The Nine Saints and Four Holy Monks, the Heaven and Earth Twin Swords, the Sun and Moon Twin Walls, the Six Kings of the Devil’s Gate, and the unmatched Overlord, all stood as the greatest power of this era. Excluding the hidden sects’ Celestial Immortals, their number equaled the total of the highest attainments below legend. Though seemingly numerous, careful calculation reveals only twenty-four of them. However, two Heaven Kings have recently perished at the hands of the Saints and Meng Qi, leaving only twenty-two.
Among these twenty-two Celestial Immortals, there were still distinctions in rank. For example, the Overlord stood supreme, unmatched at the very pinnacle. The Saints had forged their own paths, merging their philosophies with their Dharma Bodies, placing them just slightly below the Overlord. The Four Holy Monks each inherited techniques on par with the Buddha’s Palm or the Dream True Sutra; even if they adhered to established rules and emulated others, they still surpassed all except the Saints.
The Heaven and Earth Twin Swords, the Sun and Moon Twin Walls, and the Four Kings of the Devil’s Gate might have victories and defeats among themselves, but they remained roughly on the same level. Yet, a Celestial Immortal was still a Celestial Immortal, possessing an inner 洞天 (self-contained realm), with every movement as mighty as a massive star. Though defeating an opponent of equal rank might be relatively easy, killing them was difficult—and capturing them alive even more so!
(Note: “洞天” is transliterated as “Dongtian” and explained in parentheses to preserve the original term while providing clarity for non-Chinese readers.)
Zhuo Chaosheng, nicknamed “Sword Shakes the Star Sea,” was the Heaven Sword among the Heaven and Earth Twin Swords and the leader of the Heaven and Earth Sword Sect. He wielded a Celestial Immortal-grade divine weapon and had begun to grasp the exquisite realm of forming formations with a single sword strike. Even the Saints dared not claim they could kill or capture him. Across the entire universe and its myriad subordinate worlds, perhaps only the Overlord could accomplish such a feat. Yet now, Wu Daoming, the “Supreme Heaven Devil,” had also done it.
This alone speaks volumes of his realm and strength!
Of course, it was also possible that Wu Daoming had ambushed Zhuo Chaosheng in Luo City, where he was the only Celestial Immortal, perhaps even employing the Nine Nether Fengshui Map and other Heaven Kings. But Meng Qi could only make the worst-case assumption.
Facing such an adversary, along with the ancient, otherworldly divine weapon—the Devil Emperor’s Claw—Meng Qi dared not show the slightest carelessness or underestimate his opponent, just as he would when confronting the Overlord. Desperately, he wished to channel his divine consciousness through his mind and activate the subtle connection left behind by the Absolute Blade, making this plea:
“Hey, one-one-zero? No, Absolute Blade? The Supreme Heaven Devil has transformed, remade his demonic body, and is now at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm, beyond the reach of the Eight Wildernesses and Six Directions. Hurry and bring the Overlord here to enforce justice on the spot—you’ll also get to fight the Devil Emperor’s Claw to your heart’s content!”
At this moment, Wu Daoming kicked the half-dead Zhuo Chaosheng, sending him falling between himself and Meng Qi. He then strolled forward leisurely, smiling lightly as if the wind were calm and the clouds serene: “You escaped from the Overlord before, and even managed to kill the severely wounded Multi-Eyed Heaven King while still a Human Immortal. Your strength is not to be underestimated. If I hadn’t been careful, I might have stumbled into a trap and capsized in a ditch. However, your companion is still in the Devil’s Gate. If you happen to kill me, he will die in my place.”
He sneered: “Are you daring enough to kill me?”
Meng Qi’s heart trembled, and the thought of calling Absolute Blade vanished instantly. Even if he could summon the Overlord, whether he would fight himself or Wu Daoming first was uncertain. Even if he chose Wu Daoming first and managed to kill him one-on-one, it would come at the cost of He Qi’s tragic death—the very consequence of his own actions.
Indeed, the Heaven Devil would stop at nothing. His fighting style was the complete opposite of the Overlord’s. Without even throwing a punch, he had already shaken Meng Qi’s confidence by using the critically wounded Zhuo Chaosheng as a psychological weapon. Then, by threatening He Qi’s life, he completely shattered Meng Qi’s will to kill, making him hesitate at a critical moment. And against an enemy of this caliber, hesitation meant defeat and death.
Even more crucially, he accurately grasped human nature. If he had directly threatened to kill He Qi unless Meng Qi surrendered or committed suicide, Meng Qi would have refused outright, preferring to seek revenge later. But by applying pressure more subtly, leaving some room for retreat, he left Meng Qi wavering and hesitant.
Moreover, with every step forward and every word spoken, he steadily eroded Meng Qi’s resolve, offering him a chance to flee. But if Meng Qi fled, he would fall into Wu Daoming’s rhythm, losing all momentum, confidence, and initiative, unable to unleash even two or three out of ten parts of his strength.
No wonder he was the Supreme Heaven Devil…
“Of course,” Wu Daoming added mockingly, clearly trying to provoke Meng Qi’s negative emotions, “you could capture me alive and exchange me for your companion. Do you think you can capture me? Do you have the ability to capture me?”
Even the Overlord might not dare to claim he could capture the Supreme Heaven Devil alive while the Devil Emperor’s Claw was in play!
Meng Qi inhaled deeply. Under the crimson glow of the blood moon, his Yuan Heart thumped powerfully, and the Infinite Halo surrounded his body as the Primordial Celebration Cloud soared forth. In his hand, a five-colored Li Immortal Sword appeared, giving the impression he was ready to fight to the death and carve out an escape route. Meanwhile, his mind raced, seeking countermeasures.
