Chapter 1036: Nine Great Immortal Sects Are About to Descend

The demonic flame giant's aura visibly collapsed, dropping a great distance, its strength rapidly withering.

Having fought until now,

more than twenty kings of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan have already died!

Some were from beyond the Flame Stone Star Domain, the personal guards of the Cang Kong Emperor's Son; others were kings subdued by the Cang Kong Emperor's Son within this domain, such as the Demon Flower King and the Overbearing Blade King.

They were all famous powerful figures in a single Minor Thousand World, beings with ten thousand years of lifespan, like ancestral elders of their families.

Yet, such powerful figures died as easily as ants and weeds on the battlefield, unable to create any ripple effect.

By now, the kings of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan have withered one after another; only the Cang Kong Emperor's Son, the Spider Star King, and a few other severely injured kings remain, their resistance power weakened to the extreme.

They looked in terror at the blood-robed Daoist in the sky.

Before this, they never thought they would die at the hands of a Slave King, considering it a tall tale to be laughed off, treating the war as a hunting game.

However, now it has reversed; those who claimed to be hunters are about to die.

Boom!

In the sky, the blood-robed Daoist remained expressionless as a brilliant blood sun bloomed in his hand; another blood sun descended from the heavens, its power unweakened, smashing down upon the dying enemies.

"Could it be,"

"that sword arts truly belong exclusively to the human race?"

The single-horned Demon God's low whisper, slightly cold.

An indisputable fact: his blade art was indeed inferior to that Slave King.

Yet, how could this be?

He was the Emperor's Son of the Cang Yan Ancient Emperor family, possessing the best resources of the Jiao Jiao Mingyu; since childhood, he had been taught by Great Emperors and Ancient Emperors, with countless heavenly treasures and imperial scriptures available at his whim, facing no difficulties whatsoever.

With a single word from him, the vast star domain and the sentient beings of nearly a hundred Minor Thousand Worlds would be stirred, striving with all their might to fulfill his orders, with billions of casualties incurred regardless, even if it was merely a thought he voiced casually, like a playful whim.

His teachers, his opponents, his stepping stones—none were not outstanding figures, geniuses among men.

He himself was the Emperor's Son of the Cang Yan Ancient Emperor family, with talent surpassing all within the realm.

With such conditions, how could he be defeated in sword art by a lowly Slave King?

Why?

What does this slave have?

His Gong Fa was a spell that burned vital blood; since childhood, he had rolled in the mud, unable to eat his fill, and besides cultivation, he had to refine imperial clan mine materials with his vital blood, lifespan, and magic power every day; in just over five thousand years, he had already reached the end of his life, about to die, unable to live even half the lifespan of an imperial king.

It was merely an accidental encounter where he obtained the incomplete sword art inheritance of the Ancient God Path, and obtained the "Dao Heart Planting Demon Slave Scripture," an imperial slave scripture not worth mentioning.

These, compared

to what he possessed, what did they amount to?

Even so, this slave still possessed an indestructible sword art surpassing his!

This was truly disheartening, even giving rise to demonic thoughts; his Dao Heart wavered, doubting whether sword arts and blade arts, these post-heavenly Paths, were exclusive to the human race, and that other races, even naturally powerful races like the imperial clans, could not reach the ultimate because they were not compatible enough, inherently flawed from birth.

The single-horned Demon God's thoughts spun through thousands of variations in an instant.

Boom!

The blood sun in the sky ignored everything else, pressing down, slaughtering and incinerating all.

"That is correct."

"On this battlefield, Dong Xue He Wang, you have indeed won."

The single-horned Demon God's gaze returned to coldness.

He opened his hand, producing an ancient, weathered, and somewhat damaged scroll; as he unfurled it, countless ink-wash brushstrokes seemed to appear in the void, instantly spreading out a scene of a small river village, with a cowherd driving an old ox past the village.

This ink-wash painting was so abrupt appearing in the sky; the surrounding shattered and turbulent void could not affect it in the slightest.

Boom!

The blood sun fell upon the illusory village, encountering no resistance, causing no explosion or destruction; it simply passed through, smashing vast stretches of void into collapse, with continuous explosions, the heavens and earth in turmoil, unleashing aftershocks that destroyed entire swathes of sentient life.

However, these spatial-shattering aftershocks could not affect the small river village in the slightest.

These waves passed through it as if passing through illusory air, vanishing without a trace.

