The Celestial Devil's Demise

This was the first time Li Fan had ever encountered a situation where, halfway through a dungeon run, the boss knelt down and begged for mercy, saying he'd won and wouldn't continue. He'd only managed to defeat three of the main bosses, and then the rest of the dungeon bosses just ran away! Unbelievable!

Alas, that's the downside of fighting these cunning old foxes from the mystical sects. They won't hold out until defeat is inevitable before making a run for it. Often, when the tide turns and the odds are against them, they'll start looking for a way out.

Those who are clever and difficult to deal with calculate defeat first, then victory, always maintaining the opportunity to retreat unscathed, never getting entangled in the opponent's scheme, and preferring not to fight back if there is no chance of winning. This is called the Thirty-Six Stratagems, of which running away is the best.

However, the fact that these people were actually able to escape from the Tai Sha Star Realm was indeed beyond Li Fan's expectations. He frowned and calculated for a while before he could figure out the relationships here.

The Grand Tutor's death and the tribulation of the Heavenly Demon's Creation are quite clear. This tribulation is mainly aimed at the Celestial Devil Emperor. Whether it is the Xuanmen, the Divine Sect, or even Li Fan, they could all lead to the Celestial Devil Emperor's demise.

However, the Celestial Devil Emperor's initiative to ascend Yuntai Peak to challenge the Xuan Girl Heavenly Book changed the nature of this tribulation. It transformed from the Heavenly Demon undergoing tribulation alone into the Nine Great Xuan Sects leaders also facing the tribulation, representing the Profound Maiden's successors and protecting the Heavenly Book. While the Heavenly Demon still faced the risk of annihilation, the sect leaders, now facing the tribulation, were also at risk of death, making the Celestial Devil Emperor's chances of victory less slim.

It was precisely because he had foreseen this that Li Fan proactively stepped forward, revealing his identity as the leader of the Beichen Sword Sect, and dragged all those destined for calamity into the Star Boundary, intending to wipe them out in one fell swoop. After all, they were Xuanmen Dao Lords; if he didn't take advantage of their misfortune now, would he be able to harm them again later?

As Li Fan had predicted, the most powerful Dao technique was the one never seen before. Once it arrived in Li Fan's Star Realm, all the cultivation these sect leaders and Dao masters had accumulated over the years would be useless. All their accumulated knowledge would have to be learned from scratch. Even if their power far surpassed Li Fan's, they would not be able to fully utilize their abilities, and they would not be able to comprehend the principles of the Tai Su Star Realm in an instant. Therefore, Li Fan truly had a chance to kill them.

Therefore, after trying out a couple of moves and realizing that they were no match for Li Fan in the Star Realm Array, Purple Void Dao Lord and the others bravely launched a fierce attack on the Celestial Devil Emperor! After all, whether it was paying homage to the mountain or creating the heavens, as long as they cut off the root of the problem and killed this troublesome Heavenly Demon, this calamity would be resolved on its own!

As for Li Fan, he had to fight on both sides. On one hand, he had to constantly weaken the Celestial Devil Emperor to prevent him from breaking through to the Enlightenment Stage. On the other hand, he also had to fight the Xuanmen. After all, who asked the Xuanmen to capture him and bring him here for tribulation? Well, let them undergo tribulation together!

But those two old beasts from Mount Song, as expected of immortal beings, actually managed to break the deadlock from the sidelines.

If Li Fan's calculations are correct, they should have used the mechanism of the Cloud Platform Competition, because the Heavenly Demon's Mountain Worship came after the Cloud Platform Competition, and the third round had not yet been fought, to tamper with this tribulation into a battle for the Nine Peaks Sword Master and the Cloud Platform Sword Master.

Isn't the Cloud Platform Competition supposed to be a competition for Golden Core disciples? Is this even allowed?

Sure, because a master-disciple -Dao Companion relationship allows one to undergo tribulation!

Upon closer examination, all the new Xuanmen sect leaders present were able to face the tribulation because their disciples had secured a peak, and thus could naturally represent their sects to fight on their behalf. Li Fan, with Qin Jiu as his disciple and the recognition of Chun Jun Sword Lord, could barely join as well. As for the Celestial Devil Emperor, although he was no longer the leader of Songshan Sect, he had still taught Shi Kai a move...

So no matter how you calculate it, once Li Fan defeats the three and the others voluntarily concede, the mechanism of the Yuntai Grand Competition will be triggered, and he will be teleported to the outside of the Yuntai Peak Sword Fighting Arena.

Calamity? Can it really be played like this?

