Chapter 1315
Encountering an Old Acquaintance Again, Old Feuds Resurface
"Northern Frontier", the main hall of Wanhu Valley.
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," dressed in a black robe, sat alone at the head of the main hall, with more than a dozen Nascent Soul Demon Emperors standing on either side of him.
Several of the demon kings were clearly tainted with demonic energy, suggesting they were seriously injured.
"Silver Tail, what's the situation at the Heavenly Demon Graveyard? How exactly was the Ancestor injured?"
"Your Highness, we and the Ancestor had already successfully entered the tomb."
Unexpectedly, more than a dozen troublesome level-four demons suddenly appeared inside. These demons, aided by the true demonic energy in the valley, possessed supernatural powers almost equal to those of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. We were no match for them at all.
Our ancestor was injured by the demon while covering our escape.
Not only us, but the Thunder Tiger clan also injured five or six fellow Daoists. Fellow Daoists Azure Tiger and Crimson Flame, both with their Nascent Souls, were unable to escape.
Faced with the question from the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," a middle-aged man in silver armor with a somewhat unpleasant expression quickly stood up and replied.
"There are still more than a dozen late-stage Nascent Soul demons. Could it be that the demonic energy in the valley has become more severe again?"
"Your Highness, it seems that the situation in the valley is far more complicated than we thought. We and the Lei Hu clan alone are no longer able to solve this problem."
Now that the demon army in the south has been defeated by the human race, the Xiaoyao Sect must have found reinforcements.
At this point, we might as well see if we can join forces with them to completely eliminate the evil threat.
"Yes! The Third Elder is right. The demonic calamity affects more than just us. If we don't completely resolve the demonic threat, the Floating Cloud Mountain Range will also find it difficult to remain unaffected."
The Free and Unfettered Sect must also understand these principles.
".
Upon hearing the suggestion from the people in the main hall, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" couldn't help but sigh.
"Hmph! Do you think I haven't thought about this?"
A year ago, I sent a message to Qingyun Mountain, inviting them to come and discuss this matter.
However, the Xiaoyao Sect has still not responded.
As I have already stated in the letter, we can conclude an alliance with them afterwards, with both sides agreeing not to invade each other for a thousand years.
If even that doesn't work, I can't possibly expect the dignified Celestial Fox Clan to kneel and beg the Human Race for peace, and then ask the Carefree Sect for help!"
As soon as he finished speaking, "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" lightly patted a rock next to him with one hand.
It actually crushed the several-foot-thick stone platform into pieces.
Seeing this, the other demon kings nearby glanced at each other and immediately shut their mouths.
".
Just as everyone in the hall fell silent, a four-tailed white fox with wings on its back suddenly rushed into the hall and knelt down on the ground.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, people from the Free and Unfettered Sect have arrived!"
"The Free and Unfettered Sect!"
"Who from the Free and Unfettered Sect has come? Explain yourself clearly! Is it Old Ghost Song?"
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" was just furious that the Free and Unfettered Sect hadn't replied to him.
Upon suddenly hearing news of the other party's arrival, his expression instantly changed from worry to joy, and he excitedly asked the "four-tailed white fox" below the stage.
At the same time, the other demon emperors sitting in the hall also stood up with a hint of excitement on their faces.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, the "four-tailed white fox" quickly replied:
"Your Highness, we have confirmed that the person who came looks exactly like the portrait you hung on the mountain. It must be Song Qingming, the Grand Elder of the Xiaoyao Sect."
They are just outside the valley; let us inform His Highness to go out and greet them.
He was defeated by Song Qingming three times in their past encounters, and even the sacred land of Wanhu Valley was breached by the Xiaoyao Sect. He has always regarded this as the greatest disgrace of his life by the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor".
He was motivated to cultivate supernatural powers so that one day he could avenge himself.
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" even copied a portrait of his nemesis, Song Qingming, and hung it next to his cave.
Over the years, almost all the demon kings of the "Heavenly Fox Clan" above the Golden Core stage have memorized this figure.
Upon hearing the four-tailed white fox in front of him confirm that it was Song Qingming who had come from outside, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" relaxed slightly.
Upon hearing this, the "Silver-Tailed Demon King" showed a hint of displeasure on his face.
