Chapter 277

Chapter 277

When the protective formation of the Pleiades Valley was shattered, the earth-shattering tremor was felt by every cultivator on the Pleiades Continent.

Instantly, all cultivators on the Pleiades Continent, regardless of what they were doing, rushed out to gaze toward the Pleiades Valley. Upon seeing the black mist rising into the sky, everyone felt an ominous premonition.

Those most affected by the tremor were the cultivators near the Pleiades Valley.

Jiao Junhao and his junior brother, who had just arrived near the Pleiades Valley, were directly knocked to the ground by the tremor.

They fell from their flying swords, covered in dust and dirt, but at that moment, they could only stare in horror at the black mist hovering above the Pleiades Valley. The terrifying demonic aura emanating from the mist swept outward, and when it touched them, their expressions turned ghastly, almost paralyzing them.

In Heavenly Dragon Town, Ning Yuzhou, who was refining pills within a spatial realm, sensed something and put down the half-refined spirit pill before stepping out.

He walked out of the inn's room, leaped up, and stood in the air above the inn, immediately spotting the black mist piercing through the sky.

"Demonic aura..." A look of understanding crossed his face. "So that's what it is!"

His voice was so low that it quickly dissipated into the air, unnoticed by anyone.

The cultivators in seclusion in Heavenly Dragon Town emerged one after another. They hovered in mid-air, gazing in the direction of the Pleiades Valley, their faces showing various expressions of anxiety, seriousness, or confusion. The ominous feeling in their hearts drove them to rush toward the Pleiades Valley without hesitation.

At that moment, countless cultivators headed for the Pleiades Valley.

They no longer cared about the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map possessed by the Pleiades Valley; instead, they wanted to understand what this black mist was and why it appeared there. What had the four major families and the demonic cultivators done to cause this black mist to emerge, and what impact would it have on the Pleiades Continent?

Every cultivator on the continent felt a terrible foreboding.

This was a mysterious perception given by the continent to its nurtured cultivators, especially the high-level ones, whose senses were even clearer. They knew that the collaboration of the four major families and the demonic cultivators had released a monster capable of destroying the entire continent.

The leaders of the eight major sects all set out.

They soon met halfway.

"Master Fan!"

"Master He!"

The heads of the Heart Unity Sect and True Martial Sect greeted each other, noticing the grave expressions on each other's faces, which weighed heavily on their minds.

"Master He, are you heading to the Pleiades Valley?" asked the head of the Heart Unity Sect.

The head of the True Martial Sect nodded slowly. "My two unworthy disciples went to the Pleiades Valley recently, and I'm worried..."

"My Xiao Xiao also went there," sighed Master Fan.

Both were concerned for their beloved disciples and daughters, but more importantly, they feared the sudden change at the Pleiades Valley, which might bring unrest to the Pleiades Continent.

***

Meanwhile, Jiao Junhao and the others, whom their elders worried about, were also in dire straits.

They were suppressed by the terrifying demonic aura that suddenly emerged from the Pleiades Valley, taking some time to adapt before they could barely stand up.

Seeing his junior brother pale and struggling under the demonic aura, Jiao Junhao decided to let him leave while he went to investigate.

"Senior Brother..."

"Listen!" Jiao Junhao said grimly. "It's extremely dangerous ahead. With my cultivation, I can barely approach. If anything happens, I won't be able to take care of you."

Ai Jue couldn't risk both their lives and reluctantly agreed.

"Senior Brother, if you see Brother Ning..."

"Don't worry. If they're in danger, I'll do everything I can to save them."

Ai Jue felt a pang of distress. "Senior Brother, be careful!"

After Ai Jue left, Jiao Junhao took a deep breath and, despite the terrifying demonic aura, headed toward the Pleiades Valley.

As he moved forward, the demonic aura grew stronger, making even a Yuanzong cultivator feel like a child facing an adult, giving him a sense of impending doom.

Jiao Junhao, with his unwavering will, refused to give in and gritted his teeth as he continued forward.

Finally, Jiao Junhao reached the entrance of the Pleiades Valley.

Seeing the horrific scene at the entrance, his pupils constricted, and he involuntarily stopped, collapsing to the ground, only able to lift his head to clearly see the tens of thousands of cultivators gathered at the entrance, bleeding from their seven orifices, dying in madness.

Under the terrifying demonic aura, blood began to flow from his own orifices.

Despite the tears of blood streaming down his face, Jiao Junhao did not retreat, staring intently at the group of madly dying cultivators.

The weaker cultivators had already fallen to the ground, lifeless, while the black mist surging from the Pleiades Valley quickly invaded their bodies, turning their skin black. The stronger ones, though still alive, were close to death, driven mad by the demonic aura.

