Zi Shang fell beside Yun Jiugeâs feet with a thud. After that, he got up immediately and rushed towards that monster.
After that monster absorbed those Golden Core Cultivatorsâ Cultivation, it became extremely powerful and attacked them with different, unpredictable techniques.
Although Zi Shang was a skilled fighter, he would not be able to take the monster down in a short amount of time.
âLi Wei, can you hear me?â Yun Jiuge pounded the Golden Tree with all her might.
Both of Li Weiâs eyes were tightly shut. There was no reaction from him.
Yun Jiuge looked at the Demonic Aura Pool under her feet. She decided to undo the Holy Essence Seal to restore her Holy Power. After that, she would help Li Wei get out of his predicament.
Yun Jiuge broke the skin on her index finger with her teeth and used blood to draw a Rune on the Golden Tree.
She was the one who created this Rune. This Rune was the only way to undo the seal.
Her golden red Holy Blood seeped slowly into the Golden Tree. Li Weiâs eyes started to flutter. The entire Golden Tree shook. Then, the sound of something cracking came from within the Golden Tree.
The Golden Tree broke into pieces. The pieces flew up and joined together to form a heart-shaped Holy Essence.
As soon as the monster laid its eyes on this heart, it roared furiously. It wanted to rush towards the heart, but Zi Shang sent him flying with a tail swipe.
Yun Jiuge wanted to grab the Holy Essence, but someone else was faster than her. He snatched the heart and landed right beside her.
âLi Wei, what are you doing?â Yun Jiuge glared at the subordinate that she used to trust the most. However, she saw a pair of bottomless eyes on his handsome face.
The Demonic Aura Pool which was connected to the Golden Tree disappeared without a trace.
âMy beloved Goddess, even though Iâve served you for a very long time, Iâve never told you my name. Iâm Ao Ge,â said Li Wei as he bowed in an exaggerated manner.
âWho are you? When did you possess Li Weiâs body?â Yun Jiuge was absolutely certain that Ao Ge was not the same Li Wei that had attended to her in the past.
âPerhaps you may be more familiar with my other name, the Demonic Portal Key,â said Ao Ge. He straightened his back and curved his lips into a sinister smile.
âYouâre the Demonic Spirit manifestation of the Demonic Portal Key?â Yun Jiugeâs eyes widened.
Everything possessed a distinct spiritual essence. That ordinary Demonic Portal Keyâs spiritual essence became a Demonic Spirit and harmed Li Wei who was the custodian of the key.
âThatâs right. Your Holy Essence Seal is quite powerful. I went through great lengths before I could control him to do two things.â Ao Ge sighed dramatically and said, âOtherwise, Iâd have opened the portal a long time ago and welcomed my Master with open arms.â
âDid you induce Yue Lingâer to commit suicide?â Yun Jiuge asked while gritting her teeth. At that time, they were guessing who impersonated Li Wei and instigated Yue Lingâerâs suicide. It never occurred to them that it would be the Demonic Spirit from the Demonic Portal Key.
âThatâs correct. Although I tried to be very discreet about it, Li Wei noticed what I was doing so he sealed himself in this godforsaken place without any hesitation. However, he never would have thought that Iâd bring a few demonic beings with me in my Holy Soul. Those demonic beings really helped me a lot,â said Ao Ge as he smiled.
âWhat about Li Wei? Where is he?â Yun Jiuge stared into Ao Geâs black eyes.
âHe wouldnât be able to seal me here if he didnât give anything up in return.â Ao Geâs black eyes were emotionless.
âHeâs dead?â Yun Jiuge felt an inexplicable sadness.
âHeâs not. His Holy Soul is still sealed in here. Why donât we make a deal? You release my Main Body, and Iâll hand him over to you,â said Ao Ge while pointing at his chest. There was a faint red human-shaped glow that was emitting Li Weiâs aura.
Li Wei had used the Soul Power from his sacrifice to add another layer of seal on the Demonic Portal Key. Yun Jiuge was the only one who could break it.
