Chapter 411: Fugitive Bloodshed

"Not good at all—immortals and Buddhas have vanished, demons and monsters now rule… Is this still Jiuzhou? What on earth is happening to me?"

Mu Yi sat in the tavern, his head throbbing.

The small town they were in was swarming with demons and monsters, yet an odd peace prevailed.

"I can smell the scent of a conspiracy; the Candle Dragon's rampage that Golden Cicada mentioned might have been deliberately caused by these people!" Jing Liuyun drained the wine from his cup and began to speak slowly.

"Using the Candle Dragon to sever the connection between Jiuzhou's mainland and the lower realms? Then how did those immortals and Buddhas disappear?" Mu Yi racked his brain without finding an answer.

Even if the Candle Dragon's rampage cut off the link between the mainland and the lower realms, how could the Heavenly Court Spirit Mountain in the lower realms vanish silently?

From what they currently know, about eighteen years ago all the immortals and Buddhas vanished without a trace.

"Perhaps Golden Cicada did it?" Jing Liuyun guessed.

Mu Yi nodded; eighteen years ago was precisely when Tang Xuanzang was born, which seemed unrelated—no one believed it—but now the circumstances were utterly baffling, and they had no idea what truly occurred.

Inside the tavern were only Mu Yi and Jing Liuyun; both were well‑versed in the art of transformation, so they were tasked with gathering information, while Mo Fei and Shen Wanqian stayed behind to protect the Tang Monk.

Just as the two were pondering, a squad of minor demons marched along, posting wanted notices.

"Extra! Extra! By order of the Demon King, these five are wanted; a hefty reward for any who report them."

Mu Yi fixed his gaze and saw that the poster displayed portraits of the five of them.

"Now that's trouble!"

Reaching Spirit Mountain is simple, but taking the Tang Monk there is troublesome; at intervals the Tang Monk emits a force that blocks all external influences.

Neither cloud‑riding nor the Reincarnation Barrier works; even crossing mountains and rivers cannot be aided by magical power, forcing them to rely on boats and horses.

Earlier they tried to exploit a loophole, using a beast capable of traveling a thousand li a day as a mount, but after only a few steps the beast was flattened by the Tang Monk.

In the end they concluded that either the Tang Monk must walk on his own, or they have to transport him piece by piece.

Either way, the risk of being discovered increased dramatically.

"Let's head back first!" Mu Yi and Jing Liuyun exchanged a glance, silently packed the provisions prepared for the Tang Monk, and returned to their temporary base.

After informing Shen Wanqian and Mo Fei of the news, the two also fell into silence.

The few stared at the Tang Monk with strange eyes, making him feel a chill.

After a long while, Mu Yi spoke.

"How about this: Jing Liuyun, you try to impersonate a Demon King and infiltrate their ranks to gather information, while we escort the Tang Monk westward?"

Shen Wanqian nodded, then turned his head toward Mo Fei.

"Mo Fei, you seem proficient in assassination arts; why not try to create some chaos and confuse them?"

"Splitting up now isn't a good idea!" Jing Liuyun shook his head; they could be discovered at any moment.

The Tang Monk's aura cannot be hidden; those Demon Kings will eventually notice them.

"Given the current situation, only by dividing and striking can we hope for a sliver of survival!" Mu Yi sighed.

Considering the power the Bull Demon King displayed earlier, many great Demon Kings could threaten them on the western journey.

The so‑called Seven Great Saints who swore brotherhood with the Bull Demon King, the Three Demons of the Lion‑Camel Nation, the Nine Spirit Primordial Saints of Bamboo Joint Mountain, the Green Bull Spirit, Yellow Eyebrow…

These are the ones they know; after the saints and Buddhas vanished, even demon kings they had never heard of emerged from nowhere.

Moreover, since these demon kings each dominate a region without being devoured by others, they must be formidable.

They could handle a single opponent, but if they appeared en masse as before, the four of them would be overwhelmed.

"I think this plan isn't bad!" Mo Fei scattered a ring of plum blossoms from his hand.

"I just used the Plum Blossom I‑Ching to calculate; the heavenly mechanism is muddled, yet it hints at a sliver of hope—worth a try."

"Then let's try it!"

Seeing Mu Yi and the others reach consensus, Jing Liuyun also nodded in agreement; his demeanor showed he wasn't a single‑minded rogue, but rather went along with the crowd.

Mu Yi and Shen Wanqian led the Tang Monk in a low‑profile manner, trying to conceal their movements as much as possible.

Meanwhile Mo Fei began a spree of slaughter; Mu Yi soon heard news of Mo Fei's carnage, which provoked several Demon Kings to unite and try to crush them.

