NFBE Chapter 124 "Exchange of Lives"
Chapter 124 "Exchange of Lives"
Liu Xingxing finally understood why she couldn't find that kid; it turned out he was right under her nose.
Could it be that the ceremony they're talking about is about killing Yan Qifeng in front of all these demons?
At this moment, Yan Qifeng was not bound hand and foot, or rather, he was not bound at all, except that his collarbone was clearly pierced.
Even in this state, he still had a breath left, and it wasn't weak. He didn't look like a dying person. However, his appearance was so miserable that he couldn't even be recognized as a human being. He was completely different from the radiant person he was when we first met.
He wasn't tied up, but he knelt there motionless, making no attempt to run away, and there was no spiritual energy around him, clearly indicating that his dantian had been destroyed.
He's completely useless now; anyone with even a little bit of cultivation could crush him.
Having just recovered from training, having one's body ruined like this again would be a huge blow to anyone.
However, they probably won't kill him now. The original text mentions that they'll torture him for almost a year, so killing him now would directly disrupt the plot rather than indirectly.
What Liu Xingxing is about to do is indirect.
Most of the people in the hall had moved to the large terrace outside, the very place Liu Xingxing had complained about before.
The mountaintop is covered in snow all year round, and at this time, the wind is howling. Even with spiritual energy protecting him, he still felt the biting cold, let alone Yan Qifeng, whose dantian had been destroyed and who had no spiritual power left.
Chi Yan stood next to Yan Qifeng, his face beaming, and said loudly, "Everyone, I have called you all here today to witness this moment. I believe you all understand what needs to be done next."
"If you are not capable enough or are unwilling to give up your little bit of demon power, you can leave now. However, if you leave now, you will have no chance to work for Lord Li Gu in the future. You can make a choice now: either stay or leave."
Liu Xingxing, the only one who managed to sneak in, was completely bewildered and didn't understand what Chi Yan was saying at all.
People were already moving around in the crowd, and quite a few had actually left.
However, not a single demon uttered a sound, and they moved quickly. In no time, nearly a third of the several hundred people had left, and Chi Yan, who was at the head of the group, did not try to stop them at all.
The demons were still leaving one after another. Liu Xingxing observed them silently and it seemed that most of those who remained had relatively high cultivation levels.
Aside from the major demon kings who were all at the Nascent Soul stage, there were also nearly a dozen at the Core Formation stage and over a hundred at the Golden Core stage who remained.
This is probably the largest group of powerful beings in the demon realm.
The selection process didn't last long. Those with lower cultivation levels or those who didn't want to stay left on their own. Of course, a small group of junior members who wanted to take this opportunity to get promoted and work in the Li Hu Palace remained. Liu Xingxing was also included in this group.
Seeing that the area had been cleared up, Chi Yan looked up and glanced at the direction of the sun.
Yes, it's a solar eclipse.
However, this was not yet the time of total eclipse, and the sun had not completely darkened to form a ring.
Not only was Chi Yan watching, but the other demon kings beside him were also looking at the sun, as if they were all waiting for that moment to arrive.
Liu Xingxing became increasingly certain that they were performing some kind of ritual or sacrifice, a sacrifice with Yan Qifeng as the offering.
They were all watching the sun, waiting for that moment to arrive, while Liu Xingxing was looking at Yan Qifeng, whose breathing was steady but who was as silent as a dead man.
His disheveled hair and terrible appearance made it almost impossible to recognize him. The only thing that was clearly visible was his eyes, which were lifeless, as if nothing in the world meant anything to him.
He's already in this state, let alone after being tortured for almost a year. Anyone would go crazy.
Liu Xingxing watched him silently for a long time, not knowing what she was thinking at that moment.
"The phoenix ascends to the heavens, its cycle repeating; the time has come, let us perform the sacrifice!"
A black-robed man who had been following the demon kings shouted, and everyone around him quickly sat down. Liu Xingxing was startled and hurriedly sat down as well.
Then the surrounding demons began to channel their spiritual energy and unleash their demonic power, and the demonic power in the air gathered together and flowed towards the direction of the crimson flames.
Meanwhile, Chi Yan, who was absorbing the power of the demons, placed his hand on Yan Qifeng's head, but instead of transferring demonic power to him, Chi Yan seemed to be absorbing something from him as well.
