Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 457 Let's try unifying the Demonic Sect first

While Chen Ye was still investigating the real culprit, this young woman, Qinglan, had already returned to the depths of the earth.

This is a palace built from piles of white bones, just like the skeletons we saw inside the belly of the Azure Dragon Lord.

Qinglan, dressed in a green robe, strolled among the piles of white bones.

The palace was deserted, save for the eerie winds blowing from the depths of the earth, which wailed like ghosts.

Not only was Qinglan, this young woman, completely fearless, she even reached out and touched these things filled with deathly aura.

In an instant, countless lights and shadows shone from the bones she touched, transforming into countless constantly gathering and dispersing runes. Qinglan infused them with spiritual energy, but found that no matter how these runes changed, they could not ultimately gather into a shape, as if some kind of restriction had been placed upon them.

Qinglan sighed, "You even guarded against my own granddaughter, no wonder no one collected your remains after you died."

However, Qinglan seemed to have been prepared for this, and with a flip of her hand, a simple, ancient compass about the size of a palm appeared.

This compass is not made of metal, iron, wood, or stone. Its surface ripples like water, with countless light and shadow shifting within it. It is one of the secret treasures of the Mirage Sect, known as the "Tracing Compass".

This treasure does not seek good or bad fortune, nor does it explore dragon veins; instead, it is specifically designed to break all formations and restrictions, and to deduce the methods to break them.

The Mirage School excels at illusion, and naturally, they are also adept at finding truth amidst countless illusions.

The Mirror of Truth is for reflecting oneself, while the Tracking Plate is for measuring external objects.

Qinglan infused her spiritual energy into the tracking disc, then reflected the chaotic runes in front of her onto the water ripples on the disc's surface. After a violent surge, a faint light emerged from the tracking disc, transforming into several messy curves.

Qinglan smiled slightly, used her spiritual energy to simulate these curves, and poured it into the chaotic runes, which immediately produced a reaction.

The runes that were constantly gathering and dispersing began to combine in an orderly manner, transforming into a chaotic sphere.

Qinglan opened her mouth and swallowed the sphere directly into her stomach. Countless dark shadows entered and exited her body, eventually converging in her abdomen.

The young girl instantly became a woman ten months pregnant, but this was not a secret pregnancy; rather, it was because Qinglan had devoured the small world left behind by the Azure Dragon Lord.

The Azure Dragon's secret technique is to cultivate a small world within its belly, devouring the spirits of all things to strengthen itself.

However, cultivation in the small world was too difficult, and Qinglan had only learned a little bit. Therefore, when faced with the poisoned members of the Mirage Sect, Qinglan was unable to swallow their corpses as well, as she simply could not digest them.

Now, there is a ready-made little world here, and Qinglan just needs to absorb it properly.

This was a contingency plan left to him by the Azure Dragon Lord, so that he wouldn't have to start all over again if the small world he had painstakingly created collapsed.

I just didn't expect that Qinglan would benefit in the end.

The girl, with her large pregnant belly, began to meditate. It took her several hours to flatten her swollen, drum-like abdomen.

Although her cultivation level hasn't changed much, her supernatural abilities are ten times stronger than before.

This is the method of the Demonic Sect. They are best at taking shortcuts. As long as they have sufficient resources, they don't need to consider anything else. They can increase their cultivation level just by eating.

Now that she has obtained the treasure left behind by the Azure Dragon, Qinglan has no intention of stopping.

She went to such lengths to kill all the remaining members of the Mirage Sect and seize all the treasures in the vault; it wasn't for such a trivial matter.

Since the deaths of several Demon Lords of the Demonic Sect, various forces have disintegrated. Countless former demons and elders have become homeless dogs, either clinging to their own territory to eke out a living, or secretly accumulating strength in the hope of making a comeback.

These are Qinglan's targets.

She wants to gather these scattered chess pieces back together and unite them into a force that belongs to her.

In an era without a supreme ruler, Qinglan, who had just swallowed a small world, was confident in suppressing all those who disagreed.

Qinglan put away the compass and slowly rose. With a flicker, she transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished from the palace in an instant.

……

It was still deep underground, somewhere near the underground magma.

This cave was once where the Tiger Lord hid after being injured. Later, Fei Lian came to find him, and the two fought an earth-shattering battle. In the end, the Tiger Lord exploded and died, and this cave became a dead end.

Fei Lian looked down on the remnants left after Hu Chang's self-destruction, but for other demons, it was a great tonic.

The original collapsed entrance had long been dug open, and countless blood-red miasma now shrouded the cave. Nothing grew around it, only countless charred and withered bones were scattered everywhere.

This place has become the lair of the Crimson Bone Demon.

The Crimson Bone Demon was once an elder under Tiger's entourage, but Tiger didn't trust his subordinates at all. He didn't tell the Crimson Bone Demon after he was injured, and it wasn't until Tiger died that the Crimson Bone Demon sensed it.

