Chapter 530: Demon Master

Chapter 530: Chapter 466: Demon Master

“Demon Master… Kunpeng?” Hearing Cai Shen’s slightly distorted exclamation, Qi Yun’s gaze shifted slightly. Iridescent colors flowed in his eyes as he sized up the black-robed Daoist opposite him once more.

This title had not a single word of record, even in the vast and endless ancient texts and secret records of the Holy Sect. Clearly, this was an extremely ancient existence, perhaps even predating the Holy Sect.

“Rumor has it… during the peak of the demons, their race had an Emperor, a Sovereign, and a Grandmaster. These three Supreme Beings jointly suppressed the vast Qi Yun of the Demon Race, dominating the heavens.” Cai Shen’s voice transmitted through Divine Thought.

“After the Demon Suppression Cataclysm, the Emperor and the Sovereign fell in succession, their bodies dying and their Daos vanishing.

“Only Demon Master Kunpeng… his whereabouts remained unknown, his life or death a mystery.

“To think… he is actually still alive…”

“How can you be certain… that he is that Demon Master?” Qi Yun asked without shifting his gaze, looking at the black-robed Daoist opposite him who appeared calm and completely in control.

“Because of this River Luo Grand Array!” Cai Shen’s voice was decisive. “This Array was uniquely created by Demon Master Kunpeng by observing the phenomena of the Northern Dark Returning Ruins, the Stars of Circulation, and the River Map and Luo Book!

“The Array’s principles encompass all phenomena, evolving the creation and destruction of Heaven and Earth with infinite profundity! Since ancient times, only he alone could set up this complete Grand Array!

“Remember my third brother, Luo River Map? He was born by imitating a trace of true intent from this River Luo Grand Array, fusing it with the civilized concepts of the Human Dao!

“The manifestation of this Grand Array before us is exactly the same as the River Luo Grand Array described in the ancient texts. It is even… more vast and complete!”

Hearing Cai Shen’s words, not only did Qi Yun’s face show no fear, but he slowly revealed a look of deep interest.

“Excellent.” Qi Yun’s voice was clear, remaining distinct even amidst the terrifying aura of the two confronting Grand Arrays. “Since I have the fate today to witness the true face of the ancient Demon Master and experience the legendary River Luo Grand Array…”

His gaze burned like a torch as he looked directly at Demon Master Kunpeng. He cupped his hands, his demeanor unexpectedly carrying a bit of solemnity as if asking for guidance, “Then… please enlighten me, Senior!”

“Enlighten you?” Hearing this, Demon Master Kunpeng’s apathetic eyes flickered. “Just you?”

As he spat out the last two words, brilliant light erupted in Demon Master Kunpeng’s eyes!

The River Luo evolved the heavens; all phenomena began anew!

“RUMBLE!!!”

With a massive explosion that shook the heavens, the phantom of the nine grotto-heavens—which linked the wind, thunder, water, fire, mountains, and marshes of Heaven and Earth—once again surged in rotational speed!

The entire River Luo Grand Array sent a brilliant light shooting into the sky, and the vast scroll of a painting evolving within the Array suddenly came alive! The sun and moon accelerated their Reincarnation, and day and night alternated in an instant! Mountains tore up from the ground, and rivers changed course to surge forward! The four seasons completed their transitions in the snap of a finger, and all living things went through the complete cycle of growth, prosperity, withering, and rebirth at a dazzling speed!

A supremely majestic and vast Dao Rhyme—containing the mighty power of Heaven and Earth, the Laws of nature, and the supreme principles of the rise and fall of all things—crashed down like a burst Star River, forcefully crushing toward Qi Yun and the phantom of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array above his head!

This was not a simple impact, but rather a vast world that was rapidly growing and perfecting itself. It used the weight of its own existence and its evolutionary rules to carry out the most primitive and domineering suppression!

“Good timing!”

Radiant light exploded from Qi Yun’s eyes as he madly pushed his Heart Thought!

“CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!”

Four sword hums that pierced the cosmos rang out simultaneously!

The four swords—Slaying, Slaughtering, Trapping, and Extinguishing—burst with brilliant light! The threads of Sword Qi between them instantly solidified a hundredfold, a thousandfold! A hazy yet absolutely real domain, overflowing with boundless destructive Sword Intent, collided head-on with the crushing River Luo world!

