The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 692 - 654 Recognizing Demons_1

Chapter 692: Chapter 654 Recognizing Demons_1

His form still bore some resemblance to that of Pang Jian, yet it was clear that he was no longer as tall as before.

The cold, hard temperament that suppressed his brutality also differed greatly from before he had ascended to a Demon God.

The Black Dragon King, having taken human shape, had darkness swirling behind him. Pang Jian and Li Yuqing looked intently but couldn’t see what end Qi Xu had met within the depths of the thick darkness.

However, since not a single stream of Filthy Essence had flowed out from the darkness, it meant that Qi Xu was still alive.

It also meant that the Black Dragon King had heeded the cautious words spoken to him by Pang Jian.

"Pang Jian."

It was He who ascended to a Demon God that spoke first.

Differing from before, He no longer addressed Pang Jian as his master, dispensing with all honorifics.

"Without your help, Heaven Clan’s Shajia would have already slain me on the Demon Spirit Continent, and this life of mine would have come to an abrupt end."

Upon hearing this, Pang Jian’s expression remained unchanged, whereas Li Yuqing’s bright eyes suddenly flashed with surprise.

This life!

With a brief sentence, the Black Dragon King revealed His reborn identity.

Pang Jian had explicitly stated before that He and the tenth-grade Spirit "Corrosion Boundary Vine" were both nurtured by Pang Jian himself.

Could Pang Jian, as this generation’s Realm God, truly possess such divine skills?

The young girl’s beautiful eyes shone with admiration, and her heart rippled with realization. She felt her understanding of Pang Jian was still too superficial, without truly delving deep.

The ability to manipulate destiny was miraculous enough, but could the power that allowed a Demon God to be reborn be even more incredible?

"Of course, you have also helped me quite a lot in the past."

The Black Dragon King’s deep dragon eyes, resembling the Black Water Pool, reflected a nostalgic reminiscence, recalling the times His Dragon Soul dwelt within the Black and White King Python and waged battles alongside Pang Jian at the bottom of the pool.

Those later moments in Bagua City, and then the events in the Fifth Realm, memories of the past fluttered by.

"As repayment, at this stage where you require someone to act as your Protector, I will ensure your complete safety."

The Black Dragon King closed His eyes, suppressing the memories in His heart, and said, "As for other matters, my thoughts are not yet clear. I do not want to speak of them, nor do you need to ask."

After speaking, half of His towering human form once again merged into the darkness.

From within the darkness, His pair of dragon eyes emitted an intimidating glow.

Staring at the space between Pang Jian’s eyebrows, He seemed to wish to penetrate Pang Jian’s Sea of Consciousness, and warned in a low voice, "Be careful!"

Pang Jian frowned.

After ascending to a tenth-grade Demon God, the Black Dragon King clearly recalled something, but obviously did not wish to discuss it further.

Could it be out of consideration for Li Yuqing’s presence?

Although the spiritual connection between him and the Black Dragon King still existed, they could have communicated in a different way, using their souls’ voices, if they didn’t want Li Yuqing to overhear.

Just like they used to do.

Since the moment the Black Dragon King received his summons and instantly moved to this location from Panshi Fragment Land, communication through their spirits had been untenable.

It was not that Pang Jian was unwilling, but rather the Black Dragon King had severed the spiritual connection, unwilling to let him know too much.

Now, He even presented an attitude of wanting to settle accounts with him and part ways.

This made Pang Jian suspect that perhaps there was some displeasure between his father and the Black Dragon King in the past?

And so He intended to sever the relationship, repaying any debts of gratitude and then going their separate ways?

At that moment, with eyebrows knitted, Pang Jian let out a hum, his eyes showing displeasure.

Deep within, a malignant thought began to rise uncontrollably.

He reminisced about the past.

Starting from Black Water Pool, when he learned of Hei’s Dragon Soul dwelling within the Black and White King Python’s body, aside from initial caution, he later treated Hei with sincerity.

At their parting, he even extended an invitation, hoping to take such a version of Hei along with him.

But Hei had given up on that himself.

In Bagua City, he watched Hei emerge within the "Purgatory Gate" in a new form as the Dark Giant Python.

When Hei showed a desire for the Filth Alien Power, he provided unstinting support, helping Hei survive the initial hardships until he successfully achieved a copper token with his help.

Later on, although he regretted their separation, he also understood.

Hei’s reliance on the Filth Alien Power to strengthen his Bloodline meant he should stay in the Fifth Realm. Indeed, following Pang Jian back to Northern Qi Fragment Land would only limit Hei’s future.

When he discovered that he could reach Hei directly through the "Purgatory Gate," his sole wish was for Hei’s wellbeing.

Even when Hei later encountered Yu Xin and viewed her as another master.

He never harbored any malicious intentions toward Hei; he always offered as much help as possible, right until Hei was on the verge of ascending to a Demon God and faced trouble, and he was the first to lend a hand.

He did not know how his father and the Black Dragon King from Hei’s time had interacted.

Upon self-reflection, he felt that he had never let Hei down.

Yet now, upon attaining the status of a Demon God, the current Black Dragon King seemed eager to clear accounts with him, which inevitably felt like a betrayal, leaving Pang Jian somewhat dissatisfied.

With these thoughts, feelings of resentment resurfaced.

The displeasure aimed at the Black Dragon King manifested in his gaze as he looked towards the Black Dragon King, who was hidden within the darkness; a hint of hostility emerged in his eyes.

And that hostility was something the Black Dragon King had never seen before.

