Chapter 1025

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Protagonist:

Xu Changqing

On the city wall, it was originally packed with people.

However, the next moment, only empty, desolate battlements and a few broken flags remained.

From start to finish, Kong Fang did not move a single finger, nor did he even lower his head to glance at Cangwu City, as if this city was, to him, merely an insignificant grain of sand by his feet.

Afterwards, Kong Fang was like the Heavenly Emperor proclaiming an imperial edict to the mortal world; regardless of who it was, whether cultivator or mortal, all heard it clearly and distinctly.

"From today forth, the Central Region belongs to me."

"You have two paths: either submit, or die!"

These words were spoken lightly, almost casually.

Yet, no one doubted this one's strength.

After all, this was a Demon God who had lived for ten thousand years, commanding countless demon races in the Demon Realm, with Demon Kings and Demon Emperors under his command as numerous as cow hairs.

His aura alone could crush a city-protecting grand formation; who would dare doubt?

Xu Changqing listened to the survivor's description and fell silent for a very long time.

Li Lingbi broke the silence, asking: "How long do you think we can hold out?"

He did not ask "can we win," nor did he ask "can we block them," but directly asked "how long can we hold out."

Because everyone knew very clearly that facing an existence like a Demon God, winning was a delusion, blocking was a miracle; as for how long they could hold out, that was the most realistic question.

This former ruler of a dynasty, after experiencing Lu Chen Yuan's ambition, the Yellow Spring Alliance's destruction, and the Demon Realm's invasion, had learned to assess the situation.

Xu Changqing heard this and extended his right hand, five fingers slightly spread.

Upon his palm, a mass of Primordial Heavy Water, pitch-black like ink, emerged; the water droplet was only the size of a fist, yet it emitted a gloomy, cold aura capable of corroding all things, and as it rotated in his palm, even the air was corroded into emitting a faint hissing sound.

Immediately after, another mass of thick, yellow-brown Earth Qi, heavy as a mountain, also emerged; completely different from the Primordial Heavy Water's yin softness, it was heavy, vast, and immovable, as if the weight of the entire earth had been condensed within a square inch.

The two powers reflected each other in his palm, one yin one yang, one hard one soft, each occupying half, neither yielding to the other yet also not infringing, forming a subtle balance.

Xu Changqing looked at the two masses of light in his palm and said blandly: "How long I can hold out, I'll tell you when I can't hold out anymore."

Li Lingbi nodded: "Good!"

Xu Changqing withdrew his right hand, the two masses of light vanishing the moment his five fingers closed.

The Primordial Heavy Water's gloomy cold and the yellow-brown Earth Qi's heaviness simultaneously retracted into his body; inside the hall, only the warm light of the lamps and the white mist curling up from the tea cups remained.

To speak the truth, if facing human cultivators, even if the opponent was at the peak of Refining Void, Xu Changqing would have full confidence.

But this time the opponent is a Demon God; the other party has lived for over ten thousand years, with deep accumulation.

How high his Dao attainment is now, no one can say for certain.

Fortunately, the Tianyuan Realm is not without usable people.

Long Yuan, Sect Master of the Longhu Immortal Sect, and Mu Yunni, Sect Master of the Yao Yue Immortal Sect, both have returned from the outside world; they are both at the Refining Void stage.

The Spirit Severing stage is called Venerable.

The Refining Void stage is then called Dao Lord.

One Dao Lord can guard a region; now with two Dao Lords both in the Tianyuan Realm, plus various other factors, this battle is not necessarily without room for maneuver.

……

……

Time passed day by day, and the Tianyuan Realm's situation grew increasingly unfavorable.

After the Demon God Kong Fang occupied the Central Region, the demons' range of activity began to expand outward.

At the Eastern Region border, small-scale clashes occurred daily; patrolling cultivators and trespassing demons, the casualty numbers piled up bit by bit, becoming increasingly shocking to the eye.

Although no great battle has erupted yet, it is like a dull knife cutting flesh, continuously consuming the human side's morale.

The Southern Region's flood disaster still hasn't receded, the Western Region's spirit veins remain dried up, and the Northern Region's foreign race turmoil is even more intensifying.

Among the Five Regions, only the Eastern Region barely maintains stability; as for how long this stability can last, no one has a bottom in their heart.

