Almost at the moment the divine thought was severed, an extremely violent and chaotic energy wave suddenly exploded from the southwest direction, passing through thick layers of rock and seawater! The intense roar of spells, the snarls of demonic power, and the dying wails could be faintly heard, quickly weakened and distorted by distance and layers of rock, leaving only a muffled sensation transmitted near the teleportation tower.
Someone’s really there!
These few underlings of mine may lack cultivation, but they are still Transformation Realm Great Demons, and were killed so quickly. It seems it was at least a Daoist Monarch making a move.
Xuan Chi could clearly "hear" the ferocity of that distant explosion.
Before he stealthily planted a seed at the temporary hiding spot of his three subordinates, able to sense their life aura.
They were killed almost instantly.
Such a method requires a Daoist Monarch.
However, according to his plan, the Daoist Monarchs in the city should be preoccupied with other matters. The one who made a move now is very likely Jiang Shu, Jiang Taixuan!
This is his sliver of hope.
Xuan Chi didn’t dwell on it further. He pressed against the cold, rough stone wall, holding his breath, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.
Demon energy emanated from every pore.
The shadows at the entrance of the teleportation tower’s core region perfectly enveloped him. The intense energy wave coming from the direction of Chaotic Reef Beach swept past all of Panhai City with a destructive aura, causing even those deep underground to feel the unsettling tremor.
This is the best chance!
A sickly flush of excitement appeared on Xuan Chi’s pale face.
Those three decoys really did attract the attention of Panhai City, possibly even forcing that God of Killing to make a move himself!
The intense energy fluctuation was the best cover for his escape from this place, and the only escape route he had meticulously planned.
He forced himself to endure the pain and soul-tearing weakness brought on by escape, his figure shot out from the shadows like a dark streak of light.
His target was precisely the core control node of the teleportation tower ahead, emitting soft spatial waves.
As long as he activated the predetermined coordinates, he could instantly leap to the reserved safety point deep within the Demon Domain, completely escaping this city of death controlled by Jiang Shu.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment, the gentle glow of the teleportation core magnifying before his eyes, almost within reach.
The hope for survival has never felt so real, so close to escaping this chaotic scene and freeing himself from the shadow of that terrifying Human Clan!
"Success!"
This thought blazed like fire in his nearly exhausted mind, flooding him with a surge of ecstatic joy that drowned out all fear and pain.
Jiang Shu’s reputation is immense; even the Xuan Ming Demon Venerable suffered greatly at his hands. The only thought in Xuan Chi’s mind now is:
To escape!
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the cold yet life-giving surface of the Array Plate Crystal Stone, space unexpectedly froze.
Everything around him was instantly encased in milennia-old dark ice, and the rapid sprint of the preceding moment turned into absolute stillness in the next.
Xuan Chi felt as if he had become an insect embedded in amber, unable to even blink a finger or eyelid.
The teleportation light so close now felt unreachable.
Following that, a slender, powerful hand with distinct joints seemed to peel off from the frozen air, appearing silently in front of him, unyieldingly seizing his throat.
Cold, hard, carrying a strength capable of crushing stars.
The choking sensation instantaneously clamped down on Xuan Chi’s throat and all thoughts.
His eyeballs almost seemed on the verge of bursting, staring in disbelief at the owner of this hand.
He stood there calmly before the teleportation light, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Wearing an immaculate dark cyan robe of the Panhai City Lord, with a youthful yet quiet demeanor like an ancient pool, only those deep eyes like a sea of stars reflecting his twisted and horrified face, underneath the calm was an absolute dominion of coldness.
Jiang Shu!
Wasn’t he supposed to be at the Chaotic Reef Beach, at the center of that violent energy storm?!
Immense fear pierced through the fleeting joy and hope just ignited in Xuan Chi, shattering all his luck and aspirations.
Cold despair engulfed him like tides, numbing his entire body.
He knew he was finished, his carefully arranged escape plan a laughable child’s play before this man.
Jiang Shu’s hand, gripping his throat, did not immediately exert force, but just hoisted him up by the neck like a small chick, lifting him off the ground and suspending him in air.
The choking sensation quickly turned Xuan Chi’s face from flushed to a frightening purple-blue.
"Trying to escape?"
Jiang Shu spoke, his voice as calm as discussing the weather, without a trace of warmth, yet it plunged Xuan Chi into an icy cavern.
"You haven’t even gotten used to the ground of Panhai City, and you’re eager to leave?"
Xuan Chi emitted a struggling "hoo-hoo" sound from his throat, drool uncontrollably streaming from the corner of his mouth, eyes bloodshot from congestion and fear.
Daoist Venerable... This is the might of a Daoist Venerable!
He, as Demon Monarch, felt like a helpless child.
Not an ounce of resistance!
"Boom!"
Xuan Chi felt like a worn sack crashed against the nearby stone wall, sending pain jolting through his body and displacing his vital organs.
He curled up on the ground coughing violently, each breath tinged with the taste of blood and a burning pain in his lungs, as pathetic as a dying stray dog.
Jiang Shu looked down at him, his gaze devoid of any pity, only scrutiny and a trace of indiscernible interest.
"I don’t like wasting time."
Jiang Shu’s voice still calm, yet clearly penetrating Xuan Chi’s dim consciousness.
"Now, I give you two choices."
Xuan Chi’s body stiffened, survival instinct drove him to lift his head, chaotic and hopeful eyes looking at the figure deciding his fate.
"First."
Jiang Shu extended his left index finger, its tip emitting no glow, yet made Xuan Chi feel a chill from the depths of his soul.
"I will forcibly search your Sea of Consciousness using the Soul Great Dao."
"You should know the consequences of having your soul searched by the Soul Great Dao, at best losing all spiritual wisdom and becoming a mindless Demon Monarch. Or more directly, your soul destroyed in everlasting silence."
Soul Great Dao, forced soul search!
These words struck Xuan Chi’s heart like a heavy hammer.
He had witnessed clan elders treating Human Clan cultivators this way, their tragic fates even more despairing than the cruelest torture.
That’s not just death, it’s a more eternal abyss than death!
"Second."
Jiang Shu extended his second finger, his tone unchanged.
"Tell me everything you know about Demon Dawn."
"If I find it useful, I might spare your life, you may crawl back to your Demon Domain."
"A path to survival..."
These two words cast a faint light in the abyss of despair, upon hearing them, the scattered gaze of Xuan Chi momentarily concentrated.
As long as Jiang Shu is willing to give him a path to survival, allowing him to return to the Demon Domain, even if his foundation is damaged, he could preserve his life, and with luck, perhaps have a vague hope to continue cultivating further!
He had previous contact with Xuan Ming Demon Venerable.
If he uploads the intelligence from here, maybe it would catch Xuan Ming Demon Venerable’s attention.
Jiang Shu... Such an existence likely wouldn’t deceive him.
Indeed, if he truly needed to, Jiang Shu could have soul searched him instantly given his cultivation.
Thoughts flipped in his mind, Xuan Chi took a deep breath.
In the eyes of a Daoist Venerable, existences like himself are just ants.
Perhaps because of this, Jiang Shu, this Supreme Mysterious Daoist Venerable, doesn’t care much about him.
His life or death wouldn’t impact the overall situation.
What this Supreme Mysterious Daoist Venerable seeks are precise intelligence.
Without any further hesitation, Xuan Chi chose to convince himself.
"I’ll tell!"
Xuan Chi rasped, his voice distorted by fear and pain, filled with post-disaster urgency.
"Lord, I choose the second!"
Chapter 1249: 665: Wrapping Up (Part 2)
7 min read