Chapter 45

A vast, overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens as Donghuang Taiyi stepped through the air, followed by Bai Ze, Ji Meng, Nine Infants, and the other ten great Demon Saints.

"East Prince, you dared to kill Heavenly Court divine generals. Hand over Chen Xuan at once, or Purple Mansion will be drowned in blood today!"

Donghuang Taiyi stood proudly above the clouds, his furious roar shaking the nine heavens.

The terrifying aura made even Great Luo Golden Immortals change color, while countless cultivators trembled in fear.

This war god of the Heavenly Court wielded the Chaos Bell, his strength reaching through heaven and earth.

He alone was enough to crush Purple Mansion, much less with so many Demon Saints backing him.

"Clearly, your Heavenly Court generals coveted Chen Xuan's treasures and were killed because they lacked the skill. Do not twist black into white here!"

East Prince refused to yield an inch.

If he handed over Chen Xuan now, he would completely lose the hearts of his people.

Then, there would be no need for the Heavenly Court to act; Purple Mansion would collapse from within.

"Then do not blame this Emperor for being merciless!"

Donghuang Taiyi raised his hand and activated a supreme divine ability.

True Sun Fire filled the sky, transforming into a hell that burned the heavens as it poured down. In an instant, tens of thousands of cultivators were reduced to ashes.

The immortals of Purple Mansion were all terrified.

"How dare you!"

East Prince flew into a rage and unleashed his divine abilities to meet the attack.

"Swear to defend the Immortal Venerable to the death!"

"Eastern Emperor, do not be so arrogant!"

Several dozen Quasi-Saints roared in unison, each displaying divine abilities as they joined the battle.

In an instant, heaven and earth shattered. Immortal Light intertwined with murderous intent, and the entire firmament trembled.

Demon Saint Ji Meng shook his head with a cold smile.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

The cultivators of Purple Mansion were worlds apart in strength from the Heavenly Court's elite.

"His Majesty the Eastern Emperor came personally to demand accountability, yet East Prince not only refuses to admit his crimes and submit to execution, but even dares to resist stubbornly. He is courting death!"

Afterward, Ji Meng charged into the fray, while Nine Infants, Bai Ze, and the other powerful demon clan experts attacked in succession.

East Prince's expression changed drastically.

Even with Donghuang Taiyi's terrifying cultivation alone, he and the many Quasi-Saints had already found it difficult to withstand him.

Now that so many Demon Saints had joined the battle, he immediately felt the gravity of the crisis.

At that moment, Donghuang Taiyi did not hesitate to bring forth the supreme treasure, the Chaos Bell.

In an instant, a power capable of tearing apart time and space swept across the eight directions.

The bell's chime shook the universe, and heaven and earth dimmed.

Countless minor worlds shattered, and the cosmos trembled.

East Prince and the Quasi-Saints of Purple Mansion Prefecture all changed color. They held on for only a moment before suffering annihilation of form and spirit.

East Prince was reborn in the distance through his essence blood. His face was deathly pale, and his heart sank to the depths.

He had long heard that Donghuang Taiyi was honored as the strongest beneath the Saints, but only today did he realize it was no exaggeration.

"East Prince, if you submit now, your life may yet be preserved. I am willing to appoint you as a great Demon God general. But if you remain obstinate, I will reduce Purple Mansion Prefecture to ashes!"

Donghuang Taiyi's voice boomed like thunder, resounding through the myriad heavens and worlds.

For a time, all living beings were shaken, looking into the distance one after another.

On the immortal islands of the East Sea, many great powers were using their divine senses to observe this battle.

"Is the demon clan truly going to wipe out Purple Mansion Prefecture?"

"With Donghuang Taiyi here in person, East Prince will undoubtedly lose. Purple Mansion Prefecture is in danger."

"This battle may shake the entire Primordial World."

After discussing the matter, the great powers immediately sealed their caves and withdrew from the world.

A clash at the Quasi-Saint level was exceedingly dangerous. One misstep could implicate innocent people, so they naturally kept far from the conflict.

"Donghuang Taiyi, stop dreaming!"

East Prince's face was as cold as iron, utterly unmoved.

"I was personally designated by the Dao Ancestor as the Head of Male Immortals. How could I bow to you?"

"Then do not blame me for being ruthless!"

Donghuang Taiyi sneered.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the Chaos Bell displayed its divine might once more.

Brilliant golden light filled heaven and earth. The supreme pressure of this Innate Supreme Treasure enveloped the entire Penglai Immortal Island and crushed down upon East Prince.

Before the pressure even arrived, one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers had already turned to ash.

The countless cultivators of Purple Mansion Prefecture turned pale with terror and fell into boundless panic.

East Prince's expression suddenly changed. If this Chaos Bell descended, his soul would surely be destroyed.

At the critical moment, a mountain-and-river great seal tore through the air and slammed fiercely into the Chaos Bell.

Clang—

Amid an earth-shaking boom, the Chaos Bell was sent flying backward.

Ripples spread through the void as Lin Fan appeared, holding the Kongtong Seal.

