Chapter 228 - 221: The Great War of the Two Races Begins, A Different Blood Qi Avatar

Chapter 228: Chapter 221: The Great War of the Two Races Begins, A Different Blood Qi Avatar

For a sect with a long heritage like the Black Tortoise Dao Sect, one that had even produced an Ascension Great Cultivator, its Sect Protection Array was typically a top-tier, sixth-grade Array. The only variations were whether it was high, medium, or low-grade, or differences in the Array’s type and functional focus.

But without exception, as a sixth-grade Array, it had very few weaknesses to speak of.

It would lack neither the ability to repel external foes nor the ability to trap and kill enemies within.

Moreover, destroying a sixth-grade Array was no easy task.

Knowing the Demon Race might attack, Gu Yunkui had long ago dispatched elders and disciples to guard the various Array hubs.

As long as these hubs weren’t all breached, the Sect Protection Array could be maintained indefinitely.

It was impossible for the disciples at so many Array hubs to be annihilated in an instant without a single warning being sent.

In fact, the very instant the Array failed, Gu Yunkui received transmissions from the elders in charge of each hub.

This showed that the Demon Race hadn’t attacked the Array hubs to disable the Array; they had used some other method.

Only a top-tier Array Master could accomplish such a feat by infiltrating the Array and setting up another sixth-grade Array to counteract the effects of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect’s Sect Protection Array.

But this was merely theoretical. In the entire Cultivation World, there were no more than three people who could be called an Array Master.

None of these three would ever betray the human race to join the Demon Race, and even if they did, they couldn’t have accomplished this so silently.

’Does this mean the Demon Race has produced a top-tier Array Master of monstrous talent?’

This thought flashed not only through Gu Yunkui’s mind but also through the minds of the other Venerables.

And if this was true, it meant the human race was in big trouble!

Although the Black Tortoise Dao Sect was holding a grand ceremony with a large and mixed crowd of guests, making it impossible to screen every entrant as they normally would and giving the Demon Race an opportunity to infiltrate, if such an Array Master truly existed, then none of the major sects’ Arrays could hope to quickly detect an infiltrator.

As the Array failed, all sorts of thoughts flashed through the minds of Gu Yunkui and the other High Tier Cultivators.

And in the instant the Array failed, one powerful aura after another appeared around the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.

As the number of these auras grew, Gu Yunkui’s expression became incredibly grim.

Nine!

A full nine auras belonging to Demon Race Venerables!

In other words, nine Demon Venerables, equivalent to the Manifestation realm, had arrived outside the Black Tortoise Dao Sect!

At this, not only Gu Yunkui but also the Manifestation realm Venerables who had been invited to help repel the Demon Race’s attack could no longer contain themselves. Shock filled their eyes.

"Demon Race Venerables have always been arrogant. Even among fellow Demon Venerables, the possibility of cooperation is low."

"For these Demon Venerables to put aside their prejudices and work together... it seems Fairy Yu’s intelligence was true. An invincible Demon Venerable has appeared in the Demon Race!"

For one or two Demon Race Venerables to cooperate wasn’t too strange.

But getting three or more Demon Venerables to work together was practically impossible.

"Haha, now you see how serious this is!"

"The Nine Nether Demon Venerable is the strongest expert of this age! Soon, he will be invincible under the heavens and become the new Demon Emperor! These Demon Race Venerables are all opponents he has defeated, and they now willingly serve the Nine Nether Venerable out of genuine admiration!"

"If you know what’s good for you, surrender now! The Nine Nether Demon Venerable has said that as long as you are willing to surrender, he will spare your lives!"

"But those who resist stubbornly will be killed without mercy!"

The Five Rivers Wanderer burst into maniacal laughter.

As a mere Loose Cultivator, he had painstakingly trained to the late Dao Fruit Realm, nearly reaching the absolute limit for a Loose Cultivator.

Outsiders all called him a model Loose Cultivator, but only the Five Rivers Wanderer himself knew the bitterness and hardships he had endured.

