Chapter 165: Who’s The Villain? Martial Saint’s Secret Treasure
Underground Palace World.
The surging Heaven and Earth power fluctuated ceaselessly, trembling continuously. Crystals like luminous pearls fell from the ceiling one by one, and large sections of the palace collapsed. If this grotto had not been solidified by ten thousand years of flame scouring, it would have already fallen.
At this moment.
The thousand Heavenly Swords condensed by Ning Qi had replaced the previous ‘stars’, transforming into a sky full of stars.
Wisps of starlight descended, looking extremely brilliant, but in reality, they were filled with killing intent. These were strands of peerless sword qi.
And below.
A terrifying blood-colored monster roared towards the sky. Although it had no face or mouth, its three heads simultaneously fixed on Ning Qi. Horrifying blood waves surged out. The monster, dozens of feet tall, leaped high into the air, charging forward.
Golden light flashed in Ning Qi’s eyes.
The Illusion Breaking Golden Eye activated, and everything in the world slowed down in his eyes. He gazed at the blood-colored monster and saw vast amounts of flesh and blood power churning within it. In an instant, he understood the monster’s true nature—
It was condensed from the sacrifices of numerous Heavenly Humans of the Demonic Sect, offering all their flesh and blood and power. Furthermore, the remaining Heavenly Humans were continuously channeling their power.
In a sense.
This was the complete aggregation of the power of numerous Heavenly Humans.
It was far more powerful than the forced joint attacks before.
“Indeed extraordinary. This blood-colored monster’s strength is at least several times that of the Blade Demon,” Ning Qi estimated in his heart. This Demonic Sect truly had some means and a solid foundation; they were not that easy to deal with.
However.
Ning Qi was fearless.
The previous moment was merely a test. It was not excessive to be cautious when facing an unknown enemy.
The blood-colored monster charged forward with formidable momentum, its six arms grasping at the stars and moon, devouring all the incoming sword qi. Its aura did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it grew even stronger.
Seeing this, the Demonic Sect members were all immensely uplifted.
“Blood Demon, capture him!” The Great Elder’s silver hair whipped wildly. His usually calm face was now somewhat fierce. The Demonic Sect had never been pushed into such a desperate situation before.
Ning Qi calmly pointed a finger.
The Thousand Star Sword Array in the sky immediately underwent a change.
The Thousand Star Sword Array was not merely a stack of Heavenly Swords; it contained profound mysteries. Each ‘star’ vibrated, and the starlight that had been descending suddenly surged. The entire underground palace was illuminated, revealing every detail of the anger and solemnity on everyone’s faces.
“Star Sea Fall!” Ning Qi whispered inwardly.
In an instant, each star split into one hundred and eight strands of sword qi, totaling one hundred and eight thousand.
One hundred and eight thousand strands of sword qi, how vast was that?
It truly was like a star sea falling.
Under the shocked gazes of the Demonic Sect members.
The sword qi, like a reversed Milky Way, swept towards the blood-colored monster, engulfing it in the blink of an eye. While the power of a single strand of sword qi might not compare to a Heavenly Sword, their sheer number compensated for the gap in quality. This power far surpassed the Heavenly Dipper Earthly Fiend Sword that Ning Qi had used before.
“Bang bang bang bang!”
“Roar!!”
A dense cacophony of impacts, cutting sounds, and roars continuously echoed.
The congregation witnessed.
The Blood Demon roared incessantly. Its six arms swung to their limit, and even extended further, becoming like six tentacles, forming six blood-colored barriers that resisted the sword qi bombardment. But this was not enough. One hundred and eight thousand strands of sword qi were simply too many. Even though the Blood Demon was fighting desperately, it was losing ground at a visible rate.
Tendrils of blood mist power dispersed.
Suddenly.
The Blood Demon let out a ferocious roar. Its three previously faceless heads suddenly split open, as if opening giant mouths.
“Blood Demon Devours Heaven!” the Great Elder roared.
This so-called blood demon monster actually had no intelligence; it was merely controlled by the person at the head of the formation from the shadows, making it appear eerie and terrifying. Now, he no longer hid and controlled the Blood Demon to use its ultimate move.
A colossal suction force pulled them in. Strands of sword qi were swallowed by the three heads. In the blink of an eye, the space that had been filled with sword qi became empty.
Xiang Tianxing and the others showed joy.
“It’s working!”
They clenched their fists tightly, and their tense bodies finally relaxed slightly.
However, the Great Elder did not smile. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was enduring immense pressure.
Ning Qi, on the other hand, showed no emotional change.
