Chapter 268: Simulation Ends

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign fell silent.]

[He had waited a full four to five hundred years for you to willingly defect, all so he could conquer the Human Realm at the lowest possible cost!]

[After all this time, had he waited in vain? Did you never have the slightest intention of defecting?]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's first thought was that this was impossible.]

[Because doing so would be completely meaningless.]

[Even if you dragged things out for a few more centuries, what did it matter? The Human Realm would still fall to him.]

[As for your fate, you would either die or be tortured to death. There was no third option.]

[Under these circumstances, what were you even plotting?]

[Could there truly be a creature in this world who would throw away their own life and Great Dao just to buy their homeworld a few more centuries on its deathbed?]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign could not understand it.]

[Whoosh—]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign seethed with rage, a terrifying black airflow erupting from his body. A moment later, he calmed down.]

["Invite them over."]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's voice was low as he looked toward the white-haired demon.]

[The 'them' he spoke of naturally referred to the Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarchs.]

[With the clear answer from the woman of the Demon Moon Clan, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's only thought now was to crush the Human Realm as quickly as possible, capture you alive, extract your divine soul, and hurl it into the fires of the Demon Abyss to burn for ten thousand years.]

...

[The Human Realm, Heavenly Sword Peak.]

[Just as you were about to cultivate, an extremely vague sensation of being spied upon flashed through your mind.]

['Someone is divining me?']

[Your heart skipped a beat. You were a Fourth Tier High Grade Divination Great Grandmaster, and with your Deity Transformation realm cultivation, what divination grandmaster in the entire Human Realm would dare divine you? Moreover, you couldn't even pinpoint the source of that spying gaze.]

['A Fifth Tier Divination Heavenly Master? At least Fifth Tier Middle Grade—no, at least a Fifth Tier High Grade Divination Heavenly Master is reading me...']

[Your expression turned solemn as you looked toward the spatial rift at the end of the Deep Sea. Currently, there were no Fifth Tier Divination Heavenly Masters in the Human Realm, let alone a Fifth Tier High Grade one. You didn't even know if one had ever existed back in the ancient era.]

[Since this Divination Heavenly Master wasn't from the Human Realm, they could only be from the Demon Abyss Realm.]

['The Purgatory Demon Sovereign has invited a Divination Heavenly Master to read me and figure out exactly what I'm thinking...']

[You sighed inwardly. Through the intelligence you had wrung out of the Purgatory Demon Sovereign over the past few centuries, you knew the path of Divination existed in the Demon Abyss Realm as well.]

[Divination involved observing the workings of heavenly secrets and peering into the myriad mysteries of the world. Such a path was definitely not exclusive to the Human Realm.]

['Divining across realms comes with a massive price. Could it be a Divination Heavenly Master at the absolute peak of the Fifth Tier? Someone with half a foot in the Sixth Tier? Or perhaps they used some rare method...']

[You slowly stood up.]

[Regardless of the price they had paid, since they had already divined you, you had to be prepared for the Purgatory Demon Sovereign to discover your true intentions.]

[In other words—]

[The Demon Abyss Realm's next wave of attacks would likely arrive immediately.]

[Whoosh—]

[You took a step forward and vanished from your spot.]

[By the time you reappeared, you had already arrived at the end of the Deep Sea.]

["Qingyuan Heavenly Monarch!"]

["Qingyuan Heavenly Monarch, what brings you here?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, Heavenly Monarch Lingshe, and the other Heavenly Monarchs immediately gathered around upon seeing you.]

[Over the past few centuries, you had rarely visited the end of the Deep Sea.]

["Get ready. The Demon Abyss Realm is about to make its move."]

[You spoke with a solemn expression, just as Heavenly Monarch Mingjian's figure also appeared nearby.]

["What? The Demon Abyss Realm is making a move?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and the others were shocked.]

[After hundreds of years, the Demon Abyss Realm was finally going to force its way in again?]

[The Heavenly Monarchs immediately began to prepare. In the current Human Realm, your words were instantly trusted, even by the other Heavenly Monarchs.]

