Demon Realm Invasion

The resonance between the illusory Immortal Embryo and the Creation Spear had not yet dissipated. The sound was like an ancient Bronze Ancient Bell from beyond the heavens being struck with tremendous force, its deep and lingering resonance repeatedly surging through the sea of clouds Cang Xuan Mountain —the clouds were shaken into fine ripples, like a fist-sized blue stone thrown into a calm lake, the ripples spreading along the mountainside towards the horizon, even the distant, faintly visible dark mountain outlines trembled slightly, and the ancient trees at the Foot of the Mountain rustled, their leaves fluttering down. Yet, within this peaceful resonance... Suddenly, the "Immortal Tribulation Cloud" overhead, shimmering with a warm, rosy glow, trembled violently. The cloud layer, which had been as smooth as fine Shu Brocade brocade, split open from its very center with a tiny black crack. At first, the crack was as narrow as a hair, but its edges were wreathed in twisted, dark purple demonic energy, much like the gleaming fangs of a venomous snake. It stretched and contracted, pulsating within the soft celestial light, each movement causing the surrounding celestial light to tremble. It was as if even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi feared this evil power, and retreated in all directions.

Wherever the demonic energy passed, the celestial light melted away like raging fire boiling thin ice, instantly creating tiny, pinpoint-sized holes. The black energy clinging to the edges of these holes, like maggots, clung tightly to the clouds, refusing to dissipate, even darkening the flowing clouds. The peaceful atmosphere that had enveloped the mountaintop was shattered by this darkness. The mountain wind suddenly became icy cold, stinging the skin like needles. The newly sprouted spiritual herbs in the cracks of the rocks withered instantly, their tender green leaves turning charred at the edges. Even the bluestones where they were rooted were frozen and covered in White Frost, with a faint black aura seeping beneath the frost. Touching the stone revealed its cold and rough surface.

Ren Xiaoyao's gleaming white light suddenly sharpened, and the emanating Immortal-Conceiving Light around him instinctively tightened, transforming into a semi-transparent, close-fitting Light Armor. The Light Armor's surface shimmered with fine golden light, like scattered crushed stardust, effectively blocking the biting cold wind and black energy. The Creation Spear at his fingertips hummed incessantly, sensing danger. The "Extinction" pattern engraved on the side of the spear instantly lit up, and a cold Silver Light, like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath, pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound, pointing directly at the black crevice. His voice was filled with solemnity. "Demonic energy? The Space Barrier of the Tianyan Continent was forged by High Antiquity Immortal Venerable using his own Immortal Bone and refined with billions of years of heaven and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. It is indestructible, yet it has been forcibly torn open?"

Before the words were even finished, the black crevice suddenly expanded outwards, instantly growing from the thickness of a hair to over ten feet wide. A thick, ink-like demonic aura, accompanied by a pungent, foul stench, surged forth—a stench mixed with the sulfurous smell unique to the Demon Realm Abyss and the stench of rotting corpses. The two odors intertwined, so intense that it made one's throat churn and even breathing difficult. The hard, jagged rocks on the mountaintop, swept by the demonic aura, instantly turned grayish-black, with fine bubbles rising to their surfaces, hissing incessantly, as if being gnawed by an invisible force. The withered grass remaining in the cracks turned into a handful of grayish-white powder the moment it came into contact with the demonic aura, which was swept away by the wind and vanished without a trace, leaving not even a mark.

Immediately afterward, a figure clad in bone-spiked armor emerged from the crack. The armor was pieced together from countless dark brown animal bone spikes, each Root Bone as sharp as a knife, its tips covered in black scabs. Dark green pus seeped from beneath the scabs, dripping down the spikes and sizzling as it fell through the air, leaving black streaks that corroded the stone, creating small pits. The body beneath the armor was withered, like a mummified corpse from an ancient tomb, its bluish-black skin clinging tightly to its bones, its bulging veins resembling Black Vines. It coiled around every inch of the body, even the protrusions of the ribs were clearly visible, as if the bones would shatter at the slightest touch; the face was even more ferocious and terrifying, the eye sockets were sunken into two Black Hole, within which two balls of Nether-Green Ghost Fire danced, flickering with each breath, sometimes shrinking into two cold stars, sometimes surging to the size of a fist, illuminating the surrounding darkness; when the corners of the mouth were stretched open, two rows of sharp fangs were revealed, the fangs sticky with dark purple viscous liquid, the viscous liquid dripping onto the bluestone, instantly corroding small pits about an inch deep, with black smoke rising from the bottom of the pits, emitting a pungent smell.