As for Jing Liuyun, Mu Yi hadn't heard from him since he left; but no news is the best news.

If Jing Liuyun's whereabouts were exposed, it would be a bad thing.

"Trouble's come!"

However, the tranquil days were merely a beautiful illusion; one day, Shen Wanqian and Mu Yi were discussing cultivation insights when they both suddenly stood up.

On a whim, both sensed a looming crisis.

In the next instant, both felt their bodies inexplicably heavy.

"Gravity manipulation?"

Mu Yi's face darkened; he quickly diverted his power to protect the Tang Monk, only to find Shen Wanqian acted even faster, shielding the Tang Monk before him, as if he had lost something before.

Having spent these days together, Mu Yi knew Shen Wanqian carried some sorrowful past, having once lost someone important; his cultivation was driven by the hope of finding that person someday.

But Mu Yi also understood the difficulty: the Reincarnation of Jiuzhou's mainland is overseen by Hou Tu Niangniang, and great beings like the Three Purities and Four Sovereigns have disciples whose fates are already guided, allowing possible awakening after reincarnation.

For ordinary people, entering the Reincarnation cycle and locating a counterpart's new incarnation is virtually impossible.

Yet if one day they could cultivate to an emperor‑level master, perhaps they could petition Hou Tu Niangniang for a favor.

"You take him and leave first; I'll handle this place!"

Mu Yi barked a low command; Shen Wanqian didn't hesitate, raising both hands, summoning a torrent of copper coins that swirled before he vanished within the money tide.

"Where do you think you're going!"

From the sky came a thunderous roar, as endless pressure descended, crushing the torrent of copper coins in an instant.

Mu Yi also teetered; the gravity was overwhelmingly tyrannical, and its source was surely a great demon rivaling the Bull Demon King.

"Hmph! You scurrying mouse!"

A cold snort; a figure descended from the sky, long whiskers, black face, hands clasped behind, eyes bright, towering as a mountain range.

He was immensely powerful, unlike any ordinary force.

Seeing Shen Wanqian disappear, amid a wasteland only Mu Yi remained; the opponent cast his gaze upon Mu Yi, and the gravity intensified.

"Did you hide them?" the Demon King, who never gave Mu Yi any heed, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down, and asked.

"Hand over Tang Sanzang, or I'll crush you to pieces!"

"May I ask, sir, which Demon King you are?" Mu Yi strained to support his body and asked.

"I am the Heavenly Ant King; hand over the Tang Monk!"

"If you want the Tang Monk, you'd better first ask about the sword and blade in my hand!"

Mu Yi brandished both sword and blade; facing a possibly celestial‑Buddha‑level great demon, he dared not hold back at all.

He needed to buy Shen Wanqian time to escape; given the Tang Monk's troublesome nature, at least an incense‑burning's worth of time was required to flee this place.

"Hmph, over‑confident! I'll capture you and then interrogate you slowly!" the Heavenly Ant King dismissed Mu Yi's resistance.

A one‑handed hammer was already raised, and slammed down toward Mu Yi.

There was no refined technique, just the simplest hammer swing; heaven and earth helped block every direction Mu Yi could dodge, forcing Mu Yi to brace and take the hit head‑on.

"A thousandfold!" the Heavenly Ant King's flat voice rolled like thunder.

It was only one strike, yet Mu Yi nearly vomited blood; his hand gripping sword and blade trembled slightly, the force too great to bear.

He himself was a refined cultivator; his body had once been considered sturdy.

Now, under this gravity, facing the Heavenly Ant King's monstrous strength, he was already teetering after just a glance.

"Not bad, some skill!" the Heavenly Ant King praised after Mu Yi blocked his hammer, then swung another hammer down.

This time, the hammer elongated with the wind, becoming a massive Mixed‑Primordial Hammer dozens of zhang long and several zhang wide, again slamming down with a thousandfold gravity acceleration.

"Boom!"

In an instant the ground tore open, and the earth shook violently!

The giant hammer, accelerated by a thousandfold gravity, struck the ground, its momentum unstoppable, driving hundreds of zhang beneath the surface before halting; the earth instantly shattered, as if a massive canyon had split open.

"Cough cough cough—"

Mu Yi, coughing blood, transformed into his First Stage, used the earth to slip away; these celestial‑god‑level great demons were truly monsters—just two simple moves and he was already wounded.

The barrier before the opponent was as fragile as paper, offering no obstruction; if truly hammered, he'd likely be sent straight to the Underworld.

