Chapter 235: On the Verge of Breaking Out

Near the transmission array of the Trial Ground on the Tianjiang Plain, two teams of cultivators stood on either side, watching each other. These two teams belonged to the Four Great Sects and the Five Great Demon Mountains, respectively. After several days of chaotic fighting, they were all exhausted and, using the transmission array as a boundary, stood on opposite sides.

Nanxuan Laozu stood at the very front of the Four Great Sects with his hands clasped behind his back, his aged gaze fixed upon the massive pillar of light rising into the sky from the transmission array. Zhang Nuo, Zhuge An, and the others had entered the Trial Ground several days ago and had yet to emerge; it was unknown what had happened inside.

A sense of foreboding rose in Nanxuan Laozu's heart, yet he dared not imagine the worst! He could only pray that the four of them would successfully destroy the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation.

On the other side of the transmission array, the Demon Emperor remained trapped in a light cage. This made him incomparably depressed; as the once-haughty Demon Emperor, to be locked up like an animal was a humiliation he could barely endure in front of the disciples of the Five Great Demon Mountains!

Qin Xiaofeng stood at the edge of the light cage with a cynical expression; even with his strength, he could not break the cage set by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Wang Ji and the others sighed repeatedly in worry; after finally waiting for the Demon Emperor's physical body to be reconstructed, they had not expected such an outcome!

Suddenly, at this moment, the transmission array emitted a hum, and everyone immediately grew tense, staring unblinkingly at the figures within the array.

"Whoosh!"

Four figures rushed out of the transmission array almost simultaneously. Upon closer inspection, it was Zhang Nuo, Zhuge An, and the others! Instantly, cheers erupted from the side of the Four Great Sects!

Being able to safely emerge from the Trial Ground meant perhaps they had destroyed the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation! A rare, faint smile appeared on Nanxuan Laozu's face as his gaze fell upon the Demon Emperor in the light cage opposite.

The Demon Emperor's brows were furrowed, his eyes fixed intently on the four who had emerged, before looking back at the transmission array, expecting his External Incarnation to emerge as well.

At this time, Zhang Nuo and the others arrived at Nanxuan Laozu's side. Upon seeing the expressions on their faces, the old ancestor guessed that things were not as he had imagined.

"The Demon Emperor's External Incarnation has retrieved the Magic Treasure, but it seems something extremely important has been lost!"

"What was lost?"

Nanxuan Laozu was also curious; who could possibly take something from the Demon Emperor's Fenzhong? Zhuge An shook his head; he also did not know what had gone missing.

The light of the transmission array flickered once more, and the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation flashed out. Upon seeing his disheveled state, the people of the Five Great Demon Mountains were all greatly shocked. It seemed he had suffered quite a bit in the Trial Ground.

As soon as the External Incarnation rushed out of the transmission array, he vanished in a flash and charged toward the Demon Emperor in the light cage. Ignoring the existence of the light cage, he merged directly into one with the Demon Emperor's true body.

An instant later, the Demon Emperor let out a roar that caused the surrounding demonic cultivators to involuntarily retreat. At this moment, the Demon Emperor knew everything that had happened in the Trial Ground from this External Incarnation. What pained him most was that the Black Book was gone, which was equivalent to losing his lifeline.

While in the light cage, the Demon Emperor flipped his hand, and the Golden Brick previously used by the External Incarnation appeared in his palm. He fiercely cast it toward the light cage in front of him.

With a boom, the light cage scattered. The white discs that composed the light cage shattered one by one, turning into streaks of spiritual light and vanishing.

Seeing this, Nanxuan Laozu felt a wave of horror. No one knew the power of the light cage he had set better than he did; that the Demon Emperor could destroy it in one move was enough to show the sharpness of his Magic Treasure.

"Lord Demon Emperor, where is the thing the 'Superior' wants?"

Seeing the Demon Emperor about to fly toward Nanxuan Laozu, Qin Xiaofeng, who was to the side, suddenly blocked him and said with an unkind expression.

These words were like a bolt from the blue, causing the Demon Emperor's figure to come to an abrupt halt. He did not know how to explain it to Qin Xiaofeng; to say directly that the Black Book had been stolen in the Fenzhong? No one would believe that! His Fenzhong was built when his cultivation was at its peak, and few could break into it.

During a brief pause, Qin Xiaofeng saw the problem on his face, and his voice immediately became stern:

"I say, Lord Demon Emperor! You aren't thinking of going back on your word, are you? It is impossible for the 'Superior' not to get what he wants! If you dare to harbor any devious thoughts, hehe..."

Qin Xiaofeng did not finish his sentence, only giving a cold laugh. He did not hold the Demon Emperor in any regard, which made the cultivators of the Five Great Demon Mountains very angry; in their eyes, the Demon Emperor was a god-like existence that could not be desecrated in the slightest.

Despite this, the Demon Emperor held back. He took a deep breath, his fists clenched tightly, and finally said frankly to Qin Xiaofeng:

"The Black Book was stolen!"

Once these words were spoken, Qin Xiaofeng was startled, but then he suddenly sneered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he said with a warning tone:

"Demon Emperor, are you joking with me? Who could possibly open your Fenzhong?"

