Chapter 19 In The Face Of Desperation: The First Demon Transformation

• As four Celestial Being realm titans clashed in the void, their cataclysmic energy waves scoured the landscape for a thousand li. The once-majestic valley lay flattened, its ruins buried under a storm of flying shale and splintered timber. Tan Xuan crouched motionless in a dense thicket, his breath shielded by a mana veil as he strained to blend with the shadows. The corpse in his grasp twitched slightly, its frozen fingers still curled around a fragment of charred cloth.
• "Junior Brother, the ancient scroll—hand it over. Your skulking in the tomb didn't fool me," a voice like broken glass rasped from the underbrush.
• "Senior Brother, I've no idea what you—" the reply cut off as Tan Xuan felt a chill crawl up his spine. He'd failed to sense their approach; two figures now flanked him, their robes embroidered with crescent moons that glowed faintly in the dim light. Wrapping the corpse in a watery mana cocoon, Tan Xuan eased onto a bed of ferns, sealing his breath to enter internal respiration. But the moment his back touched the moss, a killing intent as cold as glacial ice pinned him in place.