[Just as expected.]

[Less than half a month later.]

[The formerly calm spatial rift began to violently shudder once more.]

[Rumble—]

[Terrifying auras squeezed into the Human Realm. They were Rank 5 Demon Monarchs.]

[Compared to the first wave of attacks hundreds of years ago, the Demon Abyss Realm had directly deployed Rank 5 Demon Monarchs as the vanguard this time.]

["Attack!"]

[Your figure vanished as your aura erupted, and you immediately struck out with full force.]

[However, the Rank 5 Demon Monarchs squeezing into the Human Realm were clearly prepared. Every single one excelled at defense, and they even carried a host of defensive demonic treasures.]

[Even against your full-powered attacks, they were able to hold out for several breaths.]

[Buzz—]

[Right at that moment.]

[The spatial rift trembled, and an even more massive figure squeezed inside.]

[This figure was a giant ball of flesh with eighteen tentacles. An incredibly viscous domain radiated outward with it at the center.]

["A Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch?"]

[You looked at the flesh-ball Demon Monarch and immediately charged at it.]

[You could easily kill a Rank 5 Early Stage Demon Monarch, but this flesh-ball Demon Monarch—whose strength had reached Rank 5 Late Stage—could just as easily kill Deity Transformation Early Stage Heavenly Monarchs like Qianshu and Lingshe.]

[If you left this flesh-ball Demon Monarch unchecked, you feared that other than Heavenly Monarch Mingjian, none of the Heavenly Monarchs would survive.]

["Hehehe, what a beautiful realm..."]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch had barely entered the Human Realm before it took a deep breath, looking around with unbridled greed.]

[But in the next moment, you appeared beside it and smashed down with your fist.]

[This punch concentrated your physical Qi and Blood, Dharmic powers, and divine soul, ripping space itself apart.]

[Bang—]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch was sent flying, but it suffered no real injuries.]

["Interesting. Why are your attacks so strong? Your divine soul aura is clearly only at Fifth Tier Early Stage... No, Mid Stage? Either way, it definitely hasn't reached the Late Stage. How is this possible..."]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch swayed its twelve tentacles. "However, as long as I devour you, everything you have will be mine..."]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch immediately charged at you, and the surrounding space suddenly became incredibly heavy. Golden dragon scales faintly surfaced on your skin—this was the manifestation of pushing your partial True Dragon Transformation to its absolute limit.]

[Boom—]

[You and the flesh-ball Demon Monarch instantly clashed in a brutal melee.]

[Facing a Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch, an entity on par with a Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarch, you were unable to do anything to it even after exhausting all your methods, and you still found yourself at a disadvantage.]

[Ultimately, your true realm was still only at Deity Transformation Early Stage. Even if you relied on your numerous innate talents to barely reach the Late Stage threshold in combat, it was still difficult to be a true match for a Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch.]

[Right at that moment.]

[The distant spatial rift began to tremble once again.]

[Another demon with a terrifying aura forced its way inside.]

[It was another Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch.]

[Seeing this, you realized the Human Realm likely couldn't be defended anymore.]

[Two Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarchs had already exceeded the limits of what you could handle.]

["Die!"]

[You glared at the flesh-ball Demon Monarch in front of you and completely released the restraints on your True Dragon Transformation.]

[With a deafening roar, your body rapidly expanded, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long golden-scaled True Dragon. Your draconic form was long and powerful, covered from head to tail in tough scales the size of bushels, the edges of each scale glowing with a glass-like halo.]

[This was the first time you had fully unleashed the True Dragon Transformation in front of outsiders.]

[A pressure that stood above all living beings permeated the air. Even a Demon Monarch with such a tyrannical aura found itself suppressed before this might.]

["A True Dragon? You're from the True Dragon Clan?"]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch couldn't believe it. As peak-level True Spirits, True Dragons were legends even in the Demon Abyss Realm; only descendants carrying their bloodline still existed.]

[In the next moment.]

