Chapter 628 Defeat, Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)

"Ah—"

The Nascent Soul of Celestial Xuan was seized, and in a moment of haste, was swept away by the black banner.

Junior Sister!

Watching Celestial Xuan’s Nascent Soul being captured, the master of the Heavenly Abode Sect flew into a rage. Ignoring the toll on his spiritual power, he summoned the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and launched a fierce assault against the Great Qian Wanderer.

Elder Zhenlei also wore an expression of utter disbelief, unable to accept that his longtime friend would betray him. His face pale with shock, he stammered, "Daqian, you..."

"Do not blame this old man!"

"Patriarch Bloodmeld has promised me that if I pledge allegiance to his sect, he will assist me in breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage."

The Great Qian Wanderer, however, remained utterly unperturbed. A sinister grin twisted his face as he declared, "I have been trapped at the Nascent Soul, 6th Tier (Cultivation Realm) for 2 1000 years. If breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage requires me to become a demon, so be it!"

“Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)。”

Everyone's expressions shifted slightly. Nero the Bloodweaver was the foremost Nascent Soul old devil of the Eastern Wastelands.

This rogue was the demonic cultivation overlord of the Starry Lake Ancient Domain. Not only had his cultivation reached the Half-Step Primordial Spirit realm, but he also wielded the Nether Yin Demonic Treasure—the Heaven-Devouring Blood-Transforming God Blade.

Eldrin understood all too well that Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name), this scourge, had been a long-standing nemesis of the Azure True Monarch. The downfall of the Chen Clan in The Vast Sea (Location) had been precipitated in no small part by Nero the Bloodweaver's (Person Name) machinations behind the scenes.

At this thought, even the 9 Rivers Elder’s expression shifted, fearing that Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) might arrive at this very place.

However, Eldrin quickly composed himself and promptly declared in a loud voice, "There is no need for concern, everyone. Though Nero the Bloodweaver possesses formidable power, he remains a thorn in the eyes of our human mighty ones. It is unlikely he would dare to recklessly emerge from his demonic abyss."

"Thus, this scoundrel would never dare show his face here."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. As long as Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) hadn’t taken action, the situation hadn’t yet escalated to the worst possible outcome.

The Sect Master of Tianlu went completely berserk, sparing no cost to summon the Earthfire Profound Crystal Sword, desperate to seize back the Nascent Soul of the Celestial Xuan.

Eldrin blocked the Demonic Elder of the Barren Lands, then said to Lyra, "Leave this Demonic Elder of the Barren Lands to me. You go stop the Demonic Elder Fang."

"Very well."

With that, Lyra (Person Name) charged forward to confront Elder Fang the Demonic (Person Name).

Yan Zi and Lila (Person Name) joined the fray in quick succession, preparing to assist the Heavenly Abyss Sect Master in reclaiming the infant primordial spirit of Celestial Xuan.

The 2 sides continued their fierce battle for another quarter of an hour. While cultivators like the 9 Rivers Daoist and Eldrin (Person Name) held their ground, practitioners such as Qiu Daoyi and several other Nascent Soul, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivators began to feel their spiritual energy depleting. It was becoming clear that prolonging the fight would put them at a grave disadvantage.

At the critical moment, Eldrin and Lyra exchanged a glance, then instantly unleashed their demonic energy.

Lyra raised her hand, immobilizing Elder Qian’s demonic banner with the radiance of the 2 Polarities Divine Light. In the same breath, Eldrin flicked his sleeve, and with a resonant ring, the 1000-Demon Slaying Sword swept forth, cleanly severing the demonic banner and rescuing the Nascent Soul of Celestial Maiden Tianxuan.

Seizing the opportunity, Daoist Tianlu secured Celestial Immortal Xuan’s Nascent Soul, then unleashed the Earthfire Mystic Crystal Sword to repel the several old demons locked in the fierce melee.

"We can't fight like this."

A thought flashed through Eldrin’s mind, and he declared decisively, “Fighting within the Desolate Demon Ridge puts us at a disadvantage. Let us withdraw and reconsider our strategy.”

"This old man will cover the rear."

The 9 Rivers Taoist gave a loud shout, channeling his power into the 9 Heavenly River Immortal Swords. With sweeping, masterful strokes, he intercepted the assaults of the Blazing Fiend Elder and his cohorts, covering the others' retreat.

They continued their retreat all the way out of Desolate Demon Ridge (Location), and the few Eldrin (Person Name) old demons ceased their pursuit beyond that point.

