LIGHTNOVELONLINE Essence Genesis Hall’s plaza:
Gu Hai strode forward while Sha went to the side of Essence Genesis Hall entrance. Gu Hai, accompanied by Lin Waner, slowly approached the seats.
Jiangchen, Ming, and Ba were already seated.
Gu Hai glanced at the three of them and gave them a slight smile.
Ba nodded, and Jiangchen raised his cup and smiled faintly. Meanwhile, Ming appeared contemplative but eventually nodded and smiled.
Jiangchen and Ming had already taken the frontmost seats in the left and right columns. Gu Hai did not contest them, instead walking to the second seat in the right column and slowly sitting down.
Lin Waner stood behind Gu Hai.
A small commotion arose among the faction leaders as Gu Hai sat down.
However, it was only a brief stir before everything calmed down. After all, Gu Hai had caused quite a splash over the years, and who did not know his capabilities? His subordinates included a substantial number of consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm experts. As the sovereign of a heavenly dynasty, one of these seats was rightfully his.
With the exception of the Myriad Age Daoist Sect’s Essence Genesis, the three most formidable figures in the land of the living seemed to have taken their seats.
A Nine Yin Sect’s sect master, Ming, had arrived from the nether realm.
Now, only two seats remained, the third on the left and the third on the right.
This got the various faction leaders buzzing with excitement. Perhaps they had a chance to sit down?
Just as several faction leaders were eager to try, an unsettling voice interrupted.
“Announcing, the Heavenly Demon Holy Land’s sect master from the nether realm!”
A disciple of the Myriad Age Daoist Sect shouted, and everyone turned to look.
The sect master of the Heavenly Demon Holy Land, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon?
Those who originally wanted to claim a seat halted in their tracks, their faces stiffening.
A sinister black wind swept in, shrouding the plaza as if heralding the end of days.
Boom!
The black wind scattered at the center of the plaza, revealing three new figures.
Leading the way was a man in black-and-white robes, with bold features and a furrowed brow resembling the character “王.” As he stepped onto the plaza, he emanated an aura of dominance, akin to a fierce tiger ready to pounce.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, the White Tiger Prime?
Many people’s eyelids twitched at their first sight of the true face of the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon.
Behind him were the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon and the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon, both surveying the various faction leaders with a faint, disdainful smile.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon’s gaze then landed on the chairs.
It was clear that these seats were meant for those who were qualified; those without qualifications could only stand.
On the first seat of the left column sat Jiangchen, and on the right column sat Ming.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon’s face sank as he looked at Jiangchen.
“Jiangchen? It’s been years, and here you are again,” said the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, his voice cold.
“Yes, indeed, I’ve resurfaced. Don’t tell me you’re itching for a rematch?” Jiangchen replied with a faint smile.
“Humph! I am. We still have some unsettled scores from the past,” the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon said, his expression turning stony.
Jiangchen, the former commander of the shaman race, and the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, one of the four commanders of the animal spirit race, had some lingering animosity from the long-concluded war between the shamans and the animal spirits.
However, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon knew that they could not determine a clear victor at this moment, so there was no need to provoke Jiangchen any further.
As the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon surveyed the various seats, his gaze fell upon Ming.
There sat Ming, on the frontmost seat of the right column, sipping his wine. The position he occupied was on par with Jiangchen’s.
Jiangchen was the former shaman race commander, and I was one of the animal spirit race’s commanders. We are equal in status, so who is this newcomer who dares to sit in the coveted frontmost seat?
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon remained silent, but the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon, standing nearby, understood the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon’s thoughts and stepped forward.
“Hey, kid, get out of there. That isn’t where you should be sitting!” the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon barked coldly at Ming.
The Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon was known to be the closest to the level of an expert at the consummation of the spiritual souls, with formidable poison techniques. Could Ming stand up to him?
The entire assembly fell into a tense silence. Even Gu Hai, Jiangchen, and Ba looked on with interest, waiting to see how this would unfold.
The four centaurs behind Ming appeared to understand proper etiquette; they did not immediately react to the provocation.
Ming calmly swirled his wine and replied, “What did you say just now?”
“I said, that isn’t your seat. Get lost, or don’t blame me for being rude!” the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon retorted coldly.
“You must be blind!” Ming retorted with a hint of icy disdain in his eyes as he swirled his wineglass.
The Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon was incensed. “Insolence—”
Everyone was in shock. Was Ming not the sect master of a mid-tier sect? Nevertheless, he openly challenged the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon? Or was he challenging the authority of the Heavenly Demon Holy Land?
You must be blind? This was clearly a slap in the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon’s face. Was Ming tired of living?
Even the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon stared at Ming as if looking at a dead man.
However, the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon did not make a move but rather stood there, seemingly immobilized.
Buzz!
The image of a Great Dao appeared behind the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon and the energy of the Great Dao flowed into his body. However, this energy quickly scattered and the Great Dao image disappeared.
The Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon seemed to become agitated.
“Number Three, what’s happening to you?” the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon asked in surprise.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon also looked puzzled, sensing that something was off with the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon today.
“It’s impossible! Impossible! I can’t see! Milord, I’ve lost my sight!” the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon cried out in shock.
He can’t see? Everyone felt slightly startled. Why did the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon suddenly lose his sight?
