Chapter 526

Chapter 526: Harbinger of Calamity

Upon seeing Mu Fanyin’s true appearance, Taotie’s voice trembled.

Its primordial spirit was shackled, rendering it unable to utilize Divine Sense, leaving only its naked eyes to observe.

This face, it could never forget for all eternity.

Had it not been for her, a venerable powerhouse such as itself, a Celestial Lord, would never have been imprisoned in this place.

"It is me."

Mu Fanyin stated coldly, "I have returned."

Li Ruoyu felt perplexed.

Mu Fanyin’s state bore no resemblance to the bewildered and helpless version outside Canglan City. At this moment, it seemed a completely different personality had taken full control of her consciousness.

"I grant you two choices."

Mu Fanyin fixed her gaze on Taotie, "Submit, or die."

"My master!"

Before her words faded, Taotie cried out immediately, "From this moment forth, Taotie pledges allegiance to you as its master, serving you loyally."

"Good!"

Mu Fanyin nodded in satisfaction. Crossing her ten fingers to form a seal, she channeled the primal power of Taihuang Abyss, coalescing it into a Demonic Seed that flew into Taotie’s brow.

The next moment,

the Demonic Seed took deep root within Taotie’s primordial spirit, embedding itself inextricably. Tendrils spread throughout Taotie’s physical form, branding its primordial spirit, its flesh, and the very essence of its path with a profound mark.

None of Taotie’s thoughts could elude Mu Fanyin’s awareness.

Li Ruoyu watched with burning eyes.

To subjugate a Celestial Lord mount with merely a gesture was truly the stuff of envy.

Taotie seethed with resentment.

Yet, the alternative to submission was certain death; it knew well the sheer terror of the woman before it.

Billions of years ago, it was she who descended from the heavens, sundering Taihuang Immortal Domain. Her very flesh transformed into the Taihuang Abyss, its enveloping power of the swallowing path dragging Taotie itself and the hundreds of Dao Sovereigns of the Immortal Domain into its depths.

Even as a supreme Celestial Lord, escape proved impossible.

"My master, this humble servant has a question."

Freed from the binding grip of the Taihuang Abyss, Taotie gradually regained its freedom, shrinking back to an ordinary size. It gazed at Mu Fanyin and asked, "How did you come to descend upon Taihuang Immortal Domain?"

"Are you… one of that realm?"

Mu Fanyin offered a faint, inscrutable smile.

A chill shot through Taotie, silencing any further inquiry.

Mu Fanyin could effortlessly subdue it, her power undeniably at least at the Great Celestial Sovereign level.

It knew well that even its progenitor, the divine dragon born at the creation of the heavens and earth, the very ancestor of all dragons, who had weathered eight great epochs, had merely reached the heights of Great Celestial Sovereign.

Li Ruoyu, watching nearby, took all of this in.

Beyond the Hongmeng Dao Realm existed another world.

"Was this world not supposed to be the supreme one?" A question arose in Li Ruoyu’s heart, for he had cultivated diligently over tens of millions of years before finally achieving Ascension to Hongmeng Dao Realm.

Now, there seemed to be yet another realm beyond the Hongmeng Dao Realm, leaving him utterly shaken.

Nevertheless, Li Ruoyu possessed an indomitable Dao heart. He regained his composure almost instantly.

His sole purpose in cultivation was to reach the peak.

No matter how many mountains stood before him, he would climb them one by one—either reaching the summit or perishing along the way.

"Let’s go out."

Mu Fanyin summoned her magic power, riding Taotie toward the exit of Taihuang Abyss. Li Ruoyu immediately activated his mystical arts, hurrying after them in terror of dying mid-journey.

Human and beast flew out from Taihuang Abyss.

Boom!

Mu Fanyin hovered mid-air, her fingers dancing as she conjured profound sealing techniques. A colossal demonic primordial spirit materialized behind her, blotting out the sky.

"Snoopers approach," Taotie declared, its Divine Sense sweeping across the domain to detect numerous powerful auras.

The commotion from Taihuang Abyss was too great to escape notice.

"Vermin," Mu Fanyin snorted coldly.

Vast magic energy surged into Taihuang Abyss, causing the chasm to shrink gradually. The terrifying crack spanning heaven and earth slowly sealed shut.

Li Ruoyu finally witnessed Taihuang Abyss’s true form—

A physical body.

One bearing features identical to Mu Fanyin’s.

"……"

Li Ruoyu’s emotions roiled violently.

So the supreme being had been beside him all along?

"It’s gone," Taotie noted.

