# Chapter 2334: The Terrifying Demon
Lin Feng and the others dared not make any rash moves, simply watching the demonic figure before them.
"Who am I?" A voice broke the dead silence. The demon looked ahead and asked, causing Lan Ge and the others to freeze in shock. He was asking who he was—he didn't even know himself.
Lan Ge and the others didn't dare respond, but then the demon's eyes swept over them—deathly still, ice-cold.
"Whoosh!" He took a single step and instantly appeared before Lan Ge, startling him. Lan Ge's body wanted to retreat, but the demon's pupils locked onto him, making it impossible for him to move even an inch. It felt as if the slightest movement would cause the demon to annihilate him.
The others tensed up as well. A cold wind brushed against them, the chill making them tremble uncontrollably.
"Who am I?" The demon stared into Lan Ge's eyes and asked.
"Senior is the Ancient Demon King, Emperor Shakti," Lan Ge said, a flash of inspiration striking him.
"Ancient Demon King, Emperor Shakti?" The demon murmured to himself, then turned around, repeating the words over and over. Emperor Shakti?
"Emperor Shakti... I am not Emperor Shakti, not..." Suddenly, a furious roar erupted. His body shot forward and vanished from sight in an instant. Lan Ge was drenched in cold sweat, letting out a long breath. He felt as if he had just walked past the God of Death—so close, so dangerous.
"What a terrifying existence. How many such beings are there in this Ancient Demon Cave?" Lan Ge muttered. It seemed they were only now truly experiencing what the Ancient Demon Cave meant.
"This tide of demons seems endless," Ye Zhiyun said, turning back to look at the endless stream of demons falling into the sea of blood. A damp demonic aura seeped into her body, giving her an extremely uncomfortable feeling. She enveloped herself in the radiance of life force to dispel the dampness.
However, Hua Qianyu didn't have that life light. She extended her hand—her slender, fair palm seemed to be undergoing subtle changes. Her expression tightened sharply. "This aura... it's corroding our bodies."
Ye Zhiyun frowned. She withdrew her life light and carefully sensed it. Sure enough, she discovered that a demonic aura was corroding her palm.
"Could it be... that the demon we saw was also corroded?" Ye Zhiyun seemed to realize something, her expression turning shocked. Moreover, this corrosive power was gradually growing stronger.
"We need to leave this place quickly," Hua Qianyu said. They continued forward, and the others followed. Now, it seemed they had only one path—to keep moving forward, deeper into the Ancient Demon Cave.
An invisible pressure weighed down on everyone. Even though they had prepared themselves to face all kinds of dangers, they had only just entered the Ancient Demon Cave not long ago. Only now did they truly feel how terrifying the threat of death was—so real, so vivid. If they had been caught by the demon tide earlier, or if that demon had chosen to kill them, they would have lost their lives. This danger was something they couldn't even resist.
"There are ancient trees!" At that moment, Ye Zhiyun stared at the mountain range ahead, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes. The Ancient Demon Cave had no signs of life, an oppressive and terrifying place. Now, seeing trees, they finally saw traces of life.
"Indeed, ancient trees. Let's hurry," Lan Ge said. Their bodies shot forward rapidly, and soon they arrived beside the ancient trees on the mountain range.
"Are these really ancient trees? Why can't I sense any life force?" Ye Zhiyun looked disappointed. These ancient trees came in various colors—some had leaves, some bore fruit, and some were blood-red, giving anyone who looked at them an uncomfortable feeling.
"Haven't you noticed that these ancient trees resemble some beings recorded in ancient scrolls?" Lin Feng spoke up. The others paused, then examined them more carefully. Ye Zhiyun stared at one particular ancient tree and slowly approached it. When she was about ten meters away, a startled cry rang out, and her body was sent flying backward.
"What a terrifying aura," Ye Zhiyun said as she stood up. Everyone looked at her, their expressions shaken.
"It's a Demon Enlightenment Tree—a legendary existence. According to ancient records, meditating on demonic power beneath a Demon Enlightenment Tree sharpens the six senses and deepens one's understanding. But after the ancient era ended, this legendary tree disappeared. I never expected to find one here in the Ancient Demon Cave. There's a terrifying aura in front of this tree—some incredibly powerful being once sat here in contemplation, and the aura they left behind still lingers."
Ye Zhiyun spoke slowly, causing everyone's hearts to tremble. This tree was actually a Demon Enlightenment Tree?
