A terrified voice emanated from Bai Zhao’s mouth, and all the great Spirit Transmutation demons crouching under the stars revealed expressions of disbelief.
Bai Zhao, reincarnated from a Demon Saint, would absolutely not make empty threats in such a dire situation, suggesting that behind the Eyes of Stars might very well be the Supreme Taoist.
The Supreme Taoist had been famous throughout the entire Primal Chaos Realm over ten thousand years ago, and after ten thousand years of Spirit Energy depletion, this Supreme Taoist still remained in the world, even defying the suppression of heaven and earth to manifest anomalies under this starry sky from who knows what distance.
Such capability was beyond even those powerful experts of the Immortal Realm who hid within grotto heavens sacred ground.
The opponent had been the number one genius of the Primal Chaos Realm ten thousand years ago, having slain countless predecessors. What realm could the Supreme Taoist possibly have reached after another ten thousand years?
Just the thought caused all the great Spirit Transmutation demons to shudder with trepidation.
At this moment, they had concluded that it was their own presumptuous attempt to seize the legacy of the Supreme Taoist that had angered this present-day Immortal.
“Taoist, calm your anger, please calm your anger!”
“We had no intention of offending the Taoist’s legacy, all of this was orchestrated by the Ancient Demon Hall.”
“Ferocious Deer of Mount Qilian’s Demons’ Realm pays respects to the Supreme Taoist!”
“My ancestor had an acquaintance with the Taoist ten thousand years ago, I beseech the Taoist’s forgiveness.”
One by one, the great Spirit Transmutation demons buried their bodies in the earth, begging for mercy with the utmost humility toward the Eyes of Stars.
Even Bai Zhao completely abandoned his demeanor as reincarnated from a Demon Saint, kneeling on the ground and ceaselessly pleading with Shen Yuan.
“Bai Zhao had no intention of offending the Supreme Taoist, please forgive me!”
At this moment, the propelling forces from cause and effect within Bai Zhao had already been drained dry, and his realm had tumbled to the Qi Transformation Middle Stage.
Had it not been for the profound heritage of a reincarnated Demon Saint, Bai Zhao likely would have withered into a dry corpse by now, yet the continuous draining of the propelling forces paled in comparison to facing the terror of the Supreme Taoist.
Even though he was wanted by various Demons’ Realms, Bai Zhao was confident he could rely on the Deductive method and the trump cards left before his reincarnation to escape.
But before an expert who might be beyond an Immortal, all his little tricks amounted to nothing: the opponent had the very real ability to end his life, how could Bai Zhao not be frightened?
The demons felt anxious, and within the courtyard, Shen Yuan watched everything, his eyes deep in thought.
With the propelling forces from cause and effect of Bai Zhao, he could project the changes of the constellations derived by his Star Astrology Divine Power thousands of miles away, and even covertly mobilize Primal Chaos Energy to suppress the demons.
With the remaining forces from Bai Zhao, it would not be difficult for Shen Yuan to kill one or two of the great Spirit Transmutation demons.
But to go further and kill all the great Spirit Transmutation demons was not an easy task.
Given such a vast distance, Shen Yuan was unable to utilize many of his methods, and Bai Zhao’s forces were already running low.
Forcefully killing one or two great Spirit Transmutation demons would bring no substantial gain to Shen Yuan; on the contrary, if after taking action, he couldn’t kill all the demons, and the matter was spread by these remaining demons, it would inevitably affect the reputation of the Supreme Taoist.
Rising to kill demons at the Divinity Transformation Realm without being able to annihilate them would affect the outside world’s judgment of the Supreme Taoist, regardless of the reason.
“These great Spirit Transmutation demons cannot be killed.”
Shen Yuan had already weighed his options, his attention now focused on Bai Zhao who was holding the Heaven-choosing Compass.
Other great Spirit Transmutation demons could not be killed, but Bai Zhao, as the main perpetrator, could not be easily let off.
Bai Zhao was not engaging for the first time in stirring up trouble using the powers of the propelling forces; Shen Yuan vaguely remembered a Mountain God from the Yunfu Mountain Range mentioning the Descendents of Bai Ze, who might be related to Bai Zhao.
Previously in Cang Province too, Bai Zhao was inadvertently causing trouble, stirring up conflicts.
Killing intent rose slightly in his heart when suddenly a dark red meteor streaked across the night sky within the courtyard, bringing a hint of change to Shen Yuan’s Star Astrology Divine Power.
“The stars are changing. Could it be that Bai Zhao has some life-saving measure left, that my current techniques are insufficient to kill him?”
Surprise and doubt flickered in Shen Yuan’s eyes.
“Bai Zhao is the reincarnation of the Demon Saint Bai Ze, and though not reincarnated by normal means, a Demon Saint’s cultivation is comparable to a Human Clan’s Taoist Doyen, to retain some life-saving trump cards is normal.”
With this in mind, Shen Yuan immediately adjusted his plans.
“Not to kill, yet crippling his foundation is by no means difficult.
