Following the news of the Beastmaster Sect's annihilation, Shitian personally arrived to investigate the truth. Life had its ups and downs, and sects underwent rises and fallsâit was a natural part of existence. But what was alarming was that the Beastmaster Sect's demise was too silent, so much so that even the sect's own disciples were unaware of it.
Shitian could not allow the same fate to befall the Myriad Sword Sect or other allied sects. So he came, determined to uncover the culprit. Naturally, his first suspects were Qi Ze and Yan Junyu. However, the spies monitoring the duo reported that they were busy performing a blood sacrifice for the lost souls of the Supreme Divine Creation Sect, not once leaving the sect grounds.
If not them, then who? It could only be someone from the Demon Realm. With this thought, a murderous intent flashed in Shitian's eyes. He cleaved through the defensive formation of the main peak, ascended to the top, and entered the inner hall, pointing to a large, empty cage and demanding, "What is this?"
The surviving disciple of the Beastmaster Sect hastily replied, "It's a cage forged from ten thousand years of profound iron, specifically for holding spirit beasts of the ninth rank and above."
"The cage sits here, stained with blood. Could it be that the Beastmaster Sect's destruction wasn't the work of demons but of spirit beasts?" speculated a sword cultivator.
Shitian remained unresponsive, pacing back and forth in the hall. Soon, an elder entered, holding an oval-shaped object, and whispered, "Sect Leader, doesn't this thing resemble the monster Qi Ze keeps?"
The object was hard and earthy brown, one side smooth and round, the other flat and rough, adorned with many tiny tentacles. Holding it felt akin to grasping a beetle or a spud riddled with roots, its form bizarrely grotesque.
Regarding the Demon Annihilation Body, everyone's impression was deep, quickly realizing that this oddity was a miniature version of the flesh mountain.
"Where did this thing come from?" Shitian took the object, examining it closely.
"I stumbled upon it in the mountains. Its odd appearance caught my attentionâit seemed part insect, part stone. I thought I'd bring it to you, Sect Leader. Could this thing have any connection to the Demon Annihilation Body?"
"To know for sure, a test is needed." Relying on his profound cultivation, Shitian immediately infused it with spirit energy to see how it would react.
In an instant, the object softened from its rigid state. Its curled-up tentacles stretched out, wriggling like seaweed at the bottom of the sea, then entwined around Shitian's fingertip. Shitian let out a soft "ah," his expression one of astonishment.
A tiny tentacle pierced his fingertip, then greedily sucked the blood from the wound.
"Sect Leader, since you reached the Great Consummation stage, we haven't seen you wounded or bleed. This little thing, seemingly weak, managed to penetrate your protective spirit energy. It must be extraordinary!" several sword cultivators exclaimed in equal surprise.
Witnessing the small creature swell rapidly, Shitian hastily threw it away and shattered it with sword qi. However, the tentacle broke off and became lodged in his wound, quickly burrowing into his blood vessels, entering his Dharmic Body.
The series of unexpected events caught Shitian off guard. He stared at the already healed wound and mused, "This thing is indeed peculiar. Search the mountain again to see if there are more. Being able to easily break through the protective spirit energy of a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator, what else could it be but the Demon Annihilation Body? I never imagined this thing would originate from the Beastmaster Sect. Could this be Qi Ze's destiny?"
"This explanation does make sense. The Fusion Body plus the Demon Annihilation Body, who could kill him? No wonder he was able to escape all the way to the Spirit Water Palace and venture to the border between the realms. It seems he had this monster protecting him all along." The realization dawned on everyone, and they enthusiastically set out to scour the mountain.
Once everyone left, the fragments of the thing Shitian had ground into dust began to come back to life. They crawled on the ground like ants, devouring their kind when they encountered each other, and soon returned to their original form, slowly entering the forestâ
Thus, the case of the Beastmaster Sect's destruction was left unresolved. Shitian never found a second monster and had no choice but to return to the sect, tirelessly practicing the Immortal Slaying Array while awaiting good news from the Wujie Sect Leader. This wait lasted for three years.
