Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 84 Lord of the Heavenly Demons

A violent feeling of weightlessness surged over him like a tidal wave, engulfing and then expelling his consciousness.

Zhao Cheng'an suddenly opened his eyes.

What comes into view is a magnificent, golden palace.

The roof of the palace is made of a single, massive white jade dome, inlaid with countless luminous pearls that emit a soft white light, arranged according to some mysterious star map.

Four thick golden nanmu pillars support the four corners of the main hall, with lifelike carvings of dragons soaring through the clouds and black birds spreading their wings.

Rows of neat mahogany bookshelves lined both sides of the main hall, piled high with jade slips and scrolls.

The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood mixed with the aroma of old books.

This should have been a peaceful and tranquil scene, like a scene from a fairyland.

But at the moment.

The area outside the main hall has been transformed into a hellish landscape.

Thick smoke mixed with flames shot into the sky, turning the sky outside the palace gates into an ominous dark red.

The deafening roar of collapsing buildings, mixed with the terrified screams and desperate cries of countless people, echoed from afar in waves, stretching endlessly.

The ground beneath my feet trembled slightly, as if the entire mountain gate was groaning in pain under the trampling of some enormous creature.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood, so strong it was almost tangible.

Especially in the sky.

Through the open main gate of the hall, Zhao Cheng'an could see countless huge, spiderweb-like black cracks appearing in the sky outside.

Those cracks looked like spatial wounds torn open by some kind of sharp claws, their edges constantly writhing, emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Countless black, mist-like monsters were weaving and flying between the rifts. They had no fixed form, sometimes coalescing into distorted human faces, and sometimes dispersing into a blurry cloud of dust, emitting sharp, piercing whistles as they circled back and forth outside the hall.

Zhao Cheng'an subconsciously lowered his head and glanced at his arm.

His skin was fairer than usual, his fingers were long and slender, and his palms had several thin calluses, marks from years of wielding a sword. He wore a dark blue Taoist robe with flowing cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread on the collar and cuffs, and a jade token engraved with the words "Mingxu" hung at his waist.

This is not his body.

A flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into my mind like a burst dam, stirring up a chaotic echo deep within my consciousness.

His current name is Zhao Xun.

His identity is that of a direct disciple of Xuanming Daoist, the leader of the Mingxu Sect.

Before he could process the massive influx of information, a series of stumbling footsteps came from the side hall.

An old Taoist priest with a white beard rushed out from the door of the side hall.

His Taoist robe was torn in several places, and the sleeve of his left arm hung loosely, clearly severed at the root. His white beard was stained with dark red blood, and he clutched a palm-sized, jet-black token tightly in his right hand.

Memories related to this person instantly surfaced in Zhao Cheng'an's mind—the Transmission Elder, Huai Xuanzi.

This is a strict elder who cares for all living beings and adheres to the precepts of the Xuanmen sect. He spends many years traveling down the mountain to quell the monsters causing trouble in the miasma-ridden mountains.

He was highly respected within the sect and deeply admired by his disciples.

Huai Xuanzi immediately spotted Zhao Cheng'an standing in the center of the hall.

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared on his blood-stained and weary face. He rushed to Zhao Cheng'an and, with his only remaining right hand, forcefully shoved the black token into Zhao Cheng'an's palm.

"Zhao Xun!"

Huai Xuanzi gripped his fingers tightly, his voice urgent: "Leave here immediately and take this Netherworld Seal to the Taiwei Dharma Hall!"

"A ceremony is underway in the Taiwei Dharma Hall. The sect leader is attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm. He cannot be interrupted, absolutely not!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently. "The sect's protective formation has been breached from the inside. It was the Heavenly Demon Lord—those things came here following the aura of spiritual energy and advanced divine sense."

He shoved Zhao Cheng'an's shoulder forcefully: "We must hand over the Dharma Seal to the Sect Master. Only in this way can we fill the final gap and complete the Taiwei Changheng Calculation! This is the key to our fight against the Heavenly Demon!"

"Go! Go quickly! The Heavenly Demons will parasitize and disguise themselves as cultivators. Don't trust anyone. The Dharma Seal must not fall into their hands; it's the sect's last hope for survival!"

The voice just fell.

From the depths of the main hall, in that shadowy corner, a piercing scream suddenly erupted.

