The black mist churned, and the demonic essence permeated. While this force was considered corrupt and defiled by immortals and Buddhas, to the Demon Monarch, it felt like a sudden enlightenment, bringing comfort throughout his body. His divine sense seemed to continuously expand and disperse, probing into countless universes like a tentacled octopus, absorbing all negative emotions and the nourishment of slaughter.
“If only the cosmos were an abyssal sea…” the Demon Monarch sighed, paying no heed to the grotesque and eerie figures flickering in the surrounding darkness. If these malevolent gods and demons dared to act recklessly, they would only become droplets of his blood.
Even the endless abyss formed by the leakage of the Nine Nether Demonic Qi had allowed his injuries to recover, bringing him close to his peak state. If he were to step into the true Nine Nethers, he might not only reclaim his summit but also advance further, achieving perfection and even touching the characteristics of the Other Shore.
His body plummeted rapidly, swift as a flash. The surrounding demons and evil spirits remained still, seemingly harboring an instinctive fear of him.
In just a few moments, the Demon Monarch saw the faint golden glass-like barrier at the bottom of the abyss, resembling both Buddhist and Daoist seals. It overlapped with a heavenly realm derived from the Dinghai Pearl, where five-colored radiance gently floated, the lights of countless homes quietly shone, and the power of all living beings flowed slowly, repairing the constantly emerging damage.
Just as the Demon Monarch’s eyes turned into swirling vortices, darkness spontaneously arising, and he was about to unleash the Primordial Heavenly Demon Sword Qi, a six-colored, eerie eye suddenly appeared in his vision. It gazed at him indifferently through the barrier and the void.
“Great Freedom Heavenly Son…” the Demon Monarch murmured, his heart contracting and expanding, stirring his spiritual world, resonating with the other to penetrate the barrier.
In an instant, his vision was no longer limited to the six-colored demonic eye but expanded to a pitch-black demonic dragon formed from a true starry river. Every part of its body, every inch of flesh and blood, was a vast black sun or a profound star, occupying the core realm of the boundless universe. Its light extended into the void, reaching myriad worlds—this was the Great Freedom Heavenly Son, the foremost of the Heavenly Demons who once roamed the Nine Nethers in ancient times!
The demonic dragon also vibrated its spiritual essence, bypassing the barrier to speak:
“Do you wish to destroy the Green Emperor’s seal?”
The Demon Monarch, being who he was, immediately grasped the subtlety and replied calmly, “Do you intend to stop me?”
It seemed the Great Freedom Heavenly Son and Qi Zhengyan had long been secretly colluding. Moreover, residing in the Nine Nethers, the Great Freedom Heavenly Son’s strength rivaled that of Creation, not far from his current state, fully capable of preventing the destruction of the seal.
The Great Freedom Heavenly Son smiled faintly. “Sometimes, one cannot act as one wishes.”
After a pause, it continued, “You are a founding figure of the demonic path, a patriarch-level existence. At your peak, you could be called a Heavenly Venerable. Why concern yourself with someone like Qi Zhengyan, who is still far from even the Legendary realm? Even if he inherits the Demon Lord’s legacy and has limitless potential, it’s merely a possibility. Why must you fight me to the death now?”
“The Demon Emperor’s Claw is a restriction, not an aid, to Qi Zhengyan. Even if he attains the Legendary realm and steps into Creation, you would still have a chance to eliminate him. If you wish to reclaim the Demon Emperor’s Claw, he would gladly oblige!”
Sowing discord had always been the Great Freedom Heavenly Son’s hobby and specialty.
The Demon Monarch remained clear-headed. “Su Meng has stepped into the Legendary realm, backed by the Jade Void lineage and the current Human Emperor. He can summon Guangchengzi to strike with the Heaven-Overturning Seal at any time, borrow the Four Swords of Slaying Immortals and their formation diagram, or call upon the Human Emperor’s remains. With him as an obstacle, unless I recover my peak state now, success will be difficult. Once Guangchengzi returns fully, matters will become even more troublesome.”
“Heh, not necessarily,” the Great Freedom Heavenly Son chuckled. “You should be well aware of Qi Zhengyan’s actions in the Southern Wasteland. His conflict with the current Human Emperor is irreconcilable. While he is still weak, the issue isn’t acute, but as he grows, friction will intensify. By then, Su Meng will be caught in a dilemma, unable to borrow the formation diagram or the Human Emperor’s remains. What do you have to fear? Perhaps the current Human Emperor will even help you deal with Qi Zhengyan.”
