Nine years ago, during the battle on Demon Sea Island, Luo Binglan had not died. However, the method she used to escape the jaws of death had consumed nearly all her remaining lifespan, leaving her no choice but to rest in a deep slumber to slow its depletion.
Of course, mere slumber was not enough.
Her White Jade Coffin was no ordinary casket. It was carved from the highest quality Void Nurturing Spirit Jade, a material that could halt the worsening of almost any injury and gradually restore Luo Binglan’s foundational essence over time. Furthermore, the head of the Manipulation Sect himself had personally transformed it into a massive Puppet. At a critical moment, it could transform and engage in battle, ensuring Luo Binglan had sufficient means to deal with external threats without ever leaving her coffin.
The colossal Puppet radiated a white, jade-like luster. It stood like an unshakeable mountain, exuding an indomitable and awe-inspiring aura. The howling gales and the erosive power of the Formation battered its body but were unable to inflict the slightest damage.
It stepped forward, slowly advancing towards the Burial Fiend King. Its massive form eclipsed the already scant daylight, casting the surroundings into shadow. The thirty-foot-tall Puppet stood like a small mountain, looming over the Burial Fiend King.
The childlike Burial Fiend King craned his neck to look up at this colossus. The stark contrast between them was strangely comical.
Though the Burial Fiend King felt uneasy, he refused to let it show on his face. "Trying to bully the weak with your size? You underestimate me! Ten Thousand Souls Annihilation—"
He formed a hand seal, and ghostly silhouettes swarmed around him, unleashing the majestic pressure of a Saint. Countless terrifying chains of order materialized as spectral images between heaven and earth. The surrounding void seemed to instantly spawn innumerable waves, and within each one, myriad spirits of living beings were born and perished, their struggles and howls erupting with unimaginable power. Large swathes of the void crumbled into nothingness as the boundless power of the Sea of Souls converged upon the Burial Fiend King’s hands.
Having dominated the Demonic Path for many years, the Burial Fiend King understood a simple truth: the more fear you show, the more others will bully you. Even though the mysterious powerhouse within the White Jade Coffin exerted immense pressure on him, that only made him more determined to strike first. He had to show his opponent that he was not to be provoked or trifled with. If they wanted to push things to the extreme, they would have to pay the price!
His eyes blazed with ferocity. He leapt into the air, shattering the void, and smashed his fist hard against the giant Puppet’s knee!
A deafening roar erupted as terrifying aftershocks spread out, plowing through the surrounding space once more. A brilliant light flowed across the Puppet’s surface as numerous formations activated automatically, completely swallowing the force of the punch. It had withstood the Burial Fiend King’s attack without a single scratch, not even leaving a mark.
The Burial Fiend King’s pupils constricted as his eyelids twitched furiously.
The gigantic Puppet lifted its leg. A terrifying force slammed into the Burial Fiend King, sending him flying and tumbling head over heels through the air.
While airborne, he suddenly noticed two axes appear in the giant Puppet’s hands. The face of the left axe was engraved with the word "Morality," and the right with "Principle."
Bullying? Nonsense! Luo Binglan had always convinced others with morality and with principle!
The moment he saw them, the Burial Fiend King’s heart skipped a beat, his instincts screaming of an unprecedented crisis. He spread his arms wide, holding nothing back as an infinite amount of Demonic Qi billowed from his body.
Behind him, a massive Demon God Dharma Likeness appeared, so vast it pierced the heavens. Its face was fierce and ferocious, and in its hand, it held endless chains tethered to countless wraiths. The colossal Dharma Likeness stood guard before the Burial Fiend King. Myriad chains filled the void, forming a defense. The innumerable wraiths transformed into a sea of spirits, creating yet another defensive barrier.
The Burial Fiend King even summoned a gigantic, pitch-black Scythe from the void, holding it horizontally before him. Its surface was branded with complex Demon Patterns, exuding a heart-pounding aura, as if it could harvest the spirits of the living at will. With a slight vibration, all life for a hundred miles around—flowers, grass, trees, birds, fish, and insects—withered and perished as if their very souls and life force had been siphoned away.
This was the Ghost King Sect’s inherited Holy Artifact: Soul Reaver!
It was the Burial Fiend King’s last resort, but he was forced to use it all now due to the overwhelming sense of crisis.
A powerful intuition screamed in his mind. If I don’t give this my all, I’m dead!
Facing the Burial Fiend King’s full array of tactics, Luo Binglan remained as indifferent as ever.
With her axes crossed, she fiercely struck forward.
The light of the unstoppable axe blades was blinding. Wherever they passed, the void itself was annihilated. The sky full of ghostly shadows instantly vanished into nothingness. The Demon God Dharma Likeness was instantly obliterated by the axe light, and the endless chains turned to ash. The terrible chains of order, the roiling sea of the undead—all of it was shattered and destroyed by the unrivaled edge, which tore through his defenses as if they were rotten wood.
Watching this scene, the Burial Fiend King’s eyes looked ready to burst. He burned his Essence Blood and boiled his Divine Soul, exerting all his strength to activate the Holy Artifact in his hands, attempting to withstand this earth-shattering strike.
The subtle cracking sound was like the snapping of the Burial Fiend King’s own heartstrings. The madness in his eyes vanished, replaced by endless fear and despair.
CRACK! CRACKLE— Original content can be found at N0veI.Fiɾe.net
A series of shattering noises followed. Soul Reaver, the Ghost King Sect’s generational Holy Artifact, couldn’t withstand the might of Luo Binglan’s single attack and completely broke apart.
The force of the attack didn’t end there. After breaking through the Holy Artifact, the residual power struck the Burial Fiend King’s body.
His body was immediately cleaved in two at the waist and sent flying. The wound swirled with a dense power of the Dao. Even his Saintly body could not heal. Instead, it was continuously eroded by this power, causing his life force to decline rapidly as he suffered unimaginable pain.
Not only that, but the giant Puppet made a grasping motion in the void. All the shards of the shattered Holy Artifact were drawn toward it, merging into the White Jade Coffin.
His Holy Artifact was gone for good!
"Damn it... you forced my hand!"
Resentment filled the Burial Fiend King’s eyes. His remaining upper body formed a series of hand seals as the last of the Mana in his body surged wildly. The next instant, gales howled and Demonic Qi surged within the Blood Sacrifice Formation. The terrifying concentration of Essence Blood and Divine Soul power gathered high above suddenly tore through the clouds, ripped open the void, and soared to the heavens.
He had prematurely initiated the Great Demonic Sacrifice!
Several Emergence Stage powerhouses within the Blood Sacrifice Formation had not yet been completely refined. Starting the Great Demonic Sacrifice now would significantly reduce its effect.
The Burial Fiend King’s heart ached with regret, but he had no other choice. He couldn’t bear the thought that after all his planning, he had merely paved the way for someone else to claim the prize!
This blessed land! It must be mine!