"This is..."

Jiang Ding's pupils contracted, his gaze fixed firmly on the small river village ink-wash painting and the demonic flame giant within, whose aura was extremely weakened.

The demonic flame giant transformed from the Cang Kong Emperor's Son had already reached the brink of death, should have been easily defeated, yet now it seemed to have entered another spatial dimension, becoming unharmed.

What spatial technique is this?

Jiang Ding's heart trembled, filled with utter shock.

To be able to turn intangible at any time, even during combat, to dodge attacks and leave enemies helpless—this was truly a miracle, utterly shameless.

Whoosh!

The small river village outlined in the ink-wash painting transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the distance, its speed incomparably swift, far exceeding that of a Soul Transformation cultivator.

"Fleeing?"

"Your body is not as hard as your mouth."

Jiang Ding quickly suppressed the shock in his heart, let out a cold sneer, transformed his body into a streak of blood light, and pursued without the slightest hesitation.

Dong Xue He Wang was a person of low status, one with no path forward; he was fighting with his life to obtain the Emperor Realm Dao, and should have no hesitation, even if facing death.

Before leaving, Jiang Ding glanced at the dark, heavy sky in the distance, his gaze pausing for a moment.

In the dark starry sky, the Flame Flow Emperor's Son's body trembled.

Around him, Commander Chen Chen, the Demon Mountain King, and more than ten kings of the Flame Stone family also turned deathly pale, their bodies trembling instinctively, daring not to approach that Slave King to express their joy at impending victory.

They no longer dared to scold from a position of superiority, displaying the majesty of their masters.

The dozens of kings of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan who had already perished in battle had already explained everything.

That was a servant with no taboos, lacking even a shred of the deference a servant should possess; whoever dared act thus would die, with no exceptions.

Silence fell upon the surroundings.

These kings of the Flame Stone family had been terrified by slaughter; even if someone's clan had been wiped out by the Blood River King, none dared to curse aloud or complain to the Flame Flow Imperial Son at this moment.

"Congratulations, Imperial Son!"

"Your Imperial Son's crown should be plucked soon."

Chen Shan King steadied his mind and offered congratulations.

"Congratulations, Imperial Son!"

"Congratulations, Imperial Son..."

"..."

The surrounding kings flattered and congratulated, their posture lowered beyond all measure, abandoning any airs of eldership, any haggling, or any condescending guidance.

In their hearts, a fear they were unwilling to admit had arisen; they no longer had the confidence.

That Servant King had cultivated the "Dao Heart Planting Demon Servant Sutra"!

This meant the Flame Flow Imperial Son would soon possess such a terrifying servant; if these family kings still did not understand their place, they would not know when they would die.

"The Imperial Son's crown..."

"My Imperial Path..."

The Flame Flow Imperial Son's heart surged with emotion, somewhat intoxicated by the complete submission of the kings at this moment, as if he had already seen the glory of his future ascension to Great Emperor.

"Imperial Son, the Cang Kong Imperial Son is doomed to fail without doubt."

"In the Imperial Son War, he cannot escape the Flame Stone Star Domain; in the end, he will surely be captured by the Blood River King, taken prisoner; there should be no accidents."

Chen Shan King said solemnly, "Your Imperial Son's crown must belong to you."

"The Blood River King is indeed a fine blade, but also a fierce blade, possessing terrible danger; it harms the enemy and harms itself. Please treat it with extreme caution and prudence in the future, even after ascending to Great Emperor."

"If this Servant King is given even a sliver of opportunity, he will surely betray!"

As a king who had always followed the Flame Flow Imperial Son and never betrayed, an elder, Chen Shan King gave him a serious warning.

"I understand."

"Seventh Uncle, please rest assured."

The Flame Flow Imperial Son said earnestly.

A beam of blood and a scroll chased each other through the dark void.

It could be seen that

the speed of the ancient scroll was far greater than that of the blood light; in the blink of an eye, it shed the blood light. But this was not the end; in a short time of days or a long time of months, the crimson escape light would appear again, find the ancient scroll, and continue the pursuit relentlessly.

No matter where the ancient scroll fled, as long as it did not leave the Flame Stone Star Domain, it would surely be caught up to!

Because the undying Blood River Sword Intent was woven into the souls and flesh of the Demon Flame Giant, the Cang Kong Imperial Son, the Spider Star King, and others; it could never be shed. As time passed, the Blood River Sword Intent in these wounds not only did not dissipate, but after devouring much flesh and blood, became even more terrifying!

