Ch. 1316 - The Malevolent Demon’s Intention

When the black thread of infernal energy streaked through the air, it shot straight toward the Blackflame Qilin, binding it tightly.

The beast roared furiously, enraged by the provocation. Waves of black fire poured from its mouth, but the black thread was completely unaffected, not even scorched.

The Qilin grew desperate.

It lunged forward, its massive body crushing the ground beneath it, jaws opening wide as if to tear the thread apart.

But just as its roar peaked, it suddenly cried out in pain.

The black thread coiled around its snout, looping once, then spiraled around its entire body, wrapping it up like a rice dumpling.

Everyone watching stood in stunned silence.

The mighty Blackflame Qilin lay on the ground, looking pitiful and subdued, whimpering softly.

“No way,” Wang Lin muttered, disbelief on his face. “That’s supposed to be a Demonic Armament?”

“I heard the Blackflame Qilin ranks among the top three of the Seventy-Two Million Demonic Armaments,” Xu Jiama said, equally stunned.

“In my opinion, it’s not that the armament is weak, it’s that Brother Xu is… too strong,” Wang Lin said after a long pause.

The others looked at Xu Zimo’s back, and for the first time, they felt an aura of greatness emanating from him.

“Who… who are you really?” Hong Ze asked, taking a step back, his voice trembling.

“You should be grateful,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “If you weren’t one of my demon kin, you’d already be a corpse.”

“Now leave. I won’t kill you,” he added indifferently. “But don’t test me again.”

“W-we’re going,” Hong Ze stammered, swallowing hard before turning to flee with his companions.

Before leaving, however, they tried to retrieve the Blackflame Qilin, but Xu Zimo stopped them.

“Consider this armament your interest payment,” Xu Zimo said. “It stays here.”

Hong Ze hesitated for a moment, but finally clenched his teeth and left without another word.

“Brother Xu, your mercy might bring trouble later,” Wang Lin said after a moment.

“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Those people won’t repent. Letting them go is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains,” Wang Lin explained. “He may not be your match, but behind him stands Sun Mountain. If you’d killed them here in the Ancient Demon Road, no one would ever know. You’d have avoided endless problems.”

“I don’t wish to kill my own people,” Xu Zimo murmured quietly. “Not unless I have no other choice. I’ll give them one more chance.”

“Huh? Brother Xu? What did you just say?” Wang Lin asked.

Xu Zimo smiled and shook his head. “Nothing.”

He walked up to the bound Blackflame Qilin. The creature trembled as he approached, fear burning in its crimson eyes.

“What do you all think of this Demonic Armament?” Xu Zimo asked.

“The Blackflame Qilin needs no introduction,” they all said, nodding in agreement.

“Since we came here and didn’t find any inheritance, take this as my gift to you,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.

“No, no, we can’t accept it,” Xu Jiama said immediately, shaking her head.

Afraid of offending him, Wang Lin quickly added, “That armament belongs to Sun Mountain. If we take it, they won’t let us go unpunished.”

“You’re right,” Xu Zimo said, smiling faintly. “I hadn’t thought of that. In that case, I’ll keep it for now.”

He released the black thread. The Blackflame Qilin, finally free, looked as if it wanted to roar in protest, but after a moment of hesitation, it lay flat on the ground, obedient and motionless, afraid to provoke him further.

With a gesture, Xu Zimo clenched his right hand. The Blackflame Qilin dissolved into a cloud of demonic mist and was absorbed into his palm.

That was the convenience of Demonic Armaments, they could be carried within one’s body.

Seeing the Qilin vanish, Wang Lin and the others dared to approach again. “Brother Xu, you said there was no inheritance here, was that true?”

“Do I have any reason to lie to you?” Xu Zimo replied.

They had doubted him before, but after witnessing his power, they were half-convinced, half-afraid.

“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would the Malevolent Demon deceive us?” they wondered aloud, exchanging confused glances.

Xu Zimo smiled. “Haven’t you noticed anything along the way?”

“Noticed what?” they asked in confusion.

“Feel it within yourselves,” Xu Zimo said.

He stretched out his hand.

In the distance, a demon ghost over a hundred miles away suddenly froze, as if summoned by an unseen force. It was yanked through the air and pulled directly before them.

The creature howled in panic, thrashing violently, but it couldn’t move, held in place by Xu Zimo’s power.

“In my view,” Xu Zimo said, smiling faintly, “the true inheritance of this Ancient Demon Road lies in the ghosts of these Ancient Demons themselves.”

He crushed the struggling creature in his palm. A surge of strange, shimmering energy dispersed into the air, threads of pure Primal Dao.

Most couldn’t sense such power; only those at the Sovereign Lord stage could understand the essence of Primal Daos. Even if Primal Dao energy floated before them, ordinary cultivators would never perceive it.

The others felt a sudden shift within their bodies. Their expressions changed in shock.

They could feel a new kind of power flowing through them, a mysterious energy under their control. It could heal wounds, aid in enlightenment, and even enhance their combat strength.

“What an incredible force,” they murmured in awe.

“But… it’s fading,” one of them said suddenly. “Even without using it, it’s slowly disappearing.”

They all looked reluctant. Such power was priceless.

“That’s because you haven’t reached the Saint Sovereign realm,” Xu Zimo explained. “Without that, your bodies can’t store the power of Primal Dao, it leaks away with time. The Malevolent Demon truly went to great lengths.”

“Brother Xu, can you explain?” Wang Lin asked. “We still don’t quite understand.”

“Think of it this way,” Xu Zimo said. “This entire Ancient Demon Road is a treasure vault, a legacy meant to bless future generations. The Ancestor’s so-called treasure wasn’t gold or artifacts. Before he died, he transformed all his strength and comprehension of his Primal Daos into this mysterious power. This power takes form as these ghostly Ancient Demons. By slaying them, you can absorb fragments of it. For cultivators of lower realms, it becomes an all-purpose energy, usable for healing, cultivation, or ascension. Imagine using such power to comprehend the Dao, your growth would be unimaginable.”

He paused, then added softly, “And it wasn’t meant for a single disciple, but for every disciple who enters this place.”

As Xu Zimo spoke, his tone carried quiet admiration.

For one as powerful as him, the energy was useless.

That was why he hadn’t realized it at first when he entered.

Comments