Chapter 133: Demonic Sacrifice

Wuxian Town is a small settlement under Zhe'e Commandery in the Heavenly Wind Empire. With a population of only thirty thousand, it lies adjacent to the Volong Mountain Range. Because this town falls within a hundred-mile radius of Gulan City, it has remained free from beast tides, enjoying at least a thousand years of peace.

On this day, several youths dressed in travel-worn martial attire appeared in Wuxian Town. This group of six was Yi Tian and his companions, who had just emerged from the Volong Mountain Range after trekking across tens of thousands of miles of wilderness from Huangqin City. They chose not to enter Gulan City; after all, that city had once attempted to waylay them. Should they be discovered, it would undoubtedly lead to another fierce battle—a prospect highly disadvantageous to them, given that Gulan City is a faction with tens of thousands of years of heritage and unfathomable foundations.

Deep within a massive valley outside Black Dragon City, an altar suddenly shone with intense brilliance. A terrifying aura emanated from deep beneath the earth. The group of people gathered in the valley were ecstatic, and the youth leading them was particularly stirred; he had never imagined that the information recorded in the ancient texts would prove to be true.

"Who disturbs me!"

At that moment, a horrifying voice echoed from underground. The youth on the altar bowed respectfully and said, "Respected Demon Lord, I am a direct disciple of the Demon Palace. I hope to receive an empowerment of demonic energy from you, so that I may ascend to become a Great Demon of the Earth Realm in one stroke."

Upon hearing the youth's request, the aura of the Sky-tier Horned Demon beneath the earth turned violent.

"A mere ant dares to covet my empowerment? Begone!"

The voice contained a trace of icy fury. Had the entity not been suppressed beneath the ground, it would have immediately struck and obliterated this audacious fellow. Furthermore, having exhausted its strength after a prolonged battle against the remnants of a Dragon Pearl while attempting to seize it, the demon was powerless to act. Had it not been for this youth constructing an altar to communicate with it, the demon would have been unable to project its voice at all.

The youth remained unfazed. He retrieved an item from his storage ring and said, "Demon Lord, there is no need for anger. I wish to trade this Demon Fetus for an empowerment from you."

The object in the youth's hand was a dark sphere of light, within which a shadow seemed to be curled up, seething with demonic energy.

"Eh? To think a Demon Fetus exists within these human territories. Very well, the quality of this fetus is sufficient to catch my eye. Boy, offer this sacrifice to me, and I shall grant you the empowerment."

The youth on the altar persisted, "Demon Lord, if I sacrifice the Demon Fetus to you and you refuse to grant me the empowerment, what then?"

"Nonsense! How could I, this lord, break my word?"

The youth produced a stone and said, "As long as you swallow this Vow Stone, I shall trust that you will honor your promise, and I will offer the sacrifice immediately."

"To think your Demon Palace is so well-prepared, even possessing a Vow Stone."

The Horned Demon suppressed in the underground chamber finally agreed to the youth's demand. The Vow Stone is a miraculous treasure containing a peculiar law; once a vow is sworn, should anyone violate it, the stone will sense the betrayal and autonomously shatter, severely wounding or even killing the oath-breaker. Soon, the Demon Palace disciple invoked the power of the Vow Stone, and through the altar, it was swallowed by the Horned Demon.

On the altar, the Demon Palace disciple could not suppress his excitement. This was an unprecedented breakthrough; once empowered by this suppressed demonic powerhouse, he would instantly ascend to the rank of an Earth Realm demon master. He immediately began the ritual to sacrifice the Demon Fetus.

Meanwhile, Yi Tian and his five companions had traveled steadily for several days, crossing tens of thousands of miles to reach the Jingmu Commandery. It took them only another day to return to the vicinity of Black Dragon City. However, just as they were nearing the Yi Clan, the barren earth thirty miles outside the city suddenly shook violently, as if struck by a massive earthquake. The nearby Black Dragon River churned with towering waves, causing the large vessels on the water to sway wildly. Smaller boats were capsized by the swells in an instant. The boatmen who made their living on the river fell into the water, though they were skilled swimmers and suffered few casualties.

"What is happening?" Yi Tian felt a shiver of alarm.

He, along with Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the others, sped toward the source of the disturbance. Upon arriving, they discovered a vast valley where a group of people was conducting a ritual. On the altar, a youth with a sinister expression was preparing to sacrifice a dark, glowing orb.

Boom!

The altar suddenly flared with brilliant light, sending a powerful surge of energy down into the sealed space thousands of feet below. When Yi Tian and his group arrived, they caught sight of the youth completing the mysterious ritual.

"This is bad!"

Seeing this, everyone in the Samsara Squad felt a sense of unease, sensing that something of great consequence was unfolding. At that moment, a terrifying aura began to awaken beneath the altar. In an instant, the sky for a hundred miles around plunged into darkness. Monstrous demonic energy overflowed from the earth, causing the ground to tremble as if a giant beast were struggling beneath the surface.

Feeling this vast, boundless pressure and the endless malevolence, Yi Tian and his companions were struck with terror. Before this aura, they felt as insignificant as ants, faced with an irresistible, cataclysmic power. They were deeply shocked; they had never imagined such a horrifying creature existed beneath this land. Unsure if the entity was a suppressed prisoner or something else, they remained on high alert.

Deep within the underground chamber, the Horned Demon sensed the light descending from above—it was the sacrificed Demon Fetus. It opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing the fetus in an instant.

Roar...

A cry of terror and rage erupted from within the Horned Demon, but soon, the Demon Fetus fell silent. A Demon Fetus is formed from the residual soul and essence of a fallen demonic powerhouse; given enough time, it can potentially give birth to a new demon. If the reincarnation fails, it becomes a demonic treasure. This particular fetus had been a Sky-tier demon in its past life, making it a potent tonic for the Horned Demon.

The long-weakened demon felt a surge of massive demonic essence replenishing its energy, its strength rapidly recovering. By the time it had completely digested the fetus, it felt its power restored to seventy percent. In another three or four years, it would return to its peak.

Meanwhile, the situation in the valley had changed. The arrival of Yi Tian’s group startled the nine people present. Among them, the youth on the altar and two others were Yuan Dan-tier experts, while the remaining six were of the Yuan Fa level. Seeing the intruders, the youth on the altar commanded his eight followers, "Kill them."

As a direct disciple of the Demon Palace, he did not regard Yi Tian and his companions as a threat. With his sharp perception, he could tell their cultivation was only at the Yuan Gang and Yuan Fa levels. While encountering these human-tier fighters in such a remote place as Black Dragon City was a slight surprise, he deemed them unworthy of concern.

"Understood!" The followers charged toward Yi Tian’s group.

Having realized the nature of these people and sensing the terrifying, boundless demonic aura beneath the earth, Yi Tian and his companions understood the situation immediately.

"Kill them!"

Yi Tian was truly enraged. It was clear these people were practitioners of the demonic arts, and a demonic powerhouse or overlord was likely suppressed beneath the earth—otherwise, it would not exude such terrifying, pure demonic energy. There was clearly a nefarious conspiracy at play. During their months in Huangqin City, Yi Tian and his team had learned of the state of the Heavenly Dragon Continent. Those who practiced the demonic arts were ruthless, cruel, and wretched individuals—the dregs of the human race. To cultivate their dark arts, they had committed countless atrocities and blood-soaked crimes, even sacrificing to demon gods in hopes of gaining power. These practitioners were universally despised by humanity as traitors to the human race.