Another contingent of troops arrived, led by an expert of the Sixth Heaven of the Divine Realm. It seemed those factions had truly committed the bulk of their forces; the Sixth Heaven of the Divine Realm was already their absolute peak.
"What a racket! The two of you aren't even qualified!" Wu Chuyun declared domineeringly. He lunged forward, engaging them both in a fierce clash, surprisingly even gaining a slight upper hand.
"How is this possible? How can you be so powerful?" Duan Qingsong and Chen Wannian grew increasingly alarmed as the battle wore on. They actually couldn't suppress Wu Chuyun, even though he was merely their junior!
"Hmph! Nothing is impossible," Wu Chuyun scoffed coldly. "The day my Wu family returns will be the day we exterminate your entire clans," he added, his voice dripping with ice.
"Haha, that day will never come." A voice echoed, carrying a terrifying, oppressive pressure. The newcomer was a Divine Lord.
"Ancestor Tianyun? You actually joined the siege against my Wu family? Haha, what a 'great' Tianyun Sect!" Wu Chuyun gasped, startled. While he could suppress three experts of the Sixth Heaven of the Divine Realm, facing a Divine Lord left him with no choice but to flee! Glancing at his fleeing clansmen, he gritted his teeth. "If that's the case, then let's fight! Let me witness your capabilities, Ancestor Tianyun!"
"Haha, as you wish! Heaven-Shattering Cloud Soar! Go!" Ancestor Tianyun made his move.
While the women and children of the Wu family were being hunted down, no major battle had yet erupted in the vicinity of the library. The few pursuers who did manage to reach the area were instantly dispatched by several of the Wu family's Divine Realm experts. At this moment, seven people stood there: four middle-aged individuals and three children. Their eyes were fixed on a five- or six-year-old child who sat cross-legged. He had been sitting like that for nearly three hours, communicating with an entity deep underground.
After breaking through the restrictions and the formation eye, Wu Tianjun utilized a heaven-reaching technique, allowing his primordial soul to leave his body to communicate with the powerful being he had once sensed. At this moment, all he could see was an ink-black darkness. After a long while, a sigh finally echoed...
"Ah... You have finally arrived..." an ancient voice echoed.
"Huh? Senior, you know me?" Wu Tianjun asked in surprise.
"Haha, if I hadn't intentionally allowed it, how could someone of your current cultivation level possibly perceive me?" the ancient voice teased.
"Huh? Why would you do that, Senior?" Wu Tianjun asked, thoroughly puzzled.
"I sensed a familiar aura of the same origin within you..." the ancient voice echoed, laden with the vicissitudes of time.
"The same origin? What is it?" Wu Tianjun asked.
"Demonic Qi! Although it is incredibly faint, it is exceptionally pure..." the ancient voice replied.
"Demonic Qi?! How could I possibly have Demonic Qi?" Wu Tianjun cried out in shock. How could he possess Demonic Qi? That was the defining trait of demonic cultivators and the Demon Race!
"Haha, perhaps you will have to look to your true form for the answer to that..." the voice echoed once more.
Suddenly, Wu Tianjun felt his vision sway. He was startled, even frightened, to find that his primordial soul and consciousness had already been forced back into his body. He was certain that this mysterious entity was far stronger than even a Divine Venerable. At this realization, his eyes lit up, and he spoke in a hurry.
"Senior! I sought you out to ask for your help!" Wu Tianjun said hurriedly. The third-generation members of the Wu family and Wu Tianyuan were startled when they saw Wu Tianjun suddenly awaken and then shout loudly.
"Dealing with a few Divine Venerable 'little cultivators'?" The ancient voice echoed. "At this moment, I cannot... Eh?!?" A black shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air before the Wu family members, causing the four Wu family Divine Realm experts to almost attack, but they stopped when they heard what he said. It seemed this was the great figure sealed beneath Demonic God Mountain.
"Demonic energy... Are you of the Demonic Race?" the Third Elder and the others exclaimed in shock.
"Why can't you do it? You're stronger than them, aren't you?" Wu Tianjun said hastily, ignoring the strange state of the shadow. At this moment, he was staring intently at Wu Tianyuan.
"How is this possible? A Five-Element Chaos Saint Body? How could such a physique exist?" he said in shock. "Huh? Primordial Demonic Veins! No wonder I felt a resonance! Haha, Primordial Demonic Veins, I have found my successor! Wahahaha..." The shadow laughed maniacally, then suddenly fell silent. "What is this? Divine Vein Origin? A Nine-Orifice Nascent Soul? How can this be?" The figure was repeatedly startled, completely overlooking the Heavenly Phoenix Body.
