"You think the ancient devil isn’t strong enough because the seal on him hasn’t fully opened yet! Do you have any idea how many human cultivators were slaughtered when the ancient devil first emerged?" the old man shouted furiously.

"Daoist, calm down. We didn’t expect this place to be sealing the ancient devil. The Dongji Leader was bewitched by the ancient devil and helped him break free, even offering him a new body..."

The Xiyou Leader glanced at the Devil Lord and secretly sent a voice transmission to explain to the old man, "The ancient devil’s escape from the seal is already inevitable. Even if we kill ourselves in repentance, it won’t change anything. Since you are a descendant of the Four Saints, do you know any means to restrain this devil?"

The ancient devil’s might surged violently. Both she and the Devil Lord were trapped within true devilish qi, while the Dongji Leader flanked them from the side. The situation was dire.

The Devil Lord snorted. "No matter how many massacres the ancient devil caused back then, after being sealed for so many years, how much strength can he still have? Enough nonsense. Do you have a plan or not?"

"Fortunately, you weren’t foolish enough to undo his seal completely. Our four ancestors once left behind a setup to prevent the ancient devil’s return to the world..." The old man transmitted his voice rapidly, his tone anxious.

"What kind of setup did the Four Saints leave behind?" The Xiyou Leader’s eyes lit up.

The ancient devil’s power was gradually recovering. For now, they could still resist him, but once he broke free from the seal entirely, their fate would be sealed.

"I have a way to suppress him temporarily, and then I can work on repairing the seal. But I’ll need time to prepare the setup. During that time, he'll surely notice. You must keep him occupied. The seal on him grows weaker by the moment; if we delay any longer, it’ll be too late..."

The old man spoke urgently. Instead of revealing himself to help, he stealthily approached the edge of the mountain col, hiding in the shadows and fixing his gaze on the stone stele at its center.

Just as he said, the chain marks on the ancient devil’s body were fading away. Once they disappeared completely, his devilish might would be restored to the world.

The Devil Lord and the Xiyou Leader stood back to back, fighting to hold off the ancient devil and the Dongji Leader. The balance was tipping. The danger grew worse.

Finally, a whistling sound tore through the air. The old man’s figure flashed, soaring above the mountain col. He pressed a palm downward, sending a streak of azure light toward the stone stele. The jade stele lit up, shrinking into a waist-high monument that gleamed crystal clear.

Inside the col, the ancient devil suddenly raised his head and locked his blood-red eyes on the jade stele. Madness burned within them. Abandoning the Devil Lord and the Xiyou Leader, he charged straight toward the old man.

"Quick! Stop it!" The old man controlled the jade stele and shouted loudly.

The Devil Lord and the Xiyou Leader exchanged glances and unleashed their full strength.

The Dongji Leader, following the ancient devil’s order, prepared to summon his spiritual sword back and direct his sword array at the old man, but before he could, a cold gleam streaked past. Invisible ripples of power enveloped his sword.

The sword’s cry thundered like lightning, its light blazing fiercely, but it couldn’t break free from the entangling force.

Seizing the chance, the Xiyou Leader switched from defense to offense, dragging her former ally into combat.

Meanwhile, the Devil Lord opened his mouth and spat out a lump of yellow light. Within it floated a dark-yellow stone saber.

The saber's surface was coarse, as if carved casually from a piece of rock. It looked ancient and broken. Its hilt was missing and its edge was chipped.

The saber hovered before the Devil Lord. It released no powerful aura and seemed utterly ordinary.

Then, the Divine Lunar Ghostlight erupted, like a torrent drawn from the Yellow Springs. Within it, evil spirits writhed in agony, letting out tormented howls that chilled the soul.[1]

The ghostlight did not shoot toward the ancient devil, but instead plunged into the stone saber.

The saber trembled lightly, and a devouring pull surged forth, swallowing every wisp of the Divine Lunar Ghostlight.

Flash! Yellow radiance flared blindingly.

The stone saber underwent a metamorphosis, turning into a bloodthirsty weapon exuding a twisted, hungry will.

Hum! The saber quivered violently and suddenly lashed out.

