"Do you have a death wish? To recklessly release your demonic aura like that..."
A powerful, familiar surge of spiritual awareness echoed in the air above Feng Yunwuji—it was the voice of that enigmatic elder who had vanished over two centuries ago.
A strange force stabbed into Feng Yunwuji's mind like a dagger. His entire body jolted as though drenched in icy water, bringing him to sudden clarity. The thick demonic energy swirling around him slowly dissipated, melting back into the natural world.
Boom!
Without warning, a world-shattering force slammed into Feng Yunwuji's chest.
Blood gushed from his body like sweat as he was blasted into the ceiling of the water prison like a cannonball. The intricate energy-absorbing veins embedded there were torn apart by this purely physical impact, leaving behind a gaping hole.
It was completely unexpected. His internal organs churned violently, as if trying to escape his body. Just before crashing into the muddy floor of the prison, he caught a glimpse—out of the corner of his eye—of a shadow cloaked in demonic energy soaring upward.
The water prison's gate remained sealed shut, but by the pool of murky water where piles of skeletal remains lay, a towering demon warrior suddenly appeared. Over ten feet tall, clad in dark azure armor and helmet, his muscles knotted like twisted steel cables, and his copper-colored eyes gleamed with menace. Dense demonic mist coiled around him, more than three feet thick.
"Leave. This is no longer your concern," the demon growled, and then shot upward like a thunderbolt, his overwhelming presence flooding through the hole Feng Yunwuji had created.
"Go. Now. Run for your life!" the old man's voice rang again in Feng Yunwuji's mind. "You've drawn the attention of Demon General Morpheus... this is bad. I cannot reveal myself, so your survival now rests solely on you. I've managed to delay him, just briefly. Your chance is now!"
As those final words echoed, Feng Yunwuji felt a strange, overpowering force wrap around his soul and rip it violently from his body.
The sensation was utterly bizarre. It was as if he were a stream being swept into the vast, warm ocean—no longer distinct from the greater whole.
Guided by the elder's immense consciousness, Feng Yunwuji perceived a detailed map of the subterranean prison. He "saw" that this colossal, labyrinthine space stretched endlessly, with winding corridors branching like leaf veins, dividing the underground into countless cells. Each held two to five prisoners, some of whom sensed the strange mental ripple and raised their heads blankly to stare at the void.
Beyond, he saw a massive plaza paved with water-rock slabs, forming a grid. On it sprawled tens of thousands of seductive demonesses, tangled in constant, obscene union with thousands of emaciated men—twisting, gasping, writhing in eternal frenzy.
Further out, near the prison's outer edge, hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers stood in full battle array near the exits. Their collective demonic aura surged like a tidal wave, enclosing the entire subterranean complex in a churning sea of black energy.
"This place is tightly guarded," the elder whispered in his mind. "There are at least twenty demons here, each dozens of times stronger than you. Fortunately, demons disdain ganging up on the weak. Your only escape lies above. If fortune favors you, you might reach the nearby teleportation gate—and from there, return to the Primordial Realm."
With that, the elder's powerful spirit pulled Feng Yunwuji's awareness through thousands of layers of rock, into a cold, lifeless region—an endless dark ocean of shadows. Within it, he sensed countless presences—some faint, some overwhelming.
"These are ancient beasts of the Nether Sea, entities that have existed for billions of years. In terms of raw power, they surpass even the demon lords. But their minds are primitive. If you can avoid becoming prey, you may yet escape this abyss."
Then, the elder's vast consciousness receded like the tide, vanishing without a trace.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the chamber as dozens of massive boulders, imbued with immense force, came crashing down on Feng Yunwuji. From the rubble emerged Demon General Morpheus, wreathed in roaring black flames, his expression twisted with fury.
"Wretched human!" he roared. "If not for the Second Prince's orders, I would've torn you apart long ago!"
With a flick of his arms, a streak of purple light shot toward Feng Yunwuji like a divine thunderbolt, its shrieking whistle splitting the air. Everything in its path disintegrated into dust.
Caught off guard and already gravely wounded, Feng Yunwuji had no choice but to release the seals within his body. Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, he formed a blade of condensed sword qi and slashed forward.
Screech!
The sword beam cut the purple light in two—but the two halves curved around it and struck his shoulders.
A sickening crunch followed. His shoulders shattered instantly, arms hanging limp. Before he could react, Morpheus's massive fist, wreathed in supreme demonic fire, slammed into his chest.
Boom!
Feng Yunwuji shot upward like a missile, tearing through thousands of layers of rock, carving out a narrow, vertical tunnel behind him.
Agonizing pain engulfed him. Black blood spewed from his mouth, flames flickering in the dark ichor as it splattered against the tunnel walls, sizzling on contact.
His vision blurred. The world's rejection of his presence dulled his powers, weakening him further.
Through the haze, a warped, towering silhouette flashed before his eyes—another demon general.
Philos had caught up.
"Perish."
Cold as midwinter snow, Philos's voice was laced with killing intent. His purple eyes gleamed with malice as his arms trembled ever so slightly. A torrent of destructive demonic energy surged forward, tearing apart Feng Yunwuji's upper body, burning through muscle, bone, and vein—driving straight for his heart.
A pillar of black flame exploded into the air, consuming Feng Yunwuji completely…