Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1421 Remnants of the Past
Like the Ten Palaces, the Demon Star of the Outer Heavens is researching a way out. The Ten Palaces want to rebuild the Underworld, while the Outer Heavens want to rebuild the immortal arts.

Now Lu Ning naturally knows that every path is a dead end. Even with the abilities of the Demon Star, this dead end is completely impassable, resulting in her current predicament. In comparison, Huang Kui's approach is more reasonable. Although it's not exactly a bright path either, at least it's not completely blocked.

However, a defeated demon star is still a demon star. The power that the Ten Palaces displayed in the end made even Emperor Dong Zai switch places with him. Now there is no other Dong Zai here. Compared with the "Heavenly Court", the power of the Ten Deadly Formations is probably still a bit lacking.

At this moment, the unique flames of the Blazing Array erupted in the sky, exploding on the towering body of the Demon Star. However, this time it did not cause the same destructive power as before. Instead, the flames quickly receded, and a strange radiance rose from the Demon Star's body. It was the protective aura formed by immortal cultivation, different from the internal energy aura cultivated in the martial arts world. It was enough to withstand the bombardment of the ultimate array.

However, the demon star seemed oblivious to the attack. After looking around and scanning its surroundings, it instantly moved nearly a hundred meters away once again. This time, there was no one nearby, but this sudden, unannounced teleportation still made everyone who saw it feel the danger.

"Where is it going?" Lu Ning pondered. The most likely possibility was the Ice Lake Law created by Huang Kui. The demon star sensed that to alleviate its current state, it had to find that place. However, this was just a guess. She probably couldn't afford to guess wrong now, because she was not in Gouchen and could not provide support nearby.

The next second, cracks appeared on the ice mirror. This was the result of the demonic energy seeping in. Faced with such a massive amount of demonic energy, the communication tool was clearly beginning to break down. Lu Ning could only try her best to send some power through the mirror, but this method was not very effective.

"Damn it!"

Lu Ning saw the scene becoming increasingly blurry. The area outside the ice mirror was polluted by a large amount of chaotic demonic energy. She could not see any effective scene, let alone know how the battle had progressed.

"what happened?"

The leaders of the Red Sand and Red Water formations rushed over. Given the serious situation on the Demon Star, Lu Ning immediately activated the Frost Formation as a warning.

"The demonic star has arrived near Gouchen. Its target is still unclear, but its mere presence will cause heavy casualties. Currently, the Ice Mirror's communication capabilities are severely hampered. We need to find a way to support Gouchen."

"There is no way for the three cities to provide immediate support, otherwise they would not be locked in a stalemate with the demon army. This matter can be reported to the Grand Tutor, as only the Grand Tutor probably knows how to resolve the calamity of the demon star."

"Grand Tutor?" Lu Ning was taken aback.

"Yes... We leaders all have the ability to contact the Grand Tutor. The array flags can communicate directly with the Grand Tutor."

Lu Ning paused for a moment, then closed her eyes with a slight nervousness.

The ice crystals gathered and took shape in her mind, and a strange sensation connected with her. When she opened her eyes, the ice crystals were already floating in front of her, and an old figure appeared before her.

This was the first time Lu Ning had seen the legendary Grand Tutor. She didn't have the image of him in her mind, and now that she met him, he seemed much older than she had always heard.

"Greetings, Grand Tutor."

"Lu Ning is the new commander of the Frost Array. Ye Cong's recommendation of you was correct. The siege of Lingjiang has been lifted. What brings you here today?"

"Grand Tutor, have you received any news from Gouchen? The demonic star has appeared there, but like the Ten Kings of Hell on that day, it has completely spiraled out of control!"

Grand Tutor Qin frowned slightly, his hand reaching to his waist. Three military tokens representing the ultimate formations flashed. He pondered for a moment, then said, "The Gouchen Three Formations are indeed fully activated, indicating they have been subjected to a strong impact. As for the battlefield situation, they are probably too preoccupied to attend to anything else right now."

"Before my ice mirror failed, that demonic star had already reached outside Gouchen, and its demonic energy was enough to enter the city. I could see that the demonic energy on its body was chaotic, and there was probably immortal magic mixed in with it. Its situation seems to be the worst result of the fusion between the Outer Heaven and the Three Immortal Islands in the south, which used humans as bait, a failed attempt."

