His heart was filled with immense shock.
The others were similarly stunned.
Nangong Mo, however, was an exception among them.
Simultaneously, this caused a pair of cold, sinister eyes, hidden in the shadows, to become exceptionally excited as they fixated on them.
"The show has begun!"
After uttering these words, the dark figure vanished.
At the same time.
Demon Mountain, Ghostly Land.
Within the forbidden grounds of the Ghost Realm, in a dark prison, a man clad in a magnificent crimson python robe was confined.
The man sat in a corner of the iron cage. His face was as pale as paper, and his sharp phoenix eyes were now vacant and dull.
His handsome face was covered in bruises, and his already gaunt body seemed to have had its fat sucked away, leaving him as thin as a reed.
His hands, hidden within his sleeves, were already covered in bloodstains.
The exposed skin outside his robe was also mangled, with no intact flesh.
Outside the cage stood two men with peculiar appearances.
One man had deer antlers and resembled a human.
The other man had a long fish tail behind him and no legs.
Both wore black robes and carried rakes in their hands.
The place where he was located was illuminated by the light of black flames, like candles, hanging on all the walls.
In the center of the hall was a transparent ice coffin, filled with skeletons. The surrounding yin energy was heavy.
Moments later.
A man wearing a black cloak, whose face was obscured, walked in.
As the man stepped into the hall, the two strangely featured individuals guarding the cage knelt respectfully, "Your subordinate greets His Majesty the Evil Emperor."
The man approached, lowered his hooded cloak, revealing his exquisitely charming and devilish face.
The man's features were very similar to the Evil King's, but... his unfathomably deep eyes held an additional trace of devilish charm.
Even Ouyang Qinglin, with his own devilishly handsome appearance, paled in comparison to this man.
The Evil Emperor, the King of Demons, the Evil King's elder brother, a highly dangerous man whose personality was the opposite of the Evil King's.
"How is he?"
The Evil Emperor passed by the transparent coffin and approached the cage.
He peered through the gaps in the cage at Ouyang Qinglin, who was leaning in the corner.
One of the subordinates with deer antlers reported respectfully, "Reporting to His Majesty the Evil Emperor, this person has not yet woken up. However, when our demonic spirit beast was drawing blood from him last night, he did regain consciousness for a moment. But... afterwards, he seemed to have given up struggling, allowing the demonic spirit beast to do as it pleased."
Upon hearing this report.
A trace of coldness flashed in the Evil Emperor's utterly devoid-of-warmth eyes. "Oh? You wish to die? A pity... I rather enjoy tormenting those who wish to die but cannot. Go, bring out my demonic spirit beast. He is hungry!"
A cruel smile curved his lips.
The subordinate with deer antlers behind him obeyed the order.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Evil Emperor."
Just as the Evil Emperor was fiddling with a skull inside the transparent ice coffin, a massive, four-unlike demonic spirit beast was led in.
Thump, thump, thump!
Its enormous limbs struck the ground, emitting resounding tremors.
It was as if the earth was shaking.
The demonic spirit beast approached the Evil Emperor and affectionately rubbed against the hem of his robe.
Beside them, the subordinate with deer antlers had already retreated to the side.
The Evil Emperor raised his hand to stroke the fur of the demonic spirit beast.
Its golden fur shone under the illumination of the black flames.
It was a creature with a head and face like a horse, horns like a deer, a neck like a camel, and a tail like a donkey – a four-unlike.
This creature was the Evil Emperor's most favored demonic spirit beast.
It enjoyed gnawing on fresh raw meat and drinking blood, possessing formidable attack power.
"Looking at you like this, you must not have eaten well yesterday. Go, today, I am in an exceptionally good mood. I will stay here with you for a few hours, and also see if the man in the cage truly feels no pain?"
With that said, the Evil Emperor patted the demonic spirit beast's head.
Having followed him for many years, the demonic spirit beast was highly intelligent and responsive.
It nuzzled against the Evil Emperor before turning towards the cage.
As the cage was opened, the demonic spirit beast, with bared teeth and claws, lunged inside.
A loud crash echoed from within the cage. The massive demonic spirit beast had grabbed Ouyang Qinglin from the cage and violently flung him to the ground.
Ouyang Qinglin, his eyes vacant, like a lifeless puppet, landed heavily, his back caving in with the impact.
Despite this, his eyes remained vacant.
Facing his prey, who was often treated like a "plaything," the demonic spirit beast's inherent cruelty was revealed.
It swiped a claw at Ouyang Qinglin's chest.
"Pfft!"
Ouyang Qinglin spat out a mouthful of blood.
The bloodstains that still clung to his robe were now joined by fresh blood.
The crimson blood stained his collar.
This, in turn, awakened the demonic spirit beast's bloodthirsty desire.
It lowered its head, picked up Ouyang Qinglin again, and tossed him high into the air. Opening its maw wide, it bit down on his neck as Ouyang Qinglin fell.
Fresh blood flowed into its mouth, and the demonic spirit beast contentedly drank Ouyang Qinglin's blood.
The pain at this moment awakened Ouyang Qinglin, whose eyes had been vacant.
But as he glanced at the scene before him, he closed his eyes again, filled with a sense of having nothing left to live for.
He was too weak to struggle and had abandoned all desire to survive.
His consciousness gradually blurred once more.
The image of Gu Qianying reappeared in his mind.
Her exquisitely beautiful face.
Her unyielding, strong, and sometimes playfully temperamental adorable personality.
And... her devotion in love, her magnanimity towards other friends.
Her meticulous care for him, and her sincerity.
Everything about her, every gesture, formed a picture in his mind.
She was so beautiful, he loved her so much, so very, very much.
It was a pity that in this life, he and she were destined to be fated but not united.
A tear of blood trickled from the corner of Ouyang Qinglin's eye.
If there were a next life, could they love each other? Even for a day, even for an hour.
The Evil Emperor watched with great interest as his nurtured demonic spirit beast devoured Ouyang Qinglin.
The two subordinates behind him also found the scene increasingly engaging.
They were even placing bets on when Ouyang Qinglin would pass out from the pain.
Even if all his blood were drained, their Evil Emperor had ways to keep the man before them clinging to a thread of life.
They could not let the man before them die easily, otherwise, the Evil Emperor's plan would be ruined.
Suddenly.
An evil wind swept through.
An old man with white hair instantly appeared before the Evil Emperor.
The Evil Emperor was slightly startled by the old man's appearance.
"White Sage Lord?"
"Evil Emperor, do you still remember the wager from that time?"
The white-haired old man's voice was ancient, his eyes sharp.
As he spoke, he produced a spiritual pearl and tossed it into the air. The transparent pearl enlarged infinitely in mid-air.
A scene suddenly appeared within the spiritual pearl.
It was a scene of Gu Qianying and others lingering at the Yi Jing Pavilion.
She had fiery red hair, long black fingernails, and her red eyes emitted a bloodthirsty glow. A long fox tail swayed behind her.
A strong aura of demonic energy emanated from her.
With a single hand, she could easily lift a man of considerable height.