The Overbearing Demon Race

"Why sigh, Dao Brother? If the Demon Race comes, then we fight them to the death. At worst, we die and our Dao vanishes." Profound Water Daoist spoke with unwavering resolve.

Skyfire Daoist, who had always been hot-tempered and at odds with Profound Water Daoist because their Great Daos diverged, rarely offered no objection this time. Instead, he said firmly, "I too am willing to live and die with the Immortal Court."

Spirit Tortoise True Person said nothing. He merely stepped forward silently and stood beside Dongwang Gong.

Dongwang Gong looked at these three Dao friends, whose temperaments were utterly different yet who had all chosen to remain and face the Heavenly Court with him. A wave of bitterness rose in his heart. His lips moved as though he wished to say something, yet no words came out.

Spirit Tortoise True Person understood at once that Dongwang Gong wanted to urge the three of them to leave. This time, Dijun and Taiyi were personally leading the Demon Race. Since those two had come, they would never spare Dongwang Gong.

Yet the Demon Race still had to deal with the Witch Clan afterward and was desperately short of manpower. The three of them were all quasi-Saints. If they wished to surrender, Dijun would certainly not slaughter them all; he might even gladly accept them into his ranks.

Even if the three were unwilling to join the Demon Race and simply left the Immortal Court to live in seclusion, withdrawing from worldly affairs forever, there was a strong chance Dijun would not stop them from leaving.

Not only Spirit Tortoise True Person understood this; Profound Water Daoist and Skyfire Daoist understood as well. Yet the three still resolutely chose to remain in the Immortal Court.

Seeing the three so determined to stand with him through life and death, a smile appeared on Dongwang Gong's face. The gloom that had shrouded his heart for so long was swept away. No longer forcing himself to remain calm, he burst into laughter. "Hahaha! To have befriended three Dao friends such as you, this life has not been lived in vain! So what if it is the Demon Race? So long as we remain together, what is there to fear in death?"

Several more days passed. Above the East Sea, scarlet clouds suddenly pressed down, as though flames had set half the sky ablaze. Moments later, waves of war drums rang out from within the clouds without end.

Dongwang Gong drew a deep breath and looked up at the crimson clouds overhead. The dense demon aura and scorching presence of the Sun True Fire had already clearly reached Penglai Immortal Island.

"Profound Water Daoist, quickly gather the entire Immortal Court army and prepare to meet the enemy!"

At Dongwang Gong's command, Profound Water Daoist immediately turned and hurried into Penglai Immortal Island.

At the moment the Demon Race army descended, all his previous unease and terror vanished. Dongwang Gong now had but one conviction: even if his Immortal Court was destroyed, he would make the Demon Race pay the price!

"Come, Dijun! Taiyi! Let this Daoist see just what is so extraordinary about your Demon Race!"

At this thought, two divine rays burst from Dongwang Gong's eyes, piercing straight through the clouds dyed red by the Sun True Fire. Then his imposing voice resounded through the skies. "Since Dijun has come, why not show yourself?"

At this moment, even before Dijun, Dongwang Gong did not lose the bearing of an emperor. He cut quite an imposing figure.

After hearing Dongwang Gong's words, the clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, revealing what seemed like an endless army of the Demon Race within. Their demon aura was terrifying beyond measure, nearly solidifying as it blotted out the heavens and covered the earth!

By then, the Immortal Court army had also finished assembling. Aside from the portion of soldiers who had fled long ago, all the remaining forces gathered behind Dongwang Gong. The spiritual power soaring into the sky faintly contended with the Heavenly Court's might. They were indeed worthy of the Primordial World's title as the third greatest power.

At that moment, a figure clad in golden battle armor emerged from the clouds. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down upon Dongwang Gong from on high. It was none other than the Demon Emperor, Dijun.

Then Dijun slowly spoke. A supremely domineering voice filled with imperial pressure spread across all of Penglai Immortal Island, exploding beside Dongwang Gong's ears like thunder. "Dongwang Gong, you wished to see me, so I have come. What do you have to say?"

"Why has your Demon Race invaded my Immortal Court?"

