Please be my partner.

The wolf leaned against Mellen with a rather satisfied look on its face. The small Eternal Tree on its head stretched out its branches, and dark rays of light flowed across them.

Mellen played with the gray-black gas released from the dead eerie ancient tree. Having done considerable research before, he immediately noticed the difference.

The gray-black aura in his hand was not only much larger than those he had obtained before, but also contained very little gray, with black being the dominant color.

If you carefully feel the pulse within, you can discover that this gray-black airflow is subtly pointing in a certain direction. This feeling is like the natural attraction between substances of the same origin.

The direction they were drawn to was most likely the location of the King of the Otherworldly Demons.

However, the amount of gray-black gas in Mellen's hands was still too small, only enough for a vague directional positioning. It would take an unimaginable amount of time to find the destination in this way.

However, this change also gave Mellen a clear idea: as long as more high-mass gray-black air currents are found, the King of the Otherworld can be located!

With that in mind, Mellen took out all the gray-black energy he had obtained earlier.

Logically, these gray-black streams all originated from the King of the Otherworld, coming from the same source, and should be able to devour and merge with each other. However, Mellen had previously tested this, and the answer was no.

Although these gray-black air currents share the same essence, the rules governing their distortions are all different, some even contradictory, making them impossible to coexist. Even if Mellen uses methods to forcibly combine them, they will cancel each other out.

Mellen speculated that there might be a deeper logic hidden within these gray-black air currents, and only by deciphering this logic could their true nature be understood.

Clear your mind of all thoughts. Researching the power of the Otherworldly Demons can wait until later. Right now, the most urgent task is to find the King of the Otherworldly Demons.

Mellen relayed his speculations to his senior brothers and his dogs, and they readjusted their course of action, which was to specifically search for demons who had reached or exceeded the Nascent Soul stage.

Soon, Mellen received several pieces of feedback. After sorting them slightly, Mellen patted the wolf's head, letting it continue on its own, and then headed in the nearest direction.

Several hours later, Mellen arrived in a wild valley, where he heard a soul-shaking roar.

Looking in the direction from which the sound came, one could see two giant beasts locked in fierce combat.

On one side was a creature resembling a Western dragon, with a lizard-like body, enormous wings, and thick scales covering its entire body. However, it had no life force whatsoever, resembling a moving corpse.

The other side is Spike.

Although the battle between the two sides was intense, it was hardly entertaining and consisted of a simple crushing defeat.

Although the Corpse Dragon was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, possessing a powerful physique and the ability to exhale a breath that could cause all things to decay and wither, it was still no match for Spike.

The main reason why the battle became so intense was that the Corpse Dragon possessed an 'immortal' characteristic.

No matter how many injuries Spike inflicts on the Corpse Dragon, or how much he tears it apart, or even melts parts of its body, the latter can recover completely within a few breaths.

Moreover, this recovery is extremely illogical, as if it were achieved without any loss of energy.

With such an immortal characteristic, as long as the Corpse Dragon drags you into a protracted battle, victory is already assured.

As Mellen stepped onto the battlefield, a wisp of blood-red light emanated from his fingertips, growing larger and larger until it transformed into a river, then into a vast ocean, washing over the corpse dragon and annihilating it completely, leaving not a single particle behind.

Even so, once the sea of ​​blood dissipated, a tiny particle appeared out of thin air and began to multiply and regenerate at an astonishing speed. In just two or three breaths, the Corpse Dragon reappeared and pounced on Mellen with great ferocity.

Spike gave Mellen a helpless look, then stopped the Corpse Dragon.

Now, Mellen has come to understand that although the Corpse Dragon has powerful characteristics, it also has a fatal weakness: it has no brain.

No, it should be said that it doesn't even have the instinct for life.

Since there is no fear or similar emotion, there is naturally no fear of Mellen's power.

With that thought in mind, a silver light shone from the tip of his finger and he began to write and draw in the void. In just a moment, he set up a simple but crude trap.

Mellen called softly, "Spike."