“I’ve heard about it. This condition… let me see your ice goggles.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ning moved slightly, allowing the crystal to reflect the chaotic ice mirror.

Grand Tutor Qin glanced at it, then took off the military token of the Frost Array from his waist, muttered a few words in a low voice, and pointed the token at Lu Ning.

"Accept it."

Accept what? Lu Ning was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt the array flags she controlled emitting an even stronger chill within her body, and the ice mirror in front of her became much more stable.

"Grand Tutor, what is this? The power of the ultimate formation should lie entirely in the formation flags..."

"The remaining power of the deceased ruler will be stored here with me. Ye Cong's control over the Ice Mirror is superior to yours," Grand Tutor Qin said. "Perfect, since you are going to inherit Ye Cong's position, you should take over some of his responsibilities and use this power to reflect the situation of Gouchen again."

"it is good."

Lu Ning focused intently, sensing the differences between Ye Cong's activation of the formation and her own. Then, the ice mirror began to gradually erase the obstructive demonic energy in front of her, reflecting the true scene again.

Grand Tutor Qin also saw the reflection in the ice mirror through Lu Ning's crystal—

The sky was dyed red.

When the Blazing Flame Array is at its full power, it is enough to turn an entire wilderness into a sea of ​​fire. The towering demon star's body resembles a burning pillar of heaven, becoming even more conspicuous in the setting sun. It seems unconcerned about the flames on its body, even absorbing some of them and converting them into its own power.

Qin Luo suddenly felt a headache coming on. Within the range of the Blazing Flame Array, he could fully perceive the state of this demon star. Apart from its mad appearance, it could be said that it was in an exceptionally good condition.

The Wind Howling Formation and the Soul-Sinking Formation were also waiting to be unleashed, but these two powerful formations were slightly weaker. Qin Luo stopped them, wanting to first determine the strength of this demonic star.

But the more I tested it, the more unfathomable it seemed.

Qin Taishi had assessed the combat power of a Demon Star from the very beginning. If one's mastery of the ultimate formation wasn't perfectly aligned, even using the full power of the formation wouldn't be enough to truly kill such a being. The difference between the Demon Star and the Demon King lies in the "Dao" they ultimately found. Regardless of whether the Demon Star's "Dao" is right or wrong, it can imbue him with a certain power, unlike the Demon King, who merely comprehends his own path.

This is why demon stars become leaders—or destroyers—of demons. The hearts of demon stars aren't just human; some are deformed and clearly ripped from demon bodies. They absorb all the possibilities of their subordinates, thus becoming adaptable to the vast majority of powers in the world, even the Blazing Flame Array, which falls within their adaptability.

Amidst the scorching flames, the demonic star continued to gaze northward.

Many hearts are pounding violently, drawn by the intense allure of the North, as for adding their own hearts to the journey... In the midst of chaotic and ignorant thought, "Heart Building" is using all its hearts to contemplate.

It believed it was very close to being "correct," something needed by both those who practiced immortal arts and those who excelled in demonic arts, yet none of them were perfect. Something was still missing... what was missing... Xinzhu didn't know; it was left only with instinct and intuition, and the guidance of all its "hearts."

It appeared again, this time crossing an entire low hill, even a little further from Gouchen, but that didn't matter to Xinzhu.

But at that moment, it felt a part of its heart malfunction.

A mystical aura flowed down from the flowerbeds overhead, enveloping the disordered hearts and beginning to readjust their beating.

It didn't notice what was below it; Yuchi Long's troops were running towards it.

"Why has the Infernal Walker been alerted again?"

"What happened to Gou Chen again? That thing..."

The group discussed the sudden crisis noisily, but they were no longer as unprepared as they had been when facing the evil creatures of the past. These past few days, they had been patrolling the surrounding area every few days to assess the situation, gradually becoming familiar with how to control them.

But that enormous monster... it wasn't some evil creature from the past.

“Demons, such chaotic demonic energy.” Yu Chilong said in a deep voice, “Its strength is too great, enough to alarm the Infernal Walker again. However, the good news is that this time the Infernal Walker seems to be able to directly pinpoint the source of the threat. It did not create that chaos again, but went directly to that place.”

