Chapter Twenty-Five: The Most Powerful Surge of Demonic Energy in History

It is often said that when disaster strikes, there is no escaping it; Mo Bufan now truly believed this. As he cursed the handful of reckless youths who had snuck into the Wind Hall, he began to devise a plan. Within the Abyss of Fallen Dragons, large outbreaks of demonic energy usually lasted four to five hours before the lingering spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm within the Demon Suppression Hall could suppress it. Smaller eruptions still endured for at least an hour. The scope of these outbreaks also varied—at the core, the demonic energy was far more intense. If a chain reaction were triggered, the entire Abyss could be engulfed by the malign aura. This time, the scale was clearly considerable.

Mo Bufan estimated his own cultivation would allow him to withstand the demonic energy for just over an hour; if the corruption proved too strong, even lasting a single hour would be fortunate. Thankfully, he'd prepared before coming, though what the world had provided him was untested—while it could resist demonic energy, he would need to ready himself before using it. For now, his best option was to leave this central area; he had seen all he needed, and the further he moved from here, the lighter the demonic influence would become.

With these thoughts, Mo Bufan quickly chose a direction and dashed toward the space between the Thunder Hall and Rain Hall. Yet fate had other plans. He barely took a few steps before thunderous explosions erupted from the other two grand halls, and in a spectacle reminiscent of a nuclear blast, vast torrents of demonic energy exploded forth from both. “Damn it, could my luck be any worse?” Mo Bufan swore, then turned to see all four subsidiary halls simultaneously spewing demonic energy skyward. Only the Ancestral Dragon Hall nearest to him remained quiet, but before he could catch his breath, a mighty dragon's roar thundered from within! Mo Bufan's heart clenched; the roar deepened, grew more intense, and finally exploded, filling the entire Abyss of Fallen Dragons with its terrifying sound. Demonic energy burst forth from the Ancestral Dragon Hall, rising like a monstrous mushroom cloud.

At the same moment, the accumulated power of countless cultivators—spanning thousands or even tens of thousands of years—converged as streams of immortal force, striving to repel the demonic energy. Yet it was clear that the malign aura was uncontrollable, recklessly surging forth. Throughout the Abyss, the demonic energy seemed to answer a call, erupting everywhere at once!

Mo Bufan could only lament his fate; this script was meant for the protagonist, yet here it was happening to him. He had only wished for a peaceful cultivation, to be a dutiful son-in-law, to admire the grand scenery of the cultivation world, to experience its way of life—he had never sought to be the hero! “Hell’s bells, are they trying to kill me?” Despair gripped him, and with no options left, he could only remain and endure until the demonic energy dissipated.

Just then, a dozen figures burst out of the Wind Hall, desperately fleeing—not toward the exit, but deeper within. Mo Bufan cursed and moved to avoid them. But before he could take a few steps, he sensed something amiss: the roaring of countless beasts and the thunder of their stampede echoed, and at the entrances of the four halls, thousands of monsters and dozens of cultivators were charging in his direction, their speed nearly matching those reckless youths.

Among those rushing from between the Wind and Rain Halls were three familiar faces: Princess Zhao Yuan’er, Shangguan Feng, and Lu Feng. Mo Bufan involuntarily halted, puzzled, “Could something have happened outside as well?”

The three dragons who had been tracking him shared his confusion. Their initial thoughts mirrored Mo Bufan’s, but seeing so many people rushing in, even their simple minds realized something unexpected had occurred outside.

Shangguan Feng’s group spotted Mo Bufan and their faces lit up with joy, though upon seeing the demonic energy surging behind him from the Ancestral Dragon Hall, their expressions faltered.

“Fellow Daoist Mo!” Shangguan Feng greeted him with a bow. The princess blushed at the sight of Mo Bufan, recalling his rejection, and turned away with an angry huff.

Mo Bufan had no time for Zhao Yuan’er’s minor grievances; inwardly he sighed at the mounting trouble, but aloud he pressed, “Fellow Daoist, what happened outside? Why is everyone running this way?”

---

Shangguan Feng gave a bitter smile. “There was a demonic outbreak outside as well—and it’s much worse than here.”

“Hm?” Mo Bufan looked at him in surprise. By rights, the demonic energy should be strongest here.

“Wherever the demonic energy erupts, ancient demonic creatures slain tens of thousands of years ago are reanimating. Even though they are just fragments and remains, their power is undiminished,” Shangguan Feng explained. “We and the other Daoists were driven here by them.”

Mo Bufan, hearing this, glanced again at the gaps between the four halls—vast waves of demonic energy were surging toward them, filled with strange forms. Many cultivators slower than the rushing energy were quickly engulfed, forced into deadly combat with the revived demons. Mo Bufan’s composure nearly shattered; the library’s tomes had never mentioned anything like this! Demonic beasts could resurrect?! And after tens of thousands of years, why did they choose to revive now, while he happened to be here? Was he truly cursed with protagonist’s fate? If so, could he at least get the hero’s luck? This was clearly meant to destroy him!