The golden light in his eyes swept towards the Blood Demon’s belly, and a smile touched his lips.
He had to admit, this blood demon monster was indeed capable. However, he had already seen through its true nature. This so-called blood demon was merely an aggregation of power, and it was still controlled by the Great Elder.
At this moment.
After devouring one hundred thousand strands of sword qi, the Blood Demon’s body rapidly expanded, reaching over a hundred feet in size in the blink of an eye.
A cold sneer flashed in his eyes: “Eating so much, aren’t you afraid of getting indigestion?”
At this time.
The Demonic Sect members also discovered something was wrong. After rapidly expanding, the Blood Demon’s body then rapidly contracted, repeating this cycle in a bizarre manner. It was clearly not in a normal state.
The Great Elder’s roar sounded:
“Hurry and sacrifice yourselves to become demons!”
He spat out a mouthful of blood, and even blood tears flowed from his eyes. The other Demonic Sect experts’ expressions changed. More than a dozen older Heavenly Human realm experts stepped forward. Although they were not as decisive as the previous dozen white-haired elders, after a moment of hesitation, they also stepped forward.
They whispered a few words to those around them and then resolutely went to their deaths.
Although they often engaged in infighting, when facing an external enemy, they were surprisingly united. They clearly understood priorities.
Boom boom boom!!
After a series of self-detonations.
A dense power of flesh and blood surged out once more, forming a river of blood that converged on the Blood Demon.
In an instant.
The Blood Demon’s chaotic aura finally stabilized. It roared towards the sky, exhaling a majestic breath that exploded in the void, forming rings of terrifying shockwaves. With the additional flesh and blood of more than a dozen Heavenly Humans, it finally managed to withstand the one hundred and eight thousand strands of sword qi it had swallowed.
However, it was merely venting it in a different way, rather than absorbing it into its body as before.
Moreover.
The shockwaves that emanated out destroyed palace after palace. Hidden Demonic Sect servants turned to dust, completely unable to resist.
The Thousand Star Sword Array and the Blood Demon Great Formation clashed fiercely. The superiority was clear at a glance.
Ning Qi was unharmed.
However, the Demonic Sect had already lost more than thirty Heavenly Humans.
This was an unprecedented and enormous loss!
The profound foundation accumulated by the Demonic Sect over the years had been cut by more than half by Ning Qi. These people were the essence of the Demonic Sect, both in terms of power and loyalty. Now, only a little over ten remained.
The remaining individuals were either the Demonic Sect’s new generation of powerhouses, such as the two Candidate Holy Sons, or the most core figures, like the Vice Sect Master Xiang Tianxing and the Great Elder, or experts whose strength could rival those on the Heavenly Human Ranking.
Everyone was filled with shock and anger.
The Heavenly Sword True Person before them was terrifyingly powerful, clearly exceeding the scope of the Heavenly Human Realm. They even wondered if the Heavenly Sword True Person had already stepped into the Martial Saint Realm.
But the crisis before them had not yet passed.
Those Heavenly Swords suspended in the air, radiating a sharpness that made them tremble with fear.
At this moment.
The blood demon monster dared not continue charging forward. The previous charge had not even touched Ning Qi’s clothes, and it had instead lost more than a dozen Heavenly Humans. Now, although its aura was even stronger, it still did not dare to take further risks.
It stood before the numerous Demonic Sect experts, like a towering blood mountain.
The Great Elder wiped away his tears and opened his eyes. He looked at Ning Qi and said in a deep voice:
“Heavenly Sword True Person, how about we stop here? Your True Martial Sect has suffered no losses. There’s no need to fight us to the death for Great Yan. I can guarantee that from now on, our Sacred Sect will not encroach upon your True Martial Sect, and all past grievances will be settled!”
The Demonic Sect members were all indignant and clenched their fists unwillingly, but there was nothing they could do.
The Heavenly Sword True Person was too strong!
If they didn’t stop and fought to the death, even if they won, it wouldn’t necessarily be better.
All eyes fell on Ning Qi. His golden gaze swept over each of them, making their hearts tremble.
Ning Qi spoke indifferently:
“If you have any means, feel free to use them.”
His purpose for coming here had not been achieved, so how could he leave now? Relying on others’ promises was not Ning Qi’s style. If he retreated now, once the Demonic Sect produced a Martial Saint in the future, they would likely be the first to be destroyed.
His Illusion Breaking Golden Eye continuously focused on the Great Elder. Only this person possessed an aura that he could not discern. That should be the Great Elder’s trump card. The others were not to be feared, but using this trump card would likely come at a great cost, which was why the Great Elder was humbly seeking peace.
