Chapter 265: Disdain

[ "Want to run?" ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo noticed that the Rank 5 demon lord currently fighting him was trying to edge closer to the spatial rift. ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo saw through this Rank 5 demon lord's goal at a glance. ]

[ A demon who had managed to cultivate to Rank 5 was naturally no fool. After seeing the terrifying strength you displayed, it obviously had no desire to make a meaningless sacrifice. ]

[ Originally, these Rank 5 demon lords were willing to invade the Human Realm partly because they were forced by the demon sovereigns, and partly because there were tangible benefits to be had. ]

[ But now? ]

[ No matter how great the benefits, one needed to be alive to enjoy them. ]

[ "Suppress!" ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo pressed his palms together. Boundless Buddha light surged, forming a golden cage that firmly trapped the Rank 5 demon lord. ]

[ "Damn it!" ]

[ The Rank 5 demon lord was startled. ]

[ The golden cage posed no real threat to the demon, but it did restrict its movements. Right at that moment, your figure appeared outside the cage and delivered a smashing blow toward the Rank 5 demon lord. ]

[ "I don't believe this!" ]

[ Madness filled the Rank 5 demon lord's eyes. It had endured endless tribulations in the Demon Abyss Realm and devoured who knew how many demons to reach its current height. How could it die so easily here in the Human Realm? ]

[ Whoosh— ]

[ The instant you threw your punch, Heavenly Monarch Miduo precisely dispersed the golden cage. ]

[ The Rank 5 demon lord roared, its horrifying aura oppressing the surrounding space. But beneath your punch, it was all for naught. Its head exploded instantly. You easily extracted its divine soul, then refined and sealed it. ]

[ "Too strong." ]

[ Witnessing it from so close, Heavenly Monarch Miduo's mind and soul trembled. ]

[ "This punch wasn't just physical strength. Divine soul and magic power were fully integrated into it. He used magic power to lock down the space and prevent the demon from tearing a rift to escape, while his divine soul suppressed its will... Body, soul, and magic power, united as one..." ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo was deeply shocked. On the surface, you had merely thrown a light, effortless punch that blew the demon lord apart, but the actual methods layered within it were astonishing. ]

[ "Hmm? They're all running away?" ]

[ You scanned the battlefield and noticed that many Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lords had already given up on invading the Human Realm. They had turned tail and were fleeing toward the spatial rifts. At this moment, you were in a state of full Eruption. Several major body cultivation divine abilities were operating at maximum capacity. With Rebirth from a Drop of Blood paired with Qi and Blood, you were completely unafraid of injuries; you only needed to consider how to attack. ]

[ That was why you were able to kill so many demon lords in such a short period. Even the Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords had all died by your hands. ]

[ Your talents, Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move and Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators, pushed your combat strength when facing demons into the Deity Transformation Late Stage. Combined with a fearless fighting style that completely ignored injuries, you achieved such massive results. ]

[ Any other Deity Transformation Late Stage cultivator, even if capable of killing a Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lord, would never be willing to take so much damage. They would spend much more time slowly whittling the opponent down. ]

[ "Hahahaha, kill, kill, kill! All of you, stay here!" ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, Heavenly Monarch Lingshe, and the other Human Realm Heavenly Monarchs also sensed the reversal of the situation. They immediately abandoned their previous conservative tactics and actively charged the Rank 5 demon lords. ]

[ They didn't seek to injure these Rank 5 demon lords; they just needed to pin them down and wait for you to arrive and strike. ]

[ Rumble— ]

[ You didn't waste the opportunity either. Your qi and blood began to burn. ]

[ This opportunity to strike could inflict significant losses on the Void Return demon sovereigns in the Demon Abyss Realm, so naturally, you seized it firmly. ]

[ By the next time, the Void Return demon sovereigns of the Demon Abyss Realm would inevitably target you specifically. They would either deploy some special method or send even stronger demons. ]

