Chapter 304: The Indomitable Demon Lords

[Half a year later, you took out the second Heaven and Earth Origin Stone and continued your comprehension.]

[While comprehending, you also continued to cultivate. Comprehending the Heaven and Earth Origin Stone was to broaden your Sword Dao for the Deity Transformation Late Stage.]

[As for cultivation... you were advancing toward the Deity Transformation Middle Stage Peak.]

[Compared to the Deity Transformation Early Stage, cultivation in the Deity Transformation Middle Stage was much more difficult, but it still could not stop you.]

[In your spare time, you occasionally observed the Human Realm.]

[As time passed, more and more spatial rifts appeared across the Human Realm.]

[However, with the various Heavenly Monarchs taking action, the dark beasts and demons that managed to slip through the spatial rifts into the Human Realm failed to make any waves.]

[Ordinary spatial rifts could only accommodate Tier 3 and Tier 4 demons, posing no real threat to the Human Realm.]

['The Sword Dao...']

[You also paid attention to the development of the Sword Dao. After you passed down numerous Sword Dao cultivation methods, Sword Cultivators in the Human Realm experienced explosive growth, which was directly related to you.]

[Your single sword strike that erased the Soul Dao Lineage had left an indelible impression in the hearts of countless cultivators.]

[At the sacred land of the Array Dao Lineage, Heavenly Monarch Juezhen stared at the Array Disc before him with burning eyes, as did the other Rank 5 Array Dao Heavenly Masters. The essence of the Array Dao within this Array Disc reached Quasi-Tier 6. This was the ultimate peak pursued by every Heavenly Master of the Array Dao Lineage.]

["So this is a Quasi-Tier 6 killing array. Incredible, simply incredible. I'm afraid its autonomous power alone is enough to suppress an ordinary Deity Transformation Late Stage cultivator. Once we take control of it, it will be comparable to a Late Stage Heavenly Monarch wielding Upper Realm heritage..."]

[A white-bearded Rank 5 Array Dao Heavenly Master muttered to himself. By mastering this Quasi-Tier 6 killing array, the Array Dao Lineage could undoubtedly become one of the three great factions in the Human Realm, standing as the third great power just below One Law One Body.]

["Everyone, Ethereal Peak handed that crucial array core over to us to guard against the Demon Abyss Realm tearing open a third passage between the two worlds. Do not become overly immersed in this; we still need to observe the Human Realm at all times."]

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen spoke. He was also deeply interested in the Quasi-Tier 6 killing array before him, but he knew what was most urgent. Since Ethereal Peak had supported the Array Dao Lineage, Heavenly Monarch Juezhen naturally did not want to hold them back.]

[Moreover, at this critical moment concerning the survival of the Human Realm, Heavenly Monarch Juezhen knew exactly what he had to do. When the crucial moment came, he needed to step up.]

["Understood."]

["Juezhen, you should know us by now."]

["That's right. As long as I can take control of this killing array, operate it myself, and feel its slaughtering power, I can die with no regrets."]

[The other two Array Dao Heavenly Masters spoke one after another. In this era, the Array Dao Lineage had produced four Array Dao Heavenly Masters. Three were at the Deity Transformation Stage, and one was still at the Nascent Soul Stage. In ancient times, with the guidance of higher-level Array Dao Heavenly Masters, it was faintly possible for Nascent Soul Stage array cultivators to master Rank 5 Array Dao skills.]

["Mm."]

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen gave a slight nod and likewise began to comprehend the Quasi-Tier 6 killing array before him.]

[Year one hundred and ten. You were one hundred and ten years old.]

[You had already used seven of the sixteen Heaven and Earth Origin Stones given to you by Heavenly Monarch Xingmang and Heavenly Monarch Nine Dragons.]

[For these seven Heaven and Earth Origin Stones, every time you finished comprehending one, you needed several months to a year or two to digest it, summarize your gains, and attempt to integrate it with the Sword Dao heaven and earth you wanted to pioneer.]

[If Heavenly Monarch Xingmang and Heavenly Monarch Nine Dragons knew of your comprehension speed, they would definitely doubt their own existences.]

