King of Creation Chapter 1692 - 1677: Prophet Demon Master

The western horizon held a smoldering red sun, its fading light painting the sky in thin crimson streaks as dusk began to settle. This was the view Ye Zhen observed as he gazed out from the window of the Silent Chamber within the posthouse.

While the scene itself was common, its comparison to his internal experience made it rather astonishing. Ye Zhen recalled with perfect clarity that when he first entered the Mirage Dragon Pearl, the sun had just begun its descent, marking approximately 4 o'clock in the afternoon during the Shen hour. Now, however, the time was closer to half-past six in the evening, somewhere between the You hour’s second and third quarter-marks.

Ye Zhen distinctly remembered that after initiating the process of withdrawing the Mirage Dragon Pearl from his body and entering it, he had spent an hour in a state of confusion. Subsequently, following the guidance of Achou, the Mirage Dragon Primordial Spirit, he had cultivated for ten hours. In total, his stay within the Mirage Dragon Pearl amounted to eleven hours.

Under normal circumstances, this duration would have placed him into the following day, with the sun high in the sky around 2 o'clock in the afternoon during the Wei hour’s second quarter. Yet, the current reality showed the sun had already set, a discrepancy of nearly two hours that simply didn’t align.

A sudden jolt coursed through Ye Zhen’s heart as a mind-boggling thought surfaced. This idea was so incredible that Ye Zhen felt compelled to verify it.

"Nie Ting," Ye Zhen inquired, sensing a temporal anomaly within the Mirage Dragon Pearl, "From the moment Achou assisted me in setting up the illusion until now, how much time has passed?" He reasoned that Nie Ting and the others, being external observers, should remain unaffected by any temporal distortions.

"My Lord, it has not been long, merely about one hour, or to be precise, one hour with less than half a stick of incense remaining..."

Nie Ting’s words were cut short as Ye Zhen’s eyes widened in sheer horror. Just over an hour had elapsed externally, while Ye Zhen had experienced eleven hours within the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

"Qianbi, how much time has passed since I requested your assistance?" Ye Zhen still found the situation difficult to fully accept.

"Replying to Master, barely a little over an hour has passed."

Upon hearing Ling Qianbi’s confirmation, Ye Zhen finally accepted the reality of the situation, regardless of how shocking or improbable it seemed.

"Continue your assistance. Furthermore, begin timing from this moment onwards."

With his instructions given, Ye Zhen returned to his original position. As Achou's illusion enveloped him once more, he descended into the depths of the earth, vanishing from sight.

When Ye Zhen reappeared, a full day and a half had passed. During this period, he had cultivated within the Mirage Dragon Pearl for eighteen hours. According to the normal passage of time, the sky should have been bright, with the sun on the verge of rising. However, upon emerging, Ye Zhen discovered the sky was an inky black, and the streetlights outside had just flickered to life.

"My Lord, from the time you gave your last instruction until now, a total of one and a half hours has passed," stated Big Ears Nie Ting. His words filled Ye Zhen's eyes with boundless joy.

After several trials, Ye Zhen had successfully confirmed the incredibly powerful capability granted by breaking through to the Fifth Spatial Stage of the Mirage Dragon Pearl. To be frank, it was truly a heaven-defying ability!

It was the manipulation of time! The capacity to alter the flow of time!

Ten hours spent inside the Mirage Dragon Pearl equated to merely one hour in the outside world. Ten days within would translate to just one day outside; ten years within would only amount to one year outside. This meant that when others could cultivate for a single year, Ye Zhen could cultivate for an entire decade.

If this ability of the Mirage Dragon Pearl was not heaven-defying, what else could possibly claim such a title? The sole drawback was that cultivation within the Mirage Dragon Pearl precluded the extraction of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi; reliance was placed solely on Spirit Stones and Psychic Spirit Pills. Fortunately, Ye Zhen was not lacking in these resources. What Ye Zhen truly needed now was time!

"The Time Sequence Ability, one day outside equates to ten days inside the Mirage Dragon Pearl – this is the heaven-defying power unlocked after reaching the Fifth Spatial Stage of the Mirage Dragon Pearl, correct, Achou?" Ye Zhen exclaimed.

The Mirage Dragon Primordial Spirit, Achou, stretched lazily. "What's so amazing about that?"

"The spatial sealing of the Mirage Dragon Pearl, starting from the Fifth Stage, offers increasingly heaven-defying benefits with each subsequent stage! Otherwise, in the past, they wouldn't have... wouldn't have..."

Achou tapped its head with a small claw. "Ah, my memory is still not fully restored."