“Elder Sister, did he really go blind?” Jingwei exclaimed in astonishment.
When Jingwei cried out, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon frowned at her. When he looked at Jingwei’s appearance more closely, his expression changed. “Isn’t this Zhu Qiqi’s body?”
“Milord, I’ve lost my sight. I tried to use the power of the Great Dao to heal, but it didn’t work. I can’t see!” the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon exclaimed in horror.
“Is it you? Did you do something to him?” the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon angrily accused Ming.
Ming swirled his wineglass, fixing a meaningful smile on the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon.
That smile sent shivers down the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon’s spine. After all, no one wanted to be struck blind like the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon. The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon thought better than to act rashly.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon reached out to touch the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon, carefully examining him. However, he found no physical injuries. It was clear that the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon had lost his sight, even though there was no apparent cause.
“Who are you? Why did you harm my subordinate?” the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon demanded in a cold voice.
“I’m Ming from the Nine Yin Sect in the southern region of the nether realm. As for him, he blinded himself. Who else can he blame?” Ming replied calmly.
“Was that a curse technique you used earlier? Of lifespan, blessings, divine, cultural, and spiritual, it is divine cultivation that began with curses. It is an innate talent of my animal spirits’ deities. In the past, the Solar Divine Palace’s Crown Prince Lu Ya learned the Head-Nailing Seven Arrows Manual curse technique, capable of dooming someone to death. Some of the animal spirit races practice curses, and the shaman race has a branch of divine cultivation involving curses. Are you an animal spirit or a shaman?” the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon demanded in an icy voice.
Ming did not reply directly. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, exuding confidence. “Bai Zizai, if you want to know who I am, heal your comrade’s blind eyes first!”
[TL Note: Bai Zizai can be literally translated as White Unrestrained. I suppose we now know why he was called the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, it was actually his name rather than a characteristic.]
“Insolent! I simply fell for your technique, that’s all! Even without my eyes, I can still kill you!” the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon suddenly shouted in anger.
As he spoke, the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon extended his right hand, as if to strike Ming down.
“Going blind is not enough of a lesson? How about having your paw broken?” Ming retorted indifferently.
Crack!
Suddenly, the sound of bones breaking came from the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon’s extended right arm. Then his arm suddenly drooped.
Having your paw broken?
No one saw how the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon’s arm suddenly broke.
Those who had doubted Ming earlier were left wide-eyed in astonishment. Where did this monster come from?
How did he do that? Was it a curse? Can he speak things into reality, killing his opponent with just his mouth?
“Argh!” The Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon clutched his broken right arm, his face contorted in pain, as he took a step back.
At that moment, the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon no longer dared to talk insolently. Ming had merely suggested that the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon’s paw be broken. Had he said the neck instead, would that not have been…?
The Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon felt a chill in his heart. As for the Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon, he wisely kept his silence. Where did this monster come from?
Not far away, Jiangchen observed Ming’s two curses with deep contemplation.
Jingwei and Lin Waner were wide-eyed in amazement, while Gu Hai and Ba appeared especially solemn when they looked at Ming.
Ming smiled at the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon, making the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon visibly uncomfortable.
With just those two curses earlier, Ming now occupied the frontmost seat without opposition. The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon himself was full of doubts; he could not fathom this Ming at all.
“Excellent. Excellent. Very excellent. I will lift the curses on Bellowing Griever, and then we’ll see about settling things. Humph!” the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon huffed.
Although he had lost face, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon did not erupt in anger. After all, he could even keep his head down and lie low after the defeat in the war between the shamans and the animal spirits; what more now?
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon felt frustrated but had to give up his claim to the frontmost seat.
Gu Hai and Ba occupied the second seats on the right and left. Initially, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon might have contemplated challenging them, but now, he had no such thoughts and settled for the third seat on the right.
The Unrestrained Heavenly Demon sat down, and there were no objections from those present. Despite the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon falling victim to curses twice, the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon had not intervened. After all, he was the sect master of a holy land and had every right to sit there.
Only the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon himself knew that he had come off worse in the earlier exchange when he could not immediately undo the curses on the Bellowing Griever Heavenly Demon. Thus, even though he felt resentful, he could only accept it.
Now, only the last seat on the left remained vacant.
The various faction leaders once again itched with curiosity.
“Announcing, the East Spiritual Fire Sea’s lords from the nether realm!”
A resounding call rang out once more, leaving the faction leaders slightly bewildered.
“Another one from the nether realm?”
“Isn’t the East Spiritual Fire Sea composed solely of Nether Fire Divine Commanders?”
“Has the East Spiritual Fire Sea been united?”
…
Many faction leaders were astounded.
However, Ba frowned slightly as she looked at Gu Hai.
“There were seven Vermilion Bird Primes; the other six came back to life, too,” Gu Hai explained to Ba.
Ba’s face sank.
The surprised voices in the surroundings abruptly ceased as everyone looked at Gu Hai in astonishment.
What did Gu Hai say? Vermilion Bird Primes?
Boom!
Two fireballs descended from the sky, accompanied by scorching waves of heat. The faction leaders felt a sudden chill in their hearts because they all sensed a formidable, oppressive heavenly might emanating from that heatwave. It seemed that this heavenly might could crush any one of them there.