Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

A moment later...

A memory about the old man from Langya caught his attention.

"Sure enough!"

Sha Minghong's eyes narrowed, his killing intent hidden.

"This traitorous brat has actually gained partial access to the array left behind by the old man of Langya."

Relying on this, they colluded with the Human Race's Island-Moving Venerable, attempting to scheme against me in order to advance their Law Realm further... What a clever scheme indeed.

Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.

The human child was devoured instead, ultimately allowing the Nightmare Clan cultivator to reap the benefits.

"What surprised me even more was..."

The Nightmare Clan cultivator somehow inherited the legacy of the old man Langya and also gained partial access to the array formations.

Judging from his memories, the inheritance he received was more comprehensive than that of this traitorous brat.

Thinking of this,

Sha Minghong frowned slightly, quickly analyzing the situation in his mind.

"In that case, it will probably not be an easy task for me to reclaim the stolen insights into the laws."

"The Nightmare Clan possesses uncanny abilities and excels at hiding and preserving their lives!"

Even if I were to launch a sneak attack, the opponent would most likely escape using their racial innate abilities.

Once they escape, we can then use that portion of the array's authority...

"Even if I recover to the Void Refinement Realm at that time, I'm afraid I'll still find it difficult to gain any advantage in this Forbidden Sea."

There is even a risk of being retaliated against and suppressed.

"Unless I can return to my peak condition and crush everything with absolute strength."

Even so, facing this grand formation painstakingly laid out by the old man of Langya, even though it has developed many flaws due to the erosion of time, if it were to unleash its full power…

Sha Minghong slowly shook his head, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"It seems that the only way to completely eliminate future troubles is to first find a way to erode and replace the traitorous child's portion of the array's authority, and then proceed gradually."
"Find an opportunity to annihilate that Nightmare Clan cultivator in one fell swoop."

Sha Minghong harbored an intense desire to completely control this ancient formation, or to destroy it entirely.

But he knew all too well how difficult this matter was, and that it was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

From memory:

That traitorous child and the Nightmare Clan cultivator had sworn a great oath to each other, promising not to infringe upon the other's array permissions.

Although Shark Minghong was not required to abide by this oath, he absolutely did not believe that the Nightmare Clan cultivator, whose cunning was as deep as a lotus root, would have left no warning or backup plan.

Once you start encroaching on its privileges...

I'm afraid the other side will notice something in the next moment, and we'll alert them.

"Therefore, this matter needs to be considered carefully..."

Sha Minghong suppressed his eagerness and reviewed the remaining memories of the High Priest one by one. After confirming that nothing was missing, he slowly withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness.

At the same time, the body that was sitting cross-legged in mid-air moved slightly, and the tightly closed eyes slowly opened.

In an instant!
A beam of light shot out like lightning, tearing a tiny mark in the void.

A moment later, the terrifying glint vanished, and his gaze returned to its deep, still depths.
It was as if nothing in the world could stir any emotion in him anymore.

however,
When his gaze inadvertently swept over the "Hellish Annihilation Millstone" floating beside him...
The once calm and undisturbed state of mind was finally stirred by a slight ripple.

On that once simple and unadorned millstone, thousands of phantom images of demons were now roaring madly.
Each phantom was solidifying, emanating a terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine.

An aura of destruction, powerful enough to overwhelm heaven and earth, is slowly awakening from the depths of the millstone, rising steadily.

Even with Shark Minghong's composure, seeing this scene...

A barely suppressed look of surprise welled up in the depths of his eyes.

Immediately afterwards!

A burst of hearty laughter suddenly echoed throughout the space.

"Hahaha...Good! Good! Good!"

"My years of painstaking planning and countless efforts have finally paid off; this treasure has been completely restored!"

Sha Minghong stared intently at the increasingly powerful Purgatory World-Destroying Millstone, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"Judging by its power, it might even have a chance to be promoted to a high-grade spiritual treasure in one fell swoop!"

"Once I return to the Upper Realm and wield this treasure, I will be absolutely certain that I can completely annihilate that old man Langya and avenge my humiliation!"

however,
Just as he was filled with excitement and envisioning the future—

The previously escalating fluctuations, seemingly an endless infernal mill of destruction, suddenly came to a halt.

next moment,
All the divine light receded, and the myriad phantom images of demons vanished instantly, as if they had never existed.

The terrifying fluctuations that had once dominated the heavens and earth vanished without a trace.

The entire millstone just floated there quietly, simple and unadorned.

