Chapter 419: All tricks up their sleeves

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord had a vague, ominous premonition.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but Jin Chi was clearly not such an unreliable person; he knew how to act with discretion.

Did he encounter some insoluble problem?

Or was he trapped, unable to send messages?

Or perhaps…

Was his perception being interfered with?

None of these were good news. If this continued, he might be waiting for death. As a remnant of Mount Luofu, she surely had many hidden moves and trump cards, but now she wasn't using any of them, just slowly wearing him down…

This feeling was even somewhat like she was deliberately stalling him here, buying time for someone else.

Jin Chi being alive might also be part of 'buying time'.

At this thought, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord decided not to delay any longer.

He waved his hands, and the black robe on his body suddenly exploded!

Revealing the fur underneath.

The fur was pure black, covered with indiscernible runes, faintly carrying a kind of gravity that absorbed light.

Then, his constantly changing humanoid face twisted directly into a black void, with no trace of a 'face' remaining.

A Dharma Idol unfolded behind him—a purplish-red demon star.

A massive gravitational force spread out! The surrounding matter uncontrollably fell towards this demon star!

However, even though there were hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of Outer Void debris, when they fell onto that demon star, they were quickly flattened by immense pressure, their volume rapidly shrinking. Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters turned into fist-sized objects, and they quickly lost their original properties, transforming into a strange form, identical to this demon star.

This seemed to be a kind of transformation, but it was more like a 'promotion'.

Ordinary matter was 'promoted' into this brand new substance.

Moreover, with Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's movement, the entire world cluster trembled slightly due to some unknown force.

Countless worlds moved a few inches towards the 'outside' pointed to by Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord as their core.

Only a few inches, which was nothing to the worlds themselves, but when the entire world cluster moved and extended outwards by a few inches, the commotion was quite significant.

This seemed to be some kind of superluminal effect, a strange force that transcended the constraints of distance, breaking the upper limit of information transfer speed.

In an instant, this world cluster, spanning hundreds of light-years, began to ripple like a disturbed water surface.

It even seemed to invert the law of Karma, making the 'effect' appear before the 'cause'.

The power hadn't yet reached that far, but those worlds had already begun to ripple. Only after they finished rippling did the power leisurely fall upon them.

But no matter what, this did happen.

Just like… The Axis of All Realms.

The Axis of All Realms had similar effects, even capable of transcending the delay between Universes, allowing places with different time flows to communicate naturally.

In Holy Flame World, Li Qi suddenly felt that the terminal signal of The Axis of All Realms had been cut off for a while; some power had affected the 'signal' in the surroundings.

Here it comes. Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord is getting serious. Lu Mountain God's prolonged disconnection must have made him anxious.

This was one of Li Qi's plans. A Sixth-Rank Sacred King is a martial artist, best at close combat. Lu Mountain God is a Divine Dao practitioner, weaker in close combat. If even a Sixth-Rank Sacred King couldn't make him get demonic blood on him…

At that point, Li Qi would have to go himself, which would increase the danger, but there would be no other way.

Fortunately, it succeeded, and Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's anxiety was a natural consequence.

Before Li Qi could speak, Shen Shuibi had already reacted.

Her Dharma Idol unfolded behind her, but it wasn't humanoid; it was also a demon star.

A Taiyin Star.

The Taiyin Star immediately generated a repulsive force, attempting to pin itself in place. At the same time, Shen Shuibi formed hand seals and chanted a Divine Spell. That Taiyin suddenly emitted brilliant golden light.

Celestial Pole Golden Core.

My Golden Core is the Celestial Pole of the heavens.

And Celestial Pole, as the center of the Universe, would absolutely not move. Celestial Pole is the 0 on the coordinate axis; all movement must be centered on Celestial Pole, and no power can act upon Celestial Pole.

Therefore, the suction immediately stopped.

Instead, that white-gold Taiyin emitted a huge suction force, pulling that purplish-red demon star towards itself!

Movement is relative. Since the suction in the middle was still there, if Celestial Pole didn't move, then only the source of the suction itself would move.

However, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord didn't care at all; who approached whom was irrelevant! He just needed to be closer to Shen Shuibi, so it would be easier for him to act!

As he advanced, the spells Shen Shuibi had set up beforehand were triggered. Countless traps, thousands of them, came into play!

Each trap could easily kill a Seventh-Rank, and they were linked together, forming formations that posed a considerable threat even to a Fifth-Rank.

But it didn't matter!

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord was unstoppable! The purplish-red demon star Dharma Idol behind him directly surged forward, like a tank facing a pile of bear traps, brutally crushing and exploding all the traps, yet remaining completely unharmed!

Shen Shuibi had already scattered all her Divine Qi, and logically, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord should have been greatly interfered with at this moment. However, in front of that purplish-red demon star, all the Divine Qi became ineffective.

