"It doesn't matter, they're just a few little fox slaves, even if hundreds more years pass, what could they possibly achieve?"
"These elf hybrids are indeed troublesome, that one called Lian Jing'er would be manageable with the backing of Tianzhi Gong's lineage, but there's another Taisui Spirit, and a Wild Leek Demon, who have rather mysterious and tangled karmic consequences behind them... Might as well let them all go, by feasting on this child alone, with the remnants of the Human Dao Torrent protecting us, we surely won't face any calamities for a hundred years."
"In those hundred years, we will join forces and strike at the Tribulation Immortal Realm, and if we can get through, our Dao path will be smooth, with no more disasters to worry about."
"If we can't make it through, we'll each employ our Sublime Dharma to flee and hide."
"Very well, let's do it this way."
These sentences, complex to the ear, actually concluded in a mere instant.
The Twelve Emperors immediately pretended to generously agree to Tao Qian's conditions.
"No, I will never leave..."
Upon hearing this, Yunrong instinctively wanted to hug her little brother tightly, her dear husband.
But before she could move, Tao Qian took the People Species Bag from around his waist and directly cast a spell to put Yunrong inside as well.
Little Age, Shan Jiu, had already been placed in the bag earlier.
Lian Jing'er had the protection of Tianzhi Gong's Sublime Dharma.
And Shenxiu Buddha's son and Devil Concubine Yuan Mingzhen had their own powerful backing as well.
As for Zheng Yin and others, to the Twelve Emperors, they were insignificant ants whose lives and deaths mattered not.
Before being sucked into the bag, Yunrong heard Tao Qian's transmission in her mind:
"Dear sister! My beloved wife!"
"Don't panic, this is just a ruse to confuse the enemy."
"I have anticipated that there is a chance of survival in this tribulation, but I must first ensure your safety before I can freely act. You are still carrying the little fox slave; you cannot risk a confrontation and fight using divine powers, as that could endanger the pregnancy."
"Be good, first return to Jade Ring Mountain."
"Once I escape this entrapment, I will come to find you."
Tao Qian babbled nonsense, completely forgetting that Yunrong shared a spirit connection with him, and she would understand his thoughts with a single intent.
Therefore, the moment she was entered into the People Species Bag, Yunrong's face was already covered in tears.
Tao Qian had no time for anything else and immediately called out to the emptiness:
"Lord Haotian, this place is perilous, please use your divine power to return Yunrong to Jade Ring Mountain."
Having said that, he threw the People Species Bag out.
In the next moment, a Divine Light imbued with supreme majesty flew in from the distant void, capturing the People Species Bag, then it twisted as if it intended to take Tao Qian as well.
Seeing this situation, the Twelve Emperors roared in unison, with waves of blood and flesh surging, instantly shattering the pure Buddha Ring.
Twelve mutated limbs and organs from the Outer Realm encircled Tao Qian so tightly, their gaping maws opening, they were about to start tearing and devouring him right then and there.
Amidst this, Tao Qian's somewhat muffled voice could be heard:
"Lord Haotian, you may go. Although you are a Supreme Treasure, you cannot forcefully defy the human fate of this calamity."
"Moreover, this time around, I, Tao Qian, may not necessarily die at the hands of these twelve old dogs."
Tao Qian's last sentence, of course, was casually to placate the Haotian Divine Mirror.
This Divine Treasure had its own intelligent True Spirit and was very fond of Yunrong, having recognized Tao Qian, it grew to like him as well and often urged the two of them to return to Jade Ring Mountain to play with it.
Without Grandma Taizhen to control it on the mountain, it's natural desire to rescue when an opportunity arose was only normal.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
After hearing Tao Qian speak, it could only tremble a few times to express its anger, took the People Species Bag, and left.
...
As the Haotian Divine Light withdrew, the Twelve Emperors grew even more frenzied.
They couldn't restrain themselves any longer, crowding around, eager to gnaw on him.
The Nine Toad Pearl, Buddha Bird Relics, and other protective treasures that Tao Qian had released in desperation seemed unable to hold for even a moment.
Even so, Tao Qian didn't forget to reach into his chest to take out the [Yuan Gong Statue], and then he took out the Heavenly Demon Gourd, releasing thousands of demons within, after distributing all the stored Demon Pills to them, he instructed:
"Remember my last command, you all must protect what remains of Master Yuan's spirit and seek the descendants near the Secret Demon Sect in the Outer Realm."
"If you find them, great benefits await you."
As he said these two sentences, Tao Qian's expression finally showed the strain, revealing a bitter smile.
At the same time, an expletive from his past life slipped through his mind, and he silently mused:
"I've cheated death so many times, this time I seem to have finally done myself in."
"After such difficulty in getting reincarnated into a new life, why couldn't I just assimilate into this world instead of trying to play the hero, meddling in unnecessary affairs, and overdoing it?"