âYouâve to return my Holy Essence first, or else I wouldnât have the power to undo the seal,â Yun Jiuge said calmly.
âI can give you your Holy Essence, but youâve to sign a pact with me first,â answered Ao Ge, who toyed with the golden Holy Essence in his hand.
âWhat pact do you want me to sign?â Yun Jiuge raised her brow. She knew that this Demonic Spirit would suggest something unreasonable.
âA Master and Servant Contract. Iâll be the master, and you be my servant,â Ao Ge said cockily.
âYour head must be up in the clouds. A mere Demonic Being like you is unworthy of doing so,â Yun Jiuge answered coldly. She charged her hand slowly with Holy Power, preparing to attack at any moment.
âIâd advise you not to be so rash. This Holy Essence is not as stable as you think.â Ao Ge squeezed the Holy Essence forcefully, as though he was planning to destroy it.
At this time, Zi Shang sent the monster which he was fighting flying towards Ao Ge with a powerful strike.
âFool!â Ao Ge kicked that monster back to Zi Shang in an annoyed manner.
Yun Jiuge took the chance to shoot a beam of golden Holy Light at Ao Ge.
Ao Ge tried to avoid the attack by moving left, but Zi Shang blocked his way. Zi Shang then sank his claws into Ao Geâs heart.
Ao Geâs right hand grew rapidly into a black monsterâs claw. He blocked Zi Shangâs claws with all his might.
This caused their Qi Waves to collide with each other. Zi Shang backed away from Ao Ge and returned to Yun Jiugeâs side.
Ao Ge stumbled backwards. He smiled at Zi Shang maliciously saying, âYouâre truly the strongest Demonic Emperor of this continent. Even if you lost all of your Cultivation and had to start anew, youâd still be so powerful. Are you not afraid that Iâll destroy the Holy Essence because of your provocation?â
After he spoke, he wanted to take the Holy Essence out to threaten Yun Jiuge. However, his hand was completely empty.
As Ao Ge was speaking, Yun Jiuge took the opportunity to use her Moon Spirit Silk Thread to steal the Holy Essence from him.
âDonât even think about taking our possessions from us,â Zi Shang said and swung his tail at Ao Ge.
Ao Ge disappeared before the tail could touch him.
After that, countless figures of Ao Ge appeared everywhere, filling the entire place. He smiled at Yun Jiuge and Zi Shang saying, âSo what if you have the Holy Seal now? Youâll still die here.â
After he spoke, the ground shook for quite some time and split open to reveal the Demonic Aura Pool. Bones of innumerable wild beasts and human-beast hybrids were submerged in the pool.
The pool contained viscous liquid of a strange color. It gave off a stench that was much worse than the Death Swamp.
âGo on and soak yourselves in this pool. Itâs the source of the Black Rain. Youâll definitely love it!â Ao Geâs cackling reverberated around the place.
âAo Ge polluted the Source Power of this Secret Realm, causing the Black Rain to fall here. If I didnât close the portal in time, he would have used the same method to destroy the Canglan Continent,â said Yun Jiuge. Right after those words, Nangong Yue, who had turned into a monster, fell into the Demonic Pool by accident. The pool liquid dissolved its body completely.
âWe need to get out of here,â said Zi Shang. He punched a hole in the wall and carried Yun Jiuge on his back before climbing the spiral staircase. The pool liquid rushed towards them threateningly. It was faster than their running speed.
Zi Shang reached the top of the spiral staircase in no time. However, they discovered that they would not be able to escape because the large door was gone.
âDraw up protective spells to keep me safe from harm. Iâll absorb the Holy Essence into my body,â Yun Jiuge instructed Zi Shang hurriedly before swallowing the Holy Essence.
The familiar energy that she was expecting did not appear. Nothing happened with the Holy Essence in Yun Jiugeâs stomach.
âYouâre not the only one who knows how to seal things,â Ao Geâs voice rang out in the Secret Realm. A pair of black eyes with an eerie glint emerged from the black pool liquid and edged towards Yun Jiuge.