All gazes instantly locked on the two demon kings. The crowd watched intently.

The Jiao King summoned his golden spear, which resonated with the Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s shell. The two of them felt absolutely confident.

Flames intertwined with the blood-red crystalline wall. The wall seemed to melt, pierced through by the Heavenly Phoenix Feather’s flames.

The two demons were about to use the Heavenly Phoenix Feather’s power to break through and escape. Suddenly, the Jiao King’s triumphant smile froze, his expression twisting in shock and fury.

"Who?!" The Nine-Life Black Tortoise roared in rage.

Before his voice faded, both demons felt darkness swallow their vision.

Bang! The tortoise shell quaked violently.

The Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s face turned pale as he spat out blood.

A slender hand appeared out of the void and pressed against his shell. No one knew when it had appeared, but the shell’s radiance instantly dimmed, cracks spreading across it.

Then, the split soul of the ancient devil slowly emerged, his eyes cold, filled with greed and madness that made the Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s heart tremble.

At the same time, a furious roar came from behind the Jiao King. Without warning, Devil Qingzhu appeared beside him, expression blank, his blood-red eyes fixed on the Jiao King as he reached out. Waves of true devilish qi surged wildly.

Devil Qingzhu and the ancient devil’s split soul moved in perfect unison. While the split soul crushed the Nine-Life Black Tortoise, Devil Qingzhu went straight for the Jiao King.

No one knew what secret technique Devil Qingzhu used, but strange swishing sounds came from within the true devilish qi. From it, countless black chains were born, slithering like serpents through the air, covering the heavens as they lunged toward the Jiao King.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the ancient devil’s split soul and Devil Qingzhu finally dissipated.

The human cultivators had all fought the ancient devil’s split soul before and knew its terrifying strength, so they had remained alert, ready to assist one another.

The grand witch priest and Old Devil Fang had also been secretly warned while conversing with the humans.

Only the Jiao King and the Nine-Life Black Tortoise knew nothing of the situation. No one had warned them of the ancient devil’s true power. They had been too busy guarding against the immortal cultivators to expect the ancient devil to act so swiftly and with such ferocity.

The Jiao King had not been completely unprepared. He and the Nine-Life Black Tortoise had secretly coordinated, already summoning the golden spear, donning golden armor, and preparing the Jiao Clan’s supernatural ability.

Though there were many immortal cultivators present, none surpassed them in cultivation. Together, they could withstand even a joint assault for some time.

The power of the Heavenly Phoenix Feather had already been activated. In the next instant, they would have broken through the blood-red crystalline wall and escaped alive.

No one should have been able to stop them. Yet an accident occurred at the final moment.

When Devil Qingzhu appeared before him, his blood-red pupils glowing eerily, the Jiao King’s heart turned cold. As one of the strongest beings of the two regions, he actually felt an ominous premonition, something he had not experienced in countless years.

True devilish qi surrounded him on all sides.

Boom! Brilliant golden light erupted as countless spear shadows exploded outward, painting the air golden.

The Jiao King unleashed his full might, merging the golden spear with the Jiao Clan’s great supernatural ability. The strike shone like a golden sun, its power overwhelming. Yet, as soon as the spear shadows pierced the true devilish qi, they dimmed instantly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh... The black chains filled his vision, shredding the spear shadows one after another until the attack scattered into fragments.

The true devilish qi engulfed the golden spear, surging forward like a flood.

The Jiao King’s face changed completely. If he continued to channel the Heavenly Phoenix Feather, he would likely die at Devil Qingzhu’s hands.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Life Black Tortoise was in dire straits himself, unable to help in the slightest.

The ancient devil’s split soul had already devoured three Spiritual Infants. At Yitian Peak, he had fought three late-stage Spiritual Infant experts at once.

Although he had expended much energy to destroy the great array and altar, he was still more than enough to deal with the Nine-Life Black Tortoise who was at the peak of the middle stage of the Transformation Realm.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Heavy blows thundered against the tortoise shell so rapidly they seemed like a single strike.

That hand, delicate as it looked, was a death sentence in the Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s mind.

Crack! The shell shattered.

Though it was only the manifestation of his supernatural ability and not his true shell, it possessed tremendous defensive power, yet even that was blasted apart by the split soul.

Fragments burst outward, dissolving into the power of black water, forming a great river that crashed toward the ancient devil’s split soul.[1]

Splash! The river was torn open by a single palm.

Thud! At the critical moment, the tortoise shell reappeared before him, blocking the split soul’s strike.

That shell was the very core of the Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s being. Its defense indeed proved formidable; it did not shatter, but his situation did not improve.

His blood and qi churned violently, true essence stagnated, and he was utterly shaken by the ancient devil’s terrifying might. Then, before his eyes, the split soul’s figure blurred. Alarm rose in his heart, as he swore inwardly.

Just then, a streak of azure light shot in from the side, carrying an overwhelming force that made the Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s heart leap in alarm once again.

At the same time, he heard Fairy Nangui’s voice through sound transmission. "The Jiao King is doomed. Seize the Phoenix Feather, and all past grievances will be forgotten!"

When the Jiao King summoned the Heavenly Phoenix Feather and the ancient devil’s split soul struck, the Devil Lord and the others also moved, all charging toward the same direction at once. However, they might not have been coming to rescue anyone.

The ancient devil’s split soul had left a deep impression on them, and Devil Qingzhu, personally controlled by the ancient devil’s true body, was surely even stronger. The Jiao King had served as the perfect test case to prove that.

The Heavenly Phoenix Feather was the only hope of leaving this place. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on it. At the very least, they could not allow it to fall into the ancient devil’s hands.

The grand witch priest and Old Devil Fang were naturally among those moving in. Lingzhuzi and the Devil Lord had already formed an alliance.

Fairy Nangui and the old man reacted just as quickly, but unlike the Devil Lord and the others, they did not rush forward recklessly.

Ignoring his injuries, the old man forcefully activated the Essence-Sacrificing Art. His cultivation rose sharply, becoming equal to Fairy Nangui’s, though at a terrible cost. He coughed out blood before managing to steady himself.

The two of them jointly activated the Devil-Suppressing Stele. During this time, the stele had regained part of its power, and with two great cultivators working together, its might surpassed even before.

Whoosh! The Devil-Suppressing Stele tore through the void, launching a sudden strike at the ancient devil’s split soul.

Their choice differed from that of the Devil Lord and the others. Instead of competing for the Heavenly Phoenix Feather directly, they aimed to rescue the Nine-Life Black Tortoise first, then work together with him to seize the Heavenly Phoenix Feather. Since the Nine-Life Black Tortoise was closest to the Jiao King, he had the best chance of success.

The Four Saints Palace had long vanished from the world, retreating into seclusion within a hidden realm, which was located in a storm belt at the edge of the Rain Desert. The Nine-Life Black Tortoise’s cave dwelling lay within that very region.

This demon had deep ties with the Four Saints Palace and had once been sheltered by it.

After the palace declined, the Nine-Life Black Tortoise broke free from its control. Now, he had even dared to collude with the demon race of the Demonic Sea and infiltrate Seven-Kill Hall.

At such a critical moment, as long as he was not a fool, he knew exactly what he should do.

Bang! The Devil-Suppressing Stele arrived in an instant. The ancient devil’s split soul, caught off guard, sensed danger and faltered slightly.

The Nine-Life Black Tortoise narrowly escaped disaster, gaining a brief moment to catch his breath, and finally saw the Jiao King’s dire situation clearly.

1. In ancient China, black water is used to refer to the northern waters. It is also associated with the five elements. ☜