Three years later, the Qianyuan Continent had transformed. The cultivation realm was in constant retreat while the Demon Realm pressed forward. The Supreme Divine Creation Sect had become the fifth major sect of the Demon Realm, continuously supplying weapons to the Demon Realm. Qi Ze occasionally released a few half-divine artifacts for auction at the Treasure Pavilion.
Initially, only demons attended these auctions to support him, but the allure of half-divine artifacts was too great. As more and more cultivators at the Union, Great Consummation, and even Tribulation Transcendence stages were slain by demons wielding half-divine artifacts, cultivators could no longer resist. They secretly swallowed demon seeds, disguising themselves as demons to participate in auctions at the Treasure Pavilion. Over time, cultivators who once vehemently opposed Qi Ze rarely recalled his special constitution. They only remembered the spirit artifacts in his possession, and many secretly sought to apprentice under or ally with the Supreme Divine Creation Sect.
Facing an increasingly grim situation, even Shitian was struggling to hold on. Fortunately, the Wujie Sect Leader did not fail him and finally refined the divine sword, but he couldn't withstand the Nine-Nine Lightning Tribulation and ultimately perished, leaving behind a half-divine artifact damaged by the tribulation.
Upon hearing the news, more cultivators advocated for peaceful coexistence with demons. After all, the Qianyuan Continent was once a place where immortals and demons coexisted. They fought for dominance, one side advancing as the other retreated, for ten thousand years without the Heavenly Dao ever completely rejecting the demons and striking them all down with thunder.
In the end, the Qianyuan Continent was inherently brutal, and the barrier that had protected cultivators for ten thousand years was the true culprit behind their complacency and eventual downfall. The Supreme Divine Creation Sect's destruction, Qi Ze's fortunate survival, the appearance of the old demon, the barrier's breach, the merging of the two realms, and a series of events unfolded like a perfectly choreographed dance. It seemed as if the Heavenly Dao had orchestrated everything, waiting for the next battle between immortals and demons.
Cautious casual cultivators withdrew from the war between the two realms, and unknown minor sects found various excuses to retreat. The once united cultivation realm became a scattered force, with only the Ten Great Sects remaining intact under Shitian's suppression.
With the Phoenix Cry Sword left by the Wujie Sect Leader in hand, Shitian spoke slowly, "Although it's a defective product, it complements my Dragon Roar perfectly, and its power could rival a divine artifact. We've practiced the Immortal Slaying Array tens of thousands of times and should be confident."
"According to Sect Leader's wishes, shall we declare war on the Demon Realm?" a cultivator asked, bowing.
"Let the war begin." Shitian gave the order in a solemn voice.
Three days later, hundreds of thousands of cultivators gathered at the border between the realms, ready to engage the demons in a decisive battle. As if sensing the gravity of the moment, the Heavenly Dao hid the vast expanse of the sky, casting layer upon layer of dark clouds, sending violent storms sweeping across the continent, causing sand and stones to fly everywhere. Casual cultivators and minor sects that had withdrawn from the fight hurried to find secret hiding places, while the demons had no choice but to face the battle head-on.
Qi Ze sat on the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disk, idly playing with the white banner in his hand, his eyes fixed on Shitian with keen interest. This was his first encounter with the mastermind behind the sect's destruction, and the accumulated hatred from hundreds, nearly a thousand years, seemed to dissipate. He knew that Shitian's days were numbered.
"I believe the war could end right now," Qi Ze said, his smile ambiguous. Yan Junyu hung high in the sky, his immense pressure continuously rolling over the border of the realms. Truthfully, he didn't care who won or lost; he only wanted his beloved to be safe.
Shitian, however, assumed he was begging for mercy and sneered. "We still have to fight it out."
"Are you sure you can still fight?" Qi Ze asked with a tone of pity.
