Just as Wudang and Gui Ling's figures disappeared into the horizon, the cheers and expressions of gratitude from the human settlements still echoed across the Primordial Earth.
Deep within the Qing Huan Dao Field, in a quiet chamber, the Qing Huan Sage was closing his eyes and wandering in the vast emptiness.
The thought, like an invisible network, instantly captured the faint yet incredibly resilient thread of faith and Merit established between the two disciples and the human race, as well as the deeper understanding of the <Qing Yuan Sutra> stirred deep within Wudang heart by witnessing the transformation of life and death.
A faint, warm current, carrying a gentle vitality, flowed along that invisible thread, traversing endless space, and quietly entered the sacred heart of the Qing Huan.
This warm current is so subtle that it is almost negligible compared to the vast and profound Sage Dao Cultivation of Sea of Stars.
However, at the very moment this warmth of Merit, originating from the disciple and tempered by the belief in humanity, entered Qing Huan's Sage heart, which was as calm and still as an ancient frozen lake, was unusually stirred by a barely perceptible ripple.
His gaze pierced through the layers of restrictions in the Dao Field, as if he could see the human settlement shrouded in the Bagua light curtain, bursting with boundless vitality after being saved, and the new sprout that had emerged in Wudang 'Wudang heart from his understanding of life and death.
Qing Huan's lips twitched upwards very subtly, a barely perceptible curve carrying a hint of understanding and approval.
"Good."
A silent Dao Sound resounded deep within his heart. This was not a simple commendation, but a confirmation that the disciple's path conformed to the Dao of Heavenly Dao and the Dao of Humanity, and that it verified his own direction on the Great Dao.
They saw even deeper—beneath the seemingly indestructible net of Heavenly Dao Laws, a hidden and tortuous path to survival, built upon Human Dao Merit and based on self-affirmation, was being explored by the two disciples, who were taking their first steps. Though perilous, this path was not a dead end.
The scorching heat distorted space, illuminating the magnificent weapon-refining hall in a crimson gold.
At the heart of the palace, a colossal cauldron, forged from the core of a star and imprinted with countless Demon Script, stands majestically.
The cauldron Sky-High Flames, and those flames were no ordinary fire, but rather the most powerful and yang force in the world, capable of incinerating all things— the Solar True Fire.
At this moment, this flame, which symbolizes light and vitality, is carrying out the most cruel refining process in the world.
Inside the cauldron, what was burning fiercely was not precious metals or spiritual materials, but...? Tens of thousands of human souls, struggling in agony?!
A piercing scream, so sharp it pierced the very soul, echoed silently in the heatwave; it was the desperate lament of countless wills being forcibly torn apart and their very essence being forcibly refined.
Countless translucent souls tumbled, twisted, and deformed in the golden flames, like wax thrown into a furnace.
The fear, resentment, anger, and attachment to life experienced in life are all ignited by this merciless true fire, transforming into the purest, most venomous, and most targeted "power of destruction."
Wisps of pallor and pitch-black resentment, visible to the naked eye, were stripped from the soul like living things, refined, and then greedily absorbed and guided by the eerie, shimmering runes on the cauldron's walls, converging towards the suspended core of the artifact at the cauldron's center—
A sword blank, dark red in color and barely formed, already exuding an aura of endless ferocity and misfortune.
"Hahaha! Great! Excellent!"
A hearty laugh, yet chillingly cold, echoed through the hall, drowning out the invisible wailing of souls.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi golden crow robe, stood beside the giant cauldron, his handsome face revealing undisguised excitement and fervor.
Those eyes, burning with golden flames, were fixed on the ferocious weapon gradually taking shape within the cauldron, as if they were looking at a perfect work of art, an ultimate weapon to end their nemesis.
"Brother, look at this malevolent energy! How pure and powerful it is!"
I could feel that with every pulse of the sword embryo, it was greedily devouring the essence of these souls; that Destruction thirst for the flesh and blood of the Witch Clan was practically bursting forth from the cauldron!
