On the ruined secret mountain, all the great demons who were staring at the stone box were stunned.
The scene before them was completely beyond their expectations.
The treasure that they had obtained with so much difficulty and even at the cost of their own essence, now turned into starlight and dissipated in full view of everyone.
Powerful divine thoughts swept across the stone box, but no mechanism was found on it, as if the starry Bodhi leaf carrying the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist was just an illusion.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"How could the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist disappear?"
"It must be someone from your Ancient Demon Palace who did something secretly!"
"Hand over the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist quickly!"
The furious great demons no longer restrained their auras, and powerful Yin spirits appeared under the night sky. The energy kept colliding and spreading to the barren mountains within a radius of several miles.
The manifestation of the Yin God even triggered feedback from the Xuanhuang Realm. Dark clouds quickly gathered in the night sky, and lightning surged in the dense clouds like dragons and snakes.
If three months ago, these great demons were allowed to reveal their true forms like this, a calamity of thunder and lightning would have struck down directly.
However, at this moment, the rules of heaven and earth were becoming more and more perfect, and were approaching the critical point for the appearance of a powerful god. The gathered thunder never fell after all. Only the dark clouds between heaven and earth covered the entire barren mountain with a heart-pounding pressure.
The two Great Spiritual Transformation Demons from the Ancient Demon Palace finally recovered from their previous shock. They all looked extremely ugly and quickly responded to the other Great Spiritual Transformation Demons:
"This stone box was brought out from the secret realm under everyone's watchful eyes the entire time. We definitely had no chance to tamper with it."
"We don't know why the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son disappeared!"
The two great demons from the Ancient Demon Palace were now sweating profusely.
It would be fine if they failed to find the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist. Although the Ancient Demon Palace has spent a lot of energy planning the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist, it can also afford the loss of a failure.
What the Ancient Demon Palace really needs is to use the name of the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist to unite the various demon realms and create opportunities for subsequent layout.
Even if the plan fails, the Ancient Demon Palace has the confidence to appease the great demons in the major demon realms.
But now that the plan has been successful, the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist has disappeared in full view of everyone. As the leader, the Ancient Demon Palace will inevitably be under tremendous pressure.
Even considering the violent tempers of these great demons, it wouldn't be surprising if they were torn to pieces alive.
As for compensation to the major demon realms?
If everyone had not obtained the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist, the Ancient Demon Palace would not have to pay a huge price for compensation. After all, everyone had suffered a loss and the other demon realms would not be in a position to find fault.
But the problem right now is that the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist has been taken out, but lost in the hands of the Ancient Demon Palace. All the great demons who have transformed into gods will definitely take this opportunity to ask for a huge amount of money, unless they are stupid.
You have to know that it involves the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist, and even because of this inheritance, a powerful Taoist master was born. If you really think about it, its value is even greater than that of a Taoist weapon.
Even if the various demon realms demanded a few top-grade spiritual treasures as compensation, it would be considered within a reasonable range.
But in this era when spiritual energy has been depleted for ten thousand years, the preciousness of ordinary spiritual treasures is already far beyond imagination, not to mention the top-grade spiritual treasures.
Many of the top-grade spiritual treasures in existence today are Taoist tools that have fallen in grade during a long period of spiritual energy depletion.
How could the Ancient Demon Palace be willing to use such a precious item as compensation?
Of course, if such words were spoken openly, the great demons present would definitely not let them go.
The two great demons who had reached the state of divine transformation in the Ancient Demon Palace were rapidly thinking about countermeasures, and on the surface they could only try their best to appease these angry demons.
"The disappearance of the Supreme Daoist inheritance must be caused by someone.
Don't worry, my Ancient Demon Palace will definitely track down the culprit and give you a satisfactory explanation!"
However, such words could not convince the great demons in the major demon realms. The tiger demon, which was missing an eye, was surrounded by demonic aura rising into the sky, and his expression was ferocious as if he was ready to devour someone.
"If you don't hand over the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son, you will stay here with this ruined secret land!"
As he spoke, the tiger demon's body was filled with energy and he was about to display his magical powers.
At this moment, the great demon who looked like a dead tree seemed to remember something and quickly spoke loudly:
"I see!"
"I know who secretly took away the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist!"
The tiger demon's eyes flashed fiercely, and he said sternly: "Hurry up and tell me!"
The Dead Wood Demon held the stone box in his hand and pointed directly at Bai Zhao standing beside him, saying with certainty:
"It must be Bai Zhao! It was Bai Zhao who got the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist!"
"At the beginning, my Ancient Demon Palace only obtained a treasure about the secret realm. Since we were unable to decipher the treasure, we had no choice but to seek help from Bai Zhao, hoping that he could use the power of cause and effect to restore the information of the secret realm.
