Twelve Great Demons Become One

Before the twelve demons could even disappear into the clouds, the Power of Life and Death and death pursued them relentlessly. The green mist, like flowing jade, meandered through the void, each wisp carrying the gentle vitality of sprouting grass and trees. Wherever it passed, even the dust floating in the air was tinged with a faint green, as if one could smell the fragrance of early spring earth. The blue flames, like Nether Ghost Fire, leaped and shimmered with a cold Ice Crystals light, carrying the Annihilation intent to incinerate all things. Where the flames' tips traced paths, the air condensed into tiny ice crystals, shattering crisply as they fell. The intertwined light of the two stretched a long trail across the sky, staining even the thin clouds with shades of blue and black, as if the world had been forcibly split open. A passageway, traversing birth and death, was carved out. On either side, the faint phantoms of all things, from birth to extinction, could be seen flowing. This power, carrying the oppressive force of the Reincarnation of All Things, made the demons' fur stand on end and their blood run cold— the Snake-Haired Demoness's venomous snake hair stood on end, her snake eyes filled with terror, and her forked tongue trembled with each flick of its tongue; fine cracks appeared on the Stone Demon's crystalline white body, from which black fluid seeped—the fear beneath its hard shell; even the most unruly Leopard Demon couldn't help but tuck its tail between its legs, its limbs going weak, and if not for its survival instinct, it would have already collapsed to the ground. The ever-present, looming sense of death made it almost impossible for them to breathe, and they let out whimpers like trapped beasts, their voices filled with despair and resentment.

In despair, the Bone-Winged Demon on the far left suddenly turned around. Its bony wings flapped, creating gusts of foul wind, carrying the thick, stale stench of years of blood and gore—ironclad proof of the countless lives it had devoured, an image that conjured images of Purgatory landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It raised its head and roared hoarsely, its voice piercing the sky with a desperate, mad desperation. "Rather than be refined to obliterate my soul, leaving me no chance of reincarnation, I'd rather merge with my body and fight to the death! Perhaps I can forge a sliver of hope!"

Before the words were even finished, the dark golden bone armor covering its body suddenly shattered, turning into billions of bone dust shimmering with an eerie light, drifting towards the remaining demons like a black meteor shower. Where the bone dust passed, the void rippled, and within those ripples, countless phantoms of the fallen could be vaguely seen screaming and struggling—proof of the Bone-Winged Demon's Origin Power. Each grain of bone dust carried its millennia of slaughter and resentment. Seeing this, the remaining eleven demons' eyes flashed with determination, and without the slightest hesitation— the Snake-Haired Demoness's venomous snake hair instantly snapped, the dark green liquid scattering like raindrops, sizzling as it mingled with the bone dust, rising wisps of black smoke, from which emerged the distorted faces of those poisoned. They stretched out their withered hands, as if to drag all living beings to their doom; the Stone Demon's crystalline white body began to disintegrate from its head, countless sharp-edged fragments tumbling in the air, each fragment gleaming with a hard luster, sparking as it collided with bone dust. Mars Mars, upon landing, burned through the rock layers, revealing piles of white bones buried beneath, each in a different posture, clearly having endured immense suffering before death; the Leopard Demon with wings on its back suddenly ripped its wings outwards, blood-red feathers mixed with bone dust swirling in the air like a bizarre crimson storm. Within the storm, the Leopard Demon's agonizing phantom could be vaguely seen—the mark left when it devoured its own kind, now becoming even clearer in the agony of its own primal tearing...

Twelve distinctly different Yao Qi collided and merged violently in an instant. Bone powder, venom, pebbles, and feathers swirled together in the chaotic air currents, emitting a piercing screeching sound, as if the heavens and earth were being torn apart. The black mist surged and expanded, initially like a dark cloud, but in the blink of an eye, it rose to a height of a thousand feet, condensing into a colossal Chaos Giant Shadow in mid-air. The shadow's head reached the clouds, blocking out the sunlight, and its shadow covered a thousand miles of land. Wherever the shadow passed, the temperature plummeted, and living beings fell silent. Its feet pounded the earth, causing mountains and rivers to tremble. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the earth's crust, and scorching magma gushed out, burning the ground black and emitting a pungent sulfurous smell. It was like a Demonic God connecting heaven and earth, wanting to bring the entire universe under its control. The ferocious aura emanating from its body made the heavens and earth change color, and even the distant stars dimmed.

