Chapter 897
Prophecy Verified, Offense and Defense Shift
Everyone was utterly shocked to see the deputy abbot of the Black and White Temple suddenly transform into an evil and ferocious monster.
Although the Black and White Sect has acted mysteriously and cruelly for many years, it is a true demonic force.
But no one expected that the deputy abbot of this faction was actually a complete monster.
Those Dao Integration Realm experts who were observing through their divine senses were speechless at this moment.
They stared blankly at the enormous monster, as big as a small mountain, with its six wings that blotted out the sky, eight thick and powerful arms, and the eerie dark power burning on its body, and an indescribable fear welled up in their hearts.
In particular, the evil aura emanating from the other party at this moment, even across the distant starry sky, still made them feel a chill run down their spines.
It was an instinctive fear, a tremor etched into one's very bones.
It was as if the other party was their natural enemy, causing them to instinctively feel an uncontrollable fear.
That feeling is like a rabbit encountering a tiger, or a mouse encountering a venomous snake; it's the instinctive reaction of prey when facing a natural enemy.
"What...what kind of monster is this...?"
A Dao Integration Realm expert murmured, his voice trembling.
He had lived for tens of thousands of years and considered himself to be knowledgeable and experienced, having seen all kinds of demons and monsters.
But the monster before him filled him with a deep-seated fear.
The fear came inexplicably, yet it was incredibly real, as if his body's instincts were telling him to run away immediately.
"Why does its aura make me so uneasy?"
Another expert at the Dao Integration Realm spoke up, his tone filled with shock.
He found that his hand holding the sword was trembling slightly, something that had never happened in tens of thousands of years.
He tried to suppress the fear, but found it impossible.
That fear was like a bone-deep infection, deeply etched into his soul.
As for Qiu Ruofeng and the other elders of the Netherworld Palace, after the initial shock, they immediately remembered something.
"Quick! Retrieve the scroll left behind by the patriarch!"
Qiu Ruofeng shouted urgently, his voice trembling.
An elder quickly took out an antique wooden box from his storage space.
The wooden box was entirely black, its surface covered with densely packed sealing runes, emitting a faint glow.
With trembling hands, he opened the wooden box and took out a yellowed scroll.
The scroll, made of some unknown material, remains intact despite the passage of countless years.
Its surface radiates a faint glow, and there is a faint flow of some ancient power.
Qiu Ruofeng took the scroll, took a deep breath, and slowly unfurled it.
The scroll depicts some ancient patterns.
The patterns were rough and the colors were monotonous, yet they gave people an indescribable sense of oppression.
The images depict various monsters.
Some have wings, some have antennae, some are covered in eyes, and some have mouths full of sharp teeth.
They were baring their teeth and claws, their faces contorted in a ferocious manner, and they were fighting with some figures.
The figures' faces were obscured, but each one exuded an imposing aura and an indescribable majesty.
They fought bloody battles against the monsters, some wielding swords, some clenching fists, and some making hand seals.
In the very center of the scroll is depicted the largest monster.
It was the size of a small mountain, entirely black, with six wings that blotted out the sun, eight strong and powerful arms, a face full of compound eyes, and a long mouthpart.
It looks exactly like the monster in front of us.
“There’s no mistake…” Qiu Ruofeng murmured, his voice trembling, “There’s no mistake! The monster opposite Lu Qing is one of the evil creatures in the painting!”
He looked up at the starry sky, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"An evil creature from ancient times... is still alive? Has it been lurking among us all this time?"
The other elders of the Netherworld Palace also paled and looked at each other in dismay.
Their ancestor in the Netherworld Palace was an immortal from ancient times.
The paintings and books he left behind record some secrets from ancient times.
Among them are descriptions of evil creatures from another world. They come from another world, live by devouring the world's origin, are cruel and bloodthirsty, and are the natural enemies of all living beings in this starry sky.
And weren't those evil creatures all slain by the sages in ancient times?
How could there still be any alive?
Moreover, it has been lurking in the Black and White Observatory, disguised as a human, and has existed for more than 100,000 years?
Qiu Ruofeng suddenly remembered something, and his expression became even more unpleasant.
"The founder of the Black and White Sect... after returning from the Dark Abyss, his personality changed drastically, and he never showed his true face again. Could it be..."
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.
The founder of the Black and White Sect was indeed not someone who obtained any opportunity from the Dark Abyss, but was possessed by this evil creature!
From the moment he emerged from the Dark Abyss, he was no longer human.
This speculation sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Lu Qing ignored the shock of the other Dao Integration Realm experts.
He wasn't even surprised by the appearance of this monster.
Because he had sensed long ago that the other party was not dead.
Although the evil aura had weakened considerably, it still existed and was rapidly recovering.
He kept waiting, waiting for the other party to reveal their true colors.
“You ant, you have truly enraged me.”
The monster spoke, its voice hoarse and deep, like the scraping of metal, or as if it came from the deepest abyss.
On its face, covered with compound eyes, countless eyes were staring at Lu Qing, each one gleaming with a cold light.
"I will tear this clone of yours to shreds and then find your true form."
