First Arrival in the Demon Plane, Divine Artifact Hell Gate (4K)

With the decision made, the operation was swiftly launched. The counterattack on the Demon Plane was no child's play; it required meticulous planning and the full deployment of elite forces.

After urgent discussions, a final plan was decided: This expedition aims to strike at the top level of the Demon Plane with overwhelming Thunderous Momentum, utilizing the mobility and assault capabilities of high-level combatants, rather than to completely conquer it. Therefore, the number of participants should be carefully selected rather than large.

The final selected candidates are all elites with Cultivation Level Soul Sage or above, totaling approximately three hundred people. These include:

Top combatants: Yu Yuanchen, Qian Chongxiao (wielding the Angel Sacred Sword), Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen, Yu Boxuan (level 97 peak), Tang Gan (level 97), Golden Crocodile Douluo (level 97 peak).

The core experts include: Azure Peak Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Feng Zaiyun of the White Tiger Sect Wind Sword Sect Feng Zaiyun, Black Tortoise Sect Dai Jingxuan Shi Feng Black Tortoise School, the Sect Master the Fire Leopard Sect, and other Titled Douluo from various schools, as well as Soul Douluo and Soul Sage from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Clear Sky Sect School, and the Spirit Hall.

Supporting forces: Ning Zhiyuan the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, along with Ye Kuan and Ye Zhilan, led several Support System Soul Master at the Soul Sage or above.

This lineup encompasses nearly half of the high-level human Soul Master World in the Douluo Continent! The consequences of their loss in the Demon Plane would be unimaginable. But it is precisely this strength that demonstrates the determination and resolve of this operation!

Looking at the assembled crowd, Yu Yuanchen said in a deep voice, "Everyone, beyond this gate lies the unknown Demon Plane, a harsh environment fraught with danger. Remember, we are the guest army, our objective is to weaken the enemy's top forces and seize the strategic initiative, not to fight for temporary gains or territory. All actions must be under my command; no one is allowed to attack without authorization or act rashly!"

"We will obey the orders of the Young Sect Master (Young Friend Yuanchen)!" the crowd responded in unison, their fighting spirit tinged with solemnity.

"Alright! I'll lead the way and scout the situation. Wait for my signal before you all enter one by one!" After saying this, Yu Yuanchen turned to face the Hell Gate, which was blocked by the Purple-Gold lightning pillars.

With a thought, the light on the side of the lightning pillar closest to the Douluo Continent flickered slightly, opening a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. Instantly, an extremely strong Sulfur and a chaotic, evil aura rushed out from behind the door.

Yu Yuanchen's eyes narrowed, lightning crackled around him, and with a single step, his figure instantly disappeared into the distorted crimson light.

A brief sense of spatial displacement followed, accompanied by intense dizziness and discomfort. If Yu Yuanchen hadn't possessed extremely high spatial mastery and a powerful physical body, even an ordinary Titled Douluo would likely have felt unwell.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground, Yu Yuanchen quickly steadied himself, his powerful Spiritual Power spreading outwards like a tide as he cautiously observed his surroundings.

The sight that comes into view is enough to break the spirit of those with weak wills!

The sky was a perpetual dark red, devoid of Sun, Moon, and Stars, only churning, thick clouds like congealed blood, radiating a depressing light.

The earth was scorched and cracked, with dark red lava rivers flowing slowly everywhere, emitting scorching heat and a pungent Sulfur smell that burned the lungs when inhaled. In the distance, the outlines of twisted mountains and burning forests could be vaguely seen.

The overall tone of the world is chaos, death, and Destruction.

This is the Demon Plane! The territory ruled by Salvos — the Scorching Purgatory!

Clearly, since the Demon King Salvos is of the Fire Attribute, his territory is filled with raging Fire Element. However, this harsh environment is a great test for the Soul Master who step into this place; their Soul Power will be consumed more quickly, and those with weak wills may even be corrupted by the evil aura.

Not far in front of Yu Yuanchen, a massive, dark mass of demons had gathered! They varied in form, but were all generally restless, roaring towards the Hell Gate. Clearly, these were the demon armies that had been blocked behind the gates and unable to enter the Douluo Continent, including many powerful high-ranking demons. When they suddenly saw a human emerge from the gates, they froze for a moment, then let out a frenzied roar and surged forward like a tidal wave!

"Roar--!"

"Human! Kill him!"

Thousands of demons, like ravenous wolves eyeing fresh meat, spewed Hellfire and brandished sharp claws Bone Blade, swarming towards Yu Yuanchen from all directions!

Yu Yuanchen's expression remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Perfect, let's use you to test just how much the environment of this Demon Plane suppresses a domain!

