Chapter 319: Demon Gate Headquarters
Chapter 319: Demon Gate Headquarters
Ice Province, Cold Prefecture.
Solitude Valley.
Located in the northwest of Cold Prefecture, this area is like a desolate tundra of frozen hills, with barren and withered land where vegetation is scarce. The piercing cold freezes blood, and all one can see is a sense of solitude.
Deep within this perpetually desolate and uninhabited valley, hidden beneath the surface, a hellish scene unfolds! Skeleton Ridge, Bone Forest, with hair matted into blankets and flesh and blood turned into mud, the pungent stench of blood is nauseating. It's a veritable mountain of corpses and sea of blood!
This is the headquarters of the Demon Gate.
Along the mountain corridors, one can see scattered Demon Gate disciples bustling in and out. Some escort captured martial artists with rich and potent blood essence from various parts of Cold Prefecture, while others breed demonic beasts and extract their blood.
Unlike the Qiuan Sect, Ice Extinction Palace, and other orthodox sects, which recruit disciples within their own provinces, selecting those with exceptional talents and nurturing them, most Demon Gate disciples are late bloomers, many of them older and nearing decay, unwilling to accept their mortality, they eventually choose to join the Demon Gate.
Only these aged and withered old martial artists are looked down upon by the Demon Gate's demons, their flesh deemed useless for consumption, even if they have some martial cultivation, their blood essence is often inferior to that of ordinary, robust men.
Of course.
The vast Demon Gate isn't entirely filled with these late-blooming misfits; there are a few younger ones, and their origins are twofold. One is like Bai Shi Yong from Emerald Rock Manor, who was led by Bai Yuan Qing to practice demonic arts.
If it weren't for the Demon Gate's Demon Sovereign needing resources from Emerald Rock Manor, and Bai Yuan Qing and Bai Shi Yong relying on the manor for stable blood food and a cultivation environment, they would undoubtedly have eventually betrayed Jade Province.
Additionally, there are the extremely rare 'second-generation blood descendants.'
Kun Jie, the young prodigy of the Demon Gate who died at Chen Mu's hands, was one such second-generation blood descendant, born to a Demon Gate Elder. The Demon Gate's practice of demonic arts often leads to physical deformities, making reproduction difficult, but when it does occur, the offspring naturally possess demonic bodies, making their cultivation twice as effective, and their progress is often extremely rapid.
Deep within the Demon Gate headquarters, at the center of Solitude Valley, a massive cave can be found, about several dozen zhang in diameter, sunken deep into the earth, pitch-black and bottomless.
Ordinary Demon Gate disciples rarely venture here.
This is the Demon Gate's forbidden land, accessible only to Elders, with even sixth-stage demons forbidden from approaching.
The cave is filled with a terrifying pressure and demonic aura, so overwhelming that it suffocates anyone who dares to enter. Weaker demonic beasts would be instantly subdued, unable to move.
Descending into the cave, one reaches its bottom, where a colossal demonic beast resides, its back like a towering mountain, its demonic aura so thick and profound that it's awe-inspiring. Even a Demon Sovereign like Xianyu Chen would pale in comparison, like an ant before this beast's might.
Any Marrow Washing Grandmaster or experienced Six Viscera Realm expert who sees this enormous and terrifying demonic beast will undoubtedly be shaken to their core and immediately recognize its name.
A Ninth-Rank Heavenly Demon,
Sacred Turtle!
Throughout the realm, there are only a few types of demonic beasts above the ninth rank, the ultimate transformation of all demonic creatures, and the Sacred Turtle is one of them, a legendary Ninth-Rank Heavenly Demon.
These terrifying beasts of the ninth and tenth ranks were once the rulers of this land, commanding all things, but over countless years, they were defeated one by one by the human race's ancestors. Now, they are nearly extinct, and in the Great Xuan Realm's interior, even eighth-rank demonic beasts are rarely seen, let alone ninth-rank ones, which are typically found in the outer seas, the Great Wilderness, and the Earth Abyss.
A Ninth-Rank Heavenly Demon far surpasses the capabilities of a Marrow Washing Grandmaster, even a Supreme Grandmaster would flee in terror, only a Blood Replacement Realm expert could suppress or kill such a beast.
At this moment,
Upon closer inspection, one can see that this Ninth-Rank Heavenly Demon, the Sacred Turtle, despite its overwhelming demonic aura, is filled with a sense of weakness, and its body and four legs are bound by golden chains, connecting it to the valley's earth veins, suppressing it to the point of immobility.
The chains binding its legs are themselves spirit armaments, and nearby, a complex array formation constantly weakens the Sacred Turtle, preventing it from recovering.
In front of this colossal beast, like a small mountain,
Several figures stand, as if petrified.
It was not quite accurate to call them human figures, as each one had a peculiar appearance. Some had scales, some had feathers, and some had crimson horns protruding from their foreheads. However, the aura emanating from each individual was incredibly dense, far surpassing that of the Six Viscera Realm.
Astonishingly, they were all Demon Sovereigns of the Demon Gate!
And more.
The one at the forefront, a pitch-black figure, had an aura so dense it seemed to be bottomless, far more formidable than an ordinary Seventh-Rank Demon Sovereign. He was the Eighth-Rank Supreme Elder of the Demon Gate, the renowned 'Jet Black Demon Sovereign' Kun Wu!
