Chapter 264: Zhou Qing's Eruption

[Rumble—]

[As a Tier 5 array dao heavenly master, setting up the array cores for the sixty-nine defensive lines naturally posed no difficulty for you.]

[Below, within the defensive lines, hundreds of Tier 4 array dao Grandmasters were scattered across various locations, fully cooperating with you.]

[Nearly all the Tier 4 array dao Grandmasters in the Human Realm had gathered in the Deep Sea. During times of war, array dao Grandmasters were of immense use.]

[Over half a month later, you successfully finished setting up more than three hundred array cores. The sixty-nine defensive lines fully merged, operating as a single cohesive entity.]

["Done."]

[After double-checking them a few more times, you returned to Heavenly Sword Peak.]

[No matter the circumstances, your own cultivation always came first.]

[The other Heavenly Monarchs had long abandoned the thought of cultivating, as their progress had become far too slow.]

[However, you could carry your cultivation progress back to reality. Even the slightest bit of improvement was meaningful.]

[...]

[Year 1,746. You were 1,773 years old.] [Inside your cave dwelling, you looked inward at your dantian, observing the 120 Dharma Talismans within.]

[After being nurtured for one to two thousand years, the power of these 120 Dharma Talismans had long reached the Peak of the Fifth Tier Middle Grade. They were only a step away from the Fifth Tier Late Stage.]

["Fifth Tier Late Stage!"]

[A smile appeared on your face.]

[Just like Core Formation and Nascent Soul, the Deity Transformation Stage was divided into early stage, Mid Stage, and Late Stage. And just like those realms, the gap between the Late Stage and the preceding two was massive.]

[Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs... even in the ancient era, they were incredibly rare. Throughout the long ancient years, Heavenly Monarchs at this level could be counted on one hand. Back when the ascension passage still existed, they were almost guaranteed to ascend to the Upper Realm.]

["With my current strength against the demon race, I'm actually not much weaker than a Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarch."]

[The Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators talent is just too heaven-defying, you thought. If it weren't exclusively effective against the demon race, it would definitely qualify as a gold-tier talent.]

[...]

[Fifty years later, you opened your eyes and carefully sensed the changes in the Human Realm's heaven and earth.]

["The number of Heavenly Monarchs the Human Realm can support has increased to six..."]

[You pondered this. Hundreds of years ago, you had already vaguely sensed subtle shifts in the world. Under the threat of the Demon Abyss Realm, the Human Realm's consciousness was instinctively relaxing its suppression, allowing more Heavenly Monarchs to be born. "That works too."]

[You nodded slightly. With one more Heavenly Monarch, you would bear a little less pressure during the upcoming invasion from the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[You made this matter public and restricted the attempts to break through to Deity Transformation strictly to Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak Great Cultivators.]

[The reason for this restriction was to prevent Great Cultivators who had just entered the Late Stage from gambling their lives on that slim sliver of hope.]

[Without cultivating to the Late Stage Peak, the chances of successfully reaching Deity Transformation were simply too low. You understood this deeply; during your fifth simulation, you had forcibly attempted the breakthrough yourself.]

[If you hadn't added this restriction, it might have led to the deaths of a massive number of Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators.]

[In times of peace, if these Late Stage Great Cultivators died, then they died. But now, with the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion imminent, you naturally couldn't allow such a thing to happen.]

[...]

[Twenty years later, the Human Realm gave birth to its sixth Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch. He hailed from an overlord-tier faction in the Southern Sea Territory and went by the title Heavenly Monarch Nanyun.]

[Upon stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage, Heavenly Monarch Nanyun immediately came to pay you a visit.]

[If you hadn't opened the quotas for attempting Deity Transformation, how could he have ever broken through to become a Heavenly Monarch? You could have clearly given the opportunity to the Sword Cultivators of Heavenly Sword Peak or the talisman cultivators of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, who were closest to you. Yet, you chose to allow all the Great Cultivators of the Human Realm to compete fairly. This level of integrity earned the deep respect of every cultivator.]

[You glanced at Heavenly Monarch Nanyun, thinking of Li Yan and Dachun, who had both failed their attempts to reach Deity Transformation.]

[The path to Deity Transformation was one of near-certain death. No matter how much help you provided Li Yan and Dachun, you still couldn't change their fates.]

[Of course, with the experience of their breakthrough attempts this time, their hopes of success in the next simulation should be slightly higher.]

[...]

[Year 1,846. You were 1,863 years old.]

[With a mere thought, you appeared at the edge of the Deep Sea.]

[You stood quietly above the clouds. Alongside Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, Heavenly Monarch Miduo, Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, Heavenly Monarch Lingshe, and Heavenly Monarch Nanyun, all six of the Human Realm's Heavenly Monarchs stared down at the spatial rift emanating thick demonic qi.]

