"Old Monster Zang wouldn't be deliberately deceiving us with lies, would he? The human cultivator who killed Venerable Li just happens to be in Heavenly Pivot City? Could he be luring us there, intending to use our strength to seize the city? I've heard this city is nothing like the previous human strongholds that were destroyed — it won't be easy to attack at all!" The beautiful woman in pink said worriedly to her companion.
"Rest assured! Though Old Monster Zang is merely a borrowed Venerable and quite unruly, he would never dare fabricate anything in a matter of this importance. This was personally assigned by Lord Blood Light — how could he possibly dare truly offend his lordship? Besides, as long as the target he's identified is correct, what harm is there in letting him borrow our strength once?" The middle-aged man in a silver-threaded robe shook his head and replied.
"That's true enough. Though we found where Venerable Li and the other two fell relatively quickly, most of the traces had been cleaned away, and after such a long time, we couldn't find much of use. Getting accurate intelligence from Old Monster Zang is quite a stroke of fortune. The two of us can finally give his lordship a proper accounting." The beautiful woman sighed softly, somewhat helplessly.
"Indeed. Otherwise, until we find what his lordship lost, we wouldn't dare return. Well, we now have a lead, and it's almost certainly correct. All that's left is to prepare for a fierce battle. Those human cultivators managed to kill Venerable Li and two others — even with the supreme treasure temporarily lent to us by the Holy Ancestor, we must exercise extreme caution when facing them. Moreover, these people are hiding within Heavenly Pivot City, and forcing them out will require considerable effort." A cold gleam flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.
"Hmph. Since Old Monster Zang wants to use our strength against Heavenly Pivot City, they can handle that part themselves. If they can't even manage that, what right do they have to join forces with us? All we need to do is pin down and eliminate the human cultivator who killed Venerable Li." The beautiful woman said haughtily.
"Heh, don't underestimate Old Monster Cang and his lot. Old Monster Cang alone is already a perfected Late-Stage Integration cultivator, just one step from becoming a Holy Ancestor. That boy Leng Ren may be young, but as a direct descendant of Holy Ancestor Xue Tian, his frost divine abilities have reportedly earned personal praise from Lord Xue Tian himself. And that girl Yu carries the bloodline of the late Holy Ancestor Ming Luo — she likely has one or two formidable life-saving techniques. The weakest among them would probably be Venerable Yan from Fire Origin City." The middle-aged man's voice was calm, but in just a few sentences, he laid out the relative strengths of the Venerables who would attack Heavenly Pivot City, as though he had long since known everything about them.
"That's true. They want to use our strength, but aren't we also looking to use theirs? Senior Brother, let's hurry over. At such close range, Old Monster Cang and the others must already know we've arrived." The beautiful woman giggled.
Almost as soon as her words fell, the dark demonic clouds above the distant valley suddenly began to churn violently. After a series of drumbeats, ranks of black-armored riders emerged from the clouds, parting like a curtain.
At the very front of these riders, a black-armored elder materialized with a flicker, standing there with a half-smile.
Behind the elder, Leng Ren, the petite woman, and the other demon Venerables followed alongside.
The petite woman had her eyes narrowed with a smile, while the icy youth remained expressionless as ever.
"Both esteemed friends have worked hard, arriving so early — it's somewhat beyond this old man's expectations!" Old Monster Zang laughed heartily, cupping his fists toward the middle-aged couple from a distance.
"Not at all. The moment we received word, we set out through the night. It seems we haven't caused any delay!" The beautiful woman smiled radiantly.
"Ha ha, you both jest. However, the day to attack Heavenly Pivot City is indeed not far off. Whatever matters remain, let us discuss them properly inside the valley." Old Monster Zang smiled faintly, raising his hand in a welcoming gesture.
"Very well. We were just wanting to understand how you can be so certain the person we're seeking is in Heavenly Pivot City." The middle-aged man looked the black-armored elder up and down, then smiled and replied.
His black war chariot, pulled by two enormous demonic birds, immediately shot downward.
The black-armored elder chuckled softly and descended with the others.
In the following hours, the black-armored elder, the Yin-Yang Twin Fiends, and the other top demon cultivators gathered in a grand hall within the valley and spent more than half the day deep in discussion.
When Old Monster Zang and the middle-aged couple finally emerged from within, their faces bore expressions of deep satisfaction!
...
More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Han Li was sitting cross-legged in meditation at his residence when cries of alarm suddenly reached him from outside!
His heart stirred. He rose immediately and strode toward the window.
With a flick of his sleeve, a swirl of azure light swept outward.
The window, previously concealed behind a layer of faint golden light, creaked open of its own accord.
Han Li took one look outside, and his expression changed drastically. He transformed into a streak of azure light and shot from the room. In a few flickers, his figure appeared in the void hundreds of zhang above, where he gazed further upward.
In the sky, one of the seven suns — which should have been hanging overhead at its noon zenith — had developed an eerie gray patch around its edges that was gradually spreading inward, bit by bit. It was as though an invisible hand were slowly, deliberately blotting out its radiance.