Chương 48: The Clash of Primal Sovereigns

Crack! In a heartbeat, the obsidian egg shattered from within. Wisps of pure, pitch-black demonic qi swirled like frantic serpents, surging into the figure that stepped out from the shards. Clad in sanguine armor with hair like a river of fresh blood, the figure radiated an aura so thick with gore it made one's scalp tingle with primal fear. Having absorbed the essence of its shell, the Blood Demon Puppet's crimson haze intensified.

It threw its head back, unleashing a bloodthirsty roar that challenged the very shadow of the Primal Ancestor. Having expelled that single drop of Demon Ancestor's Essence Blood, the mysterious woman's face turned deathly pale, her vitality drained to its absolute limit. She swayed, her breath coming in ragged gasps, yet her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

"Demon Ancestor's Essence Blood... a Blood Demon Puppet!" Outside the restriction, the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign's expression shifted violently. Greed, hot and uncontrollable, flared in his eyes.

"It's mine! It must be mine!" If he could devour that drop of essence blood, his monstrous form would transcend into a supreme demon body, harder than any magic treasure. If he could even grasp a fragment of the memories buried within that blood, he could master the forbidden arts of the demon path. With such power, nothing between heaven and earth could stop him. This single drop of blood was a treasure that defied the natural order.

"Primal Ancestor's Projection, devour them!" the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign shrieked, his hands weaving a frantic blur of mudras.

"Blood Demon Puppet, let the Sanguine Flames engulf the heavens!" the mysterious woman commanded in a cold, sharp tone. The puppet roared in response, turning into a streak of crimson light as it charged toward the descending Astral Diagram. Boom! The Blood Demon Puppet collided with the starlight, but its momentum was instantly smothered. Within that star-map, time seemed to accelerate—a thousand years passing in a single breath.

The puppet's brilliant blood-light dimmed rapidly, its aura flickering as if it were a candle in a gale, on the verge of being snuffed out.

"By the flesh of the descendants, I beseech the unyielding will of the Demon Ancestor... Descend!" The woman's face hardened as she stood tall. In that instant, an ancient, desolate will—one filled with eternal defiance—erupted into the world. It was a presence so vast and unyielding that it felt as though it would endure even if the heavens crumbled and the cycle of reincarnation ceased. The very fabric of reality trembled under the weight of this sovereign intent. Hum!

The will surged into the mysterious woman, flooding her being. Her presence shifted instantly; seven crescent moon sigils flickered on her brow, and her eyes, when they opened, held the terrifying majesty of a god. Though no spiritual energy rippled from her, she radiated a pressure that suggested she could shatter the world with a single blow.

"Condense!" she pointed a slender finger. The unyielding will of the Demon Ancestor flowed into the Astral Diagram. The fading Blood Demon Puppet exploded with renewed radiance, its dissipated blood-qi snapping back into place. Its power surged, gradually pushing back the oppressive starlight. Outside the barrier, the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign turned deathly pale. An innate, primal enmity roared in his heart, turning into a torrential flood that set his demonic energy ablaze.

"Kill her! Kill her!" he screamed, his eyes turning a frenzied scarlet as his power spiraled out of control.

"By my flesh, I summon the will of the Primal Ancestor!" A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. His roar seemed to pierce through the dimensions, reaching an unknown, ancient realm. A violent, cruel, and tyrannical will descended in response, shrieking at the woman before diving into the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign's body. Boom! The demonic energy surrounding him ignited, expanding three feet outward like a green inferno.

His black hair transformed into a ghastly shade of emerald, and his robes whipped violently in a phantom wind. A roar echoed from the depths of time, carrying a primordial, savage aura that swept across the chamber. Two gargantuan figures, appearing as if they had existed since the dawn of the universe, manifested above the woman and the Sovereign. They stared at each other, their roars shaking the foundations of the mountain.

Unlike the seven stars on the Demon Ancestor's brow, the Primal Ancestor bore seven sun-like orbs that pulsed with a sickly green light. The Primal Ancestor's shadow let out a deafening howl, and the projection within the restriction shattered, its essence absorbed by the greater entity. Its gaze fell upon the Astral Diagram, and with another roar, the starlight blazed with the intensity of a thousand suns. Boom! The Astral Diagram and the Blood Demon Puppet clashed.

There was no spiritual energy, only the collision of two terrifying wills, yet the space between them warped and twisted into a chaotic vortex. Reyn, though safe within the restriction, felt as if a mountain were pressing down on his chest. His eyes were wide with shock.

"If mere shadows possess such power, a single strike from their true bodies could surely collapse the heavens and rend the earth!" Fear began to take root in his heart. But then, the mysterious Golden Seal within his sea of consciousness sensed his dread. It pulsed with a faint, noble golden light. It was a subtle glow, yet the moment it appeared, the crushing pressure of the two ancient wills was brushed aside.

Reyn felt a strange, inexplicable sensation—as if he had become the most exalted being in existence, and all living things should kneel before him in submission. For a fleeting second, it seemed as though the two ancient shadows glanced toward him, their eyes flickering with a hint of wariness. Reyn shook his head, dismissing the thought as an illusion. He realized the restriction binding him had been dissolved by the Golden Seal.

Though his strength was restored, he knew he still had no chance of survival in the face of such titans. He watched the stalemate between the puppet and the star-map. He had a premonition: the Blood Demon Puppet was losing.

"Even if you were a Demon Sovereign of the Upper Realm, you have been imprisoned for eons!" the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign laughed maniacally, the seven suns on his brow spinning.

"Your power is spent! You are merely burning the last of that essence blood. Let's see how long you can last!" He continued, his voice dripping with malice, "Once I break this seal and devour your soul, I will be the supreme ruler of this world! If you surrender now, I might let a sliver of your soul enter reincarnation. Otherwise, I will ensure you are erased from existence!" Above him, the Primal Ancestor's shadow grew even more ferocious, its eyes fixed on the Demon Ancestor with predatory hunger.

The mysterious woman stood in her jade platter, her face white as chalk. There was no fear in her eyes, only a cold, desperate resolve.

"You wish to devour me? Then you shall pay the ultimate price. Even if I must fade into nothingness, I will take you with me!"

"Demonic Body Disintegration! Draw the supreme power to slay this beast!" Her soul, a translucent flicker, emerged from her physical form. She wove a series of esoteric mudras, and ghastly black flames erupted from her body, consuming her flesh. As she burned, the world was flooded with pure demonic qi. Countless demonic shadows wailed and surged through the air. Reyn felt a bone-chilling cold, his mind nearly slipping into a dark hallucination, but the Golden Seal pulsed again, clearing his head instantly.

"I sacrifice my body to end you!" the woman cried. She gathered the concentrated demonic qi and thrust it into the Demon Ancestor's shadow. The shadow solidified, becoming almost physical. It swallowed the drop of essence blood, and red veins, like a network of meridians, spread across its translucent frame. It seemed to gain a life of its own. With a roar that rent the air, the Demon Ancestor's shadow charged.

The Ghost-Corpse Sovereign's eyes filled with terror; he tried to flee, but the Primal Ancestor's will held him in place, greedily draining his life force to fuel its own form. Boom! Fist met fist. Though they were shadows, the shockwaves sent ripples through space that made the heart stop. They fought like mortals in a tavern brawl, yet every strike carried the weight of a collapsing star, a testament to the terrifying power of their primordial physiques.