, all the remaining demon cultivators also came out from all directions, surrounding everyone.
It didn't seem like an attack, but more like they were blocking their way forward.
Ning Ning couldn't dodge in time, and was about to draw her sword, but she saw Pei Ji rushing forward and taking this powerful blow for her in an instant.
The moment the long sword and the long knife collided, an extremely harsh and long buzzing sound was emitted.
"No... something's wrong."
The system, which had been silent for a long time, actually spoke at this moment. The same voice as Ning Ning was trembling violently, and it almost hysterically roared to her: "Break through the encirclement! This group of demon cultivators just want to hold you back, Huo Qiao he——!"
Unfortunately, the sentence could not be finished.
The demon cultivators came one after another desperately. Pei Ji protected her behind him, with residual demonic energy still on his body. His eyes and the blood of the enemies were all scarlet.
In her ears was the clear sound of swords colliding, which was loud and loud, as if there was no time to stop.
Unprepared, a deafening explosion suddenly hit deeper in the desert.
Ning Ning smelled the thick bloody smell that could not be dissipated, and the sound of the wind that expanded in an instant was like a sharp wail, completely covering the sound in her mind.
——Then the demonic energy gushed out like a well, but in a moment, it turned into a beast from the abyss with a huge mouth, swallowing up the entire desert.
Suffering torture, with thousands of arrows piercing his heart, he sacrificed himself to the formation.
Someone did this.
The system stopped talking and made no more sound.
"What's going on?"
Tian Xianzi blocked a sword attack, turned his head quickly, and looked at Wen Hemian under the sand dune: "Brother! This demonic energy, two instruments of dust--"
Wen Hemian naturally guessed what happened, and said in a voice transmission: "Someone tried to break the formation, and the breath in the demon realm has seeped out from the cracks... We must go to the source of the demonic energy immediately."
Who else can have such a strong demonic energy besides Pei Ji? According to the current decadent attitude of the demon clan, could it be the lord of the clan?
It's really crazy!
Tianxianzi secretly gritted his teeth, repelled a demon cultivator in front of him, and shouted: "He Zhizhou, help me!"
He Zhizhou saw the demonic energy surging, and knew that something was wrong. He quickly understood the intention of his uncle and stepped forward to block the attack from the side.
The two instruments of dust formation were built by the spiritual power of countless upright cultivators. Although it was impossible to break it completely with the demonic energy of one person, as long as the gap was large enough, it might lead to a very scary monster from the demon realm.
Tianxianzi didn't even have the thought of smiling bitterly, and pursed his lips and frowned.
And he had already smelled the breath of those monsters.
...The breath of the demon god.
Tian Xianzi and Wen Hemian immediately rushed to Liangyi Weichen. Lin Xun protected Wen Hemian and also advanced into the depths of the desert. He Zhizhou covered the three of them and prevented the demon cultivators from following him.
There were not many demon cultivators left, but as the demon energy became stronger, the demon energy in their bodies surged. Compared with the beginning, their strength increased by nearly two realms.
"Those two are your masters? It's too late. Even if they leave now, the outcome will not change."
Qing Heng was no match for Pei Ji. He was covered with scales under the long sword and was pushed back a few steps by a sword energy.
He didn't care about it, as if he couldn't feel the pain, and attacked forward again with several other demon cultivators.
This group of people from the Demon Realm were ready to die the moment they ran into the righteous monks. In
this fierce battle tonight, only one side is destined to survive.
This is a sacrifice that must be made for the freedom of more people.
"That being said... But before the master leaves, let me give you a message."
Qing Heng paused, a smile appeared on his blood-stained face, and his eyes skipped Pei Ji to Ning Ning: "He has seen some clues about the curse on the girl. The master said that you are respectable opponents. If you win this battle, you may be able to use the method he provides."
Ning Ning paused.
"Evil curse?"
He Zhizhou was confused: "What evil curse?"
Qing Heng ignored him: "This curse should be the long-lost 'life-replacing' in the legend. Evil causes produce evil results. Since you are bearing the evil causes of others, if you want to change the inevitable result of death, you must find enough blessings to reverse the cause and effect." There were
still demon cultivators attacking her side. Ning Ning swung the Xinghen Sword in her hand and listened carefully to him continue: "Good fortune and misfortune offset each other, only then can you escape the dead end."
Good fortune and misfortune offset each other.
But her death was approaching, how could she get so many blessings. Ning Ning nodded, her hands still fighting back: "Thank you."