At that moment, Ye Zhen was not in the mood to delve into mysteries. Instead, he posed an urgent, crucial question: "By the way, Achou, within the Mirage Dragon Pearl, can I bring others in to cultivate?"

"Are you serious, Lord Ye? Didn't you notice Little Cat, that effeminate one? You've already taken him in and out two or three times," a deep tiger roar erupted, followed by an indignant protest from Little Cat.

Ye Zhen rubbed his forehead with a hesitant touch, his eyes then gleaming with unexpected joy.

Since the little cat could be brought in and out multiple times, it was likely that other individuals would face no issue either.

With the resolution of the Shahe City Branch Temple case estimated to take either half a year or a full year, Ye Zhen's forces could experience rapid advancement, no longer subject to their current restrictions.

However, Ye Zhen resolved that without absolute trust, he would certainly not permit anyone to enter the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

Recalling his time on the True Profound Continent, when Ye Zhen first obtained the Mirage Dragon Pearl, a lingering Spirit Shadow within it remained vividly in his memory.

Consider the formidable Lo, Lud Li; even under the pressure of a few individuals, he was forced to perish and vanish.

Should any news regarding the Mirage Dragon Pearl ever leak, even countless versions of Ye Zhen would be insufficient to satisfy the terrifying existences eager for his demise.

Yet, it was precisely because of this that Ye Zhen grew even more curious about the Mirage Dragon Pearl's so-called heaven-defying abilities, which could compel such a fearsome entity to abandon all dignity and pursue it relentlessly.

Did this pursuit stem from a resolve to see the Mirage Dragon Pearl utterly destroyed?

It seemed intrinsically linked to the immense capabilities of the sealed stages yet to be uncovered within the Mirage Dragon Pearl, did it not?

Suddenly, Ye Zhen felt an intense desire to ascertain the exact nature of the heaven-defying abilities housed within the four subsequent stages of the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

.....

Within the Heavenly Temple's Luo Prefecture Branch Temple, amidst the desolate ruins, sat awaiting news from the dispersed experts scouring the land.

Once the enemy's trail was discovered, with Hall Master Mu Xu's capabilities, he and Baili Fei could reach any location within millions of miles in mere moments, either to slay the culprits or bring them back alive.

However, close to three days had now passed, and still, no definitive trace had been found.

Beyond the initial three hundred experts deployed around the Luo Prefecture Branch Temple, reinforcements continually arrived. Experts hurried over from the Weizhou Branch Temple and the Ancient Teleportation Formation in Weizhou, sparing no expense. Additionally, thousands of martial artists from nearby Incense Halls were temporarily mobilized, as were county soldiers and the border army sealing off various Human-Demon Battlefields.

Over the span of these three days, the Heavenly Temple had already marshaled over a million personnel. While hundreds of thousands of individuals still couldn't meticulously search every inch of the millions of miles surrounding Luo Prefecture, the formidable divine sense of the Heavenly Temple had already swept across a five-million-mile radius.

The surrounding millions of miles had also been covered in a broad sweep.

Furthermore, one hundred Ten Thousand Thoughts Demon Seeking Mirrors, typically used on the Human-Demon Battlefield, were secretly brought in for the specific purpose of searching for the Demon Clan. The moment any demonic aura appeared within the mirrors' sight, an alarm would sound.

Yet, despite the mirrors scanning the vast expanse around Luo Prefecture, absolutely nothing was detected.

Not even a whisper of demonic aura from the Demon Clan was found, let alone their presence.

The demon clan implicated in the earlier crime seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

This reality cast a grim shadow over the expressions of Hall Master Baili Fei and Hall Master Mu Xu.

In essence, the brutal case at the Luo Prefecture Branch Temple remained unsolved, with the culprits still at large.

Hall Master Mu Xu maintained a semblance of control, while Hall Master Baili Fei felt utterly swamped and stressed.

This was because the abbots of both affected branch temples belonged to their Sun and Moon Peak faction. In other words, the two massacred branch temples fell entirely within their Sun and Moon Peak's jurisdiction.

A mishandling of this situation could inflict a devastating blow to the prestige of their Sun and Moon Peak, potentially jeopardizing Baili Fei's hard-earned position as a hall master.

"Impossible! We arrived so swiftly; the culprits couldn't possibly have escaped beyond millions of miles in such a short timeframe. After all, Dao Realm Experts with Great Divine Power like Brother Mu, capable of spatial teleportation, are exceedingly rare."

"Perhaps the culprit is concealed somewhere, unnoticed by us. No, I must..."

Before Baili Fei could finish his thought, his heart gave a slight tremor. He promptly retrieved the Mother-child Magic Conch from a self-contained spatial dimension within his body.

