Chapter 85: Under My Command, I Truly Need Talent Like Chen Zheng, Star Cloud Baby!

In the Ascended Heavenly Palace.

Fang Qingxue and Song Weiyi and the other Ancient Giants are about to begin their life‑or‑death showdown.

Both sides draft a war proclamation stating that when this battle ends—whether Fang Qingxue dies or Song Weiyi and his companions perish—the feud between Chen Zheng and the Taiyi Sect will be erased.

As for why the Taiyi Sect agreed so readily, it is because of the Undying Lightning Talisman.

Even a Supreme Dao Instrument, coveted by the Red‑Melt Heaven who has attained the Double‑Longevity Undying Body Realm, is greatly coveted.

Although the Taiyi Sect has had many true disciples slain by Chen Zheng, acquiring this talisman would be a huge profit.

As for the grudges against those who died, it won't be too late to avenge them when the chance arises.

And in cultivation, who truly never dies?

Great Northern Ocean.

Chen Zheng is completely unaware of everything happening within the Ascended Gate.

At this moment, he draws the Five Prisons King Cauldron and, together with Piao Yun and the other women, enters the space inside the cauldron.

"Sisters, please sit properly."

Chen Zheng instructs the six women, then releases all his internal magical energy, surging into each great formation inside the king cauldron like a mountain of waves.

The cauldron contains acceleration formations for rapid travel, thirty‑six in total, such as the Sky‑Capture Relocation Formation, the Gale‑Demon Wave Formation, the Seven‑Escape Profound Heaven Formation, and so on.

If all are activated, they would be far faster than meteors, covering tens of thousands of li in an instant.

They could even break through the celestial atmosphere and reach the outer realms of space to roam the Grand Void.

Now Chen Zheng wields the power of fifty thousand dark‑golden fiery horses; although he cannot activate all thirty‑six acceleration formations at once, he manages to trigger eighteen in succession.

Boom!

A burst of explosion.

Chen Zheng, like driving a car, steers the Five Prisons King Cauldron outward and vanishes at the horizon in the blink of an eye.

At such speed, others can only watch the dust; they certainly can't catch up.

The cauldron's walls scrape the atmosphere, generating fierce flames that form a fiery tail stretching tens of thousands of zhang, whose immense heat and shock blast evaporate vast swaths of seawater below.

"Ah!"

"Senior Brother Chen, you're so fast!"

Behind him, Ye Qingqing and the other women lose balance, nearly colliding with Chen Zheng.

Fortunately, with one hand he catches both of them.

It's also fortunate that their cultivation levels are not low.

If a Sun‑Thunder Envoy possessed that strength, they certainly couldn't endure such impact; their blood would reverse instantly and they would die.

"Senior Brother Chen, turn left ahead, then fly another 1.35 million li, and you'll reach the Return-to-Void Passage where the Heavenly Demons are entrenched."

The most cultivated, Piao Yun, doesn't need Chen Zheng's support; she uses her divine thought to scout outside the king cauldron and guide him.

The batch of Heavenly Demons they gathered on the Forty‑Nine Islands is insufficient; they must go to a place called Blood and Flesh Mire to capture more.

Then they will bring Chen Zheng back to the Exquisite Blessing Land.

Heavenly Demons, though cruel and feeding on humans, are useful; they can be harvested for alchemical furnaces.

Or they can be fed blood and flesh to make the Heavenly Demons perform various tasks.

Even many cultivators, whose strength is too low to activate high‑grade artifacts, can use Heavenly Demons to do so for them.

Inside Chen Zheng's Five Prisons King Cauldron lies a Soul‑Swallow Formation specifically for capturing Heavenly Demons.

When this formation is triggered, it unleashes a massive tornado that draws all Heavenly Demons into the cauldron, imprisoning them behind a Hundred‑Ghost Screen as labor to power the king cauldron.

The more Heavenly Demons it absorbs, the greater the power the Five Prisons King Cauldron releases.

If Chen Zheng could enlist tens of millions of Heavenly Demons to activate the great formations inside the Five Prisons King Cauldron, contending with a figure like Song Weiyi, an Ancient Giant, would be trivial.

In fact, the Five Prisons Demon King forged this cauldron years ago to better control his own Heavenly Demon army.

"Alright."

Chen Zheng replies with a nod and continues flying according to Piao Yun's directions.

Gradually, the scene ahead on the sea changes dramatically, no longer a rippling azure.

Instead, towering icebergs rise everywhere, hundreds to thousands of zhang tall, majestic and vast.

"Senior Brother Chen, that black hole ahead is the passage to the Blood and Flesh Mire," Piao Yun says, pointing at a massive black hole on the distant ice.

Chen Zheng looks with his divine thought and sees that the distant black hole is not a whirlpool formed by seawater.

It is a dark, rumbling void about a hundred li across, comparable to a Golden Feather Island.

Inside, it is terrifyingly black, as if it leads to another world.

He knows this is one of the so‑called Return-to-Void Passages, also called a spacetime wormhole, created years ago during the Great Celestial‑Demon War by a peerless powerhouse.

Whoosh!

Chen Zheng pilots the Five Prisons King Cauldron into the opening, instantly surrounded by darkness as his body twists continuously, even the cauldron warps.

After traversing the darkness for a while, a speck of light suddenly appears ahead.

Then, a desolate, decayed world emerges within his divine perception.

Gray mist pervades everywhere, the ground is a rotting swamp spewing large bubbles that burst repeatedly, releasing more gray fog. The fog, imbued with a demonic nature, coalesces into snarling faces that emit eerie cries—Heavenly Demons.