"Heavenly Tribulation Sacred Dragon Domain, open!"

Buzz!

Centered on Yu Yuanchen, a Purple-Gold Thunder Domain with a diameter of over 500 meters suddenly unfolded! Within the domain, lightning bolts roared like a forest, Electric Snakes danced wildly, and a Destruction aura permeated the air! Compared to the Douluo Continent, when Yu Yuanchen unleashed his domain in this Demon Plane, he could clearly feel an invisible repulsion and suppression. The domain's range shrank by nearly 30%, and its power also diminished, but it was still incomparably powerful!

Rumble--!

Without Yu Yuanchen needing to manipulate it, the naturally generated, raging lightning within the domain seemed to come Life, automatically locking onto the intruding demons! Thick, Purple-Gold lightning bolts lashed down like whips of divine punishment!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle--!

The screams of demons instantly filled the air! Low-ranking Lesser Demon and Inferior Demon were instantly vaporized by the lightning! Mid-ranking demons such as the Blade Demon and Hell Demon were also charred and torn apart, their Demonic Energy dissipating as they collapsed and convulsed! Even the few high-ranking demons at the Soul Douluo level who rushed into the area could not move an inch under the continuous bombardment of lightning, and were quickly turned into charred remains by even more powerful concentrated lightning strikes!

After several flashes of lightning, the area was completely cleared, leaving only charred remains and wisps of smoke.

Yu Yuanchen nodded slightly, having made a preliminary assessment of the domain's power. He withdrew the domain and turned to send a Soul Power signal towards the Hell Gate.

Upon receiving the signal, the crowd that had been waiting outside the door quickly passed through the portal in the predetermined order.

As the last person stepped into the Demon Plane, Yu Yuanchen once again unleashed "Holy Dragon Town Prison Tribulation," but this time from the Demon Plane, sealing the entrance once more! The Purple-Gold lightning blocked the entrance again, cutting off the possibility of the demons attacking from behind and ensuring the temporary safety of their retreat.

"Is this the Demon Plane?" Tang Chen curiously looked around at the dark red sky and flowing lava. He sniffed hard, coughing twice from the stench of Sulfur. "Ptooey! That's fucking awful!"

Qian Daoliu was surrounded by a faint Holy Light, keeping out the evil aura that was trying to invade. His brows were furrowed as he said, "An evil place should be burned to ashes by holy fire."

Holding the Angel Sacred Sword, Qian Chongxiao solemnly sensed his surroundings. "The environment of this Demon Plane clearly restricts holy attributes; my strength has been weakened by about half a percent. Young Friend Yuanchen, what's the next step?"

Yu Yuanchen had already obtained general information about the Salvos territory through soul searching. He pointed in a direction. "According to intelligence, Salvos's lair, a Demon Castle called ' Heart of Molten Fire,' is about a thousand miles away in this direction. Our first step is to go there."

"Go to the Demon King's lair?" Ning Zhiyuan asked, somewhat surprised. "Isn't that too risky?"

Yu Yuanchen explained, "Salvos' invasion this time has taken away almost all of the elite troops in the territory. The forces left to guard the castle must be weak. We go there for two reasons: first, to eliminate their remaining forces completely; second, to... seize something of paramount importance."

"What is it?" everyone asked curiously.

"A divine artifact capable of opening Planar Passage —its true form is called the ' Hell Gate '," Yu Yuanchen said, revealing a startling statement. "The gate we faced earlier was merely a projection of its power. This artifact was born from the Plane Origin. Although its quality is inferior to the Angel Sacred Sword, it possesses the bizarre ability to communicate, locate, and even forcibly open connections to other Planar Passage. It is wielded by the five Demon King in rotation, and is currently in the hands of Salvos. If we can seize this artifact, we can not only prevent the Demon Plane easily invading Douluo, but it might also be useful to us in the future!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed! Controlling this gate would be of paramount importance!

Without delay, the elite team of over three hundred people, led by Yu Yuanchen, concealed their auras and transformed into blurry streaks of light, rushing towards the "Heart of Molten Fire" castle.

A thousand miles was not a long distance for this group of experts, who were at least Soul Sage. They encountered small groups of demons along the way, but they were all dealt with quietly without causing any major disturbance.

About an hour later, a majestic and menacing black castle appeared on the distant horizon. The castle was built beside a huge river of lava, and its entire body was made of some kind of dark red demonic rock. At the top of the castle, there were faint fluctuations of powerful Demonic Energy, but it seemed to be much less heavily guarded than the Demon King's residence that had been expected.

Yu Yuanchen carefully scanned the area with his Spiritual Power and confirmed, "Within the castle, there are only two strong auras, roughly equivalent to Level 95 Super Douluo. They should be the Great Demon Commanders left behind. The rest are just grunts. It seems that Salvos has emptied his coffers."