[ Your Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators talent could at most help you crush demon experts in the same realm. As for demons of even higher strength? A Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord, for example, wouldn't be so easy to deal with. ]

[ Of course, Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords weren't deployed so easily. Demon lords of that level had a chance of breaking through to the Void Return Stage. Even in front of the Void Return demon sovereigns, they held a certain amount of authority. ]

[ During the latter part of the ancient era, in the early stages of that world-shaking war, only Fifth Tier Early Stage and Middle Stage demon lords squeezed into the Human Realm. As for the Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords? They only joined the battlefield successively two to three hundred years after the war began. ]

...

[ "Retreat!" ]

[ "Go back! Hurry back!" ]

[ One after another, the Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lords fled madly. Even though they were only a single step away from the spatial rifts, under your relentless pursuit, only one managed to escape inside by a stroke of luck. ]

[ As for the demons below Rank 5? Their numbers were vastly greater, but they were basically all pinned down by the defensive line's grand arrays. Once Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the other Human Realm Heavenly Monarchs freed up their hands, these demons were easily swept away. ]

...

[ The vast Demon Abyss Realm. ]

[ "Venerable, on the Human Realm side..." ]

[ The Rank 5 demon lord who had luckily made it back alive spoke with a terrified tone. Just now, it had been so close—your punch had almost smashed into it. And judging by the fates of the Rank 5 demon lords before it, this demon lord had absolutely no confidence in surviving that blow. ]

[ "Trash!" ]

[ The towering demon sovereign glanced at the Rank 5 demon lord but didn't pursue the matter. ]

[ He had watched the entire battle from start to finish and knew clearly that the failure had little to do with this Rank 5 demon lord. With the combat strength you had displayed, even if a few more Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords had been present, it would only have meant holding out a little while longer. ]

[ It could not change the overall outcome. ]

[ "This creature must possess some incredibly strong defensive method. When he killed those Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords, he forcibly endured their counterattacks..." ]

[ The white-haired demon spoke. Under your punch, whether it was a Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lord or a Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lord, they had all struggled violently, gathering all their power to attack you. ]

[ Yet you hadn't cared about those attacks at all, never even bothering to specifically block them. ]

[ This led the white-haired demon to infer that you possessed some kind of extremely powerful defensive ability. ]

[ In truth, you simply didn't care about getting injured. You already had a Rank 5 physical body, which came with powerful innate defenses. Add to that Rebirth from a Drop of Blood, Qi and Blood, and the Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators talent... ]

[ It was enough for you to charge recklessly across the battlefield, plowing right through the Rank 5 demon lords. ]

[ "It seems that to take this realm, we will need to mobilize Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords..." The Void Return demon sovereign frowned. To drive ordinary Fifth Tier Early Stage and Middle Stage demon lords, he only needed to dangle a few promises. ]

[ Promising them numerous benefits after conquering this realm was enough. ]

[ But to drive Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords? He would have to pay a real price upfront. ]

[ Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords weren't fools, after all. ]

[ As for intimidating them with sheer power? Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords had far too many life-saving methods. What they showed on the outside might just be clones or avatars, or they might possess special techniques ensuring that even if their true bodies were slain, they wouldn't completely die. ]

[ "There's no rush." ]

[ The white-haired demon sovereign thought for a moment before speaking. "I will talk to him first and see if we can reach an agreement." ]

[ "That works too." ]

[ The Void Return demon sovereign nodded. ]

[ Invading a weak realm didn't necessarily require steamrolling it with absolute power. Sometimes, one could strike from within the enemy's own ranks. ]

[ The Demon Abyss Realm's strength was unquestionable. Who could resist the methods of a Void Return demon sovereign? ]

[ If they could turn a powerful expert on the enemy's side, it would naturally yield twice the result with half the effort. And the target the white-haired demon wanted to instigate to rebel was, naturally, you. ]

[ Your strength formed a massive gap between you and the other Heavenly Monarchs. As long as they could turn you, the Demon Abyss Realm would occupy the entire Human Realm without breaking a sweat. ]

[ Next, the white-haired demon discussed with the Void Return demon sovereign the price they would need to pay to buy you out. ]

...