Spike immediately understood, and with a blink, he circled behind the trap. The Corpse Dragon charged straight toward the trap without any hesitation.

As expected, the Corpse Dragon fell into the trap. With Mellen snapping his fingers, runes lit up, the space was sealed, and the Corpse Dragon was imprisoned in a small crystal ball.

Mellen patted Spike's head and laughed, "You've worked hard."

Spike nodded slightly to Mellen, then turned and left to continue his search for the Otherworldly demons, dashing Mellen's hopes of playing with his dog for a while.

Mellen shrugged and headed to the next location, pondering how to deal with the corpse dragon in his hands.

The Corpse Dragon itself is meaningless to Melen; he needs the Corpse Dragon's demonic power, which is the gray-black aura.

However, the most effective, and only, way to obtain the power of the Otherworldly Demon is to kill it.

This creates a vicious cycle for the Corpse Dragon. Because of its immortality, even if Melen completely annihilates the Corpse Dragon, he cannot kill it. Without killing the Corpse Dragon, he cannot obtain its demonic power.

However, Mellen quickly considered the characteristics of these otherworldly powers, and a strange idea arose in his mind.

Instead of continuing their journey, Mellen landed on a desolate mountain.

Melen fiddled with the collected demonic power, finally settling on one of them.

As Mellen released the seal on this demonic power, strange fluctuations arose, the surrounding rules began to weaken, and some even more bizarre and distorted rules were filled in.

Before long, a thatched hut appeared before Melen, with two tattered white lanterns hanging in front of the hut. These were the medical hall demons that Melen had collected.

Mellen suppressed the Corpse Dragon and entered the medical hall. The medical hall immediately changed, but the change was far less intense than the one Mellen had encountered before, probably only at the level of Qi Refining Perfection.

"A patient has been detected... A patient has been detected... Immediate treatment is required... Immediate treatment is required..."

"Patient's condition: Death; Treatment plan: Injection of Huiyangquan Water."

An exquisitely crafted wooden arm emerged from the thatched hut. Despite being only at the Qi Refining level, it easily pierced the corpse dragon's skin and injected some liquid into it.

The corpse dragon paused for a moment, then struggled even more fiercely, and its death aura continued to erupt.

But gradually, the deathly aura erupting from the Corpse Dragon began to become chaotic and disordered, and a glimmer of life appeared deep within the deathly aura.

The appearance of this glimmer of life completely shattered the original balance of the Corpse Dragon, turning it from a completely inanimate object into an existence that was neither alive nor dead, and the Corpse Dragon's immortality immediately became ineffective.

"Bang! ~ Bang! ~ Bang! ~..."

A series of explosions emanated from the corpse dragon's body. The appearance of life was like pouring a bowl of cold water into a boiling oil pan, making the death energy even more violent, tearing the corpse dragon apart and annihilating it bit by bit.

Mellen watched the Corpse Dragon perish in silence, gaining a deeper understanding of the power of the Otherworldly Demons.

Picking up the gray-black aura left behind by the Corpse Dragon, after a brief sensing, I found that although it was more blurry than the eerie ancient tree, it could still be used to locate the King of the Otherworldly Demons.

By positioning themselves in two different ways, a considerable number of incorrect options were eliminated for Mellen.

Having confirmed the feasibility of his hypothesis, Mellen's lips curled into a slight smile as he continued searching for his next target.

In the Azure Moon Realm, otherworldly demons are usually treated as monsters, and it takes a lot of effort to sift through a large amount of information to identify the otherworldly demons.

Fortunately, Mellen wasn't fighting alone; he had his dogs and fellow students, which greatly improved his efficiency.

During this time, Mellen also met with several of his senior brothers and gained several Nascent Soul level demonic powers. With the help of the dogs, the location of the Demon King became clearer and clearer in Mellen's eyes.

However, it wasn't just Mellen who participated in the joint trial. It could be said that every cultivator who became a True Immortal was a genius capable of shining in an era. What Mellen could understand, they naturally wouldn't be any different.

