The Martial Saint Returns to His Sect Bearing News of Victory, and the War of Ten Thousand Races Stirs the Winds and Clouds

When Chen Fan and his group stepped through the gates of the Seven Stars Sect, the plaza that should have been bustling was completely empty. Tension hung thick in the air. Before they could react, a figure came hurrying toward them—it was Qin Feng, the Seven Stars Sect's senior disciple. "Mr. Chen! You're finally back! The Sect Master is waiting for you in the council hall. Something major has happened!"

"What happened?" Chen Fan's heart sank. There was an urgency in Qin Feng's voice he had never heard before.

"The Demon Race suddenly tore up its peace agreement with humanity. An army of a million demons has already broken through the eastern Demon Slaying Pass and is charging toward the major sects!" Qin Feng spoke at breakneck speed. "General Zhao, a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, was commanding Demon Slaying Pass. But the Demon Race sent three Demon Kings. General Zhao fought to the death, yet still couldn't hold the pass. The demon army is now only three hundred li from the Seven Stars Sect!"

Chen Fan's expression changed sharply. The war of ten thousand races had erupted so suddenly! He asked no further questions and strode quickly toward the council hall, with Lin Xiaohu, Li Mo, and the others hurriedly following behind.

Inside the council hall, the atmosphere was heavy as iron. Chu Xinghe sat in the seat of honor, his brow tightly furrowed. Below stood the elders of the Seven Stars Sect and envoys from several other human sects, every face clouded with worry.

"Chen Fan! You're back!" At the sight of Chen Fan, a flicker of delight flashed through Chu Xinghe's eyes. "You broke through to the Martial Saint Realm?" He could clearly sense the powerful aura radiating from Chen Fan, even more terrifying than when Chen Fan had slain the Nascent Soul Elders.

Chen Fan nodded and asked directly, "Sect Master, what is the situation with the Demon Race now? What measures have the other sects taken?"

"The situation is dire." Chu Xinghe sighed. "The Demon Race came prepared this time. Not only did they send an army of a million, they also have ten Demon Kings overseeing the campaign. Two of them have even reached the Nascent Soul Realm! On the human side, apart from a few top sects with Nascent Soul Realm experts, the other sects simply cannot withstand the Demon Race's offensive. Three sects have already been wiped out."

An envoy from the Heavenly Sword Sect took over. "Our Heavenly Sword Sect's Elder Li has already led disciples to reinforce Clear Wind City. But the Demon Kings are simply too powerful. Though Elder Li is at the initial Nascent Soul Realm, he can only barely hold them off. He has no way to drive the Demon Race back."

"Everyone, this is not the time to sigh and moan!" Chen Fan's voice shattered the silence in the hall. "The Demon Race may be powerful, but we humans are not lambs waiting for the slaughter! I am willing to lead disciples to reinforce Clear Wind City, slay the Demon Kings, and blunt the Demon Race's arrogance!"

At his words, everyone turned to look at Chen Fan, their eyes filled with astonishment. They had heard that Chen Fan had slain three Nascent Soul cultivators, but the Demon Race's Demon Kings far surpassed human Nascent Soul Cultivators in strength. The Demon Kings of the Nascent Soul Realm in particular could command Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and unleash powerful demonic arts. Even human Nascent Soul Realm experts might not gain the upper hand against them.

"Chen Fan, though you have broken through to the Martial Saint Realm, the Demon Race's Nascent Soul Realm Demon Kings are simply too powerful. You..." Chu Xinghe said worriedly. He did not want Chen Fan to throw his life away for nothing.

"Sect Master, rest assured. Since I dare to go, I have confidence." Chen Fan's tone was unwavering. "The path of martial arts is one of growth amid desperate circumstances. If I do not even have the courage to face Nascent Soul Realm experts, how can I speak of breaking the shackles of Spiritual Root Destiny?"