"Thank me for what? I don't want to have anything to do with you."
The man laughed for some reason: "You should thank our lord. He's a weirdo. I don't know what he's thinking all day. He's a bad guy who has never experienced a war and is always a worry for us."
He paused and pointed the long knife in his hand at He Zhizhou's sword, his expression a little scared: "But how can you survive? Once the formation is broken, the demon will be born, and the world can only be the territory of the demons."
He Zhizhou almost went crazy: "What dead end? Ning Ning, explain to me clearly, what is going on!"
=====
The further he went, the darker the moonlight became. When he approached the barrier of the formation, he could not see his hand in front of his face. It was so dark that he could not see any light.
Lin Xun smelled an extremely strong smell of blood. With the extraordinary senses of a cultivator and the white sword light reflected by Tianxianzi, he caught a glimpse of a pool of dark red flesh and blood.
Tianxianzi raised his hand to cover his eyes: "Don't look."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Wen Hemian's whisper: "Hold your breath, be careful of the northwest direction."
Lin Xun raised his eyes and looked. Under the sword light, the barrier of the two instruments' dust formation was reflected with white light, like an arched rainbow bridge rising from the ground.
A crack visible to the naked eye seemed to be broken like a mirror, trembling and spreading in all directions, and what was sticking out from the crack was -
Lin Xun held his breath, his eyes widened in shock for a moment.
It was a huge palm made of molten lava and rock. Looking back along the arm, behind the formation, he could see the huge body of the giant as big as a mountain.
It only stretched out one arm, and the pressure and demonic energy it exuded were so strong that it was suffocating. The air around it was boiling like a blazing flame.
This was a power far beyond his imagination, and Lin Xun couldn't help but tremble all over.
"The demonic aura here is very strong, and there may be more than one awakened demon god."
Tian Xianzi whispered in secret: "We must deal with it as soon as possible before it escapes from the formation, and then reseal the two instruments of dust. Otherwise, when the cracks get bigger and bigger, the others will rush out... and everything will be completely hopeless."
Lin Xun looked at him in disbelief.
There were three of them now.
He, a Jindan rookie, a little disciple with a very low sense of presence, would tremble at the sight of a demon god.
Elder Wen, whose sea of consciousness was destroyed, has recovered some of his spiritual power after recuperation, but to be honest, his strength is probably not as good as that of a Jindan rookie like him.
Moreover, Elder Wen has not touched a sword for many years. Although he joined the fight before, he used spells.
The only one who can fight is Tianxianzi.
"But you, I..."
Lin Xun hesitated, Tianxianzi laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Do you see that crack? I will give you a few top-grade Juling Pills later. When I defeat that ugly guy, you will use all your spiritual power to fill that crack."
He was even more stunned: "Master, you, you go and deal with it?"
Lin Xun did not forget the incident with Elder Jueming.
The elder's cultivation level was not lower than Tianxianzi's. He fought against the demons with his own life. When he was found by them, only a pale skeleton was left.
No matter who it was, it was doomed to die when faced with such a terrible force.
"Who am I? I am the best swordsman in the world. It's not a boast."
Seeing that more and more of the monsters were sticking out, Tianxianzi swung his sword to block a fire attack, handed the Juling Pill to Lin Xun, and grinned: "Haven't you always wanted to see how your master kills the evil demons?"
He paused, and the smile in his eyes faded a little, and his tone could be described as "gentle".
Elder Tianxian has always been careless and has never shown such gentleness.
"Lin Xun."
He whispered, "No matter what happens... you are brave enough, right?"
Lin Xun did not react to the meaning of this sentence.
But after a moment of distraction, he saw a white shadow flash in front of him. The figure of the young man had disappeared, and only a voice with a smile was carried by the strong wind: "Just watch!"
The first demon god has entered the world, leaving only a small part of the body in the demon realm.
It must be solved as soon as possible before it escapes from the formation.
Lin Xun will not see the cold sword breath rising from the bottom of the eyes of the white-clothed swordsman when he turned around and passed by.
What's more, they won't see that the young man who was smiling all the time sneered, and the forced smile finally faded slowly, replaced by the straight arc of the corner of his mouth like a knife edge.
Tianxianzi is not unaware of his own strength.
Jueming died in the battle, so how could he have the upper hand when he met the devil.