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

[ Watching the numerous demons and demonic monsters being rapidly slaughtered, Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe let out a long breath of relief. ]

[ At the very least, the Demon Abyss Realm's first wave of attacks had been blocked. The situation was currently favorable to the Human Realm; they hadn't reached the point of needing to abandon the first thirty layers of the defensive line. ]

[ "Hahahaha, did we just beat back the Demon Abyss Realm?" Heavenly Monarch Nanyun couldn't help but say. He had heard tales of the Demon Abyss Realm's terror during the latter part of the ancient era. ]

[ "We owe it all to Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan this time." ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo spoke up, looking toward you. "If it weren't for Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan, we probably would have lost nearly half of the Deep Sea domain." ]

[ "Right, it's all thanks to Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan." ]

[ "Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan's strength is too terrifying. He slaughtered those Rank 5 demon lords until they had no power to resist." Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, Heavenly Monarch Lingshe, and the other Heavenly Monarchs immediately agreed. During that battle just now, before you joined the fray, the Human Realm's Heavenly Monarchs had been at an absolute disadvantage and were on the verge of retreating. ]

[ But the moment you joined, the situation changed. With a flip of your hand, you beat several Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords to death, leaving those Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lords entirely too terrified to linger. ]

[ You smiled. With a raise of your hand, the Demon Abyss Banner planted in the heavens and earth of the Human Realm flew into your grasp. ]

[ At this moment, this Demon Abyss Banner had already been thoroughly refined. After falling into your hands, it quickly crumbled into nothingness. ]

[ The essence of the Demon Abyss Banner was a convergence of the Demon Abyss Realm's origin power. Once it was refined and its origin power dissipated, it naturally couldn't maintain its physical form. ]

[ "The Demon Abyss Realm..." ]

[ You looked thoughtful. From this Demon Abyss Banner, you faintly sensed that the Demon Abyss Realm might be a major world completely different from the Human Realm. ]

[ Withdrawing your thoughts, you looked toward the corpses of the numerous Rank 5 demon lords. ]

[ You were pressed for time earlier. After killing the Rank 5 demon lords, you had only roughly extracted their divine souls and hadn't had the time to collect their bodies. ]

[ "I'll take all the corpses of the Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords. As for the remaining Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lord corpses, I'll take half, and you can divide the rest equally among yourselves." ]

[ You thought for a moment before speaking. ]

[ Demon corpses held immense value, no less than demonic beasts of the same tier. The corpse of a Rank 5 demon lord was an even more priceless treasure. Their flesh, blood, and bones were all of great use to cultivators. ]

[ "Alright." ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo, Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, and the other Heavenly Monarchs had no objections either. ]

[ In killing these demon lords, they, as Heavenly Monarchs, had basically played no real role other than stalling for time. ]

[ Without you, they wouldn't have been able to kill even a single demon lord, let alone have the ground littered with their corpses like now. ]

[ "The Demon Abyss Realm likely won't invade again in the short term. I'm heading back first." ]

[ You glanced at the spatial rift at the edge of the Deep Sea, then looked at the other Heavenly Monarchs and spoke. ]

[ "Alright." ]

[ "Hurry and go rest, Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan." ]

[ Heavenly Monarch Miduo said immediately, and the other Heavenly Monarchs nodded as well. ]

[ Your condition was of the utmost importance in resisting the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion. ]

[ Before leaving, you took one last look at the spatial rift connecting to the Demon Abyss Realm. With Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the other Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs standing guard, along with the sixty-nine layers of the Deep Sea defensive grand arrays, even if the Demon Abyss Realm invaded again, they could stall for a while—more than enough time for you to rush back. ]

[ With your current travel speed, it wouldn't take you long to journey from the Central Continent's Heavenly Sword Peak to the edge of the Deep Sea. ]

...

