Snow fell urgently, thick clouds and blizzard obscuring the light. The valley was shrouded in an eerie, gloomy atmosphere.
A tall figure emerged from the snowstorm, each step causing the earth to shake and mountains to tremble.
“So, as I said, you’re being too cautious,” the voice was hoarse yet resounding, penetrating through the blizzard’s barrier. “It’s just a weakened Xie Xuechen.”
One-Thought Venerable replied, “After all, he is Sect Leader Xie. I must show him sufficient respect.”
Xie Xuechen stood gripping his sword, his tall figure amidst the snowstorm like an unsheathed blade.
“It was you who set up the teleportation array, bringing Infatuation Demon and Battle Demon into Snow-Embracing City,” Xie Xuechen coldly gazed at One-Thought Venerable. “Someone thoughtful enough to use left-handed writing to disguise their true handwriting would anticipate its discovery. So, the person whose left-handed writing matches the array symbols is not the true array setter. However, someone who has lived closely with him for a hundred years could easily mimic his left-handed writing.”
One-Thought Venerable nodded slightly, “I see. Sect Leader Xie has suspected me for a while.”
“The real Nan Xuyue wouldn’t have missed this point either,” Xie Xuechen continued, “But he didn’t mention it.”
One-Thought Venerable suddenly realized, “So he exposed himself as well.”
“Since Battle Demon is here, the one possessing Venerable Fajian must be Infatuation Demon,” Xie Xuechen looked at the towering giant who had walked to One-Thought Venerable’s side. “The real Battle Demon’s abilities are pure and powerful, solely focused on killing.”
Battle Demon grinned at Xie Xuechen, revealing sharp fangs. His deep voice slowly said, “Only those incapable of killing an enemy in one strike would resort to such convoluted tricks. Sect Leader Xie understands this best.”
Xie Xuechen said, “Given Venerable Fajian’s cultivation level, it would have taken Infatuation Demon more than a brief moment to successfully possess him. So, One-Thought Venerable must have made his move on Venerable Fajian last night.”
One-Thought Venerable didn’t deny it. He nodded with a slight smile, “Last night while discussing the Dao with my senior uncle, our paths diverged. He wanted to extinguish my Dao and harbored thoughts of killing and regret. But I was prepared. I restrained him with an array, allowing Infatuation Demon to ambush him, gradually controlling his inner demons until successfully possessing him this morning.”
“Controlling Nan Xuyue wasn’t part of your plan. He’s just an ordinary person,” Xie Xuechen said.
“Indeed, but the moment he stepped into the Hall of Righteousness, the Inner Demon Array was triggered,” One-Thought Venerable sighed slightly. “Master Nan may seem open and aboveboard, but who knew his thoughts were so heavy? His obsession was so intense that Infatuation Demon instinctively shifted targets and controlled Master Nan instead.”
Xie Xuechen was puzzled about what Nan Xuyue’s obsession could be, but now wasn’t the time to delve into it. He quickly dismissed the thought.
“You stirred up doubts among the Immortal Alliance members, turning them into scattered sand. You possessed Venerable Fajian to incite internal strife within the Alliance. Then you lured me away from the center of the vortex, having Battle Demon assist you in killing me,” Xie Xuechen laid out Sang Qi’s strategy piece by piece. “Sang Qi wants to eliminate the entire Immortal Alliance in one fell swoop.”
One-Thought Venerable said, “Senior Uncle is the strongest cultivator in the Immortal Alliance after Sect Leader Xie. Without uniting, the others stand no chance against him.”
Xie Xuechen said, “Infatuation Demon merely wants the Immortal Alliance to destroy itself. Whether Venerable Fajian wins or loses, lives or dies is irrelevant.”
“Sect Leader Xie is indeed perceptive,” One-Thought Venerable smiled slightly. “But weren’t you above explaining things to your enemies? Why tell me all this?”
Xie Xuechen slowly released the sword in his hand, embedding it into the rock, unmovable.
“Naturally, it’s because I too needed to buy time,” Xie Xuechen said.
One-Thought Venerable and Battle Demon were both startled. They saw that three zhang away, where Xie Xuechen stood amidst the blizzard, the snowfall suddenly froze in mid-air as if time had instantly stopped. Through the thick snow, they saw a handsome, cold face with bright, sharp phoenix eyes. The red light in his brow suddenly brightened. In the next moment, the snow around him surged outward in a vortex. The powerful spiritual energy fluctuation caused heaven and earth to change color. A dazzling light, rivaling the Golden Crow, pierced through the snow’s shroud. Sharp sword energy shot straight into the sky, unstoppable!
“Jun Tian!” One-Thought Venerable’s face changed drastically, taking half a step back.
“His divine aperture has recovered?” Battle Demon recalled Xie Xuechen wielding Jun Tian in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, with his world-destroying sword intent. For a moment, his heart faltered, but soon it ignited an even greater battle spirit within him.
Battle Demon knew no fear; he only knew killing and fighting. The strength made his demonic energy boil, and encountering strength made him even stronger!