The Great Elder took a deep breath and said coldly:
“Heavenly Sword True Person, do you really intend to be like this?”
Ning Qi did not reply.
In this brief moment, the Heavenly Swords once again became filled with qi, their sharpness at its peak.
“Very well! I hope you don’t regret it!” The Great Elder gave Ning Qi a deep look, then said in a low voice, “Tianxing, you will be in charge of the formation!”
Xiang Tianxing’s body trembled, and then he nodded forcefully.
The remaining dozen or so Heavenly Humans, led by Xiang Tianxing, closely protected the Great Elder.
The Blood Demon roared, its entire body emitting blood light, locking onto Ning Qi as if in provocation. Ning Qi naturally would not indulge it. He merely took a moment to catch his breath and adjust his state. He was not one for idle chatter. He had completely understood the Blood Demon’s true strength in the previous exchange.
He would no longer hold back now.
Another Star Sea Fall.
One hundred and eight thousand strands of sword qi, like a heavenly river reversed, surged towards the Demonic Sect members.
The blood demon monster roared towards the sky and actively met the attack. This time, it was passive defense. Having learned from the previous lesson, Xiang Tianxing did not dare to brazenly swallow these one hundred thousand strands of sword qi. He focused on defense to avoid interfering with the Great Elder.
The blood-colored power transformed into numerous giant hands, constantly slapping away. The sword qi dissipated, turning into ripples. Especially the six blood arms, which were ferociously powerful, crushing strand after strand of sword qi. However, it was evident that the Blood Demon could only barely hold on, being completely suppressed.
Ning Qi’s Illusion Breaking Golden Eye saw through the Blood Demon’s flaws, and the sword qi exerted even greater pressure.
The heavens and earth shook, as if it were the end of the world.
Ning Qi saw that after recuperating, the Great Elder slowly brought out an item.
It was a crystal-clear Treasure Bead.
As soon as the Treasure Bead appeared, Ning Qi’s heart skipped a beat. He realized that the Great Elder’s trump card likely originated from this.
“What is that thing?”
As Ning Qi’s thought arose.
The Great Elder’s hair flew wildly, and the Treasure Bead suspended in mid-air emitted a brilliant light. Then, waves of energy spread outwards. Subsequently, the numerous servants who had been hiding suddenly twisted their bodies and exploded into blood mist with a “bang.”
The servants in the Underground Palace World numbered at least one hundred thousand. Now, as this Treasure Bead was activated, they all self-detonated and turned into blood mist, crying out in terror.
Streams of blood mist converged, not entering the Blood Demon’s body, but instead entering the Treasure Bead before the Great Elder.
“With the power of your ancestors, offer your final glory!” the Great Elder roared with laughter.
In an instant.
The Treasure Bead transformed into a Blood Bead!
A power that made even Ning Qi’s heart pound was brewing within it. Ning Qi’s golden eyes flared, attempting to discern its essence. He saw Heaven and Earth power converging and condensing within it in a special manner.
“Could this be… Martial Saint Power? Could this be the legendary long-lost Martial Saint Secret Treasure?” Ning Qi couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement in his heart.
There was very little information about Martial Saints, but Martial Saint Secret Treasures were among the few things that had been passed down. Legends said that Martial Saints possessed powerful secret treasures, vastly different from the weapons used by ordinary warriors. These secret treasures possessed immense power, far beyond what those so-called Divine Weapons and Sharp Tools could compare to.
However, with the extinction of Martial Saints, those powerful secret treasures had also been lost long ago. He hadn’t expected to see one here today.
“As expected of the Demonic Sect, they truly have a deep foundation.”
As Ning Qi marveled, an idea took shape in his mind.
He used sword qi to intercept the power of the blood mist converging from all directions, but found that although the blood mist was intercepted, a fundamental essence of power could not be blocked.
The power within the Blood Bead became increasingly abundant.
He fully activated his Golden Eyes, suppressing the Blood Demon while rapidly thinking:
“This secret treasure is extraordinary. It’s not just about condensing Heaven and Earth Power; it requires a key medium. The blood of those servants contains something unusual. The Demonic Sect kept them here not just for pleasure, but likely more for this secret treasure!”
“Since it cannot be blocked, why not let it form naturally? I have been tirelessly seeking the Martial Saint Realm without success. This object before me can condense Martial Saint Power. If I can obtain it and study it, the Martial Saint Realm might be within reach.”
“However, the degree must be controlled.”
