Chapter 315: Attracting Worldwide Attention

"A Sword Lord at the Deity Transformation Late Stage... is far too strong..."

Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing was equally amazed.

"I hit the jackpot. I really hit the jackpot..."

A smile surfaced on his face. Less than eight hundred years had passed in the current simulation, yet the Sword Lord already possessed such strength.

How powerful would he be by the time he reached his lifespan's limit?

And once the simulation ended, Zhou Qing would inherit everything.

That included his combat prowess, innate talent, comprehension, and more. The Sword Lord would become a clone, indistinguishable from his true self.

When they merged, his strength would only grow greater.

At that time, Zhou Qing would be the Sword Lord, and the Sword Lord would be Zhou Qing. After inheriting everything in reality, the clone would naturally master the various skills Zhou Qing had comprehended.

In the simulation, although he was the Sword Lord, everything started from scratch. Aside from the talents awarded at settlement, none of his other methods crossed over. This was the drawback of a simulation like "Legend of a Generation."

Aside from "Legend of a Generation," the initial simulation was much the same.

Once activated, Zhou Qing would begin from the exact moment he crossed into the Human Realm and was born into the Zhou Family. Other than his memories and talents, he could bring nothing else.

This was why, despite simulating seven or eight times, Zhou Qing had never once undergone an initial simulation.

It took too much energy, and everything had to start anew.

Of course, even starting over, having the relevant memories meant that re-comprehending skills like the dao of alchemy and the dao of talismans would advance by leaps and bounds without any bottlenecks.

It was just like Li Yan. During the seventh simulation, Zhou Qing had prepared a "Reincarnator" identity for her.

Even with just her future memories, her mastery of the musical arts and her cultivation speed still surpassed her previous simulations by a massive margin.

The initial simulation's greatest use was preventing him from hitting a dead end by offering a chance to start over.

What did it mean to start over?

Discarding all previous achievements to begin anew—that was starting over.

"Let's continue."

Zhou Qing reined in his thoughts and continued reading the illusory text.

[Above the Soul Capital]

[You casually condensed streams of sword light and slashed at the two-realm passage beneath the firmament.]

[You also noticed that on the other side of the two-realm passage, twelve demon lords were staring at you.]

[But you did not care. No matter how strong the twelve demon lords were, separated by two realms, they could not attack you.]

[Besides, with your current combat strength, you were truly not afraid of Void Return realm demon lords.]

[If not for the fact that there were twelve demon lords on the other side of the passage, coupled with the unfathomable will of the Demon Abyss Realm,]

[You reckoned you would have already charged into the Demon Abyss Realm for a good slaughter.]

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

[Though your expression was calm, you remained highly vigilant in your heart.]

[Ever since the will of the Demon Abyss Realm sent a demoness from the Demon Moon Clan to invite you to join the Demon Abyss Realm hundreds of years ago,]

[The will of the Demon Abyss Realm had made no further moves for all these years.]

[You did not know what the will of the Demon Abyss Realm was plotting.]

[However, as the will of a major realm, you kept your guard up against it, ready for it to descend at any moment.]

[Soon.]

[Under your cascading strikes of sword light,]

[The two-realm passage above the Soul Capital rapidly crumbled.]

["Slash!"]

[When the final stream of sword light struck, the two-realm passage collapsed with a boom, vanishing completely from the Human Realm.]

[The two-realm passage—which the demon lords had to wait one to two hundred years and endure realm backlash to tear open—lasted for a mere hundred breaths of time before you.]

[Furthermore, those hundred breaths weren't even your full strength; it was just casually condensed sword light. Your Heavenly Sword and Sword Sheath were far away in the Western Desert and Northern Plains, suppressing the other four two-realm passages and the endless demonic creatures.]

[If you had gone all out and summoned the Heavenly Sword, you probably could have severed the two-realm passage with a single strike.]

["Hm?"]

[After you completely severed the two-realm passage, you faintly sensed a change in the heaven and earth of the Human Realm; it was a shift toward gradually shaking off the influence of the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[With every additional two-realm passage, the Demon Abyss Realm's influence over the Human Realm increased by a notch. If the number of two-realm passages reached a certain threshold, even without fully occupying the Human Realm, a major realm passage could emerge.]

[A major realm passage capable of bearing a portion of the demon lords' power.]

[This was also why the twelve demon lords hadn't paid you much mind prior to your attack this time.]