Under this kind of precarious, heavy pressure, all the Eastern Region's cultivators have fallen into a near-frenzied cultivation obsession.

Be they loose cultivators or sect disciples, anyone with hands and feet who can still circulate mana is desperately striving to raise their cultivation.

Pill prices in the market have multiplied several times over, yet still supply cannot meet demand.

The spirit rice in the spirit fields was snapped up the moment it ripened, all fearing the next season might not be plantable.

Cultivators in seclusion are increasing, people strolling the streets are decreasing.

Even those loose cultivators who usually muddled along are now gritting their teeth searching everywhere for opportunities, even if to raise cultivation by a thread, even if to hold out for one more breath.

No one calculates gains and losses anymore, no one schemes for profit anymore.

Everyone has only one thought: survive.

The Qingmu Sect's atmosphere is even more solemn than outside.

Disciples, before dawn each day, cultivate on the Dueling Platform.

Especially the Secret Chamber; some emerge emaciated in form, yet their eyes are frighteningly bright.

This day, Great Elder Xuan Yan found Xu Changqing.

The two sat down; Xuan Yan did not beat around the bush, but cut straight to the point: "Sect Master Xu, the Yunhua Realm side still has no news."

Xu Changqing heard this and did not reveal a surprised expression.

The Yunhua Realm is the Dongting Immortal Sect's Dongtian Fudi, with abundant spiritual energy and self-contained laws; staying inside for several thousand years would be no problem.

After Chao Jin took away the great killing weapon, he hid in the Yunhua Realm behind closed doors.

Logically speaking, he had plenty of time.

But the problem was that the Tianyuan Realm was in such a state now: the Wu Sheng Chong Mu was dead, Lu Chen Yuan was dead, Demon God Kong Fang had invaded the Central Region, and the Tianyuan Realm's order had been completely overturned. As the Sect Master of Dongting Immortal Sect, he actually had no reaction at all.

"Nine times out of ten, something happened in the Yunhua Realm."

Xuan Yan said in a deep voice: "Dongtian Fudi can indeed be self-sufficient, but it is not perfect."

"If the Yunhua Realm itself had a problem, or if Chao Jin encountered some trouble inside and was completely unaware of outside affairs, it would make sense."

After listening, Xu Zhangqing said: "Great Elder, it actually doesn't matter much whether Cao Zongzhu appears or not."

He was not belittling anyone, merely stating a fact: "Back then, there was indeed a gap between him and me."

"He was the Sect Master, and I was a Spirit Farmer."

"But now, my cultivation is on the same level as Chao Jin's, and in terms of combat power..."

Xuan Yan did not refute this.

He had seen Xu Zhangqing's combat power.

The Wu Sheng Chong Mu was an existence that had lived for ten thousand years; even for himself, killing the other party was not impossible, but the difficulty was great.

But Xu Zhangqing had not only succeeded, but had done so quite easily.

Although he had the advantage of attribute and law restraint, it also proved from the side that the other party's cultivation was indeed unfathomable.

Xu Zhangqing looked directly at Xuan Yan, his tone becoming more serious: "Therefore, what I care about now is not Chao Jin, but the other Six Major Immortal Peaks."

The former Seven Great Immortal Peaks of Dongting Immortal Sect.

Tiexue Peak

Motto: Sharp will breaks ten thousand armies, Tiexue forges heroic souls!

Shuixian Peak

Motto: Silver river washes the heart through ten thousand waters, Illusion Array condenses Qi to stabilize Canglan!

Qingmu Peak

Motto: Qiong Branch condenses dew to birth ten thousand things, emerald cliffs nurture beauty and contain spiritual essence!

Chi Huo Peak

Motto: Golden Crow bathes in fire to temper the true body, Red Flame burns heaven and sweeps the eight wastelands!

Jin Gang Peak

Motto: Tai A tempers the body to condense the golden soul, White Tiger howls at the moon and slays ten thousand armies!

Hou Tu Peak

Motto: Yellow Cong nurtures harmony and solidifies the foundation, Earth Mother bears all things and stabilizes the universe!

Xuanming Peak

Motto: Chaos erodes bones and breaks void falsehoods, Nine Nether Spirit Spring refines the true soul!