"This old ghost Song really has a lot of face. He even dared to ask His Highness to personally greet him when he arrived in the Northern Frontier. Does he really think that our Ten Thousand Fox Valley is their human territory?"
"Your Highness, please don't concern yourself with him. Let me go and meet him first!"
Faced with the suggestion from his subordinate, the Silver-Tailed Demon King, the Heavenly-Tailed Demon King repeatedly waved his hand.
"Sigh, he's at least a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, and you're only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. What kind of image would you have if you went there?"
Since they've already come in person, it's no big deal for me, as the host, to go out and greet them.
Besides, the reason Old Ghost Song came here this time was because I invited him to discuss how to deal with the demonic threat.
Everyone should put aside their past grievances and not let them jeopardize important matters.
Although he was slightly displeased, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" held back in order to unite with the "Free and Unfettered Sect" to fight against the demonic threat.
The other demon kings naturally understood the "Heavenly Tail Demon King's" intention, and they all nodded without daring to say anything more.
Only the "Silver-Tailed Demon Emperor," whose elder brother died at the hands of humans, still looked somewhat indignant.
However, in front of the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," he kept his thoughts to himself and did not dare to say anything more.
Before long, the group of demons in the main hall, led by the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," arrived outside the Valley of Ten Thousand Foxes.
After passing through the formation and scanning the surroundings, they soon spotted a familiar figure with his back to them, seemingly holding a portrait in his hand.
"Fellow Daoist Song, it's been many years! It's been a long time!"
"Hmm! Fellow Daoist Tianwei has arrived."
Hearing the voice behind him, Song Qingming slowly put away the portrait in his hand before turning around.
The next moment, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" appeared not far away.
Looking at Song Qingming in front of him, his expression suddenly became somewhat solemn.
"You... this is impossible?"
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Apart from the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor", the other demon emperors present obviously did not notice much change in Song Qingming.
There was just a question: why did the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," who had been perfectly normal just moments before, suddenly show such a terrified expression when he saw the other party?
Song Qingming, however, ignored the change in the other party's expression and spoke directly:
"Fellow Daoist Tianwei, I, Song, have come here to help you resolve the demonic affliction, as promised."
I have only asked you to help, so you must remember this kindness and keep your demon clans under your command in check in the future, and do not allow them to raid the Floating Cloud Mountains again.
Otherwise, if you break this agreement in the future, don't blame me for not warning you.
"Solving the demonic scourge is not just a matter for our demon race alone. For you to expect us to remember your kindness is a bit too much!"
"That's right, Fellow Daoist Song keeps saying he's here to help us."
"But over the years, if it weren't for our demon race holding back the demon army, your Floating Cloud Mountains would probably have been flattened by the demons."
"Shut up!"
Just as the two demon emperors were about to confront Song Qingming, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" suddenly spoke up to stop them.
Then, the solemn-faced "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" had just covered Song Qingming with his divine sense when it directly passed through him, and the other party had not been able to detect any aura on him at all.
It seemed to have sensed the unusual behavior of the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor".
Song Qingming merely smiled slightly, and the opponent's divine sense was quickly reflected back by him, causing even the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" to involuntarily take a few steps back.
Only at this moment did he realize that the person in front of him was no longer the original Nascent Soul cultivator.
"How is this possible?"
Less than two hundred years had passed since the two last met, and Song Qingming's cultivation had already advanced from the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage to the Divine Transformation stage.
This truly shocked the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," who could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes.
Although he had heard more than once before that Song Qingming seemed to have broken through to the Nascent Soul realm in seclusion.
However, the Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor had long understood the difficulty of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, and he never took it to heart.
To everyone's surprise, Song Qingming actually did it.
The peak of the Nascent Soul stage and the Divine Transformation stage may seem to be only one level apart, but their supernatural abilities are many times different.
At this moment, Song Qingming, who was standing in front of the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor", looked down at him like a mountain.
An immense pressure instantly rushed into his heart.
The next moment, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" who was standing still was met with astonished gazes from the many demon emperors behind him.
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Senior Song, I was so ignorant of your presence that I did not know you were here. Please forgive me!"
"Senior, Your Highness, what did you say!"
"What? Could it be that he has already...?"