[You reached out with your dragon claws and viciously slashed at the flesh-ball Demon Monarch.]

[After operating the True Dragon Transformation at full power, your physical body, divine soul, and Dharmic powers experienced another surge. Coupled with your dragon might, even the flesh-ball Demon Monarch fell to a disadvantage against you.]

[In the vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign also witnessed this scene.]

["To think he's from the True Dragon Clan?"]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign found it somewhat unbelievable. How could such a weak plane like the Human Realm give birth to a member of the True Dragon Clan?]

["He isn't from the True Dragon Clan. He should just be from a descendant race that has awakened the True Dragon bloodline..." the woman of the Demon Abyss Clan said. After carefully observing the scene beyond the spatial rift, she suddenly added, "Purgatory, I want this creature. His bloodline will be of some use to me."]

[The True Dragon bloodline possessed an incredibly robust True Spirit aura.]

[If this were a True Dragon descendant from the Demon Abyss Realm, she would need to be cautious, as there might be an expert from its clan standing behind it.]

[But a True Dragon descendant from the Human Realm? The entire Human Realm was about to become the Demon Abyss Realm's backyard. What did he amount to?]

["Fine, you can have his body, but his divine soul is mine. I will extract it and torture it; otherwise, I cannot quell this hatred!"]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's tone was icy. Being strung along for four to five hundred years for absolutely no reason made him feel deeply humiliated.]

... [In the Human Realm, after unleashing your True Dragon Transformation, you turned into a golden-scaled True Dragon and mercilessly battered the flesh-ball Demon Monarch.]

[Rustle—]

[With a slight shift of your thoughts, one Fifth Tier Late Stage Dharma Talisman after another appeared before you.]

[Before the second Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch could fully descend upon the Human Realm, you needed to at least severely wound this flesh-ball Demon Monarch, if not outright kill it.]

["What is this?"]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch had been struggling to fend off your attacks, but its expression drastically changed when it saw the Dharma Talismans radiating astonishing power.]

[Without any hesitation, the flesh-ball Demon Monarch retracted its twelve tentacles, curling into an even larger ball of meat.]

[In the next moment.]

[Dozens of Fifth Tier Late Stage Dharma Talismans detonated. Their terrifying might tore space apart, kicking up a localized spatial storm that spanned tens of thousands of li.]

[Even the Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs immediately retreated, unwilling to be dragged into the blast.]

[A hundred breaths later.]

[The space gradually stabilized.]

[A massive ball of flesh hovered in the air.]

[At this moment, the ball of flesh was in a miserable state. Six of its twelve tentacles had been blown off—an injury that was nothing short of devastating.]

["A pity."]

[Your figure appeared a short distance away, gazing at the spatial rift.]

[The second Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch had already completely squeezed into the Human Realm.]

[You could even faintly sense another terrifying aura approaching from within the spatial rift. It was a third Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch.]

[The heavily wounded flesh-ball Demon Monarch rapidly fled toward the second Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch, seeking to join forces against you.]

[You did not press the attack. Instead, your figure silently vanished into the distance.]

["He left?"]

[The flesh-ball Demon Monarch lingered in a state of shock. Just now, it had been a hair's breadth from death.]

[Facing your full-powered assault in the True Dragon Transformation state, topped off with dozens of Fifth Tier Late Stage Dharma Talismans, the flesh-ball Demon Monarch had almost failed to withstand the onslaught.]

[Even if this physical body was destroyed, the flesh-ball Demon Monarch still had life-saving measures hidden away in a secret location within the Demon Abyss Realm that would allow it to recover.]

[However, refining such a powerful physical body anew would come at an enormous cost.]

["No wonder the Purgatory Demon Sovereign..."]

[Thinking of the benefits the Purgatory Demon Sovereign had promised it, the flesh-ball Demon Monarch understood a bit more.]

...

[After you vanished, the third Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch finally squeezed into the Human Realm.]

