Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Nine Netherworld Demon Sect.

Li Xunhuan and Yan Shisan stood side by side in an empty hall.

This main hall is the treasury of the Nine Nether Demon Sect. Recesses for displaying treasures still remain on the stone walls inside.

Broken jade boxes were scattered on the ground, indicating that this place had once been filled with rare and precious materials.

However, these days, let alone rare and precious materials, not even a single low-grade spirit stone has been seen.

"What's going on?"

Yan Shisan frowned and used his sword scabbard to nudge the jade box on the ground.

"The entire Nine Nether Demon Sect's treasure vault doesn't even have a single spirit stone?"

"Could the rumors be false, and the Nine Nether Demon Sect actually be dirt poor?"

He found it hard to believe that the treasury of such a renowned demonic sect in the Eastern Region was so meager.

Li Xunhuan glanced around and slowly said:

"It doesn't seem like it. Look at the remaining array formations inside this hall; it's far superior to any ordinary storeroom."

"Either they moved their resources ahead of time, or... someone beat us to it."

"First come, first served?" Yan Shisan raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that other forces have infiltrated the area?"

"It's hard to say." Li Xunhuan shook his head. "Let's look elsewhere; perhaps we can find some clues there."

The two turned and left, soon arriving at another grand hall.

The protective barrier around the main hall had been broken; the hall doors were ajar, and rustling sounds could be faintly heard coming from inside.

"Someone's there?" Yan Shisan's eyes narrowed, and he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Li Xunhuan gestured for him to calm down and gently pushed open the palace door.

A black figure staggered out from inside, half a medicinal herb dangling from its mouth. Who else could it be but the Black Emperor?

"Black Emperor?" Li Xunhuan was taken aback.

Black King looked up and saw it was them. He swallowed the medicinal herbs and flicked his tail.

"Oh, it's you two. What, are you here treasure hunting too?"

Li Xunhuan looked at its bulging belly with a half-smile:

"Heh, did you empty that treasure vault out of there?"

Black Emperor's eyes flickered, and he said stiffly:

"How could that be! It was completely empty when I arrived. Maybe it was moved by the Demonic Sect's own people."

"Do you think I believe you?"

Li Xunhuan glanced at it with annoyance.

"Fine, it doesn't matter who gets the treasure."

"Our main mission here is to find clues about the secrets behind the Blood Demon Ancestor."

"You have a keen sense of smell, help me find out if anything seems amiss."

"That's more like it."

The Black Emperor shook its head smugly.

"Since you have such a good attitude, I will reluctantly do you a favor."

Having said that, it lowered its head and sniffed the ground.

"Over here! There's a strange aura, like... something that doesn't belong to this world."

Li Xunhuan and Yan Shisan exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

The two people and the dog walked deeper into the sect.

……

Meanwhile, at the same time, the Blood Demon Ancestor was on the battlefield with Qianlong and Qianxuan.

The three men's clothes were tattered and torn, and the blood seeping from their wounds stained their clothes. Their breathing was also somewhat disordered.

"Blood Demon, just surrender! Look at your Nine Nether Demon Sect, almost all of your people are dead."

Upon hearing this, the Blood Demon Ancestor abruptly scanned the other battlefields with his divine sense.

When he learned that Minghe and Luomie had perished, and that the others were also in grave danger, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"Since that's the case..."

He let out a low roar, activating the power of the Blood Soul Array. His blood energy surged, and his previously weak aura instantly recovered to seventy or eighty percent.

"Die!"

"Blood Prison Devours the Heavens!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor thrust out both palms, and endless blood energy condensed into a gigantic maw that blotted out the sky.

With an overwhelming force capable of devouring everything, it lunged at Qianlong and Qianxuan.

Qianlong and Qianxuan exchanged a glance, and simultaneously unleashed their full power:

"The Heavenly Dragon Burns the Sky!"

"The Mysterious Yellow Earth Shakes the World!"

The golden fire dragon and the Xuanhuang seal rose into the sky at the same time, colliding violently with the gaping maw.

"Boom—!"