And having cultivated to the late Dao Fruit Realm, he was only a hair’s breadth from Perfection. Once his Cultivation reached Perfection, breaking through to the Manifestation realm was not impossible.

After suffering so much to get this far, the Five Rivers Wanderer was naturally unwilling to give up.

But he had discovered to his despair that as a Loose Cultivator, it was absolutely impossible for him to cultivate to the Manifestation realm without relying on one of the great sects.

The crucial point was, even if he was willing to pay a hefty price to join one of these major sects, there was no guarantee he could break through successfully.

Everything still depended on him. Those great sects wouldn’t give an Honored Guest Elder like him overly precious resources.

But then, a female Demon Race Cultivator with a pair of beautiful wolf ears sought him out. Not only did she display heaven-shaking power, but she also guaranteed she could help him reach the Manifestation realm.

After witnessing the female Demon Race Cultivator’s abilities, the Five Rivers Wanderer had no doubt about her words.

If not for the fact that her Cultivation was only at the Three Flowers Realm, the Five Rivers Wanderer would have suspected this female Demon Race Cultivator was the Nine Nether Demon Venerable herself.

Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.

This was an iron law of the Cultivation Realm.

’If I can break through to the Manifestation realm, what does it matter if every Cultivator in the Cultivation Realm dies?’

’Besides, the human race is protected by the Heaven and Earth Sealing Spirit Array; they can’t be wiped out. In fact, if more Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm die, it’s actually a good thing for Loose Cultivators like us.’

What’s more, in the Five Rivers Wanderer’s opinion, even without his betrayal, the current Cultivation Realm was no match for the Demon Race.

There was the Nine Nether Demon Venerable, who was poised to become a Demon Emperor, and that astonishingly talented female Demon Race Cultivator.

With the Demon Race united, the fall of the Cultivation Realm was only a matter of time.

His joining the Demon Race’s side had only slightly sped up the inevitable.

"You Demon Race spy! Willingly acting as their vanguard and spouting bewitching lies! Your death would be too good for you!"

"Die!"

Seeing the Five Rivers Wanderer’s smug, villainous expression, Shi Youlin was utterly enraged.

With a flicker of his Divine Sense, the Five Rivers Wanderer immediately felt a sharp pain in his head, as if it were about to split open.

At the same time, a flash of sword light shot past, about to cleave the Five Rivers Wanderer in two.

Struck by the Divine Sense attack, the Five Rivers Wanderer was unable to use the Talismans on his person that could block a Venerable’s attack.

However, a vast aura suddenly descended. It formed into a giant hand that swept up the Five Rivers Wanderer, saving him from the sword light.

"Thank you for saving my life, Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable!"

The Five Rivers Wanderer looked at the figure who had saved him and shouted respectfully.

Beside the Five Rivers Wanderer was a figure that looked human but was also clearly distinct.

This figure’s skin was covered in cyan scales, a long, forked tongue flickered from its mouth, and two long, pointed wings grew behind its ears.

This strange figure was the form the Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable took after using its Transformation Technique.

After a member of the Demon Race breaks through to the Demon Venerable realm, their true body becomes enormous.

Moving around in their true form becomes extremely inconvenient.

Therefore, many Demon Race Venerables, especially those of the reptilian type, cultivate the Transformation Technique to shrink their bodies for easier movement.

The human form is undoubtedly the most convenient, but since the Demon Race and the human race are at odds, they retain as many of their demonic features as possible after transforming, resulting in a form that is merely humanoid.

In their transformed state, a Demon Race member can only use simple Magic. Once a battle begins, they will quickly reveal their true form.

"Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable!"

Gu Yunkui, Shi Youlin, and the other Venerables stared at the Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable, their expressions growing even more solemn.

Shi Youlin, in particular, was no stranger to the Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable.

The Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable was a veteran mid-stage sixth-grade Demon Venerable, not far from reaching the late stage.

Its Divine Techniques were highly venomous, and its scaly skin was Indestructible. Only Fire Magic could effectively counter it.

After the Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable appeared, a massive figure also strode in from outside the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.

