Chapter 371: All Are Sacrifices

Once the small, exquisite jade seal appeared, it flashed with light and began to grow. In an instant, it had swelled to the size of a great mountain, plunging down with the force of a collapsing sky and blotting out the heavens.

And that wasn’t all. A black light flared in the distance as the Great Ming Demon Sparrow carved a graceful arc across the sky. Like a startling rainbow tearing through the firmament, it shot forward in a piercing strike.

Yet in the face of this onslaught, Elder Taiyin remained perfectly still. Without so much as a glance at Shen Daoxing, he simply reached back and gently waved his sleeve.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing felt as if he had been plunged into a boundless, endless ocean.

BOOM!

He threw a heavy punch, but it felt like he was striking something soft. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put any force behind it.

The next moment, a turbulent, overwhelming power surged up from the depths of that vast ocean.

Shen Daoxing felt a cataclysmic force wrecking his insides, his organs once again churning uncontrollably.

"Gah!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward once more, fast as an arrow shot from a bow.

BANG!

There was a tremendous crash as he slammed into the opposite cliff face, embedding himself dozens of feet deep into the rock.

Immediately after,

CRACK! CRACK!

With a series of sharp cracks, the bones throughout Shen Daoxing’s body shattered.

As the Venerable Dharma Seal fell from the sky, Elder Taiyin simply raised a single finger and tapped it upward. The massive, mountain-like Venerable Dharma Seal came to an abrupt halt, then was slowly, impossibly, lifted higher.

Then, Elder Taiyin applied a bit more pressure with his fingertip.

The mountain-sized Venerable Dharma Seal was abruptly flung high into the air, sent flying completely off Demon Mountain.

As for the Great Ming Demon Sparrow, Elder Taiyin made no move at all, not even sparing it a glance.

The Great Ming Demon Sparrow transformed into a solitary streak of black light and shot forward. The moment it neared Elder Taiyin, a ripple spread through the air.

A simple, ancient bronze mirror suddenly materialized before the Great Ming Demon Sparrow.

DONG!

A sound like a striking gong rang out. The Great Ming Demon Sparrow crashed against the ancient bronze mirror, sending out rings of light. The mirror simply wobbled once, absorbed the entirety of the Great Ming Demon Sparrow’s power, and then hung there silently, motionless.

And from start to finish, Elder Taiyin had not moved a single step from where he stood.

"Heh heh heh heh... heh heh heh heh..."

Elder Taiyin’s indifferent laughter slowly echoed. "And so, the final ceremony begins. Lord Celestial Demon will once again descend upon our world. Let us celebrate this past glory together and present our sincere offerings."

With that, Elder Taiyin turned his indifferent gaze to Shen Daoxing, slowly raised a hand, and made a grasping motion in the empty air.

Shen Daoxing felt an invisible force abruptly seize his body, lifting him and pulling him out from the cliff face he was embedded in.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!

A sharp cry rang out. Just then, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat shot out from beneath a rock face, opened its sharp-toothed maw, and clamped down on Elder Taiyin’s raised hand.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat gnashed its teeth desperately, trying to make Elder Taiyin release his hold on Shen Daoxing.

Seeing this, Elder Taiyin frowned and tried to shake it off.

But the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat held on for dear life, refusing to let go.

"Vermin!"

Elder Taiyin’s expression suddenly darkened. He reached over with his other hand, brought two fingers together, and flicked them lightly at the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat.

SQUEAK!

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat shrieked as if it had been struck. A spray of blood shot high into the air. It could no longer hold on and its jaw went slack, its limp body falling toward the lava below.

Seeing this, Shen Daoxing’s eyes narrowed.

ZZZZT!

Black arcs of electricity flickered around his body as Shen Daoxing strained, trying desperately to break free from the immense force that bound him.

But Elder Taiyin merely tightened his grip on the empty air, and Shen Daoxing felt the force holding him suddenly intensify.

CRACK!

With another sharp crack, several more of his ribs broke.

All strength left Shen Daoxing, and he went limp.

’Venerable Invincible... Huangliang’s Moment!’

But in that instant, Shen Daoxing desperately activated his power.

The roiling lava below suddenly froze in place. The falling Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat halted in mid-air. The plumes of red Demonic Qi surging into the sky also stopped.

It was as if time itself had stopped. Everything was frozen.

Shen Daoxing strained once more, and torrents of Venerable Power surged from within him.

However, in response to Shen Daoxing’s Divine Technique, Huangliang’s Moment, Elder Taiyin only made a small sound of surprise. He seemed faintly astonished, but then his mouth split into a hideous grin.

The hand grasping the empty air tightened its grip once more.

"URGH!"

Shen Daoxing cried out and spat another large mouthful of blood.

CRACK!

It sounded as if some kind of Restriction had shattered.

Shen Daoxing’s Divine Technique, Huangliang’s Moment, was abruptly broken. Everything around him began to move again.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat resumed its fall, plunging straight into the lava.

ROAR!

A terrifying, deafening roar echoed, shaking one to their very soul.

A solid, hideous face slowly rose from the lava. It opened its massive mouth and swallowed the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat whole.

"Heh heh heh heh... heh heh heh heh..."

Elder Taiyin’s indifferent laughter rang out once more. "Devour! Devour them! Lord Celestial Demon, these are all offerings for you!"

Saying this, Elder Taiyin turned his indifferent gaze toward Chi Yi, who was still bound in the sky. "Chi Yi, since you betrayed me, you too shall become an offering for Lord Celestial Demon."

With that, Elder Taiyin simply pointed a finger at Chi Yi. The bound figure immediately plummeted into the lava and was devoured by the hideous face.

At that moment, Shen Daoxing’s expression turned ice-cold as he stared at the roiling lava below.

Without any warning, a massive hole tore open high in the sky. A gigantic Treasure Sword immediately filled the entire aperture.

’Taiyi Demon Suppression... Divine Venerable Ten Swords!’

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The instant the first great Treasure Sword appeared, nine more holes tore open across the heavens.

Ten colossal Treasure Swords in total now hung high above the clouds, dominating the entire sky over the peak of Demon Mountain.

In the blink of an eye, all ten giant Treasure Swords plunged downward simultaneously, wreathed in roaring flames like a punishment sent from the heavens.

"Heh heh heh heh... heh heh heh heh..."

And yet, down in the grand hall below, Elder Taiyin merely laughed coldly at the sight of such a magnificent attack.

He slowly raised his sleeve and gave it a gentle wave toward the sky.

CRACK! CRACK!

A series of sharp cracks echoed, as if the very heavens and earth had trembled.

A massive fissure tore through the air in front of Elder Taiyin.

BOOM!

A tremendous roar resounded as the sky itself seemed to explode. A blinding light erupted, scattering in all directions like a shattered rainbow.