Chapter 325

Chapter 325: An Old Friend From Afar

Formless Demon Lord radiated malice, his eyes blazing with demonic energy as he stared fixedly at the old monk in white robe.

Everyone froze in place, utterly terrified by Formless Demon Lord’s sudden appearance, and fell silent.

"Whew…" Su Mu and Gu Daojin exhaled long breaths. Though Formless Demon Lord claimed not to care about them, he hadn’t failed them at the crucial moment.

"With the Demon Lord stepping in, the young brother’s life is secured."

The old monk in white robe trembled uncontrollably. To him, Formless Demon Lord was akin to ancient ferocious beasts; compared to the Demon Lord, he was but an ant. He could barely straighten his tongue to speak.

"B-Benefactor… Honored Benefactor! Your Technique is profound, you’ve long comprehended the true essence of cultivation. Before you, this old monk is but a frog at the bottom of a well. How would I dare presume to enlighten you?" the old monk in white robe fawned with a forced smile.

Formless Demon Lord curled his lip in disdain. "Buddhist monks are hypocrites through and through. Losing a fight is just losing a fight, yet you always wrap it in such lofty-sounding nonsense?"

"Since you won’t enlighten me, then let me enlighten you!"

Boom!

With a casual clench of his hand, Formless Demon Lord instantly warped the void.

The old monk in white robe was prepared. The moment the Demon Lord moved, he invoked his seven-colored kasaya. Buddha patterns surged from the kasaya, coalescing into a colossal golden Buddha.

The golden Buddha sat in lotus position, while three thousand realms spun around it.

Crash!

However, his struggle was utterly futile.

Formless Demon Lord ignored the old monk’s divine ability, shattered the golden Buddha with one hand, then swallowed the old monk in white robe whole. His demonic art activated, instantly refining the old monk’s Dao fruit and vital essence.

"Run!"

Bai Muyue and Zhong Ling were scared witless. Without a word, they fled deeper into the Everlasting City of Desolation.

The remaining Immortal Kings scattered like startled birds and beasts.

"No wonder the little one looked so composed; he had Formless Demon Lord as his mountain of support behind him." Xin Hongxiu chuckled lightly before frowning in puzzlement. "I’ve heard Formless Demon Lord is quite the philanderer. Could this boy be his illegitimate son?"

Qi Yuanchu showed no interest in the thought.

"Your guts are substantial," Formless Demon Lord said to Ye Xu after swallowing two Immortal Kings, a lingering gleam in his eyes. He didn’t pursue the fleeing Immortal Kings. "But no matter how bold you are, without matching strength, you’re merely a reckless fool."

He continued coldly, "This time, the ones you provoked were beings within my power to deal with. But you should know, within the Everlasting City of Desolation, I am not the only Immortal Venerable."

He had his own calculations.

If Ye Xu had offended Qi Yuanchu or another being lingering at the end of the Great Dao, Formless Demon Lord might still have intervened. But if faced with an entity beyond even that tier, he would not have bothered.

Formless Demon Lord’s principle had always been self-preservation first.

Ye Xu spoke lightly, "It seems you’ve utterly forgotten the Master’s words."

"If I come to harm, by the time we return to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, you likely could not escape death either."

Formless Demon Lord narrowed his eyes—killing intent flashed within them.

A brat barely at the peak of True Immortal Realm dared threaten him?

"We are all from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, don’t make things unpleasant," Su Mu said placatingly.

Ye Xu folded his arms across his chest, dismissive.

He was not a member of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion; Heaven’s Secret Pavilion belonged to him instead.

The Formless Demon Lord’s demonic nature was difficult to tame; although he had been subdued by him, his mindset had not changed. This was evident from his attitude towards Su Mu, Gu Daojin, and the Second Primordial Spirit Avatar.

However, Ye Xu did not want to educate him now.

When they returned to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, he would have a good talk with the Formless Demon Lord.

"Little Brother Ye Xu, you’ve really hit the jackpot this time," Gu Daojin said enviously, his drool almost dripping, "Could you let me have a look at the Chaotic Golden Lotus?"

"Hopeless."

The Formless Demon Lord, Su Mu, and Ye Xu spoke in unison, perfectly in sync.

At Ye Xu’s thought, the Chaotic Golden Lotus rose from his palm.

This golden lotus had sixty-four petals, imprinted with innate chaotic divine patterns. When one sunk their mind into it, they could see its memories from within.

