LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 248: An Imperfect Full Stop
When facing the Blood Demon alone, Shou Ming could still rely on his improved strength to take him down.
However, when the four leaders appeared simultaneously, dealing with them became much more difficult for Shou Ming.
If nothing unexpected occurs, Shou Ming will be completely wiped out within an hour.
Not even a trace of his soul will be left behind.
…….
Inside the imperial palace.
At this time, Emperor Xia and the others were still focused on Qin Bei.
Seeing Qin Bei continuously channeling his soul power to assist Qin Zhengji, Emperor Xia felt quite pleased.
Though his rebellious son always seemed like a money-grubber, he hadn’t made any mistakes in matters like this.
He was also taking it very seriously.
This at least shows that Qin Bei still possesses some merits.
However, no one was aware of what was happening in the world beneath the Demon Realm.
Even Emperor Xia was in the dark.
Because the world below the formation was essentially a different realm.
Even Emperor Xia, if he wanted to know what was happening inside, would have to check it in person.
But clearly, Emperor Xia had no intention of doing that right now.
With someone guarding it, he didn’t need to worry.
It would be better to focus on seeing more of Qin Bei’s performance.
Unless the beings from the underground Demon Realm truly broke through the formation, Emperor Xia would undoubtedly sense it at that moment.
But by then, the situation would be rather serious.
Due to the imperial mausoleum’s special nature, even if Emperor Xia took action at that point, it would become quite tricky.
Clearly, the Blood Demon and his companions had seized upon this point.
Of course, the most important factor was that the news of Emperor Xia recuperating for all these years had spread.
It had been a long time since he truly took action, and everyone guessed that Emperor Xia was aiming to break through.
This was also the reason why the Holy Demon Dynasty had been making more and more moves in recent years.
They just wanted to keep Emperor Xia occupied.
…….
Within the underground Demon Realm.
After a fierce battle, Shou Ming’s soul body showed clear signs of weakness.
But he still didn’t give up and continued to engage in combat with the four others.
“Hahaha, didn’t you say you’d keep an eye on us for a thousand years? And this is all the preparation you have? Your bluster is somewhat effective, I’ll give you that!”
Seeing Shou Ming on the verge of collapse, the Blood Demon began to taunt him.
He still couldn’t forget the lofty demeanor Shou Ming had back then—everything under control.
It had frightened him greatly.
He genuinely thought that Shou Ming had a crystal-clear grasp of their layout.
This distraction during the battle had led to him being heavily injured by Shou Ming.
Now that he had a chance to mock him, the Blood Demon felt he must make up for it.
Shou Ming didn’t respond to him.
He wasn’t aware of it a thousand years ago. Instead, he had noticed some issues hundreds of years back.
Having controlled the Demon Realm for many years, he often kept an eye on these four.
Since he detected unusual energy patterns in the underground Demon Realm hundreds of years ago, he had already grasped the Blood Demon and his allies’ plans.
Unfortunately for him, it was also around the time the evil spirit formation was completed.
At that moment, he knew everything had become too late.
Back then, Shou Ming contemplated a lot.
He understood what the Blood Demon and the others were waiting for.
But he couldn’t strike first.
Because he lacked the strength to eliminate these four directly.
If he took the initiative, it would undoubtedly accelerate the battle’s onset.
When that time came, he wouldn’t be a match for them, and Qin Zhengji would certainly take action.
But if Qin Zhengji acted at that moment, he would be completely possessed by the demon, and there wouldn’t be a glimmer of hope for resurrection.
Shou Ming didn’t want that to happen.
So he chose silence, letting the Blood Demon and others bide their time.
And during these hundreds of years, he had also prepared two plans.
On one hand, he worked on enhancing his own strength, while on the other, he devised a final means.
Waiting for the Blood Demon and his allies to make their move.
“Ultimately, is it still a matter of insufficient strength?”
Shou Ming shook his head and murmured.
…
“This is truly troublesome!”
“Go all out, he can’t hold on for much longer. Don’t let him delay our progress.”
“Got it!”
The four Blood Demons launched their strongest attacks almost simultaneously.
Shou Ming glanced at the broken sword in his hand and then at the four attacks barreling toward him.
Bitterness welled up inside him.
“It has truly come to this.”
Shou Ming turned to look back at the formation above, his eyes filled with nostalgia, but, more importantly, with determination.
“My Lord, I’m not strong enough. I can only protect you for this final moment.”
After saying this, Shou Ming smiled warmly.
He didn’t even bother to glance at the incoming attacks from the four Blood Demons.
In the next second, Shou Ming’s figure completely vanished.
“Huh~ At least you have the self-awareness to not resist.”
The Blood Demon sneered with an evil grin.
“Let’s go, break the formation, capture Qin Zhengji, and the millennium plan will be successful! We’ll wait for the royal family to come negotiate.”
The Bright Demon took the lead and prepared to leave.
The Blood Demons also readied themselves to follow.
But a voice they had not expected to hear cut in abruptly.
“I told you, I know your plan—why go to such lengths?”
“Shou Ming?!”
The Blood Demon was the first to respond, realizing the voice belonged to Shou Ming.
“It’s over.”
Shou Ming’s forlorn voice echoed.
The next moment, the Blood Demon and the others felt something strange happening to their bodies.
“You! What did you do?!”
The Blood Demon sensed his soul power was rapidly vanishing.
This sensation filled him with dread.
“I merely activated the formation.”
Shou Ming’s calm voice rang out.
But upon hearing this, the Blood Demon and his companions’ eyes widened in disbelief.
Activate the formation?
They knew the formation was powerful, but when had it become this formidable? Why weren’t they aware?
At this rate of consumption, they felt they would disappear completely within a day.
What they didn’t know was that just as they sensed the four of them arriving, Shou Ming already recognized they weren’t opponents.
So he utilized the second method he had prepared.
Burning his own soul power to gain even greater strength, accelerating the operation of the formation.
In essence, Shou Ming’s backup plan was to use his soul combined with the formation to perish alongside the four Blood Demons.
And the result was evidently exactly what he wanted.
Boom~
Boom~
Boom~
Just as the Blood Demons and others were still trying to understand the situation, deafening explosions erupted.
Heavenly fire descended from above, like a calamity from the skies.
Feeling the heat of the flames, the Blood Demons found their souls searing painfully.
“You!! Are you insane?!”
The Blood Demon finally regained his wits.
Shou Ming was prepared to face them at the cost of refusing to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
This method terrified the four demon cultivators.
Because this was no mere gamble with one’s life.
Not entering the cycle of reincarnation meant total death.
Demon cultivators only showed this level of ruthlessness to others, but never to themselves.
“I didn’t wish to come to this, I want to live too.”
Shou Ming’s voice came through once more.
He was also forced into this choice.
“Stop! We surrender!”
The Blood Demon said anxiously.
Within such a brief span, he felt the suffering he was enduring exceeded that of the past thousands of years.
“I warned you! Now… it’s too late. I can’t hold this back.”
This time, Shou Ming’s voice carried a sense of release and relief.
Having guarded one person for countless years, in this moment, he drew to a less than perfect conclusion at the cost of refusing to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
……..