Chapter 264: 264. Chapter 263: The Demon Race of the Western World Emerges

264. Chapter 263: The Demon Race of the Western World Emerges

Time flowed slowly, and from the towering Heavenly Pillar, rumbling sounds transmitted from time to time, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.

And that already majestic Mount Buzhou now seemed to connect the heavens and the earth, standing in the east without seeing the west, and standing in the south without looking to the north.

A vast, boundless aura radiated out, shrouding the entire Primordial World.

Whether they were powerful Innate Sacreds or those weak living beings, almost all could clearly feel the changes in the heavens and earth.

Countless living beings gathered, looking up at the Heavenly Pillar with expressions both devout and fanatical.

The foot of Mount Buzhou was bustling with activity, while at that moment, on Mount Sumeru far away in the Western World, a group of Western Sect disciples looked nervously toward the northeast.

As the Main Vein of the Western Land, Mount Sumeru still glowed with golden light, its sacredness permeated with immense power. Only in the northeast direction, black mist rose and surged, completely covering that area.

The black mist would occasionally roll toward Mount Sumeru, accompanied by low, echoing roars.

Looking closely, one could see massive figures flashing within it, and they were not few in number.

"Master has been away for so long, why hasn't he returned yet?" Maitreya looked at the black mist that surged and billowed time and again, his expression filled with worry.

Beside him, Akashagarbha and the others did not speak, their faces also filled with anxiety.

It was not just the wariness of the black mist before them, but also their concern for Senior Brother Mahasthamaprapta.

Decades ago, for some unknown reason, black mist rose in this northeast direction, and strange creatures appeared. At first, they did not pay it much mind, assuming it was the work of that person in the Netherworld.

Minghe was a Saint, not someone they could provoke, so they only hid in the mountain to cultivate in silence.

But as time passed, everyone clearly discovered something different.

The black mist was not Minghe's method, and the creatures emerging within it were not the Asura Clan.

And in just these few short decades, the black mist had spread across the entire northeast and was already wrapping toward Mount Sumeru.

With Master not returning for so long and the black mist being so strange, Senior Brother Mahasthamaprapta had gone to investigate, but months had passed without a single word.

Ksitigarbha, standing by the side, withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, "If Senior Brother Mahasthamaprapta has met with misfortune, we fear we shall face Master's punishment; we should go together to investigate."

Although the spiritual energy of the Western Region had recovered quite a bit over these years, the core disciples of the Western Sect were still only the few of them.

The relationship between the fellow disciples was harmonious, and Ksitigarbha was still very worried about him in his heart.

Akashagarbha, Maitreya, and the others looked at each other and all nodded slightly.

They were, after all, disciples of a Saint; apart from a few particularly powerful existences in the world, they did not have many scruples, and besides, this was still at the foot of Mount Sumeru.

In a Saint's dojo, how could one allow some petty scoundrels to run amok?

The solemn-faced group hesitated no longer, striding out, intending to dash into the rolling black mist.

Who would have thought that just as the group stepped out, they heard a 'hum' sound from afar, and the sky-covering black mist rapidly contracted, vanishing like a receding tide in the blink of an eye, and even quickly escaped into the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the area around the foot of Mount Sumeru was clear of black mist, leaving only the dark brown earth.

Before Maitreya could even be shocked, he looked into the distance with joy.

There, a figure sat quietly on the ground, surrounded by Buddha light mixed with black Qi; it was his Senior Brother Mahasthamaprapta.

"It's Senior Brother Mahasthamaprapta!"

With an exclamation from the side, Ksitigarbha had already dashed out first.

Following closely behind, Maitreya and the others also flew over, instantly landing in front of Mahasthamaprapta.

Although the black mist had retreated strangely, Mahasthamaprapta was right there, so how could they hesitate?

The few who landed from the air, before they could even check on Mahasthamaprapta's condition, immediately looked up at the firmament.

Brilliant golden light shone, and two figures strode across the horizon; that familiar aura was none other than their Masters—the Western Two Sages.

The two Masters, who had been away for so long, had finally returned.

At this moment, they also understood somewhat that it was because of the Masters' return that these black mists had retreated in a panic.

In the time it took to be stunned, Jieyin and Zhunti landed in front of them.

"Greetings, Master! Greetings, Uncle-Master!"

Ksitigarbha and the others hurriedly offered respectful salutations, their faces showing visible joy and excitement.

The appearance of the black mist at the foot of the mountain was strange, and Mahasthamaprapta's situation was unknown; now that the Masters had returned, they were naturally overjoyed.

Moreover, the world was not like it used to be; Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals emerged from time to time, and while being a Saint's disciple was glorious, their status was not as useful as they had imagined.

Jieyin and Zhunti, who had landed from the air, nodded slightly, their gazes fixed on Mahasthamaprapta sitting not far away.

After just one glance, neither of them spoke, only golden light emerged from their bodies, enveloping the group.

Before they could recover their senses, Maitreya and the others had already returned to Mount Sumeru.

And Mahasthamaprapta, who had been sitting quietly, also woke up and respectfully offered salutations to Jieyin and Zhunti at the head of the hall.

