That person was none other than his sole surviving subordinate. At this moment, for reasons unknown, the man had been attacked — blood spilled from his mouth as he was sent flying like a tattered burlap sack.
"Sir, run! Black Crow is coming!" the man cried in terror.
"Black Crow!" Ti Zheng was shocked and furious.
If he were in peak condition, a Seventh-Grade Open Heaven cultivator like himself would hardly fear the likes of Black Crow. But circumstances had changed. His Small World was in violent turmoil, completely unable to engage in combat — otherwise, he risked its collapse, which would leave him in a dire state indeed. A deep hatred filled his heart: that bastard Black Crow must have sensed his weakened state and seized the opportunity to strike while he was down. Truly despicable beyond measure.
He hesitated for but a heartbeat between standing his ground and fleeing. Then Ti Zheng gritted his teeth, turned, and ran.
Black Crow now commanded a host of powerful subordinates, and his true self was an expert who had seized another's body through reincarnation — who knew how many hidden methods he possessed? Staying to fight would be the height of folly, and would very likely cost him his life.
A wave of bitter sorrow washed over him. Truly, a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs, a dragon stranded in shallow waters is tormented by shrimp. In all his years, he had never been reduced to such a wretched state.
His thoughts had barely finished their turn when he heard several soft thuds. Immediately after, his body shuddered as though something had pierced through his protective aura and struck deep into his vital meridians.
A sharp pain flared. The power throughout his body instantly became sluggish and obstructed, his movements growing stiff.
A large hand emerged silently from behind him, plunging straight into his body and seizing his heart.
Ti Zheng's eyes went wide with fury, his body frozen in place as though struck by a paralyzing spell. He twisted his head stiffly, staring at the demonic-energy-shrouded face pressed against his back, and his expression slowly darkened.
The roiling demonic energy gradually receded, revealing a smiling yet thoroughly sinister face — unmistakably that of his sole surviving subordinate.
Betrayed from behind by his own man! This was something Ti Zheng could never have anticipated. By now, he understood completely — there was no Black Crow here at all. The destruction of that tower ship had been this man's doing as well.
"Mo Sheng, what are you doing?!" Ti Zheng's voice was heavy.
"Mo Sheng?" The man chuckled. "Wrong, wrong. This lord is not Mo Sheng. Mo Sheng died long ago. This lord merely borrowed his body."
"Body seizure!" Ti Zheng's face turned grim as memories resurfaced in his mind.
Many years ago, the man called Mo Sheng had suddenly arrived at the Myriad Demons Heaven, claiming to be a Disciple of the Myriad Demons Heaven. He said he had strayed into a secret realm, been trapped for years, and had only just managed to escape — returning to the Myriad Demons Heaven the moment he was free.
It had been so long that the Myriad Demons Heaven no longer had any jade disc records of him. Eventually, they had dug through documents dating back over a hundred thousand years and found some information about Mo Sheng, confirming that such a Disciple had indeed existed — though he had subsequently vanished without a trace, never to be heard from again. This matched his story. Moreover, the pure demonic energy on Mo Sheng's body was impossible to forge, so the Myriad Demons Heaven had accepted him.
When Mo Sheng first returned to the Myriad Demons Heaven, he had not yet reached the Open Heaven Realm. His aptitude was decent enough — several years later, he had achieved Fifth-Grade Open Heaven, and Ti Zheng had recruited him into his service.
This time, to set up the Celestial Net Spirit-Locking Formation, Ti Zheng had brought him along. Yet who would have thought that instead of dying at Zhu Jiuyin's hands, he would be stabbed in the back by this man?
Rage roared through Ti Zheng's heart, eyes cracking wide with fury. Through gritted teeth he demanded, "Who are you, really?"
The man smiled. "You want to know? Very well, there's no harm in telling you!" His expression turned solemn, and he declared with imposing authority, "This lord is Wu Kuang — the one destined to conquer the Three Thousand Worlds and become their supreme ruler!"
Ti Zheng laughed out of sheer anger. "You want to rule the Three Thousand Worlds? What grandiose nonsense!" He stared at Wu Kuang with the expression one might wear looking at a lunatic. At any other time, hearing a Fifth-Grade Open Heaven cultivator spout such claims would have made him laugh himself sick, but in this situation, laughter was far from his mind.
Wu Kuang chuckled. "Whether it's nonsense or not, you won't live to see it — because... you're about to die! Don't even think about channeling your World Force. This lord's Earth-Stabilizing Nail is an ancient Artifact. Once driven into the body, it seals off the Small World. The only way to expel it is to force it out — but judging by how badly you're wounded, you clearly don't have the strength. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have had this opportunity."
Ti Zheng said darkly, "Even if you kill me, what of it? Your ambition to rule the Three Thousand Worlds is indeed grand. Why not release me instead, and let this lord lend you a hand?"
His Small World was already in violent upheaval, unable to channel power easily. Now, with Wu Kuang's Earth-Stabilizing Nail further sealing it, he was even more powerless to resist. Ti Zheng's mind raced, searching for a sliver of hope in this desperate situation.
Wu Kuang smiled with contempt. "Sir, that's rather naive of you. This lord is not a three-year-old child — why would I believe such drivel? If I let you go, you'd kill me first thing, wouldn't you?"
Ti Zheng said, "I can swear a Heart Demon Oath. If you release me, I will let today's matter pass. Moreover, I can provide you with a great deal of cultivation resources. If I recall correctly, you advanced to Fifth-Grade Open Heaven, correct? Without my support, reaching the Seventh-Grade would take you untold ages. But with my backing, the situation changes entirely. I guarantee that within a thousand years, I will help you advance to the Seventh-Grade — so long as you have the aptitude."