The Black Dragon King silently met his unfriendly gaze, and after a moment, said again, "Be careful!"

Then He disappeared completely into the darkness.

Twice looking at Pang Jian, twice saying, "Be careful," yet avoiding spiritual communication.

"He fears you."

Just as Pang Jian’s mood was subtly changing, the young girl from the Li Family spoke softly, "I can see it, He is both afraid of you and worried about you. I don’t know why, but He does not express it clearly, it seems like..."

Choosing her words carefully, Li Yuqing added, "He seems eager to get close to you, yet hesitates due to some concern."

Pang Jian was taken aback.

At this moment, what swirled in his heart was dissatisfaction with Hei, and thoughts of how to restrain and limit him.

The Gate of Prison, Immortal Primordial Spirit, this body that had achieved godhood for the second time, should possess the power to make Hei bow and concede.

It seemed that subconsciously, he neglected Hei’s two reminders, the two warnings to be cautious.

How could he neglect them?

How could he only remember Hei’s current aloofness and indifference towards him, and forget all the past kindnesses?

There was a time when, after obtaining vitality from the flesh and blood of the Old Black Turtle, and after harvesting life’s Alien Power from Pang Ling, complaining to Hei when seeking the breath of the soul through the Bee King.

The aggrieved Hei then brought him a dense and filthy Alien Power, refined within its body.

That time it did him no small harm.

But it also made it clear that Hei wanted him to understand, it wasn’t that Hei didn’t want to bestow power, but rather that the powers being given were not what he wanted, nor could he bear them.

He forgot Hei’s kindness, only remembering Hei’s current estrangement, which led to feelings of dissatisfaction and malice arising within him.

And slowly, these feelings began to ferment.

He reflected on himself, then suddenly became sharply alert!

It was only by understanding himself, seeing into himself, that he realized this was not him!

Combining what Li Yuqing said, many Great Cultivators who had sunk to the Fifth Realm and then sought to breakthrough their realms with Filthy Alien Power, couldn’t hold on once they reached the Immortal Realm and fell into the path of the Evil Demon.

He had gone further, even drawing forth a Filthy Essence, laying down the final road!

"Keep an eye on our surroundings for me, I need to find something!"

Pang Jian exclaimed with a fearful expression.

"Find what?" Li Yuqing asked in surprise.

"Demon!"

After his single word, Pang Jian’s spiritual will meticulously scrutinized his inner self.

His perception first focused on the inside of his dantian.

The dark green Demon Sea, separating the crushed lands of Spiritual Power Crystals from the seven pieces of Filthy Crystals below.

That was also a piece of "Heaven," inside which lay many complicated and exquisite Demon Tao Spells.

The "Sky-covering Demon Array" that once covered the Demon Abyss Continent, preventing True Gods from delving deep, seemed to be replicated by him within his dantian, hiding many Secret Skills that only a Demon God and the mightiest of Demon Tao practitioners could profoundly comprehend.

He suspected that it was this area that had developed issues and given birth to a Demon.

He combed through it time and time again, searching continuously.

He used the Star and Moon Radiance, the sun’s essential power, from his dantian to examine the dark green "Heaven."

Yet he sensed no second will that wasn’t under his control, that wasn’t his own; that "Heaven" was purely a fusion of Demonic Energy and Demonic Skills.

And nothing more.

"The Source Demon? Before He left, could it be..."

This thought flashed by, instantly cleared away by him.

If the Source Demon had wanted to harm him, the best opportunity would have been when he was fusing with the Youkui in the Earth Heart Cave.

The Source Demon didn’t act and even bade him a solemn farewell upon departure, explaining the circumstances compelling its departure.

And in his stead, it transformed to aid him, attracting some of the external God Spirits to buy more time for its escape.

"Who could it be? Where could they be?"

Beyond the dantian, he meticulously inspected and searched his viscera, bones, and heart apertures, still failing to find any foreign object that could disturb his mental state, that could stir evil thoughts in him.

"The current state of Purgatory, where neither external Demon Gods nor this world can interact."

"I also comprehend the Demon Tao Spells, and have cultivated the ’Original Demon Fusion Spell’, what Demon could possibly evade my perception and subtly poison my mind?"

"Li Bai is dead; the Demon Sect has yet to see another genius emerge; who else could there be..."

"Boom!"

Pang Jian’s mind trembled slightly.

Original Demon!

The one he exiled to the endless darkness using the Universe Box, the Original Demon that somehow escaped!

When Luo Hongyan saw that there was nothing at the bottom of the box, confirming the absence of the Original Demon, she immediately sunk to the Fifth Realm and disappeared into that endless darkness.

Who else but the Original Demon could subtly be that "Demon" capable of influencing him now in Purgatory?

If it were the Original Demon, how did it enter his body?

Filthy Essence!

In that Filthy Essence drawn from the Fifth Realm’s darkness, merging with his Second Soul, there must be a strand of the Original Demon’s will.

Perhaps even its entire will!

"Is it you?"

"Are you the one quietly affecting me, distorting my emotions, preparing to possess me?"

"The thing you did to my Shifu, now you want to do it again to me?"

"Original Demon!"

Pang Jian’s soul’s voice exploded within his Spirit Sea of Consciousness, in his increasingly tangible Second Spiritual Soul, like the booming of thunder.

"You’ve noticed a bit early."

A thought arose within his mind, echoing in his head.

The thought was clearly from Pang Jian himself, clearly a fragment of Pang Jian’s consciousness, yet it did not belong to him.

Once it settled in Pang Jian’s mind, the thought became a soul’s voice, another distinct consciousness.

...