"Heh heh—I never imagined that a cultivator in such a barren land as the Mortal Realm, with its sparse Spiritual Qi, could actually summon Immortal Tribulation Cloud!" The newcomer was none other than the Demon Great Demon Ghost Mound, a spy sent by the Demon Realm to the Tianyan Continent. His voice was like a rusty gong scraping against a rough stone slab, each word carrying a piercing shriek that made one's eardrums ache, as if countless fine needles were pricking them. "Boy, if you know what's good for you, offer up your body, capable of summoning Immortal Tribulation, to the Demon Venerable Lord to refine into Soul Pill. Perhaps if the Demon Lord is pleased, he might spare a wisp of your remnant soul, lest you suffer a complete annihilation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his right hand, and a Bone Whip made of dozens of infant skulls strung together shot out of the air—each skull was an old yellow, its surface covered with fine cracks, its eye sockets spewing green flames mixed with fine black smoke; its teeth were adorned with torn strips of cloth and dry hair, clearly ripped from the bodies of the dead, and still carried a faint smell of decay; the skull at the tip of the whip even opened its mouth, revealing small but sharp fangs, stained with dark red blood, aimed straight at Ren Xiaoyao's face, moving so fast that it left only a black afterimage, even the air itself was stirred by the Bone Whip, creating black ripples.

Before the bone spurs even got close, a strong, foul-smelling demonic aura assaulted the senses, a hundred times stronger than the lingering putrid smell of the Loose Immortal immortals. The bluestone on the mountaintop was swept over by this aura, instantly covered with a thick layer of black frost. A faint "rustling" sound came from beneath the frost, as if the stone was being slowly gnawed away by the demonic energy. The originally smooth stone surface gradually became covered with tiny holes, and it felt rough like sandpaper to the touch, with even the fingertips able to feel the unevenness of the stone's surface.

Ren Xiaoyao did not retreat a single step. The bluestone beneath his feet shimmered with a white luster from the surging immortal power around him. Tiny sprouts of spiritual herbs even emerged from the cracks in the stone, glistening with dewdrops that shimmered faintly in the immortal light, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding scene corroded by demonic energy. The illusory image of the Immortal Embryo within his dantian raised its hand and hurled a miniature spear in its hand, identical to the Creation Spear. Instantly, the spear transformed into a seven-colored stream of light, shooting towards the physical spear in his hand like Rainbow Piercing the Sun, its trajectory too fast to be seen.

With a deafening roar, the two guns clashed, piercing the sky. The sound echoed even from distant mountains, and the sea of clouds was shaken, creating towering waves that, as they subsided, carried a faint ethereal glow. The four runes on the gun barrel—"Life," "Death," "Devouring," and "Immortal"—simultaneously lit up: the "Life" rune glowed emerald green, vibrant like new shoots after rain; the "Death" rune shone silver-white, cold and sharp like frost in winter; the "Devouring" rune was deep blue, mysterious and profound like a deep abyss; and the "Immortal" rune was golden yellow, dazzling and warm like the rising sun. The four colors intertwined to form Seven-Colored Rosy Clouds, surging forth like a bursting dam, creating a barrier over ten feet high in front of him. A wall of light, three feet high and thick, shimmered with flowing patterns, undulating like a living thing. The moment the wall formed, it instantly dispersed the onrushing demonic energy. Wherever the light touched, the black frost on the bluestone melted rapidly into clear water, carrying a faint Spiritual Qi as it flowed along the stone surface, nourishing the surrounding land. Tender green shoots sprouted anew from the roots of the withered grass, which had previously been killed by the demonic energy; the shoots shimmered with tiny lights, brimming with vitality. Even the foul stench in the air was completely purified, replaced by a fresh and sweet Spiritual Qi. Inhaling it refreshed the mind and body, making even the meridians feel relaxed, and the tense body from the battle eased somewhat.