Shitian hesitated, but he felt that the other party didn't have the means to secretly harm him. He immediately ordered his men to set up the Immortal Slaying Array. The first sword sect killing array was not just a name; even before it was fully formed, the air was filled with intense sword intent and murderous aura, forcing the demons standing in front to retreat continuously.
No one had seen the power of an Immortal Slaying Array arranged by a Tribulation Transcendence stage powerhouse, but even from the scattered records of ancient times, one could imagine its mightâa scene where the sun and moon lost their luster, the sky changed color, sword qi crisscrossed, and ten thousand demons were vanquished, a river of blood flowing. The moment Shitian stepped through the Seven Stars and entered the core of the array, countless sword lights would sweep across the entire continent, bringing about a one-sided massacre.
The only array that could counteract this was the Yin Evil Array, yet Qi Ze, holding the white banner, made no move, worrying the demon lords.
"Sect Lord Qi, why are you still sitting on the Five Elements Disk? Quickly set up the array!" The sect leader of the Blood Demon Sect wished he could kneel before him. Then, he summoned the demon lord in the sky but received only a cold, indifferent gaze from him.
How could this couple be inactive at such a crucial moment? Were they spies sent by the cultivation realm, waiting to spark a war between the two realms to wipe out all remaining demons? This thought simultaneously crossed the minds of all the demons, sending shivers down their spines.
On the cultivation realm's side, morale soared. Seeing their Sect Leader Shitian stepping into the core of the array with the Dragon Roar and Phoenix Cry raised toward the sky, releasing sword intent, they cheered in approval. Qi Ze's words were indeed correct; the war would end soon.
But in the next moment, Sect Leader Shitian suddenly collapsed to the ground, the spirit energy in his body dissipating rapidly, unable to support the core of the array. The cultivator closest to him wanted to help but was concerned about disrupting the formation and remained still. A few moments later, the previously awe-inspiring and ferocious Immortal Slaying Array slowly lost its divine radiance and ceased to function.
The various great powers only approached him then, both shocked and angry. "What's wrong with you? Did Qi Ze secretly harm you?"
"Tentacles! Three years ago!" Shitian spat out a mouthful of thick blood upon speaking, which contained many things as fine as dust, crawling towards the surrounding cultivators once they landed on the ground. Due to their minute size and the perilous situation, no one noticed them.
Shitian had lived for a millennium or two. How could he not understand his current predicament? The tentacle that entered his body three years ago did not disintegrate under the sword qi in his dantian as he had imagined. Instead, it clung to his blood vessel walls, remaining dormant until now. When Qi Ze used a secret technique to awaken it, it immediately devoured the spirit energy in his body and entered his dantian through his blood vessels, causing him to suffer the agony of his cultivation collapsing.
No matter how he tried to kill the monster with sword qi, it would only break into even smaller pieces, greedily devouring his body like a glutton. The sword qi coursing through his body only made him suffer even more. In a short moment, every pore in his body was occupied by these dust-like monsters, and there was no saving him.
As the great powers supporting him were about to ask in detail, they saw black insects emerging from his pores, densely packed and squirming. Like a tide, once the insects dispersed, the once mighty Shitian had become a shriveled husk.
With no one able to replace Shitian, it also meant no one could sustain the Immortal Slaying Array. Before the cultivators could recover from their shock, Qi Ze had already thrown out the Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul Devouring Banner and began setting up the Yin Evil Array. As soon as the sword light dissipated, black light surged. Countless yin soldiers emerged from the ground, joining the ranks of the demons.
The demon lords were both overjoyed and ashamed. On one hand, they condemned their own suspicions; on the other, they were astonished by the unpredictable means of the Demon Lord's wife.
No one knew how Shitian died, just as no one knew how this battle ended. When the dark clouds dispersed and calm returned to the border of the realms, only the blood silently seeped into the earth.
Years later, the two sect leaders of the Supreme Divine Creation Sect ascended together, leaving behind countless exquisite inheritances and numerous mysterious legends.
The end.