Chapter 246: This Shall Suffice

Dongbo Xueying, watching from a distant location, felt his heart tighten.

Who was that?

The might of the enigmatic figure clad in deep crimson armor was nothing short of breathtaking. To actually suppress Palace Master Taishu upon the ocean’s surface was beyond belief—such power could openly claim the title of the world’s supreme might. While it was expected for ordinary elites of the Demon God Society to be formidable, the emergence of a warrior hailed as the “strongest under heaven” was utterly staggering. What unsettled Dongbo Xueying most of all was that he had never before heard whispers of such an unparalleled existence!

“Exactly what are the Great Demon God and the Witch God plotting?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Such a powerful figure was hidden all along and never appeared before! And they’re cultivating a divine clone as well! Furthermore, is this mysterious figure in the dark crimson armor someone I know from the Xia Clan’s transcendents? But the Xia Clan only has seventeen half-gods in total, excluding those from the Earth God Temple and the Blood Blade Tavern. Only eleven participated in this battle, and counting Palace Master Chen and Xi Yun, who were exposed, that makes thirteen. That leaves only four, and they are all relatively weak.”

Only four remained—easily counted on one’s fingers.

There was no way any of them could be that mysterious figure in the crimson armor.

“Or perhaps he is a hidden champion?” Dongbo Xueying mused. Could he be a prodigy nurtured by the Demon God Society since his earliest mortal days?

“A tempest gathers on the horizon. Hmph, regardless of the circumstances, strike the serpent where it is most vulnerable! The gravest peril our Xia Clan faces from the Demon God Society lies in that divine avatar. Should we annihilate that corporeal vessel and claim all the treasures within their stronghold, not even a lone mighty warrior could unleash any meaningful chaos,” pondered Dongbo Xueying.

Suddenly—

“Xueying!” Palace Master Chen transmitted a message.

“Palace Master Chen,” Dongbo Xueying responded.

“Thinking about that mysterious figure? Haha, don’t worry too much. At the very least, that figure isn’t among our Xia Clan’s most elite half-gods. As long as our top warriors remain united, we have nothing to fear!” Palace Master Chen said confidently. “Leave the task of uncovering his identity to us. You don’t need to trouble yourself with it. Also, come over now. We’ve won a great victory, and all the half-gods are in high spirits.”

“Alright, I’ll come right away,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

After saying that,

Dongbo Xueying stood atop a low hill on this island, gazing at the vast ocean, exhaling deeply.

No matter what happened, the threat from the demon army could now be considered negligible. The remaining lesser demons posed little danger; once discovered, they could be easily slain. The only surviving demon general, Ralph, was just one individual. If he dared to show himself, the Xia Clan could immediately surround and annihilate him. Previously, five demon generals working together had been a real problem. With their distant coordination and mutual support, it had been extremely difficult for the Xia Clan to eliminate them.

This time, Dongbo Xueying had discovered their positions in advance, made preparations, and orchestrated a targeted ambush. It had nearly taken the full force of the Xia Clan to succeed!

Without such an ideal opportunity for an ambush…

Based on historical experiences of the Xia Clan, they would have suffered great losses—billions of mortal lives lost and the fall of half-gods would have been considered normal.

“At last, this great calamity has been resolved,” Dongbo Xueying felt a sense of accomplishment. Though he hadn’t directly participated in the battle, this major extermination was his doing. By utilizing the True Meaning of the Void Realm, he had spent six years exploring nearly half of the Xia Clan’s world, discovering the positions of the five demon generals.

…

Within a hidden chamber of the Spark Palace:

“Roar~~~ Humans! Damned humans! Dare you face me one-on-one?” Within the underground chamber, a massive creature was bound in chains, its limbs restrained. This colossal being was a mountain demon, nearly a kilometer tall. Its limbs were tightly bound, and layer upon layer of rune arrays seeped into its body, completely sealing its soul. The mountain demon couldn’t even draw upon the slightest bit of the world’s power.

“Hahaha, even in such a pitiful state, this mountain fiend still dares to threaten us!” A group of demigods from the Xia Clan stood nearby, chatting and laughing merrily. Though they had come to attend the celebration, most of their true forms remained stationed elsewhere, with only their Qi Avatars (or ethereal projections) present. Dongbo Xueying had also arrived through one of his own Qi Avatars.

His true form, accompanied by the Azure Armored Guards and the Golden Being, had already relieved his avatar to continue monitoring the Demon God Society.

Dongbo Xueying sat to the side, leisurely sipping fruit wine as he conversed with Chao Qing, his gaze occasionally drifting toward another demigod in the distance—Xi Yun.