[Swish, swish, swish—]

[Demon Abyss Banners were continuously planted into the Human Realm, rapidly converting its heaven and earth environment into that of the Demon Abyss Realm.]

["Kill, kill, kill!"]

[Countless demons poured in through the spatial rift.]

[The sixty-nine defensive lines in the Deep Sea region held out for only half a day before completely collapsing.]

...

[In the Western Desert Domain, you stood silently atop a hill.]

[At this moment, your aura was completely concealed, and the space around you was twisted, keeping you hidden from the outside world.]

[Ever since you realized the Human Realm couldn't be defended, you had decisively retreated.]

[Stay and fight the demons to the bitter end? Drag them down with you? Naturally, you wouldn't do such a thing. Against three Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarchs joining forces, you wouldn't last long.]

[Under these circumstances, leaving early, hiding somewhere, and surviving as long as possible was the better play. You could gather abundant intelligence on the Demon Abyss Realm's occupation of the Human Realm and see if it could be used in the next simulation.]

[This was the course of action that best served your interests.]

["Heavenly Monarch Qianshu... Heavenly Monarch Lingshe has fallen... Heavenly Monarch Mingjian has also fallen..."]

[Sensing the constant changes rippling through the heaven and earth of the Human Realm, your expression remained calm.]

[Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarchs—and three of them at that level, no less. The Heavenly Monarchs of the Human Realm simply couldn't stand against them. Even Heavenly Monarch Mingjian, who controlled the foundation of the Heavenly Sword, couldn't hold on for long.]

[Their deaths were inevitable.]

[And with the fall of the various Heavenly Monarchs of the Human Realm, you faintly sensed subtle changes deep within the world.]

["Demon Abyss Banners..."]

[You felt surges of demonic energy beginning to seep into the Human Realm, altering the very essence of its heaven and earth.]

[The entire Human Realm slowly began transforming into the Demon Abyss Realm. You could even feel the world itself starting to reject you.]

[Time flowed on.]

[In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.]

[Under the invasion of an endless tide of demons, the continents of the Human Realm had long been conquered. The Central Continent, Eastern Wilderness, Western Desert, Northern Plains, and Southern Sea had all been reduced to ruins, with countless demons patrolling back and forth.]

[Even the vast Deep Sea harbored traces of a massive demonic presence.]

[You remained hidden atop a hill in the Western Desert Domain. Right now, you weren't twisting space around you, as that would be slightly too conspicuous. Instead, you used a transformation art to assume the guise of a Rank 4 demon.]

[Through this method, you evaded the searches of demon after demon. When a Rank 5 Late Stage Demon Monarch passed nearby, its divine sense swept over you several times without discovering you at all.]

["The Human Realm... the Demon Abyss Realm..."]

[You looked around and sighed inwardly.]

[The heaven and earth of the Human Realm no longer bore any resemblance to its former self. Demon Abyss Banners were planted everywhere, and the entire world had been assimilated by the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[If you hadn't disguised yourself as a demon, you would have inevitably been suppressed and easily discovered by the others.]

[It would be like a black dot suddenly appearing in a field of white snow—extremely conspicuous.]

["Hm?"]

[Suddenly, your expression shifted slightly as you looked up at the sky.]

[High in the firmament, a Black-Red Moon began to slowly take shape, replacing the Human Realm's original sun to illuminate the entire world.]

['That's the will of the Demon Abyss Realm...']

[You thought to yourself, having obtained plenty of information from the Purgatory Demon Sovereign. You knew that a demonic moon also existed in the Demon Abyss Realm, said to be the manifestation of the abyss's will.]

[The appearance of this Black-Red Moon in the sky above meant that the Human Realm had completely become a subordinate plane of the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[You carefully observed the Black-Red Moon hanging in the sky.]

[You vaguely felt that it wasn't a moon at all, but rather a colossal eye.]

[You almost seemed to see a pale black pupil constantly darting around within that giant eye, carefully looking down over the Human Realm as if it were searching for something.]