The colossal shadow was faceless and eyeless, its body twisted and intertwined with twelve demonic features, appearing ferocious and eerie: on its left was the gnarled skeletal arm of the Withered Bone Old Demon, its knuckles as thick as stones, each Root Bone engraved with Twisted Runes, carved from the resentment of countless wronged souls; as the runes flickered, the mournful cries of these wronged souls could be heard; between the bones clung the black silk of the Human-Faced Spider Demon, the silk still stained with tiny Space Fragments, shimmering with shattered light; touching it would drag a living being into Space Cracks, condemning them to eternal damnation. To the right are the Leopard Demon's claws, their tips sharp as knives, gleaming coldly, dripping with the Stone Demon's crystal dust. The dust, upon hitting the ground, smashes deep craters into the hard rock, from which rise black smoke— the Remnant Souls of Living Beings crushed by gravity, writhing in agony. On its back grow venomous snakes of the Snake-Haired Demoness, each snake's pupils flashing with a mixture of allure and ferocity. From their mouths spew the remnants of the Nine-Headed Demon's Demonic Fire, red as blood, igniting upon contact, capable of burning away souls and condemning beings to eternal damnation. All opportunities were lost; its blue hue was like ice, freezing everything it touched, capable of freezing time itself, causing its prey to suffer for an eternity; its lower body consisted of countless giant python-like tails, scales layered upon each other, each scale imprinted with a pained human face—the final wails of the creatures it devoured, their mouths opening and closing as if telling of endless agony; the tips of its tails dragged along the remains of the Bone-Winged Demon, the remains bearing the scars of battle—marks left from its fight with High Antiquity cultivators. A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy lingered within the traces, repelling the Yao Qi and emitting a hissing sound. With each swing of its body, the giant shadow intensified the Yao Qi of the world, completely swallowing up even the sunlight, leaving only the churning black mist around the giant shadow. Within the black mist, countless struggling phantoms could be vaguely seen— the Remnant Souls of Living Beings it had devoured. They endured excruciating pain for eternity within the black mist, as if the life force of the entire world had become its nourishment, being drained from it every single second.

"Ren Xiaoyao! Today I'll let you taste the Chaos Power the twelve origins combined!" The giant shadow's voice emanated simultaneously from countless tiny mouths around it. Some were sharp like an infant's cry, piercing the eardrums and causing pain, as if countless steel needles were stirring in the ear canal, capable of disrupting a cultivator's sea of consciousness and causing them to lose their composure; others were muffled like thunder, shaking the soul and causing the internal organs to vibrate, capable of shattering Martial Artist's meridians and reducing their cultivation to nothing. Countless voices intertwined into a demonic sound capable of shattering the soul. Wherever the sound waves passed, the Life and Death Giant Tree that Ren Xiaoyao had previously set up began to wither at a visible speed. The leaves turned yellow and curled, and fine cracks appeared on the branches, as if it would crumble into dust at any moment. Even the Laws of Life and Death wavered under this demonic sound. Countless creatures could be vaguely seen struggling in pain within the shadow of the tree, transformed from the negative emotions stirred up by the demonic sound.

The colossal shadow suddenly reached out, its hand, a clenched between bone and claws, condensing twelve demonic powers into a massive, jet-black Giant Axe. The axe's blade was as wide as a door, covered in twisted patterns—marks of the twelve intertwined Yao Qi. Upon closer inspection, it appeared as if countless lives were being crushed and devoured within it, their faces contorted in despair. An eerie red light flowed along the axe blade, within which twelve demons could be vaguely seen tearing at each other and merging—the very traces of the fusion of the twelve Baleful Origin. Each bite... With a piercing scream, the Giant Axe cleaved through the air, tearing a black rift in its path. A chilling wind surged forth, carrying with it the wails of countless wronged souls. The cries were so agonizing, they seemed to stir the deepest fears within, causing even the strongest to tremble with fear, and those with unstable Dao Heart to crumble instantly. The wind swept past, causing Ren Xiaoyao's robes to flutter wildly, and even the dark blue-green energy flowing within his Life and Death Spring momentarily froze, as if the very Laws of Life and Death were being frozen by this power, unable to function properly.