It slowly unfolded its six enormous wings, each hundreds of feet long, blotting out the sky and the sun.
The bone spikes on their wings gleamed coldly in the starry sky, their edges sharp as blades.
"Don't worry, I won't let you die so soon."
It extended its long mouthparts and gently stabbed in the air.
The mouthpiece was like a spear or a sword, with an incredibly sharp tip that pierced a tiny black hole in space.
The black hole rotated slowly, emanating a chilling aura.
"I want you to live forever, to watch as I devour your body and soul bit by bit."
Its tone was icy cold, as if the space itself were frozen.
After revealing his true form, the deputy abbot's aura became even more evil and powerful, and the killing intent in his heart was stronger than ever before.
The killing intent was so palpable that it caused the surrounding starry sky to tremble slightly, and made the Dao Integration Realm experts who were observing with their divine senses feel a sense of suffocation.
Only he himself knew the immense price Lu Qing had paid for that sword strike.
Originally, he used his clan's innate supernatural abilities to transform and parasitize this physical body. Even the Great Dao Origin of this world could not truly detect his location or do anything to him.
He was like a snake blending into a school of fish, concealing his aura and mimicking the movements of fish, making it impossible for the Great Dao Origin to distinguish him from countless living beings.
As long as he can comprehend the great laws of this world and return to the state of perfect harmony with the Dao, he can completely integrate into this world.
At that time, he will become a part of this world, and even the Great Dao will no longer be able to reject him.
At that time, he and the abbot can perform a blood sacrifice to communicate with their hometown and open a passage between the two worlds.
Not only can one obtain unparalleled rewards, but one can also freely travel between the two worlds.
With the resources of both realms, he can not only recover his cultivation to the Transformation Realm, but he also has a chance to glimpse the realms above the Transformation Realm.
But now, all that hope has been extinguished by Lu Qing's sword strike.
His false body was destroyed, and his true body was forced to reveal its original form, exposed to the starry sky.
He could already sense that the will of the Great Dao's origin had taken notice of him.
That vast and boundless power was slowly circulating, repelling him.
It left its mark on him, like a mark left on prey.
In other words, from now on, no matter how he disguises or changes himself, he will no longer be able to integrate into this world.
That mark will always follow him, allowing the origin of the Great Dao to find him at any time.
He might even be targeted by the very origin of the Great Dao of this other world.
Although the Great Dao Source cannot directly destroy him, it will indirectly bring him many calamities.
From now on, whether he is cultivating or traveling through the stars, he will be plagued by inexplicable troubles.
Perhaps it was an unexpected spatial storm, a sudden heavenly tribulation, or even a strange case of going into a demonic state.
The Great Dao itself will not act personally, but it will make the entire world its enemy.
After years of planning and enduring hardship, all their hopes were dashed by Lu Qing.
How could the deputy abbot not hate these ants from the lower realm to the bone?
"So he really is a demon cub from another world."
Lu Qing remained unmoved in the face of that overwhelming killing intent.
He hovered in the starry sky, his expression calm, as if the ferocious monster before him was nothing more than a slightly larger insect.
"So you actually managed to infiltrate here. It seems that the founder of the Black and White Sect back then didn't obtain any opportunities from the Dark Abyss at all, but was possessed by you, which is why he was able to come out of there." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly resounded throughout the entire starry sky.
Those Dao Integration Realm experts who were observing with their divine senses were once again shocked upon hearing these words.
Possession?
Was the founder of the Black and White Sect possessed by this monster?
No wonder... no wonder his personality changed drastically after returning from the Dark Abyss, and he never showed his true face again.
No wonder he rarely appeared after creating the Black and White View, and hasn't appeared at all in the last tens of thousands of years.
It turns out he wasn't human anymore.
The deputy abbot was startled when he heard Lu Qing's words.
"Ant, do you know my origins?"
A hint of surprise flashed in its compound eyes.
It originally thought that the cultivators in this starry sky had long forgotten the history of ancient times and the existence of their race.
After all, countless years have passed, and even the immortals who have attained enlightenment have disappeared. Those ancient legends have long been buried by time.
But this ant in front of me actually knows its origin.
“In ancient times, you invaded our starry sky, but were all killed by the sages of that time and forced to retreat.”
Lu Qing said calmly, looking at the monster with a serene gaze.
"I never expected that after so many tens of thousands of years, you would still be so persistent and still dare to invade."
His voice was calm, but every word struck the hearts of those Dao Integration Realm experts like a heavy hammer.
Ancient invasion, evil creatures, world portal?
These words struck them one by one, shaking them to their core.
They couldn't help but recall the long-standing prophecy.
A catastrophe will descend upon the starry sky, causing widespread devastation and the destruction of countless worlds.
They always treated that prophecy as a legend and never took it seriously.
But now, looking at the hideous monster before them and feeling the aura emanating from it that instilled in them a sense of instinctive fear, they suddenly felt that the prophecy might actually be true.
"So you did find out something after all."
The deputy abbot's voice grew even more sinister, and the killing intent in his compound eyes intensified.
"Did that old bastard clinging to life in the Dark Abyss tell you that?"
