Chapter 885: Heavenly Demon Secret Realm

Yan Buji stood in the middle of the street of Star Net City, the largest cultivation market city in the Wan Dao Mountain Range, his golden pupils flickering faintly beneath the shadow of his cloak.

Three years ago he emerged from a hidden cave, and now he has refined his essence Magical Cultivation to the Divine Transformation peak, just one step away from stepping into the Refining Void realm.

"Did you hear? Something happened again over at Zhonghai Mountain," the voices of a few cultivators in the tea stall beside him drifted into his ears.

"Indeed, half a month ago the Mysterious Gate and the Fa Tian Sect each sent a team in, and none have emerged yet."

Yan Buji's steps suddenly halted.

Yang Qing, Yang Lan? He narrowed his eyes, turned instantly toward the table of cultivators, and a High-grade Spirit Stone clanged onto the wooden table.

"Friends, what was just said—was it true? Do you know who led those two parties?"

"May I ask who you are?"

"Ah, I am Huang Hao. I have a few friends in the Fa Tian Sect and the Mysterious Gate who have been out of contact lately; I wish to inquire about the situation," Yan Buji said, opening his mouth.

The cultivators' eyes lit up at the sight of the spirit stone; one bearded elder with a goat's beard hurriedly said, "We heard the two houses' offerings led the teams, and they were a pair of sisters; we don't know their names. Moreover, deep within Zhonghai Mountain an ancient secret realm was discovered, and the sisters entered it with over ten late Nascent Soul cultivators to investigate, and the result..."

"What was the outcome?" Yan Buji's voice lowered.

"Three days ago only a severely wounded Nascent Soul cultivator escaped, saying he encountered a great terror inside; the others were all trapped in the deepest part of the secret realm," the elder lowered his voice, "The escapee didn't survive the night; he died while repeatedly shouting the words 'Heavenly Demon'."

Yan Buji's golden aura surged wildly, his surrounding aura unintentionally burst outward for an instant, and cultivators across the street felt a sudden palpitating shock.

He immediately reined in his aura, took out several Spiritual Stones, and asked, "Do you know the exact location of the secret realm?"

The elder swallowed, trembling as he produced a jade slip, "This… this… we know the location of Zhonghai Mountain, but we truly do not know where the secret realm lies; we hope you, senior, will not blame us!"

After pocketing the jade slip marking Zhonghai Mountain, Yan Buji's figure vanished from the market in an instant, leaving only a few stunned cultivators behind.

"That senior must be in the Divine Transformation realm, right?"

"His aura is immensely powerful; we have no idea of its origin!"

Two months later at dusk, Yan Buji stood before a canyon deep within Zhonghai Mountain.

Although the Nan Ting Mountain Region has sunk most of its eight territories, the Wan Dao Mountain Range is indeed astonishingly vast; Yan Buji had traveled for so long before finally finding this Zhonghai Mountain.

The terrain here is treacherous, with strange black markings covering the sheer cliffs on both sides, as if corroded by some acidic force. Scattered at the canyon entrance are several damaged Accumulation Devices and dried bloodstains, clearly indicating a fierce battle had occurred not long ago.

"There are many demonic beasts nearby; demon kings and demon emperors can be seen everywhere. Though the spiritual energy is dense, the environment is overly harsh," Yan Buji squinted.

Come to think of it, this place would make a fine hideout... but since a secret realm has been discovered, likely most of the wandering cultivators from Nan Ting will come to explore, making it far from hidden.

Yan Buji crouched, his fingertip lightly touching a dark red bloodstain, a hint of solemnity flashing in his golden pupils. It was Yang Lan's blood, yet it contained faint traces of Heavenly Demon aura, though it was not the aura of the Yang Lan he knew.

"Indeed... without the Celestial Star Gate, the Heavenly Demon has already descended to the mortal realm."

He rose, his gaze fixed on the depths of the canyon. There, a twisted spatial fissure could be faintly seen, surrounded by ominous black mist—it was the entrance to the secret realm.

Yan Buji did not rush in; instead, he unfolded his divine perception to scan the surroundings. Golden ripples spread from his feet, revealing the hidden rule patterns in the air wherever they passed.

Soon, beneath a rock, he discovered a messenger jade slip left by Yang Qing.

The information on the jade slip made Yan Buji's expression solemn.

In his haste, Yang Qing recorded everything they encountered: deep within the secret realm lies an ancient altar, sealing some terrifying Existence.

An avatar of the Heavenly Demon King, claiming to be 'Duogu', suddenly appeared, slaughtered most of the accompanying cultivators, and imprisoned the Yang sisters beside the altar, seemingly intending to use them for a ritual.

"Duogu..." Yan Buji crushed the jade slip, a smile spreading across his eyes. Yet, in the end, since Yang Qing and Yang Lan left this jade slip outside the secret realm, it may have already alerted cultivators of the Mysterious Gate and the Fa Tian Sect.

"Swift action is paramount in warfare."

Without further hesitation, Yan Buji leapt into the spatial fissure. The dizziness from the crossing had just faded when a wave of decay washed over him.

He found himself standing on a barren plain, the sky an unnatural dark red, and in the distance a towering black stone altar could be faintly seen.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently as countless skeletal arms burst from the earth, reaching for him. Yan Buji let out a cold snort, swung his right hand, and golden essence power turned into a rain of fire that fell from the sky, instantly incinerating the bones to ash.

"Even a mere Nascent Soul-level corpse demon dares to block the way?" he sneered, about to advance, when he suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation on his left side. A black silhouette struck like lightning!

Yan Buji neither dodged nor flinched; a flash of light erupted from his hand, and the Swallow Desire Pot released a hovering surge of Dao power above his head. The black silhouette froze mid‑air—it was a pitch‑black demonic bat, now locked by Mutant Force, its body contorting and finally "boom"—exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

"Are those the only tricks?" Yan Buji said softly, his voice echoing across the wasteland.

Hm?

Yan Buji glanced at the surrounding space and sensed something amiss.

"The space appears vast, yet feels pitifully small, as if contained within a box," Yan Buji frowned. Though his grasp of the cosmic Dao is modest, he could see this secret realm differed entirely from the many he had previously encountered.

Moreover, this place is occupied by a Heavenly Demon; who knows what other dangers may lurk.

There was no echo around, only a faint thunder from the direction of the altar. Yan Buji lingered no longer; his form became a golden beam that shot straight toward the altar.

Along the way, countless ancient seals and demons emerged, yet none could withstand Yan Buji, whose cultivation had advanced greatly.

However, Yan Buji grew increasingly uneasy as the battle progressed; the concentration of Heavenly Demon aura in this secret realm was abnormally high, as if the place were a nest specially forged for Heavenly Demons.

When Yan Buji finally reached the edge of the altar, the sight before him caused his pupils to contract.

Yang Qing and Yang Lan were suspended by chains on either side of the altar, surrounded by scattered limbs of cultivators. Their bodies were covered with strange runes, and at the altar's center, a figure formed of black mist was chanting an ancient incantation.

That aura differed entirely from the Dragon People's Heavenly Demon King—chaotic and bizarre—but its strength was at the Refining Void stage, giving Yan Buji a sense of extreme danger.

"Late Refining Void, perhaps even the Refining Void peak," Yan Buji frowned.

It seems snatching them from the tiger's mouth won't be easy; it's best if Yang Qing and Yang Lan meet their end at his own hands!