In that instant, every inch of Ning Jiang’s skin instinctively tightened.

"Leave, now!"

With a great wave of his sleeve, several bolts of Thunderbolt shot out like whips, wrapping around Tang Lin, Zi Yunfei, and their companion. SWOOSH! He pulled them rapidly away from the area, covering thousands of feet in the blink of an eye.

"Huh? Why did he leave?" Yuwen Chi wondered, surprised. "Was he just bluffing before? Can he no longer throw a punch like that?"

BOOM!

But just moments after Ning Jiang left, the entire space suddenly trembled.

Then, everyone felt a vast, peerless power descend upon the area. Suddenly, it was as if they had been plunged into a quagmire, each step an immense struggle.

"This is..." The eyes of the young titans widened in disbelief. "Domain Power!"

...

"Ninth Elder, what’s wrong?"

After bursting out of the Underworld, Tang Lin and the other two stared at Ning Jiang in confusion, not understanding why he looked so horrified.

"What a shame. We should have killed Yuwen Chi back there."

They were still lamenting the missed opportunity.

"If we hadn’t left, you would have all died in there," Ning Jiang said, his voice grave.

"What do you mean?"

The three of them froze. The next moment, they felt a vast power surging out from the great cavern leading to the Underworld, radiating in all directions.

The power was immense. Even though they were already far from the Underworld, they still felt a tremendous pressure that nearly suffocated them, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

"This is Domain Power! It’s an Earth Martial Realm expert!" Tang Lin and the others felt their hearts pound, their faces turning pale.

As far as they knew, the only Earth Martial Realm expert in Qing Province was the Old Sect Leader of the Star Sword Sect.

"You three must leave this troubled place at once. I have to go back down."

"What? Ninth Elder, it’s too dangerous! We should all leave now," the three said hastily.

Compared to an Earth Martial Realm expert, Spirit Realm cultivators like them were as weak as ants. Even a master at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm would face certain death against someone in the Earth Martial Realm.

Ning Jiang was strong, but if he went back down, there was no guarantee he would come out alive.

"Enough. My mind is made up," Ning Jiang said forcefully. "If you stay, you’ll only be a burden and tie my hands."

"Well..." After a moment of internal struggle, the three decided to obey him. "Ninth Elder, we’ll wait for you outside the Death Mountain Range."

Ning Jiang was an Elder, and they had to listen to an Elder’s words. Besides, he was right. With their level of strength, they would only hold him back.

Ning Jiang was a mysterious person. If he dared to go back down, he must have some way of handling the situation.

"Alright," Ning Jiang nodded.

Not long after the three had left, the White Ape and the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion finally arrived, their speed far inferior to Ning Jiang’s.

"Oh no, oh no. It seems something terrible has really happened in that Demon Cave. Could it be that the Demon King is not truly dead and is about to be resurrected?"

The White Ape’s voice trembled, its eyes filled with terror. The aura emanating from the Underworld was as vast as an ocean, terrifying beyond measure.

"If you’re afraid, you can stay up here," Ning Jiang said.

"No! We’ve already come this far, what’s there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is death," the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion growled.

"In that case, let’s go down."

"Wait, I have something for you. The old Daoist left this behind. It might be useful." The White Ape took out a scroll painting and handed it to Ning Jiang.

"Oh?"

Ning Jiang unrolled it for a look, and a piercing light immediately flared in his eyes. "With this, I’m confident!"

...

"An Earth Martial Realm expert! Why is there an Earth Martial Realm expert here?"

In the Underworld, the eyes of every Martial Artist went wide. Even the young titans looked terrified.

"We have to get out of here."

The young titans used all their strength, but even with their utmost effort, they could only move at a snail’s pace, as slow as a turtle.

Before the Domain of an Earth Martial Realm expert, their power was simply too insignificant.

’Are we going to die here today?’

A sense of despair grew in everyone’s hearts. What great fortune? This was clearly a deathtrap.

"Stop struggling. It’s just a waste of effort. Today, death is your only way out."

From the darkness, a figure slowly walked out.

It was a young man. The moment the girl from before saw him, her eyes widened. "Senior Brother."

She had been lucky enough to survive the chaos caused by the Blood Bell Flower. Now, having regained her senses, she stared in shock at the young man.

That was her Senior Brother, but he had changed so much. His eyes had turned completely crimson, glowing with a red light, and his skin had become bright red, as red as fresh blood.

She understood that this was no longer her Senior Brother. Standing there was merely a body that had been possessed.

"Who are you? As an Earth Martial Realm expert, don’t you feel it’s beneath your status to attack us juniors? I implore you, for the sake of the Earth Martial Realm expert of my Star Sword Sect, please let us go."

One of the Twin Sword Sons shouted, playing the card of his sect’s Earth Martial Realm expert.

"Let you go? I told you, death is your only way out."

The cold, emotionless voice echoed in the void. His crimson eyes held only the purest bloodlust, devoid of any other feeling.

"Killing us won’t be that easy."

The Twin Sword Sons would not simply sit and await their deaths. The older brother took out a golden pearl and crushed it in his hand.