With Taihuang Abyss sealed and its Divine Sense locked upon the domain, the mystical aura vanished completely. Taihuang Immortal Domain restored its original state.

"Elder!"

At that very moment, a voice echoed from within the vanishing abyss. A figure shot toward Mu Fanyin’s group like a meteor, swift as lightning.

Whoosh!

Just as Taihuang Abyss fully transformed back into flesh, this figure emerged.

A youth clad in black robes.

His delicate features held an innocent smile, radiating harmlessness despite his cultivation at the Peak of Nine Tribulations Dao Lord.

Taotie’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"How did he get there?" the beast wondered. It had sensed no living presence within the abyss, yet this youth emerged directly from it.

"Finally made it…"

The black-clothed youth smiled brightly. "Senior, thank you for guiding me, this junior."

"Daoist friend, who are you?"

Mu Fanyin looked at the black-clothed youth.

"Uh…"

Li Ruoyu and Taotie were both dumbfounded. Taotie was utterly bewildered. Just moments ago, Mu Fanyin had been domineering over all, treating everything as nothing, with unmatched arrogance.

In a flash, why was she being so respectful to a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord?

"Could it be that this person is hiding their true strength?" Taotie felt a chill.

Li Ruoyu was deeply worried.

Now that Mu Fanyin had recovered her true personality, could she still suppress Taotie?

What if Mu Fanyin didn’t remember that she was Taotie’s master? Taotie feared it might strike to kill them.

"Miss Mu, do you remember what just happened?" Li Ruoyu said via voice transmission.

"I remember a little."

Mu Fanyin nodded.

In her mind, she retained a portion of memories left by the second personality.

As for Taotie, she wasn’t worried.

If she herself perished, Taotie certainly wouldn’t survive either.

At that moment.

Mu Fanyin had already accepted the fact of her other self in her heart.

"Huh…"

Li Ruoyu let out a long sigh of relief.

"Strange."

The black-clothed youth frowned deeply. He clearly came to this world through her, so why didn’t she remember this at all?

"Kid, who are you exactly?" Taotie’s voice boomed as it spoke human words. "Report your name quickly, or don’t blame me for being impolite."

Although it had been suppressed by the Taihuang Abyss for billions of years and hadn’t reached its peak, subduing a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord was an easy task.

However, there wasn’t much confidence in Taotie’s voice.

It doubted if he was hiding his strength.

Most importantly, it sensed the source of disaster hidden within the black-clothed youth.

It had been unlucky for billions of years, and the sight of the source of disaster made it nervous.

"This junior Dugu Ming greets you, senior."

The black-clothed youth said with a smile.

"Kid, cut the nonsense. First, rein in your aura."

Taotie said solemnly.

"No problem."

Dugu Ming, while restraining his aura, apologized, "This junior has just arrived and feared encountering danger, so I released a trace of the essence of calamity. Please don’t blame me, Senior."

"Dugu Ming…"

Li Ruoyu murmured to himself.

"That name sounds so familiar…"

"It’s him!"

Li Ruoyu’s eyes widened, "Dugu Ming, ranked eighth on the Dao Lord ranking!"

(Note: The Eighth Young Master had fallen and later cultivated into a Dao Sovereign, so he had already been removed from the Dao Lord ranking. The ranking Li Ruoyu saw was the altered version.)

Boom!

The words had barely left his lips.

In the sky above, thunder rumbled powerfully, and dark clouds swirled like tornadoes.

Things happened at lightning speed.

Bolts of the Divine Thunder of punishment descended from the heavens.

"Heavenly punishment…"

Taotie looked up at the sky, speechless, "A bloody jinx, get lost!"

It kicked out with its hind hoof, sending Dugu Ming flying tens of thousands of miles away. However, it hadn’t exerted too much strength, fearful that kicking Dugu Ming to death would entangle it in bad fortune.

After doing this, Taotie, carrying Mu Fanyin on its back, swiftly fled into the distance.

"Senior, wait for me!"

Li Ruoyu cursed internally, frantically chasing after Taotie.

Crack!

A Divine Thunder of punishment struck.

Everything within tens of thousands of miles around was reduced to ashes. Though Li Ruoyu wasn’t at the core of the strike zone, he was caught by the residual shockwave and instantly suffered severe injuries.

"My life ends here…"

Dozens of Tribulation Thunderbolts crashed down.

"It’s so troublesome."

A grumbling voice sounded.

A claw tore through the void, grabbed Li Ruoyu, and retracted into layers of folded space.

Above them.

The clouds of tribulation came and went like the wind, seemingly equipped with their own targeting function, and streaked toward Dugu Ming’s direction.