[For the past generations of Deity Transformation Middle Stage and Late Stage seniors from the two great factions, any single Heaven and Earth Origin Stone required hundreds to over a thousand years to slowly digest and comprehend. Finishing one in a few months to a couple of years? Did you really think you were a reincarnated immortal?]

['Hm?']

[You suddenly opened your eyes and looked toward the Western Desert.]

[Just now, you felt an intense spatial fluctuation ripple over. Clearly, the Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarch guarding that area had violently clashed with the demonic experts of the Demon Abyss Realm once again.]

['They should still be able to hold on.']

[You took a brief glance and then resumed your cultivation and comprehension.]

[Your most important task right now was to reach the Deity Transformation Late Stage as quickly as possible.]

[With your Sword Dao talent and methods, once you stepped into the Deity Transformation Late Stage, you would pretty much be able to completely resolve the Demon Abyss Realm invasion.]

[For now, if those two Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs truly couldn't block the Demon Abyss Realm's offensive, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang and Heavenly Monarch Nine Dragons would likely ask you for help.]

['The eighth Heaven and Earth Origin Stone.']

[You took out a new Heaven and Earth Origin Stone and continued your comprehension.]

[Buzz.]

[The operational law of heaven and earth inside this Origin Stone consisted of endless, boundless flames.]

['Can pure flames also form a great world?']

[You observed and comprehended carefully. Having previously absorbed and refined the first stream of Primordial Yin Qi nurtured by Li Yan for two to three thousand years, you knew that even extreme power could still achieve perfection. But perfection was one thing—could extreme power form the stable operation of a great world?]

['So that's how it is.']

[By the time you opened your eyes, the eighth Heaven and Earth Origin Stone had already crumbled into dust.]

[You raised your right hand. Wisps of Sword Intent intertwined and collided, faintly forming the nascent shape of a miniature Sword Dao heaven and earth.]

[However, the moment this miniature Sword Dao heaven and earth took shape, it rapidly collapsed and vanished into nothingness.]

['It's still missing something.']

[You continued your attempts.]

[Year one hundred and twenty. You were one hundred and twenty years old.]

[You opened your eyes and looked into the distance.]

[An anomaly in heaven and earth caused by a Core Formation cultivator pushing for the Nascent Soul realm rapidly subsided.]

['He failed...']

[You felt a silent melancholy in your heart. Just a moment ago, Elder Yang attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage but was stopped by the Heart Demon Tribulation, his body dying and his Dao vanishing.]

[Elder Yang had been a Core Formation Stage cultivator with a lifespan of five hundred years. When he reunited with you, he was already approaching the absolute limit of his lifespan.]

[Later, thanks to your bestowments, he re-condensed his physical body and received numerous life-extending items. Only then did he live until now and cultivate to the Core Formation Perfection Stage.]

[You did not remain silent for long before immersing yourself in cultivation once again.]

[The path of immortal cultivation was filled with thorns at every step. Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Return... It was unknown how many cultivators were trapped at each step. By simply having the chance to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm in this lifetime, Elder Yang had already surpassed ninety-nine percent of all cultivators.]

['You...']

[Your gaze shifted, looking at the severed Youming Earth Vein deep underground.]

[For these past few decades, You had been hiding inside it, absorbing the dissipating nether energy.]

['He's almost at the Fourth-Order Late Stage...']

[Your massive divine sense enveloped the area briefly, discovering the slumbering You and learning of his exact cultivation progress.]

['At this rate, he will be able to push for Deity Transformation within a century.']

[You thought to yourself that even with the countless years of heritage from the Youming Earth Vein, You still could not compare to your cultivation speed of reaching Deity Transformation in sixty years.]

[Moreover, You's heritage was almost depleted. After he stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage, the nether energy of the Youming Earth Vein would essentially be completely dissipated. If You wanted to continue cultivating after that, he could only rely on himself.]

[Year one hundred and thirty. You were one hundred and thirty years old.]

[You requested many more resources from Ethereal Peak and Extreme Dao Hall, beginning to forge a scabbard for your Seven-Foot Heavenly Sword.]