Everyone looked in the direction that Yuchi Long pointed with his whip. In that direction, the inverted mountain shadow that had previously put a lot of pressure on them was now clearly appearing and heading straight for the demon's huge body.

Recalling the story Lu Ning had told him, Yu Chilong's expression darkened even further.

He was happy to see monsters fighting amongst themselves, but now it's probably not fighting amongst themselves, but rather joining forces.

Whether it was the Infernal Walker using that towering body as a nest to guard the place, or the Demon Star absorbing the power of that former evil entity, neither was something Yuchi Long wanted to see. At this moment, the enormous Demon Star had already sensed the invisible thing rushing towards it. Part of its heart beat for it, while the other part felt the force that stopped its beating.

Never seen it.

It should also be part of "perfection".

The Heart-Building subconsciously channeled its power, a rare instance of it actively using its allure to entice its target to offer their heart. However, this power was distorted before it could reach the target, failing to act upon it.

The skeleton lifted its own skin, sending countless limbs crashing down upon the unseen force. Its body was enormous enough that it didn't need to search like Lu Ning had before, as it could encompass all suspicious areas with its attacks.

The limbs reached out to grab whatever might be in the air, but in fact, the "invisibility" of the Invisible Walker was not invisibility, but rather something truly beyond the reach of common sense. The Heart-Building's attack still landed in empty space, and even a piece of hard skin was melted away. This was the first time the Demon Star had suffered substantial damage since it appeared here.

“They’re all here.” Yu Chilong glanced around, and his subordinates immediately realized that all the ancient evil creatures near Gouchen had probably been attracted.

"We can't let them merge together." Yu Chilong immediately made the judgment. If the monsters of the past and the demon stars that seek the traces of immortals were to truly mix together, who knows what kind of disaster would erupt. During his patrols over the past few days, he had noticed that the ground in areas far from Gouchen had begun to show signs of drought and barrenness. Although this was the northern frontier, such large areas of desolation should not exist at this time of summer.

The Great Wilderness has arrived.

Similar situations have likely begun to plague the entire territory of the Great Wei, and without the Law of Humanity, the Great Wei probably wouldn't even have the resources to fight against the Great Wilderness. Judging from the current deployment of the Law of Humanity in Gouchen, Yuchi Long isn't even sure when it will be fully deployed within the Great Wei territory.

If these bastards were to take advantage of our misfortune at this point, even without Huang Kui's return, the Great Wei's war in the wilderness would likely be half lost.

"Charge. You might die. Leave ten men behind to relay the message," Yu Chilong ordered. "The target is that monster that resembles the Jianmu tree. Put enough pressure on it to make it leave this place on its own. Don't let the evil creature from the past have any contact with it!"

His judgment is always accurate.

Ten people immediately separated from the group, while the rest charged forward with Yuchi Long. Enveloped by the military formation, the allure of the demon star did not affect anyone in the group. When Yuchi Long closed to within a hundred meters, he unleashed three consecutive shockwaves without hesitation. The resulting impact even created a series of sonic booms in the air. The power from outside the world finally broke through the Heart Construction's defensive layer, which had already devoured various power systems. Large cracks appeared on the bottom skeleton, and some peripheral limbs were even crushed.

"Again." After a moment of silence, Yuchi Long continued to issue the command.

He can unleash the same attack again when charging within 100 meters. Judging by the destructive power, this time it can even shatter a part of the skeleton.

The demon star clearly realized that yet another entity capable of causing real harm was approaching. It bent its massive body, extending countless skeletons, and pressed down on Yuchi Long like a collapsing wall.

Yuchi Long's charge would not stop. He was at the forefront, and the compressed air he generated was enough to pierce the skin and bones of the demon star. When the opponent finally reacted to him, he changed his tactics and prepared to directly penetrate the base bones on which the demon star stood, and then burst out during the penetration.

We can't kill it, but we should be able to severely damage it!
The hundred-meter distance flashed by in an instant. In the midst of the rapid movement, everything sank into darkness as the demon star crouched down. Relying on his pre-seen location and intuition, Yuchi Long successfully crashed into that steel-like skeleton.

"put!"

At a single command, the iron cavalry of the army once again trampled the earth.