East Sea Coast, Human Ancestral Land.
The faint hope that had once lingered beside the altar had now been replaced by despair.
Suiren Shi, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi, the Three Human Ancestors, stood side by side atop the crude altar platform, gazing into the distance.
The excitement and exhilaration from not long ago had vanished from their faces.
Only an indelible gloom remained, along with barely concealed shock and fury.
Not long after Xuandu left, before they could even discuss matters thoroughly with the leaders of the various tribes.
The upheaval arrived!
"Rumble!"
At the edge of the sky, Demon Clouds churned and spread toward the East Sea Coast at a speed visible to the naked eye!
This was not harassment from a small group of demon soldiers, but a true Demon Race Army!
Banners fluttered as Demonic Qi soared into the heavens!
Countless savage figures flickered in and out of sight within the Demon Clouds, scales glinting, claws icy, their gazes fixed firmly upon the Human Race settlement below.
Streams of powerful Demonic Qi were unleashed without restraint.
Profound Immortals, Golden Immortals, Taiyi Golden Immortals...
The number and strength of the demon soldiers and generals far surpassed any previous massacre!
Even more unnerving, these demons did not attack immediately.
Instead, they swiftly dispersed, sealing off the entire East Sea Coast, as well as every sizable Human Race tribe within hundreds of thousands of miles!
The sky was shrouded by Demon Clouds, sunlight unable to penetrate, and the land fell into darkness.
Demonic Qi blocked every direction, preventing escape lights from passing through and trapping the Myriad Myriad Human Race within!
"Too fast... The Demon Race moved far too quickly this time!"
Youchao Shi's voice was hoarse. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging along his bronze arms.
He tried to resist, but before that vast Demonic Might, he seemed so frail and powerless.
Ziyi Shi's beautiful eyes brimmed with killing intent. Looking at the Demon Clouds that blotted out the sky and sun, her voice trembled slightly.
"What... what are they trying to do?"
"Are they... going to wipe out our Human Race entirely?"
This was completely different from their previous hunts.
This time, they clearly had a specific purpose!
Holding the Firewood Staff of Eternal Flame, Suiren Shi said coldly.
"Xuandu just killed Ghost Chariot and cleared the demons from the East Sea Coast... The Demon Court's actions are no ordinary retaliation."
His gaze swept over the panicked people gathered around the altar below, and his heart sank without cease.
"They must have noticed something..."
He thought of Xuandu's warning before leaving, and of the Secret of Blood that concerned the Human Race's Survival.
Could it be... the Demon Race already knew?
The thought sent a chill through his entire body.
"What... what should we do?"
A Tribe Leader staggered over, his face filled with fear and despair, his voice carrying a sob.
"Demons are everywhere. We... we can't escape!"
His words represented the shared thoughts of every trapped human at that moment.
An atmosphere of despair spread through the crowd.
The Three Ancestors remained silent.
Facing this overwhelming Demon Race Army, any words seemed pale and powerless.
Suiren Shi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the raging turmoil in his heart as he raised the Firewood Staff of Eternal Flame high.
"Buzz!"
That weak flame suddenly brightened, driving away the gloom around them.
"What are you panicking for?!"
Suiren Shi's voice boomed like a great bell as he forcibly raised his clansmen's morale.
"Xuandu has already gone to seek a way out for us!"
"Before then, as the backbone of the Human Race, even if we die, we must not disgrace the Human Race's integrity!"
His voice carried an unyielding resolve that inspired those around him.
Youchao Shi stepped forward, Blood Qi erupting around him as he said in a deep voice.
"That's right! We hold out for as long as we can!"
Ziyi Shi also shouted sharply.
"The women, children, elderly, and weak retreat to the center! Everyone who can fight, follow us and establish defenses along the perimeter!"
Under the Three Ancestors' command, the panicked crowd barely stabilized.
Thirty-three Heavens, Lingxiao Palace.
Di Jun stood with his hands behind his back before the enormous Star Chart. His gaze pierced through endless void as he coldly watched the scene at the East Sea Coast.
Watching the trembling Human Race beneath the Demon Army's encirclement, a faint smile curled across his lips.
"The struggles of ants are rather tragic in their own way."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi stood beside him, the Chaos Bell floating above his palm and emitting Misty Clear Light.
"Big Brother, since we have confirmed that Human Race Blood works, why not act at once and collect it all?"
"Why make such a grand display and waste time?"
