Chapter 873: Peeking from the Shadows

Yan Buji turned and left, his silhouette gradually fading in the dim cavern.

Nanguo Ping stared at the direction of his disappearance, his brows slightly furrowed: "His cultivation is unfathomably deep..."

Gu Yue cleared his throat lightly, a strand of fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Back when he was in the Dongxing Sea Region, he..." He collapsed before finishing.

"Miss!" several Gu family cultivators hurried forward.

Nanguo Ping took a jade‑green pill from his bosom: "Let her take this." He then turned toward Yan Buji's departing direction, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

At the same time, Yan Buji had not truly left. Using his concealment ability, he silently retraced his steps, hiding behind a stalactite.

"Gu tribe internal strife... Sacred Tree Cauldron..." he muttered, his gaze landing on the Heavenly Demon Token in his hand.

The patterns on the token now emitted a faint red glow, bearing a striking resemblance—about seventy percent—to the motifs on the Sacred Tree Cauldron Gu Yue held.

The Fate‑Twisting Night Candle slipped from his sleeve, gently pecking his fingertip.

"You think there's something wrong too?" Yan Buji smiled lightly, "That Nanguo Ping showed up far too conveniently..."

He recalled the details of the earlier battle: Nanguo Ping's timing was perfect, rescuing Gu Yue while wiping out the Fang clan cultivators entirely.

More importantly, the expressions on those Fang clan cultivators' faces at death... were not merely shock; they seemed to recognize something.

Yan Buji's fingertips brushed the Dao markings on his bronze arm, feeling the circulating power. Since absorbing the fortunes of twelve Dao Emperors, his perception of Qi flow has become ever sharper.

On Nanguo Ping, there was a faint... aura not belonging to the human race.

"It seems this murky water is getting deeper..."

He decided to secretly follow Gu Yue's party.

After taking the pill, Gu Yue quickly recovered. She leaned weakly against the stone wall, listening as her clan reported the losses.

"Miss, we lost six Elders, and the Fang traitors have all been executed." A white‑haired elder said gravely, "But the news of the Sacred Tree Cauldron may already..."

Gu Yue shook her head: "No problem. The urgent task is to find the altar and complete the ritual." She turned to Nanguo Ping, "Senior Brother Nanguo, thank you for rescuing me in time."

Nanguo Ping smiled gently: "Why should we thank each other? It's just..." He trailed off.

"But it's fine to speak."

"Is that Yan Buji trustworthy?"

Gu Yue was silent for a moment: "He acts erratically and unpredictably, but..." She recalled past events: "At least he won't actively harm me."

In the shadows, Yan Buji heard this, a slight smile curling his lips.

This assessment is not impartial enough.

Yan Buji is no gentleman; he hopes you all fight to the death before he comes out to pick the peaches.

The party finished their rest and set off toward the deeper cavern.

Yan Buji shadowed them like a silhouette, always keeping a safe distance.

As they went deeper, the cavern's scenery grew stranger. Strange runes began appearing on the rock walls, matching the patterns on the Heavenly Demon Token exactly. A faint fishy‑sweet scent filled the air, slowing everyone's spiritual energy circulation.

"We've arrived." The guiding Elder of the Gu family suddenly halted.

Ahead opened a vast underground space. In its center stood a nine‑tier altar, entirely jet‑black, each tier engraved with dense runes. Around the altar, twelve stone pillars formed a circle, each topped with a hovering pale‑green flame.

Yan Buji's pupils narrowed; this altar's layout was almost identical to the one he saw in the blood‑stained cavern! The only differences were that this altar was better preserved and... it also contained a coffin.

"That's not right; the previous place was left by the Demon King and Blood Daoist after they successfully stole the Emperor of Men's corpse, so what is this formation?"

Gu Yue's expression grew solemn as she walked toward the altar.

She took the Sacred Tree Cauldron from her bosom, placing it carefully into the recess at the altar's apex.

"Begin." She inhaled deeply and said to Nanguo Ping.

Nanguo Ping nodded, pulling a blood‑colored jade pendant from his sleeve.

Yan Buji's eyes hardened; the pendant's material and aura seemed identical to the Heavenly Demon Token!

Just as the two prepared to activate the altar, an anomaly erupted!

"Boom!"