"You scoundrels from the Demon Realm realm, how dare you run wild on the Tianyan Continent? Today I'll show you that Mortal Realm cultivator can Slay Demons and Exorcise Evils!" Ren Xiaoyao's voice, filled with Righteous Awe, echoed like thunder across the mountaintop, shaking the surrounding clouds and even startling distant birds into scattering in all directions.

Seeing his demonic energy easily shattered, the Nether-Green Ghost Fire in Great Demon Ghost Mound's eyes flickered with surprise, quickly replaced by a ferocious glint. "A Mortal Realm cultivator possesses such pure immortal power? It's nothing more than relying on external aids, what's there to be proud of!" Unwilling to back down, he twisted his wrist sharply, and the Bone Whip, wreathed in demonic energy, instantly coiled around the Creation Spear. The Extreme Yin demonic energy clinging to the bones, like a living thing, crawled up the spear shaft, attempting to corrode its spiritual light and render it powerless.

The instant the demonic energy touched the glowing light of the spear, a sizzling sound suddenly rang out. The Seven-Colored Rosy Clouds, like a scorching hot iron, rebounded along the Bone Whip. Great Demon Ghost Mound felt a scorching power travel along the Bone Whip, instantly spreading throughout his body. Thick black smoke billowed from his bone-spiked armor, mixed with a burnt stench—the smell of animal bones being burned by the glowing light—causing him to cough repeatedly. The withered skin beneath the armor was scalded by the light, forming blisters. After the blisters burst, dark green pus dripped continuously, corroding the hard stone and creating small holes about half an inch deep. Black smoke rose from the holes, and even the pebbles were melted into black slag, demonstrating the intensity of the collision between the demonic energy and the glowing light.

"Ah--" Great Demon Ghost Mound cried out in pain, his voice filled with agony. The demonic energy within his body surged wildly, erupting from his pores like a black tide, instantly transforming into more than a dozen black Claw Shadow, each over ten feet long. Each Claw Shadow was as sharp as a knife, its tips gleaming with a cold light, and it was also wrapped in a ghostly blue "Soul Devouring Demonic Flame"—this demonic flame was formed from the Extreme Yin Extreme Evil power of the Demon Realm Abyss realm, containing no trace of life. The deeper the color, the stronger the power. Once touched, it could penetrate a cultivator's meridians and enter their sea of consciousness, devouring their soul like a hungry wolf. Previously, three Golden Core Cultivator and two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Mortal Realm had perished under this flame, their souls burned to Void, without even a chance to reincarnate. It was Great Demon Ghost Mound's most prized Killing Moves, and also his trump card for survival.

Ren Xiaoyao laughed loudly, his laughter full of disdain. "Is that all the tricks you have? You dare to embarrass yourself with them?" The "Mortal World Pattern" in his sea of consciousness suddenly lit up. The pale red patterns seemed to come alive, constantly flowing and intertwining within his sea of consciousness, merging with the immortal light surging from his dantian to form a golden and red protective shield. The surface of the shield shimmered with flowing light patterns, undulating as if it had a life of its own, completely enveloping him without leaving a single gap. No matter how he was attacked from the outside, he could not be harmed in the slightest.

The black Claw Shadow rained down on the protective barrier, creating a continuous series of loud bangs. Ripples spread across the barrier's surface, yet it remained unbroken, without even a crack. Each Claw Shadow that struck the barrier vanished instantly, like water droplets hitting a rock, leaving no trace. The eerie blue Soul Devouring Demonic Flame couldn't even get close to the barrier; upon contact with the golden-red aura, they were instantly incinerated by the Void power, leaving not even a wisp of black smoke, as if they had never existed. This rendered the Great Demon Ghost Mound's attacks futile.

"Is that all the skill you've got? You dare call yourself a 'Great Demon'? I think you're not even as good as a street ghost!" Ren Xiaoyao stepped on a bluestone, causing it to tremble slightly and leaving a shallow footprint with a shimmering white light that lingered for a long time. He shot out like an arrow, leaving a long afterimage trailing behind him like a seven-colored ribbon, tracing a graceful arc in the air. His speed was so fast that the Great Demon Ghost Mound couldn't react at all. The Creation Spear in his hand was aimed directly at the Great Demon Ghost Mound's heart. The immortal light gathered at the tip of the spear was like a dazzling star, carrying both the vitality and warmth of the "Life" rune and the domineering and sharpness of the "Destruction" rune. It seemed capable of piercing through all darkness and evil in the world. Even the air was distorted by the power of the spear tip, rippling slightly, and the surrounding temperature rose accordingly.