[ Heavenly Sword Peak, inside the cave dwelling. ]

[ You sat cross-legged, the corpses of the Rank 5 demon lords laid out before you. ]

[ "With these corpse materials, my puppetry skills have a chance to cross into the Rank 5 tier." ]

[ A smile surfaced on your face. ]

[ Currently, the only thing limiting the advancement of your puppetry skills was a lack of raw materials. ]

[ Every single raw material required for a Rank 5 puppet had to be at the Rank 5 tier, making them incomparably precious. ]

[ But right now, the physical bodies of these Rank 5 demon lords were overwhelmingly powerful and perfectly met the standard for Rank 5 puppet materials. ]

[ With a slight shift of your thoughts, a drop of blood essence appeared before you. It came from one of the Rank 5 demon lords you had killed. ]

[ You stared at it for a moment, then directly activated your Divine Ability Transformation art to refine this drop of blood essence. *Splash*— ]

[ Several months later, your refinement was complete. ]

[ "Transform." ]

[ You directly activated Divine Ability Transformation. ]

[ Your aura began to shift, wreathed in tendrils of black demonic qi. Before long, you transformed into a Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lord. Your aura and appearance were completely identical to the demon lord from whom the blood essence had originated. ]

[ 'It doesn't boost my strength by much...' ]

[ You shook your head slightly. Compared to the True Dragon Transformation, which could massively enhance your physical body, magic power, and divine soul, this 'Demon Transformation' wasn't of much use. ]

[ 'However... using this transformation art to temporarily disguise myself as a demon is no problem at all... It's just that the duration is too short. Only a single month...' ]

[ You evaluated inwardly. ]

...

[ The Eastern Wilderness Domain, at a sealed Demon Cave. ]

[ A spatial rift dozens of meters wide stretched across the area, with silver runic characters flowing around it. Right at that moment, a dim wisp of demonic qi silently squeezed through the gaps between the silver runes. It rapidly blended into the heavens and earth of the Human Realm, then emerged in a hilly region hundreds of thousands of li away. ]

[ The dim demonic qi coalesced, forming the figure of the white-haired demon. ]

[ 'Mm... Sending this avatar over was not easy at all.' ]

[ The white-haired demon thought. This wasn't his true body; it was merely an avatar with roughly Core Formation Stage cultivation, which was the only reason it could slip through the spatial rift. ]

[ "Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan..." ]

[ The white-haired demon casually performed Soul Searching on a few nearby cultivators, then headed straight toward the Central Continent. ]

[ Even though he only had Core Formation Stage cultivation, his true realm was still there. Coupled with the fact that he wasn't a physical entity, the white-haired demon's speed was incredibly fast. ]

...

[ Soon, the white-haired demon appeared outside Heavenly Sword Peak. ]

[ "I wish to visit Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan." ]

[ The white-haired demon had completely concealed his demonic qi, making him look exactly like a human. He took out a black Token engraved with complex patterns and handed it to a patrolling Sword Cultivator of Heavenly Sword Peak. ]

[ The patrolling Sword Cultivator could vaguely sense that the white-haired demon wasn't an ordinary cultivator. He immediately took the black Token and brought it before you. "He's finally here," you remarked. ]

[ You took one look at the black Token and immediately recognized its true nature—it was condensed from demonic qi of exceptionally high quality. ]

[ The one who had come to visit you wasn't a human, but an expert from the Demon Abyss Realm. ]

[ "Bring him in." ]

[ You said calmly. ]

[ Before long, the white-haired demon stood before you. ]

[ "White Demon, serving under the Purgatory Demon Sovereign, greets Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan." ]

[ The white-haired demon bowed slightly toward you, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. ]