During the time when the Demon Gate was in hiding, this Jet Black Demon Sovereign was not well-known. However, after the chaos in Jade Province, he had made several appearances. He had directly defeated the top grandmasters of the Ice Extinction Palace and even repelled the combined might of four or five grandmasters from the same sect. He had also charged through the ten-thousand-strong army formation of the Ice Province Guard. In terms of strength, among the top grandmasters in the entire Cold North, he was an exceptionally powerful existence.
An Eighth-Rank Supreme Elder.
Five Seventh-Rank Demon Sovereigns.
This formidable lineup was not here to guard this Heavenly Demon Sacred Turtle.
Although the Sacred Turtle was formidable, it was constantly weakened by the array and suppressed by the earth's veins beneath Solitude Valley. It was almost impossible for it to even attempt to rise, let alone require any guarding.
They were here to cultivate.
The terrifying demonic energy of the Sacred Turtle was the resource they could use to refine their own demonic bodies. It could be said that the Demon Gate's greatest foundation at present was this living Ninth-Rank Sacred Turtle, from which they could extract various resources to aid their cultivation.
To cultivate to the Seventh-Rank level and become a Demon Sovereign of the Demon Gate, one would either hunt and kill martial artists to absorb their blood essence and energy or return to the sect to absorb the demonic energy of the Sacred Turtle to refine their demonic bodies.
The entire forbidden ground was deathly silent.
Whether it was the Jet Black Demon Sovereign Kun Wu or the several Seventh-Rank Demon Sovereigns, none of them emitted any sound. Even the Sacred Turtle lay there motionless, not moving a muscle. Judging from the traces around it, it seemed to have been immobile for decades. If not for its demonic energy constantly lingering, it would have appeared almost dead.
Time passed, and suddenly, a figure descended quietly from above. This person's aura was dense, and he was also a Demon Sovereign of the Demon Gate. After landing, he walked straight up to Kun Wu and spoke softly:
"Supreme Elder, there's something strange about the recent situation in Cold Prefecture."
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As he finished speaking, the Jet Black Demon Sovereign remained silent, standing there motionless. After a long while, he finally opened his eyes slowly. His indifferent gaze shifted, and he said, "Tell me."
"I don't think the Seven Xuan Sect will stop at occupying Frost Prefecture. Their next move will either be to go to Snow Prefecture or come to Cold Prefecture. But after such a long time, there's been no movement, which is quite strange..."
Demon Sovereign Qu Lin's eyes shone with a faint light as he spoke softly, "And then, over in Cold Prefecture, the Wu Meng Tribe seems to have lost someone recently. According to the information, it's suspected that Chen Mu has ventured into Cold Prefecture and is currently active within its borders. The Seven Xuan Sect's next target might very well be Cold Prefecture."
"Chen Mu..."
Hearing Qu Lin's words, the Jet Black Demon Sovereign Kun Wu muttered this name, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Although Chen Mu had killed the White Feather Demon Sovereign, the Thousand-Face Demon Sovereign, and others, he wasn't particularly enraged by this. Those three Demon Sovereigns were not his direct subordinates, nor did they work for him, and he had little connection with them.
However, among his few blood descendants, the one he valued the most, Kun Jie, had gone missing in the deserts of Sand Prefecture years ago. Although he wasn't sure of the specifics, based on subsequent intelligence, it was highly likely that Kun Jie had died at Chen Mu's hands! This, coupled with the deaths of the White Feather Demon Sovereign and the others, made him naturally want to deal with Chen Mu as soon as possible, especially considering Chen Mu's display of exceptional talent. If one day he truly cultivated the Cosmic Domain, even Kun Wu wasn't confident he could kill him.
"Is this person still in Cold Prefecture?"
Kun Wu asked slowly.
Qu Lin shook his head. "Not sure... Supreme Elder, should we contact the Wu Meng Tribe and the Corpse Sect? If the Seven Xuan Sect really intends to come to Cold Prefecture, we should give them a painful welcome."
The headquarters of the Demon Gate was in Cold Prefecture.
This was the biggest problem.
Whether it was the foreign Wu Meng Tribe or the Corpse Sect, they could quickly retreat from Cold Prefecture if they encountered any trouble. But the Demon Gate couldn't do the same, as they couldn't easily withdraw from Cold Prefecture with their headquarters in Solitude Valley.
If the Seven Xuan Sect attacked Cold Prefecture, and the Wu Meng Tribe and the Corpse Sect kept retreating, it would be a significant issue for the Demon Gate. Instead of being passive, it would be better to try to join forces with the Wu Meng Tribe and the Corpse Sect to prepare.
Although these three forces had their own agendas, their cooperation was fundamental. The foreign tribes and the Corpse Sect would want the Demon Gate and the Seven Xuan Sect to weaken each other. They wouldn't want to see the Seven Xuan Sect completely driving the Demon Gate out of Cold Prefecture.
After all, if the Demon Gate truly abandoned its headquarters and retreated to the foreign lands, leaving only the Corpse Sect and the foreign tribes, they wouldn't be able to stop the combined might of the Seven Xuan Sect, the Ice Extinction Palace, the Heaven Sword Sect, the Joyful Union Sect, and other sects. The situation wouldn't be ideal in the end.
(End of Chapter)
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