Volume 2 Chapter 23
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Volume 2 Chapter 23: Startling Change
Seeing the dangerous, hateful look in Naxiu’s eyes and the sinister, terrifying black glow flickering from his left hand, Xuan Xiu didn’t hesitate and quickly flew towards Naxiu and Bao Wei. Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan cautiously held back and used his magical item "Three Meters Green Silk" to follow behind Xuan Xiu, aiming to reach Bao Wei.
Xu Qingfan knew that with his current abilities, joining Xuan Xiu to rescue would not be much help, and might even cause Xuan Xiu to divide his attention to protect him. So he held back, refraining from impulsively rushing towards Bao Wei. More importantly, he and Xuan Xiu had already worked out a plan through their shared mind: Xuan Xiu would block Naxiu’s attacks, while Xu Qingfan would seize the opportunity to save Bao Wei.
The black glow in Naxiu’s hand, which seemed capable of devouring all light, grew stronger and brighter, eventually coalescing into a black longsword, solid and tangible. As soon as the sword formed, Naxiu swung it mercilessly at Bao Wei’s head with overwhelming malice. At that moment, just freed from the magical orb’s control, Bao Wei remained in a daze, not avoiding Naxiu’s swinging black sword.
Just before the black sword could strike Bao Wei, a giant golden shield suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the attack. Sparks flew as the sword clashed with the shield, creating a resounding clang. Xuan Xiu had arrived at the last crucial moment, casting the "Golden Spirit Shield" to fend off Naxiu’s attack. However, the black sword Naxiu conjured was incredibly powerful, and although the golden shield was Xuan Xiu’s best effort, it quickly cracked under the strikes, ultimately shattering back into the primordial Golden Spirit Qi, dissipating into the air.
Naxiu was slightly startled when someone suddenly blocked his move. In his brief moment of surprise, Xu Qingfan’s "Three Meters Green Silk" appeared like a long snake, wrapping around the still-dazed Bao Wei and swiftly bringing him to his side.
Seeing Bao Wei suddenly rescued, Naxiu shouted angrily, raising his hand to unleash a black sinister energy towards Bao Wei, who was being taken away by the "Three Meters Green Silk". The black energy transformed mid-air into a giant black python, opening its mouth to bite Bao Wei.
But Xuan Xiu conjured a giant golden axe, which suddenly appeared above the black python and swiftly sliced it into two parts. With Xuan Xiu’s intervention, Xu Qingfan managed to bring Bao Wei back to his side.
After rescuing Bao Wei, Xuan Xiu wasted no time flying back to Xu Qingfan’s side. Upon landing, he pressed his hands on Bao Wei’s back, releasing a surge of powerful Golden Spirit Qi, and shouted, "Awaken!"
With Xuan Xiu’s shout, Bao Wei’s eyes gradually cleared from confusion to awareness. Once conscious, Bao Wei surveyed his surroundings, recalling the earlier situation with the magic orb and Xuan Xiu’s shout. He quickly realized what had happened.
"I am ashamed. I failed to seize the magic orb and was controlled by it instead. I am grateful for your rescue, Venerable One," Bao Wei said, bowing to Xuan Xiu with a look of remorse.
"No need to worry, friend Bao Wei. The magic orb was crafted by the Demon Ancestor millennia ago, and its power is unknown to us. It is understandable that in your eagerness to seize the orb, you were caught off guard. Please don’t dwell on it. Let us focus on dealing with Naxiu," Xuan Xiu replied, bowing in return.
After hearing Xuan Xiu’s words, Bao Wei set aside formalities and turned to face Naxiu. Before that, he nodded to Xu Qingfan, saying, "I must trouble you, nephew."
"You flatter me, elder," Xu Qingfan hurriedly responded, bowing.
Actually, with Bao Wei’s Golden Core Stage cultivation, he shouldn’t have been so easily subdued by the demon orb. However, at the time he tried to seize the orb, he was solely focused on guarding against Naxiu’s counterattack. Although he had gathered a significant amount of Spirit Qi, he neglected to shield his own mind and underestimated the power of the demon orb. According to Xuan Xiu’s speculation, this orb should be the one from the "Nine Demon Bead" designed specifically to demonize cultivators. Not only does it possess the greatest power, but it also has abilities to counteract cultivators, which is why the orb managed to infiltrate Bao Wei’s defenses and seize his mind unexpectedly. Otherwise, with Bao Wei’s Golden Core Stage power, his strong Divine Sense would have made it difficult for the orb to control him, even with full vigilance.
Even so, Bao Wei still felt a tinge of fear when he saw the demon orb in Naxiu’s hand, evidently wary of the orb.
At this moment, Naxiu became calm after seeing Bao Wei being rescued. Although he continued to glare coldly at Xu Qingfan and the others on the altar, he took no action. The orb in his right hand began to emit thick purple-blue mist, which flowed towards the wound on his left chest. With the help of the demon orb, the wound in Naxiu’s left chest was healing rapidly, visibly so.
