The Ancient Bone Demon vanished, having not only killed the Three-Eyed Demon Lord but also taken away the Nine Netherworld Banner.
This outcome was utterly unexpected for everyone present. Perhaps even those profound beings lurking in the shadows hadn't foreseen it.
With the departure of the Ancient Bone Demon, the struggle over the Seven-Colored Lotus effectively came to an end.
Gu Qingfeng had seen enough of the spectacle. After draining his cup of wine, he yawned, stretched his back vigorously, shook his head, and without saying a word, turned and walked away.
If the disappearance of the Three-Eyed Demon Lord and the departure of the Ancient Bone Demon had still left a sliver of hope lingering in the hearts of Eastern Peak Great Emperor and the others, then Gu Qingfeng's departure completely extinguished the last flicker of expectation within them.
They looked at one another, no one speaking, all thoughts extinguished. Each of them appeared somewhat crestfallen and disheartened.
Indeed.
Not only had they failed to seize the Seven-Colored Lotus, but if they could have at least incited a mutual slaughter between Floating Life Imperial Lord and Ancestor of the Blood River, their trip wouldn't have been in vain.
But then, the Ancient Bone Demon, a subordinate of Ancestor of the Blood River, appeared and directly obliterated the Three-Eyed Demon Lord.
They had also thought provoking a fight between Floating Life Imperial Lord and Gu Qingfeng would suffice. Unfortunately, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have no interest in the Seven-Colored Lotus, and naturally had no reason to clash with Floating Life Imperial Lord.
This left Eastern Peak Great Emperor and his companions feeling extremely sour and frustrated. They felt they had wasted their time today, gaining nothing and nearly falling for Da Xing the Mad Monk's scheme. The only consolation was that this was the Ancient Ruins, with few people around. If this had happened in the Great Desolate, they would have undoubtedly suffered a humiliating loss of face.
"So, lad, didn't expect them to pull a move like that, did you?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk chuckled as he walked over to greet Floating Life Imperial Lord.
Floating Life Imperial Lord, elegant and extraordinary, appeared calm and composed. He nodded and said softly, "Thank you, Senior Da Xing."
"Thank me for what? This old monk didn't help at all. The one you should really thank is that old demon, Ancient Bone. To be precise, you should thank Ancestor of the Blood River. If he hadn't taken a step back on his own initiative, you, young man, would have found this hurdle difficult to pass."
As for what had just transpired, others present might have found it baffling, but Da Xing the Mad Monk understood it all perfectly clearly in his heart.
He knew full well that today's events had presented Floating Life Imperial Lord with a predicament, a dilemma where he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
If he killed the Three-Eyed Demon Lord, he would inevitably provoke Ancestor of the Blood River. Whether his master and their group could leave the Primordial Black Hole alive would then become an unknown, and afterward, Eternal Life Pavilion would surely face retaliation from Ancestor of the Blood River.
But if he didn't kill the Three-Eyed Demon Lord, then his own reputation, and that of Eternal Life Pavilion, would suffer greatly because of this incident.
Floating Life Imperial Lord might not care about his personal reputation, but he had to care about Eternal Life Pavilion's.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had long seen through the intentions of Eastern Peak Great Emperor and the others. He knew that if Floating Life Imperial Lord did not annihilate the Three-Eyed Demon Lord today, Eastern Peak Great Emperor and his ilk would definitely seize the opportunity to criticize Floating Life Imperial Lord and Eternal Life Pavilion. If this matter spread across the Great Desolate, the consequences would be unimaginable, both for Floating Life Imperial Lord and for Eternal Life Pavilion.
After all, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was a heinous criminal who had slaughtered countless living beings. If someone later used this incident to attack him, it was entirely possible for Floating Life Imperial Lord to be ruined and for Eternal Life Pavilion to decline as a result.
That's why Da Xing the Mad Monk had stepped forward, preemptively occupying the moral high ground and tying Eastern Peak Great Emperor and the others together with Floating Life Imperial Lord.