He looked toward the Pleiades Valley.

In the past, when he passed by the Pleiades Valley, it was still open, and from afar, he could see the mist-covered peaks, beautiful like a fairyland. Playful cloud beasts would occasionally run out to play nearby, and if a cultivator gained their favor, they would follow, endearing themselves in their innocence.

Now, the Pleiades Valley was shrouded in black mist, pushing the clouds deep into the valley, leaving only a few stubborn clouds protecting the cloud beasts that had retreated into the depths.

Cloud beasts were born from the clouds, and wherever the clouds were, that was their home.

Roar—

A furious roar echoed from the Pleiades Valley, filled with anger, causing waves of shock to spread.

Jiao Junhao spat out a mouthful of blood.

He knew he couldn't stay any longer, or he would meet the same fate as those at the entrance, dying in madness.

Just as Jiao Junhao managed to rise from the ground, suppressing the surging blood within him, he suddenly saw a disheveled figure dart out of the black mist. The person was clad in red, making them particularly conspicuous against the dark fog.

Once the figure finally escaped from Xusxing Valley, Jiao Junhao realized that the person wasn't wearing red clothes but rather clothes stained with blood.

Soon after, two more figures emerged, equally disheveled.

After the three of them escaped, they were shocked to see the situation at the valley entrance. Their faces turned livid, their blood and qi surged, and blood seeped from the corners of their mouths, leaving them visibly weakened.

They had already been injured when escaping from the demonic mist, and seeing the family disciples who had accompanied them lying dead here only added to their anguish.

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, they spat out mouthfuls of blood, struggling to maintain their composure.

After plotting for a thousand years, they finally made their move on Xusxing Valley, only to fail in obtaining the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map. Instead, they released a terrifying monster, and two cultivators at the Emperor Yuan Realm perished. Regret could not begin to describe their current feelings.

These three individuals were none other than Shang Yang, the Demon Venerable, the ancestor of the Shen family, and the ancestor of the Yi family.

Without hesitation, they flew out, carrying those who were still alive, heading in the opposite direction of Xusxing Valley.

Jiao Junhao quickly followed them, retreating from the scene.

When they reached an area where the demonic aura was weaker, they saw a group of cultivators rushing over.

These cultivators had been waiting nearby, not far from Xusxing Valley. They knew about the plan of the four major families and had intended to wait until the families broke through the valley's protective barrier before swooping in to reap some benefits.

Upon sensing the anomaly at Xusxing Valley, they rushed over, including many members of the four major families stationed nearby.

Seeing the disheveled appearance of this group, everyone was stunned, especially the disciples of the four major families, whose expressions changed dramatically.

"Ancestor, are you alright?"

"Ancestor, what happened? Where is the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map?"

"Why are there only the three of you? Where is our Xiao family's ancestor?"

"What about our Chai family's ancestor?"

...

The crowd bombarded them with questions. Normally, they would not dare to press an Emperor Yuan Realm ancestor so directly, but the overwhelming fear and the pitiful state of these three Emperor Yuan Realm ancestors left no room for such formalities.

Xiao Xiankai, the head of the Xiao clan, scanned the area and, finding no trace of his clan's ancestor, his face turned grim. He couldn't help but approach Shang Yang.

"Uncle Fifth Ancestor, why isn't our Xiao family's ancestor here?" Xiao Xiankai asked.

Shang Yang, pale and weary, looked at him with a half-smile and said, "I'm not your Uncle Fifth Ancestor; don't try to claim kinship."

Xiao Xiankai remained silent.

Shang Yang glanced at him disdainfully and said, "He's dead."

Xiao Xiankai's face changed dramatically, and he blurted out, "Impossible!"

As Xiao Xiankai approached Shang Yang, the surrounding people listened intently. When they heard Xiao Xiankai call Shang Yang "Uncle Fifth Ancestor," they couldn't help but sneer, understanding that the Xiao clan was trying to establish a connection with Shang Yang to show that they had backing.

Even though Shang Yang was a demon cultivator, he was still an Emperor Yuan Realm demon cultivator. People admired strength, and as long as he was powerful enough, it didn't matter whether he was a demon or spirit cultivator. The Xiao clan's actions were shameless, but considering what they had done over the years, especially regarding Xusxing Valley and its sole heir, it wasn't surprising.

However, upon hearing Shang Yang's words, everyone present was incredulous.

The Xiao family's ancestor is dead?

The Chai family also reacted strongly.

"What about our ancestor?" the Chai family head asked tremulously.

Shang Yang still wore that half-smile, "If he's not here, he must have died in that demonic lair."

"Demonic lair?"

