On the fourth day, at noon, thirty thousand kilometers east of Malevolent Path Hall’s headquarters, the fog-shrouded Dead Silence Swamp suddenly shook.
Boom! Muck erupted skyward, unveiling a palace complex so vast it blotted out the sun—jet-black roofs hung with pallid skulls, walls crawling with twisted runes that exuded arctic dread. From its heart, nine columns of ink-dark demonic aura coiled upward, knitting into nine snarling demon heads that roared in silence at the scarred sky. Every cultivator across level twelve felt that monstrous pulse shiver through their souls.
“I-Isn’t that Ninefold Nether Demonic Aura?” In Myriad Beast Valley, Blaine sprang from his throne; the three heads of his Flame Lion growled in unison. “Could it be…” he breathed, his words smothered by the beast’s rumble.
On the Sword Duel Platform of Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Oswald’s iron blade quivered in his grasp. He stared east, sword light blazing in his eyes. “It‘s the Ninefold Nether Palace… Those fiends are still alive?”
Inside the Five-Element Grand Hall, Aurelian’s face leached of color. “Ninefold Nether Palace… That demon sect vanished without a trace ten millennia ago… Have they finally broken seclusion?”
For every old cultivator who remembered the name, a tidal wave of dread rose unchecked. Once, the Ninefold Nether Palace reigned as the unchallenged sovereign of demon-kind throughout level twelve. Its leader, Morven Bloodshade, also known as Netherlord Bloodshade, had stood at Top Level High Immortal Realm Level Three. Three Ghost Kings served beneath him, each at High Immortal Realm Level One, and even his Nine Grand Nether Envoys were all Top Level Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Nine.
There were three thousand disciples in the palace, and even the lowest-ranked among them had reached Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Five.
Ten thousand years ago, the sect sealed its gates and vanished. Unthinkable as it seemed, the dread silhouette of the Ninefold Nether Palace rose again in that very moment. Its chain of obsidian halls, each vast as a fortress, shuddered, tore itself loose from ancient bedrock, and drifted upward on a tide of black mist. Then, like a leviathan changing course, the entire floating citadel pivoted and began to glide toward the distant headquarters of Malevolent Path Hall.
“D-Do they mean to swear allegiance to Malevolent Path Hall?!” someone shouted.
“That old devil Morven Bloodshade is said to have less than a hundred years of life left… In that case, Malevolent Path Hall’s offer of eternal life must look like the one straw left for him to grasp.”
“If even the Ninefold Nether Palace bows, who in level twelve can still oppose Malevolent Path Hall?”
Panic raced through the realm like a wildfire. Every faction that had been content to wait and watch suddenly found its seat too hot to remain.
“Hurry! Gather every costly tribute we possess and set out for Malevolent Path Hall at once!”
“The Ninefold Nether Palace has already surrendered, so what are we still waiting for? Do you want to stay here and die?”
Soon, streaks of colored light slashed across the skies, all converging on the Wailing Soul Plains. Among them flew recluses who had hidden for thousands of years, smashing their own sealed sanctums for a single chance at unending life.
Around the outer perimeter of the Wailing Soul Plains, early defectors to Malevolent Path Hall shook with excitement. “It’s the Ninefold Nether Palace! Look, even they have arrived! We pledged our allegiance first—that makes us elders in the new order!”
Deep within the very heart of the floating palace complex, Morven Bloodshade sat unmoving upon a throne carved from bleached bone. He wore flowing robes the color of midnight, and his skin had shriveled to the parchment hue of a desiccated corpse. Viscous demonic aura coiled around him. Each breath he drew warped the surrounding air as though reality objected to his existence.
A pallid young man in a plain black robe stepped forward and bowed low. “Great Elder Bloodshade, Malevolent Path Hall lies just ahead. Mr. Vayne himself waits outside to receive us.”
Morven’s eyelids lifted. A flicker of scorn rippled through the abyssal darkness of his gaze. “Immortality? Resurrection? Hmph! Pretty lies to snare fools. Yet the Door of Reincarnation does hold a trace of the Laws of Reincarnation. If I can get it, I might shatter my fetters and steal myself another thousand years.”
He rose. “Come. Let us meet this Malcolm Vayne, and pray he knows his place.”
Thunder cracked as the colossal palace descended through swirling indigo clouds. Malcolm strode forward across the bone-white dust. At the palace gate, Morven emerged, robes of deep crimson dragging like spilled ink. Under the weight of countless eyes, the two men halted an arm’s length apart and smiled.
Malcolm’s smile was thin and glacial; Morven’s blazed with feverish greed.
“Even the Ninefold Nether Palace has come. We made the right decision! Malevolent Path Hall will rule all of level twelve!”
Frenzied shouts slammed together, rising in waves until the very air trembled with fanatic faith.
****
Back at Five-Element Range, Jared stood on the tiled crown of the Five-Element Grand Hall. The scarlet dawn painted his silhouette as he stared east, where a pillar of inky demonic aura clawed into the heavens. The Dragonslayer Sword quivered in his grip, hungry for blood.
Behind him, the top echelons of the Anti-Demon Alliance—Aurelian, Blaine, Oswald, Vermilion Demon Lord, Gerald, and Winslow—gathered, each wearing a solemn expression.
“Ninefold Nether Palace… Morven Bloodshade…” Blaine muttered. “Ten millennia ago, that fiend could duel a High Immortal Realm Level Four. His lifespan may be running out, but who knows how strong he is now?”
“With the palace’s full strength pledged, Malcolm Vayne now commands at least six High Immortal Realm cultivators. And us? We only have three,” Aurelian said dejectedly.
Jared offered no reply. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the five-colored sigil on his hand seep inward. Deep in his core, the Origin Star revolved. When he opened his eyes again, terror had no place there—only a fathomless calm.
Originally, the Anti-Demon Alliance was already facing a tough fight against Malevolent Path Hall, which had Malcolm and the Soul-Devouring Puppet, both at Top Level High Immortal Realm. Now, four more High Immortals from Ninefold Nether Palace had appeared, led by a powerful being like Morven.
In a single stroke, the balance had toppled. A while later, the bronze doors to the Five-Element Sect suddenly burst open. A beastmaster from Myriad Beast Valley staggered in, armor dented, one arm clamped around a bleeding Thunderwing Golden Eagle.
“Sir! Urgent message from Mr. Leedon!” he said as he thrust forward a cracked beast fang token. “According to Mr. Leedon, seventeen mid-sized sects have defected to Malevolent Path Hall. Six of their patriarchs are Top Level Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Nine, whose lifespans are nearly spent. They… they all believed the lie that the Door of Reincarnation would save them!”
