Wanyan Xue could no longer maintain her indifferent expression.
She looked at Shangguan Yuquan with disdain, silently conveying her contempt.
She believed Shangguan Yuquan was speaking his true thoughts, but what did it matter? The more Shangguan Yuquan was like this, the more it proved he was a complete failure.
No matter how dissatisfied he was with her, he dared not show it, having to fawn over her for meager benefits, only revealing his true thoughts after falling into demonization.
Such a Shangguan Yuquan was beneath her, nor would she be influenced by him.
She merely felt disgusted. Had she known this earlier, she would have gone to the secret realm alone, rather than involving this useless person.
To think she had worried about Shangguan Yuquan's safety a few days prior; what a waste of time.
"Wanyan Xue, today is the day I avenge myself!"
Pierced by Wanyan Xue's gaze, Shangguan Yuquan roared in anger.
He swung his arms, and the blood pool, which had calmed down, suddenly began to spin rapidly.
Wanyan Xue's heart tensed. With a flick of her elegant hand, a pale green light barrier enveloped her.
Shangguan Yuquan sneered and shouted, "Go!"
Rumble!
The blood pool stopped spinning, and two blood pillars shot out, instantly transforming into two blood-colored dragons that roared and charged at Wanyan Xue.
Wanyan Xue's expression remained unchanged. She grabbed the air with both hands, and two jade-green dragons materialized before her, quickly engaging the blood-colored dragons.
Seeing this, Shangguan Yuquan's smile grew more maniacal.
"Wanyan Xue, let's see how many jade dragons you can summon to stop me!"
As he spoke, thunderous roars erupted from behind Shangguan Yuquan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One blood-colored dragon after another shot up from the blood pool.
The blood-colored dragons had ferocious expressions, their mouths wide open, spewing a foul stench. Their tails whipped faster, and in an instant, they reached Wanyan Xue.
"There's more!"
Wanyan Xue's expression turned serious. She drew a tender green twig from her waist storage pouch.
The twig danced lightly in the air, sending wave after wave of emerald gales whistling forth.
Green and blood-red intertwined in the air, and violent spiritual energy fluctuations swept outwards.
"Wanyan Xue, I truly underestimated you."
A flicker of envy flashed across Shangguan Yuquan's eyes. Just as he was about to draw his sword from its sheath, his ears twitched, and a look of realization dawned on his face.
"Ah, I almost forgot about them."
Shangguan Yuquan's lips curved upwards. He reached towards the blood pool and pulled out a cracked mirror.
"Go."
Shangguan Yuquan tossed the mirror, and in an instant, it vanished from his sight.
Having done this, Shangguan Yuquan refocused his attention on Wanyan Xue.
The appearance of the mirror had reminded him: why should such a fun game end so quickly?
He had endured her condescension for so many years; today, he would play with Wanyan Xue thoroughly to vent his anger.
He watched Wanyan Xue with a playful, malicious smile.
...
Meanwhile, Xu Yi and the others had run a considerable distance. Not seeing anything in pursuit behind them, their pace inevitably slowed.
"Xu Yi, what did you just see?"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang asked sternly, looking back.
"Shangguan Yuquan," Xu Yi replied.
Everyone was stunned. Why would they need to run upon seeing Shangguan Yuquan? They had seen him before.
Xu Yi knew without looking that they must be full of questions. He continued, "He has fallen into demonization."
"Fallen into demonization!"
Yu Xiaoyu's voice suddenly rose.
Shangguan Yuquan was a senior disciple from their Daqi Sect; she found the news difficult to accept.
"Yes, and he seems to be completely demonized. His eyes have turned red."
"How could this happen?"
Yu Xiaoyu murmured to herself.
Although Senior Brother Shangguan's personality was quite annoying, she still felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this news.
Xu Yi's heart also felt heavy.
Shangguan Yuquan's fall into demonization was partly his own doing.
When they had clashed previously, she knew that magical artifact contained hidden demonic energy, but she did not warn Shangguan Yuquan, instead watching him take it away.
Now, his demonization was likely caused by that demonic energy.
Xu Yi's thoughts were inevitably complex.
However, she did not regret her actions.
Shangguan Yuquan's current predicament was primarily his own fault.
While demonic energy could affect cultivators, there were degrees of influence.
Xu Yi believed that if she, Lu Zaiye, or Bei Xinghan had been exposed to demonic energy, it would have at most hindered their cultivation, not led to complete demonization.
This could only indicate that Shangguan Yuquan's character was flawed, which was why he succumbed so quickly.
Furthermore, if he hadn't forcibly snatched that artifact with his martial might, the subsequent events wouldn't have occurred; it was all his own doing.
"But even if he's demonized, we don't need to run, right? After all, the ten of us plus Wanyan Xue should be enough to deal with him."
Xiao Qi frowned deeply. Although he had not entered Buddhism, he was deeply influenced by the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect and considered demon-slaying his duty.
Upon learning of Shangguan Yuquan's demonization, his first thought was to eliminate him to prevent him from harming others.
"No, you're wrong. Let alone us plus Wanyan Xue, even several more Wanyan Xues wouldn't be his match," Xu Yi said seriously.
He could feel Shangguan Yuquan's aura surpassing that of a Soul Severing cultivator. If he wasn't mistaken, Shangguan Yuquan's current cultivation was at least around the mid-stage of Integration.
The gap between each major cultivation level for immortal cultivators was almost an insurmountable chasm.
Therefore, they could only run.
"Hong Jing, see if there are any other exits here."
If they couldn't find an exit, they would eventually be caught by Shangguan Yuquan.
"Besides the eighteenth level of hell, there are no other exits," Hong Jing said, having put away his prayer beads and now holding a golden bowl.
The spiritual key used to enter and exit the secret realm had also lost its function here.
They had no other way to leave except by finding an exit.
However, the eighteenth level of hell was precisely at the blood pool, leaving everyone in a dilemma.
Before they could devise a solution, several figures appeared behind them.
"Careful! Something's coming from behind!"
Lu Zaiye was the first to notice the anomaly behind them and warned them coldly.
Everyone was startled and quickly erected their defenses. Turning around, they felt their scalps tingle.
Behind them stood ten figures, identical to themselves.
"It's that mirror's doing!"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang clenched his fists, making cracking sounds.
Xu Yi's eyelids twitched, and he cursed his own ill omen.
He had just wished to witness it, and now he saw it.
He stared intently at the "Xu Yi" standing opposite him, his heart growing more alarmed with each glance.
Indeed, it was just as Xiong Zhuangzhuang and the others had said.
This demonic entity that had emerged from the mirror, mimicking them, was indistinguishable from him.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's angry face suddenly showed a hint of confusion. After a pause, he suddenly shouted, "I remember now! This is the place I saw in Wanyan Xue's eyes before!"
So this was the truth!