[It's going to be breached, you thought. This spatial rift was irreversible; its total collapse was only a matter of time.]

[Being able to stall for 1,200 years was already considered an excellent outcome.]

[The other five Heavenly Monarchs were also tense, especially Heavenly Monarch Nanyun, who had just stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage. He stared fixedly at the spatial rift.] [Shatter—]

[As the final silver seal character dissipated, the entire spatial rift was completely exposed to everyone's eyes.]

[Inside the spatial rift was a gloomy darkness, as if it connected to an unfathomable land. Boundless demonic qi continuously poured into the Human Realm.]

[Suddenly.]

[A black shadow shot out and stabbed ruthlessly into the massive island below.]

[It was a black banner, snapping fiercely in the wind. As it took root in the Human Realm, a peculiar aura rapidly spread outward.]

[This peculiar aura came from the Demon Abyss Realm. It swiftly influenced the aura of the Human Realm, beginning to alter the world's fundamental nature to bring it closer to that of the Demon Abyss Realm. By doing so, the mighty demons of the Demon Abyss Realm wouldn't suffer excessive suppression upon descending.]

["The Demon Abyss Banner..."]

[You and the five Heavenly Monarchs immediately recognized the black banner's origins. During the great war at the end of the ancient era, the Demon Abyss Realm had planted these banners across nearly half the Human Realm.]

[According to the estimates of the Heavenly Monarchs at the time, once the Human Realm was covered in Demon Abyss Banners, the entire world would irreversibly assimilate into the Demon Abyss Realm, ultimately degenerating into its subordinate plane.]

[The fundamental nature of the Demon Abyss Banner was unique; it couldn't be destroyed in a short period of time.]

[...] [On the other side of the spatial rift, within the vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[A towering figure, as massive as a mountain, stood there. Two giant, twisting black horns grew from its head. With every breath, black air currents surged from its nostrils, forming terrifying storms spanning ten million miles.]

["Venerable, the passage has been breached. We can send our warriors in at any time."]

["Mm."]

[The towering figure also felt quite thrilled. As long as it could conquer the Human Realm and allow the Demon Abyss Realm to assimilate it, it would surely please the will of the Demon Abyss Realm. The resulting planar feedback would be enough for it to break through to a higher realm.]

[In the Demon Abyss Realm, the will of the world was a supreme entity. It ruled over everything, and no demon was allowed to defy it.]

["That puny realm on the other side of the passage actually set up numerous arrays. How laughable."]

[The white-haired demon spoke. Over the past millennium, although they had been unable to invade the Human Realm, they had still observed everything happening near the spatial rift.]

["Warriors, go forth and slaughter."]

[The towering figure declared, its booming voice shaking the void. Below, the masses of demons grew equally excited. In a planar war, the more foreign experts they killed, the more likely they were to catch the eye of the great Demon Abyss Realm's will. Then, when the Venerable ate meat, they would at least get to drink the broth, receiving a small portion of the Demon Abyss Realm's feedback.]

[Accumulating this over time, they might even become great existences like the Venerable.] [...]

[The Human Realm, at the edge of the Deep Sea.]

[The six Heavenly Monarchs stood high above the clouds. In the distance lay the sixty-nine defensive lines, where Nascent Soul True Monarchs stood ready to manipulate the defensive arrays and block the descending demons at a moment's notice.]

[Whoosh—]

[A demon measuring dozens of zhang in size, sporting blood-red wings on its back, crossed the spatial rift and squeezed into the Human Realm.]

[This demon possessed strength at the absolute peak of Tier 4.]

[Bang—]

[The moment the winged demon entered the Human Realm, it was blasted into fine powder by a single strike. The power of the defensive arrays in the distance whirred into action, suppressing any demon that descended into the world.]

[However, as time went on,]

[More and more demons squeezed into the Human Realm. These demons were at least Tier 4 in strength, and a few had even reached Tier 5, making them existences at the Demon Lord level.]

[The Demon Abyss Banner fluttered fiercely, exuding its strange aura. For a moment, space distorted, and the operation of the arrays suffered interference.]

["Kill, kill, kill!"] ["Serve the great Venerable!"]

[One after another, powerful demons with crazed auras began charging in all directions.]

[The defensive arrays covered the area, enveloping all the mighty demons, but some stragglers still managed to break through the layers of defenses.]

[There were simply too many demons. Especially with the continuous descent of Tier 5 Demon Lords, the defensive arrays were put under immense pressure.]

[Whoosh—]

[Right at that moment, an emaciated demon squeezed its way in. Its aura was majestic and mountainous, instantly blanketing the surroundings.]

["A Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword's expression turned solemn as he immediately met the charge. Never mind killing this Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon, he at least had to severely wound or stall it.]