The little girl sitting on the altar, hugging her knees, watched Naxiu’s transformation with an indifferent expression. She showed neither worry when Naxiu was injured nor delight as the wound healed. Her eyes were as tranquil as still water, appearing more serene and mysterious amidst the chaotic clamor around her.
Xuan Xiu and Bao Wei, though intently watching Naxiu’s transformation, also kept casting glances at the little girl on the altar, who seemed out of place with her surroundings. They were clearly curious about why this strange and mysterious girl was on the altar.
Finally, Naxiu’s wound on his left chest was completely healed with the help of the orb. Seeing the fully healed wound, Naxiu’s pale face showed satisfaction, and he suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar, echoing across the sky.
In the midst of Naxiu’s roar, the demonic soldiers and mutated demon beasts attacking the altar suddenly halted their assault and retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind a battlefield littered with corpses. Watching the retreating demonic army, Lv Ziqing and Shang Nianyao heaved a sigh of relief. Shang Nianyao almost stumbled from exhaustion, indicating the intensity of the battle and his heavy Spirit Qi depletion.
At this time, calmness returned to the scene, with only the desolate winds of the Southern Wasteland whispering quietly about the solemn and deadly atmosphere.
Thus, under the gaze of numerous demonic soldiers and mutated demon beasts, Naxiu and Bao Wei, along with Xuan Xiu and Xu Qingfan, stared coldly at each other. Beside them, the little girl sat hugging her knees with a calm demeanor, standing out prominently.
At last, Naxiu’s powerful voice echoed across the sky once more.
"Outsiders, you have truly angered me, the leader of the Jiuli tribe, the great Demon God’s representative on earth, the master of the Southern Wasteland—Naxiu."
"Initially, I wanted to let you bask in the glory of the great Demon God, to gain immense strength under his protection, and become my trusted followers, aiding me in conquering the entire Shenzhou Continent."
"But your recent actions have completely desecrated me, desecrated the great Demon God, and desecrated the entire Jiuli tribe. I have no choice but to abandon my original plan and use you as a blood sacrifice to the Eye of the Demon God to quell his fury."
As Naxiu’s mighty voice resonated through the heavens and earth, the ground around the altar suddenly cracked open, revealing twelve purple-blue coffins. These coffins silently floated up to the same height as the altar. With their appearance, Xu Qingfan and the others seemed to feel twelve pairs of cold, murderous eyes staring at them.
Witnessing this strange occurrence, Lv Ziqing and Shang Nianyao quickly gathered with Bao Wei Xuan Xiu and the others to prevent any unexpected events.
"Enjoy the glory of the Demon God? I think you mean losing our minds to become your puppets! Hmph! Unfortunately, we don’t believe in your Demon God at all," Bao Wei replied coldly after hearing Naxiu’s words.
"Since that’s the case, let me show you the might of the great Demon God!"
As Naxiu’s voice fell silent, the lids of the twelve coffins around the altar suddenly exploded, releasing thick black mist. From within the mist, twelve eerie figures, each wearing different attire and marked with glowing purple-blue flame patterns, slowly emerged from the coffins.
"Junior Brother Liu! Junior Brother Zhang! Junior Brother Weichi!"
"Taoist friend Xuanfang! Taoist friend Xuanhai! Taoist friend Xuanmo!"
When the black mist dissipated, everyone on the scene finally saw the faces of these twelve people, and exclamations erupted. Clearly, some of these twelve were the cultivators who went missing from Qingxu Gate and Penance Valley!
Xu Qingfan was also shocked at this moment because he noticed that one of the twelve was wearing the attire of Jiuhua Gate, yet somehow had been turned into a demonic soldier under Naxiu.
"Go forth, my Demon Generals. The Demon God has granted you powerful energy, and it’s time to repay it. Show your loyalty to the Demon God with your actions."
After these twelve appeared, they ignored the shouts from Xuan Xiu and Lv Ziqing completely, remaining silently suspended in mid-air with their eyes tightly shut. However, as Naxiu’s commanding voice echoed through the heavens and earth, the twelve slowly opened their eyes, revealing a dark glow that overshadowed their whites, leaving only a cold, pure blackness.
As Naxiu’s voice faded, the twelve suddenly moved from stillness to motion, rushing toward Xu Qingfan and the others at lightning speed. As they soared through the air, they revealed their magical weapons, ignoring the calls from Lv Ziqing and Xuan Xiu. Clearly, they had been controlled by the demonic pearls, utterly losing their minds and only obeying Naxiu’s orders.
"You two are mine."
Just as Xuan Xiu and Bao Wei were about to intercept the twelve, Naxiu’s cold and slightly mocking voice suddenly reached their ears. At the same time, a massive black mist surged toward them.