Upon suddenly hearing the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" address him as "Senior," the other demon emperors present were filled with disbelief, thinking they had misheard.
Seeing this, two of the demon kings who were at the late Nascent Soul stage and had higher cultivation levels immediately activated their divine senses.
Soon, their faces also showed shock, and they hurriedly lowered their heads along with the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor".
Before long, all the cultivators present fell silent.
The two demon emperors who had just spoken out against Song Qingming were now covered in sweat, and they almost buried their heads in their chests.
".
Seeing this, Song Qingming finally showed a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"Tianwei, you're a smart person, so I won't beat around the bush with you."
Although the demonic scourge in the northern frontier also affects the human race, it ultimately occurs in your demon race's territory.
If you want me to resolve this matter, you must show some sincerity. You should understand what I mean.
"Senior, rest assured, I will definitely restrain my subordinates from now on and never go south to harass the Fuyun Mountains."
"If you, senior, can lend a hand in resolving this demonic scourge, my Celestial Fox clan is willing to serve you valiantly. Please, senior, give us your orders."
"Okay! As long as you understand these points, that's fine."
Song Qingming nodded slightly before handing the portrait in his hand to the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor".
"Although this portrait bears some resemblance to me, I don't really like it. From now on, please don't hang it randomly on the mountain."
"Don't worry, senior, I will send someone to handle this matter immediately."
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor," having received the portrait, quickly put it away and stood respectfully to the side, fearing that this matter might displease the other party.
"Tell me the specifics of the demonic calamity first!"
"Senior Song, this demonic calamity occurred several decades ago..."
When Song Qingming returned to Qingyun Mountain, he only learned about the situation in the Fuyun Mountain Range. He was not very clear about the specifics of the demonic disaster in the territory of the Heavenly Fox Clan.
After the "Heavenly Tail Demon King" recounted his experience, Song Qingming finally learned the details of the disaster. The place where this demonic calamity first appeared was the "Heavenly Demon Graveyard," which Song Qingming had previously visited.
Decades ago, during the last "monster turmoil," traces of demons had already begun to appear near the "Heavenly Demon Cemetery," infecting the surrounding monsters.
At that time, however, these demons were not numerous and did not have a significant impact on the demon race.
In addition, the "Heavenly Fox Clan" was fully preparing to launch a counterattack against the Floating Cloud Mountains in the south, so they didn't take this matter to heart.
But what the "Heavenly Fox Clan" didn't expect was that just as they were heading south to attack Qingyun Mountain...
The northern demonic calamity suddenly spiraled out of control, with a large number of living beings infected by the demonic energy and transformed into a massive army of demons, which began attacking the sacred mountains controlled by the demon race.
Seeing that the situation was getting worse, the "Celestial Fox Clan" had no choice but to return north to deal with the demon army.
However, these demonic armies were far more troublesome than the demon race had imagined.
Not only are they numerous, but the demon army is also controlled by many powerful level four demon lords, whose strength is almost comparable to that of a demon emperor of the same level.
Moreover, even if one wave is wiped out, another wave will appear before long, making it almost impossible to kill them all.
In recent years, the "Celestial Fox Clan" has joined forces with surrounding demon clans to invade the "Celestial Demon Graveyard" in an attempt to seal the source of the demonic disaster.
However, due to insufficient strength, they failed at the last minute.
Not long ago, even the "Thousand Cloud Demon Emperor," a half-step Nascent Soul expert, almost perished there.
".
"Senior Song, according to the information brought back by Silver Tail and the others, there are at least a dozen demons in the Heavenly Demon Cemetery whose strength is no less than that of the late Nascent Soul stage."
We are simply powerless to resist on our own, which is why we have no choice but to send this message inviting you to come and help us.”
"Tianwei, your place shouldn't be too far from Qilin Cave, right? Why haven't you sought help from them all these years?"
Despite being one of the ten major demon clans in the Northern Frontier, the "Heavenly Fox Clan" is actually the weakest, with no Nascent Soul level experts among its members.
However, the adjacent Northern Frontier "Qilin Cave" is guarded by the Qilin Demon Saint, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Logically speaking, given the magnitude of the demonic calamity, if the "Heavenly Fox Clan" couldn't resolve it on its own, the "Qilin Cave" shouldn't have stood idly by.
