Chapter 353 - 344: The Seal and the Egg, the Tiansi Demon Horse

Chapter 353: Chapter 344: The Seal and the Egg, the Tiansi Demon Horse

This Earth Palace was astonishingly vast, exceeding Fu Juemin’s expectations again and again.

He passed four Arrays and ventured deeper. Ahead, it slowly began to brighten—something was glowing.

Fu Juemin didn’t have to walk for long. Not too far from the four Arrays, he located the source of the light.

Fu Juemin had imagined many possible forms for this fifth Supreme Marquis Great Demon.

He had considered that the Nine Banners might truly be worshiping a "Dragon," corresponding to the Dragon Level above the Flood Dragon Level!

Or perhaps an incredibly ancient and powerful Demon Fiend, slumbering at the bottom of the Earth Palace, which the Nine Banners were trying to awaken with their offerings...

But what he saw was... an egg!

An egg with a texture like lustrous white jade, which he estimated to be only the size of a washbasin.

The egg was not the source of the light. The true source was a "Seal" suspended motionlessly in the air above it.

A Jade Seal over a foot square was quite large; it would probably take both hands clasped together to hold it.

The Seal was a deep, dark cyan color. Atop it was carved a lifelike, coiling Chi Dragon—its body was wound around the seal three times, its head reared proudly above the top, its mouth slightly agape as if holding a pearl. Its scales were individually discernible, and its five-toed claws gripped the four corners of the Jade Seal firmly.

The four sides of the Jade Seal were carved with images of "the sun and moon sharing the sky, mountains bowing their heads; the masses paying homage, a hundred beasts offering congratulations; the Chi Dragon emerging from the water, clouds and mist rising..." From Fu Juemin’s vantage point, looking up, he could clearly see an inscription carved in relief on its base in seal-script—

"Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may my reign be long and prosperous."

Fu Juemin stared at the glowing Jade Seal, his eyes glinting, and slowly uttered four words: "Heirloom Seal of the Realm."

He suddenly recalled what Helu had mentioned about the twelve Heirloom Magical Artifacts.

’Could the Heirloom Magical Artifact in the hands of the Golden Rice King Banner be this Heirloom Seal of the Realm?’

Standing beneath the Seal, he looked back and spread his Perception.

In the unseen world, he seemed to sense an indescribable, formless Momentum slowly gathering from all directions, trickling into the Heirloom Seal of the Realm above him.

’Is this the so-called... National Fortune, the Dragon Vein Qi?’

In that instant, Fu Juemin suddenly understood many things.

The Demon Capital Nine Banners worshiped Demon Fiends and captured people to feed them, but their true goal was to use the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, one of the twelve Heirloom Magical Artifacts, to reconsolidate the National Fortune!

The Wuchen Grand Sacrifice, held once every five years, was all for the sake of concentrating the National Fortune.

And the Demon Fiends, in this process, served as a kind of "converter."

Of course, they were also using the vital blood offered up by the layers of Demon Officials below to feed the egg beneath the Heirloom Seal of the Realm!

Fu Juemin’s gaze returned to the egg.

’Two Second Grade and two First Grade Great Demons are all just being used as its nourishment.’

Without a doubt, the Super Grade Supreme Marquis Great Demon that the Golden Rice King Banner was rumored to be worshiping had to be this egg before him.

’It’s classified as Super Grade even before it has fully hatched, placing it above the Blood Bat and the Ghost Flood Dragon... What is the origin of this egg?’

Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered. After a moment of consideration, he finally activated [Yao Ling] to try and listen for any sound inside the egg.

Invisible tendrils of Perception spread out, slowly approaching the egg in mid-air.

Fu Juemin heard a faint heartbeat and his expression shifted. But before his Perception could touch the surface of the eggshell, suddenly—

WHOOSH!

A blinding, scorching ball of gold exploded in the depths of his Consciousness!

Fu Juemin’s eyes snapped open, his expression changing drastically. With barely a moment’s hesitation, he turned and flew back.

An intangible, formless "wind" swept past the spot where he had just been standing. Large swathes of the air became severely blurred and distorted, as if a sheet of glass had been forcibly melted.

This was the first time Fu Juemin had felt his scalp tingle and his blood run cold while in his [Flame Monarch] state with his dominant mentality at its peak.

He clearly perceived that his surrounding Fire Prison had been "shaved" off by a large chunk when it grazed against that formless wind!

It happened without any warning, as if it had been melted and evaporated.

’Even the Flame Force of the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede can’t block this "heat." What is this? Is it...’

As Fu Juemin retreated, he looked back at the egg, which was now in turmoil. He could no longer make out its shape at all. It was emitting a near-endless, blinding white light that illuminated the entire Earth Palace.

In the very center of that blinding light, Fu Juemin thought he saw a brilliant, pure golden shadow flash beneath the eggshell.

Fu Juemin stood stunned, lost in a moment of shock and bewilderment.

