Chapter 652 Blood-Cicada Molting Art

Back in the day, when The Vast Sea (Location)'s Qing Zhenjun (Person Name) joined forces with multiple Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm) experts to launch an assault, they still couldn't subdue him. Instead, they suffered heavy losses against his Heavenly Demon Blood-Corrupting Divine Blade (Magic Treasure).

At this thought, the Riverine Sage remarked, "That Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) has yet to commence his Soul Projection breakthrough. Should we wait a while longer?"

"There is no need. We shall launch a direct assault."

The Lord of the Jade Balance Star spoke thus, then turned to the 9 True Lords beside him and said, "I must trouble my 9 junior brothers to take action."

The 9 True Monarchs nodded in unison, each producing a resplendent Star Pearl—every single 1 of them was unexpectedly a superior-grade spirit treasure.

Astral Heavenly Flame Demon Refining Array.

A faint stir arose in Eldrin’s heart as he recognized the origins of these 9 sacred pearls.

This Stellar Heavenly Flame Demon Refining Array was a 6-tier formation composed of 9 Stellar Treasure Pearls. When jointly activated by 9 late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, it could channel the power of the highest celestial stars, transforming into stellar heavenly flames that descended upon the world. It was said to be capable of incinerating all existence.

It was said that the power of this formation barely reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul level, making it 1 of the foundational legacies of the Astral Hall.

As the 9 joined forces to channel their power, boundless starlight cascaded down, transforming into magnificent astral flames that bombarded the Blood Demon Cave. In that instant, the entire cavern trembled violently.

"Damn it."

Within the Blood Demon Cave at this moment, the Desolate Elder Demon, the Blazing Flame Elder Demon, and over a dozen other devil cultivators like the Fang Elder Demon had gathered together, each face etched with sheer terror.

The Elder of Blazing Fire stared grimly at the crowd outside and declared, "It's the people from the Astral Palace. How did they return so swiftly?"

"Damn it, if the Star Palace has made a move, they're bound to have sent a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord to block our path. I fear we won't be able to hold them off for long."

All the Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators present turned pale with fright, their hearts wavering with thoughts of retreat.

The Desolate Elder Demon’s gaze shifted to the man seated at the head of the hall, his expression grave as he said, “Brother Wang, what exactly has happened to Patriarch Bloodmelt? Why, after 3 years in seclusion, has there been no sign of him attempting the Soul Formation breakthrough?”

The Demon King Wang also wore an unpleasant expression. By all reasoning, after Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) had been in seclusion for several years, even if he hadn’t broken through to the Nascent Soul stage by now, there should at least have been signs of him attempting the breakthrough. Yet after all this time, there hadn’t been the slightest stir.

Even as the son of Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name), he could not help but feel a sense of eeriness at this moment.

Not daring to harbor any ulterior motives in the face of Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)'s formidable reputation, he sneered and spoke coldly:

"Breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm is no overnight endeavor. My father has meticulously planned for years and is now at the most critical juncture. Your task is simply to hold off those scoundrels from the Astral Hall."

Seeing that the Old Fiend King still stood guard here, the demonic cultivators, wary of Nero the Bloodweaver's authority, gritted their teeth and channeled their Demonic Fiend Qi to resist the Celestial Starlight Flames. Yet, a hint of retreat already stirred faintly in their hearts.

The celestial flames of stars descended from the 9 Heavens Above, continuously bombarding the Blood Demon Cave in an unending torrent. After a full half-day of this onslaught, they had already worn away the majority of the Demonic Fiend Qi within the cave.

Seeing that the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) was about to be shattered, the Elder Demon of the Wilds couldn't help but exclaim with a drastically changed expression, "The Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) is nearly failing! Why hasn't Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) summoned the Heavenly Soul yet?"

Everyone present sensed that something was amiss.

Logically speaking, seizing the Celestial Soul at this moment should make it too late for the Desolate Elder Demon to attempt a breakthrough. If he doesn’t break through now, is Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) simply waiting for death?

"Damn, we've been tricked!"

The Flame Fiend's expression abruptly shifted dramatically. Without a care for the obstruction from the Venom Fiend, with a thunderous crash, he blasted open the sealed entrance to Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)'s secluded cultivation chamber.

But within the cave abode, there was no trace of Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)—only a crimson treasure cicada husk remained in place.

“Blood-Cicada Molting Art (Cultivation Art)。”

Substitution Tribulation Ascension Art

A group of Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators paled drastically, each revealing traces of despair on their faces.