"What is this thing?" Li Qi asked Shen Shuibi through the communication.

"A demon star, formed from chaotic Qi, disturbing all stars. He is not a Celestial Dog! He was disguised before to hide his true origin! Be careful, I can't maintain communication anymore." Shen Shuibi replied. After speaking, she said no more, not even bothering with the communication array, and quickly manipulated the Bagua plate, beginning to respond.

Li Qi, on his end, frowned slightly.

He had heard this term.

demon stars, the Qi of the Five Elements, the changes of the five stars, each appearing in its own direction, are considered harbingers of disaster. By observing their color on their respective days, one can determine the fortune or misfortune of nations. Their appearance signifies lawless nations, disrespectful lands, war, famine, drought, and death. Their forms differ, but their calamities are one.

It was just that he had read about it in books, but never seen it with his own eyes.

Looking out through this communication array, this demon star was extremely similar in nature to a Celestial Dog; both were symbols of disaster, and… Li Qi vaguely saw something even more terrifying.

Countless Outer Void substances were pulled towards the demon star by gravity, then became a part of it, turning into identical things.

This posture, this extremely distorted gravitational well, made Li Qi think of something.

He recalled what Great Shaman Mi Xin had explained to him, saying that the demon race had always been committed to demonizing all things, and that the demon race had once successfully demonized a Gui Xu.

The purplish-red demon star before him was not Gui Xu, because Gui Xu is invisible; all light and information would be swallowed.

But this demon star before him, the more Li Qi looked at it, the more it resembled…

A neutron star!

What Celestial Dog, it was all his disguise. Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's true body was a neutron star after demonization!

And now this demon star was using its gravitational well to pull all surrounding objects, then drawing these substances to its surface, completely turning them into a part of itself.

This was the true 'Devouring Heaven'!

Even worlds, or anything else, would all become the same kind of sustenance.

This was Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's true origin!

This disguise had already given him the initiative. Shen Shuibi's first move opportunity had been used to deploy her Divine Qi, but now the Divine Qi was completely useless. With one wrong move, Shen Shuibi had no choice but to face the attacking demon star head-on!

This made Li Qi grit his teeth.

These Fifth-Ranks, each hiding deeper than the last. Shen Shuibi was truly like a white Lotus compared to them.

But then again, rabbits are not inherently cunning. She had cultivated in Mount Luofu single-mindedly for years, and compared to these old hands who had fought in Outer Void for so long, she was indeed purer.

But this wasn't a bad thing either.

In terms of cunning, she might not be able to match Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, which is why she was caught off guard by his disguise, forcing her into a head-on confrontation.

However—

Cultivating single-mindedly in Mount Luofu for years, this itself meant that she was very good at head-on confrontations!

If there were no fancy tricks, just a pure clash of cultivation and a direct dismantling of spells, then Shen Shuibi would not fear any Fifth-Rank in the world!

That Taiyin suddenly exploded. Shen Shuibi no longer held back, her Dharma Idol condensed, revealing the Celestial Pole Golden Core.

Shen Shuibi's Golden Core was not forged from an Innate True One Dao Heart; that kind is an Inner Core.

The Inner Core method emphasizes complete essence, complete Qi, and complete spirit, with the sacred embryo condensed, and the entire cultivation, Physical Body, and Nascent Soul being perfectly integrated and flawless, the whole resembling a Golden Core. Therefore, there would not be a golden bead inside the body, because the term 'Golden Core' is used to describe their entirety.

However, after her cultivation was destroyed and she re-cultivated, she had switched to the Outer Core method.

The Outer Core method truly involves eating a golden bead into the stomach, and it was refined by Shen Shuibi herself.

And at this moment, this Golden Core directly appeared, bursting through the surrounding Taiyin, standing firm in its place, like the Celestial Pole of the heavens, waiting for that purplish-red demon star to collide!

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord accelerated, and Shen Shuibi stood ready.

The battle immediately entered a white-hot state. Both sides tore off their masks, no longer using intricate weaving and formation-setting tactics, but instead engaging in close-quarters combat, aiming to decide the victor in mere moments!

In the Void Realm, the Dao Resonance resonated, countless Qi waves rippling, one after another!

Before the two Dharma Idols collided, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord said: "True Lead refines A and Geng, Southern Red Phoenix Marrow, Northern Sea Black Turtle Essence. The Pill Furnace follows the four seasons and combines at the center, the medicine guides the three origins and eight trigrams. What a good pill, but looking at its quality, it must have been refined recently. You are a re-cultivator, your cultivation must have flaws. Do you really dare to confront me head-on?"

Shen Shuibi was too lazy to answer.

This Fifth-Rank Golden Core was formed by gathering the Five Elements, combining the Four Symbols, with the two Qi returning to the ecliptic, fire returning to the origin and water rising, water and fire complementing each other as one Qi, and then by inverting the Five Elements, using the Seven Treasures of the earth, and the Nascent Soul borrowing illusion to return to truth, giving birth to the great aperture of the Golden Core.