Looking into Chen Fan's resolute eyes, Chu Xinghe knew he could not stop him. He drew a deep breath and said, "Fine! I'll assign you five thousand disciples, and have Li Mo and three Golden Core elders assist you. You must be careful!"

"There is no need for so many disciples." Chen Fan shook his head. "The demon army is overwhelming. Even if five thousand disciples go, they will be but a drop in the ocean, and it will only cause needless casualties. I only need Xiaohu and Li Mo to come with me. Everyone else should remain in the sect and safeguard the Seven Stars Sect."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaohu hurriedly said, "Brother Fan, I'm going with you! My strength may not be great, but I can still help you with odd jobs!"

Li Mo nodded as well. "Mr. Chen, I'll go with you. Even if I die, I'll protect you and Xiaohu!"

Seeing Chen Fan's firm stance, Chu Xinghe said no more. He took a golden longsword and a suit of black armor from his storage pouch. "These are the Evil Slaying Sword and the Adamantine Armor, both top-grade magical treasures. The Evil Slaying Sword can restrain the Demon Race's demonic qi, while the Adamantine Armor can withstand attacks from Nascent Soul Realm experts. Take them. They will offer you some protection."

Chen Fan accepted the sword and armor, then said solemnly, "Thank you, Sect Master! I will hold Clear Wind City, slay the Demon Race's Demon Kings, and buy time for humanity!"

Soon afterward, Chen Fan, Lin Xiaohu, and Li Mo made brief preparations, then mounted the sect's spirit horses and raced toward Clear Wind City. The spirit horses were incredibly fast, and in less than two hours, they caught sight of Clear Wind City in the distance.

At that moment, Clear Wind City was under siege by the demon army. Atop the city walls, human cultivators and demon soldiers were locked in brutal combat. Blood stained the walls red, and corpses lay piled up like mountains. In the sky, an old man in azure robes was fiercely battling a Demon King clad in black scales with two horns growing from his head—it was Elder Li of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Demon Race's Nascent Soul Realm Demon King, the Black Scale Demon King.

Elder Li wielded his longsword, Sword Qi crisscrossing through the air, yet he could never break through the Black Scale Demon King's demonic qi defenses. The Black Scale Demon King continuously spewed black demonic fire. Wherever it passed, even the air burned and warped. Elder Li could only barely evade it, and several wounds had already appeared on his body.

"Hahaha! A human Nascent Soul Realm expert is no more than this!" the Black Scale Demon King laughed, his tone dripping with disdain. "Today, I will flatten Clear Wind City and turn all you humans into food for our Demon Race!"

Just then, a pale golden figure raced over from afar, swift as lightning, arriving before the Black Scale Demon King in an instant.

"Who is it? Who dares interrupt this king's battle!" the Black Scale Demon King roared, turning to spew demonic fire.

"The one who will kill you!"

Chen Fan's voice was icy. The Evil Slaying Sword in his hand flashed with golden radiance as it slashed toward the Black Scale Demon King's head. The blade contained the True Qi of the Martial Saint Realm and Evil-Breaking Power. Wherever its Sword Qi passed, the black demonic qi was instantly torn apart.

The Black Scale Demon King's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly gathered demonic qi before him, forming a shield.

Bang!

The Evil Slaying Sword collided with the shield in a thunderous blast. Cracks instantly spread across the shield, and the Black Scale Demon King was sent staggering back several steps by the immense force, vomiting a mouthful of black blood.

"The Martial Saint Realm? Humanity actually has a Martial Saint Realm martial artist?" The Black Scale Demon King's eyes were full of disbelief. He had lived for over a thousand years, yet this was the first human he had seen who could withstand one of his attacks with Martial Saint Realm strength.

When Elder Li saw Chen Fan, a flash of delight appeared in his eyes. "Little brother, thank you for coming to my aid!"

"Elder Li, go rest first. Leave this Demon King to me!" Chen Fan said, raising the Evil Slaying Sword again. The golden glow on its blade became even more dazzling.

