A simple three-word phrase.
Yet it caused the Demon Emperor's composure to crumble.
"You..."
Slap—
Another heavy backhand slap.
Solid and unerring.
This time, the Golden Body manifestation didn't even bother to speak.
She simply looked at him quietly, her eyes carrying a hint of obvious confusion.
"You... you... you fucking bully Demons too much!!!"
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor had completely snapped.
Golden light surged around him as countless razor-sharp blades of Gengjin Qi transformed into a torrent, sweeping toward the Golden Body in black robes to shred it apart.
However.
The Golden Body manifestation neither dodged nor avoided it.
She simply took a single, simple step forward.
Boom—!!!
Her figure instantly vanished from the spot.
In the next moment.
She was already above the White Tiger Primordial Spirit's head.
She stomped down.
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor felt an irresistible, colossal force descend upon the crown of his head.
That massive Primordial Spirit body was actually stomped right out of the Nine Heavens by this single kick, sent plummeting downward.
Before he could even steady himself.
The figure in black robes followed like a shadow, already closing in on his side.
One punch.
Two punches.
Three punches.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dull sounds of impact continued without end.
In the face of those seemingly slender fists, the Primordial Spirit body was like a candle flickering in the wind.
Golden light sprayed everywhere as his Origin Qi dissipated.
He wanted to resist, but the opponent's strength was far beyond his own.
He wanted to flee, but no matter how far he escaped, that figure would always instantly appear before him, and then... Slap—
"Aaaaaaagh—!!!"
Shrill, agonizing howls echoed through the clouds.
The dignified Demon Emperor of the Spirit Mountain's Fourth Grotto was currently being beaten into a pathetic, scurrying mess.
In the distance.
Above the city of Chang'an.
Whether it was the Imperial Ancestor, White Jade Tower, or even Thirteen Wu, who claimed to be invincible among those Ascending the Tower.
At this moment, all of them had their mouths agape, staring blankly at the distant, tragically one-sided beating.
"..."
Wang Ziyu's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
He watched the White Tiger Primordial Spirit wailing and tumbling in mid-air, golden light leaking out as it was pummeled, and then looked at the tireless figure in black robes delivering slap after slap.
He couldn't help but... feel a hint of sympathy.
Everything was fine.
Why did you have to provoke her... Deep within the Spirit Mountain, there was a cave.
It was named Wuguang.
Inside the cave, there was no wind and no sound of water, only a deathly silence.
The stone walls were coarse, covered in marks where some immense force had gouged them directly from the ley lines, with the breaks still bearing signs of scorching.
Frigid air seeping from deep underground condensed into frost in the rock crevices, never melting over the years, carrying a stale scent of decay and time.
In the center of the cave floor, a bluestone circular platform stood majestically.
Upon the platform, a dark shadow loomed like a mountain.
Five heavy black iron chains, as thick as bowls, extended from the four corners of the ceiling and deep within the ground, tightly shackling the shadow's limbs and throat.
Whenever the shadow shifted slightly, the Restriction runes on the iron chains would suddenly flare up, emitting a piercing searing sound.
Low rumbles of thunder echoed through the narrow cave, lingering for a long time.
The massive body sat in the middle of the platform.
The skin was deeply wrinkled, grey and hard, like the bark of an ancient tree.
Two broken tusks were uneven, their fractured ends covered in fine cracks, conveying a sense of tragic violence.
The giant elephant hung its head, its long trunk curled in front of its chest, its breathing so faint it was almost non-existent.
It had been sitting here for a very long time.
So long that even the iron chains on its body had rusted, and so long that several mortal Dynasties in the outside world had risen and fallen.
At that moment.
A faint vibration came from above the cave.
The white elephant's ears twitched slightly.
Yet it still did not open its eyes.
"Your Spirit Mountain seems to be coming to an end."
A calm voice rang out behind the white elephant without warning.
The newcomer wore a moon-white robe and straw sandals, standing with hands behind his back.
He stood in the shadows where the iron chains converged, without the slightest ripple of Spiritual Qi around him, as if he were one with the darkness.
The white elephant remained silent for a long time.
Finally, it slowly spoke: "Actually, you got two things wrong in that one sentence."
The newcomer arched an eyebrow: "Oh? Which two things?"
The white elephant still kept its head lowered, its breath huffing against the ground and stirring up clouds of dust.
"First, the Spirit Mountain was never my Spirit Mountain."
"Second, the Spirit Mountain will not disappear."
"As long as this world exists for a single moment, the Spirit Mountain... will always exist in this world."
The newcomer laughed in spite of himself.
He shook his head helplessly and walked slowly to the front of the white elephant, looking at the face covered in the marks of time.
"You are still so stubborn."
"If you had simply apologized to the True Lord earlier, why would you have been imprisoned here for all these years?"
The white elephant finally opened its eyes, its gaze calm and without much anger: "Apologize to a despicable villain who usurped power?"
The newcomer's expression changed slightly, and he whispered sharply: "Watch your words!"
"The True Lord now holds one of the five luminaries imperial thrones, his magic is heaven-reaching, and he has not treated you poorly. If you trace back your origins, his Master even showed you kindness by enlightening you... In life, one should know how to repay kindness. Although you are a Demon, you are not like those wild monsters of the mountains; you should understand this logic..."
Hearing this.
The corners of the white elephant's mouth curled up in a sneer: "Have you cultivated the Dao for so many years that you've cultivated your brain into mush?"
The man in white fell silent for a moment, but he did not get angry.
After a long while.
He finally let out a long sigh: "The winner becomes king and the loser a bandit; it has been thus since ancient times."
"Moyang True Lord has been dead for nearly ten thousand years. By clinging to this loyalty, what can you change other than suffering in this Wuguang Cave?"
"True Lord Xuan Yang does not ask for much. As long as you hand over the Star Palace True Map, he can not only grant you freedom but even allow you to join my Dao Lineage as a true disciple."
"...Dumbass."
Hearing this, the man in white frowned even deeper, seemingly helpless against this stubborn old fool.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the impatience in his heart, and flicked his sleeve, saying: "Do you still not understand the weight of being a 'true disciple'?"
"As long as you nod, you will truly enter the inner circle. From then on, you will no longer be a fur-clad, horned Demon, but a high and mighty immortal."
"Even for this physical shell of yours, Immortal Master Wang has a way to cleanse it for you, helping you shed your mortal coil and reshape yourself into a human form."
The man in white spoke persuasively, his tone full of temptation.
"With such a heavenly gift, what is there to hesitate about?"
The white elephant slowly raised its head.
In those cloudy old eyes, there was no wild joy as the man in white expected, nor was there the slightest hint of being moved.
There was only a very, very faint trace of mockery.
"Pfft~"
The man in white's face stiffened: "What do you mean by this?"
The white elephant laboriously shifted its body, lying on its side in a slightly more comfortable position, and grinned: "Do you know my origins?"
The man in white was slightly stunned and subconsciously replied: "The White Elephant Demon Emperor, gifted with extraordinary talent, is..."
"Extraordinary talent my ass."
The white elephant interrupted him unceremoniously: "Even the weakest Demon Emperor in the Spirit Mountain has a Bloodline superior to mine..."