Chapter 240: The Great Demon God’s Avatar

The Three Years and Nine Months of Surveillance.

At the headquarters of the Demon God Cult, located on the Xia Clan Continent.

Within the Void Realm.

Dongbo Xueying, draped in crimson robes, had concealed himself within the Void Realm, silently observing. His battle-qi avatar, though diminished in strength, bore the ‘Golden Man’—his supreme divine weapon of war—to guard against unforeseen calamities.

Every half year or so, his true body would come personally to replenish the battle-qi. In short, the surveillance here never ceased, not even for a moment.

“Few of the Demon God Cult’s transcendent beings ever visit the Cult. I’ve been watching for three years and nine months, and I’ve only spotted five transcendent beings!” Dongbo Xueying shook his head slightly, though he could understand. The transcendent members of the Demon God Cult usually disguised themselves as “Xia Clan transcendent beings,” so it was normal for them to avoid visiting the Cult unless absolutely necessary.

He himself rarely visited the Water Source Monastery either.

“Just five.” Dongbo Xueying still felt somewhat dissatisfied. Aside from the High Priest Xi Yun and Situ Hong, he had only discovered three new transcendent beings.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Inside the Crimson Hall.

Xi Yun was seated cross-legged on the wide throne. His scaly armor shimmered with a cold, dark glow, and the two horns atop his head bore spiraling grooves. The aura of his demonic body was immense and powerful—perhaps even worthy of a place among the top ten of the Demigod Rankings! The cultivation techniques passed down by the Demon Gods for dark demonic energy varied in strength.

Legends spoke of the most supreme techniques practiced in the Dark Abyss, capable of forging a demonic body even more perfect than that of naturally born upper-tier demons.

After all, bloodline talents had their limits, while cultivation knew no bounds!

“Hu~~~” Xi Yun suddenly exhaled slowly and deeply. The entire Crimson Hall trembled with a mighty surge of energy. Then, he inhaled slowly, his breath stretching far like that of a terrifying beast. The scales on his body receded and concealed themselves, and the horns atop his head retracted.

Xi Yun opened his eyes. His sharp gaze carried a trace of resentment: “My cultivation level is still lacking. I still haven’t perfected this demonic body! How could I, the High Priest, be inferior even to the Third Priest! Hmph! If only I were as favored by the Great Demon God as the Third Priest, I might have already perfected my demonic body!”

“I wonder who he is—among the Xia Clan’s demigods!” Xi Yun mused inwardly.

Each demigod of the Demon God Cult had a direct connection to the Great Demon God. The demigods of the Cult were unaware of each other’s identities!

“Hu.”

Xi Yun descended from the throne, and dark demonic energy began to swirl around him, forming a thick black mist.

Leaving the Crimson Hall, Xi Yun swiftly made his way toward the deeply hidden secret chamber of the Cult’s headquarters.

Inside a sealed and secluded chamber.

The chamber was vast, spanning nearly a mile in diameter. With a creaking sound, the heavy door slowly opened, and Xi Yun stepped inside. He looked upward to the sky where a bronze coffin was suspended, entwined by thirteen massive chains. Each chain stretched toward a different direction of the chamber, completely immobilizing the coffin. The coffin’s surface radiated a dense aura of dark demonic energy.

“High Priest.” A figure of mist coalesced into a white-robed young girl.

“Everything is still normal, I presume?” Xi Yun asked.

“Report, High Priest, everything remains stable. There have been no issues during the cultivation process,” the white-robed girl replied. “I have been monitoring constantly. The cultivation of the Great Demon God’s clone is progressing excellently.”

Xi Yun nodded slightly: “Good. The cultivation of the Great Demon God’s clone is of utmost importance. It is the most critical task for both of us. We cannot afford even the slightest mistake.”

“I understand,” the white-robed girl replied respectfully.

“Also, in about six more years, the next phase of elixir replacement will be needed. Remind me when the time comes,” Xi Yun instructed.

“Yes!” the white-robed girl responded. “Rest assured, High Priest. I have memorized every single elixir replacement cycle for the cultivation of the Great Demon God’s clone.”

Xi Yun nodded.

The cultivation of this “Great Demon God’s clone” was of paramount importance. The Great Demon God had personally entrusted this mission to him. He could neglect any other matters, but the cultivation of the clone could not afford a single mishap. Once the clone was successfully completed, the Great Demon God would bestow an extraordinary reward. That was why Xi Yun frequently came to personally monitor the process, devoting himself entirely to ensure nothing went wrong.

Xi Yun released his dark demonic energy and carefully probed into the bronze coffin. Only after confirming everything was in order did he smile and depart with peace of mind.

…

Within the Void Realm.

Dongbo Xueying, clad in red robes, wore an expression of disbelief, his eyes filled with unease and fear.