[The scabbard was not merely for decoration. Rather, it could endure your Sword Intent, continuously tempering the Heavenly Sword itself.]

[In your designs, the scabbard would not be much weaker than the Heavenly Sword itself, as both were formed by enduring your Sword Intent.]

[Year one hundred and forty. You were one hundred and forty years old.]

[A Heavenly Monarch passed away in meditation, but you paid it no mind. With a total of thirty-two Heavenly Monarchs, the frequency of Heavenly Monarchs perishing in the Human Realm was roughly one every century. Adding the fact that it took decades after a death to wait for the optimal time to attempt a breakthrough, a new Heavenly Monarch would be born every two hundred years on average.]

[Of course, this was only the average. There were times when no Heavenly Monarch perished for several consecutive centuries, or times when two or three Heavenly Monarchs perished within a short span of a few decades.]

[When you pushed for Deity Transformation, there had been no Heavenly Monarch passing away for several hundred consecutive years.]

[Year one hundred and fifty. You were one hundred and fifty years old.]

[After dedicating your spare time to the task, you finally forged the scabbard for the Heavenly Sword.]

[The Heavenly Sword returned to its scabbard, floating beside you. Inside the scabbard, your Sword Intent constantly circulated and intertwined, tempering the Heavenly Sword at a speed surpassing normal nurturing.]

[With a slight thought, you stored the Heavenly Sword and its scabbard together in your dantian, preparing to temper both simultaneously using your own Sword Intent along with the combined augmentation of the scabbard and the Heavenly Sword itself.]

[Nurturing and tempering the Heavenly Sword and scabbard would not delay your cultivation. This action was similar to using a Dharma Talisman; you simply managed it concurrently while cultivating.]

[In the vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Twelve towering demonic figures stood tall, exuding unfathomable demonic might.]

["This plane is an ordinary great world. Once it is assimilated into our realm, it will be quite beneficial to us."]

[One of the towering demonic figures stared at the two massive spatial rifts not far away. His rumbling voice echoed in all directions, carried by the rolling demonic energy.]

[The other eleven demon venerables nodded slightly.]

[Although twelve demon venerables dividing a great world meant that the feedback from the will of the Demon Abyss Realm would be somewhat diminished for each individual demon venerable,]

[it still had a considerable effect.]

["Guixu, it is your turn to tear open a new spatial rift."]

[A towering figure looked toward one of the Void Return demon venerables and spoke.]

[For a Void Return demon venerable to take the initiative and tear open a spatial rift large enough for Rank 5 demon lords to pass through, they would suffer backlash from the plane and pay a certain price.]

[This was also why only two demon venerables had taken action to tear open spatial rifts so far.]

[However, after this period of contact, the twelve demon venerables believed they understood the Human Realm very well. They were now planning to go all out and conquer this world in the shortest amount of time.]

["The two strongest factions in this plane should possess the heritage of other great worlds. However, they have likely been disconnected for a long time. Otherwise, entities at the demon venerable level would have appeared long ago..."]

["Now, the strongest experts of those two great factions are being held down by us at the other two spatial rifts. Guixu, if the spatial rift you tear open proceeds smoothly, we will be able to gain an absolute advantage. Using your rift as the starting point, we will completely conquer this plane."]

[The various demon venerables spoke.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu was massive, his head touching the sky and his feet on the ground. At this moment, he was mobilizing his subordinates.]

[In the Demon Abyss Realm, every demon venerable ruled over a vast territory, and the countless dark beasts within that territory all submitted to them.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu's strength ranked in the top five among the twelve demon venerables. His methods were terrifying, and he commanded numerous demon lords.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu looked down, his gaze falling upon the demon lords below.]

["Rest assured, Demon Venerable. With our strength, as long as we successfully enter that plane, we can completely sweep through it."]

[Every demon lord was brimming with fighting spirit. Among the many demon lords, a full ten had reached the Fifth Tier Late Stage, and there were also two Tier 5 Consummation demon lords.]

[Such a force had already surpassed the demons deployed into the other two spatial rifts.]