He waved his arms excitedly, creating a trail of flames, "It's almost there! Almost there! Once this sword is finally completed, it will be the end of those barbarian Witch Clan!"
Tai Yi's words were filled with long-suppressed hatred and the pleasure of impending revenge.
He turned around abruptly and looked at the tall and composed figure beside him— the Demon Emperor Di Jun. Di Jun was also staring at the giant cauldron, his expression much more reserved than Tai Yi's, but the flames burning in his deep, Starry Sky -like eyes were even colder and more intense, a resolute determination and all-controlling will belonging to an emperor.
"The Witch Clan..."
Tai Yi's voice lowered, carrying a hint of imperceptible solemnity and deep apprehension, as if recalling some kind of unforgettable terror.
"Those barbarians who only cultivate their physical bodies and not their primordial spirit, their bodies... are simply the tortoise shells left to them by the Father God Pangu!"
It's incredibly tough! What a terrible price the demon race paid in the last great war!
"Four Demon Saint, exhausting their very essence and self-destructing their demon cores, barely managed to drag Gonggong and Zhurong, those two madmen, down with them!"
Four! Only two Ancestral Witch were replaced!
Tai Yi clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, and the Solar True Fire uncontrollably overflowed from his body, scorching the air and making crackling sounds.
"If I hadn't been protected by the Chaos Bell left by my Father God, which suppressed spacetime and resisted their brute force, they could have injured their true form..."
Their bodies can withstand the bombardment of Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures! Ordinary divine weapons and spiritual treasures can't even leave a white mark when they strike them!
"If it weren't for this, how could my demon race's Heavenly Court have been forced into this situation!"
A flicker of lingering fear flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by an even stronger killing intent.
The phantom of the Chaos Bell appeared and disappeared above his head, emitting a low hum, as if responding to its master's anger and resentment.
"That's right."
Di Jun finally spoke, his voice as steady as Buzhou Mountain, yet containing a chilling coldness that could freeze the galaxy. He stretched out a finger and pointed it in the air.
A wisp of the Solar True Fire essence, refined to its utmost, pierced precisely into the core of the churning resentment within the cauldron, like a fine golden needle.
In an instant, the shrieks of the wronged souls inside the cauldron seemed to be forcibly amplified to a higher level. Countless distorted faces exploded instantly in the flames, transforming into a purer and more venomous dark red torrent that surged madly into the sword embryo.
The sword embryo trembled violently, and its dark red light suddenly intensified. A sharp and deathly aura that made one's soul tremble spread out, even causing the flowing Solar True Fire within the hall to pause briefly!
"This sword is named 'Witch Slayer'."
Di Jun withdrew his finger, and the imperial dragon aura and the Solar True Fire intertwined and rose around him, making him look like a supreme god who commands all fire.
His gaze pierced through the cauldron's walls, as if he could see the blood-stained future of the Primordial Wilderness after the sword was forged.
"It carries the resentment and despair of billions of living beings; it is a curse and Destruction specifically created to tear apart, defile, and disintegrate the filthy body originating from Pangu!"
Di Jun's voice was like cold iron blocks clashing together, each word carrying immense weight and boundless killing intent.
"The Witch Clan, relying on their physical strength, regards the demon clan as ants and weeds."
They regarded the earth as their playground, all things as their food, and the Heavenly Court as castles in the air, attempting to overthrow order by brute force.
This sword is Heavenly Dao's final judgment upon them, delivered through my hand!
Di Jun turned his gaze to Tai Yi, and the two brothers' eyes met in the air. No words were needed; their deep-seated hatred and determination to Destruction the Witch Clan had already merged into one.
"The humiliation and sacrifices of the First World War are something my brother and I have never forgotten for a single day."
The spirits of the four Demon Saints, and countless fallen demon warriors, are all watching us.
He raised his hand, pointing to the sword embryo that was rising and falling amidst the flames of resentment, its aura growing ever more terrifying. Each word, like a final verdict, resounded throughout the entire Heavenly Court:
"The day this sword is drawn from the pass will be the day the Witch Clan is destroyed!"