What could a crippled person possibly have that would make the Crimson Flame go to such lengths to absorb his essence, and why would it need the power of the solar eclipse to transform him?
Liu Xingxing may have been in the illusion for a long time, but her brain hasn't rusted yet.
Another solar eclipse, another gathering of the power of demons, another extraction of something from a cripple—Liu Xingxing suddenly thought of some forbidden techniques for cultivators.
One of the things explicitly forbidden in the cultivation world is "exchanging life".
In short, "life swap" means exchanging everything you have for his. Just like Lu Xihan once worried that someone would covet her Chaos Five Spiritual Roots, she was afraid that those evil cultivators would dig out her spiritual roots and transfer them to those people.
Just like the scheming female supporting characters in those novels who want to take things from the female protagonists who have top-quality spiritual roots, spiritual veins, spines, etc., and replace them with their own, this method is also listed as a forbidden technique here.
Could it be that Chi Yan is trying to swap Yan Qifeng's Nine-Tailed Bloodline for his own?
why?
He's already a demon emperor, what's there to be afraid of? Does he still think his seven-tailed fire fox bloodline isn't pure enough?
Isn't this a tacit admission that those who aren't of the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline are unworthy to be the Demon Emperor? Or is this just a requirement from those Demon Kings for Chi Yan to become Emperor?
But why doesn't Liu Xingxing remember that the novel mentioned Yan Qifeng losing his nine-tailed bloodline?
Even during the darkest year, he remained a nine-tailed red fox, never changing. So what's going on now?
The eclipse didn't last long, and the ceremony was already halfway through. Yan Qifeng's nine-tailed phantom was revealed, as was Chi Yan's seven-tailed phantom.
The space here was also disturbed by the "life-swapping" ritual. The cold wind howled even more fiercely, and the different colored demonic power in the air was still desperately flowing towards the crimson flames, and it was getting faster and faster. It seemed that the critical moment had arrived.
"what!!!"
Chi Yan seemed to be in great pain and couldn't help but scream, while the black-robed man who was presiding over the ceremony continued to perform various strange ritual movements, chanting incantations without stopping, and his movements became faster and faster in sync with Chi Yan's.
Yan Qifeng, who was kneeling, remained silent throughout. Even when his true form was forced to appear, he did not move an inch, just like a dead man being manipulated at will.
Meanwhile, those who were supplied with demonic energy also began to experience situations where their demonic energy was drained, and they could no longer hold on and fainted.
Most of the demons were clearly struggling, but none of the leading demon kings seemed inclined to intervene. They remained bystanders, even chatting leisurely, as if nothing had anything to do with them.
The ceremony went smoothly, and the life exchange was about to be completed. Chi Yan could already feel the boiling within his body, and the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox was drawing closer to him.
"Is this the power of bloodline? Hahahaha!!!"
Even though his body was in pain, he still laughed wildly, victory was in sight.
……
"Wow, it's so lively!"
A faint voice echoed from the void, and with just a soft utterance, it directly interrupted the transmission of demonic power, scattering the various colors of demonic power in the air.
Then a terrifying pressure struck down from the sky, instantly pressing the hundred or so people to the ground, causing them all to vomit blood.
Chi Yan, as the center of the life-exchange, suffered an even greater backlash. Just as his bloodline was about to be exchanged, it was blocked again. His heart meridian was damaged, and he vomited a large mouthful of blood essence, collapsing to the ground, his life hanging in the balance.
The opponent arrived suddenly, and the demon kings didn't even have time to react before the incident happened. However, since they were all at the Nascent Soul stage and hadn't expended any demonic power, they weren't forced to kneel by the pressure, but they weren't exactly having an easy time either.
"Who dares to be so insolent in my demon realm!"
The Southern Demon King, Mu Gu, was one of the demon kings with slightly higher cultivation, so he naturally spoke first.
With several demon kings present, they could not possibly still be from the demon realm. They all knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, and anyone capable of wielding such pressure was definitely above them. As for the elders of the demon realm, they were all in seclusion and could not possibly be here now.
That means it must have come from outside.
But it's unlikely that they wouldn't know about someone with such strength entering their demon realm. Such a person would attract attention anywhere.
The person didn't seem to intend to hide anything, and slowly walked out of the void after Mu Gu spoke.
As the man approached, the oppressive aura grew heavier, further amplified by the massive solar eclipse behind them, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure that relentlessly assailed them.