The Blood-Cicada Molting Art (Cultivation Art) is an extraordinarily profound life-preserving grand supernatural power. When combined with the exceedingly rare blood-cicada of heaven and earth, it enables instantaneous void traversal across hundreds of millions of miles, even capable of eluding the perception of Nascent Soul Dao Lords.

The Art of Tribulation Substitution, however, was an exceptionally malevolent method of transferring calamities.

The dozen or so Nascent Soul True Lords present, including the son of Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name), the Elder Demon Wang, unwittingly became the scapegoats for Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name)'s heavenly tribulation.

By having them bear the tribulation in his stead, Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) could evade the deductions of the human cultivators. This would resolve the greater part of the human calamity he would face during his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, thereby significantly increasing his chances of attaining the Nascent Soul realm.

"So that's how it is. This Nero the Bloodweaver is truly ruthless, daring to use even his own flesh and blood as a shield against the heavenly tribulation."

The Blazing Flame Old Demon and the others all revealed expressions of despair. They had gathered at the Blood Fiend Cave, never expecting this Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) to be so merciless—scheming against them and even his own flesh and blood.

Now that Nero the Bloodweaver (Person Name) had shed his mortal form through the Blood Cicada Molt, they faced certain doom before the Star Palace.

Boom—

The sky erupted with a deafening roar. Though the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) of the Blood Demon Cave was formidable, it proved insufficient against the Celestial Starfire and the combined assaults of the crowd, ultimately being torn asunder by force.

The Nascent Soul Fiend Lords watched as their sole barrier was shattered, leaving them no choice but to scramble frantically for survival.

"Where do you think you're fleeing?!"

With a cold sneer, the Lord of the Jade Balance Star summoned a brilliant sword radiance, slashing down to intercept the Raging Flame Elder Demon.

Everyone swiftly took action, surrounding the demonic cultivators as a great battle was about to erupt.

Eldrin and Lyra charged directly toward the Ancient Demon of the Wastes. From the very first move, they sought to slay this formidable foe. The tip of the Green Abyss Sword was likely embedded in the Ancient Demon of the Wastes' body, and Eldrin was determined to reclaim it.

At that very moment, the sky blazed with starlight as a figure radiant like the stars of the 9 Heavens came strolling forth.

She was clad in a gown woven of starlight, with a celestial rune shimmering between her brows. At her arrival, even the boundless mountains and rivers paled in comparison to her radiance.

"It's her."

In just an instant, Eldrin understood this person's origins.

This person was once the leader of the 10 Great True Lords of the Eastern Wastelands (Location), renowned as the foremost Nascent Soul cultivator in the Eastern Wastelands (Location)—Xuan Yue the Celestial Enchantress (Person Name), now known as the Heavenly Mystery Dao Lord.

At this moment, Xuan Yue the Celestial Enchantress (Person Name) furrowed her brow slightly. With her jade-like hands, she tore through the majestic mountain range, revealing a crimson cicada deep within the demonic cavern.

"Blood Cicada Molting Art."

"Blood Fiend Elder?"

Xuan Yue the Celestial Enchantress (Person Name)'s gaze turned icy, revealing boundless killing intent within her heart.

To perform the Blood Cicada Molting Technique, 1 must possess the Netherblood Cicada as a medium.

The Netherblood Cicada's true form was the Tianshan Snow Cicada, a spiritual creature of incalculable value, which could only be transformed into a blood cicada through a unique esoteric method.

Throughout the entire Violet Realm, the only practitioners of this art were the original Blood Demon Ancestor—slain by Emperor Jiang—and his sole disciple, the Blood God Ancestor.

Only such a supreme demonic art could deceive the eyes of the Star Palace and escape from the surveillance and deductions of its overseers.

"He actually managed to escape."

Xuan Yue the Celestial Enchantress (Person Name) furrowed her delicate brows. With a wave of her hand, streams of starlight cascaded downward. Apart from the Elder Devil of the Barrens (Person Name) and a few other late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who barely managed to preserve their lives, the remaining demonic practitioners all met instantaneous, violent deaths.

At the same time, deep within the Eastern Wastelands (Location), inside a blood-drenched cave, an elder clad in black blood-soaked robes opened his eyes and let out an eerie chuckle.

"Heh heh heh, the Tribulation Transference Art is complete. My path to ascension has been achieved."