Chapter 577

Chapter 577: Settling Old Grudges, Meeting the Demon Lord

Recently, Zhang Tianhua felt restless. That brat named Li actually became the leader of a sect—the Heavenly Talisman Sect, not just any ordinary sect, but one with immense influence.

Now a sixth true disciple of the Hongmo Sect, he was just one step away from reaching the Myriad Forms Stage. Even ordinary cultivators in the early stages of Wanxiang couldn’t last three exchanges in his hands; his magical abilities were profound, and his bloodthirst was unmatched.

“Li Hui, back when you wiped out the Blood Talisman Sect three years ago, I knew you wouldn’t let this go. One day, we would meet again. Well, when you see me, you’ll definitely be shocked, don’t you agree, Gao Yuhu?” Zhang Tianhua chuckled, hand resting on the large human head hanging from his waist.

At that moment, a voice came from behind, “Oh? Are you waiting for me?”

“What person?” Zhang Tianhua swiftly reacted, trying to escape, but to his surprise, shadows coiled around him, imprisoning him. No matter what technique he used, he couldn’t break free from the shackle.

“Gao Yuhu has actually refined you into a Yin Kui magical statue,” Li Hui stood behind Zhang Tianhua, closing his eyes and sighing, recalling the dark, sturdy figure of Gao Yuhu, filling his heart with indignation.

“Li Hui, is that you?” Zhang Tianhua’s eyes widened as he shouted, “Is there a spy in the sect who let you in? That’s impossible! The esteemed leader of the Heavenly Talisman Sect actually took such risks to infiltrate my Hongmo Sect.”

“Zhang Tianhua, you are an evil man who has never harbored a single good thought,” Li Hui reached out and took hold of the human head from Zhang Tianhua’s waist. Behind him, six beams of light shot out, compelling the head to expand and transform into a bewildered, barefoot giant.

“Ha ha ha!” Zhang Tianhua laughed, “This is your own doing.”

With a loud bang, the giant turned into a fearsome magical statue with four faces, each representing malice, hatred, fear, and debauchery.

Li Hui responded coldly, “Is this your method? Making countless islanders worship Gao Yuhu, then torturing them until their resentment reached its peak, spilling their heart’s blood on Gao Yuhu’s corpse? It’s hard to find such a vile method in the world. This was your invention, wasn’t it?”

“What’s the problem?!” Zhang Tianhua thundered. “Gao Yuhu, obey my command. Kill Li Hui with all your might. Together in ruin!”

Li Hui shook his head. “Zhang Tianhua, if I let you die easily, I would be disloyal to Gao Yuhu. Evil men belong in hell. Let Gao Yuhu be the king of hell! His remnants will set the rules while I provide the material until he is satisfied.”

“No! You can’t seal me! This is an illusion, watch my blood god mirror!” Zhang Tianhua took out a magical mirror, ready to unleash its power, only to see the mirror shatter into scraps in his hands.

Bang, bang, bang… All the magical items on Zhang Tianhua were completely destroyed, and even his cultivation levels plummeted—from nearing the All-Manifestation Realm down to the Late Condense Essence stage.

“You have imparted so much malice to Gao Yuhu. Have you ever tasted the bitterness of it?” Li Hui exited the Yin prison, and terrifying screams erupted behind him.

“Bold…” A dozen terrifying auras surged forth, all at the Myriad Forms Stage. Before they could even approach, they were sent into the Yin prison, and the four-faced magical statue’s eyes lit up, cackling as it set rules. Zhang Tianhua would be driven to flee; the hunger for revenge began to spread.

Li Hui glided forward, sending every demon cultivator he encountered into the eighteen layers of the Yin prison. There were glimpses of hope there; if they were willing to forsake their lives to help others, not only could those they helped escape, but they could also free themselves. However, there were no exceptions.

Driven by Gao Yuhu’s malice, the eighteen layers of the Yin prison resembled a maze. The rule he had set was that one must kill nine people to leave, but in truth, killing nine would simply drop him to a lower level of the prison, which had its own rules; any pause could mean losing protective magical items or having their cultivation drop.

Zhang Tianhua was filled with dread as nine inner sect disciples he had previously oppressed fell into the maze, two of whom were in the early Bosa Stage while he was now weakened to the Late Condense Essence stage. This was a hunt specifically targeting him.

“Gargling!” The four-faced magical statue laughed, and as its heads rotated, malice and hatred always faced forward, spitting out a series of incomprehensible syllables: “Thank you, thank you…”

The true location of the Hongmo Sect lay beneath the sea, appearing as if it belonged to the outside world; even the disciples of the Hongmo Sect were unaware of it. Surrounding formations borrowed from immense water pressure to bind them in circles, leaving only one path for entry and exit. Only a divine skill like the Ideal Body could forcibly enter.

Li Hui suddenly came to a halt, intricate Dao principles covering the ground beneath him and complex patterns weaving above his head. He looked at the figure descending from the heights, feeling as if facing formidable foes.

“Do you know that I, the sect leader, have already faced tribulation in advance?” The figure was none other than Shang Feiran, the leader of the Hongmo Sect—his red hair, red eyebrows, and red nails, all matching his crimson robe.

“I am highly sensitive to changes in calamity power. Although Yan Lu claimed to suppress you to buy me time, it coincided perfectly with the Unrivaled Calamity Master facing the millennia calamity—a rare opportunity indeed. If you weren’t taking this chance to face tribulation, that would truly be odd,” Li Hui stared calmly at the leader of the Hongmo Sect. Frankly, he felt he had no confidence against someone at the Myriad Forms Stage in the raw. If he could buy some time, it would be best.

As the leader of the Hongmo Sect, having lived for nearly a thousand years, Shang Feiran had mastered the Mastery of the Demonic Path to a high degree. In his youth, he had obtained opportunities against the heavens on Wan Nest Island. Even if he were on equal footing with Li Hui, he might not lose, let alone the fact that he had advanced to a much higher stage.

“I have been holding back all this time waiting for today. Throughout history, only three people who mastered the Demonic Path have reached the stage of roaming. The first was named Luo Haoran, who ascended to the Heavenly Realm and vanished without a trace. The second was named Chou Xu, who suppressed the sword cultivators of the Geng Gold Continent for five hundred years. The third is me, sect leader of the Hongmo Sect, Shang Feiran.”

Upon hearing this, Li Hui nodded. “Indeed formidable, hard to handle, and difficult to kill. As long as you leave behind a drop of demon blood, who knows when you might revive. Therefore, today’s battle must leave no survivors, no hidden dangers.”

“Ha ha ha! Do you have the ability?” Shang Feiran laughed heartily, with the wind and clouds swirling around him, calamity power enveloping him; he declared, “You are the Unrivaled Calamity Master, equally difficult to kill! Hence, after facing tribulation a year ago, I built up immense demonic power to accumulate demonic tribulations. Don’t think that only the Unrivaled Calamity Master can accumulate calamity power. Our path of mastery can achieve this too. Today, I just need to weaken you; no matter how many backup plans you leave, they are useless.”

“What a cunning strategy!” Li Hui understood that the Hongmo Sect leader Shang Feiran had more arrangements than this. They both played their schemes; a half-step error would lead to total failure. This was a life-and-death struggle, a tragedy for the loser on the road of Dao.

“Li Hui, you’re not the only one who has allies. I also invited help to come. How will you respond?” Shang Feiran sneered, suddenly showing a shocked expression, exclaiming, “What is this aura? Are you using the Di Jiang Talisman Corpse as a prison? Do you want to release Blood Moni?”