To be honest, this move by those old monsters from the Xuanmen sect was truly beyond Li Fan's comprehension.

The concept of overcoming tribulation is inherently mysterious and profound, and even Li Fan himself had a vague understanding of it. The Xuan Tian Sect's method for overcoming tribulation was also overly simplistic, essentially just involving cutting and slashing.

Although the Sword Immortal's method of breaking through tribulations through killing was direct, Li Fan's strength was still somewhat lacking. Despite speaking so confidently beforehand, he couldn't actually kill gods and demons alike, nor could he manage to kill all seven sect leaders and a Heavenly Demon together. He truly disgraced the transmigrators and the Sword Sect.

However, the Xuanmen sect had clearly mastered all sorts of calamities and formation calculations. There were calamities within calamities, and calamities within calamities. Each link was tightly bound to the rules. In any case, they used the surrender mechanism of the Cloud Platform Grand Competition to rescue the person from the closed string barrier.

This outcome was truly baffling. Li Fan couldn't help but suspect that the company might also be involved behind the scenes.

After all, whether it's eleven dimensions, closed chords, or topological arrays, they're ultimately just for fooling these bumpkins. Using them to bluff the system is a bit of a stretch.

Moreover, this Heavenly Demon Tribulation was originally planned by the company, and Yuntai Peak is an ancient spaceship. It's entirely possible that there are some inexplicable secret techniques or devices that can save people from Li Fan's grasp.

If it wasn't the company that intervened, then it can only mean that there are still some operational mechanisms and special rules behind the Enlightenment Stage, Tribulation Transcending, and Sword Fighting that Li Fan doesn't understand.

Oh, and by the way, the Celestial Devil Emperor was the first to see through the scheme of the two old beasts of Mount Song, while the transformed Yay of Magu Mountain was the second. Because, based on strength, he was the weakest of the remaining sect leaders, and logically he should have been sacrificed as the 'third person'. So this guy decisively tricked Kui Niu, and the others went along with it...

Damn it, how can these people be so cunning...?

In the time it took Li Fan to calculate, the Kui Niu Jiuying had already fully recovered.

Although his primordial spirit was temporarily sealed and he fell into a deep slumber, the power of the Enlightened Dao Lord was clearly not something that could be destroyed by physical means. Even in his unconscious state, within the blink of an eye, the damaged and injured bodies of the three Divine Beast automatically healed and were completely repaired. It seems that even if one wanted to kill them, it would take a long time, one vial of blood at a time...

So Li Fan temporarily set up the Tai Sha Sword Formation, trapping the Kui Niu and Jiuying like three hedgehogs, leaving Yue Po to guard the Star Realm. Then he released the Star Realm, his projection descended, transformed into a speck of dust, and returned to the mortal world.

The two elders of Songshan were being somewhat conservative. At this time, Nine Yin Mountain was gone. The entire Nine Yin Mountain region of the Taiji Realm had been destroyed and leveled by the Tai Sha Star Realm, with even the mountain base completely destroyed. Only a vast plain and a huge meteorite crater remained on the ground.

However, Yuntai Peak had already activated its teleportation and moved away in advance. Moreover, the sect facilities of the Beichen Sword Sect had long been transformed into Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land by Xuanmen and projected into other spaces, thus escaping a calamity.

Li Fan retrieved the remains of Chun Jun Sword Lord, sensed them, swept them with his Divine Sense, and then, guided by the remaining sword intent, teleported back to the Nine Yin Peak Grotto.

The Celestial Devil Emperor and the five sect leaders who had just escaped were also here. These sect leaders and demon emperors had all transformed back into human form and were sitting cross-legged in the Sword Tomb, meditating and recuperating. Clearly, the fierce battle had greatly damaged their cultivation. Each of them looked ten or twenty years older, their hair and beards turned white, and their faces were wrinkled, making them look quite pitiful...

The two elders of Mount Song looked at this and that, then turned to look at Li Fan, who had flown down to the front of the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion.

Li Fan wasn't entirely unscathed. He'd been struck by the Starflow Sword Array, coughing up blood, and then relentlessly hacked at the head by the Heaven-Opening Blade Intent, losing at least fifty "flowers" (a type of spiritual energy). His mood cap was practically below 150k, and the exertion was immense. Between the Tai Sha Sword Technique and the Primordial Spirit Seal, and now with three Dao Lords bound in his stomach waiting to be digested, he was honestly starting to feel the strain. He was only managing to hide his fatigue thanks to his "Microcosmic Escape" ability—his mask was fabricated.

Ji Qingyan: "Wow, Tai Su Dao is that powerful?"