Just as the Demon Emperor expected, Qin Xiaofeng did not believe him at all. His eyes were like two sharp knives, his gaze piercing the Demon Emperor as if to peel away his lies layer by layer.

"Believe it or not! In any case, the Black Book was truly stolen!"

In this situation, the Demon Emperor steeled his heart. Since the Magic Treasure had been retrieved, he had the capital to confront Qin Xiaofeng. Even in the worst-case scenario, he could escape; with his cultivation, the Great Underworld Mansion could not do anything to him for the time being.

Seeing the Demon Emperor like this, Qin Xiaofeng began to have doubts; it seemed the Black Book really was not with him.

"Do you have any clues as to who stole it?"

The Demon Emperor shook his head, flames of rage almost erupting from his pupils! If he knew who had stolen his Black Book, he would definitely extract that person's soul and refine their spirit.

"Looking across the entire Tianyuan Continent, who could break into your Fenzhong?"

Qin Xiaofeng was surprised; who could enter the Demon Emperor's Fenzhong silently and steal the book without leaving a single clue?

"There are no signs that the Restriction of my tomb was broken; the Black Book simply evaporated."

Speaking of this, the Demon Emperor also revealed a suspicious expression. At this moment, he still did not know that the Black Book was in Zhang Nuo's hands; otherwise, even if it meant destroying all the cultivators of the Four Great Sects, he would have captured Zhang Nuo.

Watching Qin Xiaofeng and the Demon Emperor discussing something incessantly, both of their faces looking extremely ugly, Zhang Nuo also guessed that what they were talking about was highly likely related to the Black Book.

However, he dared not reveal any flaws; the importance of this matter was extraordinary! Even with Nanxuan Laozu blocking the way, it would be of no use if the Demon Emperor went berserk!

On the side of the Four Great Sects, everyone stood ready; knowing that the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation had retrieved the Magic Treasure, a great battle was inevitable!

After waiting for a long time, the Demon Emperor still had not made a move, as if there was something he and Qin Xiaofeng had not agreed upon. Their conversation became increasingly heated, eventually reaching the point of being red-faced; it looked as if they would fight at the slightest disagreement.

"Could it be that they have had an internal conflict?"

Zhuge An observed all of this and asked Nanxuan Laozu in a low voice. With Nanxuan Laozu's cultivation, he could hear a little of the conversation between the Demon Emperor and Qin Xiaofeng.

"Perhaps! Something was lost inside the Demon Emperor's Fenzhong! And that thing is particularly important to Qin Xiaofeng!"

"When the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation came out of the Fenzhong, he was also shouting loudly, asking who had stolen his treasure! What exactly did they lose?"

Countless questions swirled around Zhuge An's side as well. However, as long as the Demon Emperor did not strike first, they would absolutely not initiate a war.

"Nanxuan Laozu! When you conducted the trial, did any high-level cultivators enter the Trial Ground?"

The Demon Emperor flashed and arrived opposite Nanxuan Laozu, his tone extremely impolite.

"The disciples who can enter the Trial Ground are all at the Foundation Establishment stage! This has been the rule for generations!"

Nanxuan Laozu snorted coldly; the Demon Emperor asking this clearly meant he suspected someone from the Four Great Sects had entered his Fenzhong and stolen the treasure!

Seeing him deny the question outright, the Demon Emperor's expression became even uglier.

"Since you don't know, then I, the Demon Emperor, will have to capture the cultivators of the Four Great Sects one by one and resolve this through 'Soul Search'!"

Upon hearing this, Nanxuan Laozu's expression changed instantly. 'Soul Search' was a cruel method, extremely inhumane; even if the person searched could survive, their cultivation would be completely crippled, leaving them worse off than a mortal.

To 'Soul Search' all the cultivators of the Four Great Sects was even more abominable than destroying them directly!

"Demon Emperor, do not be too presumptuous! Even if I have to risk this life of mine, I will not tolerate you doing this!"

Nanxuan Laozu flicked his robe, and the Spiritual Pressure on his body rapidly climbed to its peak, a daunting momentum sweeping toward the Demon Emperor.

At this moment, the Demon Emperor did not show weakness either; rolling Demonic Qi erupted from his body, and he lunged forward to meet the momentum of Nanxuan Laozu, while a faint, inexplicable sound emerged in the air, caused by the two invisible forces of momentum colliding with each other.

Among the two opposing teams of cultivators, the two commanders with the highest cultivation levels were now throwing sparks, and a great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Zhuge An and the others, who had originally been standing by Nanxuan Laozu's side, were forced back several steps by the momentum between the two, and feeling a sense of dread in their hearts, they all drew a sharp breath.

A battle between Nascent Soul Stage cultivators was not something they could interfere in! The sheer intensity of this violent momentum alone was more than they could withstand!

With a light flick of his robe sleeve, Nanxuan Laozu revealed dozens of White Discs as white as jade; the surfaces of these White Discs had Fowen flowing across them, looking extremely eerie!

"Demon Emperor! Even if you have retrieved your Magic Treasure! This old man does not fear you! If you wish to touch the disciples of my Four Great Sects, you must first get past me!"