[If this Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon was left unchecked, it would inflict devastating damage on the sixty-nine defensive lines around them. They would essentially lose the barrier holding back the endless demonic horde.]

[Rumble—]

[Yet another Tier 5 Demon Lord descended, and Heavenly Monarch Nanyun rushed up to intercept it.]

["Not good... How does the Demon Sovereign on the other side of the rift have so many Demon Lords under his command...?"] [Heavenly Monarch Miduo also noticed something was wrong. Even in the Demon Abyss Realm, Tier 5 Demon Lords were exceedingly rare, and even Tier 4 demons weren't all that common.]

[But now? Tier 5 Demon Lords were appearing one after another.]

[Hum—]

[Right at that moment, the power of mountains and seas descended, forming a Mountain and Sea Realm spanning over a thousand li.]

[A terrifying suppressive force crashed down upon every single Tier 5 Demon Lord.]

["Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan has made his move."]

["As expected of Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan. I feel much less pressure now."]

["Indeed, the power of the Tier 5 Demon Lord I'm fighting has noticeably dropped."]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, Heavenly Monarch Lingshe, and the other Heavenly Monarchs breathed a slight sigh of relief.]

["It's still not enough." Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword frowned. He was deadlocked with that Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord, utterly incapable of sparing attention for anything else.]

[This Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord rivaled a Deity Transformation Middle Stage Heavenly Monarch; it wasn't something he could suppress in a short amount of time.]

[Even with the support of the Mountain and Sea Realm, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword only held the upper hand.] ["Indeed. If a few more Tier 5 Demon Lords arrive, the consequences..."] [Heavenly Monarch Miduo was also fraught with anxiety, his eyes glued to the spatial rift.]

[Even in the Demon Abyss Realm, Tier 5 Demon Lords weren't cabbages you could find in any street market. It was impossible to just conjure them up endlessly.]

[Roar—]

[Another massive figure descended upon the Human Realm. It was astonishingly a Tier 5 Demon Lord measuring a hundred zhang in size.]

[This Tier 5 Demon Lord took the shape of a colossal bull. With a single roar, the very fabric of space trembled.]

["I'll take it."]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword unleashed a sword strike, intending to stall this Tier 5 Demon Lord at the same time.]

["This Demon Lord heavily counters arrays. We absolutely cannot let it freely launch attacks to destroy them!" After a brief exchange of blows, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword immediately sent a voice transmission to the other Heavenly Monarchs.]

[...]

[The vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[The towering Demon Sovereign still stood there, observing the slaughter on the other side of the spatial rift.]

["The living beings of this plane actually have some skills, managing to barely fend off the first wave of attacks."] [The white-haired demon was slightly surprised. It knew full well that its Demon Sovereign had just defeated another Demon Sovereign's faction, gathering the subordinates of both domains. That was the only reason they could deploy so many Tier 5 Demon Lords.]

["It is said that during the last campaign against this plane, more than ten Demon Sovereigns took action, yet they still failed. They were utterly routed by an existence called the 'Sword Lord'. How incompetent..."]

[The towering Demon Sovereign spoke, his booming voice filled with disdain.]

["I have heard of this as well."]

[The white-haired demon nodded. In that battle, the Human Realm suffered disastrous casualties, and the plane's status plummeted. But those dozen or so Demon Sovereigns from the Demon Abyss Realm fared no better. One of them even left an arm behind, becoming a laughingstock among the other Sovereigns.]

["Warriors, kill your way in."]

[The towering Demon Sovereign's majestic voice echoed in the ears of every powerful demon below.]

["Kill, kill, kill!"]

[Countless demons roared, their eyes locked fiercely onto the Human Realm across the spatial rift.]

[...]

[At the edge of the Deep Sea.]

[The massive spatial rift twisted, and in the blink of an eye, several more enormous figures squeezed their way through.] [The auras of these massive figures were towering; every single one of them had reached the Fifth Tier Middle Stage, rivaling the Human Realm's Deity Transformation Middle Stage.]

["Three more Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lords?!"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword felt his scalp go numb. He simultaneously realized that apart from these three Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lords, over a dozen Fifth Tier Early Stage Demon Lords had also pushed their way into the Human Realm.]

["We can't hold them back! We can't hold them back!"]

[Seeing this, numerous thoughts flashed through Heavenly Monarch Miduo's mind.]

["Retreat immediately! We can't stay here any longer!"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword also made his decision in an instant.]

[Over the past millennium, they had formulated numerous countermeasures for the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion.]

[Among them was a plan: if they truly couldn't hold the demons at the edge of the Deep Sea, they would abandon the first thirty defensive lines.]

[Relying on the vast strategic depth of the Human Realm, they would pick off the invading demon experts one by one.]