His goal was simple: if they were going to offend Ancestor of the Blood River, they would all offend him together. If they didn't want to offend Ancestor of the Blood River, then Eternal Life Pavilion, Purple Mist Immortal Realm, and Loulan Blessed Land would jointly bear the infamy. If Floating Life Imperial Lord was ruined because of this, then Eastern Peak Great Emperor, Pure Robe Bodhisattva, and the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Western Heaven Buddha Emperor behind them would not be able to escape blame either.
However.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had never expected the Ancient Bone Demon to voluntarily step forward and annihilate the Three-Eyed Demon Lord.
At first, he had been truly bewildered, unsure what game the Ancient Bone Demon was playing. But upon careful reflection later, he understood the subtlety of it.
He surmised that the Ancient Bone Demon also did not wish for this matter to escalate, nor did he want Ancestor of the Blood River thrust into the storm's eye because of a single Three-Eyed Demon Lord.
In Da Xing the Mad Monk's view, the incident involving the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was not only a dilemma for Floating Life Imperial Lord, but also a dilemma for the Ancient Bone Demon.
If the Ancient Bone Demon stood by and did nothing, allowing the Three-Eyed Demon Lord to die here, it would not only damage Ancestor of the Blood River's prestige but also be a loss of face. Afterwards, even if Ancestor of the Blood River didn't want to seek revenge against Eternal Life Pavilion, he might be compelled to.
But if he intervened to save the Three-Eyed Demon Lord, he would inevitably clash with Floating Life Imperial Lord. Once a fight broke out, the consequences would be equally unthinkable.
Floating Life Imperial Lord was wary of Ancestor of the Blood River, and Ancestor of the Blood River was also wary of Floating Life Imperial Lord. If the two fought, there was only one outcome: mutual destruction, benefiting only others in the end.
This was a result no one wished to see.
Left with no alternative, the only option was for the Ancient Bone Demon to appear, annihilate the Three-Eyed Demon Lord. This way, they could avoid direct conflict with Floating Life Imperial Lord, preserve their prestige, and also have an excuse to retrieve the Nine Netherworld Banner. It could be said to kill two birds with one stone. As for Floating Life Imperial Lord, who never wanted to fight Ancestor of the Blood River in the first place, since Ancestor of the Blood River had already shown some concession, he naturally wouldn't say anything more.
As for the Ancient Bone Demon's claims that the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was incorrigible and had long been expelled by Ancestor of the Blood River, Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't believe a word of it. And the part about the Three-Eyed Demon Lord stealing the Nine Netherworld Banner? In Da Xing's eyes, that was pure nonsense. Who didn't know the Nine Netherworld Banner was Ancestor of the Blood River's treasure? Forget stealing it, even openly snatching it—throughout the myriad realms of the heavens, no one possessed the capability.
Undoubtedly, Ancestor of the Blood River had bestowed the Nine Netherworld Banner upon the Three-Eyed Demon Lord, and the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was definitely Ancestor of the Blood River's disciple.
As for whether the Ancient Bone Demon's earlier strike had truly annihilated the Three-Eyed Demon Lord...
In Da Xing the Mad Monk's view, killing him or not killing him was essentially the same. Even if the Ancient Bone Demon had truly obliterated the Three-Eyed Demon Lord, given Ancestor of the Blood River's abilities, resurrecting him from death would not be a difficult task.
The Ancient Bone Demon's move was merely for show. But the brilliance lay in the fact that even if others knew it was an act, no one dared to step forward and say anything, and even if they did, they couldn't say anything substantial.
Da Xing the Mad Monk originally wanted to have a good chat with Floating Life Imperial Lord, but when he turned his head, he saw Gu Qingfeng already walking further and further away. He cursed, "Damn it! Earlier, when I told that kid to leave, he wouldn't. Now look, he slinks off without a word."
"Alright then! Floating Life, this old monk will take his leave first. We'll chat again when there's an opportunity."
With that, Da Xing the Mad Monk scurried off in a flash to give chase.