This pursuit lasted a total of ten years.

During these ten years, Jiang Ding occasionally vanished to restore his magic power, but soon reappeared, continuing to hunt down that ancient scroll, chasing it until it had nowhere to go, neither up to heaven nor down to earth.

It had once hidden in the depths of the starry sky, hidden within asteroids, hidden in the deep core of the earth, hidden within the flesh and blood of living beings... it tried every possible method, but all were utterly useless; it was caught up to every single time.

That scroll was indeed mysterious and unfathomable, deeply concealed within another spatial dimension.

But obviously, it required consuming vast energy; it certainly could not sustain itself for too long. After a full ten years, it too had reached its limit.

Splash!

Jiang Ding gazed at the unfolding ink painting of the Small River Village.

It appeared again from the void, solidifying from a phantom state, restoring its real and unsubstantial presence.

In the real and unsubstantial Small River Village, the Cang Kong Imperial Son, the Spider Star King, the Overlord Blade King, the Demon Leaf King, and five other severely wounded, dying kings tumbled out clumsily.

The Cang Kong Imperial Son was silent.

The phantom image of the Demon God totem on his body looked at the Blood River King one last time, then his body slowly vanished; after many attempts, he completely abandoned this place.

"Do not kill me!"

"I am willing to serve the Flame Flow Imperial Son..."

The Overlord Blade King, the Demon Leaf King, and other kings begged for mercy in panic, showing no kingly dignity whatsoever.

Clang!

A beam of blood-red sword light bloomed, freezing their movements and words.

The bodies of the Spider Star King, the Overlord Blade King, the Demon Leaf King, and others stiffened.

Gulp!

Several large, heroic, and gorgeous single-horned heads rolled into the void; blood shot skyward from their necks. The kings died like ants, granted no forgiveness, no pardon.

At this moment, even if the Flame Flow Imperial Son and Chen Shan King had personally arrived, they would not dare to utter a single word of obstruction.

"Flame Flow, truly immense luck."

"I am unwilling."

The Cang Kong Imperial Son's numb expression twisted into a bitter smile: "If not for you, this lowly servant, I would surely have achieved victory now, and surely would have ascended to Great Emperor in the future.

You mongrel, I will surely wipe out your entire human race in the days to come, leaving not a chicken or dog, and give

you the most cruel pain in the world, making you regret this day..."

It was obvious he was trying to provoke something.

Jiang Ding's face was expressionless.

Clang!

Another beam of blood light bloomed, but instead of beheading him, it transformed into strands of crimson sword intent, wrapping the Cang Kong Imperial Son, layer upon layer.

The so-called resistance, the so-called struggle, were simply things too weak to warrant any attention at all; they needed no consideration whatsoever.

Waves of crimson sword qi wrapped around and sealed it, layer upon layer.

After dozens of breaths, only a pillar-shaped blood cocoon remained in place, sealing within it the Cangkong Di Zi of the Horned Demon Emperor Clan.

It had to be so.

A Di Zi must possess the techniques of an Emperor; only a Di Zi can be slain by another Di Zi.

"Perhaps... it is time to end."

"... My path..."

Jiang Ding gazed at the blood cocoon before him and whispered.

With the Cangkong Di Zi defeated, he would have to go and meet the Yanliu Di Zi, then attempt to break through to Emperorhood amidst the Slave Emperor's heavenly tribulation, shatter the slave seal, and finally attain true freedom.

Fail, and die.

From now on, the battlefield would be that of Emperors, with no room for independent power.

He had returned once more to the status of a servant.

This was the fate of a Slave Race king; a brief transcendence that now appeared to be nothing more than an illusion within the short, illusory timeframe of the Di Zi battle.

"The Emperor's Path must succeed..."

The Blood-Robed Daoist pondered silently.

He did not know that at that very same moment, within the Mo Shi Xiao Gao Jie, a will began to awaken; a true Domain Overlord, a Candidate Daozi of the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong from the Human Race, began to awaken and cast his gaze here.

"Hundreds of years of waiting,"

"Finally,"

"It is about to begin..."

This Candidate Daozi of the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong from the Human Race, whose actual status among the Human Race surpassed that of the ancient Di Zi and whose nobility exceeded that of the Cangyan Ancient Emperor's Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong Candidate Daozi, thought quietly.