“I don’t know where you heard those rumors from, but it was the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon who attempted to massacre our Demon Vanquishing Divine Flame Sect after my master passed away. I worked together with the sect to seal it away. Even though I succeeded, I ended up getting sealed within the tower as well.

  “As for your disciple, I don’t deny that his talent and loyalty did catch my eye, and I did hope that he could save me from the Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace. However, I would have rewarded him handsomely if he did save me. I have no intentions of harming him at all,” the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted said.

  “Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted, look closely at me and my face,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist pointed to his own face as he spoke.

  The Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted did as he was told, but the Ox-nosed Old Daoist’s appearance was just so-so. He had no idea what the latter was up to, so he asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Do I look like a fool to you?” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist asked.

  “Hmph!”
The Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted’s face turned cold, and he flung his sleeves in annoyance.

  Shoosh!

  Along with a breeze, the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted vanished into thin air. He had chosen to leave the area.

  However, the Ox-nosed Old Daoist sneered coldly and extended his palm toward empty space.

  Hu!

  As if there was a bottomless hole in his hand, the Ox-nosed Old Daoist exerted a powerful suction force that pulled everything into his grasp. A figure swiftly flew from the depths of space toward his hand.

  It was none other than the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted.

  “You!!!”
The Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted couldn’t remain calm when he saw that he was unable to escape from the Ox-nosed Old Daoist’s grasp. He had known that the Ox-nosed Old Daoist was incredibly powerful, but he only understood the gap between them at this very moment.

  “Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted, why are you in such a hurry to run away if you believe that you’re in the right?” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist asked.

  “I am indeed telling the truth, but you refuse to believe me. I know that it’ll be hard for me to change your mind, so I didn’t want to bother staying here and arguing with you. I really didn’t lie to you, so I hope that you can spare me,” the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted said.

  “In other words, you were sincerely intending on rewarding my disciple if he saved you?” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist asked.

  “Of course. I would never hurt my benefactor,” the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted replied with a nod.

  “Since that’s the case, I’ll accept your reward. However, I’ll get to decide what to take. First and foremost, I want you to hand over the Demon Vanquishing Divine Flame Formula,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist said.

  The Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted hesitated upon hearing those words.

  The Ox-nosed Old Daoist looked at the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted with a patient smile, but it only made the latter rain buckets of cold sweat.

  “It’s contrary to my master’s wishes, but you did save my life. I believe that my master will understand my actions.”
In the end, the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted took out an ancient scroll and handed it over to the Ox-nosed Old Daoist. The Ox-nosed Old Daoist unfurled the scroll and began reading it.

  “Rumor has it that the Demon Vanquishing Divine Flame has the power to subjugate demons, decimate evil, dispel poison, heal injuries, cleanse all beings, and even remove curses. I thought that it was an exaggeration, but it does seem like there’s some credence to those rumors.

  “It’s no wonder why you would go to the extent of massacring your own sect members for the sake of monopolizing the Demon Vanquishing Divine Flame. Your position would be unshakable if you’re the only one in possession of the cultivation skill,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist said with a satisfied nod before slipping the Demon Vanquishing Divine Flame Formula into his robe.

  He then snatched over the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted’s Cosmos Sack and took it for himself too. If he was still asking politely earlier, what he was doing now was no different from robbery.

  However, the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted dared not to voice his displeasure at all. Instead, he subserviently asked, “May I leave now?”
“Leave? Where are you going? You aren’t done rewarding me yet,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist said.

  “Is this not enough?” the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted asked in bewilderment.

  “Of course not. It just so happens that my Godsoul Formula is still lacking a bit of nourishment. The soul of an ordinary cultivator is insufficient for me, but I think you might just be able to meet the mark,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist said.

  “You!!!”
The Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted’s face paled. He immediately turned tail and attempted to flee. By now, it was clear to him that the Ox-nosed Old Daoist had no intention of sparing him.

  However, as he turned around, the Ox-nosed Old Daoist suddenly stabbed his hand into his body.

  Gah!

  A wretched cry echoed loudly, and the Demon Vanquishing Immortal Exalted’s body was swiftly reduced to dust.

  Finally, the Ox-nosed Old Daoist’s aura calmed down.

  “It’s done. What a close shave!”

  The Ox-nosed Old Daoist heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to the Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace and shouted, “Stop hiding and come out.”
A black little fox came out of the palace. Despite its small physique, its eyes reflected wisdom.

  “Oh hoh, isn’t this the legendary Thousand Transformations Fox Demon? To think that you would be reduced to such a state. Did you expend all of your energy wrestling control over the Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace?” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist asked.

  The black fox was none other than the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon, the true owner of the Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace.

  “Are you going to kill me?” the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon asked.

  Surprisingly, its voice was reminiscent of a young boy.

  “Thousand Transformations Fox Demon, you’re probably the only one of your kind left in the world? It’d be a pity to kill you. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll help you regain your true strength and bring you to the height of your ancestors,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist said.

  “I’m willing to go with you, milord,” the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon replied without any hesitation.

  “A wise decision.”
The Ox-nosed Old Daoist nodded. He sapped away the remaining energy of the Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace, causing the palace to collapse on itself. Then, he infused the sapped energy into the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon.

  The Thousand Transformations Fox Demon swiftly grew into a hundred meters large monstrous beast.

  “I heard that you were over a hundred thousand meters long at your peak?” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist asked.

  “Milord, I am less than a hundred thousand meters long in my normal state, but I’m able to reach over a million meters large when rampaging.”
The Thousand Transformations Fox Demon’s voice was no longer that of a young boy but a man. It was filled with vigor as one would have expected from a powerful beast.

  “As expected of a monstrous beast that destroyed an entire Starfield by itself,” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist remarked.

  He wouldn’t have taken in the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon if he hadn’t thought that it was strong enough.

  “Hm? This aura…” the Ox-nosed Old Daoist mumbled with a frown.

  He quickly turned his sights toward an Upper Realm of the Nine Souls Galaxy.

  “Follow me. Let’s take a look.”
The Ox-nosed Old Daoist got onto the back of the Thousand Transformations Fox Demon, and the two of them disappeared with a streak of black light.

  All that was left in their wake were the fragmented remains of what used to be a Lower Realm.