Chapter 249

Four hundred and eighty-three years.

Amidst rolling flames, a stream of crimson-gold flowed, and Xu Xing sat within it, the long sword once borne on his back now lying horizontally before him.

The blade was crimson, like fire dispelling night's darkness, dimming the brilliant crimson-gold radiance around it.

"Two swords used—timing matches my prediction."

Fuguang struck once, Jingyao struck once.

Though masked by an "outer shell," it still stirred the Hun Tian Yi, accelerating its awakening significantly.

Tampered with time, yet quarreled among themselves…

Had it not been for its madness, my sword would have struck long ago.

"But enough time has passed for stable development."

Xu Xing rose to his full height, gripping the crimson long sword, and walked out through the churning flames.

Huhuh~!

Flowing fire danced.

Arriving beyond the sunlike fireball, Xu Xing's gaze fell upon the Sacred Ground of the Heirs.

Compared to when he first arrived, the Sacred Ground of the Heirs was far quieter now; apart from one Soul Transformation, only low-level cultivators below Jin Dan remained to train.

Now, the vast majority of human cultivators had secretly donned the skins of the Beast God Clan, infiltrating every walk of their society.

Many even held high positions.

But then…

Now that Hun Tian Yi has awakened, this trick may fool those at Return to Void—but it will never fool Him!

The time has come.

Now, it rests on whether the humans of this world can hold on.

Xu Xing withdrew his gaze and looked upward.

At infinite heights, a terrifying entity—its aura boundless, its form impossibly vast, dominating all laws and Dao of the Beast God Realm—slowly lowered its gaze.

"Gone."

Shiu!

Swordlight like a rainbow—red radiance appeared for but a fleeting instant, then vanished straight into the Sacred Ground of the Heirs.

Immediately after the swordlight vanished, a purple-mystical-light-supported jade pavilion emerged, and a figure stepped out, standing at the door, staring blankly at the sky.

Gone…

He swept his sleeve, suddenly knelt, crossed his hands in front of his chest, and bowed three times.

The horizon offered no reply; he slowly rose, his expression grave and solemn:

"Humbly bid farewell to the Elder!"

On the square below, scattered figures also knelt, bowing as the figure in the pavilion had.

Yet none of them knew why they bowed.

…………

Beast God Elder Council.

Fu Mu, clad in the elaborate, ornate robes of the Grand Elder, held in hand a staff inlaid and hung with countless gems, ancient and primordial, and walked slowly toward a quiet little hut.

Before the hut, nothing stood but a stone table and a few stone stools.

Beside the stone table sat Ming, dressed plainly.

She tilted her head slightly upward, her eyes hollow and lifeless, as if lost in thought.

"Ming."

The voice blended with the crisp tinkling of colliding gems.

Hearing the familiar voice, those hollow, lifeless eyes finally stirred faintly.

Hu~

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ming turned to look at Fu Mu.

"It's you, Fu…"

Her lips twitched slightly, as if trying to force a smile.

Since she committed her great sin and was stripped of all titles, only Fu had come to see her often.

"Don't smile—it looks worse than crying." Fu Mu sighed, sitting across from her. "Don't dwell on those things—it wasn't your fault."

Yes, indeed, it wasn't your fault—it was I who arranged it.

"No, if only I had listened to you back then…" Ming's eyes flickered with pain. "If only I had listened to you, they wouldn't have died."

Twice—twice whole!

Because of my stubbornness, the Beast God Clan suffered such great losses. What's that saying again?

Happiness is built upon the suffering of enemies!

Beneath her disguise, Fu Mu's smile could not be hidden.

Yet outwardly, she spoke in a heavy, bitter tone: "It's that human outsider who's too strong—he's far surpassed Return to Void."

Ming remained silent.

Yes…

That human outsider was too, too strong.

Without even appearing, a single swordlight had robbed her of any will to resist.

Such power—only the Supreme Beast God could defeat him.

But the Supreme Beast God now…

"How is the progress in communicating with the Supreme Beast God?" Ming asked.

!. Read

"Same as always," Fu Mu said, allowing a trace of melancholy to creep into her tone. "I never expected those cowardly old bastards would be willing to do something so dangerous."

"Fu," Ming said sternly. "They are heroes, flowing with glorious blood. We must honor their sacrifice."

"Fine, fine, honor them, honor them," Fu Mu muttered, as if scoffing. "Those old... heroes have truly surprised me. Otherwise, do you think I'd want to be this Grand Elder?"

Ming smiled helplessly.

The reason her good friend had become Grand Elder of the Beast God Elder Council was, in truth, the result of compromise after multiple factions vied for control.

Surely... she herself wasn't very content either.

Just as she was about to say something to comfort her, Ming's expression changed abruptly. She leapt to her feet and stared at the sky.

"Ming, what—"

Fu Mu had barely spoken a few words when she, too, gasped and looked up at the sky.

A profound, ultimate evil surged from all directions; the crushing suffocation made her tremble involuntarily.

She felt like an ant on the shore, helplessly watching a towering tidal wave crash down.

Can't escape!

Can't block it!

"It's the Supreme Beast God! The Supreme Beast God Sovereign!"

Ming's excited voice exploded like thunder in her ears.

In a daze, Fu Mu felt she had glimpsed a bizarre entity—unobservable, indescribable.

Distant and cold, yet sinister and mad.

All paths, all laws were mere playthings in its palm.

The Dao veins darkened; magic power withered; the soul twisted toward unpredictable corruption.

Countless chaotic, vast streams of information flooded her mind; her brain boiled; her long-dead flesh seemed to stir back to life, spitting out words uncontrollably.

"Supreme... Beast God... Sover..."

No!

She must not say it!

Fu Mu instinctively tried to stop her, but her consciousness grew ever dimmer, as if her very existence were being devoured by the flesh.

The situation grew dire—just as she was about to sink completely, becoming nourishment for the flesh—

Zhum~!

A clear, resonant sword hum arose as if from the Primordial, echoing to the end of the world.

Her consciousness suddenly cleared.

She seemed to see a single sword spanning past and future, its supreme sharpness severing all.

The flesh, which had just been "alive," lost its vitality once more; the surging ultimate evil vanished entirely.

"It's the Senior!"

Fu Mu realized this.

Then, throughout the Beast God Realm—all beings, whether Beast God clan, human, or other lifeforms—heard a voice.

It sounded as if all Dao paths chimed together, all laws chanted in unison—magnificent, sublime—yet ultimately resolved into a single, simple, clear voice.

"Beast God, receive my sword!" (End of Chapter)