Chapter 1264: False Report

Pure Nine-Lotus Treasure Lamp.

After refining the fragments of the Heavenly Phoenix Mirror, the Vast Sky Mirror advanced to the sixth tier, but its full potential had yet to be unleashed. As Daoist Dandian's fated artifact, the Heavenly Phoenix Mirror's raw materials possessed innate properties. If they could be fully refined, the Vast Sky Mirror could certainly reach the peak of the sixth tier. However, this step was beyond Chen Mobai's current capabilities. After all, he was merely at the God Transformation stage; crafting a sixth-tier artifact was already his limit. The Primal Chaos Bell's advancement was also due to its previously established foundation; Chen Mobai merely provided resources and the power of the four great daos.

Therefore, for the Vast Sky Mirror to advance further, it primarily needed to refine itself. Given his relatively lower cultivation, Chen Mobai decided to use formation arts as an auxiliary method. The Heaven Curtain Earth Net Grand Formation was a sixth-tier formation. By placing the Vast Sky Mirror within its spiritual nexus, it could be cultivated as the formation's core. This effectively meant using the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy from mountains and rivers, drawn in by the Heaven Curtain Earth Net Grand Formation, to help the Vast Sky Mirror accelerate its absorption of the Heavenly Phoenix Mirror fragments.

In the Purple Heavens Universe, this was a relatively obscure method of artifact refining, known as "Formation Refining." Originally, artifact refiners would place the embryo of their fated artifact into the core of a star imbued with the Dao韵 of heaven and earth. As the artifact took shape, it would integrate these Dao韵, potentially gaining innate profundities upon its emergence and laying the foundation for the seventh tier. Over time, this method evolved: artifact embryos could be placed into any spiritual脉 nexus for refining, saving cultivators time, as they only needed to collect them once mature.

After all, for cultivators, the energy and resources required to refine a fated artifact to match their cultivation level were nearly comparable to those expended on their own cultivation. This method of Formation Refining could thus free cultivators from this intensive process. Even if a refinement failed, they could simply craft a new fated artifact embryo. Indeed, for skilled artifact refiners like Chen Mobai, artifact embryos could be readily forged as long as materials were available. They could even place several artifact embryos into the formation simultaneously and later select the one that developed most successfully.

While Mount Panghuang's spiritual脉 might not compare to star cores imbued with innate Dao韵, under the augmentation of the Heaven Curtain Earth Net Grand Formation, it was more than sufficient to support the Vast Sky Mirror in reaching the peak of the sixth tier. Furthermore, keeping the Vast Sky Mirror here was akin to having it at home, putting Chen Mobai at ease. Conveniently, he could also use the grand formation to amplify the artifact's power to illuminate the vast world and ward off inner demons. This was killing two birds with one stone.

In the following period, while Chen Mobai resided on Mount Panghuang, adjusting the integration of the Vast Sky Mirror's light with the Heaven Curtain Earth Net Grand Formation, he simultaneously directed his second primordial spirit to seek out the remaining inner demon avatars across the Eastern Continent. Although he was tempted to let them 'fatten up' before striking, the Eastern Continent was ultimately his territory. Even if it meant revealing something, he needed to cleanse it internally first, to prevent the Central Demonic Dao Lord from poisoning the living beings of the Eastern Continent should a full-scale conflict erupt later.

The second primordial spirit informed the other three great holy lands about the inner demon avatars in the Eastern Lands, as they were more prevalent there. Moreover, his continuous purges, resulting in avatars repeatedly losing contact, had alerted the Central Demonic Dao Lord, who began manipulating these avatars to act and flee. Of the five inner demon avatars in the Eastern Lands, three were found within factions affiliated with the three great holy lands. This was because the main sects of these holy lands cultivated Pure Bamboo, making it virtually impossible for new disciples to avoid its influence. Consequently, the Central Demonic Dao Lord only dared to possess disciples from branch sects or those with low cultivation who were considered unimportant laborers. The other two were Nascent Soul ancestors within the various Hundred Nations of the Eastern Lands.

After informing the three great holy lands, Chen Mobai wasted no time. He directly wielded the Primal Yang Sword, pursuing the targets identified by the Primal Demonic Talisman, slaying each avatar with a single strike. These two inner demon avatars had been cultivated by the Central Demonic Dao Lord for a long time, and their cultivation surpassed even Du Mengyun's. After their demise, within the Sea of Consciousness in Chen Mobai's true body, seated on Mount Panghuang, two more facets of the World-Ending Great Mill illuminated.

Chen Mobai wasn't particularly concerned about these two new demonic dao inheritances. However, the emergence of two substantial currents of ill-fate power meant his accumulation on this great dao had already reached half that of the Sacred Virtue Great Dao. It's worth noting that since his God Transformation, eighty percent of his diligent effort had been dedicated to the Sacred Virtue Great Dao. Yet, through the Primal Demonic Talisman, by simply slaying a few inner demon avatars, he effortlessly matched a century of arduous cultivation gained from the Pure Yang Scroll. If this continued, wouldn't the Ill-Fate Great Dao quickly surpass the Sacred Virtue Great Dao, reaching God Transformation completion ahead of it?