Although the powers from the propelling forces can restore his foundation, it requires time and opportunities. As long as I find a method to deliver a fatal blow before he fully recovers, it will be enough.”
“Moreover, Bai Zhao has been locked by the Star Astrology Divine Power, and any of his plans against me in the future will be perceived by me. Keeping him alive may hold some other value.”
His right index finger tapped lightly on the tabletop, while thousands of miles away on the barren mountains of Qing Province, the stars in the night sky shone even brighter, as the intensity with which the Heaven-choosing Compass extracted the propelling forces from cause and effect began to surge violently.
The propelling forces within him drained away at a breakneck speed, from the Qi Transformation Early Stage, to Essence Refining Late Stage, to Essence Refining Middle Stage...
In a matter of just a few breaths, Bai Zhao fell directly from the Qi Transformation Stage to a member of the monster tribe who had yet to step into the cultivation realm.
If it weren’t for the protection of a spirit treasure, he couldn’t have even maintained his human form at this moment.
As the propelling forces disappeared, the all-seeing Eyes of Stars that overlooked all living beings silently dimmed, and the eminent gaze that oversaw the entire barren mountain shifted away.
The terrifying pressure vanished, and the faces of the great Spirit Transmutation demons buried within the earth revealed expressions of immense relief.
“The Supreme Taoist has not punished us,” said one.
“That figure, who left behind many legends ten thousand years ago, must have advanced further in his cultivation over ten thousand years. A person of such stature would hardly concern himself with such minor characters as us,” reasoned another.
“If that damnable Bai Zhao hadn’t traced cause and effect, why would the Supreme Taoist have deigned to glance our way?”
“That phenomenon that covered the whole starry sky was merely a casual glance from the Supreme Taoist during his leisure time, not something he truly cared about,” concluded another.
Amongst their discussions, the demons reached a consensus: the Supreme Taoist didn’t deign to consider them at all, which is why they were able to survive.
In the wake of their narrow escape from disaster, all the great Spirit Transmutation demons began to realize that the continued existence of the Supreme Taoist would affect the entire power balance of the Primal Chaos Realm.
Especially the conflicts between the various ancient spiritual lineages, which were bound to change with the reappearance of the Supreme Taoist.
“We must report this to the ancestral spirits of our tribe!”
The same thought occurred to many great Spirit Transmutation demons.
“Right, the Supreme Taoist didn’t care about us, but Bai Zhao is the reincarnation of a Demon Saint, and our statuses are not the same.
Plus, it was his actions that attracted the gaze of the Supreme Taoist. What has become of Bai Zhao now?”
A voice from one of the great Spirit Transmutation demons rose.
All the great Spirit Transmutation demons were taken aback and then looked in the direction of the barren mountain.
However, when their gazes landed on Bai Zhao’s last known location, they found that Bai Zhao had already vanished without a trace.
The Withered Wood Demon looked at the space before him and said with a gloomy glow in his eyes,
“It was a small teleportation token, capable of instantly crossing hundreds of miles. Bai Zhao must have already fled hundreds of miles away by now.
But the aura on him has fallen to the point where he hasn’t even reached the Essence Refining Early Stage, so he must have been punished by the Supreme Taoist.”
The tiger demon with a visage of Evil Qi said, “Angering the Supreme Taoist and not dying on the spot, he’s lucky.”
“Don’t let me catch him, because no matter what kind of Demon Saint or Demon God he claims to be, I will tear him apart on the spot!”
Hundreds of miles away, Bai Zhao, lying on the ground, barely put away the small teleportation token, regret painting his ashen face.
“It’s over, the propelling forces from cause and effect are gone, and my foundation has been utterly destroyed. It’s hard to say how long it will take to rebuild to Spirit Transmutation.
If there wasn’t a bit of remaining demonic power inside of me, I couldn’t have activated the small teleportation token.”
Taking a deep breath, Bai Zhao took out several elixir pills from his Storage Ring and swallowed them with difficulty, bringing back a trace of color to his face.
“Although I have to start all over again, I’m grateful that the Supreme Taoist didn’t inflict any punishment, and I’ve barely managed to keep my life.
However, those great Spirit Transmutation demons surely won’t let it go, and even the Demons’ Realm behind them will start to act. It seems I can’t stay in Great Xia any longer.”
Looking eastward, Bai Zhao murmured to himself,
“I’ve heard that the situation on Ying Island is chaotic, with continuous strife among various divine temples, and the Ghost King of Dajiang Mountain, where myriad ghosts wander and bring chaos to the world.
Leaving Great Xia, seeking more propelling forces from cause and effect, Ying Island should be a good destination.”
Somewhat rejuvenated, Bai Zhao prepared to travel overnight, leaving Qing Province territory for Ying Island.
As he stood up, he habitually used the Deductive method to find the most suitable path for departure, but the next moment Bai Zhao’s complexion drastically changed.
“Wait a minute, where did my Heaven-choosing Compass go?”
In the Courtyard Secret Realm, Shen Yuan gazed at the golden compass that had fallen from the starlight and fell into contemplation.

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