The layers of the Yin Earth stacked endlessly, with the relentless gales howling. From beyond the heavens, a blood-brown river surged forth, merging into the Yellow Springs that traversed this realm. It connected the Vacuum Hometown, which had assimilated the Netherworld, with the domain of Luofeng, filling the area with dreamlike mist. Within the six layers of pitch-black death peaks formed from the sedimentation of the most ancient turbid qi, the Xuanming Ghost Emperor silently watched the upstream flow of the blood-brown river, flames of anger flickering in his eye sockets.
Over the years, he had gradually lost control over Luofeng, forced to retreat to his own domain. It seemed only a matter of time before he would have to abandon this layer entirely and return to the Black Prison.
At that moment, a flash of crimson reflected in his eyes—as if an ocean formed from the essence of all living beings in the world had overturned with the descent of a single palm, surging toward the borders of the Nine Nethers, aiming to engulf the blood-brown river of the acquired Yellow Springs and sever the connection between the Luofeng Black Prison and the Vacuum Hometown.
“An opportunity!”
Though the Xuanming Ghost Emperor was known for his cruelty and fondness for devouring flesh and blood, he was far from the chaotic madness of the Nine Chaos Heavenly Venerable. In an instant, he grasped the situation and made the most advantageous choice for himself. Without hesitation, he extended a ghostly claw from the depths of the pitch-black death peaks.
Wherever the claw passed, the eternal gales froze into snowflakes filling the sky, and the barren Yin Earth transformed into layers of crystalline ice. Countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts rose in unison, drawn into the claw, forming a vortex of death and ghostly silence that silently surged toward the borders of the Nine Nethers.
Beyond the Nine Nethers, at the center of the blood-brown river, a full moon suddenly rose—flawless, encompassing all paths, radiant and pure, casting shimmering divine light. The blood sea dissipated layer by layer, the silent vortex seemed assimilated, and the “Yellow Springs” connecting the two realms became untouchable.
Faced with a threat to the connection between the Luofeng Black Prison and the Vacuum Hometown, the Old Mother of No Birth hesitated not a moment, personally intervening to strike first!
But then, within the void, a verdant light swayed, giving rise to a flourishing green tree. Its branches bore mysterious fruits, each radiating divine light and resonating with the endless tolling of bells.
The shimmering light slowed, and the roots of the great tree spread, anchoring into the full “moon.” The two engaged in a fierce struggle.
The Green Emperor had descended with divine might from the Eastern Crystal World!
Meanwhile, the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the Bodhi Pure Land, the Tushita Palace, and the Demon Emperor’s Hall remained eerily silent—whether due to mutual restraint or because the Western Two Sages were pleased to see the Golden Empress lose Luofeng.
A massive shadow rose from the blood-brown river. Zhen Yuanzi, now a Ghost Emperor, wielded the Plain Cloud World Banner in one hand and the Heaven-Slaying Axe in the other. Riding the surging waves, he charged toward the blood sea and the ghostly claw, aiming to maintain the connection by facing both adversaries alone.
Mist filled the air, and an exotic fragrance enveloped the area. The blood sea slowed under the banner’s influence, as if trapped in quicksand, while the Heaven-Slaying Axe revealed nine Dao patterns, transforming its punitive intent into black lightning and ghostly green flames that lashed at the ghostly claw.
Yang Jian suddenly chuckled. With a flick of his descending palm, countless crimson bubbles emerged from the blood sea. They expanded and exploded in rapid succession, culminating in a deafening roar.
Boom!
The blood sea vanished into nothingness, and a storm swept across the land, forcibly repelling the Plain Cloud World Banner.
Boom!
The shockwaves reverberated through every layer of the Nine Nethers. Even within the crimson mountains, the revived evil gods and demons felt dizzy, their auras like sparks igniting a prairie fire, burning away nearly half of the eighth layer of the Nine Nethers. At the core, the crimson flow solidified, and Qi Zhengyan’s eyes snapped open, gazing toward the source of the explosion. Four golden, pristine stars now adorned his forehead.
After over a century, under the protection of Meng Qi and Yang Jian, he had finally proven his legend and stepped into the realm of creation!
Boom!
The explosion Yang Jian recklessly triggered devoured the surrounding energy, causing the blood-brown river to emit a piercing roar before crumbling inch by inch, breaking into disjointed segments.
Destruction is always easier than preservation!
Moreover, Yang Jian had targeted only the segment within the Nine Nethers, leaving the external river unaffected.
With the Yellow Springs shattered, the connection between the two realms was severed. The mist dissipated without wind, and the green tree and moon vanished, ending their futile struggle.
Zhen Yuanzi hovered beyond the Nine Nethers, casting a deep glance at Yang Jian before turning upstream with the Plain Cloud World Banner and Heaven-Slaying Axe, returning to the Netherworld. The Vacuum Hometown’s erosion and assimilation of Luofeng came to an abrupt halt.
Elsewhere, outside the Black Heavenly Emperor’s domain, the crisscrossing swords of slaughter and destruction gradually dispersed, revealing the somewhat disheveled Peerless Demon Lord and the lifeless, unadorned Nether Sea Sword.