Ren Xiaoyao's eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, ripples spreading from the void beneath his feet. These ripples calmed the chaotic air currents, causing the rubble thrown by Yao Qi to freeze in mid-air and slowly fall back to the ground, as if time itself had slowed down beneath his feet. The Life and Death Giant Wheel behind his head suddenly accelerated, green mist and blue flames surging towards his hands like a tide, condensing into a constantly spinning Yin-Yang Fish in his palms. One half of the fish was emerald green, radiating Vibrant Vitality, as if it could bring withered trees back to life and revitalize the desolate earth; the other half Mysterious Iron pitch black, exuding an aura of death, as if it could bring all things Return to Silence and return chaotic energy to its source. At the fish's eyes, the seal characters for "life" and "death" chased and intertwined, radiating a brilliant light. The divine might of the heavens calmed the restless Yao Qi around him, as if the Heaven and Earth Laws had coalesced in his palm, awaiting his command. He pushed his hands forward, and the Yin-Yang Fish suddenly swelled, transforming into a wall of light that stretched across the heavens and earth. To the left of the wall, vegetation flourished, flowers bloomed, and streams murmured—a Annihilation scene of life, the air filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass. A single breath could invigorate a weary cultivator and clear their Dao Heart. To the right, however, scorched earth lay barren, cracked and desolate, as if it had survived a catastrophe, exuding a majesty that made even demons tremble—the power of peace after the destruction of everything. This wall of light was the ultimate manifestation of the Laws of Life and Death and death, where life and death coexisted harmoniously yet opposed each other, forming the very foundation of the universe's operation.

The instant the Giant Axe collided with the wall of light, the world seemed to fall into an absolute silence. Even the sounds of wind and insects vanished, leaving only the tension between two terrifying forces. The onlookers (if any) held their breath, their hearts seemingly stopping. Immediately afterward, a terrifying shockwave spread outward from the point of impact. Countless ripples appeared on the surface of the Life and Death Light Wall, green mist and blue flames surging wildly, as if trying to break free and devour their opponent. The red light on the Chaos Giant Axe flickered, and the twelve Yao Qi, squeezed by the light wall, roared in defiance, attempting to break through this barrier of Principle. Where the shockwave passed, distant mountains were cleaved in half, revealing grayish-white rocks beneath, scorch marks from the impact still visible, emanating faint energy fluctuations. Rushing rivers were shaken backward, whipping up towering waves ten feet high, carrying fish, shrimp, and silt, their terrifying force threatening to devour everything on the shore. Even in the distant Meteorite Sea, the recently aligned Star Orbit rippled subtly, the stars flickering as if they might veer off course again at any moment, rendering previous efforts to reposition the Star Orbit futile and plunging the Heaven and Earth Order into chaos once more.

"Break!" the giant shadow roared, increasing its power. The black mist around it surged wildly into the Giant Axe, and the red light on the axe blade suddenly intensified, like a blood-red sun, dyeing half the sky blood-red, even the clouds turned blood-red, as if the sky was bleeding. The Giant Axe pressed down hard, tearing a gap about a foot wide in the wall of light. Black Yao Qi surged in through the gap, and wherever it passed, the flowers on the left side of the wall of light withered instantly, the petals fell, the stream froze into ice, and a layer of black frost covered the ice surface. The frost could freeze the life force of living beings, making everything lose its vitality; on the right side, black vines sprouted from the scorched earth, with skull-shaped fruits on the vines. Small eyes peeked out from the cracks in the fruits, staring intently at Ren Xiaoyao, exuding a venomous aura, as if to drag him into an endless hell, never to be reborn.

