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Li Hong immediately cast his vote in favor of Yue Changzi, saying, "What the Master said is right! Trust those you employ, and do not employ those you doubt. Let's proceed with this plan and allow them to enter the Ancient Celestial Field Temple for closed-door training in batches."
Since Li Hong had made the decision, Chuxuan no longer opposed it and began to arrange the teaching of the Li Fire Scripture.
Li Hong then called out to the Spirit of the Hall. In just a moment, the translucent Phantom of the Spirit of the Hall appeared beside everyone. Li Hong instructed, "There will soon be people entering closed-door training in the Ancient Celestial Field Temple. Keep a close watch on their movements. If anyone goes astray or wants to leave after their training, or if anyone attempts to teleport back here, it will be your responsibility."
The Spirit of the Hall bowed and replied, "I will obey the Star Sovereign's command." After a pause, he added, "I have one matter to report to the Star Sovereign."
"Speak."
"The Purgatory Ten Kings have been trapped for over half a year. If the Star Sovereign has no intention of taking their lives, I currently have many affairs to attend to and cannot manage them. Would it be possible for the Star Sovereign to release them?"
Li Hong pondered for a moment and looked at Yue Changzi and Chuxuan.
Yue Changzi waved his hand, saying, "Leave these matters that require thought to Chuxuan; I am not suited for them."
Chuxuan was not displeased by Li Hong's agreement with Yue Changzi's opinion. Following Li Hong's line of thought, he slowly asked, "Sixth Senior Brother, do you not want to kill them at all?"
Li Hong nodded. "The ten of them have actually been at odds with Yandao Demon Lord. Although they have fought against us before, they were ultimately serving their own interests. Now that their master, Old Demon, is trapped in the Wandering Path of the Stars, I think we should release them. This way, we can plant a seed of goodwill in their hearts. Perhaps it will be useful in the future."
"Very good!" Chuxuan clapped his hands thoughtfully. "At their level of cultivation, what they fear most is owing a favor; this can affect their state of mind and even lead to subtle consequences. Releasing them is indeed better! However, Sixth Senior Brother must make it clear to them that this is a special concession for them. You could even coerce them into revealing some secrets about Yandao Demon Lord. Although releasing them poses a risk of leaking information about Temple City and your whereabouts, the Purgatory Ten Kings are still considered masters in their own right; spreading such news would only embarrass themselves. If I am correct, even if they escape, they will likely hide deep within Fengdu Hidden Palace. Since we have already planted this seed of goodwill, they will not associate with that demoness Li Xiaolou."
Chuxuan elaborated further on his thoughts, clarifying what had initially been a fleeting idea. Li Hong laughed heartily in agreement: "Exactly!"
"Chuxuan is truly our little Zhuge from Nine Li Sect," Yue Changzi praised as he looked at Chuxuan. He continued, "From now on, you two brothers can discuss matters together while I focus on refining tools with your Master and Second Senior Brother. There are still many good things down there that we haven't researched yet; I'm eager to retreat into closed-door training." Yue Changzi winked at Li Hong and pointed downwards.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Li Hong patted Chuxuan on the shoulder: "With everyone in agreement, you can take on more responsibilities."
Chuxuan smiled and did not refuse.
"There's no time to waste, I'm going to meet the Purgatory Ten Kings right now!" Li Hong turned and left with the Spirit of the Hall.
********
Outside the deep gorge, Azure Sky Palace.
The dark palace complex was eerily quiet, seemingly devoid of life. Occasionally, a few swift shadows darted across the buildings, indicating that there were indeed inhabitants here.
Deep underground in the Azure Sky Palace Main Hall, there was a spacious secret chamber surrounded by crystal-clear walls made of extremely rare Xuan Ice. It was extremely cold here; ordinary mortals would likely freeze instantly upon entering. However, this was a personal training chamber exclusively for Yandao Demon Lord.
The ground was also made of smooth Xuan Ice. In the center of the chamber, a mass of black mist was constantly stretching and expanding. Upon closer inspection, many fine and strange Black Light particles were swirling within the mist, becoming more concentrated with each cycle, all gathering towards the core where a small black figure was faintly visible.
The figure's features became increasingly clear, but just one glance would cause one's blood to run cold! The figure's face changed continuously, appearing as male, female, old, and young... Yandao Demon Lord had more than one face!
After a long while, the black mist gradually calmed down, and the figure disappeared from the core. Above the mist, two sudden eyes appeared out of nowhere and abruptly opened. These were terrifying eyes, neither bright nor as restrained as before; instead, they were filled with red veins like those of a wild beast or demon.
"Roar," a terrifying roar echoed from within the black mist.
The sound waves whipped up a whirlwind that swept through the chamber. The hard Xuan Ice walls trembled violently, shedding countless ice shards. The anguished roar faintly reached the outer palace complex.
All patrolling Azure Guardian suddenly revealed themselves, their faces filled with fear.
This had been yet another instance in the past six months where strange sounds emanated from the Demon Lord's training chamber. It seemed something had gone awry with the Demon Lord. However, this thought only flickered briefly; the Azure Guardian resumed their usual patrol routes after a moment's pause.
No one dared to disturb the Demon Lord, unless they wished for an early demise.
Meanwhile, the dark mist quietly floating in the center of Guanzhong within the Wandering Path of the Stars suddenly trembled, but then remained still, as if it were dead, silently suspended in mid-air.
Deep within the Nameless Cave, a pair of bright eyes abruptly appeared in the darkness. At first, these eyes seemed to carry a hint of confusion and deep-seated pain, but gradually, they turned cold. Soon after, the eyes appeared as calm as an ordinary person's, hiding all their schemes deep within.
