Volume Two: Travels in Qi Chapter 162: Breaking Free

At this moment, the prominent figures from all the sects were gathered here, along with all the young prodigies within the Qi Kingdom. Even the Qi Emperor and members of the Mysterious Palace were present. If they were truly all under the control of the Yin Spirit Sect, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“You actually devised such a plan. But you’re utterly delusional. I would rather die than submit to you,” the Qi Emperor declared firmly. As a sovereign of his era, he would never allow himself to be controlled by anyone.

“This is the imperial palace. If I were to die here, I doubt any of you would escape unscathed.”

This was the location of the Immortal Spirit Spring, protected by numerous high-level formations crafted by master array experts. Once activated, even a Tianyuan powerhouse would find it impossible to break through.

“Hahaha, Emperor of Qi, you are a ruler indeed, but it seems you are still naïve. Whether you submit or not isn’t your decision. Besides, do you really think you understand how I’ve left my methods here within the layers of protection guarding this spring?”

His words sowed doubt among the crowd. Indeed, Ye Wuji had entered alongside them without any unusual behavior since arriving here. How exactly had he managed to set such a trap?

“There are people within the palace who work for you,” the Qi Emperor said coldly.

“Hahaha, of course. Your Qi Kingdom’s great general, Liu Tieshan, is one of us. So even if I kill you all, I can still leave here unharmed,” Ye Wuji laughed heartily.

“Liu Tieshan?” The Qi Emperor was truly taken aback. As the protector general of Qi, he was second only to the emperor, commanding great prestige. What could he be plotting? Why had he betrayed his own kingdom?

“Fine, you win,” the Qi Emperor said weakly. “But I’m curious—how did you poison us?”

“Poison? Emperor, you truly have lost your wits. Poison is the lowest form of attack. It might work against low-level cultivators, but at Tianyuan level, poison is useless. Surely you know that? Oh, right. As one of the Seven Ancient Kingdoms, the Qi Emperor of yours barely ranks at the first stage of Tianyuan. It’s no wonder you don’t know,” Ye Wuji sneered.

“You dare insult my father!” Qi Xuan was furious, but he needed to use his spiritual energy to resist the demonic aura, unable to do anything else.

“Qi Xuan, the eighteenth prince of Qi, at such a young age has reached the ninth stage of the Origin Core—a rare talent indeed. But from now on, you belong to me. As for Mu Wanqing and Zhang Heng, aren’t you young geniuses? Serve the Yin Spirit Sect well from now on,” Ye Wuji said with a triumphant smile.

Zhang Heng and Mu Wanqing ignored him, focusing instead on channeling their spiritual energy to counter the demonic aura.

“Do you know what’s inside you? It’s demonic aura. Do you understand? The supreme demonic aura,” Ye Wuji laughed toward the sky.

“What? Demonic aura?”

The crowd was shocked at his words.

Demonic? That was the extraterrestrial force that invaded the entire cultivation continent sixty thousand years ago, plunging the great continent into chaos and suffering. If not for the sacrifice of the elder Qing Yangzi, who wielded forbidden power, the entire cultivation world might have been engulfed in endless darkness.

Even after tens of thousands of years, mention of the demon still sent shivers down their spines.

And now the Yin Spirit Sect was involved with it.

“Demonic aura is a wonderful thing! It not only greatly advances my cultivation but also allows me to control you poor souls. What do you say? Isn’t it wonderful?” Ye Wuji prattled on.

Zhang Heng thought to himself that Wu Hong had once said the demons could control one’s heart and mind. It seemed Ye Wuji and Wu Fatian intended to use the demonic aura to control these people.

“Now, your lives are in my hands. Beg me, and I may ease your suffering.”

“Sect leader, please spare us; we are loyal!” The ordinary disciples from the Yin Spirit Sect’s Tianyu Manor begged desperately, for they were unaware of the full situation and were already writhing in torment from the demonic aura.

Zhang Heng smiled quietly. These two were quite cautious.

Because aside from them, only Chi Ying and Wu Ba had not been affected by the demonic aura. In other words, the plan had not been disclosed to the ordinary disciples.

“Rest assured, as long as you serve me well, I will not treat you unfairly.”

“Now it’s your turn. I know you are stalling, but no surprises will come today. This place is completely sealed—no one can come to your rescue,” Ye Wuji said confidently, knowing full well they were buying time but utterly unconcerned as he held the upper hand.

Ignoring everyone’s gazes, Ye Wuji strode straight toward the Immortal Spirit Spring’s center, from which he took out a strange black stone. The stone emitted a continuous dark aura.

Everyone understood now—the black aura invading their bodies was emanating from that stone.

Ye Wuji carefully held the stone and muttered, “The demonic energy contained within this crystal is exceptionally pure. Using it on you is already a mercy. Now, submit obediently.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Do you truly intend to do this? You should think carefully.”

“To consort with demons, you traitor to the cultivation continent!”

“If I truly die here, wait for the Mysterious Palace’s judgment.”

Voices of anger erupted from the gathered leaders, but they were all tainted by the dark aura, unable to focus.

Ye Wuji ignored them. As long as he could summon more demonic aura from this crystal, he could control them all. Then everything would be under his command.

With this in mind, he wasted no more words and began his ritual.

He tossed the demon crystal into the air, then summoned secret techniques, striking it with spiritual and energy forces. The crystal began to spin, releasing a vast amount of black aura.

At that moment, he froze, eyes wide as saucers. Someone suddenly stood up before him, leapt into the air at incredible speed, and snatched the demon crystal away.

“Zhang Heng, how can you suppress that demonic aura?” Ye Wuji was stunned. The demonic aura was so fierce that even a ninth-stage Tianyuan powerhouse would suffer greatly. How could this young Zhang Heng resist it?

He had been so confident that he hadn’t guarded against this possibility, allowing Zhang Heng to seize the crystal.

The ordinary disciples were puzzled as well, struggling to endure. Even the elders of their sect couldn’t control the dark energy—why could Zhang Heng?

Zhang Heng didn’t answer but examined the stone closely. The sinister stone continued to emit black energy.

Is this the dreaded demonic aura everyone feared? Zhang Heng smiled casually before storing the demon crystal inside his spatial ring.

“You brat, you…” Ye Wuji was too furious to speak. The demon crystal, revered as a sacred object, was treated like a toy by this kid.

After a moment’s thought, Ye Wuji gave a cold smile. Even if this kid could truly resist the demonic aura, so what? He was merely a small cultivator at the Qi Sea realm. A mere snap of his fingers would kill him.

“Zhang Heng, return the demon crystal to me, or your life won’t be spared,” Ye Wuji glared at him.

“Sect leader Ye, I’m certainly no match for you. But if you want to deal with me, you’ll have to get past their consent first,” Zhang Heng said, nodding toward Ling Tian, Wu Hong, Bai Chen, and the others seated on the ground.

“Hahaha, brat, don’t be delusional. They can barely protect themselves, let alone you.”