Its existence spanned longer than any person.

Those images of the hazy, desolate, and deathly silent world made all four feel a bit uncomfortable.

"The top-grade Chaotic Golden Lotus has eighty-one petals," the Formless Demon Lord said. "This one hasn’t reached perfection yet. If it could, it could be refined at once to master the innate Great Dao of Chaos."

The Formless Demon Lord’s eyes turned a bit heated; he said regretfully, "It was just a step too early."

"Not early," Ye Xu laughed. "This Chaotic Golden Lotus can sell for at least several billion Star Yuan. When we return to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, I’ll sell it to Heaven’s Machine Auction House."

"You’re going to sell it?" The Formless Demon Lord frowned.

Ye Xu nodded.

"Then why not sell it to me?" The Formless Demon Lord said solemnly.

"Not selling," Ye Xu shook his head.

At present, the Formless Demon Lord’s life and all treasures he gained in his conquests were his, including the one from the Everlasting City of Desolation, so how could Ye Xu possibly sell the Chaotic Golden Lotus to him?

The Formless Demon Lord did not insist.

Only the top-grade Chaotic Golden Lotus would be of great use to him.

An incomplete Chaotic Golden Lotus was merely dispensable.

…

Li Ruoyu walked with his hands clasped behind his back, Pang Taiyue following step by step.

He had already crossed the Chaotic Sea and arrived at another, more vast world. There was no sky, no land, and the rules were chaotic, with no living beings present.

However, in the chaotic realm, there were several black holes, swallowing and spewing chaotic energy.

Li Ruoyu’s Divine Sense was extremely powerful; he instantly sensed something unusual.

He flew towards one black hole.

Pang Taiyue’s eyes flickered; he knew Li Ruoyu must have discovered the secret of this place.

Boom!

The black hole rotated, constantly collapsing, yet instantly reforming, endlessly cycling through destruction and rebirth.

Li Ruoyu channeled his power, and a purple immortal light enveloped Pang Taiyue; he then took a step and entered the black hole.

Crack!

At that moment, a terrifying power surged from all directions, as if the universe itself were collapsing, overwhelmingly strong, seemingly intending to grind Li Ruoyu to nothing.

Li Ruoyu’s expression remained as calm as an ancient well; he gently traced a line through the void with his right index finger, as if splitting apart the collapsing universe and creating a new path.

One breath later, Li Ruoyu emerged from the black hole.

It was an ancient world.

The sun and moon hung in the sky, with no night.

Mountains rose from the ground, rivers flowed in all directions, brimming with vitality and a fierce flourishing of all things.

It was completely different from the desolation of the Everlasting City of Desolation.

"As expected, a hidden world indeed." Pang Taiyue said in surprise, "Since the rules of this world are so perfect, there must certainly be living beings residing here."

Pang Taiyue scanned the world, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Master, that…could that be the Ancient Tree!"

At the far end of the sightline, a tree that blotted the skies and spread vast branches stood tall; it appeared utterly ordinary at first glance, yet seemed fused with the entire world.

Ancient Tree!

Li Ruoyu’s gaze lingered on the Ancient Tree for only an instant, then he paid it no further attention.

He hadn’t come here for the Ancient Tree.

"It is delightful to have friends arriving from afar."

Now, a burst of laughter reached the ears of Li Ruoyu and Pang Taiyue; the leader of the Undying Divine Clans stood atop the Ancient Tree, looking into the distance at both men.

He cupped his hands in greeting, and his appearance rapidly changed.

In a blink, he transformed into a handsome, valiant black-robed youth, with a slender build but an immense aura of life.

"Come, both of you, to my humble abode for a talk."

The black-robed youth gestured as he invited them.

"Master, be careful." Pang Taiyue solemnly said.

Who knew whether this youth before them was friend or foe.

Li Ruoyu faintly smiled, took a step, and the next moment appeared atop the Ancient Tree; he saw numerous cave realms nestled upon the tree.

In each cave realm, living beings dwelled.

Li Ruoyu looked at the black-robed youth, cupped his hands, and said, "We have come uninvited, and I hope we haven’t startled you, Daoist friend."

"Not at all…"

The black-robed youth was also examining Li Ruoyu, but he couldn’t discern his origin at all, growing even more cautious in his mind.

"Daoist brother, please follow me."