The three were thrown back by the immense force of the impact, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up clouds of dust. They all coughed up blood.

Just then, the Blood Demon Ancestor's consciousness was suddenly pulled by an invisible force, and the scene before him changed drastically.

They fell into a chaotic space.

In the center of the space, a blurry figure stood silently, exuding a chilling aura.

Upon seeing this, the Blood Demon Ancestor immediately bowed in respect:

"Your subordinate, Blood Demon, greets Your Excellency!"

"Blood Demon!"

The voice of the indistinct figure was slightly hoarse.

"The first shackle of Heaven's Dao is about to shatter; there's no need to entangle ourselves with the Demon-Slaying Alliance any longer. A great era is approaching; preserving our strength is of utmost importance."

"My lord!" the Blood Demon Ancestor said unwillingly, "But they've already come to our doorstep! I can't swallow this insult!"

"idiot!"

The voice of the indistinct figure turned colder.

"If you keep fighting, you might not survive until the shackles of Heaven break."

"Moreover... I have recently sensed that a murderous star is in power in the Eastern Region, and its malevolent aura is overwhelming. You are no match for it. Staying here will likely lead to your doom."

"A killing star reigns supreme?" The Blood Demon Ancestor was taken aback. "Then why didn't you eliminate him beforehand, sir?"

"I am at a crucial juncture in my struggle for power and cannot appear in person."

The blurry figure said,

"Moreover, this killer's origins are mysterious, as if he appeared out of thin air, and I have no way of tracking him down!"

"You and Xue Wutian, along with the remaining members of your Nine Nether Demon Sect, must leave the Eastern Region as soon as possible."

"If we stay here, we will be caught in the crossfire of this killing star sooner or later, and suffer eternal damnation!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor's heart tightened, and he dared not disobey again: "Your subordinate understands!"

The blurry figure disappeared, and the Blood Demon Ancestor's consciousness returned to his body.

He suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes, and immediately used his divine sense to transmit his thoughts to Xue Wutian and Mo Tianchou:

"Second brother, Tianchou, lead the rest of you to retreat and rejoin the Nine Nether Demon Sect!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qianlong and Qianxuan attacked.

"Blood Demon, die!"

"snort!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor snorted coldly, his blood energy erupting once more, unleashing a powerful attack that forced the two back.

He turned and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, speeding towards the headquarters of the Nine Nether Demon Sect.

"Chase!"

Qianlong and Qianxuan exchanged a glance and immediately followed.

……

Upon receiving the telepathic message, Xue Wutian and Mo Tianchou ceased their fighting.

Xue Wutian suddenly forced Qian Tian back with a palm strike, and grinned maliciously:

"You brat from the Great Qian Dynasty, I'll spare your life for now, but I'll take your dog's life another day!"

Having said that, he turned and left.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Qian Tian roared, giving chase.

Mo Tianchou used the force of Yan Guiren's sweeping halberd to fly backward and head towards the main altar.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Yan Guiren's eyes narrowed, and he drew his halberd and gave chase.

Youming and Lengming also shook off their opponents, transforming into two black shadows as they retreated towards the Nine Nether Demon Sect.

Only Chi Yuan, having just escaped Bei Mingcheng's entanglement, was about to flee when Xing Xuanfeng blocked her path.

"Witch, where are you going!"

A cold glint flashed in Xing Xuanfeng's eyes, and starlight condensed at his fingertips, unleashing a star blade that pierced through the air.

Chi Yuan was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the chest by the star blade.

She stared in disbelief at the bloody hole in her chest, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with resentment:

"I... am not reconciled... I haven't... had enough of the handsome men in the world yet..."

Before she could finish speaking, her body went limp and fell to the ground, completely silent.

Xing Xuanfeng retrieved his Star Spear, looking at her corpse with no emotion in his eyes.

Looking in the direction the others from the Nine Nether Demon Sect had retreated, he turned to Bei Mingcheng and said, "Let's go, rejoin the others!"

"good!"

The two flew off and chased after the Nine Nether Demon Sect!

……