"Little Friend Lin!"

East Prince was overjoyed. Having survived the calamity, he could no longer maintain his immortal composure.

Seeing this, the Purple Mansion immortals cried out one after another, "Immortal Lin has arrived! We are saved!"

Above the clouds, Donghuang Taiyi's face darkened. Ji Meng and Bai Ze's eyes blazed with rage. Remembering how this man had once stormed the Demon Emperor's Palace and looted the Solar Star, how could they not hate him?

"The grudge between Purple Mansion Continent and the demon clan—is that something you intend to interfere with as well?" Donghuang Taiyi demanded harshly.

"Yes."

Lin Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice ringing with resolve. "Purple Mansion Continent is under my protection."

Donghuang Taiyi laughed in extreme anger. "Perfect. I will use this One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones technique to take your life!"

"Brat, die!"

Ji Meng and Bai Ze roared together, joining the other Demon Saints to form a killing formation around him.

Golden Light of Merit circulated around Lin Fan's body, while his Sacred Emperor Golden Body shone brilliantly, like a blazing sun suspended in the sky.

The afterimages flickered through the cracks in space, his figure darting like lightning as the entire sea became his domain.

The Dao aura of shattered heaven and earth coiled around him. Wherever his fist wind reached, even the starry vault twisted and trembled.

Every time he raised an arm and threw a punch, a Demon Saint's dharma form burst into a mist of blood.

The battle became completely one-sided.

Donghuang Taiyi led the Demon Saints in an all-out siege. Not only did they fail to restrain Lin Fan, but his fists forced them back again and again.

Atop Shouyang Mountain, Nuwa's gaze fixed on the battle at Penglai suddenly froze.

A storm surged in her eyes.

In merely a month or so, that youth had actually grown powerful enough to defeat the Demon Emperor barehanded.

Frost suddenly arose atop Kunlun Mountain.

Laozi's gaze pierced through ten thousand miles of clouds. Once he saw that figure clearly, his entire face darkened like ink.

"How dare that brat appear in the Primordial World again!"

Wary of Nuwa's pressure, Laozi forcibly suppressed his killing intent beneath the clouds. Only his clenched knuckles turned pale.

Above the waters of Penglai.

Lin Fan stood upon shattered space, radiating pressure that made even the stars lose their light.

The bodies Bai Ze and the other Demon Saints had reconstructed several times were already covered in cracks. Their pupils shook violently as they staggered backward.

For the first time, Donghuang Taiyi cast aside his disdainful bearing. Beneath the bell's cover, his expression shifted unpredictably.

Fine cracks spread across the jade staff in East Prince's hand.

"The master of Human Teachings... is actually crushing Quasi-Saints with his fleshly body?"

Half an hour earlier, enemies whom he had struggled to resist even after gathering the power of all Purple Mansion Continent were now being battered helplessly beneath the fists of that Great Luo Realm youth.

The immortal gods watching the battle stared upward with stiff necks, feeling as though all the legends of gods and Buddhas had been overturned today.

Golden light tore through the sky, and the bell's chime shook the nine heavens.

Donghuang Taiyi's eyes turned bloodshot as the Eastern Emperor Bell in his palm erupted with ten thousand rays of divine light. Three Dao bodies formed seals simultaneously, and an astonishing vision of an inverted galaxy appeared in the sky.

Purple lightning stretched across three thousand miles. Lin Fan's robes did not stir, yet thousands of violet sword qi poured down like a rainstorm. Wherever they passed, cracks filled the void, and two Dao bodies exploded into golden dust on the spot.

Pfft—

Taiyi's true body retreated a hundred zhang, blood staining the clouds. Three cracks had appeared plainly upon the bell.

The observing immortals were horrified.

That was an Innate Supreme Treasure forged from chaotic divine iron!

As his azure robes fluttered, Lin Fan lifted a remnant strand of Dao aura with his fingertips. Taiqing's aura clung to it like a disease in the bones, and he suddenly chuckled. "Laojun is certainly willing to pay a steep price."

Before his words had faded, the earth veins of Purple Mansion Prefecture violently vibrated. Countless innate spiritual veins seemed to be pulled away by an invisible hand, and vast amounts of spiritual qi surged madly toward Lin Fan.

"He is draining the spiritual veins of the Eastern Heavenly Gate!"

Someone cried out in horror.

The Eastern Emperor Bell trembled as though wailing. Taiyi suddenly realized that he could not draw even a trace of heaven-and-earth essence qi. That seemingly casual figure opposite him now resembled a black hole, devouring all energy within ten thousand miles.

When Hunyuan-level pressure descended, the glazed tiles of the thirty-three heavens shattered at once.

Even though Donghuang Taiyi controlled the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell, it was useless at this moment.

Such horrifying battle prowess truly filled all living beings with dread.

Lin Fan stood in the air, his pressure surging like an enraged sea and sweeping through every direction.

Ji Meng, Bai Ze, and the other Demon Saints all felt crushing pressure descend upon them, chills running down their spines.

Ji Meng's voice was hoarse and full of indignation. "Your Majesty the Eastern Emperor, what should we do?"