’..A sun?’

It was truly as if a sun had risen in the depths of this Earth Palace.

Although it only lasted for a brief moment, the blinding white light began to recede rapidly.

But the chain reaction it caused made the four Great Demons within the Arrays begin to stir restlessly.

VMMMM—

The Kuiniu worshiped by the Red Banner Tuling Clan let out a massive roar like muffled thunder. The entire Earth Palace seemed to shake, and rubble rustled down from the ceiling.

Then came the cry of the Purple Banner Demon Deer, followed by the indistinct roars of the Blood Bat and the Ghost Flood Dragon!

The numerous Rune Crystal Pillars that formed the four Arrays flickered rapidly, like the neon lights of Shenghai at night.

Fu Juemin covered his ears, gritted his teeth, and sped past the four Arrays, flying toward the exit.

After he rushed out from the depths of the Arrays, he realized the hornet’s nest he had "accidentally" stirred up was far from settled.

BOOM!

Fu Juemin watched with his own eyes as a stone pillar supporting the Earth Palace suddenly cracked, then shattered and collapsed with a series of CRACKS.

The vast Earth Palace shook and trembled. Even the Magic Channels that made up the Arrays began to crack. The red light of the Arrays faded, and some Demon Officials seemed about to run out of the side altar stone chambers, making restless noises.

Watching the scene of impending chaos unfold, Fu Juemin’s heart paradoxically grew calm.

The Nine Banners wanted to reconsolidate the National Fortune and restore the previous dynasty... In their fucking dreams!

’Anyway, the Profound Banner also wants this Grand Sacrifice to fail...’

Fu Juemin scanned his surroundings, his dark-golden eyes flickering rapidly as a bold idea rose in his mind.

’Should I... just bring this whole Earth Palace down?!’

The Earth Palace was mainly supported by several hundred stone pillars. If he broke a few more, he might be able to bury all the Demon Officials worshiped by the Nine Banners alive!

He might even be able to absorb a few Demon Souls in the process.

Once the thought took root, Fu Juemin could barely contain himself.

His gaze roamed over the pillars one by one as he considered the overall structure of the Earth Palace, planning the best place to strike.

Just then, the sound of heavy, slow hoofbeats came from behind him.

CLOP, CLOP, CLOP...

Fu Juemin turned around slowly, the reflection of a Demon’s shadow appearing in his dark-golden eyes.

It was an enormous Demon Horse!

Fu Juemin had seen the organ-filled Demon Horses raised by the various families of the Lower Five Banners, but this Demon Horse was several times larger. Its shoulder height alone was nearly four meters.

Dust that looked like burning rust drifted around its body. It was covered in black scales, and between the cracks of the scales, patterns of light like molten iron flowed and pulsed with its breath.

The Demon Horse’s eyes were as fiery red as burning coals, and its mouth was filled with sharp teeth over a foot long, like countless inverted daggers.

It seemed to be chewing something, and blood dripped continuously from its lips, landing on the ground with a SPLAT, SPLAT...

’The Senior Third Grade Celestial Horse Demon Official from the Zhe Banner Mo Family?’

Fu Juemin looked at the Demon Horse before him, sensing the bloodthirsty, savage, and belligerent aura emanating from it. He was momentarily stunned, but then, instead of alarm, he felt a surge of delight.

’I was wondering why the count was off by one.

So... you were hiding here.’

The two Demon Officials from the Lower Five Banners that Fu Juemin had scared away earlier had probably been secretly eaten by this Demon Horse. That must be what it was chewing on now.

The Earth Palace trembled, pillars collapsed, the ceiling cracked, and large chunks of rock rained down from all around. The rising and falling howls of Demon Fiends filled the air...

The chaotic atmosphere seemed to make the Demon Horse even more agitated. It stared intently at Fu Juemin, continuously pawing at the ground with its vicious hooves, gouging deep furrows in the earth.

Fu Juemin and the Demon Horse stood facing each other.

In an instant, the Demon Horse let out a low roar. The ground beneath it exploded as it suddenly charged forward.

Reflected in Fu Juemin’s eyes was the abruptly expanding, rust-colored shockwave of dust and a rapidly enlarging afterimage.

A slow smile spread across his demonic, handsome face.

The four Fire Centipede Steps behind his back folded elegantly. A red Star Map appeared on his chest—one star, two stars, three stars.

Three points of light lit up in sequence, and a brilliant Red Star rose slowly behind Fu Juemin...

"[Celestial Star. Wei Su San]!"

BOOM!!

In the center of the Earth Palace, a blinding flash of fire erupted, the flames condensing into a small mushroom cloud that rose rapidly...

...

BOOM—!

At the Celestial Altar, the sacrificial ceremony, which was halfway through, was suddenly interrupted by a series of explosions echoing from the distance.

Immediately after, a muffled, tremendous noise came from below, and the ground shook slightly.