The giant formed by the flames sensed the sword energy and sent out a shocking roar. His arms were wrapped in heavy flames and swung past. In a flash, sparks danced wildly in all directions, as bright as day.
The flames gathered and dispersed, and the surrounding sand and rocks flew, the sand dunes shook violently, and several demonic auras surged in. Tianxianzi silently recited the sword skills and cut them off one by one.
"Master, what should we do?"
Lin Xun saw Tianxianzi's passivity, but his cultivation was weak and he could not help his master at all. He could only hold the Juling Pill in his hand tightly.
Wen Hemian's throat moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Another evil fire attacked fiercely, and Tianxianzi was repelled several feet away and swallowed the thick blood in his mouth.
Jueming is a stubborn guy.
At that time, he, Tianxianzi, Zhenxiao and Wen Hemian often practiced swordsmanship together. Sometimes when asked why he practiced swordsmanship, Jueming answered seriously: "It is to kill evil demons with one sword and protect the people of the world."
Tianxianzi thought, what an old antique.
His ambition is very different from that person.
The sword flashed, and the young man in white standing in the flames concentrated and held his breath, his pupils illuminated by the flames.
What if it was a demon god?
The fighting spirit suddenly rose, and Tianxianzi gathered all his strength and jumped straight into the air. When the long sword was swung, it attracted a flash of light, forcing the evil fire back layer by layer.
The white-clothed man moved forward and rushed straight to the monster rolling in lava.
"What about you?"
Jueming was not convinced, and asked him with a stern face: "Why do you want to practice swordsmanship?"
The young man hugged the sword in his arms and laughed: "Since I named myself 'Tianxianzi', I will become the best swordsman in the world!"
Who cares about demon gods, who cares about destiny.
He is the best in the world -
not for nothing!
The sword energy was everywhere, and the flames were surging.
The two huge forces collided violently, and the demon god's sparks fell wildly and wailed; Tianxianzi's face was pale, and the sword energy in his hand gradually deepened.
The spiritual power exceeded the load.
He felt the pain of his veins about to break.
This was his last, all-out attack.
It was also the last lesson he could teach his disciples.
What a pity, I really don't want to give it up.
He liked his dilapidated and empty little house in the Xuanxu Sword Sect. When he was so poor that he almost sold the house, the elders in the sect cried and begged for it, and saved a lot of spiritual stones for him.
He also likes the swordsmanship that he has been pursuing for a long time. Zhen Xiao and He Xiaochen, the two battle maniacs, always like to drag him into fights, and the reward is the shining spirit stones.
Is he the kind of person who sells his body for money?
He is.
Until then, he vaguely thought that compared with the swordsmanship, what he was more reluctant to give up was the group of rookies in his school.
I really want to teach them swordsmanship for a lifetime.
There are so many people and things in the world that you can't let go of. What kind of mood was Jueming, the stubborn old antique, in when he swung that sword?
While the two forces were in a stalemate, the hand holding the sword was already oozing unstoppable blood.
Tian Xianzi pressed down the force in his hand a little bit, and in his increasingly blurred mind, he suddenly noticed an unexpected wind.
It was not the biting wind in the desert, nor was it the hot and fishy wind brought by the demon god, but another, purer and gentler...
sword energy.
It was Wen Hemian's sword energy.
He had abandoned himself for many years and vowed not to get involved in swordsmanship again. He did not bring his sword with him when he came to the desert this time.
Tian Xianzi lowered his head suddenly and saw the white clothes of the young man beside him being blown up by the wind, and a ray of snow-white sword light.
He recognized it at a glance. It was the long-lost famous sword belonging to Jueming.
"I took the Soul
Gathering Pill and opened my sea of consciousness. I can only help you with two strikes at most."
Wen Hemian gently brushed off the dust on his long sword, not caring about the blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "We haven't fought side by side for many years...old friend."
The last three words were addressed to the junior brother in front of him, or to the person who had passed away many years ago.
Tianxianzi, Wen Hemian, and Jueming.
After several years, the three sword masters who were once amazing and brilliant finally reunited at this moment. Things have changed
. But
the sword spirit is still there.
At the same time, in the distant Ziwei Realm, the sword spirit that had been waiting alone for thousands of years suddenly raised its head, and a glimmer of clarity flashed across its cloudy eyes.
She remembered the breath of the unsheathed sword.
Memories that had been sealed for many years surged up, and at that moment, she remembered her own name and the man who had fought alongside her.
Her name was -
"Zhu...Xie."