"If only we had the Three Lives Emperor's Mirror of the Past, we could use this aura to reconstruct the scene from back then. It's said that the Three Lives Emperor gave the Mirror of the Past to his most despised daughter, and now no one knows where it is," Ye Zhiyun said. Lin Feng's expression froze. The Mirror of the Past? The Three Lives Emperor's daughter—Xi Emperor?
He had an ancient bronze mirror on him, but wasn't that the Mirror of the Future? Or was it the Mirror of the Past?
A bronze mirror appeared in Lin Feng's hand. He directed it toward the Demon Enlightenment Tree, and instantly, a brilliant light intertwined. Time seemed to rewind, and an image from the past overlapped with the present scene.
Lan Ge and the others' pupils contracted sharply. They stared at Lin Feng, then at the area before the ancient tree. There, a figure stood beneath the tree, gazing at it as if deep in thought. After a long while, the figure slowly turned and sat down cross-legged. At that moment, the ancient tree seemed to warp and twist—it was no longer a static tree but a dynamic presence.
"It's him," Chi Lianshan suddenly said, his expression filled with shock. He had seen this figure in battle recordings before.
"Who is he?" Lan Ge asked.
"A figure from fifty thousand years ago—a supreme expert from the Demon God Hall named Mo Ding. After he stepped into the Saint Realm, he displayed an unparalleled posture, defeating a highly renowned Saint of that era. Recordings of that battle still exist today, passed down through the ages. I've seen them."
"He's Mo Ding?" The others were shaken. Even though they hadn't seen his recordings, they had all heard of the name—a terrifying figure from the past who had also come to the Ancient Demon Cave.
But at that moment, Mo Ding suddenly opened his eyes, startling everyone. Even though fifty thousand years had passed, they still felt as if those eyes were looking directly at them. They instinctively stepped back. Then, Mo Ding let out a cold snort, and his body shot into the sky. However, moments later, another figure returned and landed directly before the ancient tree. This figure had its back to Lin Feng and the others, but it was definitely not Mo Ding.
The light flickered, and this figure also vanished. The image disappeared with it, but everyone's hearts were pounding. Where had Mo Ding gone?
"Who's there?" Lin Feng suddenly turned around, looking behind him. His eyes froze. The others were the same—their expressions stiffened. In mid-air, a figure hovered silently. It still had half a face, while the other half exuded a terrifying, domineering aura.
"He is... Mo Ding," Lin Feng and the others realized. Their hearts trembled violently. A terrifying aura spread over them. Soon, they were shocked to discover that several demonic figures had appeared on this mountain range, standing casually as if they had emerged from nothingness.
"Are these demons all ancient great powerhouses from the past?" Lan Ge's heart pounded. Then they saw Mo Ding walking toward them.
"Prepare to flee," Lan Ge transmitted his voice. Lin Feng and the others stepped back. But at that moment, Mo Ding's hand trembled, and a massive hand directly grabbed Lan Ge. The blood-red demon handprint was terrifying.
"No!" Lin Feng's expression shook as he watched. Then, Mo Ding's handprint trembled. In an instant, Lan Ge's body was demonized, his blood rapidly draining away. Lightning raged wildly around him, but it was useless. Before this being, he was so insignificant.
"No..." Lan Ge roared in fury. But Mo Ding swung his hand, and Lan Ge's body was thrown somewhere unknown. Lin Feng and the others' hearts trembled wildly. They wanted to scream but held back, gritting their teeth. They had just witnessed Lan Ge being tortured to death like this, yet they were powerless.
A forbidden land—one of the seven forbidden lands—the Ancient Demon Cave!
Only now did they seem to understand why this place was called the Ancient Demon Cave. A forbidden land that had never been conquered, not even by the Divine Halls.
Mo Ding's expression was indifferent as he looked at Lin Feng and the others. They retreated, wanting to escape. But before this being, could they escape?
Just then, a melody that seemed to come from the ancient era suddenly played. These demonic figures looked up into the distance. On the peak of the mountain range, a figure sat with his back to them, slowly playing a tune.
"Whoosh!" Mo Ding's body suddenly vanished, leaving Lin Feng and the others stunned. They looked around and soon discovered that all those terrifying demonic figures had disappeared in an instant, as if they were all wary of this melody—or rather, wary of the person playing it.
"A being that can make these demons wary... what kind of existence is that? Is he also a demon?" Lin Feng and the others looked toward the distant mountain peak. Beside the person playing the zither, another figure seemed to have appeared. He sat there, quietly listening. This figure wore a black robe—the same person Lan Ge had seen before!