Meng Qi’s “Three Pure Ones in One” technique had nearly reached its limit. Seeing Yang Jian succeed, he withdrew the Numinous Treasure Sword Formation and reappeared atop the pitch-black peak where he had previously sat in meditation, as if he had never unleashed a single sword stroke.
“He truly comes and goes as he pleases…” the Demon Lord mused, his eyes narrowing in resentment.
Though his own skills were not far inferior to Su Meng’s, and his Indestructible Demon Body could theoretically endure until the technique’s duration expired, he was no match for the Numinous Treasure Sword Formation or the two peerless divine weapons Meng Qi wielded—while he himself possessed none.
Comparisons are truly infuriating!
The Nether Sea Sword transformed into a shadowy light, returning to the depths of the Nine Nethers and into the hands of the Seven Slayers Daoist. The Demon Lord also vanished, his escape method so subtle and concealed that none could trace his whereabouts—a skill even surpassing Meng Qi’s.
The Nine Nethers quickly returned to “calm.” The Old Mother of No Birth’s century-long efforts had come to naught, her labor destroyed in an instant.
This was only the beginning… Meng Qi thought to himself, lifting his head to gaze at another layer of the Nine Nethers. His eyes met Yang Jian’s, and they exchanged a slight nod.
With the Old Mother’s influence in the Nine Nethers severed and the Black Heavenly Emperor confined to his domain, many things could now be set in motion without fear of prying eyes from greater beings.
Meng Qi closed his eyes, and the heartbeat within his chest suddenly quickened.
Thump, thump, thump—it pulsed with purple qi, resembling an ancient bell brimming with primordial intent.
Thump, thump, thump—the sound was contained within his body, inaudible even to those standing beside him.
Thump, thump, thump—Meng Qi linked the rhythm of his purple heart to the distant Tushita Palace, receiving an emotionless response.
As the response arrived, the heartbeat of his illusory, hazy purple heart grew even more intense, exuding a strangeness surpassing even the greatest of demons, including the Great Freedom Heavenly Son.
In the Real World…
Lu Da, who had relocated the Eyebrow-Painting Villa to the Eastern Sea, still guarded the solitary grave. Occasionally, memories of the Central Plains from a century or two ago surfaced in his mind—Chong He, who had faced death with unparalleled courage; Gu Erduo, who had never returned from the Middle Ages; and Su Meng, whom he had witnessed rising from the Qi Opening stage to the Creation realm, only to be cornered…
Sixty years ago, a blindingly brilliant sword light had erupted from his thatched cottage, pure and radiant, striking toward the relocated Sword Washing Pavilion in the Eastern Sea. In that exchange with Su Wuming, Lu Da had finally forged his own unprecedented path, elevating his spiritual light to infinite heights before reflecting it across all realms to obtain projections.
After this breakthrough, his accumulated potential erupted. Within just thirty years, he achieved the Creation realm and now stood at its mid-tier, catching up to Su Wuming.
Setting down the wooden carving in his hand, Lu Da gazed at the undulating waves, recalling the recent uproar caused by the cyan-green jade box.
“I wonder how far Su Xiaoyou has progressed now,” he mused, conjuring an image of Meng Qi in his mind—a carefree figure in a green robe, his smile warm and approachable.
Suddenly, the image of Meng Qi clasped its hands in greeting, its eyes shimmering with illusory purple qi!
This… Lu Da pondered silently, as if nothing had happened, and resumed his carving.
On an island in the Eastern Sea, an elderly man with white hair lounged in a rocking chair, basking in the afternoon sun while intermittently regaling a child with tales of the Great Zhou’s former glory.
“If the Great Zhou hadn’t fallen, if the Myriad Worlds Market, video teachings, and martial forums hadn’t collapsed, your great-grandfather might have had a shot at the Dharmakaya realm and immortality. At the very least, I could’ve served under the Human Emperor, gaining a divine post to protect a region…”
“Back then, the foremost sacred land was the Jade Void Palace of Kunlun, led by the Immortal Venerable Yuanhuang, Su Meng—the man your great-grandfather admired most in his life…”
Unbeknownst to him, the image of Meng Qi in his mind suddenly shimmered with illusory purple qi, as if it had gained a heartbeat of its own.
Similar scenes unfolded quietly across the Real World.
…
Outside the Demon Emperor’s Hall, a somersault cloud descended, transforming into the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, clad in golden chainmail.
Scratching his cheek, he addressed the gatekeeper demons: “Old Sun seeks an audience with the Demon Emperor.”
Faced with his childhood idol, the gatekeepers dared not refuse. Moreover, the grand doors behind them creaked open, signaling the Demon Emperor’s approval.
Passing through countless gates deep into the hall, Sun Wukong suddenly halted. In his mind, he visualized Meng Qi in his black robe.
A flash of purple light, a heartbeat—and the image came to life!
With a flick of his finger, Sun Wukong severed the thought, but the purple light within it surged forth, the heartbeat growing clearer, stretching into a full-fledged avatar of Meng Qi.
The Supreme Heart Demon Art—thus, Meng Qi secretly paid his respects to the Demon Emperor!
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