Chapter Sixteen: The Old Demon of Bashan

In the shadowy depths of the forested valley, countless towering ancient trees stood sentinel. Leaning against the trunk of one such giant, Qingxu melded with the wood, invoking his mystical arts. He attuned himself to the essence of wood, erasing any trace of his presence, his aura drawn in until it vanished entirely.

The demonic cultivator who had hurried here arrived with a force that seemed to shake the heavens. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Earth Immortal’s early stage, a mere half-step from breaking through to the mid-stage. Confident in his overwhelming advantage, Qingxu nonetheless had no desire for a head-on clash; instead, he lay in wait for an opportunity to strike from the shadows.

With a piercing whistle that rent the air, a mass of demonic energy—spanning dozens of miles—swept across the sky and descended over the secluded valley. But upon arriving, the demonic qi swiftly receded, revealing a solitary figure suspended in the air. His features were rugged; his physique, burly and powerful, stood a full ten feet tall. Clad in a pitch-black robe, torrents of silver-white hair billowed behind him in the wind. His eyes flickered with a ghostly green light, betraying a nature both sinister and cunning, cruel and violent.

An immense and overwhelming divine sense swept down like a tangible force, scouring the entire valley in but an instant. Yet Qingxu, now one with the trees, was utterly undetectable.

“How strange. The aura of that spiritual treasure was clearly emanating from here before. Could it be that, sensing this ancestor’s arrival, it has now gone into hiding?” The newcomer’s voice was chillingly cold as he spoke, his brows furrowed, the glow in his eyes growing more and more eerie.

No sooner had the man appeared in midair than Qingxu activated his Divine Sealing System to probe for information.

[Bali Ming]: Formed from the resentful spirits of the Great Ba Mountains, merged with earth-devil demonic energy, cultivated over three thousand years.
Grade: 33
Immortal Dao Realm: Peak of Early Earth Immortal
Divine Abilities: Celestial Demon Aspect (raises power to mid-stage Earth Immortal, body nearly indestructible), Archaic Demon Magic (barely mastered), Tenfold Calamitous Sword of Primal Fiends
Merit: 0
Karmic Retribution: 5510

“What? How can this be! Archaic Demon Magic? How could a mere Earth Immortal-level demon cultivator possess Archaic Demon Magic?” Qingxu was dumbfounded by the information.

Archaic Demon Magic was an innate art of the Demon Ancestor Rahu, originating from primordial chaos itself, a gift of the Tao—profound, inscrutable, shrouded in mystery, imbued with the rhythm of primordial Dao, and wielding supreme power.

“Hmph! This ancestor doesn’t believe you fled so quickly.” Bali Ming’s attention remained fixed here; he had sensed no one departing, and thus surmised someone must still be hiding.

With a sweep of his hand, five streams of demonic energy swept down, shrouding a hundred miles of sky. Suddenly, black ghostly flames erupted, burning fiercely in the clouds of demonic qi, their searing heat distorting the very air.

[Demonic Qi Hellfire: Corrodes and incinerates all—both tangible and intangible!]

Seeing this spectacle, Qingxu cursed inwardly. How could he not understand Bali Ming’s intention—to lay waste to hundreds of miles, ensuring that Qingxu would not escape disaster. His plot to ambush had been smothered before it could even begin.

Though full of unwillingness, Qingxu could not risk the Demonic Qi Hellfire. Its threat was grave—unprepared, he would be annihilated body and soul, or at the least, gravely wounded.

With a thunderous crash, Qingxu was forced to reveal himself. He hastily summoned the Central Xu-Yi Apricot Banner for protection. The light of the spiritual treasure illuminated the sky for a hundred miles. Hundreds of golden lotuses blossomed around Qingxu, enveloping him entirely. As an innate defensive spiritual treasure—even with only one restrictive seal refined—its power was extraordinary. When the Demonic Qi Hellfire met the golden lotuses, it was like branding iron plunged into icy water; the lotuses radiated earthy-yellow brilliance, and in a moment, the demonic qi dissipated, the hellfire extinguished as snow under blazing sun.

“Keh keh keh! Cunning little wretch, but this ancestor will not be so easily deceived.” Bali Ming watched as his Demonic Qi Hellfire was dispelled by the Central Xu-Yi Apricot Banner, but remained unconcerned, coldly eyeing Qingxu.

“So, you are the demon of Ba Mountain—Bali Ming?” Qingxu secretly left behind a doppelganger formed of Xu Earth to remain hidden, while he himself soared upward to face Bali Ming.

“You even know this ancestor’s name? Then you should also know your fate.”

“My fate is unknown, but yours, old demon, is certain!” Qingxu drew the Fivefire Sevenbird Fan and Azure Heaven Sword, one in each hand, with the Central Xu-Yi Apricot Banner as his shield. His courage swelled; with his Xu Earth doppelganger still hidden and ready to strike, he didn’t believe that, with such overwhelming advantage, he could fail to subdue Bali Ming. Even if worst came to worst, with the Jade Pure Immortal Talisman as protection, he would remain invincible against any but the most primordial beings.