The group held an overwhelming advantage in numbers, with a top-tier expert like the 9 Rivers Daoist at the Nascent Soul stage among them. Not to mention, the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation) was firmly entrenched beyond the Desolate Demon Ridge (Location).

Although the demonic cultivators had 3 late-stage Nascent Soul experts, once they left the Desolate Demon Ridge (Location) and lost the support of demonic energy, they wouldn't gain any advantage either.

Once they emerged from Desolate Demon Ridge (Location), Eldrin (Person Name) scanned his surroundings and realized that nearly every Nascent Soul True Monarch present was wounded, each bearing their suffering in silence.

Junior Sister.

The Sect Master of Tianlu gazed at the nascent soul of Celestial Xuan, tears streaming from his aged pupils.

Though Fairy Tianxuan had been rescued, her Nascent Soul was already tainted by Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root). It was no longer possible for her to rebuild her physical form, and she faced a grave risk of falling into demonic corruption.

That day, Fairy Xuan's Nascent Soul radiance was dim, her entire body shrouded in dark light, her face contorted in agony.

"Alas."

九河道人见状，叹息了一声说道：“天萱仙子的元婴已经污染根基，已经无法重塑肉身，为今之计只能转劫重修了。”

"So be it."

Tianxuan Fairy's face showed a trace of pain, yet she seemed slightly relieved.

With millennia of accumulated heritage, the Tianlu Sect naturally possessed the Nirvana Rebirth Art, which she too had cultivated, granting her the opportunity to live another lifetime. However, reaching the Nascent Soul realm again would likely require hundreds of years of arduous effort.

Aside from Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, the Chen Family’s guest elder, Qiu Daoyi (Cultivator), was also having a difficult time. Among the assembled True Monarchs present, his cultivation base was the lowest.

As the saying goes, 1 should pick the soft persimmon to pinch. Although Qiu Daoyi had been cautious throughout this battle, the Blazing Fiend Elder severed 1 of his arms with the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss. His body had already been invaded by Fire Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root), and it would likely take 2 jiazi—or 1 100 and 20 years—for him to fully recover.

The others were also having a hard time, but fortunately, Eldrin had retreated promptly in this battle. Those with higher cultivation bases still managed to hold on relatively well. Witnessing the miserable state of the group, Eldrin let out a sigh and said, "This battle is my fault. Had I been more patient and waited another 30 years, until Tianlu brother broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage, we might have had a much easier fight."

"There aren't that many what-ifs."

The Daoist of the 9 Rivers shook his head and spoke, "We had accounted for all the demon sovereigns and fiend lords in the vicinity, yet never anticipated the arrival of the Blaze Fiend and Fang the Ancient Fiend. The blame lies with this old man’s failure to uncover the true strength of Desolate Demon Ridge (Location)."

Hearing this, the Lord of Sky Abode Sect’s face darkened with murderous intent. "That Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) resides far away in the Star Lake Ancient Domain. Why would he meddle in the affairs of our 3 Veins Ancient Domain?"

Eldrin (Person Name) felt a faint stir in his heart upon hearing this, a trace of bewilderment flashing in his eyes.

However, the Riverine Sage seemed to know something, his gaze turning grave as he said, "That Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) broke through to the Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm) over 2 1000 years ago. By now, he has likely touched the threshold of becoming a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord."

"That is precisely why he wishes to subdue the Eldrin and others—most likely to secure guardians for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed dramatically, each revealing looks of utter disbelief.

Thunderquake Taoist pondered for a moment, his gaze turning grave as he said, "How could this be? Could it be that Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) truly has the means to break through to the Nascent Soul realm?"

Saying this, Daoist Zhenlei's expression still held a trace of disbelief.

Within the Violet Realm, the total number of demonic path Nascent Souls did not exceed 20. Among these fewer than 20 demonic path Nascent Souls, over 70 percent were originally human Dao Lords who had fallen into the demonic path.

Although demonic cultivators possessed formidable combat prowess and progressed faster in their cultivation than righteous path practitioners, the difficulty they faced in breaking through major realms was far greater.

For in the process of cultivation, demonic practitioners would gradually have their minds eroded by the power of Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root), becoming greedy and unprincipled, volatile in temper, sinking into desires until they lost both humanity and vigilance.

Only a select few demonic path cultivators could preserve their true nature and break through to the Nascent Soul True Monarch realm.