Upon realizing this, Chen Mobai felt no joy, only a surge of apprehension. The cultivation speed of this Primal Demonic Dao was alarmingly rapid! With the Central Demonic Dao Lord's fate as a cautionary tale fresh in his mind, Chen Mobai was now certain that any significant progress in the Primal Demonic Dao would quickly turn him into the Demonic Lord's blood offering. Therefore, after completely purging the inner demon avatars from the Eastern Continent, he decisively recalled his second primordial spirit and halted his demon-hunting activities.

Nevertheless, the Central Demonic Dao Lord was greatly alarmed. He had just begun his plan to investigate the whereabouts of the Evil Ghost Plate, starting with the Five Elements Sect, when all his inner demon avatars, buried in the Eastern Continent for over a century, lost contact within just half a month. This situation was all too familiar to the Central Demonic Dao Lord: his avatars had been eliminated. When his strongest inner demon avatars had confronted Tai Xu Xian, they had met the same fate. Through the images transmitted by these inner demon avatars just before their destruction, the Central Demonic Dao Lord witnessed Chen Mobai, enveloped in golden flames and wielding a golden longsword.

"The Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness!" the Central Demonic Dao Lord stood upon the ocean's surface, gazing towards the Eastern Continent, muttering to himself. When he first heard this title, he had assumed it was merely because the Eastern Continent lacked truly capable individuals after Yuan Qingque's ascension, allowing this junior to claim the title of the foremost expert. Even after the White Bone Dharma King perished at Chen Mobai's hands, the Central Demonic Dao Lord's opinion remained unchanged. After all, though the Five Demonic Dao Lords were spoken of collectively, the other four combined were barely fit to carry his shoes. Furthermore, the White Bone Dharma King had already been slain once by Yuan Qingque, and after returning through possession, his cultivation was certainly not at its previous peak. Chen Mobai's feat of slaying him was, in his eyes, unremarkable.

However, the subsequent demise of the old Flood Dragon caused the Central Demonic Dao Lord to reconsider slightly. He understood the power of the Abyss-Stabilizing Sea-Suppressing Pearl. Even if he were to go to the Profound Sea with a demonic treasure, he wouldn't be able to defeat the old Flood Dragon in a direct confrontation. Yet, Chen Mobai, on the Profound Sea and in front of the Profound Flood Dragon Royal Court, spirited away the old Flood Dragon with a flick of his sleeve. By the time he reappeared, the old Flood Dragon had already been slain.

Given the Central Demonic Dao Lord's vast knowledge, he naturally considered a method similar to a Dharma Realm. However, that was a divine ability of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace, and he didn't believe Chen Mobai had mastered it. He merely suspected Chen Mobai possessed a Grotto-Heaven artifact, using it to spirit away the old Flood Dragon and sever its connection to the Abyss-Stabilizing Sea-Suppressing Pearl and the Profound Sea.

Among the eighteen Demonic Dao sects, one was even more secretive than the Incarnation Demonic Sect: the Pot Heaven Demonic Sect. This sect's founder was a former disciple of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace, named Hutian, and even a Dao Son. However, he fell in love with a Demonic Sect Saintess. When his sect was about to execute her, he stole the Heaven and Earth Pot, a Grotto-Heaven treasure of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace, to save his beloved. This Heaven and Earth Pot was rumored to be True King Tai Xu's Dharma Realm, containing infinitely vast space and forming its own independent grand world.

After this rebellious Dao Son of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace escaped, he and his beloved hid within the Heaven and Earth Pot, never to be found. Yet, every few centuries, cultivators claiming to be from the Hutian lineage would appear in the Heavenly River Realm, naturally condemned by the Grand Void Ethereal Palace as demonic rebels. However, cultivators from the Hutian lineage were generally already at the God Transformation stage. Furthermore, due to their mastery of Grotto-Heaven techniques, they could conceal themselves within a single blade of grass or a drop of water, making it impossible for even the Grand Void Ethereal Palace to completely eradicate them. Over time, the Hutian lineage became one of the eighteen Demonic Dao sects.

The Central Demonic Dao Lord suspected that a member of the Hutian lineage had been involved in the old Flood Dragon's demise. Thus, while the old Flood Dragon nominally died at Chen Mobai's hands, no one knew how many God Transformation cultivators had besieged it after it was spirited away. Therefore, in the Central Demonic Dao Lord's view, the true value of Chen Mobai's achievement remained questionable. However, the true situation still required firsthand verification. Therefore, as the Central Demonic Dao Lord prepared to travel to the Eastern Continent to retrieve the Six Paths Sub-Plates, he dispatched inner demon avatars to specifically investigate Chen Mobai.

