A Demon Realm cultivator at the Soul Departure Stage and a cultivator at the Body Fusion Stage were engaged in a fierce battle, below them the battleground between the two realms, strewn with corpses. Despite being two major realms higher than the demon, the cultivator was repeatedly overwhelmed, all because of the strange long sword in the demon's hand, which could absorb the cultivator's essence blood and spirit energy to empower itself.
Once again drained of spirit energy by the long sword, the cultivator plummeted from the sky. Several fellow disciples intended to save him, but they were tightly restrained by other demons.
At the outset of the conflict between the two realms, the demons, fueled by their passion, indeed had the upper hand. But after the entire cultivation world united, the demons suffered a series of defeats. When the head of the Heaven Slaughter Sect stepped forward to take charge and began arranging the Immortal Slaying Array and other killing formations to deal with the demons, the cultivators believed that the outcome of this battle would be like in ancient times: the demons would be driven back to the Demon Realm, and the cultivation world could maintain peace for thousands, even tens of thousands, of years.
The old demon who tore the boundary indeed was formidable, but as long as the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was around, there was nothing to fear. Evil could never overcome righteousness. It had always been that way.
But now, it was evident they were wrong. The demons, who had been decimated by the sword arrays, rallied under the old demon's call. They no longer acted independently but supported each other, sharing resources and information. They no longer acted like a disorganized mass but worked together as a cohesive force, united in purpose. They formed joint fortresses, attacking city by city, gradually expanding the territory of the Demon Realm.
In a short time, they transformed from a mob into a well-trained army. This demonstrated that the old demon, in addition to his profound cultivation, possessed exceptional leadership abilities. Dealing with such a person was already difficult, but he had teamed up with Qi Ze!
No one expected a mere Golden Core disciple to have such a critical impact on the situation between the two realms. But now, no one dared to question the importance of Qi Ze. Since his defection to the Demon Realm, the demons' weapons and equipment had been continuously improved, and their combat strength had steadily increased. Armed with a magic weapon produced by the Supreme Divine Forging Sect, even a demon two major realms lower than a cultivator could hold their own in battle. And given the demons' naturally fierce and aggressive nature, which knew only to attack and not to retreat, they could maximize the power of the magic weapons.
Due to the increasingly high-profile actions of the demons, battles at the border between the two realms occurred frequently. No one could clearly say who sparked today's major battle, but the fact that the leading cultivator was utterly helpless against a demon whose cultivation level was lower than his was indisputable.
As the long sword pierced his abdomen, draining him of his essence blood and spirit energy, the cultivator tightly gripped the sword's body, his fingertips touching the words "Supreme Divine Forging." His heart was filled with unspeakable anger and regret, as well as a faint sense of remorse. If it weren't for Qi Ze's strong support, if it weren't for these bizarre magic weapons, how could the demons have forced the cultivation world to this dire strait?
If they had known the boundary would be breached, they would have never attacked the Supreme Divine Forging Sect, thereby handing over this massive arsenal to the Demon Realm... All his thoughts turned to nothingness. The cultivator, with his withered eyes wide open, struggled to glare at the sky. The demon who killed him pulled out the long sword and, without stopping, rushed towards other cultivators to continue the next battle.
After three days and three nights, the borders between the two realms were awash with blood, littered with bones. The territory, already half-devoured by the Demon Realm, had advanced several ten thousand miles further. The victors took over the task of cleaning the battlefield, while the losers could only gaze from a distance.
The young head of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect flew through the air on his sword, his eyes red, and said harshly, "Have the elders figured out how many times we've been utterly defeated by the demons? The cultivation world is brimming with experts and major sectsâwhy can't we defeat these ragtag bunches of demons?"
An elder sighed, "How can today's Demon Realm be considered ragtag bunches? They have the best commander and the finest equipment. Look at their dharma robes and spirit weapons; which one is not superior to ours? I'm not trying to dampen our own spirits and boost others', but as long as Yan Junyu and Qi Ze don't part ways, the Demon Realm will be impregnable."
"Indeed. Seven to eight tenths of the sects on the Qianyuan Continent use spirit weapons forged by the Supreme Divine Forging Sect. Even if the sect is destroyed, its influence cannot be underestimated. To be frank, Yan Junyu is truly calculative. If he had directly refined Qi Ze into a pill, the Demon Realm wouldn't have the good situation it has now. Having Qi Ze is like having an inexhaustible treasure trove of spirit weapons, its value not much lower than that of a heaven-defying pill."
"Yan Junyu's foresight makes us seem short-sighted." The elders were all great powers who had lived for thousands of years, their minds naturally astute. How could they not see the current situation? It would not be an exaggeration to say that the outcome of the battle between the two realms was now in Qi Ze's hands. As long as he continuously supplied top-tier magic weapons or spirit weapons to the Demon Realm, the demons would eventually invade the mainland and share the world with the cultivators. Although the Boundless Sect was holding the fort for the cultivation world, in terms of the grade and power of spirit weapons, they fell short of the Supreme Divine Forging Sect. Otherwise, the Boundless Sect wouldn't have been so envious of Qi Ze's inheritance.
The young head of the sect was extremely unwilling. Just as he was about to say something, he saw two men, one tall and the other lean, step side by side onto the battlefield. Who could they be, if not Yan Junyu and Qi Ze? The demons who were rummaging through the Interspatial Buttons and storage rings immediately stopped their actions and saluted the two. The two waved their hands and said something, and the demons cleaning the battlefield vanished without a trace.