Ren Xiaoyao frowned slightly, his fingertips swiftly tracing a line across his chest. The Life and Death Light Wall instantly split into countless tiny threads of light, which coiled around the Giant Axe axe like snakes, trapping it firmly. The threads flowed with the Life and Death Qi, constantly eroding the Giant Axe's demonic Yao Qi. Green mist spread along the axe blade, causing specks of green to emerge from the pitch-black body. Several tiny sprouts grew tenaciously on the blade, defying the erosion of the Yao Qi, displaying the resilience of life. Dewdrops on the sprouts reflected a faint light, like symbols of hope, gleaming in the darkness; blue flames scorched the red light on the axe blade, emitting a sizzling sound. With a sound, the red light contracted and dimmed within the flames, like scorched flesh emitting a burnt smell—the scent of Yao Qi being purified. Simultaneously, his figure flickered, appearing like a ghost above the giant shadow's head. The Life and Death Long Blade condensed once more, its blade several times thicker than before. The seal script for "Life and Death" shone with an even brighter light, as if it were condensing all the Laws of Life and Death in the world into it. The oppressive aura emanating from it caused the giant shadow to tremble, its scales standing on end, revealing the writhing flesh beneath, within which countless remnants of living beings struggled.

"Primordial Chaos, though powerful, is ultimately a state of disorder; how can it contend with the Heaven and Earth Laws!" Ren Xiaoyao's voice boomed like thunder, causing the black mist surrounding the giant shadow to surge violently, as if about to be dispersed. The remnants of Remnant Souls of Living Beings hidden within the black mist let out groans of relief, their voices filled with gratitude. The long blade descended with a rhythmic interplay of Life-Death Alternation. Wherever the blade passed, the black mist surrounding the giant shadow was forcibly parted, revealing the twelve demonic characteristics intertwined within. The long blade struck the giant shadow's shoulder, sparks flying, and a deep gash was cleaved through the body, where bone and claws intertwined, revealing the bone beneath. The wounds, instead of gushing blood, spewed forth twelve colors of Yao Qi —red like blood, green like poison, white like bone, black like ink, yellow like earth, cyan like wood, blue like water, purple like lightning, orange like light, pink like illusion, gray like silence, and gold like madness... These Yao Qi struggled in the air, trying to merge again, but were firmly suppressed by the green mist and blue flames, only able to tumble and dissipate in place, emitting a shrill scream. It was the painful howl of the twelve demons whose essence was being torn apart, a sound so tragic that it moved heaven and earth.

The colossal shadow roared in pain, its voice filled with rage and agony. The roar shattered the clouds in the sky, sending them fluttering down like cotton, revealing the gray sky behind it, where fragments of the shattered clouds still clung. Its venomous mane suddenly swelled, transforming into countless cyan whips that lashed out at Ren Xiaoyao with a whistling sound. Dark green venom dripped from the tips of the whips, leaving faint trails in the air, and sizzling sounds as it passed through them. Tiny black marks formed, the imprints of space being corroded, instant death upon contact; simultaneously, the giant python's long tail lashed out, stirring up a black, demonic wind. This wind carried with it the crystal dust of the Stone Demon. These seemingly tiny crystals contained terrifying gravity, and when they landed on the Life and Death Light Filaments, they caused the resilient light threads to shatter, turning into specks of starlight that dissipated. Each dissipating star was accompanied by a faint sigh, like the lament of Principle being broken, a sound that tugged at the heartstrings.

Ren Xiaoyao stood on the void, his body spinning rapidly like a top. His Life and Death Long Blade drew impenetrable Light Arcs around him, deflecting the whip and demonic wind. The Life and Death Qi on the Light Arcs constantly collided and neutralized with the Yao Qi. With each collision, demonic Yao Qi was purified into golden specks of light. These specks, upon landing, transformed into tiny blades of green grass, each blade still bearing dewdrops reflecting the sky, appearing pure and beautiful. Other Power of Life and Death were corroded by poison and crystal powder, turning into black smoke. As the smoke dissipated, it instantly withered the surrounding vegetation, turning it into charcoal. The charcoal still... The last remnants of vegetation, like the final stubbornness of life, clashed in the air. Light and black smoke intertwined, forming a Primordial Chaos curtain of light. At times, the blue light prevailed, pushing back the black mist and allowing sunlight to briefly illuminate the scarred earth, bringing a glimmer of hope to the desperate creatures. At other times, the black mist intensified, suppressing the blue light and plunging darkness back into the world, swallowing all light as if dragging the world into eternal darkness. Neither could gain a decisive advantage, and the battle reached a stalemate, seemingly destined to continue until the end of time, until one side completely exhausted its strength.

