Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1401: 753: Dead Star Trap?

“This esteemed lord has called upon Little Demon; surely it's for yet another exchange, isn't it? What kind of details are you after this time?”

Daoist Ji hadn't even gotten the chance to ask when this sly demon's “sub-body” jumped in and started talking first.

Though the energy radiating from this sub-body reached just the Nascent Soul Realm, it displayed absolutely no terror or unease in the presence of a Human Clan Returning to Void Cultivator.

“Your Alien Demons seized a Void Fortress just a day back. I need its location without delay,” Daoist Ji stated in a neutral tone.

“Ah, so that's the issue! You're a tad late in consulting Little Demon on this one, aren't you? I know all about it, but the cost will be rather hefty!”

“How much?”

“Oh, that much!”

The sly demon replied as it stretched its jaws incredibly wide, big enough to swallow a whole human.

“Hmph!”

With a cold huff, Daoist Ji flung a handful of Alien Crystals straight into its gaping maw.

Still, the sly demon held its mouth agape, eyes gleaming with avarice: “Insufficient, insufficient—give a bit extra!”

“Enough already. This final piece is all you're getting; nothing more,” Daoist Ji warned with a darkened expression, then forcefully lobbed an egg-sized Alien Crystal right into its mouth.

At last, the sly demon seemed moderately pleased, extending a vivid scarlet tongue that bore a Crystal Pearl and a murky green bead at the end.

Daoist Ji extended his hand to grab the pair of objects, sending a thread of Divine Thought to examine the Crystal Pearl, a flicker of astonishment crossing his features.

“Is this Space-Time Beacon the real deal?”

“My lord, you can doubt what I say, but never question the honor of our kind!” The sly demon shifted back to its usual poise and snickered, running its tongue over its lips.

“Hmph, fine—I'll take your word for it this time. We're leaving!”

No sooner had he spoken than Daoist Ji morphed into a streak of ashen tunneling light and shot away toward the horizon.

Witnessing this, Zhao Sheng and the Hundred Birds Taoist, concealed in the vicinity, stayed quiet and shattered the void together to pursue.

“Little Demon humbly sees off the great lords—until our next deal!” The sly demon bellowed, its mouth corners twitching faintly before it burst apart with a boom, dissolving into strands of dark mist that blended into the environment and disappeared entirely.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sheng and his companions hurtled ahead at breakneck pace.

“Daoist Ji, that sly demon is deviously crafty; don't you worry it could be tricking us?” The Hundred Birds Taoist abruptly sent a mental message inside the tunneling light.

Sly demons frequently strike mutually profitable bargains, and post-transaction, nothing stops them from selling out the details for extra gain.

“It's possible, sure! Daoist Hundred Birds, are you scared?” Daoist Ji replied with a subtle grin.

“I've fought in endless skirmishes; fear isn't in my vocabulary. Merely being prudent,” the Hundred Birds Taoist shot back, a touch peeved.

“While these sly demons are devilishly cunning, they hold fast to their reputation. Lacking that, they couldn't juggle alliances on both ends. After all, without trust, who'd bother dealing with them?” Daoist Ji elaborated steadily.

Right then, Zhao Sheng chimed in: “How much longer to that Space-Time Beacon?”

Daoist Ji's expression altered briefly, and after fixing Zhao Sheng with a probing stare, he answered, “Roughly half a day's travel left.”

“Excellent!” Zhao Sheng gave a nod and fell quiet.

The trio propelled the tunneling light onward without a word, and half a day flew by in an instant.

Three streaks of tunneling light pierced the gloom, coming to a sudden halt over a colossal Space-time Vortex, where the area felt unusually “calm,” signaling that the Space-time Barriers were notably “weaker.”

“That's it, right here!” Daoist Ji unleashed his Divine Thought to sweep the area and nodded affirmatively at once.

“Fortunate we weren't delayed! If we pinpoint the B2 Virtual Realm Fortress's position ahead of the others, we'll surely impress our fellow Returning to Void Cultivators,” the Hundred Birds Taoist burst out in thrill at the sight.

The offhand remark from this Void Half-Immortal caught Zhao Sheng off guard, making him view the man with faint disdain, surprised by his shallow depth.

“No time to waste; we should hurry back to the real realm and strike at the perfect moment!”

“Wait!”

Just as the Hundred Birds Taoist wrapped up, Zhao Sheng cut in.

“Daoist Yan, any concerns?” The Hundred Birds Taoist turned to him, brows raised in mild astonishment.

Zhao Sheng shook his head and replied, “None whatsoever! I'm only concerned about potential ambushes. So, I propose you two avoid sending your True Body—send a Divine Split to probe ahead and plan accordingly?”

“You're right! I got ahead of myself and overlooked that. Thanks for the heads-up, Daoist Yan.”

Daoist Ji held back his comment, his face reflecting quiet endorsement.

The Hundred Birds Taoist swept his lengthy sleeves, and a burst of crimson glow revealed a fully scarlet Phoenix materializing in front of the group.

Next, he let out a booming laugh as a see-through human form zipped from between his eyebrows and plunged into the Fire Phoenix's crown.

Meanwhile, Daoist Ji attached a Divine Split to a zombie form.

The overwhelming savage energy pouring from the zombie marked it as a Ten-thousand-year-old Corpse Emperor, whose fighting strength rivaled that of a Returning to Void Cultivator.

Zhao Sheng pulled out a Tiger Head Spirit Puppet and channeled a Divine Split into its Spirit Core.

“Advance!” Daoist Ji eyed their “avatars” and declared steadily.

With that, the Ten-thousand-year-old Corpse Emperor got wrapped in dazzling black radiance, its duo of dusky golden talons abruptly ripping apart the void in front, then vanishing inside with a shimmer.

A surge of flames trailed right after, diving through the space fissure just as it sealed shut.

At this sight, a sharp spark lit in Zhao Sheng's gaze, and with a mere thought, the leading Tiger Head Spirit Puppet hoisted its massive blade and brought it sweeping down cleanly.

Along the sword's path, the void split into a lengthy “crack” with remarkable ease,