“The clone of the Great Demon God?” Dongbo Xueying could hardly believe what he had just overheard.

“This physical body inside the bronze coffin—is it truly the clone of the Great Demon God?” Dongbo Xueying gazed at the towering figure suspended midair, bound by thirteen chains within the massive bronze coffin. The humanoid form was eight meters tall, its body covered in dark red scales. “The legendary divine clone? What exactly is the Great Demon God planning?”

A divine clone!

In the historical records of the Xia Clan, this was nothing more than a legend.

There were two ways a god could descend into the mortal world.

The first was through a world projection. New and weak gods could not do this; only powerful deities could forcefully project their presence across vast distances and countless spatial barriers by using ‘spatial markers.’ The consumption of divine energy was immense. Some of the Xia Clan’s ancestors had possessed the ability to project their presence.

The second was through a clone descent!

According to Dongbo Xueying’s secret knowledge, for a divine clone to descend, a physical body was required first.

This physical body had to be one that was native to this mortal world—foreign bodies from other realms would be rejected. The cultivation of this body had to begin from the embryonic stage, at great cost, until it was perfectly attuned to the soul of the descending god. For example, if the Great Demon God were to descend, the body must be attuned to his soul.

Naturally, this body could only be used by the Great Demon God.

Yet to nurture it successfully demanded tremendous toil and sacrifice, forging a vessel robust enough to endure even a sliver of the Great Demon God’s essence. Across unfathomable voids and through countless dimensional barriers, the Great Demon God would dispatch a fragment of his soul—a feat that exacted an equally staggering price. Neither the malevolent deities nor the primordial ancestors of the Xia Clan had ever accomplished such a thing!

In the Xia Clan’s world,

Only the Demon God Cult and the Earth Temple had once successfully descended a divine clone in history. That time had been for the struggle over the faith of the Xia Clan’s world, leading to a cataclysmic battle between the two factions! The Demon God Cult had been defeated then and had remained hidden in darkness ever since, never again daring to descend a divine clone.

“The last time was for the faith of the entire Xia Clan’s world, and a divine clone was descended. What could be the reason this time?” Dongbo Xueying felt an invisible pressure.

The clone of the Great Demon God was simply too terrifying.

Their power was forcibly suppressed to the limit of demigods by the material world, but their mastery of the laws was far too profound! Among the Xia Clan’s ancestors, many had become gods, some even attaining great status. Yet not a single one had ever managed to send down a clone. The might of the Great Demon God was thus unimaginable!

The Earth Temple was an immense force even within the Divine Realm itself!

The Great Demon God’s cultivation level was far beyond that of ordinary deities! Even if he could only wield the power of a demigod limit, his mastery of the laws would allow him to slaughter newly ascended gods with ease!

His second-tier true intent—Void True Intent, Star True Intent, and Ultimate Penetration—was formidable, but the Great Demon God’s cultivation level might be immeasurably superior.

A divine clone could likely only be countered by another divine clone!

Back then, it was precisely the Great Demon God and a mighty being from the Earth Temple who had both descended their clones to battle—clashing with such fury that the heavens collapsed and the earth shattered, leaving the Xia Clan helpless spectators, unable to intervene.

“Earlier, Xi Yun and the others mentioned the Great Demon God’s and the Witch God’s plans?”

“The Witch God is a mighty deity worshipped by the Beast Clan. He has no reason to oppose the Earth Temple! And the Great Demon God had already been defeated last time—there would be no need to come again.”

“If it’s not a conflict with the Earth Temple…”

“Then is it aimed at us, the Xia Clan?”

A chill ran through Dongbo Xueying’s heart.

“Destroy it! Destroy it before it is fully cultivated!” Dongbo Xueying stared at the humanoid figure within the sealed secret chamber’s bronze coffin. “Destroy this physical body, and the Great Demon God will be unable to descend his clone!”

That very day,

Dongbo Xueying’s true body paid a visit to Palace Master Chen to discuss the matter. Palace Master Chen was equally shocked, for he knew even more of the ancient secrets.

“A divine clone cannot enter Red Stone Mountain. Otherwise, the great powers of the Divine Realm would have already sent their divine clones inside. If it cannot enter Red Stone Mountain, then it is most likely aimed at us, the Xia Clan!” Palace Master Chen shared Dongbo Xueying’s thoughts. “The Xia Clan and the Great Demon God have always been bitter enemies. Since that is the case, we need not fear offending him further! While the body has not yet been fully cultivated, we must destroy it! You said that Xi Yun will perform the next elixir replacement in about six years. Then we shall act before that time comes! Continue your surveillance. We shall set the plan for six years from now!”

“Agreed!” Dongbo Xueying nodded in approval.