[The coverage of the Demon Abyss Banner was limited. Once they abandoned the first thirty defensive lines, the boundless demonic horde would enter areas beyond the banner's reach. There, they would face the suppression of the world and suffer a drop in strength, making them far easier to kill.]

[Of course, this move carried enormous risks. A single misstep could lead to a total rout. Even if they barely managed to hold the line, the Demon Abyss Realm would seize the opportunity to plant more Demon Abyss Banners, continuously assimilating the Human Realm's essence.] ["Don't panic just yet."]

[You suddenly spoke, sending a voice transmission to the five Heavenly Monarchs.]

["Stall your respective Tier 5 Demon Lords for now."]

[You glanced at the distant Demon Abyss Banner. Just moments ago, the vast majority of your energy had been focused on refining that banner. It was only with a fraction of your concentration that you had maintained the Mountain and Sea Realm to suppress the masses of Demon Lords.]

[Once you successfully refined this Demon Abyss Banner, the demon experts who had squeezed into the Human Realm would be nothing more than water without a source.]

[However, looking at the situation now, you had still underestimated the Demon Abyss Realm's resolve, seeing how they had dispatched so many Tier 5 Demon Lords.]

[...]

["Don't panic?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword looked at you.]

[He knew your strength from that battle a thousand years ago. You weren't much weaker than he was, possessing combat power comparable to the Deity Transformation Middle Stage.]

[But right now, the Demon Abyss Realm had sent a full four Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lords. Even if you went all out, you could at most stall one or two. It still wouldn't be enough to salvage the situation.]

[The next moment.] [Under the watchful eyes of Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the other Human Realm Heavenly Monarchs, you took a step forward, proactively joining the battlefield.]

[Bang—]

[With a single punch, you directly blew apart the closest Tier 5 Demon Lord, scattering demon blood across the sky.]

[An illusory divine soul attempted to flee, but you grabbed it with one hand, sealing and refining it on the spot.]

[Immediately after came the next Tier 5 Demon Lord.]

[Unleashing your full strength, you activated your body cultivation Divine Ability Eruption and half-activated the True Dragon Transformation. Your body's qi, blood, and Dharmic powers boiled over. With the empowerment of your numerous talents, an ordinary Fifth Tier Early Stage Demon Lord simply couldn't withstand a single strike from you.]

[Bang, bang, bang—]

[One by one, the Tier 5 Demon Lords were blown to pieces. The Demon Lords tried all sorts of counterattacks, but it was all completely futile. Any attack you landed on a Tier 5 Demon Lord was a fatal blow, whereas their strikes couldn't even shake you.]

["Die!"]

[A Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord that had just squeezed into the Human Realm took a massive stride forward. Its terrifying aura blanketed the area, faintly casting a blood-red hue over the sky and earth.]

[However, beneath your punch, this Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord stumbled backward.]

[Another punch.]

[The Tier 5 Demon Lord's mind reeled in shock as it crashed heavily into the ground.]

[The Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord instinctively tried to struggle.]

[A third punch.]

[The Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord's head was blown apart, and you casually sealed its divine soul.]

[This Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord, capable of rivaling a Deity Transformation Middle Stage expert, had only lasted three punches against you.]

[In the blink of an eye, you arrived in front of the second Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord, who was still standing there stunned.]

[With another three punches, you completely obliterated this Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord.]

[In the span of mere dozens of breaths, the three Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lords who had just pushed into the Human Realm, eager to unleash a massacre, were directly blown to pieces by your hands.]

[The remaining Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord, which had been entangled with Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, tried to flee back toward the spatial rift, but you intercepted it and obliterated it in just two punches.]

["This..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe were completely dumbfounded.]

[Demon Lords capable of rivaling Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword had just been beaten to death by you in a few punches?] [...]

[The vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[The towering Demon Sovereign frowned. "How could this plane possibly give birth to a lifeform like that?"]

[The white-haired demon also wore a look of astonishment. The combat prowess you displayed completely exceeded its expectations. Even Fifth Tier Middle Grade Demon Lords couldn't withstand a few punches from you.]

[Before invading the Human Realm, they had observed it for a very long time. They knew that given this plane's status, it was extremely difficult for it to produce an entity at the Fifth Tier Middle Stage.]

[Thus, sending Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lords to invade this realm should have been more than enough.]

[But now? The Tier 5 Demon Lords they had dispatched were being relentlessly slaughtered and overwhelmingly crushed.]

[...]

["Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan, you..." Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword's eyes went wide. He almost thought what he had just witnessed was a hallucination.]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo felt the same; his entire worldview had just been flipped completely upside down.]

[To be able to kill a Fifth Tier Middle Stage Demon Lord in just a few punches—exactly what level of strength was this?]