Chapter 9 The Ninth Chain Unlocked
As the ninth chain was unlocked, Yu Tian grew anxious and attacked Xiao Man again. Nangong Yu and the others stepped forward to shield her.
"Insignificant vermin, to harm her, you must first face my sword."
"Mere ants."
"You are but a transient being, your cultivation no higher than the peak of Nascent Divinity. To cross all four of us and harm her will not be an easy feat," Yu Ju interjected, his eyes filled with killing intent. Yu Tian had indeed rebelled. He didn't recognize Xuan Xin, and upon meeting her, he launched a lethal strike. His claims of loyalty were all pretense.
"One Demon Lord, plus four ants, and a transient being. That is enough," Yu Tian said, his divine sense stirring. A powerful oppressive aura surged forth, pressing down on their hearts, making them pound as if they would burst at any moment.
Xiao Man, protected by runes at the center, remained unaffected. However, the Fire Phoenix suddenly emerged from Xiao Man's spiritual consciousness and charged towards Yu Tian.
Yu Tian swatted the Fire Phoenix away. "Ancient divine beast, Fire Phoenix. I never imagined you were still alive."
"You despicable villain, you schemed against my master. You deserve death!"
A mocking smile curved Yu Tian's lips. "It was the Human Emperor who schemed against your master, what has it to do with me? A dignified God of Cang Xuan, brought down by a human male. She deserved it."
"You clearly incited it, harming my master!"
Yu Tian let out a cold laugh and extended his hand towards the Fire Phoenix. "Just in time. Your master's divine spark is shattered and has vanished into the heavens and earth. I shall send you down to join her."
"My master is an ancient god. Even if her divine spark is destroyed, she will not perish. One day, she will return, and she will surely turn you to dust."
"Little fire chicken, your master is dead. She will never return," Yu Tian said, looking at the Demon Lord. "Her divine spark shattered into three fragments. One protected the Demon Lord's soul from annihilation, one protected the reincarnation of the Human Emperor."
"And where is the third fragment?" the Fire Phoenix asked excitedly. As long as even one fragment remained, her master's divine spark could be restored. And when the divine spark was repaired, her master would be reborn.
"Naturally, it protected the remaining divine clan members as they fled."
"Why did she shatter her divine spark to protect my soul?" the Demon Lord asked, shocked.
"Indeed. As a member of the ancient Heavenly God clan, devoid of emotion, it's understandable that she would protect the divine clan. I can even comprehend her protecting the Human Emperor. But why would she protect you, a demon?" Yu Tian's expression contorted, losing all trace of his former composed and refined demeanor, making him appear more demonic than the Demon Lord. "You were destined enemies. You should have perished under her Brahma, yet she did not hesitate to shatter her divine spark to protect your soul! I cannot accept this!"
"I knew who it was. It's the Great Demon God descending." Xiao Man glanced lazily at Yu Tian, continuing to break the last seal. "If not for a Great Demon God being here, Yu Ju, I would have suspected you were the one indiscriminately slaughtering innocents."
"I did not indiscriminately slaughter innocents!" Yu Ju retorted angrily. "Do not be deceived by this scoundrel."
"If I were deceived by a scoundrel, would I be here to save you?" Xiao Man said with a laugh. However, after only two laughs, she spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood-stained runes instantly erupted with dazzling light.
The runes on the seal soared into the air, even the seal runes of the last iron chain floated up, circling Xiao Man.
"The seal is broken!" Yu Ju tore off the last iron chain and stood before Xiao Man. He watched as the runes circled Xiao Man, encasing her in a golden egg, enveloped by a golden lotus.
"Nirvana Golden Lotus, the divine spark is reuniting. How is this possible? How can this be?" Yu Tian was utterly shocked. "Who are you? How can you gather Xuan Xin's divine spark? This divine spark was clearly shattered into dust, it's impossible to reform it!"
"Are you truly Yu Tian?" Yu Ju frowned deeply. Yu Tian would never fail to recognize Xuan Xin. "You are not Yu Tian at all. Who are you?"
"Yu Tian?" Hahaha, the young man burst into laughter. "I am Yu Tian. What? Have you been suppressed for too long that you no longer recognize the one who put you in this state?"
"Though Yu Tian was cunning and despicable, he would never fail to recognize Xuan Xin. You are definitely not him," the Demon Lord thought rapidly. Had everyone been manipulated? If this person wasn't Yu Tian, then who was he? It wasn't easy to scheme against Xuan Xin with her abilities.
"Demon Lord, actually, Xuan Xin's fall is also thanks to your demon heart," the young man said, wiping the blood from his lips. "If not for your demon heart, she wouldn't have been ensnared."
"What do you mean?"
"She is from the ancient Heavenly God clan, and you are from the ancient Demon clan. Others may desire your demon heart, but she cannot have it," the young man said with a grin. "Your demon heart is akin to the world's most potent poison to her. It would even erode her divine body, causing her divine spark to shatter. However, she was very clever and soon discovered something was amiss..."
The young man paused, then gave Yu Ju a sinister smile. "When she discovered her divine spark shattering, she believed you had plotted against her, which is why you were suppressed here."
"That's wrong. She probably realized she was being manipulated from the very beginning, but she knew the person scheming against her wasn't me."
"Yes, because you lack the intelligence," Lei Tianze said, rapidly forming hand seals to seal the entire space. "What has arrived is merely a manifestation. How fortunate."
"Boy, who are you calling unintelligent?" Yu Ju asked angrily.
"I'm calling you unintelligent. Provoked a little and you force your demon heart onto someone else, constantly making mistakes when instigated, forcing her to constantly clean up your mess. If it were me, I would have annihilated your soul long ago."
"You... you..." Yu Ju pointed at Lei Tianze, unable to form coherent words. He seemed to want to retort but didn't know how. After much sputtering, he couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"So it was you!" the young man exclaimed, looking at the seal. "You are still alive!"
"How could I dare precede you in death?" Lei Tianze's cultivation rapidly increased, vast and boundless. Wu Huan and Yu Ju merged into one, becoming a single being. Nangong Yu quickly retreated, positioning himself in front of Xiao Man. He used to feel immensely powerful, but now the people he once surpassed could effortlessly overwhelm him!
"Indeed, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west," Nangong Yu sighed. "Now, everyone I know is becoming more extraordinary, and I'm the one holding them back."
"Brother Nangong, there's no need to belittle yourself. You are not holding us back," Lei Tianze said slowly. "We have schemed against and guarded each other in the past. Today, let us join forces and show this despicable villain that we are not to be trifled with."