"Dongwang Gong, the Dao Ancestor personally appointed you chief among the male immortals of the Primordial World and entrusted you with protecting all living beings. Yet you have acted perversely, gone against the heavens, thrown the Primordial World into chaos, and long since fallen into the demonic path. Today, our Heavenly Court seeks to eliminate demons and defend the Dao, restoring bright and clear skies to the Primordial World. Why do you not quickly surrender and submit?" Bai Ze beside Dijun spoke.

Dongwang Gong first burst into laughter. Then, with mockery in his voice, he said, "Who in the Primordial World does not know the ambitions of your Demon Race? Why bother finding such a clumsy excuse only to make people laugh?"

The instant Dongwang Gong finished speaking, the hot-tempered Skyfire Daoist shouted at Dijun, "Dijun! Dongwang Gong was personally appointed chief among the male immortals by the Dao Ancestor. You dare defy the Dao Ancestor's command and attack Dongwang Gong—are you not afraid the Dao Ancestor will punish you?"

Dijun sneered. "Naturally, this Emperor would not dare defy the Dao Ancestor's command. But Demon Marshal Bai Ze has just said it: Dongwang Gong has acted perversely and brought chaos to the Primordial World. If the Dao Ancestor knew of Dongwang Gong's deeds, he would surely be disappointed in him as well.

"However, the Dao Ancestor has now merged with the Heavenly Dao and has no time to concern himself with such matters. As the lord of the Heavenly Court, this Emperor naturally cannot stand idly by. That is why I dispatched troops here—to remove pests such as you for the Primordial World and for the Dao Ancestor!"

Skyfire Daoist trembled with rage. Dijun truly had no shame. He could even utter such words that turned black into white. Who was it that had acted perversely and wiped out countless races of the Primordial World?

"The dignified Demon Emperor is this shameless? Die!" In his fury, Skyfire Daoist forgot the disparity in strength between himself and Dijun and charged at him.

A raging blaze abruptly ignited around Skyfire Daoist's fists. Empowered by his mana, the flames transformed into a golden stream of light and shot straight toward Dijun.

Skyfire Daoist had taken form from a wisp of skyfire within Undying Volcano. Born with an innate understanding of fire-based divine arts, the golden flames left even space itself scorching and twisting in their wake!

Watching Skyfire Daoist charge at him in fury, a cold glint flashed through Dijun's eyes. As Demon Emperor, he was not someone a newly advanced quasi-Saint like Skyfire Daoist could provoke. Since he dared strike at him, he had to be prepared for death and the dissipation of his Dao.

Just as Skyfire Daoist's fists were about to strike Dijun, the Sun True Fire around Dijun gathered before him, forming a wall of flame.

Skyfire Daoist's fists, wrapped in golden fire, landed upon the wall yet could not advance an inch.

"How is this possible?!" Skyfire Daoist's face filled with horror. He could clearly sense that not only had the flames he took such pride in failed to harm Dijun in the slightest, they even seemed to be dissolving the instant they touched the fire wall.

Before Skyfire Daoist could recover his senses, an incomparably domineering surge of flame abruptly rose from Dijun's body the next moment. This fire was countless times more powerful and ferocious than Skyfire Daoist's flames. It crawled from Skyfire Daoist's fists onto his body, and before long, his entire body was burning violently!

Skyfire Daoist howled in agony. Since gaining spiritual awareness, he had never experienced the pain of being scorched by flames!

Skyfire Daoist, whose mastery of fire-based divine arts had reached miraculous heights, was about to perish on the spot within Dijun's Sun True Fire. Dongwang Gong roared, gripped his dragon-headed staff, and shot into the sky, swinging it fiercely at Dijun.

Seeing this, Taiyi at Dijun's side flipped his right hand, and a small bell appeared from thin air. Taiyi then tossed out the Chaos Bell in his hand.

Dang! Dang! Dang! Accompanied by three bell chimes, the Chaos Bell spun rapidly, expanding to the size of a person. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before Dongwang Gong and blocked his path.

Dang! In his towering rage, Dongwang Gong swung his dragon-headed staff directly into the Chaos Bell.

Yet the Chaos Bell remained as immovable as a mountain, while Dongwang Gong himself was sent flying.

And that chime of the Chaos Bell seemed like a funeral knell for Skyfire Daoist. In that instant, Skyfire Daoist had already been burned to ash, his soul scattered by the Sun True Fire.