"Arrogant!" the Black Scale Demon King roared. "Even if you are in the Martial Saint Realm, you may not be my match! Demon Race secret art—Black Scale Storm!"

The black scales around the Black Scale Demon King's body suddenly fell away, transforming into countless black blades that shot toward Chen Fan. The blades contained dense demonic qi and deadly poison. Fast as lightning, they instantly sealed off every route of retreat.

Chen Fan's gaze sharpened. The qi and blood in his body and his True Energy circulated at once, while pale golden True Qi formed thick armor around him. He swung the Evil Slaying Sword in his hand, and golden Sword Qi shot forth like a torrential downpour, colliding with the black blades.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sword Qi and blades collided without end, producing crisp ringing sounds. The black blades were shattered one after another by the Sword Qi, turning into black powder that dispersed into the air.

"How is this possible? Your Sword Qi can actually shatter my Black Scale Blades?" The Black Scale Demon King's eyes filled with shock. Even the Sword Qi of Nascent Soul Realm experts could not necessarily shatter his Black Scale Blades so easily.

Chen Fan said nothing. His figure flashed, and like a ghost, he appeared before the Black Scale Demon King. The Evil Slaying Sword in his hand stabbed toward the Black Scale Demon King's chest. The Evil-Breaking Power on the blade possessed an innate restraint against the Demon Race. The Black Scale Demon King felt the demonic qi around his body become sluggish, leaving him unable to form an effective defense.

Aah—!

The Black Scale Demon King let out a miserable scream as the Evil Slaying Sword pierced his chest. Golden True Qi surged through the blade, instantly destroying his internal organs and demon core.

The Black Scale Demon King's body collapsed limply to the ground. His eyes were filled with unwillingness, but he had no breath left.

With the Black Scale Demon King's death, the demon soldiers besieging Clear Wind City immediately fell into disarray. Holding the Evil Slaying Sword, Chen Fan charged into the demon army like a whirlwind. Golden Sword Qi swept in every direction, and with every strike of his sword, dozens of demon soldiers fell.

Seeing this, Elder Li and the human cultivators of Clear Wind City were greatly encouraged. They raised their weapons one after another and launched a counterattack against the demon army.

The demon soldiers had already lost the Demon King's command, and now Chen Fan's slaughter had frightened them out of their wits. How could they dare resist? They turned and fled in all directions.

In less than half an hour, the demon army besieging Clear Wind City had completely collapsed. Clear Wind City's crisis was finally resolved.

Atop Clear Wind City's walls, Elder Li and the human cultivators surrounded Chen Fan, their eyes full of respect and gratitude.

"Little brother, thank you for saving Clear Wind City! May I know your honored name?" Elder Li asked.

"My name is Chen Fan," Chen Fan said.

"Chen Fan... Martial Saint Chen Fan!" Elder Li suddenly understood. "I have heard of your deeds. You slew three Nascent Soul Elders while at the Martial Venerable Realm. I never expected that you had already broken through to the Martial Saint Realm!"

The surrounding human cultivators also cried out in surprise. They had never imagined that this young martial artist before them was Martial Saint Chen Fan, the man who had stirred up a tremendous storm across the cultivation world!

"Mr. Chen Fan, you truly are humanity's hero!"

"With Mr. Chen Fan here, we will certainly defeat the Demon Race!"

"Martial Saint Chen Fan, your fame shakes the nine heavens!"

Cheers rose and fell, spreading throughout all of Clear Wind City. Chen Fan stood atop the city walls, looking at the cheering crowd below, his eyes filled with determination. He knew this was only the beginning of the war of ten thousand races, and even greater challenges awaited him ahead. But he would not retreat. He would use his own fists to protect humanity's homeland, use the power of martial arts to shatter the shackles of Spiritual Root Destiny, and let humanity, the Demon Race, and even all ten thousand races know—Mortal Body could still defy heaven and strike down immortals, and the might of a Martial Saint was enough to shake the nine heavens!