It immediately guessed where Lu Qing's news came from.
Deep within that dark abyss, within the Xuanhua corpse that suppressed the world's passage, a wisp of remnant soul consciousness still lingered.
Although that old fellow had been dead for hundreds of thousands of years, his lingering soul had never dissipated.
It must be it that told these ancient stories to this ant before it.
After his initial surprise, the deputy abbot revealed a ferocious expression.
On its face, which was covered with compound eyes, every eye gleamed with a cruel light.
"Even if you knew, it wouldn't make a difference."
It sneered, its voice full of smugness.
"That old devil's corpse in the Dark Abyss can't suppress the passage for long. Once the world passage opens and our army marches in, all living beings in this starry sky will become our food!"
It spreads out its eight thick arms as if to embrace the entire starry sky.
"At that time, I will make you watch with your own eyes as your relatives, your friends, and your fellow disciples are devoured by us one by one, and die in agony!"
Its voice grew louder and more frantic.
"And now—"
It suddenly lowered its head, its countless compound eyes staring intently at Lu Qing.
"I'll kill you, you ant, first!"
Before it could finish speaking, its six wings suddenly trembled.
That shock was incredibly fast.
Those Dao Integration Realm experts who were observing with their divine senses only saw a blur before the monster's figure vanished.
Their divine senses swept frantically across the starry sky, but they couldn't detect its movement at all.
It was as if it had completely merged into the void, omnipresent yet nowhere to be found.
"So fast!"
"I can't see it move at all!"
"What kind of speed is this? How could someone at the Dao Integration Realm possess such speed?"
Exclamations of surprise traveled between the divine senses.
Only Lu Qing's expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly moved to the side.
boom!
The instant he dodged, the space where he had been standing suddenly shattered.
The enormous monster's figure emerged from the shattered space.
Its eight arms lashed out simultaneously, their sharp claws tearing apart the afterimage left by Lu Qing and ripping that space into pieces.
"You dodged it?"
A hint of surprise flashed in the deputy abbot's eyes.
Its attack was so fast that even a cultivator at the peak of the Dao Integration Realm might not be able to dodge it.
But this ant in front of me did it.
This scene not only made the powerful figures pale, but even Lu Qing couldn't help but frown.
He hovered several miles away, watching the monster emerge from the shattered space, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
Originally, this entire expanse of starry sky, spanning tens of thousands of miles, was entirely under his control.
He can clearly sense the fluctuations in every inch of space and can manipulate the power of space at will.
Whoever enters this area will have their movements restricted by him.
However, the dark power burning on this monster's body at this moment, like the black barrier before, has the ability to dissolve and melt away the power of the Great Dao.
The dark power burned fiercely on his body like flames, turning the surrounding space pitch black.
Once the spatial power he activated got close, it was dissolved and neutralized by the dark power, and could not have any effect on it at all.
"Ants, you're useless."
The deputy abbot sneered, his countless compound eyes filled with mockery.
"The laws you cultivate are inherently restrained by the power of my race. This part of your starry sky is destined to become a slaughterhouse for my race!"
Its eight arms swung simultaneously, leaving streaks of black marks in the starry sky with their sharp claws.
The mark lingered for a long time, like a scar etched into the void.
"You think you can become my enemy just because you broke my Heavenly Demon Barrier? You're too naive."
It slowly approached Lu Qing, each step causing the space to tremble.
"The Heavenly Demon Barrier is merely the most basic defensive measure of my race. But the me who reveals my true form is the real me!"
Its voice grew louder and more frantic.
"My speed, my strength, my reflexes are all several times stronger than before! What can you, a mere early-stage Dao Integration Realm cultivator, with just a divine thought clone, possibly do to fight me?"
Before the words were even finished, its figure vanished again.
Lu Qing remained expressionless and moved aside again.
But this time, he was noticeably slower.
The dark forces greatly interfered with his spatial abilities, making his teleportation less smooth than before.
The moment he dodged, the monster reappeared.
Eight arms lashed out simultaneously, their sharp claws tearing through space as they reached for Lu Qing.
Lu Qing narrowly avoided the attack, but his robe was still torn in one corner by the sharp claws.
"You can dodge it once, you can dodge it twice, but how many times can you dodge it?"
The deputy abbot's voice came from all directions, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, making it impossible to determine its location.
"Your spatial power is countered by me, your Dao power is dissolved by me, your speed is inferior to mine, your strength is inferior to mine, what do you have to fight me with?"
Its silhouette flashed across the starry sky, and each appearance was accompanied by a deadly attack.
Lu Qing kept shifting and dodging, gradually falling into a disadvantageous position.
Those Dao Integration Realm experts who were observing with their divine senses had their hearts in their throats.
"Oh no, Lu Qing is about to collapse!"
"This monster's power is simply too great!"
"Could it be... that he's really going to lose?"
Qiu Ruofeng clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
"Lu Qing, you absolutely can't get hurt..."
The white-clad woman from the Kongming Sect also stared intently at the starry sky, her eyes filled with worry.
For a moment, the balance of power shifted between offense and defense. (End of Chapter)