[Until now, the strongest demon lords mobilized by the others were only at the Fifth Tier Late Stage.]

[The reason Demon Venerable Guixu was investing such heavy capital was to seize the opportunity to occupy more of the Human Realm's territory. This way, when the Human Realm was completely assimilated, he would receive more feedback in the judgment of the Demon Abyss Realm's will.]

["As long as you fulfill my demands, I will heavily nurture you in the future."]

[Demon Venerable Guixu also made timely promises.]

["Thank you, Demon Venerable."]

["Demon Venerable, just watch as we crush the living beings of that plane."]

[The Fifth Tier Middle Stage, Fifth Tier Late Stage, and Tier 5 Consummation demon lords were highly confident. They came from the lofty Demon Abyss Realm; based on this alone, they could look down upon a plane like the Human Realm.]

[Whether in terms of heritage or the number of top-tier experts, the Human Realm was far inferior to the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[If it weren't for the plane's suppression, a single Tier 5 Consummation demon lord would be enough to slaughter more than half of the Human Realm.]

["This time, when I tear open the spatial rift, the exact location it connects to in the Human Realm cannot be guaranteed. However, after you enter, just focus on slaughtering. The Demon Abyss Banner will rapidly follow in the wake of your carnage."]

[Demon Venerable Guixu declared as he looked down.]

["Understood."]

["Got it."]

[The Rank 5 demon lords rubbed their fists in eagerness, especially those at the Fifth Tier Late Stage and Tier 5 Consummation.]

[The status of the Human Realm during ancient times was not low, and its origin was robust. It would provide significant benefits even for Fifth Tier Late Stage and Tier 5 Consummation demon lords.]

[They did not expect to receive feedback from the Demon Abyss Realm's will like the demon venerables, but devouring the essence blood and divine souls of all living beings in a great world still carried immense benefits. In the ancient Human Realm, there were thirty-two Heavenly Monarchs, and the number of true monarchs and true persons was beyond count.]

[In the eyes of these Fifth Tier Late Stage and Tier 5 Consummation demon lords, these were all delicacies. Specifically, devouring the living beings of other planes also provided extraordinary supplementary benefits.]

[Demon Venerable Guixu cast a satisfied glance at his highly motivated demon lords. Even a demon venerable could not recklessly order around Fifth Tier Late Stage and Tier 5 Consummation demon lords. However, the benefits of conquering the Human Realm were simply too great—so great that just the overflowing portion was enough to feed these Late Stage and Consummation demon lords, thereby ensuring they would risk their lives.]

["Open!"]

[Demon Venerable Guixu took a step forward, his divine sense locking onto the Human Realm outside their plane. He then reached out both hands, plunging his fingertips deep into space before tearing it apart with vicious force.]

[Riiiip—]

[An extremely terrifying spatial rift was torn open. Through the rift, an image of the Human Realm faintly emerged.]

[The moment Demon Venerable Guixu tore open the spatial rift connecting to the Human Realm, he began to suffer the backlash between planes, forcing him back several steps.]

["Charge, charge, charge!"]

["Kill, kill, kill!"]

[The demon lords rapidly surged through the spatial rift and into the Human Realm.]

[When a spatial rift was just torn open, it was naturally best to charge in as quickly as possible. The longer the delay, the more likely the Human Realm's factions would react and deploy arrays or other methods to seal and guard it, making things troublesome.]

["Such a sweet scent."]

[The first to rush into the Human Realm was a Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord. A cracked grin stretched across his face as he looked down. Very quickly, amid a ruined landscape, he spotted a white-robed young man sitting cross-legged.]

['Hm?']

[The white-robed young man opened his eyes and looked toward this Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord.]

[Buzz.]

[The Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord only felt as if he were looking at a longsword stretching across heaven and earth. In that instant, he felt his very divine soul being slashed to annihilation.]

['This is bad!']

[Instinctively, the Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord sensed disaster. He wanted to follow the spatial rift behind him back into the Demon Abyss Realm, but he was immediately blocked and pushed back by the multitude of demon lords charging out excitedly behind him.]