Under crushing pressure, Fang Han broke through the second layer of the Spirit Realm and stepped into the third— the Gang-Qi Realm. His power surged to the strength of thirty thousand horses, his magic force roaring within him. With the exceedingly pure Wood Emperor Gang-Qi, the Five-Prison King Cauldron responded to his will with newfound sharpness.
The cauldron contained nine hundred and ninety-nine formations, each one unique and far beyond any ordinary treasure. Thirty-six boosted spells, fifty-four restrained and captured, and three hundred and sixty amplified power. Among them was the fearsome Great Demon-Force Array—an intricate constellation of smaller formations. Once activated, it manifested an enormous demon phantom with the cauldron as its heart, unleashing a tide of demonic might capable of overturning rivers and swallowing whole cities.
Everything in the world could deceive, except strength.
The Heaven Demons revered raw power above all else. The Great Demon-Force Array was one of the most terrifying methods within the Five-Prison King Cauldron.
Though the manifested "demon god" was far from a true demon, the explosive force it generated could multiply a cultivator's power several times over in an instant, draining every ounce of magic in exchange—similar to the Madness-Demon Life-Shortening Pill, except it consumed only vitality, not lifespan.
Fang Han unleashed it for one purpose: break free and escape before the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord revealed even more terrifying treasures.
The opponent was the son of the Nine-Yin Demon God—equivalent to the offspring of a Longevity Realm powerhouse. To assume he carried no deadly artifacts would be madness. Fang Han had only heard of the Nine-Yin Demon God once, when Fang Qingxue ventured beneath the earth toward the so-called "Demon God Altar" and rumors claimed the Nine-Yin Demon God had been suppressed by the Demon God itself.
But if a Demon God could suppress the Nine-Yin Demon God, Fang Han certainly could not suppress the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord.
It was already fortune enough not to be instantly crushed.
Their cultivation gap was too vast; not even an extraordinary treasure could compensate.
The manifested demon phantom roared, shattering the Golden-Serpent Battle Array. Its bellow swallowed even the "Soul-Suppressing Chant." Then its giant hands tore through the Galaxy-Nine-Heavens Array and the Black-Silk Entanglement Array as if ripping apart curtains of smoke.
Black and silver Gang-Qi scattered like explosive shards.
Fang Han couldn't fathom how the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord cultivated such contradictory energies—one steeped in demonic chill, one noble and righteous. Clearly, he had not only practiced demonic arts but also integrated immortal-path techniques, becoming a hybrid of both.
"Go!"
With four major arrays torn apart, Fang Han didn't hesitate. The Five-Prison King Cauldron shot upward toward the dark sky—toward the Return-to-Void Passage. Beyond it lay the Northern Ocean: an endless expanse of freedom.
"Think you can run?"
The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord's voice rolled across the void. The shattered Gang-Qi arrays suddenly reawakened. Each ribbon of Gang-Qi morphed into a demonic silhouette, swarming forward to re-form a massive formation that sealed the Return-to-Void Passage entirely—turning escape into a delusion.
At the fourth stage of the Divine Ability Realm, Gang-Qi gained life. In the Return-to-One Realm, it gained intelligence. Every strand of the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord's Gang-Qi behaved like a living entity—breathing, pulsing with heartbeats, capable of speech. Thus, even when shattered, it immediately regrouped, reborn stronger than before.
"What kind of technique is this?!"
Just as Fang Han was about to cross the threshold, the demonic silhouettes converged, pressing in from all sides, trapping him once more.
"This is the Mother-Child Heaven-Demon Array!" Yan cried from within the cauldron. "The Demon Lord uses his Gang-Qi as Mother Demons. Once they form, the countless demons in this blood-flesh mire gather to them as Child Demons. Even the root formation inside your cauldron is based on a version of this!"
Outside, the sight was horrifying: tens of thousands of demons swarmed like locusts, clustering around each Gang-Qi-formed Mother Demon.
The demon qi grew heavier, pressing down like a mountain.
Even with his own Gang-Qi, Fang Han could no longer force a breakthrough—not after the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord merged the power of the entire demon swamp with his own.
"If we don't break out now, once the Mother-Child Demon Array fully matures, we're finished! If only I had a Madness-Demon Pill—I could gamble with my life! But now I can't even wager that! Yan, any suicidal demon techniques? Bring them out!"
"We're far too outmatched," Yan said grimly. "And using those techniques guarantees instant death."
"Fang Han, we may not escape," Long Xuan spoke suddenly, her eyes opening. "This array gathers more demons by the moment. This swamp holds at least ten million."
"What do you suggest?" Fang Han asked.
"Since we can't run," Long Xuan said calmly, "we stop trying. Defend the cauldron. Let it restrain us. He can't crack it quickly. Make him waste his strength suppressing us. When he's depleted… we strike."
She continued, "This is a calamity tied to our rapid rise. Fate uses the Demon Lord's hand to test us. Hold your mind steady. Use defense. Let the cauldron seal us from within. Let him imprison us, suppress us, chain us. Through this tribulation, we may even advance further."
Fang Han exhaled a long breath. "Your insight surpasses mine… fine. If this is fate, then let's endure it."
He gathered his magic into a single sphere, releasing nothing, attacking nothing. The Five-Prison King Cauldron glowed faintly red—soft, yet unbreakable. He stopped resisting entirely, folding inward like a turtle retreating into its shell.
Outside, the Mother-Child Demon Array grew stronger, finally swallowing the cauldron whole and sealing Fang Han and the others inside.
Escape was no longer possible.
"Congratulations, Demon Lord," the eighteen Yin-Yang Demon Kings proclaimed. "You've captured a powerful immortal-path disciple—and recovered our clan's treasure."
"It's too early to celebrate," the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord said coolly. "They're turtling inside the cauldron. I can't kill them immediately. I'll imprison the cauldron and bring it back to Shadow Castle to refine slowly."
He pondered, mind shifting rapidly.
"This cauldron's defense is formidable," a female demon king said. "How will you refine it?"
"No matter. If he were a Heaven-Human Realm cultivator, it would be troublesome. But as he is? Two or three months at most. And the Nine-Yang Demon God is on his way. When he arrives, refining this cauldron will take the snap of a finger."
The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord added, "The Five-Prison King Cauldron lacks its final formation and a hint of pure yang immortal qi to transform into a true Dao-Artifact. Once the Demon God arrives, I'll ask him to lend the final piece."
He raised his hand. A strange bowl floated out—neither metal nor jade.
Inside it churned a liquid of nine colors, burning like fire yet flowing like water, hissing and steaming with an impossible mix of states.
"Pure Yang Immortal Water…" someone whispered. "It can suppress demonic nature itself."
The Seven-Leaf Demon Lord smiled faintly.
"Exactly. I'll drown the cauldron with Pure Yang Immortal Water—disrupt its demon formations, erase its resistance, and stain it with pure yang. When the Demon God arrives, the cauldron will be ours."
The Demon Kings bowed, deeply impressed.
"Return to Shadow Castle."
The mother-child demon formation carried the sealed cauldron into the distant fortress.
With a thunderous crash, the Five-Prison King Cauldron was chained and anchored at the center of the grand hall—surrounded by the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord on his throne and the eighteen Yin-Yang Demon Kings.
Fang Han and the others could only remain curled within, holding their defenses as the Demon Lord lifted the bowl.
"Nine-Yang Sacred Water."
The liquid of nine blazing colors poured down.