The sudden turn of events brought Shark Minghong's laughter to an abrupt halt.

Like ice suddenly frozen, it instantly stiffened and solidified, devoid of any warmth.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he subconsciously glanced downwards...

His gaze pierced through layers of void barriers, landing on the vast, boundless, and ancient Purgatory Continent.

now.

The entire Purgatory Continent was deathly silent.

There wasn't a single sound of conversation among the cultivators.

Without the buzzing sound of colliding magical artifacts,
There was no restlessness or agitation.

Even the slightest breeze rustling through the building had vanished; the silence was eerily profound.
It was as if an invisible hand had extinguished all life in the world.

There was no longer any sign of life.

The continent, once home to hundreds of millions of people, countless powerful members of the Purgatory Clan, and brimming with bloodlust, is now as empty as a void, a mere illusion.
Like those powerful Nascent Soul cultivators who roamed freely across the land, those roaring warriors of Purgatory, those tribes with flourishing incense offerings...
It was all just a fleeting illusion.

Now, only on the mainland, countless majestic and ancient buildings still stand.

A temple built of blood-red boulders, an altar engraved with demonic patterns, towering battle towers reaching into the clouds, and a sprawling complex of palaces...

Having withstood the test of time and the ravages of war, it stands silently between heaven and earth, its cold stone body a testament to the fact that its former glory was no illusion.

Now, only a desolate ruin remains.

Damn it!

Sha Minghong's face turned ashen, and he gave a cold shout.
His voice, filled with uncontrollable rage and regret, shook the surrounding void slightly.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have been more patient back then!"

If enough offerings can be gathered, perhaps this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity can allow the natal spirit treasure to break through its limitations and advance to a true superior-grade spirit treasure!

Upon thinking of this,
The raging anger in Sha Minghong's heart almost consumed his reason, and his hatred for the high priest of the Purgatory Clan grew wildly like a poisonous vine, deeply ingrained in his bones.

"If it weren't for this traitorous brat's wolfish ambition and deliberate scheming,..."

This prompted the human and demon races to join forces, causing the once-prosperous foundation of the Purgatory Clan to vanish into nothingness.

otherwise.

"By sacrificing the resources of the Infernal Clan of yesteryear, my natal spiritual treasure will surely break through to the realm of a high-grade spiritual treasure!"

It's important to understand that this happened before the humans and demons joined forces to annihilate the Purgatory Clan...

Within the Purgatory Clan, the Divine Envoy lineage and the Priest lineage stand as two powerful factions.
There are more than a dozen top-tier cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage alone.

Its profound cultural heritage is enough to make it stand out among all races in the world.

But after that forbidden war in the Forbidden Sea...

Almost all the Nascent Soul stage cultivators from both the human and demon races who participated in the war were wiped out.

The once-powerful Purgatory Clan was utterly shattered.
Of the vast tribe, only the high priest who betrayed the tribe survived in the end.

How could Shark Minghong not hate such an ending?
That high priest almost single-handedly shattered his grand scheme, which he had been planning for countless ages, leaving it in ruins and ruining his supreme opportunity to advance to a high-grade spiritual treasure.

Sha Minghong grew increasingly enraged as he thought about it, his blood surging so violently that it almost transformed into a tangible wave of blood that swept across the heavens and earth.

After a long while.

Only with the composure of an ancient giant could he forcefully suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart, and the crimson in his eyes slowly faded a bit.

"Fine!"

Sha Minghong took a deep breath, his voice cold and resolute.
"Since all the cultivators of the Purgatory Clan have been wiped out and there are not enough sacrifices, then we will use the billions of living beings in this world to make up the difference!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

A ruthless and chilling glint suddenly flashed deep in his eyes, his killing intent palpable.

"However, the only obstacle to sacrificing the endless lives of this world is that child of the Nightmare Clan."

"Based on the intelligence gathered so far, that Nightmare Clan boy should be the president of the newly established Human Cultivator Association."

"I absolutely do not believe that such a coincidence exists in the world—"

Humanity had just suffered a devastating defeat in a great war, and just then, an ancient Nascent Soul cultivator, awakened from his slumber, emerged to oversee the situation.

"Besides!"
That Nightmare Clan child possessed unpredictable and bizarre talents and abilities. Even if there were still surviving Nascent Soul cultivators among the human race, they might not have been able to see through his disguise.

Not to mention that the human race no longer has any Nascent Soul cultivators!