“Quite the collection of spiritual treasures, boy! A pity they’ll soon belong to this ancestor.” Bali Ming’s heart burned with envy at the sight of Qingxu’s three treasures. In three thousand years of cultivation, he had yet to possess even one; now, jealousy and longing warred within him.

In the instant Bali Ming was distracted by greed, Qingxu unleashed the Fivefire Sevenbird Fan.

Five fires surged into the sky, enveloping a hundred miles in a sea of flame, their might earth-shattering.

“Hmph! Parlor tricks. Let this ancestor show you true divine might.” As the roaring inferno swept toward him, Bali Ming showed not the slightest fear, only contempt gleaming in his eyes.

“Tenfold Calamitous Sword of Primal Fiends!”

At his words, his ten fingernails detached, transforming into ten streaks of inky-black light, swirling through the air. Though seemingly chaotic, their movements hid profound patterns—a mystery within a mystery.

The soul of life, soul of heaven, soul of earth!
Po, the seven spirits: heavenly rush, spiritual wisdom, essence, strength, central control, vitality, heroism!

Under the aura of slaughter, Qingxu felt a chill to his core, his soul quaking with terror—the three souls and seven spirits seemed on the verge of annihilation.

“The Tenfold Calamitous Sword of Primal Fiends? So, this is a divine art to slaughter the three souls and seven spirits.”

Bali Ming, born of resentful spirits and earth-devil demonic energy, possessed a body forged by demonic ferocity. The ten calamitous swords, formed from his fingernails, were mighty indeed. Yet he deemed them not enough, and over a thousand years had sought out hundreds of rare demonic materials to refine into his nails. He had even slaughtered over a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, fusing their soul essence into the swords, combining with his own demonic might to forge the terrifying Primal Fiend essence.

Qingxu’s own cultivation was profound—were it a mere Qi Refiner, Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul cultivator, the merest touch of the Primal Fiend aura would annihilate their three souls and seven spirits, to be devoured by the ten swords and further boost their power.

The inferno raged, yet the ten calamitous swords were utterly unphased—testament to their fearsome resilience!

“Can such a technique harm me?” Qingxu summoned the Azure Heaven Sword, directing it to meet the ten calamitous swords.

“Like an ant trying to shake a tree!” The Azure Heaven Sword, being only a second-tier acquired spiritual treasure, was no match for the ten calamitous swords—after all, Bali Ming had spent a thousand years forging them, their power comparable to seventh- or eighth-tier acquired treasures.

Yet a sly smile curled Qingxu’s lips.

Three Supreme Saint Talismans began to exert their power, forcefully siphoning the Primal Fiend essence to empower the Azure Heaven Sword.

“What? Impossible! My Primal Fiend essence is dwindling—damn you! I’ll devour you alive, drink your blood, tear out your sinews!” Sensing the thousand years of painstakingly gathered Primal Fiend essence being drained by the Azure Heaven Sword, Bali Ming flew into a rage, flames of true fire bursting from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Desperately, he tried to recall the ten calamitous swords, but some mysterious, supreme force held them fast.

“He who sows evil, reaps evil in return,” Qingxu mused. Leeching the Primal Fiend essence through the Azure Heaven Sword had limited benefit, but he had hoped either to entangle Bali Ming or force him to recall the swords. Yet the backlash from the hundreds of Nascent Soul souls within the Primal Fiend essence overwhelmed Bali Ming’s mind—a perfect cycle of cause and effect, retribution unerring, every fate preordained.

Failing to retrieve his swords, Bali Ming roared in wrath and charged, but the sea of fivefold flames surged up and engulfed him.

Swathed in searing fire, excruciating pain wracked his body. His black robe was reduced to ashes in an instant; his flesh charred, his wounds grievous.

“Celestial Demon Aspect!”

With a furious bellow, Bali Ming’s demonic body began to heal at unnatural speed. Muscles writhed, his frame grew taller:

Fifteen feet!
Twenty feet!
Twenty-five!
...until he stood a giant of thirty feet, before finally stopping.

Manifesting the Celestial Demon Aspect, Bali Ming’s power soared—he had broken through to mid-stage Earth Immortal. Demonic energy roiled from his form, so potent that even the fivefold flames could no longer harm him.

“Heaven and Earth Manifestation? That’s a top-tier divine art—could Bali Ming have some hidden origin?” wondered Qingxu.

Thunder crashed as Bali Ming, now transformed, swept his arms wide, forcing back the flames and stepping free. Meanwhile, the last vestiges of Primal Fiend essence were drained from the ten calamitous swords by the Azure Heaven Sword, leaving not a scrap for Bali Ming. Qingxu even seized the now powerless swords for himself—a stroke of luck indeed.

Despite being forged from the distilled essence of demonic malice and hundreds of rare materials, the ten calamitous swords were now excellent divine weapons. Whether for his own use or to reward a disciple in the future, they were treasures of the highest order.

“Ahh! I’ll destroy you! Annihilate you, body and soul! No, I’ll see your spirit tormented by the hellfire for all eternity—unable to live, unable to die!” Having lost his Tenfold Calamitous Sword of Primal Fiends and a thousand years of bitter toil, Bali Ming’s hatred surged like the endless seas.