[No matter how strong you were, it was useless. Could you guard one two-realm passage? Or two? Once the rest of the Human Realm was occupied and major realm passages were torn open one by one, facing the true might of the demon lords, what would you use to resist?]

["Next..."]

[You glanced at the heaven and earth of the Human Realm, took a step forward, and vanished.]

[Ethereal Peak]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang, Heavenly Monarch Three Saints, Heavenly Monarch Yangfa, and the other Heavenly Monarchs were currently brimming with hot tears.]

[The two-realm passage was truly severed; it had truly disappeared.]

[For hundreds of years, ever since the first two-realm passage appeared in the Western Desert,]

[The Heavenly Monarchs of One Law One Body had endured immense pressure, well aware that no amount of resistance held much meaning. As long as the two-realm passages remained, the Demon Abyss Realm could send an endless stream of demonic creatures and demon lords.]

[Given the foundation of the Human Realm, it was utterly impossible to outlast the Demon Abyss Realm in a war of attrition. It could be said that defeat and ruin were only a matter of time.]

[It only depended on how great a price the Demon Abyss Realm was willing to pay.]

[The reason Heavenly Monarch Xingmang, Heavenly Monarch Yangfa, and the other Heavenly Monarchs had held on until now was to wait for an illusory variable or miracle.]

[Perhaps the twelve demon lords of the Demon Abyss Realm would suddenly lose interest in occupying the Human Realm?]

[Although this hope was slim, practically approaching zero, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang and Heavenly Monarch Yangfa could only persevere.]

["The two-realm passage is gone... My Human Realm... is saved..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang muttered to himself. By now, his head was full of white hair. As a Divination Heavenly Master, and a Fifth Tier High Grade Divination Heavenly Master at that, he had exhausted an unknown amount of his lifespan over the years to coordinate and dispatch forces. He was now only a little over a hundred years away from his life's limit.]

["Yes, the Human Realm is saved."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yangfa and Heavenly Monarch Three Saints exchanged a glance, an unprecedented light rising in their eyes.]

[Meanwhile.]

[Following the complete disappearance of the two-realm passage above the Soul Capital,]

[The Heavenly Monarchs engaged in bloody slaughter with the demonic creatures all over the Human Realm also sensed it.]

[Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs merged with heaven and earth, and a two-realm passage was akin to a black dot on a blank sheet of paper.]

[As long as they were in the Human Realm, the Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs could perceive the aura of the two-realm passages.]

[They might not be able to observe the scene around the two-realm passage, but they could definitely confirm its existence.]

["A... A two-realm passage disappeared?"]

["How is that possible? How could a two-realm passage just disappear?"]

[The Heavenly Monarchs fighting blood-soaked battles were stunned. As Heavenly Monarchs, they knew very well that the two-realm passages were not in the normal spatial layer at all. Let alone destroying a two-realm passage, the Heavenly Monarchs of the Human Realm couldn't even touch one.]

[Not to mention that the two-realm passages connected to the Demon Abyss Realm, with hordes of demonic creatures descending at every moment. Even Late Stage Heavenly Monarchs wielding the foundations of the Upper Realm would find it extremely difficult to truly get close to a two-realm passage.]

["The two-realm passage in the Soul Capital... disappeared?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen was currently overseeing a Quasi-Tier 6 killing formation. As a Formation Dao Heavenly Master who viewed the heaven and earth of the Human Realm as a grand formation, his perception was boundlessly vast, and he sharply looked toward the direction of the Soul Capital.]

['What is the reason... Could it be that the demon lords of the Demon Abyss Realm felt that with the Sword Lord present... the two-realm passage was useless, so they closed it on their own initiative?']

[This thought surfaced in Heavenly Monarch Juezhen's mind, only to be immediately rejected.]

[Close the two-realm passage on their own initiative? Could it be that the Sword Lord wouldn't head to the other two-realm passages? Doing so held no meaning; it would instead be actively weakening their own forces.]

[With the two-realm passage present, they could still somewhat restrict the Sword Lord. How could those demon lords possibly close it willingly?]

[After eliminating all possible speculations, Heavenly Monarch Juezhen arrived at the conclusion closest to the truth.]

[The disappearance of the two-realm passage did not stem from the demon lords' intentions, but was forcefully erased by an external power. That external power could only be the Sword Lord.]

['The Sword Lord... severed the two-realm passage...']