This was the most orthodox Outer Core method of the Dao Sect, and only a bumpkin would think it was inferior.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's speed was extremely fast. In less than half an hour, the two sides collided with a roar.

Both sides unleashed their full cultivation!

The demon star shattered, unleashing the five cruel punishments, with malevolent spirits and rebellious thieves.

The Golden Core shone brilliantly, with five-colored Divine Light, intertwining in a dazzling display.

The size difference between the two was enormous. The Golden Core was only about the size of a thumb, held in the hand of Shen Shuibi's Dharma Idol.

The purplish-red demon star, however, was tens of thousands of miles long and wide. Although it appeared small within the Dharma Idol, it was extremely condensed, and the surrounding suction distorted light, causing it to appear to constantly change.

There was a soft 'thud'.

A crack appeared on the Golden Core.

And the mysterious substance of the purplish-red demon star, which was almost impossible to damage, directly passed right through!

Both sides grunted in pain.

Close-quarters combat was this dangerous. As soon as they engaged, both sides suffered the most severe damage of the battle so far.

But neither side showed any intention of stopping.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's true body directly waved both hands, and the Human Body Small Universe erupted. A strong devouring intent enveloped the bright moon, and countless vortices appeared in the Void Realm, like countless giant mouths, sucking all the surrounding residual Qi and matter into them, then turning them into a part of the purplish-red demon star.

This move directly created a vacuum of nothingness around them.

Fifth-Ranks can replenish their Qi in Outer Void by absorbing the energy of Outer Void, which allows them to fly for tens of thousands of years or fight for a long time without fear of exhaustion.

Therefore, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord used his devouring ability to forcibly drain the surroundings into a magical power vacuum!

Shen Shuibi, in this area, could not replenish any Qi and could only fight with the magical power she had. Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, however, could get a continuous supply.

This was Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's most common move in close combat.

And this single move alone was enough to gain a huge advantage in close combat, even rendering most Fifth-Ranks helpless.

However, Shen Shuibi was not flustered at all. She swallowed the Golden Core into her belly, then formed hand seals and chanted: "Heaven and Earth Profound Sect, Root of All Qi. Cultivate Ten Thousand Kalpas, Prove My Divine Ability. Inside and Outside the Three Realms, Only I Am Supreme. My body has Golden Light, Covering My Body. Golden Light Appear Quickly, Protect the Daoist Master!"

Golden Light Spell!

The strongest body-protecting method among the Daoist Divine Spells.

Ten thousand golden lights continuously expanded, filling the entire body and extending outwards through all pores.

"Golden Light Spell, just a turtle. You can't replenish Qi. How long can your remaining magical power last?" Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord continued to speak, while intensifying his devouring power, not only to prevent Shen Shuibi from replenishing Qi, but also to tear and absorb her escaping Qi, accelerating her magical power loss!

He seemed to enjoy talking to others during battle.

But Shen Shuibi still ignored him.

Rabbits don't talk much to begin with, and at this moment, she had even less interest in talking to her enemy.

She simply activated the grand formation that had been laid out and set up earlier when she was spreading her net around them.

Then, a Pill Furnace surrounded them!

This was a Pill Furnace that enveloped both Shen Shuibi and Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord.

As the saying goes: True Yang is sufficient, the returning elixir is firm, the great foundation is established, it is time to establish a new Universe and recreate the Pill Furnace.

This was a Pill Furnace she had established using her Human Body Small Universe!

The Bagua as the bottom of the cauldron, spread out to cover all around.

At the top, there was a giant mouth, named Wind King.

The doors of Kun, Zhen, and Xun opened, and the Kan and Zhen palaces threw out fire, with fierce flames spreading, the fire rushing upwards, borrowing the power of the Wind King of Xun, making the fierce fire rage!

The heat was sufficient, the Yin was exhausted and the Yang was pure, refining away the impurities!

Shen Shuibi set up the Pill Furnace, intending to refine everything within it into ashes of calamity!

That Golden Light Spell was not meant to defend against Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord at all, but to protect herself from being refined together by the Pill Furnace.

She didn't need to replenish Qi at all.

Refining this demon star would naturally be a great tonic!

Seeing this, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord immediately fell silent, no longer speaking.

The demon star reined in its power, and its Divine Light became introverted.

Endure the first wave, then look for the flaws in this Pill Furnace. This Pill Furnace is based on the Bagua and Five Elements; by following the traces of the Bagua, a way out will surely be found!

And at the same time, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord also revealed another trump card besides his true body.

Then, hundreds of millions of miles away, another Fifth-Rank Lord appeared!

This old fox! He actually had a helper!

Li Qi, observing from afar, let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as expected.

So, he said: "Yang Ning, no need to hide anymore."