It was a giant cyan ape, twenty to thirty meters tall, carrying a huge black wooden staff in its hand.

The moment it appeared, it brought an unprecedented pressure upon the Cultivators of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.

The feeling a Demon Venerable’s true body gave off was completely different from its transformed state.

"Cyan Ape Demon Venerable!"

Seeing the giant cyan ape appear, someone’s face had already turned pale.

Like the Feathered Serpent Demon Venerable, the Cyan Ape Demon Venerable was also a veteran mid-stage sixth-grade Demon Venerable, quite famous among human Cultivators.

And following the Cyan Ape Demon Venerable, the figures of more Demon Venerables were revealed one after another.

Under the oppressive weight of the Demon Venerables’ powerful auras, some Cultivators with weaker Cultivation found it difficult even to breathe.

Panic was already spreading everywhere, and many had begun to flee for their lives.

"We Demon Venerables, by order of the Nine Nether Demon Emperor, hereby declare that the war between the human and Demon Races begins now!"

"However, the Nine Nether Demon Emperor is benevolent and will not exterminate the human race. As long as you surrender and submit to the Nine Nether Demon Emperor, you may live!"

The Venerable Feathered Serpent’s indifferent voice rang out.

When the assembled Cultivators heard this, it was as if they had been struck by lightning on a clear day.

Those Cultivators who were well-versed in history felt a particularly deep sense of dread.

A war between the two races meant that for the next several hundred, or even thousand, years, countless lives would be lost.

This was especially true for low-tier Cultivators like them. Forget about Cultivation; they could go to sleep one night and simply never wake up the next day.

「At the back mountain of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.」

After the Sect Protection Array failed and the auras of the Demon Race Venerables descended, the old Sect Leader looked over, his expression solemn.

Jiang Zuo also sensed it almost immediately and was stunned for a moment.

’The war between the two races... I never thought it would start at the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.’

"The Black Tortoise Dao Sect is doomed, I’m afraid. Zhou the kid, I’ll give you a ride. Get as far away as you can. Wait until there’s definite news before making any other plans!"

The old Sect Leader took a deep breath.

A Flying Ship Spiritual Artifact appeared in his hand. He grabbed Jiang Zuo, threw him into the Flying Ship, and with a press of his hand, the ship shot off like a clap of thunder, flying deeper into the back mountains.

"To think that these old bones of mine could still be of some use at the very end of my life!"

The old Sect Leader’s figure flickered. As everyone else fled in panic, he charged straight toward the direction of the Demon Race Venerables.

Jiang Zuo sat in the Flying Ship and sighed softly in his heart.

He always liked to prepare for the worst. Just last night, he had considered the possibility that the Black Tortoise Dao Sect might not be able to withstand the Demon Race’s invasion.

But the current situation still exceeded his expectations.

’The Demon Race actually sent nine Venerables to attack the Black Tortoise Dao Sect all at once.

’The helpers the Black Tortoise Dao Sect invited are only five Venerables.

’If the Sect Protection Array were still active, with Venerables presiding over it, they could have held on for a while and waited for other human Venerables to arrive as reinforcements.

’But with the Sect Protection Array disabled, the five Manifestation realm Venerables of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect are no match for nine Demon Race Venerables.

’What’s more, the Demon Race Venerables who came are all renowned experts.

’In this prelude to the war between two races, the Black Tortoise Dao Sect has no chance of winning.’

"A sect can be destroyed, but as long as its people live, there is always a chance to rebuild."

"This time, the Demon Race invaders are almost all Demon Venerables; there are actually very few ordinary demons."

"In other words, as long as someone can hold back these Demon Race Venerables, the disciples of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect can escape."

"Although it might put me in some danger and even damage my foundation, if I have the ability to help but stand by and watch my master and senior brothers die, then I wouldn’t be me anymore."

Jiang Zuo spoke softly.

He closed his eyes, and on the Flying Ship, a Blood Qi Avatar gradually took shape.

But compared to his previous Blood Qi Avatars, this one was slightly different.