Chapter 502

This void seemed to possess an indescribable lifting force, and everyone was literally suspended in midair.

Yet the force of the dog-faced man's palm had not yet dissipated.

Heng Xian looked around, murmuring: "Cloud and rain? Thunder and lightning?"

Su Ji just happened to be nearby, giving a bitter laugh: "Cultivators cultivate between heaven and earth, mastering spiritual power and wondrous natural arts; before the Primordial Dan Realm they rely on spiritual power and a tempered body to cast spells, after the Primordial Dan they manipulate spiritual power, and after the Nascent Soul they grasp natural power—this palm's technique contains wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and cannot be blocked!"

Hum—

At this moment, the surrounding techniques finally vanished.

The dog-faced man stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the Qian position's 'floating island,' looking at the crowd: "The younger generation of the Fourteen Sects is nothing special—truly boring."

This is blatant contempt!

"Get lost!" Bu Fan, having thrown caution to the wind, jumped up and shouted: "Shameless old monster, you're a Nascent Soul old freak—what's the point of bullying us? We're nothing special; if you've got guts, go challenge the elders and masters of the Fourteen Sects. What's the point of dealing with us? Pah, your Buddha lord wouldn't submit at all!"

"I don't need your obedience in this life; remember to find me in the next life—I am Xiu Tu!"

The dog-faced man extended a finger, lightly pressed down, and uttered a strange sound 'ta' from his mouth.

Ah—

Suddenly, a chilling killing aura rose from below the void, followed by surging demonic energy, restless and endless, as if some colossal creature were about to emerge!

"This…"

On the opposite Kun position, the people of the Gongsun family, Li Jingfeng, and Wu Gongzi's group wore solemn expressions.

"Is this… this damn thing trying to summon a monster to eat us? How boring—people die with a bowl-sized scar, what monster are you summoning!" Bu Fan finally realized fear, and couldn't help shouting loudly.

No one paid attention.

The aura below grew even more chilling, the demonic energy undulating with greater amplitude, like a big fish in a pond surfacing and blowing bubbles.

Boundless—

Su Ji, Si Tu Nan Fei, and the still-conscious Zhou Zhan Yi sat cross-legged and closed their eyes in resignation.

Old Man Dao also gave a bitter laugh, looking at Heng Xian: "Sir, I too have no way!"

"No need for you to figure it out!"

Heng Xian suddenly let out a light laugh.

"How can you still laugh?" Old Man Dao shook his head.

"You're this grown up—you can't possibly cry, can you?"

Heng Xian walked a few steps forward, formed hand seals, and sat cross-legged.

Hum—

Ah—hey—

Below, the thick demonic energy surged and twisted, and suddenly a monster burst forth.

The monster was as large as a mountain, its head resembling a cricket's, with two hill‑sized sharp teeth filled with dense tentacles; upon seeing the crowd, its eyes turned from black to blood‑red, and its cries grew more urgent.

"What a terrifying thing!" the large crowd on the opposite Kun position instinctively stepped back a few steps.

Meanwhile, the dog‑faced masked man on the Qian position adopted an appreciative pose: "Ancient demon tribe's cricket‑beast dragon, O disciples of the Fourteen Sects, enjoy yourselves—swallow you, and the gate to the demon realm will naturally open!"

Only then did the people present understand the dog‑faced man's intention.

Bu Fan couldn't help shouting: "This damn thing wants to use us as a sacrifice to the monster; I've thought about dying, but never imagined dying like this—damn it——"

Heng Xian's face showed no change; he merely observed the monster below silently. As the monster drew nearer and its tentacles began to grab at several people, he suddenly formed hand seals and uttered a few strange sounds similar to those of the dog‑faced masked man: 'ku! jie! ta!'

The moment the words fell, the ferocious monster abruptly halted.

Su Ji, Zhou Zhan Yi, and Si Tu Nan Fei opened their eyes, looked at the monster in confusion, then turned their gaze to Heng Xian.