The thought flashed by. Ning Qi waved his sleeve, and the hundred Heavenly Swords descended together, all transforming into sword qi. The sword qi, which had already been showing signs of decline, surged once more. The Blood Demon’s three arms were cleanly severed.
Simultaneously, Ning Qi fully activated his Golden Eyes, quietly observing the trajectory of the secret treasure’s operation. Streams of spiritual insight rose, continuously analyzing various possibilities and ultimately trending towards the correct path.
Xiang Tianxing coughed up blood, his face pale. He urgently roared:
“Hurry and sacrifice yourselves to become demons!”
The remaining dozen or so Demonic Sect Heavenly Humans felt grief, but what could they do now? They shared fortune and misfortune. They glanced at the Great Elder who was still activating the secret treasure, and then made up their minds. Rather than dying indignantly together, it was better to contribute something. The Sacred Sect would not mistreat their descendants in the future.
Three Heavenly Humans stepped forward in unison.
“Old Daoist Heavenly Sword, we are sworn enemies!”
Roars sounded as the three Heavenly Humans’ flesh and blood merged into the Blood Demon. The previously severed three arms grew back, and blood light permeated the area, blocking the incoming sword qi.
Ning Qi’s eyebrows twitched. He perceived a subtle fluctuation in the Great Elder’s aura. He calmly waved his hand again.
Another two hundred Heavenly Swords descended, an outburst without regard for endurance, their might terrifying.
Xiang Tianxing was horrified.
But before he could shout this time, another four Heavenly Human realm experts tragically sacrificed themselves.
“Old Daoist Heavenly Sword, may you die a horrible death!”
The Blood Demon’s power surged. These few Heavenly Human realm experts were very strong, actually slightly suppressing the sword qi.
But Ning Qi remained calm.
Another three hundred Heavenly Swords pressed down.
The remaining few members of the Demonic Sect were close to despair. How they wished the Great Elder could hurry up, but there was no sign of the Great Elder waking up.
“Vice Sect Master, you must protect the Great Elder!”
“Old Daoist Heavenly Sword, we’ll fight you to the death!”
Heavenly Human realm experts cursed and detonated themselves, including the two young Demonic Sect Holy Sons. Ning Qi’s expression remained calm, but he felt a strange sense of being the villain.
He shook his head and chuckled, looking at the remaining two.
Xiang Tianxing and the Great Elder.
At this moment.
Xiang Tianxing was already swaying precariously. The Blood Demon had suffered repeated damage, and as the person controlling the formation, he had also been significantly impacted. Although the Heavenly Sword’s sharpness had also been greatly reduced, with only him left, he was unable to support it alone. The Blood Demon was riddled with holes and had no power to recover.
The remaining Heavenly Sword suppressed it.
That powerful aura almost made him despair.
Xiang Tianxing let out a tragic laugh and was about to merge with the Blood Demon, making one last effort.
One hand pulled him.
The Great Elder didn’t know when he had woken up. He held a blood bead in one hand, and the blood light illuminated his face, yet it didn’t appear fierce at all. Instead, it seemed somewhat benevolent. He said softly:
“Tianxing, leave the rest to me.”
Although the voice was low, everyone could hear the chilling coldness within it.
When he activated the secret treasure, he was not completely unaware of the outside world; on the contrary, he knew very clearly that one Heavenly Human after another was dying, making his heart bleed.
At this moment, the Treasure Bead’s light was not perfect.
But there’s no way.
He didn’t have much time left.
If Xiang Tianxing also died, then he would truly become a lone commander. Waiting for a moment longer would not be very meaningful; it would be better to preserve one more Heavenly Human for the Sacred Sect.
Xiang Tianxing nodded forcefully.
He glared fiercely at Ning Qi, like a child emboldened by parental backing. He utterly hated Ning Qi before him; today could be called the Demonic Sect’s sorrow. Fellow disciples, once incredibly familiar, died before his eyes. This Old Daoist was more terrifying than a malevolent ghost.
He desperately hoped the Great Elder would suppress the old Daoist before him.
Upon hearing the Great Elder’s response, Xiang Tianxing was almost moved to tears of joy, but when he looked at the Blood Bead, his gaze couldn’t help but reveal a trace of worry. Even though he had never seen this Blood Bead before, he could tell that it was not perfect.
The Great Elder read his thoughts and said faintly:
“That’s enough to deal with him.”
He looked at those peerlessly sharp Heavenly Swords, full of confidence.
There was pride in his eyes; how could others understand the power of a Martial Saint?