There was a trace of confusion in his tone, as well as impatience.
If the Witch-Slaying Sword could be forged sooner, the Demon Race could flatten the Witch Clan sooner and achieve Supreme Hegemony!
Di Jun slowly turned, golden flames flickering in his eyes with a profound air of absolute control.
"Second Brother, do you know why that mysterious Quasi-Saint killed Ghost Chariot and prevented the Witch Clan from coming into contact with human blood?"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi frowned slightly.
"Obviously, he feared that the secret would be exposed."
"Correct."
Di Jun nodded, his voice icy.
"The more he tries to conceal it, the more crucial this secret must be!"
"Now that Ghost Chariot has fallen and the Heavenly Secret is in Chaos, that Quasi-Saint is hiding himself away."
"I shall use the countless ants of the East Sea Coast as bait and lay down this Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare!"
His gaze turned once more toward the region covered by Demon Clouds, his tone teasing.
"I would like to see whether that Quasi-Saint, who hides his face and conceals his identity, will appear again for these ants."
"If he appears... we can use this chance to probe his origins. If we can capture and kill him, we will eliminate future trouble forever!"
"If he does not appear..."
Killing intent surged in Di Jun's eyes.
"Once I gather enough essence blood and forge the Witch-Slaying Sword, it will be the day the Witch Clan perishes—and the day he dies as well!"
Upon hearing this, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes flashed with understanding. He clapped his hands and laughed.
"So that is how it is! Big Brother's plan is brilliant! Killing two birds with one stone!"
After all, that unknown being had killed Ghost Chariot!
If they did not kill him, where would the Demon Court's prestige remain?
How else could the two of them command the Demon Race?
As for whether the Human Race lived or died... who would care?
Just then!
"Rip!"
A clear cyan Sword Light tore through the heavy Demon Clouds without warning!
Like the First Ray of Light at dawn, it descended with unstoppable force!
Wherever the Sword Light passed, Demonic Qi was instantly shredded by its sharp Sword Intent.
A green-clad figure appeared alongside the Sword Light, landing steadily upon the Altar Peak before the Three Ancestors.
His robes fluttered, his expression calm. It was Xuandu, who had rushed back!
"Xuandu!"
"You've returned!"
The Three Ancestors and countless humans below were stunned at first, before erupting in wild joy as though they had survived a calamity!
Xuandu's appearance instantly steadied the hearts that had been on the verge of collapse.
After all, Xuandu was the Human Race's strongest fighting force.
Even the Three Human Ancestors were only Early Daluo Golden Immortals now.
Xuandu did not look toward the excited crowd behind him. His gaze swept over the Demon Race Army in the sky, which had abruptly halted in uncertainty upon his appearance.
"Demon Race."
Xuandu spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the four directions, carrying unquestionable majesty.
"Retreat immediately, and you may keep your lives."
"Those who insist on advancing will have both body and soul destroyed."
As his words fell, a Hunyuan Dao Rhyme that stood above all things slowly spread from within him.
Though it had not fully erupted, it already caused the Demon Clouds ahead to churn violently. Countless demons revealed horrified expressions, instinctively feeling fear!
At that moment, Ci Tie, who was responsible for the blockade at the center of the army, was utterly shocked.
A savage and tyrannical aura emanated from him. He was Ci Tie, one of the Demon Race's Ten Great Demon Saints!
Yet the face of this Demon Saint, who had always feared neither heaven nor earth, was now filled with incredulous terror!
"Hunyuan... It is Hunyuan Dao Rhyme!"
Ci Tie's pupils contracted violently as he stared fixedly at That Green Clad Figure upon the altar.
That person's aura below was completely different from that of a Quasi-Saint who had severed corpses!
There was no fleeting feeling of relying on a spiritual treasure, nor any phenomenon of obsessions being severed.
There was only Hunyuan Dao Rhyme, pure to the extreme, self-contained as its own world!
Above the Heavenly Dao, beyond all restraints!
This was absolutely not a Quasi-Saint who had achieved his realm through Primordial Violet Qi or by severing the Three Corpses.
It was the most difficult breakthrough of all: a Golden Immortal of the Origin!
"How is this possible... How can this be possible?"
Ci Tie roared inwardly, his understanding nearly overturned.
The Path of Hunyuan was unimaginably difficult!
Since the Dragon Han First Tribulation, aside from those Innate Overlords who had long since fallen, who else had ever walked it through?