Xia Baishu, "This is terrible! I'm even considering retaking the course!"

Li Fan sneered, "If that's what you two seniors mean, then I'm willing to help you dissolve your bodies."

Ji Qingyan quickly waved his hand, "Oh, no need, no need. We appreciate your kindness, young friend. The world still depends on you young people."

Xia Baishu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, we have always admired Qingyue and her master the most. In the future, the important task of eliminating demons and protecting the Xuanmen will still be entrusted to you."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, "Using Qin Jiu to threaten me?"

Ji Qingyan hurriedly took out the magic mirror and showed Qin Jiu, who was healing in the alchemy furnace.

"Hey, don't misunderstand, we were worried about his injuries, so we specially sent him to Songshan for recuperation. Don't worry, young friend, once he's fully recovered, I'll personally escort him back to Ink Bamboo Mountain."

Xia Baishu pointed a finger at Kun, who was gorging himself in the Songshan cafeteria.

"Forget about this guy, you can take him home first, you can't afford to keep him."

Li Fan ignored the two old beasts and turned to look at the middle-aged Celestial Devil Emperor, who looked ten or twenty years older.

"Demon Lord, since you've admitted defeat, why don't you commit suicide?"

This guy's still alive and kicking, he's not finished yet, is he?

The Celestial Devil Emperor also stood up, glanced at Li Fan guarding the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion, and burst into laughter.

"Thank you for your guidance, Daoist! I am completely convinced of my defeat! It was a worthwhile loss! A truly worthwhile loss! Hahaha! Ha-- The Tai Sha Celestial Devil Saber!!"

The middle-aged mecha Celestial Devil Emperor gestured, drawing a jet-black, razor-sharp longsword from the void! Its blade was formed from the intent of the Heaven-Opening Blade, and its power was concentrated into a single, deadly blade! This was it!

Tai Su Heavenly Demon Path!

The Tai Sha Celestial Devil Saber!

Holy crap... no, no way... this is too outrageous...

This shocked not only Li Fan, but also the two elders of Songshan and the other five sect leaders.

Indeed, the First Demon Emperor of the Tai Su Era truly lives up to his name. After being stabbed hundreds of times by Li Fan, he was able to analyze the power of the Tai Sha Sword and condense his own Tai Sha Demon Saber!

Li Fan stared at the Tai Sha Demon Saber, a chill running down his spine. He could sense that the move the Celestial Devil Emperor had comprehended was truly extraordinary. The Heaven-Opening Blade Intent alone was already incredibly powerful, requiring the Three Flowers Technique to withstand the attack. If this Tai Sha Demon Saber were added to the mix... hiss... it's hard to say... really hard to say...

If the Celestial Devil Emperor's blade is fast enough, he could first use his blade intent to break through the Three Flowers, and then Tai Sha Demon Saber Blade to sever the sword. There might actually be a chance to directly shatter his Tai Sha Star Core with a single strike...

"I keep my word. If I lose, I lose. I won't pay homage to the mountain! You can keep the Xuan Girl Heavenly Book for yourselves! Hahaha!"

The Celestial Devil Emperor, with his sword on his shoulder, stood up, turned around, and started walking down the mountain!

Ji Qingyan and Xia Baishu quickly moved closer, staring at Li Fan from both sides.

Li Fan exclaimed in surprise, "What! Are you going to throw me over there again?!"

Xia Baishu, "Young friend, didn't you just win a match? What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Fan roared, "You know I've already fought one battle! Who the hell is undergoing tribulation?! Where's the manifestation?! Why isn't the manifestation here yet?!"

Ji Qingyan: "The Manifestation hasn't arrived yet. By the way, where's Purple Void Dao Lord? Wasn't it agreed that Hengshan would pick him up for the second round?"

Li Fan roared, "How would I know where Purple Void Dao Lord went! I'm not her father! Why do you all have to ask me! In the end, who gave you permission to resort to such underhanded tactics!"

Another Tai Sha Star Realm attack? Impossible. That move has too long a wind-up. Anyone at the Enlightenment Stage Realm can escape by using stealth if they are prepared beforehand. Moreover, repeatedly transforming into a star core and summoning the star realm makes it hard to guarantee that others won't see through the flaw and seize the opportunity to attack the core. It can only happen once. But if he doesn't use the Tai Sha Star Realm battlefield cheat, Li Fan, as a Divine Transformation, is really powerless to deal with these Dao Lords in the Taiji Realm.