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen's mind trembled. Even without any basis or evidence, and without having seen it with his own eyes, once this thought surfaced, it spread like wildfire, rapidly occupying his entire mind.]

['The Sword Lord...']

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen looked toward the Soul Capital, world-turning shock surging in his heart.]

[At this moment, only one thought remained in his mind: was the Sword Lord's method for severing the two-realm passage a one-time use, or could it be used a second and a third time...]

[If it was the latter...]

[Heavenly Monarch Juezhen dared not imagine it. As a Formation Dao Heavenly Master, he couldn't be clearer about the existence of the two-realm passages. Methods at the Deity Transformation Stage were fundamentally incapable of doing anything to them.]

[Deep Sea Territory]

[A spatial rift stretched across the firmament, and endless demonic creatures were continuously flooding into the Human Realm.]

[There was a total of eight Heavenly Monarchs guarding the two-realm passage in the Deep Sea Territory, led by Heavenly Monarch Yulan.]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan was a newly advanced Deity Transformation Late Stage Heavenly Monarch from Ethereal Peak, serving as the core foundation guarding this two-realm passage in the Deep Sea Territory.]

[Besides her, there were other Heavenly Monarchs. Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin, the second Heavenly Monarch of the Sword Dao Lineage, was also guarding this place.]

[Endless demonic creatures surged out from the two-realm passage, and demon monarchs descended one by one.]

[Under this kind of pressure, even though the Heavenly Monarchs had long set up numerous Fifth Tier High Grade killing formations around the two-realm passage, they could still be breached at any moment.]

["We have to evacuate."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan sighed softly, realizing they couldn't hold it.]

[The Demon Abyss Realm's offensive this time was too fierce. Tier 3 and Tier 4 demonic creatures charged in recklessly, and the Tier 5 demon monarchs did the same. There were even Fifth Tier Late Stage and Tier 5 Consummation demon monarchs wielding Void Return level weapons, constantly shaking the grand formations.]

[If they didn't evacuate now, once the Fifth Tier High Grade grand formations were broken, trying to retreat then would exact a heavy price.]

["Even if we retreat, don't think you'll have it easy."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan immediately notified the other Heavenly Monarchs to leave first, while she brought up the rear. When the endless demonic creatures drew near, she would detonate all the Fifth Tier High Grade grand formations.]

[As a Late Stage Heavenly Monarch wielding Ethereal Peak's life-saving trump cards, Heavenly Monarch Yulan was confident in preserving her life under the attacks of numerous demon monarchs.]

[That was why she dared to stay behind and cover the retreat.]

[However, in the next moment.]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan's expression changed slightly.]

["One two-realm passage is missing?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan looked toward the direction of the Soul Capital in the Central Continent, her expression filled with disbelief.]

[But before she could figure it out, a figure in white clothes appeared in the sky, sleeves fluttering in the wind, looking down at the endless demonic creatures.]

["The Sword Lord?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan looked up, her mind trembling.]

[The two-realm passage at the Soul Capital had vanished inexplicably, and the Sword Lord had suddenly appeared here.]

[This caused an unbelievable thought to surge in her mind.]

[Whoosh!]

[Streams of sword light condensed, falling like a shower of meteors.]

[Under the falling sky of sword light, Tier 3 and Tier 4 demonic creatures, as well as Fifth Tier Early Stage and Mid Stage demon monarchs, were slaughtered without any resistance.]

["This strength?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan was deeply shaken. As a newly advanced Late Stage Heavenly Monarch, she had long known that the Sword Lord was very strong, but she had never seen him strike with her own eyes.]

[However, the scene before her shattered Heavenly Monarch Yulan's understanding of the Deity Transformation Stage. They were both at the Deity Transformation Stage, so how could the Sword Lord be this ridiculously powerful?]

["No, quite a few of the Fifth Tier Late Stage and Consummation demon monarchs have disappeared."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yulan gazed as far as her eyes could see and realized that the Tier 5 Consummation demon monarchs wielding Void Return level demonic treasures, who had been shaking the many Fifth Tier High Grade grand formations just as the offensive began, had fled back to the Demon Abyss Realm at some unknown point.]

["They fled quite fast."]

[You looked down at the countless demonic creatures below and also realized that the Fifth Tier Late Stage and Consummation demon monarchs had long since fled back. However, you were not surprised.]

