On the high platform, Li Wentian announced the start of the competition and then departed.
The man in white robes turned around and was slightly stunned to find that Han Xuanji's figure had already disappeared.
"When did he leave?"
"I don't know."
The woman in red robes was also somewhat incredulous; in the blink of an eye, the person was gone.
They were, after all, Body Integration Cultivators, yet they had no idea when the other party had left.
"Most likely a Senior from the Holy Sect; what a pity."
The man in white robes felt a bit disappointed; if they could have befriended a Holy Venerable or Venerable-level powerhouse, it would have been very beneficial to them.
At this moment.
Han Xuanji had already arrived deep within the Devouring Heaven Demonic Palace, using his Heaven Obscuring Art to erase his Qi, making him undetectable even by Ascension Realm powerhouses.
"This is a five-star check-in location. Would you like to check in?"
"Five stars?"
Han Xuanji nodded slightly and silently thought, "System, check in."
"Congratulations to the Host for successfully checking in at the Devouring Heaven Demonic Palace and obtaining the Cultivation Technique 'Devouring Heaven Demon Art'."
"Devouring Heaven Demon Art?"
Han Xuanji accepted the System's Legacy, and this incredibly profound Demonic Path Cultivation Technique instantly flooded into Han Xuanji's mind.
Unlike the abridged version of the Devouring Heaven Demon Art disseminated by the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor, the complete Devouring Heaven Demon Art was a comprehensive cultivation System.
It regarded billions of living beings as "growable resources," with the demon seed planters acting as farmers, sowing demon seeds and waiting for the harvest.
The Cauldrons, seemingly glorious, were in reality nothing more than livestock awaiting slaughter; the higher their cultivation, the closer their demise.
"What a 'demon planting' and 'harvesting'…"
A cold glint flashed in Han Xuanji's eyes, much as he had expected.
This Devouring Heaven Demon Art was far too sinister.
The entire Lin Yuan Continent was the "farm" he had operated for tens of thousands of years.
Once those Holy Venerables reached the Late Stage of the Ascension Realm, even their Divine Souls would be devoured by him, and Li Wentian… this Sect Master, who seemed to hold a high position of power, was an Immortal Pill seed he had meticulously planted.
After reviewing it once, Han Xuanji knew that this Cultivation Technique was indeed sinister and powerful, but it also had many weaknesses.
This was most likely a Cultivation Technique created by a Demonic Path Grand Power from the Upper Realm.
When one Ascended to the Demon Realm, there was no telling if they would become someone else's Immortal Pill.
Naturally, he could not cultivate it, and such a Cultivation Technique harmed the heavens, and its spread would only bring disaster.
At the same time.
Several miles beneath the Demonic Palace, there was a sunless dungeon.
The dungeon was divided into twelve levels, with dense patterns appearing in every corner, and terrifying suppressive power filled every space.
On each level, many Cultivators were imprisoned.
And on the twelfth level, even more powerful Cultivators were held, their shoulders pierced by black chains that continuously siphoned the vitality from their bodies.
Li Wentian, the Devouring Heaven Demonic Sect Master, had personally come to the twelfth level of the dungeon.
"Wentian, you've finally come."
An aged voice came from not far away.
This was an old man with white hair and beard, now disheveled and covered in dirt, completely unrecognizable as an Ascension Realm powerhouse.
"It seems you've finally realized the problem with the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor, haven't you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Wentian lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "I want to know if what you said is true."
"Of course it's true."
"Is your position as Sect Master still secure?"
The old man with white hair and beard curled his lips into an arc and chuckled, "Your cultivation, and even your life, are nothing more than a fine Cauldron the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor prepared for himself."
Li Wentian trembled violently, his face instantly turning ashen, and he murmured, "Indeed, I am just a Cauldron being cultivated?"
There was no free lunch in this world; the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor had given him such a high position for no reason, so it was naturally impossible for him to be without desires.
He had already thought of this point.
However, when he truly learned of it, he still couldn't help but feel lost.
"That's right!"
The words of the old man with white hair and beard carried a coldness.
"Cultivating you, giving you resources, giving you status—it was all for himself!"
"Then what should I do? To be honest, I can't open these chains, and with my ability, it's impossible to resist the Old Ancestor."
Li Wentian was silent for a moment, then whispered.
"Find a way… I suggest you cultivate a bit slower."
The old man with white hair and beard said helplessly.
"And you also need to find a way to interact more with other forces. This world is full of powerhouses; there might not be anyone who can contend with the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor."
Upon hearing this, Li Wentian seemed to think of something and said, "Perhaps there are powerhouses in the Nine Provinces Continent who can contend, but contacting them is a difficult problem."
"Oh?"
The old man with white hair and beard's mind trembled, and he said, "If there truly are such powerhouses, you must find a way to notify them. We absolutely cannot let this Devouring Heaven Devil Head continue to spread his Demonic Technique."
Before Li Wentian could reply, a faint voice suddenly sounded.
"You're not stupid, after all."
Li Wentian sensed that the voice was unfamiliar and abruptly turned his head.
He saw a youth, like a banished immortal, who had appeared behind him at some unknown point. The other party's aura was restrained, making it impossible to discern his true cultivation, but his demeanor made it impossible to underestimate him.
Just as Li Wentian was about to speak, he felt his body suddenly sink, as if pressed down by an invisible mountain.
The spiritual Qi in his body circulated sluggishly, and a fear stemming from the instinct of life, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed his mind. He felt that everything about him was clearly seen by the existence before him, with no secrets whatsoever.
In Han Xuanji's double pupils, Chaos Qi flowed, and he saw a demon seed deep within Li Wentian's body.
This was a guillotine hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment!
"Understanding now is not too late."
Han Xuanji's voice was calm.
"Could it be that you are the powerhouse from the Nine Provinces Continent?"
Li Wentian was not foolish and quickly guessed Han Xuanji's identity.
His tone carried disbelief.
The Nine Provinces Continent was unknown distances away from here, yet the other party could arrive at the Devouring Heaven Demonic Sect so quickly, and silently infiltrate this place.
This indicated that even the Devouring Heaven Old Ancestor had failed to detect the other party.
The old man with white hair and beard's pupils contracted even more, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his turbid old eyes, and he quickly said, "Greetings, Senior. Please, Senior, eradicate the Devouring Heaven Devil Head and grant freedom to the Lin Yuan Continent and its billions of living beings."
"My purpose in coming here is naturally to eliminate this Devil Head."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, sweeping his gaze over these people.
The Cultivators on the twelfth level were all Ascension Realm existences, with the strongest among them, this white-haired old man, being a master of the sixth layer of the Ascension Realm. His aura was now decaying, almost on the verge of dropping in Realm.
Outside, this would be enough for him to be the Old Ancestor of any sect, an existence who could summon wind and rain, yet here he was reduced to a prisoner, which was truly lamentable.
"However, let me first eradicate this demon seed."
Han Xuanji looked at Li Wentian, startling him.