Unless he had mastered the Eight‑Nine Profound Art, a hammer like this could only be met with death.

The power gap was huge; those just reaching celestial‑Buddha level could still spar, but this Heavenly Ant King, perhaps a ten‑thousand‑year‑old demon from who‑knows‑where, was overwhelmingly strong—no match at all.

Earlier I thought these obscure Demon Kings could stand toe‑to‑toe with the Bull Demon King, so they must be truly formidable.

But now, considering that these Demon Kings can hide among mortals while the Heavenly Court hunts them, none of them are pretenders.

Perhaps the Bull Demon King and his allies are barely holding up under these ancient demons.

"Want to run?"

Just as Mu Yi attempted to slip away, a booming sound rang out, and a terrifying force ripped through the earth, hammering toward Mu Yi.

"Puff—"

Mu Yi spat a large mouthful of blood, his expression grim as he burst from the earth; the previous strike had shaken the ground, disrupting ley lines, making further earth‑based escape impossible.

Yet the instant he emerged, he saw the Heavenly Ant King, like a whack‑a‑mole, raising his heavy hammer to swing down.

The earth roared again, then shattered.

Mu Yi's expression remained grave; the opponent cared not for the environment— the city they stood in, human or demon alike, had become ruins.

The earth quaked violently, the terrifying force's ripples spreading in all directions, leaving collapse and fissures everywhere.

"See where you're running!" the Heavenly Ant King swung his hammer again.

But this time, Mu Yi vanished instantly on the spot; before the Heavenly Ant King could react, his neck throbbed, blood streaks surged over his neck, spraying profusely.

The Heavenly Ant King's complexion turned extremely grim; he realized he faced his most despised opponent—speed. His strength lay in direct confrontation, but against someone swift, he couldn't keep up.

Nevertheless, he was not without a counter; gravity spread outward, then a hammer came crashing down from above.

Mu Yi increased the distance, yet he had to halt his wings.

Earlier he used Void, pausing time, boosting his speed to rush before the Heavenly Ant King, yet he still fell short, failing to slay a god in one strike.

Just now the opponent hadn't employed gravity; that had been his best chance.

Or rather, if he didn't bear the title Twilight of the Gods and possess the god‑slaying power, his previous strike could not have pierced the Heavenly Ant King's defense; the opponent, upon sensing his disappearance, immediately generated a repulsive force field around his body.

Now, a thousandfold gravity fills heaven and earth; even standing is troublesome for Mu Yi, let alone high‑speed movement— in such a gravity field, moving fast is a death sentence.

Just by swiftly evading one of the Heavenly Ant King's hammers, his entire body erupted in severe pain, worse than previously taking the hammer head‑on.

His body could be called indestructible, yet high‑speed movement in this environment still imposed unimaginable strain.

"Huh—" Mu Yi gently exhaled a puff of foul breath, gazing at the hovering Heavenly Ant King with a solemn expression.

If I can't run, then I'll fight.

Void is useful against the opponent; there is a chance to win.

The opponent's initial overconfidence, which left a Blood Flow Never Stops wound on his neck, is his only chance.

If he misses this chance, and the opponent heals the wound next time, there will be no chance left.

The Bird Totem's wings unfurled as Mu Yi gathered his spirit and power.

Heavenly Dao, Human Dao, Asura Dao, and Hell Path were all fully activated; the Human Dao army bathed in Heavenly Dao's blessing, riding the blood‑sea's dark fire, surged toward the Heavenly Ant King.

Like moths to flame, the army could indeed narrow the power gap, but when the disparity is too great, Cloud Energy is powerless.

Even a weakened Heavenly Ant King, his heavy hammer swung continuously, each blow taking thousands of soldiers, yet the remaining troops kept charging forward.

"A swarm of ants!"

The Heavenly Ant King grew impatient; the wound on his neck irritated him, the feeling of his life being threatened sapped his patience.

"Ten thousandfold gravity!"

The terrifying gravity fell, wiping out tens of thousands of troops almost instantly.

Cloud Energy can weaken Transcendent attacks, but even the weakened attacks are not something those soldiers can withstand.

An army like this has weak individual strength—it's a hard injury and a major pain point.

Moreover, given the gap in strength between Mu Yi and the Heavenly Ant King, a hundred‑thousand‑strong army is ultimately too few.

「Die! 」

And at the moment the army was annihilated, Mu Yi gathered the dissipating blood and qi of the dead soldiers, together with the shattered barrier, in his hand, forming a great blade that pierced heaven and earth.

In an instant of the Uninterrupted Time Freeze, he swung down at the Heavenly Ant King.