Battle Demon grinned widely, pulling out two battle axes from his back, his eyes glowing with bloodthirst.
“As expected of the First Sword Cultivator’s spiritual power. This kind of killing is truly exhilarating!”
One-Thought Venerable realized he had been tricked. His usually kind face was now shadowed. “Sect Leader Xie isn’t so easily dealt with.”
“Back then, I was suppressed by the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, that’s why I lost to him. Now I’m stronger than I was in the Formation, while he…” Battle Demon narrowed his eyes, “It seems he hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
From within the snowstorm came Xie Xuechen’s cold voice: “But it’s more than enough to kill you.”
Before his words faded, Jun Tian was already before their eyes.
The intense spiritual energy fluctuation in the Hall of Righteousness shook the entire city. Countless cultivators rushed over, witnessing the spectacular, colorful spiritual energy clashing in mid-air. They knew it was a battle between Fashen, far beyond their ability to intervene, and could only stay as far away as possible.
When Mu Xuanling arrived at the Hall of Righteousness, it was already in ruins. She found the unconscious Nan Xuyue among the debris and quickly revived him.
Nan Xuyue hadn’t suffered any external injuries. After Infatuation Demon possessed Venerable Fajian, it had relinquished control over him. Being possessed by a demon god, even for a brief moment, was extremely damaging to an ordinary person’s body. Nan Xuyue’s face was pale, his limbs felt as heavy as lead, and his body was ice-cold. He only remembered following Xie Xuechen into the Hall of Righteousness; everything after that was a blank.
“Master Nan, it’s too dangerous here. Let me take you away first.”
Seeing his condition, Mu Xuanling immediately recognized the symptoms of demonic possession. She supported Nan Xuyue with her shoulder, helping him away from the battle’s epicenter. Nan Xuyue leaned half his body on Mu Xuanling, slowly regaining some strength.
Fu Lansheng, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, saw Mu Xuanling supporting the ashen-faced Nan Xuyue and was startled. He hurried over to help.
“What happened?” Fu Lansheng took over supporting Nan Xuyue, holding his arm. “My father and the others are besieging Venerable Fajian, while Sect Leader Xie and One-Thought Venerable are nowhere to be seen.”
Nan Xuyue thought for a moment and said, “I was possessed by a demon earlier and lost all memory of what happened. But from the current situation, it seems highly likely that One-Thought Venerable is a demonic spy who has taken Sect Leader Xie away.”
“Then he’s lost,” Mu Xuanling smiled faintly. “At this moment, Xie Xuechen is the invincible Sect Leader Xie.”
She had administered the medicine herself and knew exactly when its effects would wear off. Xie Xuechen knew this too, which is why he allowed One-Thought Venerable to take him away, to see what other traps the enemy had prepared.
Fu Lansheng anxiously watched the fierce battle in the sky, where his parents were among the combatants. But a battle at that level was beyond the intervention of a small Golden Core cultivator like him, even with countless magical artifacts at his disposal. He couldn’t influence the outcome of this battle.
Mu Xuanling, who was very familiar with the Three Demon Gods, quickly assessed the situation in the sky and said, “Venerable Fajian has been possessed by Infatuation Demon, and the others have fallen into Infatuation Demon’s Inner Demon Array.”
Fu Lansheng, knowing nothing about Infatuation Demon, looked at Mu Xuanling in confusion.
“Infatuation Demon’s method is to find the obsession in people’s hearts, plant a seed, and let it grow over time. The stronger the obsession, the faster it blooms. Infatuation Demon can draw power from others’ obsessions, and once the obsession in someone’s heart matures, they can be possessed by Infatuation Demon at any time,” Mu Xuanling’s expression was grave. “So even if we defeat the possessed Venerable Fajian, Infatuation Demon can still possess someone else.”
Fu Lansheng urgently asked, “Then is there any way to defeat the Infatuation Demon?”
Under the group assault, Venerable Fajian was already heavily injured. His defeat was only a matter of time, but the others had also paid a considerable price, all visibly wounded and their auras significantly weakened. Mu Xuanling furrowed her brow, contemplating countermeasures.
“Only the Prajna Sutra from Xuantian Temple has exorcism techniques. The Prajna Sutra can illuminate the mind and reveal one’s true nature, restoring the self and dispelling the influence of inner demons, leaving the Infatuation Demon nowhere to hide. But now Venerable Fajian is under control, and One-Thought Venerable is a traitor…” Mu Xuanling said helplessly, “We can only try to capture Infatuation Demon in the fleeting moment it leaves Venerable Fajian’s body upon his defeat. But that window of opportunity is extremely brief and hard to seize.”
There was another method – her Judgment Vine. This divine artifact, created by Sang Qi, was the nemesis of demonic beings. Once bound by the vine, even the Three Demon Gods would find it extremely difficult to escape, at least for a short while. But in the face of powerful enemies, exposing even a moment’s weakness could be fatal.