Wu Daoming raised his unusually large right hand. It was broad and pitch-black, with thick knuckles and sharp nails like arrows. The back of his hand was covered with mysterious, unsettling patterns. Just looking at them filled one with boundless hatred—hatred toward Heaven for its impartiality, Earth for its burden, people for their joy, and objects for not being one’s own. Hatred of karma, fate, and even one’s own insufficient bloodshed—it was maddening.
He slowly curled his fingers into a fist. The nails extended eerily from his knuckles, sharp and jet-black. Then he kicked Zhuo Chaosheng again, sending him flying toward Meng Qi, who groaned weakly in pain.
Seeing Zhuo Chaosheng treated like a dying dog, Meng Qi instinctively felt a surge of disgust and hatred. After all, he knew him, and it was only natural to feel sympathy for a fellow cultivator.
Boom! Boom! Boom! His Yuan Heart pounded again. Meng Qi regained his calm, focusing intently on every move Wu Daoming made, searching and waiting for the best opportunity to strike. Yet, though Wu Daoming seemed to defy the heavens and rebel against nature, he had strangely merged into the fabric of the world itself, as if embodying all that was negative and opposite—hidden yet inseparable, with no flaw to exploit.
This Blood Moon Realm must be Wu Daoming’s ability to divide two worlds. If he had used the Nine Nether Feng Shui Map, Meng Qi’s Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the Karma Perception would certainly have sensed the danger… Such were his thoughts.
Seeing Meng Qi unmoved, the Supreme Heaven Devil suddenly laughed: “Zhuo Chaosheng is between us. During the upcoming battle, he will inevitably be caught in the crossfire. In his current state, how long can he last? I don’t care whether he lives or dies, or who kills him—it’s of no consequence. But you—won’t you worry? When the Five Sword Sects challenged you, Zhuo Chaosheng helped ease the tension, preventing things from escalating. If you accidentally kill him now, how will you feel? Will you feel guilty in the future?”
Each word pierced the heart, shaking Meng Qi’s mind. Wu Daoming used every available means to expand his advantage in battle, seemingly shaping a certain outcome even before the fight began.
“In my heart,” Meng Qi finally spoke, his voice as calm as flowing water, “Master Zhuo has already died by your hand.”
The Supreme Heaven Devil laughed heartily: “Weakness! Hypocrisy! Why not admit frankly that you’d kill him yourself to save your own life?”
“Are you afraid to face such a self, fearing your Dao heart would waver?”
His voice grew more intense, tinged with a unique bias:
“Zhuo Chaosheng is like this, and so is your companion. When you found out I threatened his life, didn’t you think him a burden? Didn’t you wonder, ‘What’s it to you? Kill him if you want!’ Humans are always so hypocritical. They are selfish and cruel but still seek a thousand reasons and ten thousand excuses, or sacrifice themselves just for the sake of appearances!”
You say everything—both the right and the wrong—so what am I supposed to say? Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, deeply feeling that the ancient records were right about the Supreme Heaven Devil’s extremism. Truly, the ancients did not deceive!
The Supreme Heaven Devil took a step forward, his tightly clenched right hand held before him, sneering coldly: “I’ve studied Confucianism, explored Mind Learning, and read many Buddhist and Daoist scriptures. They are indeed useful for self-cultivation, but when applied broadly to educate the masses, they are all equally hypocritical, all fake benevolence and false righteousness. Between every line, two words shine through: ‘Plunder!'”
“The strong plunder the weak, the rich plunder the poor, and humanity plunders the heavens and earth. Since the dawn of history, haven’t all ancient texts merely recorded stories of plunder and cannibalism? The Dao of Heaven diminishes the surplus to supplement the insufficient, while the Dao of Man diminishes the insufficient to serve the surplus!”
“I studied demonic scriptures and finally attained great enlightenment. If plundering is inevitable, why bother with the hypocritical cloak? It only shows weakness, the inability to face one’s true heart!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill until the world is destroyed, then there will be peace!”
His demonic voice shook the heavens. He threw a punch that pierced through the void, striking straight at Meng Qi’s face. His body expanded, transforming into a pitch-black giant towering beneath the blood moon.
Black as deep night, shimmering faintly like metal.
Drawn by the qi, Meng Qi had already swung the Li Immortal Sword. The blade traced a circle before him, its light converging, yin and yang collapsing into a single point of Infinite.
At the same time, he noticed that Wu Daoming’s strike was full of openings. Without hesitation, he transformed into the Heaven-Imitating Three-Headed, Six-Armed Form, one arm raised in a palm blade, slashing forward.
Bang! Dang!
The sounds reverberated in unison, shaking the void and tearing apart large swathes of the blood silk. Wu Daoming’s fist collided with Meng Qi’s Li Immortal Sword, shattering the Infinite Point and scattering the halo of light before rebounding. Yet Meng Qi’s palm blade had already struck Wu Daoming’s left chest—yet the blackened flesh remained unyielding, not even leaving a white mark.
Devil Emperor Nine Transformations, Body Cultivation Supreme, Immune to Ten Thousand Calamities!
Dang! Dang! Dang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two clashed with sparks flying and lightning flashing. One had a chaotic Celebration Cloud dissolving all attacks, while the other’s demonic body was indestructible. They fought openly, sometimes in the clouds, sometimes on the ground, landing hits on each other. Yet, whether by palm, fist, claw, or foot, none could break through the other’s defense—for now!
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