At this moment, the Celestial Devil Emperor seemed to have bet that Li Fan would be unable to make a continuous attack, and that the two elders of Mount Song would not care about him. He focused on the pressure of the five Dao Lords 'Divine Sense around him, held the Heavenly Demon Blade, and walked down the Sword Tomb step by step, heading towards the outside of the cave.

The five Dao Lords, led by the Mao Mountain Sect Leader, only stared at the Celestial Devil Emperor, and none of them made a move.

After all, their battle in the Star Realm truly damaged their foundations and severely diminished their cultivation. The Celestial Devil Emperor, being in the midst of calamity, was also blessed by the bright False Moon and the Tai Su Heaven, gaining endless baleful energy to recover his strength. They, however, had no need to risk their lives.

After all, "defending the righteous path and eliminating demons" is merely a slogan used for robbery and plunder. Without absolute certainty of victory, a mutually destructive fight would only allow others to profit from the conflict. Moreover, with three sect leaders already fallen in this calamity, the power distribution among the new Nine Great Xuan Sects will inevitably shift. At this point, the benefits of preserving oneself for one's sect far outweigh the gains from risking death in a life-or-death struggle with the demons...

For a moment, everyone present was calculating their chances of winning and how to survive this calamity. Under the watchful Divine Sense of the Dao Lords, the Celestial Devil Emperor, his body tense, descended the mountain step by step.

Suddenly, a cyan-white Qi sword pierced through the void of the cave, heading straight for the Heavenly Celestial Devil Emperor! It pierced right into the Celestial Devil Emperor's left eye!

Yes! This sword strike came too fast; even the Celestial Devil Emperor had no way to dodge it! He was caught off guard! Clearly, it was another Dao Lord level figure who had been lying in wait, seizing the opportunity to launch a sneak attack!

The Celestial Devil Emperor reacted with lightning speed, instantly transforming into a blade of light and fleeing at breakneck speed! Meanwhile, the azure-white Sword Qi transformed into a ten-thousand-foot-long sword beam! Its full power was unleashed, directly pursuing the Demon Emperor!

Seeing this, the five sect leaders around them also attacked together! They transformed into sword rainbows and soared into the sky, mercilessly beating the fallen enemy!

In an instant, six Sword Light and one saber light chased and fought each other in the sky above the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion, causing the night sky to change and the aurora to spread! The rampant Dao Breath rushed like a thunderstorm!

Li Fan looked up and was shocked! It was that guy!

Zhi Jingzi!!

Zhi Jingzi has finally made her move!

Li Fan had always known that this guy was lurking in the Three Realms, and that he had even deliberately placed his Three Corpses clones beside the Grand Tutor, so he must have some ulterior motive. But he never expected him to strike at this moment to slay the demon!

"Shangqing Subduing Demon Divine Sword!"

"The Great Demon Blade that Opens the Heavens!"

The light of the white sword and black blade collided and annihilated above the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion!

Although the Celestial Devil Emperor relied on the power of the Tai Sha Demon Saber to once again fight against six opponents and repel Zhi Jingzi and the other sect leaders, his retreat was cut off once again! He was surrounded by the six Dao Lords in a sword formation!

"It's you, you slave!" the Celestial Devil Emperor roared in fury. "You've broken your oath and broken your promise! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution and annihilation, body and soul?!"

"Sima Xuanwen! You have gone astray, fallen into the demonic path, and still refuse to repent! Heaven will not tolerate you! Fellow Daoists, lend me a hand!"

As Zhi Jingzi spoke, he made a hand seal with his left hand and poured the pure Qi of subduing demons throughout his body into the finger sword. It was like an Azure Dragon slowly rising, and the sword's power and sparks burned through the antenna!

"Shangqing Subdues Demons! Yuheng Starlight! Breaks Mountains and Slays Ghosts! Heavenly Dao Great Wilderness!"

"You! Tai Sha Kai--" The Celestial Devil Emperor, seeing the situation was bad, immediately gathered his strength and condensed his blade. Unfortunately, his opponents were all incredibly cunning! They couldn't see the power of Tai Sha Kai's Heavenly Demon Blade. He absolutely couldn't let him unleash this technique!

At that moment, without Zhi Jingzi saying anything more, the five sect leaders attacked together! The five-colored sword rainbow struck! Forcing the Celestial Devil Emperor to stop charging up his power, he could only defend himself from left and right, repeatedly dodging as the sword rainbow chased him!

Seizing this perfect opportunity, Zhi Jingzi raised his right hand high, his index and middle fingers gleaming, the sword radiating boundless light!

"Shattering Calamity! Northern Star Sword Qi! Slaying Gods and Demons! Nine Luminaries Heavenly Stars!"