[These Tier 5 Consummation demon monarchs were also upper echelons in the Demon Abyss Realm. Naturally, they fled quickly when they saw the situation turn sour.]

[To you, whether they were Fifth Tier Late Stage demon monarchs or Tier 5 Consummation demon monarchs, they could be dealt with in just a few casual sword strikes. You couldn't even be bothered to chase them.]

[Your gaze bypassed the countless demonic creatures and landed on that two-realm passage.]

["Next..."]

["It's time to sever this passage."]

[Under the shocked and disbelieving gazes of Heavenly Monarch Yulan and the other seven Heavenly Monarchs, a stream of sword light that stunned both realms flashed past. The two-realm passage in the Deep Sea Territory rapidly crumbled and collapsed. Just like the two-realm passage at the Soul Capital, it completely vanished from the Human Realm.]

["It's the Sword Lord..."]

[In the other territories, the Heavenly Monarchs who had been preparing to perish together with their foes watched the Sword Lord descend like a celestial god, completely severing an insurmountable two-realm passage with a casual strike, and fell into a long daze.]

[Over the next few days.]

[You traveled to all the torn two-realm passages in the Human Realm, except for the ones in the Western Desert and the Northern Plains.]

[Since you severed the two-realm passage at the Soul Capital in the Central Continent first, the demon lords at the subsequent two-realm passages tactfully closed their passages on their own initiative.]

[This saved you the effort of making a move. You simply had to go over and completely obliterate the traces left behind by the closed two-realm passages.]

[During these few days, all living beings across the world saw your figure. You were like a grand sun; wherever you went, the darkness was dispersed.]

[Countless mortals and cultivators looked up at the firmament, worshipping you.]

[Western Desert]

[The Heavenly Sword suppressing this place transformed into a streak of flowing light and returned to your hand.]

[The moment the Heavenly Sword flew out, the four two-realm passages in the Western Desert and the Northern Plains directly vanished. Evidently, upon seeing you arrive, the demon lords on the other side proactively closed even these last four two-realm passages.]

[You swept through the areas where those four two-realm passages had been. After leaving no hidden dangers behind, you turned and left.]

["The Human Realm is saved."]

["It's all thanks to Lord Sword Lord."]

["To think that our Human Realm could give birth to an inconceivable existence like Lord Sword Lord."]

[Over a hundred Heavenly Monarchs of the Human Realm gathered in the main hall of Ethereal Peak, weeping tears of joy and embracing each other as they cried.]

[In just a few short days, the centuries of oppression by the Demon Abyss Realm upon the Human Realm had been completely wiped clean. The disappearance of the two-realm passages meant that the Demon Abyss Realm could no longer transport demonic creatures to the Human Realm.]

[As for the remaining demonic creatures in the Human Realm?]

[Without the reverse flow of demonic qi from the two-realm passages, the demonic creatures were like water without a source. Completely exterminating them was only a matter of time.]

[At this moment.]

[You were the Human Realm's greatest hero, its savior.]

[Even the most supercilious and purportedly arrogant Heavenly Monarchs felt nothing but admiration and reverence for you.]

[Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin was also incomparably shocked. He had long known that you were very strong, as the lord of the sword dao in the Human Realm, but he never expected you to be this strong. So many monsters, including Fifth Tier Early and Mid Stage Demon Lords, were all dead?]

[You gazed at the twisted and blurred dual-realm passage, faintly making out the vast Demon Abyss Realm and those twelve towering figures.]

[The twelve towering figures varied in size and shape, and right now, they were also looking at you.]

[Buzz. You didn't pause.]

[Beam after beam of sword light condensed once more, slashing straight toward the dual-realm passage.]

[Every beam of sword light could easily slay Fifth Tier Late Stage Demon Lords. Most importantly, they carried a sharpness that could sever anything and shatter space, which was the only reason they could shake the dual-realm passage.]

[Boom! Boom! Boom!]

[As beam after beam of sword light slashed onto the dual-realm passage, it began to collapse.]

[Just then, one of the twelve towering figures standing in the vast Demon Abyss Realm finally couldn't hold back. Opening its mouth slightly, it sent waves of divine soul fluctuations that oppressed heaven and earth across the dual-realm passage and into the Human Realm, finally echoing in your ears.]

["Little friend, whatever you want, just tell this venerable one directly. Everything is negotiable. The upper limit of the plane you reside in is too low; joining the Demon Abyss Realm is the best choice."]