Nourished by the twelve kinds of Yao Qi, the wound on the giant shadow's shoulder began to heal rapidly. The bony arm and claws intertwined again, even stronger than before. Fine black scales sprouted from the wound, shimmering with a metallic luster, making its defense even stronger than before. The illusory human faces on the scales revealed ferocious smiles, as if mocking Ren Xiaoyao's futile efforts. It suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a ball of pitch-black energy. Within the ball, the Demon's Phantom could be vaguely seen roaring and struggling. They devoured and supported each other, emanating an aura that made heaven and earth tremble. It was its Killing Moves, which gathered all its power and contained the Chaos Power to destroy everything, as if it wanted to drag the entire world into chaotic Primordial Chaos, rendering all Principle meaningless. The energy ball shot out, dyeing the space in its path black. Even the radiance emanating from the Life and Death Giant Wheel behind Ren Xiaoyao's head dimmed, as if it was about to be completely devoured and annihilated by this power, leaving not a trace.

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, and the Life and Death Spring and the Grey Pill of the Reverse Dao Origin within his body boiled simultaneously. The azure and black energy flowed with gray light around him, forming a Three-Colored Light Wheel. As the Light Wheel rotated, it emitted a complex aura that contained vitality, Annihilation, and backlash. The three forces restrained and promoted each other, reaching a delicate balance, as if the Most Originating Power in Heaven and Earth was flowing, containing infinite mysteries. He pointed his fingers at the energy ball, Light Wheel suddenly shot out a pillar of light that pierced through the heavens and earth. Within the pillar, the cycle of life and death and the backlash of the Reverse Dao collided and merged, producing a strange balance that neither leaned towards life nor death, but carried a power that could shake Primordial Chaos, as if it were specifically created to restrain this Chaos Power, a counterattack of the Heaven and Earth Laws and earth against disorder.

The beam of light and the energy sphere collided in mid-air. There was no earth-shattering roar, only utter silence, as if even sound had been swallowed and distorted by this force, rendering the world devoid of sound, leaving only a visual spectacle. Then, both simultaneously erupted in dazzling light. Black and tri-colored radiances clashed and annihilated each other wildly in the air, forming an ever-expanding and contracting Energy Vortex. The space at the vortex's edge twisted and shattered, revealing a bottomless Void beyond—a realm from which even light could not escape, seemingly the world itself. At the end, all was filled with the unknown and terror. In the center of the vortex, the figures of Ren Xiaoyao and the Chaos Giant Shadow appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow, their powers constantly colliding and consuming each other. Each impact caused their auras to fluctuate slightly, their bodies swaying slightly. The Essence Blood and demon blood spilling from the corners of their mouths met in the air, colliding to create tiny particles of light before annihilating. A golden light appeared between Ren Xiaoyao's brows, his primordial Primordial Spirit supporting his body which was on the verge of Life and Death Giant Wheel, a few more strands of frost appeared at his temples, yet he still locked his gaze firmly on the Chaos Giant Shadow in the center of the vortex.

The twelve demonic primal energies within the giant shadow trembled violently under the impact of the pillar of light. The venom of the Snake-Haired Demoness froze into ice, cracks appeared in the claws of the Leopard Demon, and the joints of the Withered Bone Old Demon creaked under the strain. But suddenly, the entwined black silk swelled up, binding the Twelve Origin Powers together tightly. The Spider Demon's spatial power flowed through the silk, managing to hold back the erosion of the pillar of light and prevent the energy sphere from shattering instantly.