A bolt of blood light descended from the sky, blasting several Gu family cultivators into powder!

"Hahaha... Gu Yue, did you think killing Fang Qingyang ended it?" A cold voice echoed through the cave.

Twelve figures emerged from the shadows, led by a red‑robe elder, gaunt, his eyes flashing a strange green light.

"Fang Clan Ancestor?!" Gu Yue's face turned pale, "Weren't you already..."

"Dead?" The red‑robe elder sneered, "Thanks to that lord's grace, I have been reborn!"

Nanguo Ping stepped in front of Gu Yue: "Careful, he's no longer the original Fang Clan Ancestor!"

Yan Buji narrowed his eyes. In his perception, the swirling aura within that red‑robe elder was unmistakably pure Heavenly Demon essence!

He had interacted with the Demon King so often that, despite knowing little about the Demon race, distinguishing its essence was easy.

As far as Yan Buji knows, demons almost always reside above the chaotic heavens of the Nine Heavens; how could they appear here?

"Aside from the Demon King, I haven't seen any other demons." Yan Buji said, squinting, finding it rather interesting.

That Fang Clan Ancestor's body was clearly at the Great Vehicle Stage, but the demon occupying it seemed only at the Refining Void Stage, and it's unclear how that demon can wield such a powerful flesh.

"Hand over the Sacred Tree Cauldron, and I can give you a quick death." The red‑robe elder extended his gaunt hand, black vapors coiling around his fingertips.

Gu Yue gritted her teeth: "Never!"

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!" The red‑robe elder commanded, and twelve black‑robe men launched simultaneously! Various bizarre Gu techniques flooded the area!

Nanguo Ping summoned a bronze ancient mirror, its surface flashing cyan, barely blocking the first wave. But he soon spat blood, clearly exhausted.

Gu Yue activated the Sacred Tree Cauldron; its inner blue light surged, forming a phantom blue dragon that spiraled upward. Yet the red‑robe elder only sneered, waved his hand, and a bolt of blood light shattered the dragon illusion!

"Pfft—" Gu Yue expelled a mouthful of blood, staggering backward.

Seeing the dire situation, Yan Buji stayed hidden. Meanwhile Nanguo Ping stepped forward, disregarding his wounds, and again summoned the bronze ancient mirror; the Dao markings flared, a cyan blade swept out like a ribbon!

"What?!" The red‑robe elder shouted, scrambling to defend, but was knocked back several steps by the strike!

When the smoke cleared, Nanguo Ping's figure stood among them. He said to Gu Yue without turning his head: "Looks like we won't get out today."

Gu Yue was first startled, then gave a bitter smile: "Sorry to have dragged you into this, Fellow Daoist Nan Gong..."

Nan Gong Ping wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked ahead with a complex expression, and said: "No need to be so polite; our relationship..."

The red-robed old man steadied his figure, coldly sizing up Nan Gong Ping: "You brat seeking death, do you know what you're meddling in?"

Nan Gong Ping sighed, shook the Heavenly Demon Order in his hand, half-smiling: "What do you say?"

At the sight of the Heavenly Demon Order, the red-robed old man's expression froze: "Hea... Heavenly Demon Order?! How could you have..."

Yan Buji stood in the shadows, frowning.

Indeed, this Nan Gong Ping is not simple; he also bears the aura of the Heavenly Demon. I originally thought his body was possessed by the Heavenly Demon, but I didn't expect...

"Why have so many cultivators possessed by the Heavenly Demon suddenly appeared in the Southern Court?" Yan Buji suddenly had a bad feeling, wondering if it was a consequence of the Myriad Heavens Star Gate's complete dissolution.

Nan Gong Ping didn't answer, but turned to Gu Yue: "Now, can you tell me what exactly you're plotting?"

Gu Yue and Nan Gong Ping exchanged a glance, finally making up their minds: "We are trying... to seal an ancient existence about to awaken."

Nan Gong Ping raised an eyebrow: "Gu Lord?"

"No." Gu Yue shook her head, deep fear rising in her eyes: "Something even more terrifying than the Gu God..."

The red-robed old man suddenly burst into wild laughter: "Too late! It's already too late! That exalted one is about to awaken; none of you can stop him!"

The entire cavern began to shake violently, the coffin at the altar's center emitting a "crack-crack" sound as the lid slowly slid open...