The leading Taoist of the Hongshan Sect said in surprise, "Several junior brothers and sisters? This general may not know, but our Hongshan Sect disciples split into two groups to perform the ritual in Deer County. We succeeded by chance and summoned a Demon God, while the other group of disciples were all murdered, their Demon God statue and talisman treasures stolen, and even their clothes stripped off!"
Commander Lin Ding's face turned pale, and he exclaimed, "The ones performing the demon-summoning ritual aren't your Hongshan Sect disciples? Then who could it be?"
The Taoist's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Hearing the faint chanting coming from the City Lord's manor, he said coldly, "I also want to know who they are... Not good! The person summoning the demon has already established a connection with the Demon God from the Demon Domain! Let's hurry over there!"
Lin Ding's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He immediately flew toward the City Lord's manor at full speed, shouting, "Young Master, quickly give the order! Execute those demon Taoists in the City Lord's manor!"
In the City Lord's manor, Qin Mu felt as though his consciousness had penetrated deep into another world through this Demon God statue. His consciousness traveled through the darkness, then suddenly stopped.
Before him was an endless dark space-time, and then a giant eye opened in the darkness, filled with crimson flames. In front of this eye, he was as insignificant as a speck of dust.
*Buzz.*
To Qin Mu's left, another giant eye opened, and above these two eyes, yet another eye opened. The three eyes' pupils contracted, slowly moving until they fell upon him.
"Humble existence, you are awakening me—the Doutian Demon King who rules over the boundless territories of Doutian!"
The three eyes slowly rose, moving further from Qin Mu's consciousness but still appearing incomparably massive. Only then did Qin Mu notice a light beside himself, like a lamp in the darkness.
He saw himself standing on the altar, which emitted white light, appearing utterly insignificant and negligible in the darkness.
The altar and he upon it seemed to have arrived in another world.
"You are awakening my power!"
From between the three eyes came a voice, high and distant, bombarding his consciousness, reverberating back and forth: "You are summoning me to your world—to slaughter, to battle!"
Qin Mu said humbly, "Great Doutian Demon King, I pray for your descent. I will offer you thousands of powerful lives—all the divine-power users of Tianbo City."
The three eyes suddenly blazed with intense fire, and a heaven-shaking voice rang out: "So be it!"
The altar beneath Qin Mu's feet suddenly brightened, its light expanding outward. In an instant, the entirety of Tianbo City appeared in the darkness.
Qin Mu looked around, his heart trembling. He took in the full view of Tianbo City, every person within it captured in his sight—their every movement, their clothing and attire, all vivid and clear in detail.
Then, one by one, figures began to vanish from the city, leaving only the divine-power users behind.
Those who disappeared from the city were the warriors and ordinary people who had not reached the Six Harmonies realm. They had not truly vanished from Tianbo City—rather, this Doutian Demon King was identifying his sacrifices!
Qin Mu hurriedly pointed at the Dragon-Qilin beside the altar, saying, "This Dragon-Qilin is not a sacrifice offered to the Great Doutian Demon King."
"Noisy."
From behind the three eyes came a sinister voice. Qin Mu saw that behind those three eyes, another three giant eyes were rotating into view: "You have no right to command the Doutian Demon King! I will descend upon this city using your consciousness!"
Qin Mu suddenly felt his body become rigid and immobile. Waves of terrifying energy poured in from another world!
*Boom—*
Violent tremors erupted around the altar. A pillar of blood-red light shot skyward, reaching hundreds of zhang in height. Qin Mu bathed in the blood light, feeling those terrifying energies descend into this world through his consciousness, surging toward the body of the Demon God statue.
Runes on the surface of the Demon God statue blazed with brilliant light, like bizarre eyes frantically absorbing the energy pouring from the other world. The statue's surface continuously cracked, exploding, sending wooden fragments flying in all directions.
The Demon God statue grew ever larger. Through the cracks, intense light poured out, and within the wooden statue, one could vaguely glimpse flesh and blood forming!
In the blink of an eye, the Demon God statue on the altar had grown to dozens of zhang tall, and it continued to grow ceaselessly.
Qin Mu felt as though his consciousness was about to explode. The Doutian Demon King was not merely sending energy—it was also a descent of consciousness. The Doutian Demon King's consciousness crashed forward: dark, terrifying, and violent. Before this horrifying consciousness, Qin Mu's own consciousness was utterly insignificant, seemingly on the verge of being crushed at any moment.
This Demon King's temperament was extremely violent. Regardless of whether Qin Mu lived or died, he projected his consciousness and power across the vast space-time, pouring them into the Demon God statue.
The Demon God statue continued to expand and grow. All the wood had exploded away, transforming into a body of flesh and blood!
*Crack, crack.*
Thunder rumbled around the altar. Countless bolts of lightning slashed back and forth, forcing Shen Wanyun and the others to retreat continuously. The Dragon-Qilin and Hu Ling'er also retreated. The violent aura of the Demon God statue forced even the Dragon-Qilin to lose its footing.
At the foot of the Demon God statue, Qin Mu's body trembled. A wound split open between his brows, and crackling electrical light shot from his forehead, illuminating the Demon God statue.
Within the lightning was the consciousness of the Doutian Demon King. His consciousness was so powerful that it nearly destroyed Qin Mu's own.
Blood flowed ceaselessly from Qin Mu's forehead, and the smell of scorched blood reached his nostrils. Unable to move, he suddenly clenched his teeth and forcibly activated the Overlord Body Three Treasures Art, guarding his consciousness.