Among these people, there were some who specifically came to cause trouble for Mellen.

Looking at the ten people blocking his way, Mellen laughed, "You really think highly of me, huh? Spending so much manpower to surround me. Aren't you afraid of slowing down the search for the King of the Otherworld?"

One of them chuckled and said, "For our four factions, finding the King of the Otherworldly Demons is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to kick you out of the game first."

Mellen chuckled and said, "You make that sound so easy. I wonder who's been being chased around by Senior Brother Jun all this time!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of several of them immediately darkened.

While Mellen was focused on finding the King of the Otherworldly Demons, Jun Tianqi was naturally not idle either. With Yuan Tu Abi in hand, Jun Tianqi's combat power was practically the ceiling in the Cangyue Realm.

Jun Tianqi's first encounter was with Shen Chuyi, the White Rainbow Sword Immortal of the Qingyun Sect. Actually, it's not quite right to say he encountered her; rather, Shen Chuyi came to him on her own.

Naturally, the two sword immortals then engaged in a fierce battle. Jun Tianqi's weapon was sharp, so he gained the upper hand and forced Shen Chuyi to leave injured in just a short while.

Not long after, Jun Tianqi found Cong Yuanhua, the True Man of Zixiao Palace. Compared to the straightforward sword immortal, Cong Yuanhua could be said to follow the way of nature, and he used all sorts of tricks. He fought Jun Tianqi for a longer time, but in the end he was still no match for him.

After defeating two top experts in succession, You Tianyi, the unruly child of Tianyuan Palace, and Xiang Yangui of Wanxian Pavilion seemed to realize that they were no match for Jun Tianqi, so they deliberately avoided him.

Shen Chuyi, however, was quite indignant. She displayed the spirit of a sword cultivator who faced difficulties head-on and became more courageous with each setback. After recovering from her injuries, she fought several more battles with Jun Tianqi, but unfortunately, she lost every time.

Jun Tianqi's idea was even simpler. Whether they came to him or deliberately hid, it didn't matter. His goal was to delay and interfere. He just needed to keep a close eye on these four people.

When Mellen and his group made their move, the four factions were not without a countermeasure, given their overwhelming numerical advantage.

During this period, several of Mellen's senior brothers were targeted by snipers, forcing them to be more careful, which also made intelligence gathering increasingly difficult.

Now, ten people have come to ambush Mellen.

Mellen glanced at the people in front of him and found that one of them had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, while the other nine were all at the Core Formation stage.

Clearly, the one who reached the Nascent Soul stage either had an extraordinary adventure after entering the Azure Moon Realm, or had been to the Azure Moon Realm before; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be so much faster than Mellen, who had a cheat code.

Mellen is currently in the late Nascent Soul stage, and it will take him about three or four more days to achieve the Divine Transformation stage.

The Nascent Soul cultivator said, "Mellen, you have only been a True Immortal for a few decades. Now, in the Azure Moon Realm, your cultivation has been compressed to the Nascent Soul Realm. You have no chance of winning against us. I advise you to dispel your immortal techniques and withdraw from this joint trial."

The others chimed in, "That's right, Mellen, aren't the conditions offered by our Myriad Immortals Pavilion good enough? Or are you really going to wait until Senior Brother Xiang gives you a hard time before you'll stop?!"

"Hmph! If it weren't for Jun Tianqi relying on his divine weapon, how could he possibly be a match for Senior Brother Shen? Mellen, with your strength, you wouldn't even last a single move against Senior Brother Shen!"

"..."

Mellen completely ignored the cacophony of voices and interrupted them, saying, "Enough with the nonsense! Since you've all come to me of your own accord, I'll gladly accept it!"

"Woof!~"

Little Red Lotus leaped from Mellen's shoulder, her body rapidly expanding and deforming, spewing out large amounts of blood mist that condensed into rain, accumulated into rivers, and converged into a sea.

At the same time, the blood lotus between Mellen's brows also shone with a crimson light, echoing the small red lotus in the sky and drawing in more blood sea power.