"I'm not even sure if my abnormal soul can still experience a miracle to spare me the agony of being torn apart, avoid the cost of death, retain these memories, and allow me another chance at reincarnation and cultivation."
From these thoughts, it was clear that Master Tao was not without regrets.
Indeed, there were some, but not many.
At this moment, he realized he was soon to meet his demise, yet he also felt fortunate that until death, he never lost himself.
Upon careful consideration, this was still something to be thankful for.
While he was busy trying to send Yuan Gong away, he was also contemplating his options.
Before his efforts came to fruition, the statue in his hand suddenly burst into a terrifying sword light, slashing him and leaving him drenched in blood, and at the same time, the statue leapt into the air and brutally struck Tao Qian on the head.
After a muffled "bang," the blood-browed Old Ape, robed in white, appeared.
First glaring fiercely at Tao Qian, he cursed, "Foolish child, stupid disciple, when is it your turn to arrange for your master's whereabouts?"
After the curse, Yuan Gong turned and glared at the Twelve Emperors of Alchemist.
Seemingly oblivious to the massive gap in cultivation between them, as if he was the one with higher Dao Heng, he also berated,
"Li Wanshou, Liu Pei, Yang Longxi, Zhao Xuanlang... You old fellows, sucking blood, scrabbling for life all these years, have all turned into dogs. Twelve of you bullying one, picking on a junior who's only practiced cultivation for a few years. If I were you, I should be dying of shame right now."
"This child is the only disciple I, the Old Ape, have now; he is also the designated future Sect Master of the Secret Demon Sect and the mainstay of our revival."
"Do you want to kill him?"
"Fine, let me invite the esteemed ancestors of the Secret Demon Sect to witness this, and as long as you old dogs can withstand the retaliation from our sect, then you may kill him, you may devour him."
"What Human Dao Torrent, what century-old curse? Do you think my Secret Demon Sect is afraid?"
What defines unparalleled dominance?
Yuan Gong, with merely a wisp of his remaining soul, showcased it to the fullest extent at this moment.
Even without a sword in hand, he stood there with a terrifying Sword Intent that soared into the sky.
What was even more alarming was that Yuan Gong began casting spells before he had even finished speaking.
In an instant, the sky dimmed as if it had fallen into the Demon Realm.
Pairs of horrifying eyes and terrifying shadows appeared out of nowhere.
Even though they seemed to be only projections and not real,
The Twelve Emperors of Alchemist had to stop their actions regardless.
They could immediately tell that the owners of these eyes and shadows were entities they could not afford to provoke.
Even though they were in the distant Outer Realm Abyss, just being watched by them made the twelve emperors' hearts tremble, and fearsome thoughts involuntarily arose.
What made the twelve even more speechless was the fact that Yuan Gong, despite being an old predecessor, invoked these projections and, like a child, started wailing and accusing them. The blood-browed Old Ape cried out,
"Honored ancestors!"
"Look at this child, a fine seedling I, the Old Ape, have found with much hardship. The future of whether our Secret Demon Sect can rebuild its Mountain Gate in this realm may well depend on him."
"But these old dogs, they actually think of devouring him."
"Such evil deeds, honored ancestors must not tolerate."
"The Old Ape knows that the ancestors can't return to this realm for now, can't save us, this pair of ill-fated master and disciple, it doesn't matter, as long as it's known these twelve old dogs are the murderers."
"When the ancestors return, may they inflict the harshest punishments of the Outer Realm Abyss upon each of these twelve old dogs."
...
With Yuan Gong's wailing, everyone present fell into silence.
Tao Qian exchanged glances with the thousands of demons, the venerable ancestors of the Secret Demon Sect watched from afar, and the Twelve Emperors of Alchemist grew inexplicably irritated.
Being inherently mutated, they had never been at peace, and now their body and soul were thrown into chaos by this incessant "ape noise," urging them to vent and continue devouring Tao Qian.
Yet inexplicably, they sensed danger, a trap lying in wait ahead.
For a moment, the stand-off persisted.
However, within a few breaths, Liu Pei and Li Wanshou, two of the leading emperors, shook their heads at the same time and roared,
"Old monkey dares to play tricks on us, we are not afraid of even the Spirit Treasure Sect, let alone your Secret Demon Sect whose Mountain Gate has been uprooted."
"Old monkey is using a ruse to delay; no more dawdling, devour the child."
After the two emperors roared,
A tide of blood and flesh surged over, with Li Wanshou rushing to take the first bite. Tao Qian, along with those thousands of Heavenly Demons, was immediately swallowed by a rotten fish mouth that seemed to engulf even the sky.
The moment they touched it, in his mind, a series of death Records began to erupt....
Just as he appeared to be on the brink of death, Yuan Gong's voice rang out again.
But this time, his tone was rarely filled with joy.
"Old Thief Duobao, why are you so slow to arrive?"
"A moment later, and your treasured disciple would have turned to sludge."