Above, faint specks of light can be seen—stars and numerous large black holes.

The Five Prisons King Cauldron Chen Zheng rides descended from one of those black holes.

Occasionally, Heavenly Demons fly out of the black holes, snatching sea creatures like sharks and bringing them here to be devoured with the other demons.

After observing for a while, Chen Zheng and the six women fly out of the Five Prisons King Cauldron, hovering over this gray world.

Piao Yun explains, "Senior Brother Chen, this place is outer space; a demon god corroded a small star with countless beings' blood and flesh, turning it into the Blood and Flesh Mire, which also serves as a base for the Heavenly Demon army."

"Understood, you go collect Heavenly Demons; I'll scout around and be back shortly."

Chen Zheng nodded, stored the Five Prisons King Cauldron in the chaotic space, did not take the heavenly demon, and flew alone toward a direction.

He had just checked the myriad worlds; this blood-and-flesh mire is recorded there.

In the past, many disciples of the Ascension Gate or other sects came here to capture heavenly demons or hone their combat strength.

If luck is good, one might encounter an immortal-path disciple.

This novel you have arrived at

Moreover, deep in the blood-and-flesh mire lies a castle inhabited by the heavenly demon king who commands the heavenly demon army.

That heavenly demon king generally does not come out to kill disciples of various sects; instead, he uses those disciples to train troops.

Chen Zheng now intends to go to that castle, meet the heavenly demon king there, see if he can gain benefits and increase his strength.

At the same time.

At the end of the blood-and-flesh mire floats a castle entirely condensed from black clouds.

A young person sits on the central throne inside the castle.

This person has a high nasal bridge, wears embroidered silver robes, and dons a silver crown, resembling a crown prince of some dynasty.

Beside the crown prince stands a great sword, entirely blood-red, its blade thin as a cicada's wing, its hilt engraved with a double-headed beast, emitting a shocking blood-slaughter aura that forms a blood rain covering the heavens.

The strength of this sword surpasses that of the Five Prisons King Cauldron, without falling short.

On either side beneath the throne where the crown prince sits, nine women and nine men stand.

The women are alluring, the men wear battle armor, both exuding rolling demonic qi; they are clearly the eighteen heavenly demon kings.

At this moment, a male heavenly demon king reported upward: "Your Excellency Seven-Leaf Demon Lord, a child has come outside, relying on a treasure to slay heavenly demons everywhere; I checked and it might be the son of the Star Gate Sect Master."

The silver-robed crown prince called the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord brightened his eyes: "The son of the Star Gate Sect Master? A big fish; take people out, capture him and bring him back."

"Yes!"

The male heavenly demon king bowed, accepted the order, and hurried away.

Just as that demon departed, a female heavenly demon reported: "Recently, in the Xuanhuang Main World, a major event occurred: Chen Zheng of the Ascension Gate killed over twenty true inheritors of the Supreme One Gate, was pursued by the Supreme One Gate on the Great North Ocean; our blood-and-flesh mire has a passage connecting to the Great North Ocean; I wonder whether that Chen Zheng will panic and come here."

"There's such a thing?"

The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord slightly surprised, then praised: "Chen Zheng indeed has boldness; he dares to kill Supreme One Gate people; I need such talent under my command. Notify below: let the young ones go to the Xuanhuang Main World to gather news on Chen Zheng; whoever obtains accurate information will be richly rewarded by me."

"Yes!"

The seventeen heavenly demon kings below accepted the order.

As everyone was about to disperse, a heavenly demon rushed into the castle entrance to report: "Your Excellency Seven-Leaf Demon Lord, six formidable women have come into our blood-and-flesh mire, currently gathering the heavenly demon army."

"Women? I have recently cultivated a Demonic Cultivation and need a human cauldron; I just don't know their cultivation and appearance."

The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord took interest, flicked his finger, and a round bright light appeared before him.

Within the round light appeared a scene: it was Piao Yun and other women everywhere collecting heavenly demons.

"Not bad."

The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord stared fixedly at Piao Yun, licking his lips: "This red-clothed woman has attained the fifth tier of the Human Immortal realm and wears a veil; she offers a unique flavor."

Having said that, he rose from his seat and smiled at those below: "Everyone, follow me to capture those six women."

……

On another side.

Chen Zheng was flying toward the castle where the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord and other heavenly demon kings reside, when he suddenly exclaimed "Eh."

He paused, looked downward, and saw a small child wearing star robes, only five or six years old.

The chubby child, tender and soft, was being chased by a group of heavenly demons, his expression fearful, tears welling as he cried: "I just came out to play; you want to eat my flesh, don't eat me…"

Although the chubby child cried bitterly, he held a bracelet sparkling with starlight that continuously emitted starlight beams, turning each pursuing heavenly demon into nothing.

"Sun and Moon Five Stars Bracelet."

Chen Zheng recognized the bracelet's origin: it is a supreme treasure recorded in the myriad worlds, said to be refined by an Elder of the Star Gate Sect, one of the Ten Immortal Gates, who gathered sun and moon starlight for sixty years and then smelted it with Nine Yang Holy Water.

He also guessed the identity of that chubby child below: likely the son of the Star Gate Sect Master, Star Cloud Baby.

But why would the Star Cloud Baby be here?

He didn't dwell on it for now; the Sun and Moon Five Stars Bracelet is a fine thing, containing abundant pure yang qi and starlight power; drawing some could enhance his cultivation.

"Little brother, don't be afraid; I've come to save you."

(End of chapter)