Upon hearing Song Qingming mention "Qilin Cave," Tianwei Demon Emperor and the others immediately showed a sense of helplessness.
"Senior Song, you may not know this, but the demonic calamity is not limited to our Heavenly Fox Clan's territory in the Northern Frontier. There are many other places where demonic troubles have also occurred."
Several years ago, we sent a message to Qilin Cave asking for help.
However, the Qilin Ancestor is currently preoccupied with dealing with demonic troubles in other areas and has no time to attend to us here.
"Okay! I understand. You guys go back and get ready."
"Come with me to the Heavenly Demon Tomb in half a month!"
"Thank you for your help, senior."
Upon seeing that Song Qingming had agreed to help deal with the demonic threat, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and the others were all excited and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.
".
Half a month later, in the sky above the "Celestial Demon Cemetery" in the Northwest.
When Song Qingming first came to the "Celestial Demon Graveyard," the sky was clear and the view stretched as far as the eye could see.
Now it is shrouded in a black mist, and nothing can be seen within a radius of a hundred miles; there is only an endless expanse of dense demonic energy.
Many more monsters continued to emerge from the black mist and appear all around.
The intensity of the demonic energy here was noticeably different from what one would expect.
Song Qingming turned around and glanced at the people around him, then took the lead and rushed into the black mist against the demonic energy.
Then dozens of streaks of light followed him and rushed in.
Led by the "Silver-Tailed Demon King," the group quickly dealt with the low-level monsters that came to harass them and made their way to the edge of the canyon.
After arriving here, the number of monsters in the surrounding area increased significantly, and high-level monsters of grade three or above began to appear.
Upon seeing that someone had invaded the area, many demons immediately surrounded Song Qingming and his companions.
But as soon as they got close to Song Qingming, they were quickly shattered by a bolt of lightning that suddenly fell from the sky and turned to ashes.
"Senior Song, the source of the demons is in the valley below, but there are still many high-level demons guarding it, so everyone needs to be careful."
"It's alright!"
Upon hearing the Silver-Tailed Demon King's reminder, Song Qingming calmly responded and then dashed down into the valley.
As Song Qingming approached the bottom of the valley, he felt a chilling demonic aura rushing towards him from all around.
Before he could reach the bottom of the valley, dozens of auras quickly surrounded him from the dark mist.
A flash of white light appeared, and a lightning barrier appeared several feet away from Song Qingming.
The next moment, any monsters that got close to him were struck by lightning and vanished into nothingness.
Having killed countless demons, Song Qingming reached the bottom of the valley in the blink of an eye.
Before long, dozens more streaks of light descended, carrying the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and his entourage.
With Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul expert, leading the way, the group made the journey quite easy and successfully reached the bottom of the valley without encountering any danger.
Just as everyone's expressions relaxed, more than a dozen powerful auras suddenly appeared out of thin air and surrounded them.
"Everyone be careful, it's a Nascent Soul demon!"
As soon as "Silver-Tailed Demon Emperor" uttered his cry, the surrounding demons rushed towards them.
These demons were incredibly fast, and with the added power of the demonic energy in the valley, the aura emanating from them was no weaker than that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
After only a few exchanges, the "Silver-Tailed Demon King" was suppressed by one of the demons and was forced to retreat step by step.
Just as the "Silver-Tailed Demon King" was struggling to hold on, a silver ball of light suddenly appeared beside him, freezing the demon he was fighting in mid-air.
Despite its struggle, the demon was quickly sucked into the ball of light and vanished in the blink of an eye.
After slaying this demon, under Song Qingming's control, the "Boundary-Breaking Flag" emitted another beam of silver light, which devoured another demon nearby.
With just a few effortless activations of two divine abilities, Song Qingming instantly annihilated two late-stage Nascent Soul demons.
Upon seeing this, the Silver-Tailed Demon King and the others were all surprised.
Unexpectedly, these Nascent Soul stage demons, who were so ferocious in front of them, were so vulnerable and powerless in front of Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
With Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul cultivator, taking action, six or seven of the originally aggressive demons were quickly killed on the spot.
