Because Bai Haichan had once been a disciple of the Star Gate, Fang Han always carried a vivid impression of that Immortal Sect. When he saw that the ones in peril ahead were disciples of the Star Gate, his heart stirred immediately — he decided to investigate.
The subterranean world was a place of endless peril. Darkness pressed in from all sides, filled with beasts and bloodthirsty monsters. Ordinary people would die within moments of stepping inside; even experts of the Divine Transformation Realm risked death with every breath. Only those of the Mystical Power Realm could move with some measure of safety.
Yet Fang Han, Princess Hongyi, and Crane Fairy pressed onward with the terrifying power of ten Shura puppets. Wherever they went, blood flowed and the path cleared — a road of slaughter, open and unimpeded.
After traveling dozens of miles, they crossed an underground ridge and suddenly saw dazzling starlight twisting through the air like a dragon. A suffocating surge of demonic aura rolled toward them, thick with blood and violence. Clearly, a gathering of powerful fiends awaited ahead.
A sharp hiss split the air.
Several white figures wielding weapons swooped in, wings beating furiously and whipping up slicing winds. They were Flying Yakshas — elite soldiers among the underground demons, equivalent to generals in human ranks. Normally, their scales were pitch black… but these ones were covered in white fur.
"White-haired corpse fiends!" Princess Hongyi cried out, her body trembling. "They are the nobles of the subterranean demons — the descendants of the Demon Emperor himself!"
Fang Han's mind flashed with what he knew of the demon clans. The underground races were ruled by Demon Emperors — beings as powerful as those who had reached the realm of Longevity. Each Demon Emperor possessed great strength, capable of tearing mountains and crossing starry voids. And like emperors, they had countless consorts and descendants.
Though demons were hideous in their base forms, when they evolved into Great Asuras, they could become breathtakingly beautiful — creatures of terrible charm. The descendants of these emperors inherited a fragment of their bloodline, granting them formidable powers. These white-haired Yakshas were precisely that — distant progeny of the Demon Emperor, beings of royal blood.
They were to the demonic clans what imperial kin were to human dynasties.
The white-furred fiends roared, lunging forward. One fixed its cruel gaze on Crane Fairy, baring its fangs in a twisted grin. Unlike the crude steel forks most Yakshas carried, this one held a long, gleaming saber, nearly seven feet in length. Its blade shimmered with layered cloud patterns, exuding a suffocating sharpness that made one's throat tighten.
Fang Han realized with a shock — these were not ordinary weapons.
The white-haired fiends wielded true magical artifacts, not the inferior weapons forged from mortal steel.
The air howled as the blades tore through it, creating explosive shockwaves. Though not as fast as the legendary Instant Kill Flying Sword, their speed was monstrous.
"That's a Gale Demon Saber! A superior artifact!" the voice of Yan echoed in Fang Han's mind. "Forged by a Great Asura using refined crystals — the blade channels storm magic to amplify its power with every strike. Be on your guard!"
Crane Fairy shrieked as the fiends descended upon her. "Fang Han! Stop them! Ah—!"
"Shura Sword Formation!" Fang Han's thought flashed like lightning. The ten Shuras behind him extended their bone spines, which burst into ten radiant blades of light, intercepting the incoming attack.
A clang of metal rang through the cavern —
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword light collided with the demon sabers, shaking the white-haired Yakshas midair. Their weapons were knocked from their hands, surprise flickering across their faces — but Fang Han gave them no chance to recover. The ten Shuras twisted through the air, striking with fists and claws, smashing into the demons.
Meanwhile, Yan acted as well. From the Yellow Springs Diagram, streams of golden qi surged out, weaving themselves into a vast net. The Yellow Springs Net dropped from above, ensnaring the fiends along with their weapons, dragging all of them into the Diagram's depths.
"Excellent," Yan purred. "Descendants of the Demon Emperor himself — even diluted blood like this refines into blood pills of extraordinary quality."
Four blood pills appeared within the Yellow Springs Diagram, each shimmering faintly with a platinum sheen. Unlike normal blood, the demons' blood flowed like molten white gold, radiating immense energy.
"These will sustain you for a long time," Yan continued. "Don't waste them refining skeleton puppets yet. Use them as food — even the Shuras need nourishment. Each one of those beasts devours blood pills like grain."
Fang Han nodded grimly. The Shura puppets were powerful but not self-sustaining; they consumed vast amounts of energy. He could not afford to expand his army — each additional Shura was another mouth to feed, another drain on his resources. Better to harvest blood and refine a reserve supply — sustenance for future battles.
"Don't worry," Fang Han said quietly. "I'll collect the materials for the bone puppets but won't refine them yet. Without stronger power or a proper array to inscribe on them, they'd be useless. Unless," he added with a faint grin, "you get me the Pure Yang Nine-Palace Golden Tower to boost your strength."
Yan laughed, a rare sound of genuine delight. "I'll hold you to that promise. One day, I'll devour that tower myself!"
Fang Han's eyes hardened. "And I'll make sure you do."
Having slain the four noble fiends, the group pressed forward — and soon, a shocking sight emerged before them.
In a wide cavern ahead, hundreds of white-haired corpse fiends were swarming around a single figure in a star-patterned robe. The figure was a child — barely five or six years old — yet his aura blazed with starlight as he fended off wave after wave of attacks.
Behind the horde stood a woman with her back to them. Her long, silvery-white hair flowed like a river of moonlight, her figure graceful yet radiating lethal menace. A massive blade floated beside her, humming with killing intent — unmistakably a spiritual weapon.
"Foolish little star-child," she hissed, her voice sharp and cruel. "Did you think this was a playground for heroes? Even a true disciple of the Sun-Moon Sword Sect barely escaped this place alive. And you — you dare to slay my kin? Tonight, I'll feast on your tender flesh."
Yan's tone turned grave. "That's no ordinary demon. She's a Great Asura — a full transformation. Her blade is an Echo-Slaughter Demon Saber. It kills at the speed of sound. Be careful, Fang Han — even a breath too slow, and you'll be dead."