Even the two majesties of the Demon Race, despite wielding Innate Supreme Treasures such as the River Diagram and Luo Book and the Chaos Bell, had ultimately chosen the steadier Path of Severing Corpses!
But this person before him...
Feeling that Hunyuan Pressure, a chill rose within Ci Tie.
His Majesty had used the Human Race as bait, intending to lure out the one who killed Ghost Chariot, yet he had never expected that person to be a Golden Immortal of the Origin.
How could anyone who had broken through to the Golden Immortal of the Origin be simple?
This was troublesome!
Something was terribly wrong!
Ci Tie instantly realized the severity of the situation.
If Xuandu were merely an ordinary Quasi-Saint, even with profound cultivation, Ci Tie might still have been able to contend with him or even suppress him.
But an existence who had walked through the Path of Hunyuan...
His methods and potential far surpassed those of an ordinary Quasi-Saint!
Facing an unknown Golden Immortal of the Origin, fighting head-on was hardly a wise choice!
But then Ci Tie reacted.
The disturbance here was so immense that the two majesties must be watching at all times.
He only needed to stall for a moment. Once His Majesty's true body descended, even a Golden Immortal of the Origin would not escape suppression!
This man's aura was only around the Early Stage Golden Immortal of the Origin. Stalling for time would not be a problem.
With that thought, Ci Tie felt somewhat calmer and forcibly suppressed his fear of the Golden Immortal of the Origin.
He stepped forward. His mountain-like body tore through the Demon Clouds as he descended with a thunderous crash into the air before the altar.
He faced Xuandu from afar.
"Hmph!"
Ci Tie's voice rumbled like muffled thunder, carrying the Demon Race's characteristic brutality.
"You skulking coward, how dare you obstruct the Demon Race's affairs!"
Xuandu calmly swept his gaze over Ci Tie, who had stepped through the air, without the slightest ripple in his heart.
Since the Demon Court had deployed such a formation and sealed off the East Sea Coast.
It was clear that Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi had learned that Human Race Blood could restrain the Witch Clan.
Xuandu had not expected that despite doing everything possible to stop it, the matter had still been exposed.
But he also knew that it had already happened. What mattered now was how to survive this crisis.
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were certainly watching this place.
Sending Ci Tie ahead was nothing more than an attempt to test his true strength and origins.
Though a Golden Immortal of the Origin was powerful, Xuandu knew his own situation best.
He possessed the Hunyuan realm and vast mana, yet he had never unlocked Cultivation Technique Sum Feedback.
His methods against enemies were lacking; he had only the Shangqing Gongfa and Shangqing Sword Art to rely on.
Once he truly fought, if he became entangled with a Demon Saint like Ci Tie, renowned for his powerful physical body and strange Divine Abilities, his true capabilities would inevitably be exposed.
If Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi saw through him then, unforeseen complications might arise.
The primary purpose of this journey was not to fight a bloody battle against the Demon Race Army.
It was to seize that Glimmer of Hope for the Human Race!
As his thoughts raced, Xuandu had already made his decision.
He completely ignored Ci Tie ahead of him, who was brimming with imposing Demonic Might.
Under Ci Tie's uncertain, suspicious gaze, and the bewildered stares of countless demons and the Human Race below—
Xuandu slowly turned around.
His gaze passed over the excited yet uneasy Three Ancestors and settled upon the countless members of the Human Race.
Suiren Shi was the first to react.
Though he did not know Xuandu's exact plan, seeing him ignore the Demon Saint, he knew there had to be a deeper meaning.
Now was absolutely not the time to hesitate!
Suiren Shi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fear of the demon soldiers filling the sky.
He slammed down the Firewood Staff of Eternal Flame in his hand, symbolizing the origin of Human Race civilization!
"Buzz!"
The faint flame suddenly swelled threefold, its radiance blazing brightly.
He stepped forward, and the Daluo Golden Immortal mana born of Heavenly Dao Merit surged through his body.
"Sons and daughters of the Human Race!"
Suiren Shi's voice rang like a great bell, drowning out the howling demon wind:
"Xuandu is of our Human Race. Today, he is willing to impart cultivation techniques to the Human Race and protect our lineage from extinction!"
"This is an opportunity our Human Race has never seen in all eternity!"
His gaze swept over one eager face after another, and his voice suddenly rose as he declared resolutely:
"All members of the Human Race..."
"Perform the disciple's bow!!"
Before you continue