['What is it looking for?'] [You faintly realized that when the Black-Red Moon's gaze swept over you, it paused for a fraction of a second. It had clearly noticed your anomaly, but paid it no mind as it continued searching elsewhere.]

['The will of the Demon Abyss Realm...']

[You were secretly shocked.]

[Compared to the will of the Human Realm, the will of the Demon Abyss Realm had practically gained sentience. It was actively searching for something.]

[What difference was there between this and a true living creature?]

[Rumble—]

[A violent spatial fluctuation abruptly erupted.]

[You immediately looked toward the end of the Deep Sea. The spatial rift there had already been torn open dozens of times wider, sprawling across the sky like a wound on the world itself.]

[Right at that moment.]

[A massive foot radiating boundless demonic energy suddenly stepped through the spatial rift, followed closely by a gargantuan torso and limbs. Finally, a head sporting two crooked, giant black horns poked through.]

['The Purgatory Demon Sovereign!']

[You gazed from afar. Even just looking at him from such a distance gave you a terrifying sense of palpitation. This was the crushing pressure brought by a vast disparity in realms.]

['The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's true body is entering the Human Realm...']

[You thought silently to yourself.]

[Even back in the ancient era, the demon sovereigns of the Demon Abyss Realm could at most stretch a single hand into the Human Realm—and even that was severed by the Sword Lord.]

[Now that the Purgatory Demon Sovereign had squeezed his way in, it proved that there was no longer any chance of a reversal for the Human Realm.]

[Buzz—]

[Before the Purgatory Demon Sovereign could even fully step into the Human Realm, his massive divine sense began to sweep unbridled across the entire world.]

["So you're over there..."]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's low voice echoed across the Human Realm as his vast divine sense swiftly locked onto you.]

["Qingyuan Heavenly Monarch, just you wait for me..."]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's head completely pushed its way into the Human Realm, wearing a cruel expression.]

['So be it.']

[You didn't hesitate, immediately pouring every last drop of your remaining lifespan into the path of Divination.]

[At the same time, your physical body began to disintegrate. This was a failsafe you had prepared long ago—even if you died, you would never let the Demon Abyss Realm profit from your corpse.]

[Rumble—]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign moved very quickly, and in no time at all, he had completely entered the Human Realm.]

[The heaven and earth of the entire Human Realm groaned with a creaking noise, as if struggling to bear the weight of his existence.]

[However.]

[Just as the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's entire body fully entered the Human Realm...]

[...it seemed to trigger some kind of reaction.]

[From the ruined Central Continent, from the ruins of Heavenly Sword Peak, a speck of snow-white light suddenly appeared.]

[In an instant, the Dao gave birth to One, One birthed Two, Two birthed Three, and Three birthed all things. That speck of snow-white light transformed into a seven-chi sword.]

[The seven-chi sword hung with its tip pointing down and its hilt pointing up.]

[In a hazy blur, a faint figure stood beside the sword. Their right hand rested on the hilt, sleeves fluttering in the wind, leaning on the blade as it was planted into the earth.]

[The faint figure cast a glance over the Human Realm, gripped the seven-chi sword, and gently slashed toward the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.]

[A slender beam of sword light emerged. Wherever it passed, space was annihilated, the Great Dao collapsed, Yin and Yang ceased to exist, and the forces of earth, fire, wind, and water were reopened, returning all things to primordial chaos.]

[High in the sky, the pale black pupil of the Black-Red Moon—the manifestation of the Demon Abyss Realm's will—frantically darted around before rapidly dissipating, as if it had never been there in the first place.]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign froze, completely unable to react in time.]

[He could only watch as a world-cleaving sword light surged toward him.]

["No—"]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign's pupils shrank violently as he let out a shrill scream of agony that echoed throughout the entire Human Realm.]

...

['That was... the Sword Lord...']

[Right before your lifespan was completely exhausted, you watched as the towering, world-spanning Purgatory Demon Sovereign was cleaved in two by a slender sword light from the Central Continent, his physical body torn apart and his divine soul utterly erased.]

...

[You died.]

[This simulation has ended.]