"Senior, how can you help me..." Wu Tianjun quickly said. At this moment, he had no time to care about any Five-Element Chaos Saint Body, Primordial Demonic Veins, or Divine Veins.
"How can I help you? Hmph, I can no longer help you, but the two of you can help yourselves," the shadow said confidently, looking at Wu Tianjun and Wu Tianyuan.
"Huh? Senior, please enlighten us?" Wu Tianjun asked suspiciously. What did he mean, "help themselves"? If he could help himself, he wouldn't be asking for help.
"Haha, I am merely a remnant soul now, having actually died long ago. However, my power still remains. I shall now impart it to the two of you. Although there are some side effects, it's fine; I will help you eliminate them," the shadow said with a laugh.
"No! (Absolutely not!)" several elders of the Wu family immediately cried out. Accepting demonic energy was no different from turning them into demons. They were the hope of the Wu family!
"Senior! What are the side effects?" At this moment, Wu Tianyuan spoke up. He had already understood a little: only he and Wu Tianjun could receive this power, which indicated that this person believed only the two of them could accept it without major repercussions. It seemed he had no intention of harming them.
"Haha, you’re a good lad! If I were still alive, I would definitely take you as my disciple. A man should always be straightforward and decisive in his actions, not long-winded like a woman!" The shadow laughed heartily. "The impact isn’t too great. With your Five-Element Chaos Saint Body, accepting my energy will merely cause the five elements to shift and burden your body slightly. Your soul will also suffer some depletion, but don’t worry, with me here, your cultivation will greatly increase after the power has settled. Reaching the Divine Realm in one go isn’t impossible, haha." The shadow chuckled. "As for this little brat, with his Primordial Demonic Veins, accepting demonic energy will only benefit him, with no harm. In fact, there might even be a pleasant surprise." The more the shadow looked at these two little brats, the fonder he grew of them. Although he survived only as a remnant soul, after countless years, his way of thinking had become much more open.
"Is that truly all? Why wouldn’t demonic energy affect them?" the Third Elder and the others asked suspiciously.
"That’s due to their physiques. Their physiques can accommodate demonic energy, as well as all other types of power," the shadow said, then fell silent. "Huh, that doesn’t seem quite right. How can Divine-Demonic Dual Veins exist within a single body?" He looked at Wu Tianjun with great curiosity.
"If that’s the case, then hurry up! Senior, do you need my help with anything?" Wu Tianjun said.
"No need! Afterwards, you just accept my inheritance, haha, I finally have a successor! All right! You two, come here. My true energy body is sealed below," he said with a laugh, but everyone heard a bitter undertone. He was definitely not simply suppressed!
As they descended deep into the earth, into the pitch black, Wu Tianyuan suddenly spoke. "Senior! If I'm not mistaken, this absorption of Demonic Qi could completely demonize us, couldn't it?"
"Not necessarily! Ah! What do you think a Demon is? What does it mean to be a Demon? Can't a Demon save others? What defines a person isn't the power they wield, but how they wield it. Even if a Saint uses their power to massacre innocents, how is that different from a great devil?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Don't worry! With me here, I'll take you away before you lose your will, haha. What you become later is up to you. Perhaps after this, I will completely perish." He spoke of life and death as if without any emotion; perhaps he had lived too long and become numb.
"Senior! Why are you helping us?" Wu Tianjun asked.
"Haha, there's no particular reason worth mentioning. This old man won't exist for much longer anyway, so consider it leaving behind a legacy," he said indifferently. "Here, only half of my living energy is sealed, which might temporarily allow you to reach the peak of the Divine Venerable realm. After six hours, I will take you away to prevent your minds from being affected by the Demonic Qi and turning into puppets. Therefore, you must retreat within these six hours, no matter what." He paused for a moment, looking at the two youngsters before him. "Your family's bloodline isn't simple, is it? Give me a drop of blood!" he said sincerely to Wu Tianjun and the other.
"Here!" Without much thought, Wu Tianjun and the other both cut their palms and flung a drop of blood towards the black shadow.
The dark shadow scrutinized them for a long time before its eyes finally widened. "No wonder you two could awaken such terrifying physiques. It seems those Saint Physiques I saw before were also from your lineage! Primordial Beings... ah, you are all descendants of Primordial Beings!" the dark shadow said, its form rippling.
"Primordial Beings?" Wu Tianjun and his companion exchanged a bewildered look.
"Well, I will tell you later. For now, absorb my energy."
Wu Tianjun and his companion felt nothing but a sudden gust of wind, followed by an overwhelming torrent of black demonic qi pouring into their bodies through their seven orifices and pores. Strangely, they felt no pain at all. Instead, it was incredibly comfortable, like a parched land welcoming a torrential downpour, soaking it in with ease.