Ignoring the Chai family, the crowd focused on the information Shang Yang had revealed, their hearts tightening.

But Shang Yang remained silent.

At that moment, a tired, old voice spoke up, "Shang Yang Demon Venerable is right. There is a demonic lair in Xusxing Valley, which gave birth to an extremely terrifying demon. The ancestors of the Xiao and Chai families were devoured by it..."

Hearing this, the three Emperor Yuan Realm cultivators who had experienced the nightmare firsthand turned grim, the terror in their eyes flickering momentarily.

The protective barrier of Xusxing Valley was broken, and demonic energy surged into the sky. The five Emperor Yuan Realm cultivators standing at the forefront were the first to be hit by the terrifying demonic aura.

This sudden change stunned the crowd, freezing their smiles.

Fortunately, although the five Emperor Yuan Realm cultivators were attacked, they only suffered minor injuries.

Seeing the anomaly at Xusxing Valley, they all felt a sense of foreboding but could not abandon the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map. They plunged into the black mist.

However, they did not expect to encounter a bottomless black hole at the entrance of Xusxing Valley. As soon as they entered, they were sucked in. If not for their quick reactions, they might have been corrupted by the surging demonic energy, turning into monstrous beings.

Even Shang Yang, a demon cultivator, could not escape unscathed from such terrifying demonic energy.

The situation in Xusxing Valley exceeded their imagination. The demonic energy was so intense that even demon cultivators found it unsuitable, let alone for cultivation. With the plan failing, Shang Yang's face turned grim, and he faced accusations from the four major families, questioning if he had known about the changes in Xusxing Valley and kept it secret.

Shang Yang's actions clearly indicated that he wanted to eliminate them to obtain the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map.

The five almost came to blows.

Before they could fight, the monster slumbering in the black hole seemed to awaken and dragged them down.

Only then did they realize that beneath the black hole lay a Thousand Demons Lair, where a terrifying demon had been born...

The ancestor of the Yi family, exhausted, said, "That demon is incredibly powerful. Despite our combined efforts, we couldn't destroy it and lost two Emperor Yuan Realm cultivators..."

The old ancestor of the Shen family had a grim expression, though he did not speak, his serious demeanor confirmed the words of the old ancestor of the Yi family.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines and also felt a sense of despair.

Even five Emperors Yuan Realm cultivators working together could not destroy it—just how powerful was that demon?

"How could something like this exist in the Pleiades Valley?" someone asked in disbelief. "Could it be that the Pleiades Valley has some connection with demonic cultivators..."

Upon hearing this, the three Emperors Yuan Realm cultivators simultaneously turned to look at that person.

Being stared at by three Emperors Yuan Realm cultivators, the person quickly shut their mouth, but their words still left a lasting impression on everyone's minds.

However, there were also rational individuals who believed there might be some underlying circumstances.

The old ancestors of the Shen and Yi families twitched slightly, finding it difficult to speak openly about certain matters in front of so many people.

Only at this moment did they realize what the Pleiades Valley represented on the Pleiades Continent. It was their own greed that had destroyed the Pleiades Valley, leading to this catastrophe.

Accustomed to their lofty positions, they could not admit such truth in front of all the cultivators.

They were not without regret, but they could not let the world see them as sinners of the Pleiades Continent.

However, Demon Lord Shang Yang was unpredictable. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, and under the watchful eyes of the old ancestors of the Shen and Yi families, he said, "The existence of the Pleiades Valley was to suppress the Demon Den! Now that we have destroyed the Pleiades Valley, the Demon Den naturally emerges. Once the demon inside gathers enough strength, it will be the end of the Pleiades Continent..."

His gaze slowly swept over the so-called righteous cultivators before him, and his laughter grew more unrestrained. "Isn't this interesting?"

The cultivators who met his gaze couldn't help but look away.

None of the cultivators present were truly innocent; they had all harbored intentions toward the Pleiades Valley, even wanting to control the last bloodline of the Su family and obtain the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map.

The high-ranking members of the eight major sects, who had just arrived from various places, heard Demon Lord Shang Yang's words and immediately turned grim.

On their way here, they had already prepared for the worst, but they never expected the situation to be even worse than they imagined, potentially bringing a terrible calamity to the Pleiades Continent due to the greed and schemes of the world.

At this moment, someone blurted out, "Where is the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map?"

All eyes fell on that person, but more people were concerned about the whereabouts of the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map.

Seeing the reactions of these people, the high-ranking members of the eight major sects felt a deep sorrow.

The Pleiades Continent had become this way because of the greed of these people, yet they still showed no remorse and continued to vie for the Twenty-Eight Constellations Four Symbols Map.