The more he deduced, the more certain Shark Minghong became of his judgment, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and murderous intent.

Then,

His thoughts shifted, and he began to consider the most pressing matter at hand, muttering to himself:
"However, the most important task at present is to do everything possible to restore my own cultivation level."

"Hmm, first refine all the laws and insights that traitorous brat has gained throughout his life and make them his own."

"At that time, my understanding of the laws will be sufficient to steadily recover to the level of the Void Refining Realm."

As for accumulating the power of laws, with the contingency plans I secretly left behind back then, it's not a problem at all.

"Once I formally break through and return to the Void Refining Realm, I can rely on my overwhelming momentum to sweep away all enemies in this world!"
Even if that Nightmare Clan child's innate abilities were incredibly strange and difficult to deal with, in the face of absolute suppression of realm...

It's nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot, a futile and hopeless resistance!

"Then, we will completely take control of the ancient formations left behind in this world by the old man Langya."

At that time, no one in this realm will be able to threaten me!

In the blink of an eye.

Countless meticulous and ruthless thoughts flashed rapidly through Sha Minghong's mind.
One step after another, proceeding cautiously and methodically...
It fully reveals the cunning and domineering nature of an ancient tycoon.

Immediately.

His figure, standing in mid-air, gave one last indifferent glance at the deserted, deathly silent Purgatory Continent. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of obscure blood-red light, tearing through the void and disappearing into the distant horizon.

Looking again.

That majestic and cold figure had already appeared in the center of the Purgatory Continent, atop the blood-red sacred mountain that had been forcibly cut off.

Seated cross-legged atop the ruined mountain peak, Shark Minghong lowered his eyes, his aura concealed, and a thought flickered in his mind...

An invisible law trembled and pulsed, spreading wildly in all directions from his body like ripples on water.

As this fluctuation spread, clear spatial ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding stable void.
It was as if a huge boulder weighing a thousand pounds had been thrown into the calm lake, causing it to ripple with layers of vast waves.

At that very moment,
The majestic fluctuations of law emanating from Sha Minghong's body were visibly and rapidly increasing, bit by bit.
The aura grew heavier and more terrifying.

Obviously.

He is using supreme means to forcibly refine the laws and insights that the High Priest of the Purgatory Clan has comprehended throughout his life.

This scene,
It bears a striking resemblance to the scene where the High Priest and the human Cheng Buzheng shared the creation of heaven and earth and comprehended the laws together.

However, there is one key difference between the two.

That is the efficiency of refining.

Back then, the High Priest and Cheng Buzheng shared in the creation, and they cultivated diligently day and night, spending many years to slowly transform that creation into their own.

At this moment, Shark Minghong's refining efficiency was only a quarter of an hour...

That alone is comparable to their decades or even centuries of hard work.

The difference between the two is like heaven and earth, one is in the sky and the other is on the ground.

That's right.

The reason it possesses such an terrifying refining speed...
It was precisely because Sha Minghong spared no expense that he used the supreme secret technique of the upper realm.

···
Time flies, and years pass quickly.

As time goes by...
This day.

The crimson summit of the shattered sacred mountain.

Shark Minghong, who had been sitting cross-legged without moving, suddenly trembled, and a vast and unparalleled wave of blood law, suppressing all ages, swept out like a tsunami.

The void shook violently, the world instantly lost its color, and the sun and moon lost their light.

The air in the entire Purgatory Continent seemed to be sucked out instantly.

At the same time!

The oppressive aura emanating from Sha Minghong completely dispelled the previously unstable sense of stagnation.

The uncontrollable source of law within his body also completely calmed down at this moment, disappearing without a trace and being used entirely by him.

Right now...
Sha Minghong suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, and two cold, piercing beams of blood-red light flashed in his eyes, piercing through the void.

"The Law of Blood has finally returned to the Second Realm!"

His voice was calm, yet carried an undisguised arrogance.

"Next, it's time to refine the power of the laws and push my cultivation level all the way to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, so as to make full preparations for breaking through to the Void Refinement Realm soon!"

Thinking about this...

Sha Minghong stood up, his robes fluttering in the wind. With a light step, his figure vanished from the summit of the Crimson Sacred Mountain, leaving only a pile of broken rocks behind.

A short while later.

The endless void beyond the Purgatory Continent...

A majestic figure, with an aura that was obscure and profound, like an ancient demon god descending, appeared out of thin air.

Sha Minghong stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down at the boundless, once blood-red ocean beneath the void...

...(End of this chapter)