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

Terrifying sounds of collision and annihilation echoed endlessly!

Within the Sword Array, boundless Slaying Immortals Sword Qi crisscrossed and slaughtered. Wherever it passed, the mountains and rivers evolved by the River Luo Grand Array shattered, the rivers dried up, and the sun and moon dimmed! This pure power of destruction sought to drag this newly forming, vast world back into chaos and nothingness!

However, the River Luo Grand Array possessed infinite profundity and unending vitality!

The mountains shattered by the Sword Qi instantly reorganized themselves, becoming even more majestic; new springs gushed from the severed riverbeds, surging even more fiercely; the dim sun and moon circulated their light, shining brightly once again! That vast Dao Rhyme—evolving all things, all-encompassing, and containing endless variations and life force—continuously wore down, assimilated, and even… began to suppress the destructive Sword Intent of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array!

The River Luo Grand Array expanded continuously, its brilliance becoming more dazzling, and the world evolving within it growing increasingly real and vast! Faintly, it truly seemed as if it were going to forcefully evolve a supreme great world—complete with perfect rules and infinite possibilities—right here in this void, using the mighty power of the supreme Array Dao!

The boundlessly majestic world pressure, mixed with the power of the Heaven and Earth Laws, came crashing down layer by layer like invisible mountains and boundless oceans. It pressed down so heavily on the phantom of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array—which was renowned for its slaughter—that its light dimmed slightly, shrinking inward by a fraction!

Seeing this scene, not only was there no panic in Qi Yun’s eyes, but iridescent colors surged within them. The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily, revealing a hearty, genuine smile!

“Fantastic…” he muttered to himself, his voice carrying undisguised excitement. “This is exactly the feeling…”

Ever since he refined the fruit into a pill, swallowed it to prove the Dao, became a Primordial True Monarch, and swept across the Profound Yellow, he had not felt such real pressure for a very long time!

Feeling the terrifying pressure radiating from the River Luo Grand Array opposite him—pressure that seemed capable of crushing a Star River—Qi Yun’s eyes completely transformed into a boiling, tumbling ocean of myriad iridescent colors!

“Good! Good! Good!” Qi Yun praised three times in succession, his voice rising higher and higher until it turned into a hearty laugh that shook the void!

“Today, I, Qi… can finally let loose and fight with all my might!”

Before his laughter even faded, Qi Yun flipped his palm. Without a moment’s hesitation, he ruthlessly slammed the Immortal Slaying Dao Fruit—which swirled with a destructive aura—straight into the center of his chest!

The next instant—

“BOOM!!!”

An unprecedented, terrifying power of slaughter—pure to the extreme, seemingly capable of severing the karma of eternity and ending all eras—shot into the sky from the “wound” on Qi Yun’s chest!

This power was so domineering that it forcefully pushed back the unstoppable, crushing world of the River Luo Grand Array! The Array’s brilliance violently swayed, and the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers evolving within it blurred and fell into disarray for a brief moment!

“Hm?” For the first time, a trace of obvious surprise appeared on Demon Master Kunpeng’s face.

At this moment, Qi Yun’s figure had already been completely swallowed by the towering pillar of slaughtering light! Within the pillar of light, his robes snapped wildly, moving without wind like fluttering banners! His full head of ink-black hair danced frantically; every single strand was steeped in peerless Sword Intent, tearing the void apart!

He took a step forward!

“BUZZ!!!”

A colossal Array Map—ancient, mottled, and exuding the dreary gray hue of undivided chaos, yet swirling with the four destructive Dao Patterns of Slaying, Slaughtering, Trapping, and Extinguishing—slowly manifested beneath his feet. It expanded in an instant, covering the entire sealed void!

The moment the Array Map unfurled!

Endless destructive Qi permeated outward, shrouding the surrounding chaos. It devoured all color, light, and vitality, dyeing everything into an absolute dark red and dreary gray! The boundless aura of slaughter blotted out the sky and covered the grand cosmos. All sounds, meanings, and concepts of existence trembled, blurred, and neared annihilation before this pure killing intent!

The Slaying Immortals Sword Array—the true Array Map had descended!