At that time, Bai Zhao tried to plot a dispute between Jidu Dragon Palace and the Great Xia court, but failed and his foundation was damaged. He used this as an excuse to ask us in the Ancient Demon Palace to help him induce a disaster and ascend to the realm of incarnation."
“After entering the secret realm, Bai Zhao was the first to find the altar. Apart from the two of us demons, Bai Zhao was the only one who had the opportunity to come into contact with the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist.
He is the reincarnation of the Bai Ze Demon Saint, and he must have some means that we are not aware of, so it would be easy for him to secretly replace the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son."
Bai Zhao was so furious that he crushed the folding fan in his palm without realizing it.
"You are slandering me without any evidence!"
Although Bai Zhao is the reincarnation of the Demon Saint, his own foundation is shallow. If there is no conflict of interest, the major demon realms may give him face.
But if interests are involved, no one will care about the reincarnation of the demon saint.
This matter involves several demon realms and the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist. Bai Zhao knows very well that he must not take the blame.
"The stone box has been in your hands from the beginning to the end. If you say that I secretly replaced the inheritance, you must produce evidence!
Moreover, I have already made an agreement with the Ancient Demon Palace that I should have a share of the Supreme Daoist inheritance, so why would I go to so much trouble to secretly switch it?"
The Dead Wood Demon was not sure whether it was Bai Zhao who did this, but in the current situation, if he wanted to survive, he could only put the blame on Bai Zhao.
The withered wood demon sneered on his old face and said:
"Evidence? It is precisely because there is no evidence that I suspect you are the one who is interfering."
"You possess the innate magical powers of the Bai Ze Demon Saint, and you are subject to the law of cause and effect. As long as you stir up disputes, you can draw karma from them to restore your cultivation.
The failure of the Jidu Dragon Palace plan has damaged your foundation. Even if you are promoted to the realm of incarnation, it is still not enough for you to make up for your foundation.
The cooperation between our several major demon realms in seeking the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son is a great opportunity for you. As long as you secretly exchange the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son, you can easily provoke disputes among the several major demon realms.
By then, with your karma, you can create some accidents at will, which may expand the conflict. By then, the entire demon race will fall into civil strife, and we will all become the nourishment for you to recover your cultivation!"
As soon as the Dead Wood Demon said this, the faces of the demons in all the major demon realms suddenly changed.
Bai Ze was originally one of the demon saints of the demon race, and was a world-famous auspicious beast. However, following the turmoil ten thousand years ago, Bai Ze transformed into a demon god that wreaked havoc on the world, provoking countless disputes, including internal strife among the demon race.
If it is true as the Dead Wood Demon said, Bai Zhao does have the motive to steal the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist.
Thinking of this, the great demons from all directions looked at Bai Zhao with vigilance.
The withered wood demon's words that distorted right and wrong made Bai Zhao almost vomit blood. If the withered wood demon did not have the power of cause and effect karma, he would even suspect that the withered wood demon was the reincarnation of the real demon god.
Feeling so many suspicious looks, Bai Zhao knew in his heart that unless he could find the inheritance of the Supreme Taoist, he would have to take the blame.
The auras of many great demons present were vaguely connected, blocking all spaces for escape and forcing him to come.
Seeing this, Bai Zhao had no choice but to grit his teeth and speak loudly:
"I am definitely not the one who secretly obstructed this matter. To show my sincerity, I am willing to use the law of cause and effect to trace back the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the footsteps of many big monsters paused slightly, and Bai Zhao took this opportunity to take out a light golden compass from his storage ring.
The compass has the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches written on it, with layers of circular rings constantly rotating, interweaving a mysterious trajectory of destiny.
As soon as the golden compass appeared, many great monsters suddenly stared and exclaimed:
"Choose the Heaven Plate!"
The Zetian Plate is also very famous among the demon clan. It is a Taoist weapon once wielded by the Demon Saint Bai Ze.
However, as the spiritual energy dried up over tens of thousands of years, the Zetian Plate fell from a mid-grade Taoist weapon to a top-grade spiritual treasure, and no longer had its former power.
The Zetian Plate is not very powerful in attack, but it is a first-class treasure for deduction in the world.
Bai Zhao held the Zetian Plate in his hand and made a Taoist seal, looking at the stone box in the hands of the Dead Wood Demon.
"This stone box has contained the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist for thousands of years. It must have a causal connection with that inheritance treasure. If we use the stone box to deduce, we should be able to find a clue to the causal relationship."
As soon as he finished speaking, the karma in Bai Zhao's body surged, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches on the Zetian Plate rotated, and a large number of formation patterns appeared in the barren mountains.