The remaining half of the demons, seeing that something was wrong, quickly retreated into the depths of the valley.
Seeing this, Song Qingming did not stop them, but led the group to follow behind them, and soon arrived in front of a black cloud that was dozens of feet high.
Meanwhile, the few Nascent Soul stage demons that had just escaped were now guarding the area near the black clouds, watching the group intently.
"It seems this is the source of the demonic calamity!"
Sensing the dense aura of true demons emanating from the dark clouds, Song Qingming, who already felt a sense of familiarity with them, immediately confirmed that this place must be the source of the demonic calamity.
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and others standing to the side also showed excitement upon hearing this.
"Senior Song, leave these demons to us. You can focus on sealing this place."
Seemingly wanting to make a good impression on Song Qingming, "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" rushed forward and stopped the two demons as soon as he finished speaking.
The remaining twenty-odd demon kings who had followed him also stepped forward and surrounded the remaining five demons.
Seeing this, Song Qingming didn't say anything more and turned his gaze to the top of the dark clouds.
After a moment's thought, Song Qingming raised his hand and tossed out several prepared golden array flags, planting them around the black clouds.
As golden light shone from all around, the dark clouds below immediately began to tremble.
Before long, the dark cloud suddenly shrank rapidly, shrinking into a single ball.
It turned into a black sphere only the size of a thumb.
Just as Song Qingming was casting a spell to try to seal the "True Demon Qi" in the black clouds, several demons who were fighting with the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" suddenly went berserk.
The seven demons, whose strength was close to the late Nascent Soul stage, abandoned their opponents and surrounded the black sphere.
One of the demons, upon touching the black sphere, suddenly exploded, turning into a cloud of black mist that enveloped it.
Immediately afterwards, the remaining demons also exploded and turned into black mist, merging into one place.
Just as everyone was filled with doubt, a figure in white suddenly emerged from the black mist, and a powerful pressure instantly covered the entire valley.
"This is... a Nascent Soul Demon Lord!"
Sensing the dark figure before them, whose aura was already nearly equal to Song Qingming's, the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and the others were all taken aback.
Song Qingming was somewhat surprised to see the figure in front of him that seemed vaguely familiar.
"I didn't expect it to really be you!"
"I never expected to run into you here."
My premonition back then was right; I can't believe you actually survived!
The white-clad figure before them was none other than the Nascent Soul Peak Demon who had taken Song Qingming beyond the Nine Heavens back then.
However, her aura is now several times stronger than before, possessing the imposing pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The woman in white looked at Song Qingming with the same surprise on her face.
It seems she never expected that Song Qingming, whose cultivation was only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage back then, would have become a Nascent Soul cultivator today.
"I was wondering just now how someone could have damaged the altar. It turns out that you have already broken through to the Nascent Soul realm."
Today, you and I can have a proper fight here.
This is perfect timing; I can finally get back what's rightfully mine!
Looking at her old rival Song Qingming, the woman in white still hadn't forgotten the old score from back then, and raised her hand to unleash a white sword light at Song Qingming.
Faced with the approaching white sword light, Song Qingming remained calm and directly summoned the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" to block the sword light in front of him.
Before Song Qingming could even breathe a sigh of relief, the woman in white activated the black sphere in her hand, and the dense demonic energy around her transformed into streaks of black light that surrounded Song Qingming.
With a series of crackling sounds, Song Qingming was completely enveloped in black light, as if he were trapped inside.
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and others, who were watching from the sidelines, were all surprised by what they saw.
Unexpectedly, the white-clad woman before him possessed such formidable supernatural powers that she could so easily trap Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" transformed into its true form of five tails and even tried to interfere with its opponent's spellcasting.
But just as he reached the woman in white, he was blasted away by a beam of black light.
The other demon emperors were even less able to approach the battlefield due to the powerful restrictions activated by the opponent.
"Huh! What's this...?"
Just when the "Heavenly Tail Demon Emperor" and the others were at a loss, a powerful spiritual light suddenly burst forth from the black light in front of them, absorbing all the surrounding demonic energy into it.
The next moment, Song Qingming emerged from the black light, his entire body surrounded by a ring.
"How did this treasure end up in your hands?!"
(An extra chapter today!) (End of this chapter)