"Attack!" Yu Yuanchen gave the order.

More than three hundred elite humans, like swords drawn from their sheaths, charged straight at the Demon Castle! Yu Boxuan and Tang Gan, like two bolts of lightning, instantly pounced on the two Great Demon guarding the gate! The terrifying pressure of the Thunder Sacred Dragon and the Clear Sky Hammer suddenly erupted!

"Enemy attack!" The two Great Demon were shocked and furious. They tried to resist, but were firmly suppressed by Yu Boxuan's Dragon Claw and Tang Gan's heavy hammer! The difference in strength was obvious. They couldn't even put up a decent resistance before being swiftly severely injured and captured!

Meanwhile, Azure Peak Douluo, Feng Zaiyun, Dai Jingxuan, and other Titled Douluo charged into the Demon Guard like tigers among sheep! Sword light, wind blades, and tiger claws flashed, and the elite demons fell like wheat under the absolute difference in strength! The Soul Sage behind them were responsible for cleaning up the stragglers and finishing them off.

The battle began quickly and ended even faster! In just a few dozen breaths, the guards outside the castle gates had been wiped out, and the two Great Demon prisoners had been knocked unconscious and sealed away.

"Into the city!"

Yu Yuanchen struck out with his palm, and the heavy Obsidian Gate shattered with a crash! The crowd surged into the castle like a tidal wave.

The castle's interior was vast, with a complex network of passageways filled with the stench of Sulfur and blood. Occasionally, one would encounter a few scattered Demon Servant or low-ranking guards, all of whom were swiftly dealt with.

Yu Yuanchen's powerful Spiritual Power spread out, scanning the entire castle like radar. He quickly locked onto the areas with the densest Demonic Energy and the most "luxurious" decorations—the treasury, the palace, and... an altar located deep within the castle, protected by powerful restrictions!

"Split up! Sect Master Yu, Sect Master Tang, you two lead the men to clear out the remaining demons and search the treasure vault and the palace. Elder Qian, Brother Daoliu, Brother Tang, come with me to the altar!" Yu Yuanchen quickly assigned tasks.

The group accepted the order and immediately split up to carry out their tasks.

Yu Yuanchen, accompanied by Qian Chongxiao, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen, headed straight for the altar at the deepest part of the castle. The restrictions along the way were easily broken like paper under Yu Yuanchen's Thunder Power.

Finally, they arrived before a Black Stone Giant Gate, carved with countless agonizing, contorted faces. The malevolence and spatial fluctuations emanating from the gate were incredibly intense!

"This is it." Yu Yuanchen could sense that there was an extremely special item behind the door.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a condensed bolt of lightning shot out, striking the giant gate!

Boom!

The giant gate trembled violently, the demonic face on its surface let out a silent wail, the restrictive light flickered rapidly, and finally it shattered completely! The gate slowly opened inward.

The scene behind the door came into view for the four of them.

This is a huge circular altar hall. In the center of the altar, there is not a statue of any god, but a door frame that is shrunk countless times, but is exactly the same as the Hell Gate outside. It is completely black and emits Youyou spatial fluctuation.

The door frame, barely taller than a person, was made of a strange material that was neither gold nor jade, and its surface shimmered with a dark red glow. Inside the door frame was not solid, but a constantly rotating, deep, dark vortex, as if connecting to an unknown distance. A vast, ancient fluctuation containing the very Plane Origin emanated from this small door frame.

"This is... the true form of the Hell Gate?!" Qian Chongxiao's pupils constricted, and he exclaimed in shock. The Angel Sacred Sword in his hand emitted a violent hum, a natural reaction when encountering a divine artifact of the same level!

A brilliant light flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. "That's right! This is the auxiliary artifact born from the Plane Origin — the Hell Gate! The portal outside is merely its projection! Whoever can control this object will possess the qualification to open passages to other Planar Passage under certain conditions!"

He understood immediately. No wonder the Demon Plane had been able to invade Douluo Continent so many times; it was all thanks to this divine artifact! Although its quality might not be as good as an offensive artifact like the Angel Sacred Sword, its strategic value was immeasurable!

"This thing must not be left to the demon!" Yu Yuanchen took a step forward and reached out to grab the floating black door frame!

However, just as his hand was about to touch the door frame, something unexpected happened!

Countless dark red runes suddenly lit up around the altar! The entire hall trembled violently! Four terrifying wills, no less powerful than the Demon King Salvos, seemed to be awakened from their slumber and descended with a roar! Four roars filled with endless savagery and greed exploded in the minds of the four:

"Human! How dare you covet our race's treasure! You're courting death!"