Chapter 949

I had thought the Golden Crow God King’s earlier words were merely threats, but within an hour, she truly awakened an ancient god-king—this venerable deity slumbered deep within the earth of the God-King Realm, severed from the world for countless eons, and now that it had appeared, its divine aura carried the stench of decay.

Yet even the most ancient god-king, now appearing, posed a grave threat to Earth.

“Grand Yi Celestial, it seems we must endure another bitter battle,” said the Eastern Pole Celestial with a smile. “I assumed there were only two god-kings in the God-King Realm, so I delayed for an hour—but I’ve only made things worse.”

Li Yi said: “This isn’t your fault. No one knows the true depth of the God-King Realm’s reserves. A brief truce benefited us—Earth’s cultivators were already exhausted from the siege; without rest, casualties would be catastrophic. And intimidating the Golden Crow God King caused her allies to panic—I already saw several demon kings and great demons attempting to flee the battlefield.”

“But two god-kings thinking they can defy heaven is naive. Today, the God-King Realm must fall.”

His resolve was firm, and even after learning of the cosmic fortune bestowed upon him, he felt no fear of the third god-king.

At this moment.

Amidst myriad portents, from the deep chasm torn open in the earth, an ancient mythic beast—the Qilin God-King—roared across heaven and earth, leaping forth, its colossal divine body stretching like a vast mountain range across the sky.

“So it truly is the Qilin God-King reborn! Excellent—now those cultivators are doomed.” The demon kings instantly surged with excitement, sensing the moment for counterattack had come.

Yet only the Golden Crow God King’s golden eyes revealed a flicker of gravity—for she remembered clearly: the Qilin God-King had already passed away in the previous ten-thousand-year cycle. The message she sent was meant for the phoenix undergoing nirvana.

Now the phoenix had not appeared, yet the Qilin God-King had risen from death—she had already guessed the truth.

It must be the Phoenix God-King’s soul, detached from its body, possessing the Qilin’s corpse—reviving it at this critical juncture to aid the God-King Realm in battle and resolve the crisis.

But could the Phoenix’s soul, fused with the Qilin’s corpse, truly possess genuine god-king-level power? And how long could this state last? Would Earth’s experts detect the flaw?

A cascade of questions arose in the Golden Crow God King’s mind, yet since the Phoenix God-King had chosen this path, it must be the best option—better than facing this crisis alone.

“Grand Yi, that god-king’s condition is wrong—its vitality is weak, its aura heavy with death, like a puppet. Its inner power doesn’t match its body—it feels controlled.” Xiang Xiangzi also sensed something amiss and whispered her warning.

Li Yi squinted at the colossal Qilin God-King, its hooves treading clouds, roaring across heaven, and felt the same unease.

“The god-king’s body is real, but its soul may not be. Yet this detail doesn’t matter now—what matters is how strong this god-king truly is.” Li Yi said.

“If our guess is right, this god-king’s power won’t exceed half its peak strength—even then, it’s a problem.” Xiang Xiangzi said.

Half a god-king’s strength could still tip the battle—only the Eastern Pole Celestial could kill it. Li Yi, his foundation damaged, was no match for it unless blessed with incense and cosmic fortune.

But if so, the remaining five cosmic fortune bearers would exhaust themselves—this trade was far from favorable.

After the Qilin God-King appeared, the demons were eager to strike, waiting only for the Golden Crow God King’s command to launch a counteroffensive, crush their enemies, even dream of storming Earth, exterminating humanity, and seizing the planet to build a new God-King Realm.

All the demon kings now drifted into fantasy.

Yet the Golden Crow God King did not initiate battle—she noticed the five Earth experts’ auras had linked together, a hidden force about to surge and empower the Grand Yi Celestial.

Though severely wounded, the Grand Yi Celestial still had his foundation intact. With unknown power bolstering him, he might fight again.

The current situation was neither favorable nor unfavorable—both sides were evenly matched.

“Grand Yi, my true body is still in nirvana and cannot aid you. In desperation, I borrowed the Qilin God-King’s corpse to return—but this state won’t last long. Once battle begins, the duration shortens further. Fight or negotiate—decide quickly.”

At this moment, a woman’s voice reached the Golden Crow God King’s ears.

It was the Phoenix God-King speaking to her.

“So it was.” The Golden Crow God King’s heart tightened—she had suspected this all along: “The God-King Realm stands at its brink. The Purple Dragon God-King has fled. Now, only we remain. If we lose this battle, the God-King Realm will perish.”

The Phoenix God-King fell silent, then spoke again: “I can hold off only one peer-level expert. The rest falls to you.”

Her meaning was clear: if the Golden Crow God King believed she could swiftly kill either the Eastern Pole Celestial or the Grand Yi Celestial, then fight.

If not, better to negotiate peace.

The choice rested with the Golden Crow God King.

The Golden Crow God King now felt immense pressure—every word and action would decide the survival of countless demonkind.