At this moment, Ksitigarbha and the others understood in their hearts that the retreat of the black mist was definitely because of the two Masters.

It was just that the black mist was clearly ill-intentioned; why did the Masters not investigate further?

Although they were all puzzled, no one in the hall asked.

The two Masters were both Heavenly Dao Saints and must have long since discerned the origin of those black mists.

Since the Masters had not spoken, there must be arrangements, and the entire hall suddenly appeared quiet.

Zhunti, sitting at the head, withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice to Jieyin beside him, "Senior Brother, this Demon Race is truly staging a comeback; are we just going to ignore it like this?"

The Demon Race was not scary; the trouble was that Demon Ancestor behind them.

Earlier, when the Earth Veins of the Western World recovered, they were accompanied by Demon Qi, so they had guessed that the matter might be related to the Demon Ancestor.

Now the other party had come straight for Mount Sumeru; if they hadn't returned in time, the dojo might have been gone.

Their trip to the Purple Heaven Palace in the Chaos had been very beneficial, and it was just the right time to test the methods of that Demon Ancestor.

Moreover, Zhunti was still very eager for the Earth Veins wandering in the Western World.

Since they couldn't be found directly for the moment, perhaps they could use the Demon Race to find the Earth Veins of the Western World.

Once the Earth Veins were captured, the growth of the Western Sect would only be a matter of time; it could be called killing two birds with one stone.

Yet just a moment ago, his senior brother had blocked his plan, which left Jieyin feeling quite puzzled.

Jieyin narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in a soft voice, "The Dao Ancestor said that a great catastrophe will soon rise in the world, so we had best not act recklessly; furthermore—"

As he spoke, Jieyin's gaze turned toward the towering Heavenly Pillar on the horizon.

It had not been long since their trip to the Chaos Zixiao Palace, but upon returning, Zhunti clearly sensed the changes in the world.

It was not just the vast Eastern Land, but even the billions of stars above that had become even more boundless.

The source of this strange change must have come from Mount Buzhou, which meant that the one on the mountain had broken through again.

The Demon Ancestor had faded from the world for many a Great Era, and now that they had received the Dao Ancestor's help, the one they truly needed to be wary of remained Tian Yuan.

Most crucially, there was one more point: although the Western Earth Veins had recovered, they were still far from being comparable to the Eastern Land.

If Luo Hou were to emerge, he would certainly set his sights on Mount Buzhou and the Eastern Land as well.

Given the current situation of the world, there was no need to clash with Luo Hou for the time being.

After all, no matter how much Luo Hou might control the Earth Veins, he could not change the fact that Mount Xumi was the Ancestral Vein of the Western World. Guarding Mount Xumi was the only thing they needed to do right now.

As long as Mount Xumi remained, their Western Sect would remain, and the Western World would still belong to them.

More importantly, besides the Demon Ancestor, there was also Minghe of the Nether Blood Sea beneath the Western Land.

Once a dispute arose, if Minghe were to intervene, it might even draw out that person from the Underworld.

Although the Western World was gradually improving, it absolutely could not withstand a battle between Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals.

The current situation in the world required them to focus on improving their cultivation realms, in preparation for the great catastrophe of the world that the Dao Ancestor spoke of.

Following Jieyin's gaze, Zhunti saw the towering Mount Buzhou, and a trace of apprehension could not help but flash through his eyes.

Suppressing the irritation in his heart, Zhunti withdrew his gaze and replied softly, "Senior brother is absolutely right!"

During this period, the two of them had suffered setbacks repeatedly, and as more beings in the world attained the Hunyuan Dao, all living things in the world likely forgot about them, the Western Two Sages.

Now that he had newly received the Dao Ancestor's teachings, he was desperate to make a move to manifest the might of a Saint as in the past.

Jieyin nodded slightly and said no more, his gaze resting gently on the few people in the palace.

The growth of the Western Sect could not rely solely on the two of them; the strength of the disciples in the sect could not be lacking either.

During this trip to the Purple Heaven Palace, the Dao Ancestor's reaction to them had far exceeded their expectations.

They had gained a bountiful harvest and had also secured many fortunes for their numerous disciples.

Suddenly, Zhunti, who was sitting quietly to the side, flicked his sleeves gently, and lotus flowers bloomed one after another, spinning as they flew toward the people in the palace, vanishing into their foreheads in a blink.

Maitreya and the others, who had been suspicious and fearful, all felt their eyes narrow, and their faces instantly filled with wild joy.

Excited, they all prostrated themselves on the ground and congratulated him loudly, "Many thanks to the Master for bestowing this power!"

The pure white lotus flowers floated in their minds, still spinning round and round, while pure laws rained down from the Lotus Platform.

Laws were the key to the Hunyuan Dao; such dense laws were absolutely a tremendous fortune.

The Master had been away for so long; it turned out he had gone to seek opportunities for them.

Listening to their excited and fervent words, Zhunti's expression remained unchanged as he said solemnly, "The shackles of the world have been broken; you must all practice diligently to attain the Hunyuan Dao!"

Zhunti had to admit in his heart that the Hunyuan Dao was indeed the most correct path in the world today.

The few who rose to their feet felt their hearts grow even warmer upon hearing this.