“This high priest of the Demon God Cult is truly a master of disguise,” he mused. “To remain hidden for so long… impressive.”

Xi Yun had also arrived in his Douqi incarnation. His crimson brows arched over eyes gleaming with icy intensity: “Countless innocents were ensnared in this battle to slay the demon commander. His death shall not come swiftly. We must exploit him to the fullest—dissect and scrutinize every inch of his being!”

(Note: “斗气” is translated as “Douqi” to maintain the fantasy cultivation term’s mystique, while “avatar” conveys the projected energy form. The phrasing preserves the ruthless scholarly tone of the original, with “gleaming with icy intensity” enhancing the cold-light eyes metaphor. “Exploit him to the fullest” sharpens the utilitarian cruelty implied in the original.)

“There were indeed many innocent casualties,” City Lord Bu frowned and shook his head slightly. “His body was just too massive. We tried our best to protect the innocents, but we still couldn’t avoid some collateral damage. The battle happened too quickly—we didn’t have time to evacuate the civilians!”

“Death and injuries are inevitable,” Palace Master Chen said.

“Hehehe…” Chao Qing chuckled as he stood up, looking at the massive mountain demon in the distance. “An old man like me, nearing death, never expected to witness such a grand event before my time! Our Xia Clan has faced many demon invasions throughout history. In invasions of this scale, over eighty or ninety percent of the transcendents below half-god would perish, and nearly half of the half-gods would fall as well. It would be extremely bloody! But this time, we were far, far luckier.”

“Mm.” The assembled Xia Clan half-gods nodded in agreement.

Indeed.

They all had the courage and determination to fight to the death, but this time, resolving the demonic threat had been surprisingly easy.

“Old Chen, we’re all curious. How exactly did you find the positions of these demon generals?” Sikong Yang laughed, turning to Palace Master Chen. “Each of those demon generals was furious and unwilling even at the moment of capture. They kept asking us how we found them, but we all had no idea ourselves.”

“Yeah, Palace Master, how did you find them?”

“What powerful method did you use?”

“Are you going to keep it a secret?”

The most elite half-gods of the Xia Clan were all curious. After all, there had been many demon invasions in history, yet the Xia Clan had never had such a method before.

Palace Master Chen looked at the gathered half-gods, all of whom were staring at him.

“This…” Palace Master Chen smiled.

“Come on, tell us!”

“Stop dragging it out and teasing us like this!” The Xia Clan half-gods couldn’t help but laugh and curse.

Only then did Palace Master Chen say, “This involves a crucial secret of our Xia Clan. Other than me, no other half-gods are qualified to know!”

“Pfft!”

“Of course, that’s the reason.”

No one pressed further, as they all understood the rules. The Xia Clan indeed had strict confidentiality protocols, and many secrets were only known to the successive Palace Masters of the Spark Palace.

The group continued chatting, laughing, and drinking, all in high spirits.

After all, a great burden had seemingly vanished in an instant, and everyone felt much lighter. Although Ralph still lingered on the edge of death, he was just one individual now, and no longer a significant threat.

Dongbo Xueying, holding his fruit wine cup, walked to the side of the massive mountain demon lying on the ground.

“Wow, so big,” Dongbo Xueying marveled. The mountain demon lay there, its mouth exhaling a metallic stench, its teeth as large as ordinary houses.

“Roar~~” The mountain demon opened its eyelids, its massive, dark-yellow eyes staring at Dongbo Xueying, letting out a low growl.

“This mountain demon still refuses to accept defeat,” Old Man Chao Qing walked over.

“I refuse! I refuse!” The mountain demon growled in a deep voice, staring at the bald-headed old human and the young one before him. “It shouldn’t be like this! It was impossible for you to discover us!”

Chao Qing shook his head and chuckled, “Xueying, this mountain demon can’t even die with understanding.”

“Mm.” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

He had not even told Palace Master Chen the full details of the Void Realm True Meaning. The fewer people who knew about the True Meaning, the more powerful its effects would be.

“In truth, it doesn’t matter whether he knows or not,” Chao Qing crouched beside the massive mountain demon, laughing. “The only thing that matters is this: our Xia Clan has grown stronger, and we have resolved the demonic threat. That’s enough! An old man like me, who could die at any moment, is truly happy to witness this resolution before my time comes!”

As he spoke, Chao Qing tilted his head back and gulped down two large mouthfuls of fruit wine, the juice flowing from the corners of his mouth.

“Yes, our Xia Clan has grown stronger. That is enough,” Dongbo Xueying smiled and nodded.