"What are they up to? Are they going to pocket the spoils for themselves?" the young head of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect sneered.
"It doesn't seem like it," an elder shook his head in denial.
As they spoke, Qi Ze took out a compass, using his footsteps to measure direction and distance. Every few feet, he would plant a small flag on the ground, seemingly setting up some kind of formation. Yan Junyu's gaze remained fixed on him, but his divine sense spread out, to prevent any troublemakers from approaching.
"Not good, this is the Soul Devouring Array!" an elder finally saw through the trick and said in horror, "If my guess is correct, Qi Ze plans to set up a Soul Devouring Array with the border between the two realms as a breeding ground, thereby forging a Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul Devouring Banner. In ancient times, the border between the two realms was the battlefield of immortals and demons, countless immortals and demon overlords lost their lives here, leaving behind heroic souls. Even after tens of thousands of years, there are still many residual souls lingering in the world. If they are absorbed by the Soul Devouring Banner, how great would its power be?"
Putting aside the ancient residual souls for a moment, just the several battles that have taken place have resulted in countless victims. This is a necropolis, a soul-absorbing land, perfect for forging a Soul Devouring Banner. Qi Ze must have had this idea long ago!
The elders looked at each other, only sighing. They wanted to stop him, but Yan Junyu's divine sense swept over the battlefield, instantly killing any living creatures. How could they find an opportunity?
But the young head of the sect didn't care at all, sneering, "Didn't you hear what the demon from the Thousand Corpses Sect said? If you want to set up a Yin Sha Array, you must use a half divine artifact or a divine artifact. Even if Qi Ze forges a Soul Devouring Banner, so what? Could it reach the level of a half divine artifact? How old is he this year, and what kind of strength does he possess?"
The elders thought about it for a moment and also felt that Qi Ze was unlikely to forge a half divine artifact. The magic weapons he provided to the demons should be the Supreme Divine Forging Sect's early collections.
As they discussed, Qi Ze had already set up the Soul Devouring Array. Holding a white banner in his hands, he sat at the center of the formation and began to manipulate the spell seals. Yan Junyu stood outside the formation to guard him. His already immense aura was spreading out in circles, although he was suspended in mid-air without descending. It made the nearby demons and cultivators feel like a guillotine was around their necks, the reaper was near, unspeakable fear.
"Quickly retreat!" The elders hurriedly pulled the young head of the sect away, only taking a big breath when they left Yan Junyu's divine sense range. Looking at each other, they were already drenched in cold sweat, their faces drained of color.
But the terrible events were far from over. As the Soul Devouring Array was activated, dark clouds began to gather in the sky. Initially, they were only bluish-gray, but later turned to ink black. The clouds grew thicker and denser, until they obscured the sky, concealing the red sun, plunging the border between the two realms into complete darkness. Many greenish-blue light specks emerged from the ground, flying towards the white banner, making its spiritual light blaze.
The world was shrouded in darkness, while the white banner became the only source of light. Initially, its light could still be seen straight on, but later, after absorbing too many light specks, it became more dazzling than the sun and moon.
"Grand Elder, my eyes!" The young head of the sect covered his face with his hands, but still could not fend off the light's assault. He felt as if his pupils were pierced with silver needles, any slight movement causing piercing pain.
"Not good, this light is sinister, closing your eyes is no use, you must use spirit energy to block it, otherwise, even the divine soul will be injured!" The elders immediately erected spirit energy shields, only then alleviating the crisis. The nearby demons and cultivators either fled or hid, all wailing in despair.
The white banner glowed for a full fifteen minutes before dissipating its divine light, falling into Qi Ze's hands. At the same time, the dark clouds in the sky thickened again, countless thunderbolts rolling within the clouds, emitting deafening rumbles.
"Qi Ze actually attracted a lightning tribulation!" The elders looked at the sky in disbelief.
"An upper-grade spirit artifact can also attract a lightning tribulation," the young head of the sect said with disdain on his face.
The elders remained silent, only watching Qi Ze, who was holding the white banner, with grave expressions. He stood up and withstood the first bolt of tribulation lightning, followed by the second, the third... Everyone was counting for him. The four-ninth tribulation lightning had passed, the five-ninth tribulation lightning had passed, how much more was there...
After three hours, the Grand Elder, who had lost count, breathed a sigh of turbid air and lamented, "Nine-ninth tribulation lightning, it can only be seen when a divine artifact manifests! Qi Ze has succeeded!"
"The divine artifact has been forged, and half of the Yin Sha Array has also been completed! Send a message to the Sect Leader, telling him to rush to the border between the two realms as soon as possible. We don't have time."
"Success?" The young head of the sect was like a dream, repeatedly confirming, "How could it succeed? That is a divine artifact, what does Qi Ze have to rely on?"
"Relying on his cultivation being higher than the Tribulation Transcendence Stage! Can't you see? He has withstood the nine-ninth heavenly tribulation, yet his clothes are still neat and he has not been injured in the slightest. This is his strength, this is his reliance! The fusion body can assimilate all substances in the world, naturally it can also assimilate the power of lightning." The Grand Elder said angrily, "How could we have the ability to take him away? I'm afraid we would be sucked away by his Soul Devouring Banner at the first encounter! Let's go!"
The group hastily retreated, their backs like frightened birds, but Qi Ze dusted off the dust on his robe and walked out of the spell formation with the white banner in hand.