The attackers launched an immediate attack.

They divided the tasks almost instantly: some attacked Mellen directly, some used sealing techniques to cut off space, and some targeted Little Red Lotus in an attempt to interrupt her spellcasting...

But to their surprise, all their attacks and methods vanished without a trace after being washed away by the sea of ​​blood, leaving no ripple whatsoever.

The next moment, two crimson spots appeared in the sea of ​​blood, like flames burning fiercely in the depths of hell, deep and terrifying.

Each of the ten people was engulfed in varying degrees of crimson karmic fire, scorching their flesh and licking their souls.

"Oh no! This is the Red Lotus Karmic Fire!"

"Quickly extinguish or seal it away, and under no circumstances should the Red Lotus Karmic Fire touch your soul!"

"Damn it, how could this happen?!"

"..."

Just as they were frantically dealing with the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, the ferocious beast that Little Red Lotus had transformed into charged towards them, carrying the power of a sea of ​​blood.

A single impact was enough to leave them scattered and injured to varying degrees.

Two others, their faces grim, immediately released the immortal technique seal. As they regained their True Immortal cultivation, their injuries and the Red Lotus Karmic Fire were all suppressed.

However, they also lost their qualification for the joint trial, were isolated by the residual power of the immortal arts, and were directly teleported back to the immortal realm.

Chapter 730 Locking and Battle of Wits

A massive vortex appeared in the void, swallowing up all the power of the Blood Sea, but the pungent smell of blood could still be detected within a hundred miles.

Mellen stood high in the sky, his expression calm. Little Red Lotus transformed back into her tiny form and stood on Mellen's shoulder, her little face still bearing a hint of disdain, looking quite smug.

The ten True Immortals from the four factions who had ambushed and besieged Mellon were all sent back to the Immortal Realm by Mellon.

Mellen's gaze swept in a certain direction, where two faint auras were rapidly moving away. If he wasn't mistaken, they should be You Tianyi, the Unfettered Child of Tianyuan Palace, and Xiang Yangui of Wanxian Pavilion.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; how could the four factions not know this principle?

Because of Jun Tianqi's restraint, Shen Chuyi and Cong Yuanhua were unable to arrive. Even if You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui were confident in themselves, they would not really underestimate the existence that could suppress the Styx Ancestor and become the Lord of the Blood Sea.

Therefore, the four factions prepared for this ambush for longer and made more arrangements.

The reason why You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui did not appear together was because they were wary of the possibility that Mellen might possess some extraordinary treasures. The two of them remained hidden in the shadows, which allowed them to provide support at any time and to retreat in time should things go wrong, so as not to lose the whole game due to a single wrong move.

Events proved their caution was justified. Although it wasn't the treasure they had imagined, Mellen's strength far exceeded expectations, leaving You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui with no chance to make a move.

In other words, even if the two of them were to intervene, it would not have any impact on the outcome of the battle.

Thousands of miles away, You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui both had somewhat gloomy expressions.

Yu Tianyi said unwillingly, "It's infuriating! If my strength hadn't been sealed, I could have easily destroyed this Mellen!"

Xiang Yangui also said with a dark face, "Alright, there's no use talking about this now. The energy level of the Cangyue Realm is so low, and we can't lift the seal on the immortal technique. Otherwise, it will inevitably disturb the sleeping Demon King, causing a huge change in the situation. The Dao Lords will directly revoke our trial qualifications."

You Tianyi regained his composure and said, "Since we can't defeat them, there's no need to delve into this further. If we want to win now, there's only one way left: find the King of the Otherworldly Demons first!"

Xiang Yangui nodded and said, "That's right, it's a pity. If it weren't for this ambush, we would have had an absolute advantage in manpower."

You Tianyi shook his head and said, "What's done is done, there's no point in saying more. The decision to ambush was unanimously agreed upon by us, so there's no need to dwell on it now. The most urgent task is to gather more clues."

"Now, our four factions should be able to achieve complete intelligence sharing, right?"