After casting several layers of a Silent Barrier, the conch emitted a low, resonant hum.

"Reporting to the Hall Master, our informant has sent a secret dispatch. Sudden news from the Demon God Palace indicates the Prophet Demon Master, Jiu Xi, who has been out of the public eye for some time, has reappeared. He intends to personally summon the Clan Leaders of the Moon Demon Clan and the Bull Demon Tribe, along with several other members, in seven days."

"The Prophet Demon Master?"

Hall Master Baili Fei of the Moon Hall was taken aback. The Prophet Demon Master's standing in the Demon God Palace was comparable to the Nine Suns Divine King within the Heavenly Temple.

Furthermore, the Prophet Demon Master’s authority and position within the Demon God Palace significantly surpassed that of the Nine Suns Divine King in the Heavenly Temple.

At critical junctures, even some Demon Gods within the Demon Clan were compelled to heed the Prophet Demon Master’s directives.

This was a consequence of the intricate hierarchy governing the Demon God Palace.

What was certain, however, was that any matter capable of unsettling the Prophet Demon Master of the Demon God Palace had to be an event of monumental significance, shaking the very foundations of their world.

"Can we ascertain the reason the Prophet Demon Master wishes to convene the leaders of the Moon Demon Clan and the Bull Demon Tribe?" Baili Fei inquired.

The voice on the other end of the communication conch paused briefly. "Returning to the Hall Master, this matter has already circulated widely among the Demon Clan. The prevailing rumor is that elites from the Moon Demon and Bull Demon tribes, accompanied by a Soul Demon Sovereign, annihilated our Heavenly Temple’s Luo Prefecture Branch, leaving Spirit Shadows as the sole witnesses. Remarkably, they managed to retreat without sustaining any injuries. The Prophet Demon Master was alarmed by this incident…"

"Retreated without injury? How is that even possible?"

Baili Fei slammed his foot down with force, his expression growing exceedingly grim. The Heavenly Temple was acutely aware of the Demon Clan’s nature. The annihilation of one of their branch temples, let alone a mere defeat of one of their Divine Masters, would typically be cause for a small celebration among them. This time, it was highly probable that the Demon Clan would be reveling extravagantly!

The greater the fanfare on the Demon Clan’s side, the more honor the Heavenly Temple would forfeit.

"Brother Mu, it appears we must swiftly devise a strategy to assault a branch hall of the Demon God Palace. We need to retaliate in kind, directly confronting their actions. Otherwise, when the Demon Clan’s festivities commence, our Heavenly Temple risks losing all semblance of dignity, potentially even being utterly shattered." A cold glint flickered in Baili Fei’s eyes.

"Indeed, such a course of action is imperative!" Mu Xu concurred, his tone heavy with seriousness.

"Furthermore, we must ascertain the cultivation levels of the demons involved and dispatch disciples of comparable might," Mu Xu added.

The prospect of obliterating a mere branch hall belonging to the Demon God Palace was, in itself, a trivial undertaking for both Baili Fei and Mu Xu. However, the crux of the issue lay in the profound disgrace associated with such an act; they could ill afford to lose face, nor could they bear the significant repercussions of the ensuing chain reaction.

Despite the animosity between the Demon God Palace and the Heavenly Temple, there existed unspoken rules governing their conflicts. Both factions were permitted to target each other’s branch temples, but typically, the operatives involved were individuals below the Dao Realm.

Should hall masters such as Baili Fei and Mu Xu venture deep into enemy territory to raze a demon branch hall, it would inevitably incite a furious and unrestrained retaliation from the opposing side. If such a scenario were to unfold, neither the Demon God Palace nor the Heavenly Temple would be in a position to pursue further development.

Ultimately, the ongoing struggle between the Heavenly Temple and the Demon God Palace revolved around territorial gains, economic interests, and the preservation of their respective Dao lineages – it was decidedly not a conflict aimed at mutual annihilation!

"Let them continue their search. We must avoid falling into a potential trap set by the Demon God Palace, a ploy to lure the tiger away from its mountain lair. It's entirely possible that those demon scoundrels are lurking somewhere in the vicinity of Luo Prefecture. Brother Mu and I shall return to Luoyi to make the necessary arrangements. Should any demonic trail emerge, with Brother Mu’s presence, we can reach the location in the shortest possible time," Baili Fei declared.

"That would be for the best!" Mu Xu nodded and then inquired, "In that case, regarding Ye Zhen in Luoyi, given that the deadline is drawing near, should Brother Baili perhaps make arrangements in advance?"