This was followed by a violent explosion.

As the shockwave from the explosion erupted, thick black mist surged out of the hall, and a fox demon, as large as half a room and shrouded in black mist, slowly crawled out of it.

Its eyes were blood-red, with a bloodthirsty and ferocious flame burning within its vertical pupils. Its mouth split open, revealing gleaming white teeth that crisscrossed like steel needles, and thick, black saliva dripped from between its teeth, making a sizzling, corrosive sound as it fell to the ground.

The fox spirit spoke in human language, its voice hoarse and distorted.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Neither of you will escape."

Huai Xuanzi suddenly turned around and shoved Zhao Cheng'an toward the palace gate.

"Walk!"

He roared.

"Let's get going!"

Before he finished speaking, Huai Xuanzi had already turned around and was facing the fox demon that was walking out of the shadows. His old body stood straight at that moment.

His chapped lips moved rapidly as he chanted incantations and made hand gestures.

"call out!"

A dazzling golden light rose from behind him, transforming into a flying sword that hovered in the air. The sword was burning with intense golden spiritual flames. Then, in an instant, the golden flying sword multiplied into thirteen.

Thirteen flying swords were arranged in an arc behind him, their tips all pointing at the fox demon shrouded in black mist.

"You wicked beast, be executed!"

"You?!"

The fox demon let out a sharp screech and transformed into a black whirlwind, rushing towards Huai Xuanzi.

The sword formation collided violently with the black mist.

"Boom!"

Zhao Cheng'an was jolted back a few steps by the shockwave. He gripped the cold black token in his hand, turned around, and ran wildly toward the palace gate.

A loud noise came from behind.

The sound of beams and pillars collapsing, the sound of bricks and stones shattering, and Huai Xuanzi's last low roar being drowned out by the roar.

The fox demon's cries were drowned out by the sound of the collapse.

The man and the fox seemed to have perished together in that collapsed ruin.

Zhao Cheng'an staggered out of the main hall.

The scene outside was a thousand times more horrific than what he saw through the palace gates.

The black cracks in the sky have expanded to dozens, with dark red light flowing along their edges, as if the sky were bleeding.

On several distant mountain peaks, pavilions and towers that had been floating in the sea of ​​clouds were now ablaze, billowing black smoke into the sky. The square was littered with corpses, and blood meandered along the cracks in the bluestone slabs.

Zhao Cheng'an, panting heavily, looked down at the black token he was clutching tightly in his hand.

Mingxu Dharma Seal.

He needs to go to the Taiwei Dharma Hall.

With the sect breached, that place became the last line of defense and the strongest fortress.

However, after the defense system was locked, the access control of the Taiwei Dharma Hall was now bound to the main control array of the Cardinal Pavilion. To enter the Dharma Hall from the outside, he had to first go to the Cardinal Pavilion to obtain access permission.

He determined the direction and ran along a corridor toward the mountain gate square.

At the end of the corridor is a corner.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, a chilling aura suddenly filled the air ahead.

A cloud of black mist silently seeped out from the cracks in the wall, coalescing in mid-air into a huge, hollow skull shape. Two eerie green flames burned in the skull's eye sockets, fixed intently on him.

Zhao Cheng'an suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He subconsciously mobilized the spiritual energy within his body, wanting to use magic to counterattack.

His meridians were completely empty.

This body can still clearly sense the presence of spiritual energy, but the meridians within it seem to be blocked by some invisible force, making it impossible to move them smoothly.

A vast amount of information about the Heavenly Demon flooded Zhao Cheng'an's mind.

The Heavenly Demon has no physical form; it is a purely spiritual type of demon.

Conventional Five Elements spells, flying sword strikes, and physical attacks can only tear through the air when they penetrate their bodies, failing to cause any real damage. Even if he could cast spells normally, let alone mobilize his internal spiritual energy, it would be completely ineffective against the Heavenly Demon.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The enormous skull formed from black mist let out a silent shriek in mid-air, opened its massive maw filled with sharp teeth, and lunged at him.

A cold, whirlwind carrying the stench of decay swept over him, tearing his hair and robes backward.

Zhao Cheng'an stood there, watching the black skull getting closer and closer, its empty mouth almost swallowing his entire field of vision.

A wry smile appeared on his face.

"Bitterness."

The next instant, the black maw closed, completely engulfing his figure.