Behind Bai Zhao, the shadow of a mythical beast with deer antlers and a pure white body slowly appeared, and its eyes seemed to contain all the wisdom in the world.
Starlight continued to fall from the sky, converging into a blurry image on the Zetian Plate. It seemed as if there was a layer of invisible mist that prevented the Zetian Plate from spying.
Bai Zhao secretly groaned inwardly when he saw this.
Although the Zetian Plate has fallen to the level of a top-grade spiritual treasure, it still requires a large amount of cause and effect karma to activate it. Right now, there are images displayed on the Zetian Plate but they are not clear, which obviously means that the cause and effect tracing has been hindered.
If you want to get clear clues, you need to increase the investment in cause and effect karma.
Feeling the gazes of the great demons around him, Bai Zhao gritted his teeth and continued to inject cause and effect karma.
The picture on the Zetian plate began to become clear, and a magnificent starry sky could be vaguely seen from the picture.
The group of great demons present were stunned, some of them didn't understand why such a scene would occur.
"Could there be something wrong with the Chosen Heaven Plate?"
A big demon spoke doubtfully.
At this moment, a great demon suddenly spoke:
"Wait a minute, does this starry sky look like a giant bodhi tree?"
All the great demons immediately focused their attention on the picture on the Zetian Plate. In the starry sky, the stars flickered, and the trails of starlight kept flowing among the stars, vaguely depicting lines.
In a trance, there seemed to be a huge Bodhi tree with the starry sky as its crown, stretching out its branches and leaves, covering all the stars in the sky.
“We need a clearer picture.”
The tiger demon spoke to Bai Zhao in a deep voice.
Bai Zhao's face was a little pale at this moment. The cost of using the Zetian Plate to trace the cause and effect was far beyond his expectations.
However, at this moment, the arrow was on the string and he could no longer control himself. A large amount of cause and effect karma was accelerated into the Zetian Plate, and Bai Zhao's aura began to fluctuate.
As more cause and effect karma gathered, all the big demons were finally able to clearly see the scene in the starry sky.
Countless stars are interpreting mysterious laws. The stars turn into Bodhi seeds embellishing the Bodhi tree between twinkling stars, and the intersection of starlight gives birth to lifelike Bodhi leaves.
Even though they were separated by an illusory picture, the great demons could still feel the light of infinite wisdom contained in the Bodhi leaves transformed from starlight.
"These Bodhi leaves are exactly the same as the inheritance of the Supreme Daoist Son in the stone box!"
A cry of surprise came from the mouth of a great demon who had reached the state of spiritual transformation. All the great demons were stunned at this moment, their eyes full of disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
You must know that the Starlight Bodhi Leaf in the stone box is a treasure that has been preserved from thousands of years ago to the present world. The goal of tracing the cause and effect of the Zetian Plate is the cause and effect of this world, and it will not show the scenes in history.
If the Starlight Bodhi Leaf really came from the Starry Sky Bodhi in the picture, it means that this strange Bodhi tree has survived the ten thousand years of spiritual energy depletion and still survived to this day!
Spiritual plants are born between heaven and earth. The more powerful the spiritual plant, the closer its relationship with the entire heaven and earth. The depletion of spiritual energy is an unbearable disaster for any spiritual plant.
Without the support of spiritual energy and the incomplete rules of heaven and earth, even those precious immortal artifacts would not be able to withstand the erosion of ten thousand years, let alone a spiritual plant.
Even the towering Jianmu tree, which was known as the number one spiritual root in the Xuanhuang Realm, had collapsed thousands of years ago. It was impossible for a spiritual plant to survive these ten thousand years.
And now, the Bodhi tree where the Supreme Taoist plucked the Starlight Bodhi leaf has survived to this day, which completely refreshed the cognition of all the great demons who have transformed into gods.
“Isn’t this a bodhi tree, but the evolution of a starry sky?”
Such a thought arose in the mind of a great demon, but the next moment he was awakened by a painful howl.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Bai Zhao, the reincarnation of the demon saint Bai Ze, holding the Zetian Plate in his hands with a look of fear on his face, and trying to throw the plate away.
The Zetian Plate seemed to have merged into one with his hand, constantly drawing out the karma from his body.
Under the unreserved extraction, Bai Ze's cultivation level, which was achieved through cause and effect karma, continued to decline at this moment.
The middle stage of the Spiritualization, the early stage of the Spiritualization, and the peak of the Qi Training.
The image on the Zetian plate becomes clearer as the karma is extracted.
The image presented on the Zetian Plate shattered quietly, accompanied by an invisible wave that spread throughout the world. All the great monsters saw a scene that they would never forget in their lives.
Above the night sky, the bright stars quietly return to their positions, turning into a huge starry eye overlooking all living beings.