CRACK.

A brilliant light filled the space, and from it, a figure slowly materialized, accompanied by a rather powerful aura.

It was an old man dressed in a Golden Threaded Jade Robe, a longsword at his waist, his presence formidable.

"It’s the Earth Martial Realm expert from the Star Sword Sect!"

"We’re saved!"

"That’s right! Even if it’s just a phantom projection and not his real body, he’s still an Earth Martial Realm expert. This person should show him some respect."

The others all looked at the old man as if he were their last hope.

The item the Twin Sword Son had just crushed was called a Primordial Spirit Pearl. An Earth Martial Realm expert could store a wisp of their Primordial Spirit inside it, which could then be summoned to fend off disaster when in danger.

"May I ask who you are, and why you are making things difficult for the disciples of my Star Sword Sect?" the old man asked, his brow furrowed.

"Hmph."

The young man snorted coldly, completely unconcerned with this Primordial Spirit, and swiped a hand through the air.

A tremendous pressure immediately bore down on the old man’s Primordial Spirit. His spiritual form distorted as he felt an invisible grindstone closing in around him, threatening to crush him to dust.

He was just a projection of Primordial Spirit Power, while his opponent was here in the flesh. How could he possibly compete?

"If you kill the disciples of my Star Sword Sect, I swear I will make you pay with your life!" the old man roared.

"A mere Earth Martial Realm cultivator is nothing but an ant before me, this king. Forget a tiny wisp of a Primordial Spirit—even if your true body were here, I could still slay you. Since you dare to threaten me and speak so insolently, after I kill everyone here, I’ll pay a visit to your Star Sword Sect and annihilate you all."

The young man’s words struck terror into everyone’s hearts.

He was actually going to attack the Star Sword Sect and wipe them out? What kind of insane arrogance was this?

"Just what in the world are you!"

"What am I? Fine. I’ll let you lowly members of the Human Race die with the truth. This king hails from the Demon Realm. I am of the Demon Race!"

"What?"

Upon hearing the two words "Demon Race," the pupils of every Martial Artist contracted violently.

The Demon Race—a race that constantly sought to invade the Great Thousand Realms, instigating one massacre after another.

Although for most Martial Artists here, such events were a distant affair, all records concerning the Demon Race in the annals of history were written in blood.

In those tragic eras, countless powerful experts had fallen.

"Die!"

The young man’s palm clenched shut, and the old man’s Primordial Spirit instantly shattered, vanishing completely.

"It’s over. We’re all going to die here."

The Martial Artists present felt a wave of despair. Even the young titans turned pale. They had such bright futures ahead of them—was it all to end here?

"You lowly humans should feel honored to become this king’s food, a part of my power. I’ve decided. After I kill you, I’ll refine you all into a Blood Soul Banner."

The young man grinned, a sight that sent a chill down everyone’s spines.

Was he going to imprison their very souls, damning them to an eternity without hope of reincarnation?

"Now, die together."

The young man hesitated no longer. He extended his palm and slowly closed his fist. The Domain Power began to contract, and everyone felt their bodies creak and groan, on the verge of being crushed.

Just as everyone had fallen into utter despair, a voice suddenly rang out:

"A Blood Demon. In the Demon Realm, you’re merely one of the Lower-class Demon Clans, yet you dare call the Human Race lowly?"

"Hm? Who’s there?"

The young man’s eyes shot up, looking in the direction of the voice.

A figure wearing a black-and-white mask strode through the void. His hair was as black as ink, flowing all the way down to his heels.

"Meng Daoyi!"

Yuwen Chi immediately recognized the newcomer. This was the culprit who had attacked their Fire Cloud Sect and caused them to suffer such grievous losses.

"Who are you? How could you possibly see through my identity?" the young man asked, astonished.

"I could smell the nauseating stench of blood on you from a great distance. Was it so difficult to guess your identity?" Ning Jiang’s voice said calmly from behind the mask.

As a Legendary Venerable from a hundred thousand years ago, he was worldly and knowledgeable; of course he could discern the other’s origins.

Blood Demons, as their name implied, were a type of demon that fed on blood, strengthening themselves by devouring it.

However, in the Demon Realm, this type of demon was considered a Lower-class Demon Clan. The power gained from absorbing blood was chaotic and impure. Furthermore, these demons were violent and bloodthirsty, often losing their minds.

Across the entire Demon Realm, there were numerous demon clans. High-level ones like the Celestial Demon Race, the Dragon Demon Clan, and the Giant Demon Race were in a completely different league than the Blood Demon Race.

Throughout history, whenever the Demon Race waged war, Blood Demons were merely cannon fodder, sent to charge the front lines under the command of the High-level Demon Races.

Therefore, Ning Jiang’s taunt about him being from a Lower-class Demon Clan was not wrong in the slightest.

But this Blood Demon clearly didn’t see it that way. Killing intent erupted in his eyes. "You dare insult this king? I will not only drain you of your blood, but I will also refine your soul into my Blood Soul Banner and torture you day and night, making you wish for death!"