The group from the Gongsun family on the Kun position, along with Li Jingfeng and others, exchanged bewildered glances.

And the dog‑faced man was the most astonished; despite being a Nascent Soul expert, he exclaimed in disbelief: "Ancient demon language?? How do you know it? Where did you learn it?"

"Heh, we'll go in first—thanks for seeing us off!"

Heng Xian didn't answer, gave a light smile, and once again recited the demon‑language pronunciation method given by the Heavenly Hexagram: 'qi! keng! jiu!'

As soon as the three syllables were spoken, the enormous cricket‑beast dragon below retreated respectfully, then let out a great roar.

The roar undulated, and a vast expanse of demonic energy that blotted out the sky rolled toward Heng Xian and his companions, then suddenly shifted, transforming into a stern‑looking gateway of spiritual energy.

It goes without saying where the other side of the gateway leads!

The dog‑faced masked man again exclaimed in shock: "The gateway to the demon realm? How—how—how did you come to know this? Heng Xian, you……"

Heng Xian no longer paid attention, lifted Lin Shuyu and several others, and greeted Zhou Zhan Yi and the others: "Hurry—I can open the door but can't close it; they'll follow us in!"

Upon hearing this, they didn't bother with anything else, each grabbing their companions and following Heng Xian inside.

Inside the gateway it was bone‑chilling cold, as if one had passed from the yang world into the yin; the surrounding light was strange and variegated, making it impossible to discern what sort of passage this was.

Su Ji, holding three people in her arms, looked at Heng Xian with an inexplicably solemn expression: "Junior Brother Heng, where did you learn the demon language?"

Si Tu Nan Fei and Zhou Zhan Yi furrowed their brows slightly, also looking at Heng Xian.

Heng Xian gave a light chuckle: "What's wrong with that?"

Su Ji sighed: "…You used demon language to save everyone, which is indeed a great merit, but you should also know that the Fourteen Sects are mortal enemies of demons; even if their disciples die, they must not cultivate demonic arts or learn the demon language—this is the bottom line, the final bottom line for cultivators in the world! It concerns dignity, and it is crucial."

Zhou Zhan Yi and Si Tu Nan Fei exchanged a glance and said: "Saying this in this situation seems a bit pedantic, but we still hope Junior Brother Heng will explain; we would choose to forget it forever…… otherwise……"

What exactly 'otherwise' entails wasn't spoken, but the meaning was clear: if you truly cultivated demon language or demonic arts, even if we died we would not allow you to save us!

Actually, there's one more thing nobody said: Heng Xian has a prior record! Back in the capital of Sang Guo, his dealings with the ancient demon Heizei were unclear, and to this day many still hold a grudge against him.

Heng Xian casually explained: "I haven't learned any demon language or demonic arts; I was forced to do it just now!"

Su Ji, Si Tu Nan Fei, and the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Old Man Dao wanted to speak but held back, finally unable to restrain himself: "You brought us here, you must have had a plan, right? From entering the Nine Machinery Pavilion, to revealing your identity, then having me open the passage to the Nine Gates, then using that dog‑faced man to drive us into the central position of the Nine Palaces, and then using demon language to bargain for our entry into the demon realm——"

"Is that how it is? I really can't fathom it—you're so young, yet your scheming runs so deep!"

Su Ji and the others looked at Heng Xian again, only then grasping this implication, and their faces subtly changed.

If that's really the case, Heng Xian is inevitably a bit too terrifying!

Heng Xian looked at the several people: 'This kind of simple logical problem, just opening a small cheat finishes it—how difficult could it be?'

Before everyone could figure out what a 'cheat' was, Sun Bufan also cursed: 'Better than dying, each one made into a hanging display and still set up a memorial arch—don't want to go in, they just drill themselves back in!'

Just as his words fell, the passage suddenly ended, and everyone toppled headfirst downwards.

In the midst of the fall, Heng Xian instinctively looked downward and couldn't help but be startled.

(End of chapter)