The owner of the eyes, covered in moss and mud, stood up and resolutely walked step by step toward the cave entrance. With each step, moss and mud fell off him. When he reached outside the cave, under the blue sky and white clouds, he surprisingly wore a clean, shining white robe that made his figure appear exceptionally handsome.
He looked around and determined to head south into the sky.
********
In the pitch-black Wandering Path of the Stars, the Purgatory Ten Kings were separated, each trapped in their own Passageway. They had endured countless traps and tests and were now stuck in a relatively safe small area, no longer daring to move recklessly.
Deep fear tormented them to the point of losing their humanity; each person had become much thinner, their splendid robes stained with filthy blood and mud, hair disheveled, and their golden crowns long gone.
Suddenly, each of them felt the mechanisms around them shifting, and the force field swirling. Moments later, Yama was the first to move, darting out like lightning from a recently opened safety gap and swiftly rushing forward.
After a stick of incense's time, the ten met at a fork in the path, calling out each other's names and tightly grasping hands together.
Still relieved to have escaped death, they quickly fell silent as a terrifying thought struck all ten simultaneously. This place clearly had an owner who had previously separated them, trapping each in a dead end. Now they were being driven together again. What did this person intend to do?
Bian Cheng slowly said, "I still have thirty percent of my power left; now that we are together, we should be able to fight back. The Purgatory barrier can only be used once—just once—so whatever appears next, we only have one chance to escape."
"Understood!"
The ten gathered tightly at the entrance of the passageway, facing outward and looking toward at least seven forks in the path, waiting for any terrifying entities that might appear.
Suddenly, Yama said in a deep voice, "It's coming!"
A wave of force fluctuations came from the Passageway, and suddenly, a young man in a White Robe appeared within it. His body emitted a faint red glow in the dark Passageway, solemn and dignified, resembling a true immortal. However, his Face... Yama was taken aback, his eyes bulging as he shouted, "It's you! Chu Hongzi!"
Li Hong stood with his hands behind his back ten zhang away, beside him was the half-transparent Spirit of the Hall standing respectfully. The peculiar combination and sudden appearance astonished the Purgatory Ten Kings. They quickly realized that although Li Hong's expression was serious, he had no intention of making a move, including the Strange half-transparent shadow beside him.
Li Hong slowly said, "Have you been well, Purgatory Ten Kings?"
To Yama's ears, this sounded like mockery. He glared at Li Hong in anger and retorted, "Isn't that nonsense? Do we look like we're doing well?" As soon as he spoke, he felt it was inappropriate; it clearly showed weakness. Yama awkwardly snorted through his nose and turned away, indicating his disdain for Li Hong.
Qin Guang, the oldest among the Purgatory Ten Kings and the quickest thinker, asked solemnly, "Are you the master of this place?"
Li Hong proudly replied, "Yes!"
"Then have you come to show off and prepare to make us understand our fate?" Bian Cheng murmured.
"I think you can all see that I have no intention of making a move."
"Let's not beat around the bush! What exactly are your intentions? If you really want to fight, we will accompany you. Even if you have the ability to break our barrier, it won't be easy! Moreover, it would just destroy this place!" Yama couldn't help but shout.
"You cannot destroy this place. If I do not wish to let you out, you absolutely will not leave. Just like your master Yandao Demon Lord." Li Hong said coldly.
The hearts of the Purgatory Ten Kings sank simultaneously; Yandao was indeed trapped!
The cold air rapidly circulated between the Purgatory Ten Kings and Li Hong, and the Passageway was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
After a while, Yama steeled himself and said, "Yandao is not our master; we are merely allies! We temporarily take orders from him, that's all! But!" Yama's tone became firm: "That does not mean we won't rescue him!"
A Black Light swirling Judge's Pen flew out and hovered above Yama's head. "Since you've appeared, you should recognize my pen!"
"Yes," Li Hong suddenly smiled, "I do recognize you. Thank you for letting me go back then under the Yandao Demon Lord."
His words seemed to imply that Li Hong understood Yama's hint of pleading for mercy based on past events. Even if Yama truly had such thoughts, he was still greatly angered. He shouted, "That's not what I meant! I meant, if you have the guts, fight me with my Judge's Pen!" With a swish, the Judge's Pen created an illusion and struck directly at Li Hong's face.
Li Hong raised his hand, and without any visible movement, the Judge's Pen was abruptly halted just one foot in front of Li Hong's face, unable to advance even half an inch.
Li Hong calmly said, "Although you are a master at the Heavenly Fusion Stage, unfortunately, your power is now reduced to only thirty percent. Against someone with only thirty percent of their strength, I have an overwhelming chance of winning. Yama, let's make a bet; even if all ten of you join forces, you still won't be able to defeat me!"
The Purgatory Ten Kings remained silent. They knew that Li Hong was speaking the truth.
This rising star had an endless array of Celestial Artifacts. The most bizarre thing was that he somehow remained unaffected by the barrier and control; their greatest weapon was utterly useless against him. Not to mention that their ten members were already worn down and their cultivation levels had been completely depleted.
Li Hong looked at the speechless ten with a confident smile.
To the Purgatory Ten Kings, this smile indicated that there was no need for a fight; they had already suffered a complete defeat.
Momentum—that was the overwhelming aura between masters in combat. Without needing to fight, they had already lost in terms of momentum.
Li Hong maintained his calm demeanor and said leisurely, "I just want to know one thing. If you tell me, you can leave immediately."
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