A flash of yellow light vanished from sight. The next instant, the saber's true body appeared behind the ancient devil, stabbing straight for his heart.

A fierce gust swept over. The ancient devil’s instincts screamed danger. This strike was no trivial blow. The Devil Lord had been preparing it for a long time.

At the instant he sensed the saber's aura, the blood and essence within his vessel and even his devilish soul itself felt tugged, as though drawn toward the weapon.

If the saber pierced him, even a being as powerful as the ancient devil would have his vitality devoured completely.

The saber was no ordinary item. No modern cultivator could have forged such an astra. It was an ancient relic of evil origin, one the Devil Lord had found in a hidden realm within the inner hall.

The ancient devil clasped his hands, conjuring seals. Billowing devilish qi transformed into countless dark curtains that pressed down upon the incoming saber, yet its charge never slowed.

Then, suddenly, he sensed something strange.

Ever since leaving the stone stele and taking full control of his body, he had been constantly breaking at the seal, the chain marks on his face fading bit by bit. Especially after devouring a Spiritual Infant, they had almost disappeared.

But now, inexplicably, the chain marks grew heavier again. Tiny lightning threads appeared upon them.

At the same time, throughout the sealing array... Spirit talismans rose from several auxiliary altars, including one main altar.

Cultivators stood around each one—followers of the Xiyou Leader and the Devil Lord—quickly forming seals and activating their spirit talismans.

A strange resonance spread along the seal. The talismans shattered one after another, revealing a power similar to that of the True Devilish Malevolent Talisman, though far weaker in comparison.

Yet the moment this power appeared, it disrupted the True Devilish Malevolent Talisman’s strength.

The lightning chains, once dim and suppressed, regained a spark of vitality. Though still unable to match the talisman’s force, they could now endure longer, and even fight back. Lightning roared. The ancient devil grunted in pain as his true devilish qi wavered.

"It’s you!" He instantly realized what had happened and roared in fury.

"I’ve studied talisman arrays for hundreds of years and it's all thanks to you!" the Xiyou Leader spat through gritted teeth.

She had a talent for the art of talismans. The ancient devil had once taught them the True Devilish Malevolent Talisman and several talisman arrays of immense complexity. Those were techniques that no ordinary Spiritual Infant cultivator could comprehend. Yet the Xiyou Leader had managed to uncover a fragment of their workings.

Unfortunately, she could only influence a single main altar, and she needed others at auxiliary altars to assist in activating the talismans.

Her control was nothing compared to the ancient devil’s. He alone could command the entire talisman array and attack the seal with sheer force.

The ancient devil’s aura shook violently, his true devilish qi briefly stagnating. Seizing the opening, the stone saber broke free from the dark curtain and forced the ancient devil back.

Whoosh! The jade stele crashed down.

Suddenly, an unexpected change erupted! The void behind the old man twisted without warning. A shadowy figure appeared silently, his cold gaze locking onto the old man. Forming a rapid hand seal, he conjured a blazing fire lotus and shot it like lightning toward the old man’s back!

At the same time, the Devil Lord’s figure flickered repeatedly. His target was not the ancient devil, but the jade stele itself!

The one launching the ambush was none other than Old Devil Mou, who had been lurking in secret all this time.

Caught off guard, the old man instantly realized the truth, his expression flashing with shock and fury.

So that was the Devil Lord’s true plan—to use the ancient devil to lure out the descendants of the Four Saints Palace and seize the Devil-Suppressing Stele!

"The Four Saints once obtained a treasure in Seven-Kill Hall, one surpassing even spiritual treasures. Later, the Four Saints Palace fell into internal chaos, declined into ruin, and withdrew from the world. That treasure vanished without a trace. This stele must be it, right?" The Devil Lord’s eyes blazed with greed.

Just as he had predicted, the ancient devil’s power had greatly diminished after so many years of imprisonment.

As long as he could claim the Devil-Suppressing Stele, even if the ancient devil broke free, there would be nothing to fear.

What the old man didn’t know was that the Devil Lord had already arranged a devil-slaying array outside the Spirit-Suppressing Domain.

1. Explained in earlier chapters, Yellow Springs is the world of the dead in Chinese mythology. ☜