Chapter 2871: Chapter 2871
Ye Liuyun’s golden eyes scanned the ancient demonic spirit in the Darkwater Abyss, observing its movements. The ancient demon was gradually rising, soon breaking the surface to reveal its head as it fixed its gaze on Ye Liuyun and the others.
"A Devil Beast, a giant demon, a demonic half-beast, a demonic cultivator, and even a purified fiend... What manner of group are you? And how do you know our demon clan’s Hymn of the Netherworld?" the ancient demon directly questioned the doppelganger, utterly perplexed by this bizarre assembly. Clearly, the Hymn of the Netherworld had failed to affect it.
"Within my spatial realm, I command two hundred thousand demonic troops, tens of millions of demons and demonic half-beasts, and countless demonic creatures," the doppelganger continued.
"Oh?" The ancient demon found this utterly unbelievable, skepticism etched across its spectral features.
In response, Ye Liuyun summoned ten thousand demonic soldiers into view, then swiftly withdrew them back into his spatial realm.
The ancient demon fell into a prolonged silence before finally addressing the doppelganger. "Your Hymn of the Netherworld can influence me to some extent, but it cannot control me. This entire abyss is formed from the residual energy of ancient demonic powerhouses. Do not think your Buddhist light and dark energies give you an advantage—if I were to fight you with my full strength, your formation would not withstand even one serious blow from me."
Pausing meaningfully, it clarified, "I say this not as a threat, but to propose terms. I am willing to surrender the primordial energy of this place to you, and permit you to absorb one-third of the demonic energy within these waters. In exchange, you must allow me and the remaining abyss waters to enter your spatial realm, where we shall reside alongside the other demons. The leftover demonic energy shall be reserved exclusively for pure-blooded demons and elite demonic beasts to absorb."
Leaning forward with intensity, it added its final condition: "You must also procure a giant demon’s physical form for me, so I may be reborn and lead our people once more."
The doppelganger immediately countered, "Entering my spatial realm means submitting to my control. While I can accept your terms, what purpose does leading the demons serve if you are under my dominion?"
The ancient demon’s voice deepened with solemn conviction. "There is a distinction. Though I may be bound to you, who is to say what greatness future generations of demons might achieve? My concern is the prosperity of our kind—my personal survival is irrelevant. Had I valued self-preservation above all, I would never have sacrificed myself to become one with this abyss. This demonic pool represents the last ember of hope preserved when the Primordial World shattered. It was built through the collective sacrifice of our strongest, all to ensure the continuation of our legacy."
"As for me, I have even offered up my very soul, guarding this place for countless years, waiting for the opportunity to restore the demon race to its former glory."
"Very well, I accept your offer!" the doppelganger replied frankly.
"Enter his sea of consciousness directly and submit to his control. I am merely his avatar," the doppelganger said, pointing toward Ye Liuyun.
"Agreed!" the ancient demon responded, its massive soul surging into Ye Liuyun’s consciousness.
The moment it entered, the golden light of the Ten Thousand Divine Tokens enveloped it. The tokens had grown even more powerful, radiating a far denser brilliance than before.
Ye Liuyun immediately began searching its memories. Had the demon attempted any deception, he would have annihilated it on the spot.
But to his surprise, the ancient demon had spoken the truth. It harbored no ulterior motives—its sole desire was to revive the demon race.
"It seems that even among demons, there are those of all temperaments and intentions," Ye Liuyun mused with a sigh.
He implanted a slave seal into the demon, then inquired about the nature of the secret realm’s origin force before releasing it.
When the others saw Ye Liuyun free the ancient demon’s soul, they were visibly astonished. His release of the demon confirmed its honesty—none had expected it to be truthful, assuming instead that it had been plotting some trick.
With that, both sides began fulfilling their promises. The doppelganger cleared a plot of land within the demon territory, relocating the ancient demon’s soul and two-thirds of the demonic water into it. He then instructed Hatu to find a mediocre giant demon to serve as a physical vessel for the ancient demon.
Once the ancient demon was settled, Ye Liuyun and his companions waded into the black pool, eagerly absorbing its energies. How much each could absorb depended entirely on their individual capacities.
Though only a third of the demonic water remained, it was more than enough for them. Along the way, A Xing and Lin Feier had to frequently emerge to refine and consolidate the absorbed demonic energy before diving back in. The Tiger-Head Beast King and Hei Shan also took a break midway to rest.
Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger continued absorbing the demonic energy while simultaneously converting it with their Buddha-Demon power, so they required no rest.
As for purebred demonic creatures like the Demon Vine, Thunder Roar, Nine-Headed Demon Dragon, Demon Lion, and Hatu, they were even more relentless. They plunged into the energy pool and remained submerged until every last trace of demonic aura had been drained dry.
Soon after, breakthroughs began occurring one after another. The Demon Vine was the first to advance, directly reaching the Unity Realm’s second layer. Thunder Roar and the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon progressed further, both breaking through to the eighth level of the Dominator Realm. The Tiger-Headed Beast King, having accumulated enough power, also advanced to the seventh level of the Dominator Realm. While the others didn’t break through, Heishan was now on the verge of doing so.
“No wonder that ancient demon insisted that the demonic energy be reserved for purebred demons and elite demonic creatures—their absorption efficiency is truly unmatched,” Ye Liuyun mused inwardly.
The Tiger-Headed Beast King and Heishan had also grown stronger, but their progress was slower. As for the demonic cultivators, they had only enhanced their elemental attributes. Even Ye Liuyun himself had merely strengthened his Buddha-Demon power without any significant breakthrough in realm.
After storing his companions in his spatial world, Ye Liuyun set out to subdue the local source energy.
First, he collected all the Demon-Repelling Stones surrounding the pool. The source energy lay hidden beneath these stones, now stripped of any danger. Ye Liuyun handed the stones to Tongxin and Qiong Qi, tasking them with developing weapons lethal to demons.
However, when Ye Liuyun finally located the source energy, he was taken aback.
This source energy was unlike any he had encountered before. It lacked the radiant glow typical of other sources, instead appearing dull and grayish.
He immediately contacted Ye Ling, but even she was at a loss. She could only communicate with spirit-attribute source energy; this particular one was beyond her reach.
Left with no other choice, Ye Liuyun attempted to communicate with the source energy himself, but it promptly rejected him. He let out a wry smile and resigned himself to a battle of attrition.
Just then, the Divine Command Token suddenly emitted a brilliant golden light, shooting out from his consciousness and illuminating the source energy. In response, the source energy immediately changed its mind and consented to be absorbed.
Curious, Ye Liuyun asked both the Divine Command Token and the source energy how they had communicated, but neither paid him any heed.
“Sigh...”
With a resigned sigh, Ye Liuyun focused on subduing the source energy and taking control of the entire secret realm.