The sword energy erupted once more! A dazzling light shone forth, the nine energies uniting into one! The Sword Light tore through the starry sky! The earth-shattering sword power scorched the boundless dark void, making it as bright as day!

"Twin swords combined! Northern Star Demon-Subduing True Slash!!!"

Zhi Jingzi achieved perfect harmony between man and sword! The blue and white sword energy in both hands converged and merged! Combining the true teachings of the two mountains, he condensed them into one sword! And struck down with deadly force!

"The Demon Blade--!"

The Celestial Devil Emperor attempted to resist, but when the Dao Lords returned to the main battlefield, six against one was simply too unfair.

The Celestial Devil Emperor had a winning streak, but a moment of panic allowed him to seize the opportunity. Five sword rainbows instantly transformed into a long rainbow, like colorful ribbons or chains binding his limbs. Then, Zhi Jingzi struck him squarely in the chest with his twin swords!

"Awooooooooo!"

Under the blinding Sword Light, the Devil Form melted away like ice and snow. Countless demons scrambled to emerge from the Celestial Devil Emperor's mouth and nose, trying to escape from this collapsing cage, but were instantly vaporized by the shooting sword force!

The Celestial Devil Emperor was being refined by six Dao Lords, and had completely lost his chance of winning. He could only scream in agony, waiting for the Demon Gods to die so that he would be annihilated in both body and soul, and was desperately waiting for death.

Xia Baishu: "Ugh, this is so tragic, so tragic, I'm not watching anymore."

Ji Qingyan, "He's courting death, he's courting death."

The two elders from Mount Song shook their heads, exchanged a glance, and then turned their heads together.

Huh? Where did that kid go?

Using the moonlight, Li Fan concealed himself in the shadows, then condensed the shadows into a sword. With a single, silent, formless Sword Light and the rising Dao Breath and demonic energy, he projected a thin, dark bamboo-leaf-like sword core. Riding the wind, it pressed against Zhi Jingzi's back, slicing across the surface of water like a gentle breeze, the blade cutting through ripples silently.

The New Beichen Killing Sword. The Invisible Sword of the Great Killer.

"Puff--!"

Zhi Jingzi suffered a severe blow! His Dao body collapsed! His Sword Qi dissipated! He fled in a flash!

And the black willow leaf followed closely behind!

Ji Qingyan was stunned. "... What's wrong with this kid now? Does he have a personal grudge?"

Xia Baishu did the math, "... He laid a hand on me once, wow, he's so petty..."

The Celestial Devil Emperor, "Hahahaha! Heaven hasn't forsaken me! Heaven hasn't forsaken me! The Tai Sha Demon Saber!!"

At this moment, the five sect leaders also wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood, but the Celestial Devil Emperor had survived a desperate situation and was acting like a madman, with astonishing sword intent! He forced them to retreat temporarily, scattering and fleeing to dodge the Demon Emperor's frenzied counterattack with his demonic sword slashes.

And right in the midst of this chaos!

A blue figure streaked across the horizon, lunging straight at the Celestial Devil Emperor! With a grab, a lift, and a tear, in a single move, it ripped open the Celestial Devil Emperor's arms!

Everyone was shocked. "What?!" "Who is it?!" "Manifestation!?"

The Celestial Devil Emperor roared, "No! You are not a manifestation! Who are you! Who are you!"

"Hahaha! Guess who I am! Who am I! Who am I! Who am I!"

The figure, like a blue wind, swirled around the Celestial Devil Emperor, tearing at him wildly. In the blink of an eye, like a hurricane, it smashed the First Ancestor Celestial Devil Emperor of Tai Su into pieces, tearing him apart like a raging torrent!

In the blink of an eye, it was torn to shreds like shredded mutton, leaving only the Demon Emperor's head resting in the palm of the hand. The man deliberately hid his face behind the Demon Emperor's ear and whispered,

"Hey, can you guess what it is?"

"... Who are you... who exactly are you...?"

Blood gushed from the Celestial Devil Emperor's mouth and nose; black, malevolent blood, resembling a vengeful human face, continued to gush from his seven orifices. The Celestial Devil Emperor desperately rolled his eyes, trying to make out the person behind his head. But...

"Smack!"

With a soft crack, the Celestial Devil Emperor's head was smashed by a slap, then kneaded into a ball of flesh, which the person stuffed into their mouth and chewed up with a crunching sound before swallowing it down with a gulp.

Then the man patted his stomach and said,

"Hiccup--! I'm telling you, I'm the manifested father!"

Hahaha! My good boys! Daddy's home! Hahahaha!