At present, most of them were still Taiyi Golden Immortals; how could they not be happy that the Master actually said they too had a day to attain the Hunyuan Dao?

"We will strictly follow the Master's orders and will never fail the Master's expectations!" their trembling voices echoed in the palace.

Although they did not know what the shackles of the world were, they all understood that as long as they practiced hard, they would have the opportunity to become Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals, equal to Saints.

Jieyin and Zhunti did not speak again; they closed their eyes and sat quietly on the Lotus Platform to begin their cultivation.

Tian Yuan's power was like that Mount Buzhou standing on the land, pressing heavily upon their heads.

During this trip to the Purple Heaven Palace, both of them were very clear that their conflict had long been unavoidable.

Whether it was to deal with Tian Yuan or the upcoming great catastrophe, one's cultivation level was the foundation of everything.

Seeing this, the people in the palace did not dare to hesitate; they also sat on the ground and focused on their quiet cultivation.

Instantly, the entire palace became quiet, with only the faint sounds of Innate Spiritual Qi and laws circulating.

Deep within the Nether Blood Sea, inside the Blood River Palace, Minghe sat alone on a stone chair, his entire body trembling incessantly.

Dazzling Purple Light erupted from within his body, illuminating the entire palace in a brilliant purple.

With a muffled roar, the Sea of Blood surged, and endless Blood Fiend Qi poured in. Suddenly, those many purple lights converged, transforming into a striking strip of energy—it was the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

The Hongmeng Purple Qi fled rapidly within Minghe's body, breaking through layers of condensed Blood Fiend.

Yet no matter how it darted about, it was slowly forced to the surface of his skin by Minghe.

Beneath his bulging skin, the shape of the Hongmeng Purple Qi gradually deepened.

Finally, with a 'pop' sound, the entire strip of Hongmeng Purple Qi escaped from his body.

But before Minghe could rejoice, his body, interwoven with blood-colored and purple radiance, trembled imperceptibly.

The Hongmeng Purple Qi that had already been stripped away suddenly dived back in with a jolt, and in a blink, it transformed into countless fragments of laws, disappearing into his body.

Minghe opened his eyes abruptly and roared continuously, "Damn it! Damn it! That accursed fellow!"

After completing his Primordial Spirit with Tian Yuan's help, he had returned to the Sea of Blood without stopping to begin stripping the Hongmeng Purple Qi from his body.

This was already the third time he had stripped the Hongmeng Purple Qi, but he had failed at the very last moment every time.

Just now, he had finally discovered the source of the problem. It was his Primordial Spirit—the strand of his Primordial Spirit that had once been entrusted to the Heavenly Dao.

Every time he was about to succeed, that strand of his Primordial Spirit would throb inexplicably, causing him to fall short of success.

Through the series of changes in the world and his conversation with Tian Yuan, he had already come to deeply understand the dangers of the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

But it was very clear that the one in the Purple Heaven Palace did not want him to sever this karma so easily.

Minghe took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.

Having discovered the root of the problem, Minghe knew very well that to successfully strip the Hongmeng Purple Qi, he still had to resolve the issue of that strand of his Primordial Spirit.

Because it was entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, it had likely been tainted by other auras.

Returning to the stone seat, Minghe gazed deeply in the direction of the Chaos Zixiao Palace and began to sense that wisp of Primordial Spirit.

As his Primordial Spirit sank into it, just as it had at the beginning, he did not discover anything.

This sensation caused a sense of inexplicable anxiety to rise in Minghe's heart.

The karma of achieving Sanctification is truly too great; I fear it will not be so easily resolved.

"Sigh! I can only give it a try for now!" With a soft sigh, Minghe felt helpless in his heart.

If he had not seen Jieyin and the others achieve Sanctification back then, causing him to feel anxious, how could he have rashly refined this Hongmeng Purple Qi that appeared so abruptly?

Yet Minghe also understood in his heart that even if he were to go back to that time and make the choice again, he would still refine the Hongmeng Purple Qi without hesitation to attain the Saint Fruit Position.

After all, back then, how could he have known the power of the Hunyuan Dao, or known that Merit Sanctification was so weak?

If there had been another path to take, how could he have been so careless?

Gazing once more in the direction of the Chaos Zixiao Palace, Minghe put aside the distracting thoughts in his heart and began to carefully examine that wisp of Primordial Spirit.

The Sea of Blood returned to calm, and amidst the surging blood waves, dense Blood Fiend Qi gathered toward the Blood River Palace.

The Sea of Blood is the filthiest place in heaven and earth, capable of purifying all things in heaven and earth, and the Primordial Spirit is no exception.

If there is anything remaining on the retrieved Primordial Spirit, it is naturally safest to expel it using the power of the Sea of Blood.

This is not only because he was born in the Sea of Blood, but more importantly, Houtu controls the will of the Sea of Blood.

Houtu governs the Underworld and is the Lord of the Earthly Dao, with a level of Dao attainment even higher than his own.

Given the relationship between Tian Yuan and Hongjun, if Houtu were to discover anything, she would definitely assist him with all her might.

This is the most secure method at present! (End of chapter)