These words struck at the heart of the matter.
Continuing with a faintly mocking tone, it added, “Why must you eliminate Qi Zhengyan? Even with the Demon Lord’s legacy, he poses no obstacle to your perfection. If you seek the throne of the demonic emperors or the Nine Nethers’ Yellow Springs, the current rulers there are not to be underestimated. Moreover, there’s the Seven Slaughter, soon to break free from the Demon Buddha’s control, and the returning Yellow Springs.”
The Demon Monarch’s thoughts stirred. “The returning Yellow Springs?”
After being captured by the True Martial Emperor, the Yellow Springs mysteriously reincarnated and had not reappeared for ages. Even the corpse prepared for forging a peerless divine weapon had fallen into others’ hands, as if it had abandoned its past entirely or encountered a mishap in reincarnation.
The Demon Monarch was deeply concerned about this. The task of finding the Yellow Springs’ whereabouts was jointly issued by him and the Demon Buddha, though the latter’s true aim was the True Martial Emperor.
The Great Freedom Heavenly Son said, “Some ghosts and gods near the Yellow Springs have seen its reincarnation. It seems to be heading for the Origin of Life and Death.”
“The Origin of Life and Death…” The Demon Monarch pondered briefly and nodded slightly. The Yellow Springs indeed had other plans, likely related to the True Martial Emperor.
With the Great Freedom Heavenly Son blocking his path, the Demon Monarch knew his chance to destroy the seal today was slim. Moreover, the other’s analysis was sound—Qi Zhengyan and Gao Lan’s conflict was irreconcilable, and opportunities would arise in time.
After divining the heavenly secrets and learning that the external battle had subsided, he said no more and vanished into the abyss’s darkness.
The Great Freedom Heavenly Son watched his retreating figure silently, muttering to itself, “Why must he eliminate Qi Zhengyan?”
…
The energy rays faded, and the four colors vanished. The layered clouds obscuring the sky and the chaotic, howling winds receded. The four immortal swords—red, azure, black, and white—rose on their own, piercing the clouds and vanishing into the void.
At this moment, the great sun rose in the east, painting the sky in a magnificent crimson, full of vitality and grandeur.
The terrified citizens of Great Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the calamity had passed. Some silently praised the emperor, others thanked the Primordial Emperor, while Buddhist and Daoist devotees offered incense to their deities.
In countless Buddhist halls, lay devotees chanted softly:
“Namo Amitabha…”
“Namo Manjushri Bodhisattva Mahasattva…”
“Namo Dharmalocana Bodhisattva Mahasattva…”
Amid the chants, an illusory figure slowly took shape, as if formed from the purest, most flawless white light.
…
On the Sealing Heaven Platform, the Brocade of Mountains and Rivers floated up, the projections of the Four Swords of Slaying Immortals dissipated, and the formation diagram soared into the air. Meng Qi slowly stood and saw Gao Lan descending from the sky, landing at the platform’s edge. His imperial crown and robes exuded majesty, his expression cool and aloof, yet with a hint of pride, as if satisfied with his earlier schemes.
Though this battle had not fully eradicated the forces of the demonic and Buddhist factions, it had severely wounded Maitreya, the Bull Demon King, and others. For a time, they would be unable to influence the Real World’s affairs, allowing him to calmly complete the Sealing Heaven Platform and steadily pursue the path to the Legendary realm.
The only concern was the premature awakening of the Demon Monarch and the Ancient Lamp Buddha. They might either act recklessly, stirring chaos anew, or seek ways to compensate for their losses.
Just as he was about to step onto the Sealing Heaven Platform, a shimmering barrier appeared before him. Meng Qi, with a solemn expression, said, “To prevent shape-shifting, you must answer three questions.”
Gao Lan looked at Meng Qi, suddenly feeling as if his sworn brother had relapsed into idiocy.
With the Human Emperor’s remains by his side and the Human Emperor’s Sword in hand, who could possibly impersonate him?
“What questions?” Gao Lan asked calmly, surprisingly not opting to reclaim control of the Sealing Heaven Platform directly.
One cannot reason with the mentally unstable!
Meng Qi pondered and said, “First question: Who lent the Slaying Immortals Formation Diagram?”
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