"Impossible! How could Mortal Realm cultivator possess such a sturdy protective barrier? Who exactly are you? Are you a descendant of an High Antiquity Immortal Venerable?" The Great Demon Ghost Mound was terrified, his ferocity replaced by fear. He dared not linger in battle and turned to flee back to the Space Cracks to save his life. But as soon as he turned around, he discovered that the edge of the ten-foot-wide rift had been sealed by a layer of Seven-Colored Rosy Clouds —a restriction that Ren Xiaoyao had placed with the "swallowing" pattern on his spear when he made his move. The light was like an invisible wall, its surface shimmering with fine runes. The runes constantly flickered, radiating a powerful binding force that firmly blocked the rift, preventing even a trace of demonic energy from escaping. This completely cut off all his escape routes, leaving him in a desperate situation.

"No! I can't die here! The Demon Venerable Lord is waiting for me to bring back news from the Tianyan Continent! I'm still useful!" Great Demon Ghost Mound roared, his voice filled with despair. The demonic energy within his body burned wildly, even the ghostly flames in his eye sockets dimmed slightly, clearly burning his own essence in an attempt to gain greater power to break through the restriction. He formed hand seals, and Black Runes surged from his palms, twisting into ferocious demonic shadows in the air, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at the radiant light restriction, trying to break through this barrier at the cost of burning his essence. But the moment his demonic energy touched the radiant light, it was instantly swallowed up, not even causing a ripple. Instead, he was devoured by the radiant light, and a mouthful of dark green blood spurted from his mouth. The blood turned into specks of black foam in the air, disappearing without a trace as it landed on the bluestone, leaving only a faint, fishy stench.

Ren Xiaoyao gave him no chance to catch his breath, instantly catching up with him at a speed so fast that he left only a blur, even stirring up a gust of wind as he passed, causing the surrounding pebbles to tumble. His Creation Spear swept out horizontally, the spear wind carrying dense immortal light, striking the Great Demon Ghost Mound's back like a thunderclap. With a crisp "crack," the Great Demon Ghost Mound's bone spike armor shattered instantly, countless bone spikes flying out, smashing into the surrounding strange rocks and breaking into several pieces, leaving deep scratches on the stone surfaces, demonstrating the immense power of the attack; beneath the armor... His withered body was sent flying backward by the force of the spear, spitting out a mouthful of dark green blood in mid-air. The blood fell to the ground and instantly turned into a wisp of black smoke, dissipating without leaving a trace. The demonic energy within him, like a deflated bladder, continued to surge from the wound on his back, but was firmly locked by the surrounding celestial light. Like a wild beast trapped in a cage, he could only struggle in vain. Each surge of demonic energy was weakened by the celestial light, until finally even the surging force was almost gone, and he could only watch helplessly as his power slowly drained away.

Ren Xiaoyao raised his hand and grabbed, a golden light shooting from his fingertip. The golden light transformed into an invisible giant hand in the air, its palm shimmering with fine runes. With a powerful suction force, it pierced through the body of the Great Demon Ghost Mound, directly extracting his Demonic Core. The Demonic Core was dark purple, about the size of a fist, its surface covered with black patterns, within which swirled subtle demonic energy. The Demonic Core vibrated continuously within the golden light, attempting to break free of its restraints. The patterns on its surface continued to flicker, emanating an evil aura. Even the surrounding celestial light was slightly tinged with black by it, demonstrating the Demonic Core's malevolent nature. But the instant the Demonic Core touched the "Immortal-Conceiving Light" emanating from Ren Xiaoyao's fingertip, with a soft "sizzle," the Demonic Core instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke, dissipating into the air without leaving a trace of ash, as if it had never existed, completely extinguishing the Great Demon Ghost Mound's life force.