He had just refined Du Mengyun's inner demon and was preparing to use her as a starting point to gradually infiltrate the Five Elements Sect. Instead, it was like stirring up a shark's nest. Not only were the newly planted inner demons gone, but the detection instantly spread to all inner demon avatars across the entire Eastern Continent. The Central Demonic Dao Lord could accept the exposure of one avatar, or even all avatars within the Five Elements Sect, as the world was vast and contained countless profound techniques. Perhaps the Five Elements Sect possessed specific means to detect inner demons. He would simply attribute it to bad luck and accept his losses. However, when all ten avatars across the entire Eastern Continent vanished within a short timeframe, even the supremely rational Central Demonic Dao Lord realized something was profoundly wrong.

Did that Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness possess a secret art or treasure capable of tracking other inner demons of the same origin by using one as a base? The Central Demonic Dao Lord arrived at the most plausible explanation for the current situation. After all, he was an immensely confident individual, whose profound cultivation had long qualified him for the Void Refining stage. He simply didn't believe Chen Mobai possessed the means to covertly corrupt and pinpoint all his inner demons. In that case, he could no longer dispatch weaker inner demon avatars to the Eastern Continent. With this realization, the Central Demonic Dao Lord decided to act swiftly and raze all the orthodox holy lands in the Eastern Continent. Aside from the Life-Death Plate, it was also because the Eastern Continent contained a bane for his Incarnation Demonic Art.

"Although all my inner demon avatars in the Eastern Continent have been destroyed, I've still gathered most of the crucial information..." The Central Demonic Dao Lord murmured to himself, then retrieved a communication talisman and began to notify Tu Ming and True Monarch Tianling. Earlier, he had rejected Tu Ming's advice to proceed from easier to harder tasks, preferring to first raze the Nine Heavens Demonic Extermination Sect to obtain the primary Samsara Plate before considering other sub-plates. But now, his sole focus was on annihilating the Five Elements Sect and slaying the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness. Before that, however, another probe was necessary. The Central Demonic Dao Lord's ascension to the supreme position of the Demonic Dao in the Heavenly River Realm was due not only to his formidable cultivation but also to his cautious disposition.

Soon after, Tu Ming, having received the message, returned to the long-unseen Profound Sea. As he gazed at the Eastern Continent, now within sight, his eyes flickered slightly. One hundred and twenty years ago, he had been slain by Yuan Qingque, and the ghostly embryonic form he had hidden in the Eastern Continent was captured by True Monarch Wuchen at Five Emperors Mountain. Had he not possessed a backup in the Western Continent, he would likely have fallen into endless reincarnation, unable to transcend. Now, however, he had not only devoured the Western Demonic Dao Lord and regained his God Transformation cultivation, but he had also used the Hell Plate to cultivate the Black Rope Heavenly Demon avatar, allowing him to channel a portion of the Black Rope Demonic God's power from beyond the heavens. His strength now surpassed his former peak.

It was time to reclaim everything he had lost. With this thought, Tu Ming cast a chilling gaze upon the Eastern Continent's coastline. According to intelligence from the Central Demonic Dao Lord, that area was now the territory of the Five Elements Sect, and the Evil Ghost Plate was located there. Furthermore, Su Zilu, who had once served as his Primal Body vessel for nurturing the ghost embryo, was now one of the Five Elements Sect's elders. All these clues pointed to the truth behind that old unsolved case. Evidently, Su Zilu had betrayed him. Upon encountering the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness, who shared a common origin, she had offered up the Evil Ghost Plate. Then, together with the Azure Emperor, she had slain his ghost embryo. "You despicable pair, I will settle this score with you thoroughly!"

After reviewing the intelligence provided by the Central Demonic Dao Lord, Tu Ming refrained from impulsive action. He decided to exact his revenge systematically. First, he would slowly dismember the traitorous Su Zilu, then use her corpse to instill fear in the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness. Next, he would gradually torture and kill the Nascent Soul cultivators of the One-Yuan Dao Palace and the Five Elements Sect. Finally, he would cast the despairing Azure Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness into reincarnation.

As this thought crossed his mind, a gloomy portal appeared before Tu Ming. This was the Netherworld Scripture's supreme technique, the Gate of the Underworld. It allowed one to traverse distances in the mortal realm by passing through the netherworld, akin to an alternative form of void travel.

Chen Mobai, meditating on Mount Panghuang, opened his eyes with a peculiar expression. He sensed that someone had opened a portal, using an unknown method, and entered the Heaven Curtain Earth Net Grand Formation. He stretched out a hand, and a bronze mirror instantly materialized in the sky. Within the mirror's surface, Tu Ming emerged from the gloomy portal. "Is this... walking into a trap?" As Chen Mobai observed the scene, this thought surfaced in his mind.