Yet even under such pressure, she remained calm, unmoved. She slowly spoke: “With our two god-kings united, we could cross realms and slaughter you on Earth. But I do not wish to see the bloodshed of both worlds. If you cease hostilities now and withdraw from the God-King Realm, I guarantee neither realm will ever again encroach upon the other.”

In the end, she chose to yield—hoping to force Earth’s cultivators to retreat with the threat of two god-kings.

“What? Cease fire and seek peace? Golden Crow God King, this is unthinkable!” One demon king immediately erupted.

They had just prepared for revenge, even planned how much land to seize on Earth—yet now the god-king refused to fight.

Why?

Two god-kings united—advantage is ours. Why negotiate before even striking?

The Grand Yi Celestial was grievously wounded by the Purple Dragon God-King. He appears unharmed, but is hollow inside—whether he can even fight a demon king is uncertain. He’s no threat.

If you hold the Eastern Pole Celestial, and the Qilin God-King kills the Grand Yi Celestial, then eliminates Xiang Xiangzi, Xuan Yuezi, and others, the rest is a one-sided massacre. Even great demons can calculate this—why doesn’t the god-king understand?

Could there be another concern?

Or does Earth harbor hidden experts?

Some demon kings remained silent, sensing the truth.

That the Qilin God-King might not be as powerful as imagined—that heavy aura of death suggested its life had long ended, and now, for reasons unknown, it had been reawakened to fight for the God-King Realm.

Though still formidable, this state could not last.

Now, as both sides faced off, the atmosphere grew eerie.

The Eastern Pole Celestial, Li Yi, and the many experts, along with Earth’s high command, instantly understood the reason behind the Golden Crow God King’s peace offer—but even if they understood, what could they do?

The emergence of the third god-king unsettled Earth’s high command. Regardless of whether this god-king was flawed, its power alone demanded caution.

“Let Li Yi decide whether to fight. He has defeated a god-king before—he knows their strength best. If we can win, fight. If not, cease. Let Li Yi recover, then return later. Swallowing the entire God-King Realm at once is still too difficult.”

“If we fight, have Wang Chengjun and the others act immediately—no hesitation. At this level, delay is fatal.”

After brief consultation, Earth’s high command made their decision—they trusted Li Yi, and entrusted him with the choice of battle.

Soon.

Li Yi received the message.

His gaze turned grave. He scanned the God-King Realm’s ranks, then fixed his eyes on the Qilin God-King—its aura heavy with death, yet its power still overwhelming.

“Channel the cosmic fortune onto me. I will fight the Qilin God-King.”

Without hesitation, Li Yi made his decision and secretly whispered to Wang Chengjun and the others.

“Understood.”

The five military experts did not hesitate—they destroyed their own foundations, severing their cosmic fortune.

Instantly, five beams of cosmic fortune surged skyward, coalescing into a single orb that descended upon Li Yi.

Li Yi, once weak and drained, instantly surged with overwhelming power.

This act was the clearest answer possible.

“Damn it!” The Golden Crow God King roared in fury—she had offered peace, yet Earth refused to yield. If they chose war, she would burn both realms to ash—fish and net, both destroyed.

But she knew nothing of how many cities had been razed when the demon kings invaded Earth, how many had been devoured by great demons, how many forced to flee across realms.

Even in Li Yi’s hometown, Tianchang City, with several Three Flower cultivators guarding it, the city still fell. Survivors fled to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, yet were hunted down, nearly exterminated.

How could such a blood feud be ended by a single word from the Golden Crow God King?

Earth’s high command didn’t even debate whether to fight—they debated whether they could win. If victory was possible, they would not relent today.

The Golden Crow God King’s wrath unleashed—her god-king power erupted, igniting heaven and earth. An endless sea of solar flames burst forth.

All things burned. The Golden Crow God King transformed into a blazing sun, advancing without retreat, charging straight toward Earth’s cultivators.

“A formidable Golden Crow—fierce indeed.”

The Eastern Pole Celestial instantly manifested a thousand-zhang divine form, rolled his robe, and severed heaven and earth, blocking the solar flames to shield those behind him, then without delay, charged toward the Golden Crow God King.

As the Golden Crow God King attacked, the colossal Qilin also roared in fury, its entire body wrapped in god-king power, like a massive meteor hurtling toward the enemy.

If unblocked, this strike would annihilate Earth’s experts.

But at this moment—

Li Yi, blessed with cosmic fortune, felt the might of an entire realm flood his withered body, restoring his ability to battle a god-king.

With a roar, his divine body reappeared—now a hundred zhang tall. But he didn’t stop—he activated the Great Transformation Technique, and his divine form swelled further, suddenly reaching a thousand zhang.

Lightning coiled around him; incense and cosmic fortune converged. In this brief moment, he possessed terrifying power exceeding his normal peak.

The five Earth experts, having drained their cosmic fortune, now lay weak and drained, swiftly carried away by others, removed from the battlefield.

“Li Yi, finish this quickly—no more than five minutes. Your power will collapse.” As they withdrew, Wang Chengjun gave one final warning.