Without its Demonic Core, the Demon Great Demon Ghost Mound's body rapidly withered. Its already emaciated form seemed to have been drained of all moisture, instantly shrinking to a mere three feet tall, dried-up corpse. Its skin clung tightly to its bones like a thin sheet of black paper, ready to crumble at the slightest touch. The Nether-Green Ghost Fire in its eye sockets dimmed, leaving only faint glimmers, threatening to extinguish at any moment. Its eyes were filled with fear and resentment as it spoke in a hoarse voice, "You... you wait! The Demon Venerable Lord will soon lead Million Demon Army to descend upon the Tianyan Continent. Then... the entire Mortal Realm will become nourishment for the Demon Realm realm, and all cultivators will be refined into Soul Pill! You will be no exception! None of you will escape!"

Before he finished speaking, Ren Xiaoyao's fingertip flashed with immortal light, and a thin golden beam shot towards the head of the Great Demon Ghost Mound like a needle. With a muffled "bang," the desiccated corpse's head instantly exploded, Black Blood and fragments of bone splattering out and landing on the bluestone. The blood instantly turned into black smoke, and the bones turned into grayish-white powder, which was dispersed by the wind and disappeared without a trace. The moment his soul left his body, it was completely crushed by the golden light, turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating in the wind, leaving not even a trace of his soul behind. He was utterly annihilated. Only a pile of bare bones remained, which was swept away by the mountain wind and slowly fell into the sea of clouds below, disappearing into the rolling waves of clouds without a trace, as if the battle had never happened.

Having defeated the Great Demon Ghost Mound, Ren Xiaoyao waved his hand, and the Seven-Colored Rosy Clouds surrounding him flowed into the Space Cracks like water. The moment the light entered the rift, the demonic energy at its edge rapidly dissipated, melting instantly like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun. The previously expanding rift began to slowly shrink, like a wound stitched up, gradually becoming smaller. The spatial fluctuations at the edge gradually stabilized, no longer as distorted as before. Even the surrounding clouds regained their flowing gentleness, gleaming with a warm luster once more. A moment later, as the last ray of light merged into the rift, the torn spatial gap completely closed, and the sky returned to clear skies. Only the "Immortal Tribulation Cloud" continued to slowly shower down their warm immortal light. The immortal light fell upon Ren Xiaoyao, carrying a faint warmth that dispelled the fatigue of the battle, allowing his tense body to gradually relax. Even the battle marks remaining in his meridians were smoothed out by the immortal light, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the now-calm sky, his brows furrowed. The Creation Spear at his fingertips trembled slightly from the previous battle, its patterns dimmed, needing a moment to regain its former luster. He knew that the Demon Realm spies' ability to easily tear through the Space Barrier of the Tianyan Continent meant that the Boundary Domain Force left behind by the Ancient Great Power was weakening. Perhaps it was due to the passage of time, causing the Boundary Domain Force to gradually dissipate; or perhaps it was due to some unknown event that the Boundary Domain Barrier had a flaw, allowing the Demon Realm to send spies to infiltrate the Tianyan Continent. The "Demon Venerable Lord leading his army to descend" Great Demon Ghost Mound weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder—if Million Demon Army truly descended, the current strength of the Mortal Realm cultivators would be utterly insufficient to resist. The entire Mortal Realm would then become a pasture for the Demon Realm realm, a scene of utter devastation and suffering. Everything he had protected would vanish; the smoke rising from the chimneys beneath the clouds, the laughter of children—all would be gone forever.

He raised his hand and stroked the four "Life-Annihilation-Devour Immortal" patterns on the spear shaft. His fingertips traced the cold blade, feeling a faint resonance emanating from it, as if the spear itself shared his anxieties about the impending calamity. A resolute light flashed in his eyes: this spies from the Demon Realm were merely the prelude to a storm. A far greater crisis, sweeping across the entire Tianyan Continent, might be quietly brewing deep within the Demon Realm. If the Demon Venerable could send someone like Million Demon Army Great Demon Ghost Mound to gather intelligence, he must have many more powerful Demon General under his command. The Million Demon Army is no exaggeration. He must quickly increase his strength—not only to consolidate his current "Indestructible Foundation" and break through the shackles of his current realm, but also to find the follow-up chapters of the Ancient Inheritance, the <Creation Immortal Art>, and fully unleash the power of the Cultivation Method; moreover, he must unite the major cultivator forces in the Mortal Realm, from the Qingyun Sect to the Danxia Valley, from the Hidden Tribe of the Far North Ice Plains to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance of the East Sea islands. Only by gathering all the forces that can be united and building a team capable of fighting against the demon army can he protect this continent.