While they spoke, the stampede of beasts and cultivators drew near, and within minutes, all were gathered in the ring-shaped space before the Ancestral Dragon Hall. Miserable and battered, Gao Xiu and four others stumbled before Mo Bufan; their companions had been scattered. The five quickly recognized Mo Bufan, but aside from Zheng Feng and Zhao Sinan, none acknowledged him, their faces fixed in terror as they stared at the oncoming demonic energy.

At this point, all conflict between beast and human was forgotten; every gaze fixed on the looming darkness.

“Fellow Daoist Mo, it seems we must join forces today; only together do we stand a chance,” Shangguan Feng said.

Mo Bufan nodded without hesitation, then called to Gao Xiu’s group, “You, come over here. Only by working together can we survive this ordeal.”

But the five fools merely glanced at him—even Zheng Feng and Zhao Sinan showed no intention of joining. Clearly, they regarded Mo Bufan as a burden, preferring to team up with the strong rather than with him.

“Damn it!” Mo Bufan grumbled, and could only follow Shangguan Feng to their side. As they reached the group, three figures with horns and small tails appeared, revealing themselves before Mo Bufan.

“Let’s get acquainted—I am Long Ling’er,” the exceptionally beautiful dragon girl greeted with a bow.

“Long Ao.”

“Long Tian.”

The other two introduced themselves curtly, their eyes on the surging demonic energy.

Their intentions were clear: unite with Mo Bufan to confront the crisis.

“So, you three have been trailing me all along,” Mo Bufan muttered, then, almost without thinking, hummed a song: “I have horns on my head, a tail behind me; no one knows what secrets I possess…”

“Why am I singing this?” he wondered aloud.

“You know our secret?” Long Ao glared at him, wary and angry.

Mo Bufan was momentarily stunned, then shook his head before nodding, “I didn’t before, but now I know you must have secrets.”

“So you brought us here on purpose?” Long Tian asked.

“Does your secret have something to do with the Ancestral Dragon’s domain?” Mo Bufan countered.

---

Long Ao and Long Tian’s faces twisted in fury. “Stop feigning ignorance.”

“So it really is connected to this place,” Mo Bufan observed, eyes forward.

“I told you, we should have killed him,” Long Ao spat, enraged.

Long Tian nodded in agreement.

Unable to contain himself, Mo Bufan finally snapped, “Are you all idiots? At a time like this, you’re arguing instead of focusing! If you want to survive, pay attention!”

Long Ling’er rolled her eyes at her two brothers—though foolish, they were not entirely witless, and now turned their focus to the impending wave of demonic energy.

Shangguan Feng and Gao Xiu’s group had no idea what was being discussed, nor time to ponder it, for the beasts ahead were already swallowed by demonic energy and fighting for their lives against the monsters within.

“Stay behind me. Do not wander off,” Shangguan Feng instructed Princess Zhao Yuan’er, brandishing a flying sword and shield as he summoned a spiritual barrier to protect them both.

Mo Bufan gripped his sword, quickly conjuring a protective aura around himself and his two fire foxes.

In an instant, the overwhelming demonic energy engulfed them all. A murderous, bloody intent surged into Mo Bufan’s mind; he was startled, but with the operation of the Celestial Derivation Technique, clarity returned. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked by what he saw.

Before him stood a humanoid creature, over ten feet tall, clad in tattered black armor, its body covered in decaying flesh and bone, wielding a bone blade as it charged toward him, roaring. Mo Bufan had only seen such scenes on television—now confronted with it, his heart trembled, but his hand did not falter. With the Purple Star Sword Technique, a flash of sword light met the demon head-on.

With a thunderous crash, the demon’s bone blade struck Mo Bufan’s sword light, and its body was sent flying!

So weak?!

He barely had time to rejoice before two other broken-bodied demons lunged at him. Without hesitation, Mo Bufan swung his sword, sending several flashes of sword light and knocking the monsters away again. Yet moments later, the demons he’d struck down rose once more, their bodies unscathed, and charged him anew.

“They can’t be killed!” Mo Bufan exclaimed in alarm.

Just then, Zhao Sinan’s desperate scream rang out nearby. Mo Bufan turned to see her struggling to fell a demon, while another was nearly upon her. Zhao Yunfan and Chen Tianwen were frantic, but helpless and shouting in vain.

As Zhao Sinan braced herself for disaster, a fierce sword light flashed—Mo Bufan sent the demon flying, and with agile movement, dispatched the threats to Zheng Feng and the others.

“Form a circle—defend back to back!” Mo Bufan shouted urgently.

Zhao Sinan, still unclear on how Mo Bufan had acted so quickly, was pushed by him into position. The three dragon siblings and Shangguan Feng’s group wasted no time, quickly finding their places. Gao Xiu’s group, stunned by Mo Bufan’s display, hesitated until he barked at them, “Don’t just stand there—move!”

The five, realizing their weakness, joined the circle, interlocking positions with the dragons, Shangguan Feng, and Mo Bufan. The princess was shielded at the center by Shangguan Feng.

As they formed the circle, dozens of terrifying demons launched their attack, and battle erupted.

All around, the fighting between beasts and demons grew ever more fierce and brutal...