Simultaneously, Qi Yun’s figure completely vanished into the center of the towering pillar of slaughtering light and the unfurled Array Map. Only a clear, impassioned shout—overflowing with supreme slaughtering Dao Rhyme—echoed explosively within this Sword Array world shrouded by absolute destruction and slaughter!

“Neither copper, iron, nor steel, it was once hidden beneath Sumeru Mountain.

“Tempered without the reversal of Yin Yang, does it lack the edge quenched by water and fire?

“Slaying Immortals is lethal, Slaughtering Immortals brings ruin, Trapping Immortals raises red light everywhere.

“Extinguishing Immortals holds infinite wondrous changes, staining the robes of Daluo Gods and Immortals with blood!”

With every line of the poem recited, the power of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array skyrocketed! The brilliant light of the four towering giant swords completely merged into one, seamlessly fusing with the Array Map beneath!

Demon Master Kunpeng, who had always maintained a calm and confident demeanor, suddenly erupted with two streaks of blazing red light from his profound, Star River-like eyes! He slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the pillar of destructive light to clearly see the essence at the center of the Array Map. His voice was low, “This is… the Slaying Immortals Sword Array?”

In an instant, endless destructive Sword Qi surged out from the Array Map, transforming into a torrent of billions of crisscrossing Sword Intents that madly slaughtered everything within the Array! The phantoms of the four towering giant swords completely dissolved into the Array Map’s brilliance, indistinguishable from one another. Only a peerless, ominous might—one that severed karma and ended the Ten Thousand Laws—ravaged the surroundings!

Facing a fraction of the might of this complete Slaying Immortals Sword Array…

Demon Master Kunpeng—standing right at the forefront of the Array and bearing the brunt of the attack—showed not the slightest bit of solemnity on his face. Instead, he slowly revealed a satisfied smile!

“Not bad…” Demon Master Kunpeng’s voice was not loud, yet it bizarrely penetrated the deafening roar of the Sword Array, ringing out clearly. “It was not in vain for me to risk being discovered by that fellow Shen Yi and expend so much effort to lure you to this place.”

Having spoken, Demon Master Kunpeng said no more. Facing the destructive torrent that was about to completely swallow him, he actually voluntarily withdrew all of his defenses!

“River Map Suspended, Luo Book Reversed!”

“Mirror Heaven—Escape Calamity!”

“SPLASH!!!”

With his Daoist shout, the vast River Luo Grand Array—which had originally been resisting the Slaying Immortals Sword Array and evolving the rise and fall of all things—suddenly underwent a drastic change! The phantoms of the nine grotto-heavens spun madly in reverse. The scenes of the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and all living things evolved within the Array rapidly collapsed and flowed backward, like a video playing in reverse!

The brilliant light of the entire Grand Array sharply withdrew inward, ultimately condensing into an incomparably massive, ancient Mirror Heaven! Its body was the color of chaos, and countless ripples of time flowed along its edges!

This Mirror Heaven hung upside down in the void. Instead of reflecting external objects, its mirrored surface displayed the phantom of a majestic, vast, and eternally flowing river.

It was precisely the River of Heaven and Earth Years!

Accompanied by the SPLASH of flowing water, this ancient Mirror Heaven directly detached itself from the River of Heaven and Earth Years.

At the same time, the might of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array crushed down, instantly swallowing Demon Master Kunpeng’s figure!

“BOOM!!!”

There was no scream, no resistance. Under the absolute destructive power of the Slaying Immortals Sword Array, Demon Master Kunpeng’s tall, straight, black-robed figure was cleanly slaughtered by the endless Slaying Immortals Sword Qi, completely annihilated! Not even a trace of a remnant soul or a wisp of aura was left behind! Everything returned to the silence of destruction.

Right at this moment.

“WHOOSH—”

A gust of thick demon fog—as pitch-black as ink and identical to the one previously on Demon Master Kunpeng’s body—surged out of thin air from that empty void once again!

The demon fog tumbled and gathered, rapidly condensing into a familiar, tall, and straight black-robed figure.

Demon Master Kunpeng!

He raised his hand and gently brushed his sleeves, which had no dust on them. Then, he lifted his head, looked at Qi Yun, and spoke slowly:

“How is it?

“Has your anger subsided?

“If it hasn’t…

“I can… let you slay another one of my lives.

“Until you… calm down.”