Following the trail, they found the place where the tiger's accomplice died, then occupied the area and renamed it Blood Sea Cave.

Afterwards, the Crimson Bone Demon carefully collected the remaining flesh and blood of the Tiger's accomplice and used it to practice his skills.

The flesh and blood of the Venerable Lord are a great tonic. After only consuming a few remnants of the corpse, the Crimson Bone Demon's cultivation level increased dramatically, and he has become a regional overlord.

At this moment, the air inside the Blood Sea Cave was thick with the smell of alcohol.

The Crimson Bone Demon was sitting on a "chair" made of living people, holding two scantily clad female cultivators in his arms, and drinking blood-red wine.

Below, dozens of demonic cultivators were also drinking and making merry, filling the entire cave with foul language and unrestrained laughter.

"Master! The righteous path seems to be preoccupied with its own troubles, and Demon Lord Feilian has not shown his face for a long time. He must have met with an accident. Now that the demonic sect is without a leader, it is the perfect time for us to make our mark!" a one-eyed demonic cultivator shouted.

The Crimson Bone Demon laughed heartily and downed his cup of wine in one gulp: "You're right! After I cultivate for a while longer, I'll go and annex the territories of several other old demons nearby! Then, I'll be the new Lord!"

Just then, a demonic cultivator who was guarding the cave came tumbling in, his face full of terror.

"Cave Master... Cave Master! Something terrible has happened! Outside..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Crimson Bone Demon impatiently waved his hand, a flash of bloody light appeared, and the demon cultivator's head flew off instantly, rolling to the ground.

"Useless thing, all flustered and disorganized, what kind of behavior is this!" The Crimson Bone Demon sneered.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the entire Blood Sea Cave shook violently.

The thick, blood-red miasma in the cave seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, and began to spin wildly.

Immediately afterwards, the blood-red miasma, carrying strange toxins, seemed to be drawn together, transforming into a small tornado that flew towards the cave entrance.

In just a moment, the blood-red miasma that resembled a protective array completely dissipated.

At that moment, a girl in green appeared before everyone.

She wiped the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, as if she had swallowed the miasma from before.

This person was none other than Qinglan, who had just mastered her divine skills.

The Crimson Bone Demon knew the newcomers were hostile, but he hadn't expected the blood miasma to be so easily broken. He was too lazy to ask any more questions and simply waved his hand to unleash two human bone magic treasures, intending to strike first.

However, the magical weapon crashed down, shattering the girl like a phantom.

The next moment, the originally gloomy and terrifying cave changed its appearance, and was replaced by a beautiful scene of birds singing, flowers blooming, and auspicious clouds swirling around.

The previously strong stench of blood had vanished, replaced by a refreshing fragrance. "This...is this the Immortal Realm?" a demonic cultivator murmured in disbelief.

Even the Crimson Bone Demon suddenly stood up, his face full of disbelief.

How could one fall into an illusion in an instant? This seems to be a trick of the Mirage Sect.

A figure in cyan emerged from that illusory "fairyland" and walked step by step toward the Crimson Bone Demon.

She walked slowly, but each step seemed to pound on the hearts of all the demonic cultivators present, turning them pale and causing them excruciating pain. As she drew closer, the peaceful fairyland began to collapse; countless cranes transformed into vengeful ghosts, pavilions and towers turned into stark white bones, and auspicious clouds became a churning sea of ​​blood.

The ultimate beauty turned into the ultimate terror in an instant.

Some of the weak-willed demonic cultivators suffered a mental breakdown on the spot, crying and screaming madly, tearing and attacking each other.

"Where did this little bitch come from, daring to play tricks on me!"

The Crimson Bone Demon roared, his entire body radiating crimson light. A massive white bone arm extended from his back, grabbing at Qinglan with immense force.

Qinglan didn't even stop walking.

She simply blew a breath gently onto the enormous skeletal arm.

A stream of blood appeared out of nowhere, transforming into soft silk that instantly wrapped around the skeletal arm.

With a few crisp "crack" sounds, the incredibly hard, white bone arm was easily shredded into powder.

As if struck by a heavy blow, the Crimson Bone Demon coughed up a mouthful of blood, staggered backward, and knocked over the "human chair" behind him.

Only then did Qinglan walk up to him and stop.

The illusions inside the cave had dissipated, and everything had returned to normal, but a group of demonic cultivators lay dead on the ground, their minds broken.

Those who were alive looked at the woman in green with the same fear one would show to a god or demon.

"Who...who exactly are you?" The Crimson Bone Demon struggled to get up from the ground, his voice trembling.

Qinglan's answer was simple.

“My name is Qinglan, and the Azure Dragon Lord is my grandfather.”

That simple sentence struck the Crimson Bone Demon like a thunderbolt.

Who doesn't know the reputation of the Azure Dragon Lord? Everyone thought he was long dead, and even his servants had fallen apart. Where did this granddaughter come from, with such a high level of cultivation?

