In the Myriad Poison cult, the mountain of corpses beneath Xiao An’s feet rapidly piled up before being devoured by the Samādhi Flames of White Bone. By now, not a lot remained anymore.

  She stood on the pile of corpses and wrapped herself in the Blood Sea Banner. She counted the Skull Prayer Beads with one hand as she held the Buddha Slaying sword backwards in the other. She chanted the scriptures, sometimes the Chant of Deva-Nāga, sometimes the secret techniques of the school of vinaya, and so on.

  The golden light around her was righteous and solemn, but the Samādhi Flames of White Bone entangled around it were twisted and hideous.

  She looked down as if she was completely unaware of this. Her face seemed to be filled with deep benevolence, but at a closer glance, that was only emotionlessness and calmness. She just focused on the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.

  After three consecutive months of arduous cultivation and four Demon Kings and countless demonfolk as resources, constantly devouring and converting them into cultivation, the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was already on the cusp of breaking through. Actually, if the Divine Nun of the South Sea had not gotten in her way, she should have broken through to the third layer already, which would be followed by the tribulation.

  However, this was not a bad thing. It gave her an even deeper foundation and even greater confidence when she faced the tribulation. The power she would obtain would be even greater too.

  By the time she had completely incinerated the pile of corpses, the golden light and the Samādhi Flames of White Bone achieved a delicate balance. She only needed a little more resources, and she could break the balance before rapidly devouring the Divine Nun of the South Sea’s powers.

  Xiao An gazed towards the east. That was the last demon cavern Li Qingshan would be visiting.

  Li Qingshan stopped travelling, having arrived at the edge of a swamp. The demon cavern was less than fifty kilometers from here, which was already within arm’s reach for him. Demon qi rushed into the air, connecting the sky with the ground. The demonic clouds extended over his head, blotting out the sun. This was a sight he had already grown accustomed to.

  “What’s wrong?” Gong Yuan stopped in the air on a cloud. Seeing how serious he was, she could not help but ask that question.

  “Nothing. I’m just surveying this place first. After all, knowing thyself and knowing thy enemy makes you undefeatable in battle. Hopefully, we don’t run into two Demon Kings again and let this all go to waste!” Li Qingshan smiled at her. Right when he was about to enter the swamp and set foot in the final battlefield, a thought flashed through his head, but it had been far too fleeting, so it escaped his grasp.

  “You’ve finally made some progress.” Gong Yuan laid on the cloud elegantly, leaning against her hand with her lips curled slightly. However, the smile was more like mockery than acknowledgement.

  “I’m just worried that you’re too weak, so if we come across an enemy that’s too powerful, you won’t be able to hold on!” Li Qingshan pouted and waved his hand. “Profound Light Illuminates All!”


  Pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell appeared, rapidly gathering and arranging together. They depicted the entire demon cavern in the distance from all perspectives.

  Countless demonfolk moved stone pillars like ants, constructing a Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous. According to Gong Yuan, this formation was extremely popular in the Demon domain. However, as the nine provinces were not the Demon domain, it was restrained by the laws of the world, which was why its effects were so unimpressive. If twelve Demon Kings powered it together, the might would be earth-shaking.

  However, there were only twelve Demon Commanders here. There were a little more stone pillars compared to other places, but it was not something to worry about.

  The scene from the Profound Light Illuminates All swept past the stone pillars and arrived at the source of the demon qi. The demon cavern was even larger than the ones they had come across in the past, surging with demon qi. The crude and misshaped edge seemed just as jagged and sharp as the others, which contrasted against the surrounding scenery. It looked like a mischievous child had used a knife to cut a hole in a famous painting.

  Many tremendous figures shimmered faintly in the rolling demon qi like huge snakes. They radiated with a terrifying aura.

  “So many Demon Kings!” Li Qingshan was surprised. At first glance, there were six or seven of them at the very least.

  “That’s not true. There’s only one.” Gong Yuan arrived beside Li Qingshan on her cloud and pointed at a corner of the images.

  Li Qingshan saw it too. As it turned out, the huge snakes all shared a single body. It was a hydra, but he did not ease up when he realised this.

  Hydras were legendary exotic beasts. Their bloodline originated from the divine beast Jiuying, or Nine Nascences. Each head possessed an ability of its own, and each head was equivalent to a life. In order to kill it, all nine heads had to be destroyed, but its regeneration was shocking as well. Even when a head was cut off, it could grow back very quickly.

  “If it really is a hydra, then it’ll be very difficult to win this battle.” Gong Yuan was stern.

  Li Qingshan nodded in agreement. If this was the very beginning, they would have been confident enough to face any Demon King in battle, but they were not in their optimal state anymore. Killing an exotic beast like that was extremely difficult and dangerous.

  Most importantly, the question was whether it was an actual hydra or a strange form that a Demon King had taken after demonifying. If it was the former, then they could get ready to retreat.

  ……


  Hidden in the demon cavern, close to the Demon domain, the Demon Kings engaged in an intense conversation.

  “Meditative Brain King, why did you send the Nine-headed King up? They’re going to be too frightened to come over,” two Demon Kings said the exact same thing at the exact same time. It came from a male and female, but their voices overlapped perfectly.

  “The Nine-headed King has always been stationed here, so of course, it should still be him. It’s not like he’s a true hydra. He only achieved that form through cultivation and demonification. If he’ll be frightened away by just a sham, then this Li Qingshan isn’t worth all of his effort!”


  “A sham! Meditative Brain King, I heard you fled at the news of battle without even getting close, offering up your demon cavern without even fighting! How dare you call me a sham!”


  “Hehe, I know the best if I’ve received him in battle or not. According to my calculations, it’ll be almost certain death for you if we’re not here today.”


  “Shut up!”


  “What, do you think you’re stronger than the Martial Chief King?”


  When the Martial Chief King was mentioned, the Demon Kings all fell silent. Even among Demon Kings, the Martial Chief King was infamous for his strength and viciousness. None of them were confident enough to serve as his opponent. He was even deeply trusted by the Demon Emperor, having been called back to the Demon domain multiple times. Originally, they thought he was going to demonstrate himself in this battle, but they never thought he would die so soon.

  “Stop, both of you! Now is not the time for disputes. Nine-headed King, not only are we here for revenge, but we’re also here for great evil god Qiongqi’s plan. It’s fine if you inhibit our revenge, but if you ruin the great evil god’s plan…”


  “Bone-eating King, stop strutting around with borrowed plumes. I’ll get around to you sooner or later!” the Nine-headed King said viciously, but he no longer tried to do anything carelessly. If the ambush this time failed because of him, great evil god Qiongqi did not even have to do anything. Just the Demon Kings below that had suffered heavily at Li Qingshan’s hands would skin him alive.

  “Meditative Brain King, what should we do now?” the Bone-eating Shaman King ignored the Nine-headed King’s empty threats and asked.

  “Nine-headed King, teach them a lesson!” the Meditative Brain King said, ordering him, “Hehe, show them what you’re made of!”


  “You… damn you!”


  The conversation was secretive and rapid. It sounded long, but it had only taken a moment.

  On the edge of the swap, Li Qingshan was about to launch an attack from the distance to probe them out, where he would retreat if it did not seem right, when a roar rang out from the depths of the swamp. The nine snake heads straightened out, rising from the ground like buildings and radiating with demon qi. The snake eyes all gazed over, filled with coldness and malice.

  Li Qingshan began laughing instead of becoming angry. “He really is a fake! Let’s get him!”