Donghuang Taiyi clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

With Lin Fan blocking their path, today's attack on Purple Mansion Prefecture was destined to end in failure.

"Purple Mansion Prefecture will ultimately fall into the demon clan's hands. We may as well withdraw for now and wait for another opportunity."

"Lin Fan, today's humiliation will be repaid someday!"

The Eastern Emperor flung his sleeve furiously and led the Demon Saints away in streams of light toward the Heavenly Court.

"The demon clan has finally retreated!"

"Immortal Lin is the benefactor of Purple Mansion Prefecture!"

The immortal gods who had survived the calamity let out long breaths.

Just moments ago, the pressure of the Chaos Bell had hung above their heads, and everyone had believed they were doomed. Who could have expected a path to survival to appear?

The looks they gave Lin Fan now were all filled with gratitude and admiration.

Meanwhile, the Quasi-Saint great powers of Purple Mansion Prefecture stared blankly at the figure in the void, their hearts shaken.

The situation was obvious—

Donghuang Taiyi had withdrawn his troops purely because he feared Lin Fan's overwhelming might.

East Prince was even more stunned beyond words.

Only a short time had passed since Lin Fan caused havoc in the Heavenly Court, yet his strength had become even more unfathomable.

To withstand an Innate Supreme Treasure with his fleshly body alone was power completely beyond East Prince's comprehension.

He could be called absolutely unmatched beneath the Saints.

In former years, East Prince had respected Lin Fan partly out of consideration for Nuwa's standing. Now, his deference came solely from awe toward absolute strength.

After standing dazed for a long time, East Prince finally straightened his robes and solemnly bowed toward the void.

"Many thanks to Daoist Friend Lin for saving my life."

Had Lin Fan not acted in time, he would have long since died beneath Donghuang Taiyi's hand. His words were filled with sincere gratitude.

"It was only a small effort. Do not take it to heart."

Lin Fan understood East Prince's change in attitude perfectly, but merely smiled calmly.

"It was simply a fortunate coincidence."

"Since the demon clan has withdrawn, if there is nothing else, Lin will take his leave first."

He understood that after this battle, Donghuang Taiyi would certainly become wary.

The demon clan would not invade Purple Mansion Continent again anytime soon.

"Daoist Friend, please stay."

Seeing Lin Fan turn to leave, East Prince hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Daoist Friend saved my life this time."

"You have also granted Purple Mansion Continent a blessing akin to rebirth. Please honor me by coming to the immortal palace for a brief rest. Allow me to hold a banquet in your thanks and present you with generous gifts."

He knew full well that although they had forced Donghuang Taiyi back for now, Purple Mansion Continent and the demon clan had formed an irreconcilable enmity. This matter was far from over.

If Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi came together someday—

Purple Mansion Continent would then face utter destruction.

At this moment, Lin Fan had become the sole glimmer of hope in East Prince's eyes.

Lin Fan understood East Prince's predicament completely. Hearing this, he merely smiled calmly and did not refuse, instead walking directly into the immortal palace.

The two sat facing each other and drank tea. East Prince brought up the old matter once more:

Daoist Friend, have you considered the matter of becoming Purple Mansion Continent's supreme guest elder?

He had originally relied on his title as the Head of Male Immortals, personally bestowed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, and still harbored a trace of hope, believing the demon race would show some restraint.

But after personally witnessing Donghuang Taiyi's terrifying strength today, he had finally faced reality.

Donghuang Taiyi alone was already difficult to withstand. If Di Jun were to one day lead billions of demon troops to their gates—

Purple Mansion Continent would surely be reduced to ashes.

His own fate was easy to imagine.

Thus, he could not wait to borrow Lin Fan's name and seek a Saint's protection.

Lin Fan had long seen through his intentions and simply spoke bluntly:

I already made it clear last time that I have no interest in this.

Daoist Friend insists on inviting me only because you have realized that the demon race is determined to have its way.

In your fear and unease, you wish to borrow the Human Teachings' influence and use my Senior Sister's name to intimidate the demon race.

You merely wish to borrow a Saint's might to preserve Purple Mansion Continent.

Having his thoughts exposed so directly, East Prince revealed an awkward expression.

Every word Lin Fan spoke struck straight at his heart; it was exactly what he had been plotting.

As one of the foremost innate divine beings, he had always held himself in high regard. How could he be willing to fade into obscurity like this?

Though Di Jun claimed to rule the Heavenly Court, all those under his command were merely demons covered in scales and horns.

I was personally appointed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun as the Head of Male Immortals of the Primordial World, commanding the world's orthodox cultivators. The two are naturally as far apart as clouds and mud.

My birth itself bears Heaven's mandate. I founded Purple Mansion Continent to unify the Primordial World. Other than the lineages of several Saints, all living beings in this world should submit to it.

Even with the situation now in dire straits, this obsession remained in his heart. That was why he wanted to borrow the Human Teachings' might to deter the Heavenly Court.

You truly see things clearly, young friend.

East Prince nodded frankly, which instead made Lin Fan admire him a little more.