Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

And from the looks of it, the only one with that kind of power was the young master standing before them.

Chu Guifeng paused as another thought struck him. "Young Master Yang," he said, "is our safe passage this entire way, without encountering a single demonic beast, also because of you?"

Shen Daoxing didn't speak, only giving a calm nod.

At this, the crowd erupted in an uproar. They understood now—understood why their journey these past few days had been so smooth. The way they looked at Shen Daoxing became tinged with even deeper respect.

The Darts Masters and Merchants in the group couldn't help but raise their clasped hands and bow deeply to Shen Daoxing in a show of respect.

Just then, Chu Guifeng's eyes fixed on the pitch-black greatsword in Shen Daoxing's hands. As if realizing something, a look of doubt appeared on his face. "Is that..."

Before Chu Guifeng could finish, Ma Wan, who was beside him, had already nodded. "That's right!"

Immediately, Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan turned to look at Shen Daoxing in unison.

So young, yet already at the Earth Profound Realm, carrying a black greatsword on his back, and fond of wearing white clothes.

'This... Other than *that* person! Who else could it be!'

Shen Daoxing had caused such a huge stir in the East Continent recently that tales of his deeds had long since spread.

In the battle at the Celestial Lake Swamp, the Celestial Profound Sacred Land had mobilized in full force, even sending out the Holy Mountain Master and the Master of the Steward Hall. Yet in the end, Shen Daoxing had managed to slay one of their elders and escape unscathed.

The incident had turned the entire Celestial Profound Sacred Land into a laughingstock. It was said that the matter had ultimately alarmed even the Saint Master of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.

Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan traveled widely and were well-informed, so they naturally knew of these events.

Having seen Shen Daoxing in action, both men now understood. They exchanged a look of tacit understanding and said no more.

Although in the tales told by the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, Shen Daoxing was portrayed as an arch-fiend who committed every evil imaginable.

But Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan weren't blind. They had seen clearly for themselves what kind of person Shen Daoxing truly was over the past few days.

Shen Daoxing continued walking forward. The sheer scale of the palace complex was undeniable; after all this time, the group still hadn't managed to walk out of it.

So, Shen Daoxing took out the map given to him by the veiled woman.

He slowly unfolded it, revealing a map of the Red Land Demon Realm, with the Demon Mountain at its center.

A faint white light shimmered on its surface, and through the haze, the map was constantly shifting. At the top, several ancient characters representing the hours of the day cycled in succession.

It was clear that the Red Land Demon Realm was in a constant state of flux, with different routes corresponding to different times of the day.

Shen Daoxing looked up at the position of the Celestial Yang in the sky to estimate the current hour, then looked back down at the map in his hands.

"AWOOO—"

The terrifying, deafening roar of Chi Yi once again echoed from the depths of Celestial Demon City. It was followed by a violent tremor, as if some great and strange transformation was taking place within.

Startled, Chu Guifeng, Ma Wan, and the others quickly shuffled closer to Shen Daoxing.

Shen Daoxing had no desire to get entangled in any more trouble and just wanted to get out quickly. He glanced down at the map and began to follow the indicated route toward the exit.

"ROAR!"

But at that moment, a colossal roar that shook the heavens and the earth, a bellow hundreds, even thousands of times louder and more terrifying than Chi Yi's, suddenly erupted from deep beneath the ground.

Everyone felt as if their eardrums were about to burst.

And the next moment.

Before anyone could react, a vast, crimson mist surged from beneath the ground without any warning, shooting into the sky and blanketing the entirety of Celestial Demon City. A pair of enormous, crimson eyes, like those of an ancient demon, suddenly opened within it.

Shen Daoxing and the others, already inside Celestial Demon City, were instantly enveloped.

A bone-deep chill seized Shen Daoxing's heart. The ground beneath him suddenly vanished, and he began to plummet rapidly as absolute darkness swallowed his surroundings, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

At that very moment, deep inside Shen Daoxing's body, a small, slumbering snake suddenly opened its eyes and looked up at the sky.

The snake was entirely red and not large—no more than an inch long—yet from its tiny body came an ancient, world-weary voice: "Mola! Oh, Mola! To think you've ended up in this state, reduced to being manipulated by the Human Race. How pitiful! Truly pitiful!"

With that, the little red snake shook its head, making a TSK TSK sound. "Mola! Causing such a commotion will attract some very troublesome fellows!"

Then, with a slight flick of its tail, a ball of bloody light shot out from the little red snake and flew into the clouds above Celestial Demon City.

A flash of red light pulsed within the clouds, and an invisible barrier materialized, sealing off the sky. The crimson mist enveloping Celestial Demon City gradually calmed, and within it, a pair of vertical, crimson pupils blinked slowly.

...

When his surroundings became visible again, Shen Daoxing found himself in a long corridor.

The corridor was so long he couldn't see either end. Its four walls were paved with bluestone bricks, carved with ancient, incomprehensible script.

The only illumination came from a row of blazing torches on either side, casting a dim light.

Beside Shen Daoxing were Chu Guifeng and the others who had fallen with him.

"Where are we?"

"What is this place we've ended up in now?"

"What was that terrifying thing outside just now?"

The members of the group looked up, their faces etched with confusion.

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

Qian Gui looked around at the gloomy surroundings and complained endlessly, "I just wanted one smooth trip to deliver my goods! Why do I keep running into all sorts of trouble? I must have the worst luck in the world!"

"Young Master Yang, what do we do now?"

Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan both looked to Shen Daoxing. Unconsciously, they had already come to see him as the backbone of their group.

Just then, the Darts Masters who had gone to scout ahead returned. "Leader Chu, there are paths both forward and back. Which way do we go?"

But Chu Guifeng just turned to Shen Daoxing. "Young Master Yang, which way do we go?"

'Which way?'

Shen Daoxing looked ahead, then glanced behind him. Suddenly, he raised the Great Ming Demon Sparrow in his hand and, with a loud BANG, smashed a large hole in the ceiling.

"This way!"

Shen Daoxing said coolly, then leaped up and scrambled into the hole. He didn't believe for a second that following the normal paths would lead them out of here.

Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan were stunned for a moment before quickly following.

However, after Shen Daoxing climbed out of the hole in the ceiling and looked around, he found himself in another long corridor, identical to the one below.

"BANG!"

Shen Daoxing smashed a hole with the Great Ming Demon Sparrow once more.

Instantly, another large hole appeared above them.

Shen Daoxing climbed through it and looked up, only to find yet another corridor. This one was a bit shorter, and it had an added fork in the path.

The people following behind Shen Daoxing couldn't help but curse out loud, "What the hell is this place? They all look the same!"

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