His thoughts had already stagnated. Fortunately, the moment the Overlord Body Three Treasures Art began circulating, it relieved much of his pressure. Suddenly, Qin Mu felt that the circulation of the Overlord Body Three Treasures Art had added something within his body.
Outside, cries of battle shook the heavens. Spiritual weapons soared toward them like clouds, leaving him no time to think.
A sudden vibration rang in his ears. The Demon God statue's raised leg slammed down, causing countless buildings in the City Lord's manor to collapse in a shower of debris. The spiritual weapons that hadn't even reached close range shattered simultaneously!
"Retreat-Demon Decree!"
More than a dozen Taoists rushed in from outside. Seeing the scene, the leading Taoist's eyes nearly cracked with fury. The dozen or so Taoists quickly slapped the talisman pouches at their waists, and countless yellow paper talismans flew out.
These yellow talismans bore strange runes, different from the Ghost-Summoning Divine-Sending Character Talismans. The countless yellow papers connected, forming a massive yellow curtain in midair.
The innumerable runes on the yellow talismans could actually connect end to end, forming an incomparably huge and complex character.
The Hongshan Sect's secret art—the Retreat-Demon Decree!
The dozen or so Hongshan Sect Taoists shouted in unison, channeling their qi to activate the complex character on the yellow curtain. The Retreat-Demon Decree blazed with light, shining upon the Doutian Demon God.
The moment the Retreat-Demon Decree's light touched the Doutian Demon God, its eyes opened one after another, shooting lightning beams that tore the decree to shreds. Even the dozen or so Taoists beneath the decree, once caught by its gaze, were turned to flying ash!
However, when the Retreat-Demon Decree's light shone upon the Doutian Demon King, Qin Mu suddenly felt a tremendous relief between his brows, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. His body regained its freedom, and he quickly retreated.
He felt some confusion in his heart. The Demon King he had summoned seemed to be different—completely ignoring him, not even caring whether he lived or died, extremely savage. He feared that the Demon King he had summoned was no ordinary Demon King!
"We're retreating!"
Qin Mu swiftly flew to everyone's side and shouted, "Long Da, reveal your true form! Lead us out of the city!"
The Dragon-Qilin roared. A surge of air erupted, sending Yue Qinghong and Yun Que tumbling backward. Shen Wanyun and the Wolf Slave staggered back several steps, while Si Yunxiang swayed but did not retreat.
The Dragon-Qilin's body expanded, growing larger and larger. True fire blazed around its body, and in an instant it transformed into a colossal creature over forty zhang long, its height surpassing even the city towers. With each movement of its body, the surrounding air was squeezed and burst apart!
Qin Mu flew into the air with lightning speed, arriving beside Yue Qinghong and Yun Que, grabbing both of them. His steps flickered, and he returned to the Dragon-Qilin's side, leaping onto its back.
Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang also leaped up. Qin Mu shouted, "Run! As fast as you can!"
Fire clouds formed beneath the Dragon-Qilin's feet as it soared into the air. Just then, from behind them came the voice of the Doutian Demon King, so powerful it made the air vibrate: "Run? Where to? Someone has finally summoned me. My effort to spread the arts of Doutian was not in vain! I will build an altar here, establish a channel, summon my true body, summon all the living of my Doutian! Hahaha, you are all the skulls on my altar!"
His enormous hand reached out, and the surrounding space nearly froze, pinning the fleeing Dragon-Qilin in midair. The Dragon-Qilin channeled its magical power, the fire clouds beneath its feet churning, but it could not move.
Just as the Doutian Demon King was about to seize them, a dragon's cry suddenly rang out. A middle-aged man riding a flood dragon lunged fiercely, his body coiling around the Doutian Demon King and pouring thunder-fire into its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The middle-aged man stood atop the flood dragon's head, his sword flashing as he thrust toward the Doutian Demon King's forehead.
Qin Mu and the others felt a wave of relief. The Dragon-Qilin immediately soared into the air, rushing toward the city's exit. Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief: "The Dragon King of the Dragon-Taming Gate has arrived!"
Just then, a mournful cry rang out. The flood dragon—actually of the Sect Master level—was violently thrown back by the Doutian Demon King, sent tumbling away with blood spurting from its mouth alongside the Dragon-Taming Gate's Dragon King.
"ROAR—"
The Doutian Demon King's four faces opened their mouths, unleashing a thunderous roar. The rolling sound waves shook heaven and earth, causing countless people within the city to bleed from all seven orifices.
The Dragon-Qilin's body shook from the roar. Suddenly, the Doutian Demon King's twelve eyes blazed with intense light. Lightning intertwined as its gaze swept in all directions, cutting down countless Tianbo City experts who charged in. The Dragon-Qilin was also struck on its hindquarters, howling in pain as it tumbled from the sky.
Fortunately, its hide was thick and tough enough that it was not killed by the Doutian Demon King's gaze.
The Dragon-Qilin landed in the city, its body shrinking. It stumbled as Qin Mu and the others quickly dismounted. They saw the Doutian Demon King sweeping through the City Lord's manor, slaughtering experts while chuckling: "I was the one who spread the Ghost-Summoning Divine-Sending Character Talismans. You lowly creatures never expected that, did you? I will use your bones to build a great altar and bring my true body into this world! All the living of my Doutian shall reign over this world!"
Yue Qinghong stood in a daze, murmuring, "Doctor, what kind of thing did you summon with your demon-summoning ritual..."
Qin Mu's mind was also somewhat dazed: "I don't know either... Let's go quickly! Long Jiaonan is coming!"