This woman must have received the true teachings of the Azure Dragon, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to open her mouth and swallow her own blood miasma, let alone refine it into her supernatural abilities in an instant.

His lips trembled as he said to Qinglan, "I wonder what brings you here, Miss Qinglan? If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

"From this day forward, unite the demonic sects and restore order." Qinglan looked around at all the surviving demonic cultivators present. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"I need help."

She finally fixed her gaze on the Crimson Bone Demon and slowly spoke.

"I'll give you two choices: surrender, or die."

The Crimson Bone Demon said with a wry smile, "Miss Qinglan's supernatural powers are unparalleled, so I naturally dare not disobey. However, it may not be easy to unify the Demonic Sect."

Qinglan sneered, "Weren't you just saying you wanted to be the new Lord amidst everyone's praise? What, do you think I'm inferior to you?"

The Crimson Bone Demon hurriedly kowtowed to the ground and said humbly, "I dare not. Miss Qinglan's supernatural powers are a hundred times greater than mine, but we were just joking just now. Who doesn't know that Demon Lord Feilian has already achieved Dao? With such a person, who in the Demon Sect dares to claim invincibility?"

Upon hearing this, Qinglan scoffed, "Demon Lord Feilian... he is already dead."

"what?!"

The Crimson Bone Demon raised his head in shock, as if wanting to see Qinglan's expression and carefully judge whether she was lying.

Qinglan kicked the old demon away and loudly proclaimed, "The previous disturbance in Guixu was caused by the emergence of a True Immortal. Feilian has already died at the hands of the True Immortal. The righteous path is currently united to deal with this True Immortal and has no time to spare. Now is the best time to unify the demonic sect. Follow me, or die."

Qinglan turned and walked towards the cave entrance, seemingly to leave, but as she moved, countless shadowy figures appeared in the cave, transforming into ferocious and terrifying creatures that constantly forced everyone forward.

If you slow down even slightly, you'll be torn apart by these demonic shadows.

The Crimson Bone Demon had just gotten up from the ground when these demonic shadows grabbed his lower back, causing him to bleed profusely.

He couldn't tell if it was an illusion or a real injury, and he didn't bother to treat his wounds, scrambling and crawling after Qinglan.

Whether Demon Lord Feilian is dead or not is unknown, but if we don't follow him now, we will definitely die.

The Crimson Bone Demon is not without means of possessing and rebirth, but the current physical body is still the original one, and he really doesn't want to change it unless absolutely necessary.

Follow Qinglan for now, and if anything goes wrong later, it's not too late to run away.

As for dignity, they're all demonic cultivators now; their shame has long been eaten by dogs. As long as they can live, what's a little girl's kowtow? They'd even lick her toes.

The Crimson Bone Demon followed, and the few remaining survivors also hurriedly followed.

After Qinglan left the cave, she was followed by several "loyal" subordinates.

The Crimson Bone Demon asked, "Miss Qinglan..."

Qinglan turned to look at the Crimson Bone Demon, who immediately realized what she meant and quickly changed his words, saying, "Lord, what are your orders?"

Seeing that he was so pragmatic, Qinglan replied, "Of course, we should first strengthen our position. Since you are cultivating here, you should know who is worth recruiting nearby. Why don't you give me a few names?"

Upon hearing this, the Crimson Bone Demon excitedly said, "Go south, and after crossing the Lava River, you'll reach the territory of the Yin Mountain Old Ghost! That old ghost was once under the command of the Azure Dragon Lord. Later, when the Azure Dragon Lord met with an accident, he fled. I heard that he robbed the Azure Dragon Lord's treasure vault and has gathered quite a few men. It's just right for you, Lord, to establish your authority!"

"What else?" Qinglan asked.

"Of course I do. I am very familiar with the demons in the area. If Your Majesty needs it, I will give you a list immediately."

Qinglan laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll give you credit for this first. When the battle starts, you'll be at the forefront. If you win, you'll be richly rewarded; if you lose, I'll eat you."

Upon hearing this, the Crimson Bone Demon trembled all over.

This girl is not easy to fool. I originally wanted to trick her into taking on some tough challenges while I waited in the wings, but she saw through my plan.

Helpless, the Crimson Bone Demon could only list the demons he knew, daring not to recommend any more powerful characters, but instead strongly recommending the lesser demons that he was sure he could defeat.

Qinglan nodded in satisfaction. This old devil thought she was easy to fool because she was young. The Mirage Sect was full of deceit and treachery, not to mention that she cultivated illusion magic. If she had fallen for it so easily, she would have died long ago.

After calling out a few names, Qinglan led her newly recruited subordinates forward.

She gave herself only half a month. Within that time, she had to subdue enough demons, at least ten of them at the Transcendent Realm.

Only then can she truly have a full meal.

(End of this chapter)