Chapter 837: Rather Die Than Yield

Jiang Qiuyu could not warn Jiang Xuming in the Demon Ancestor's Dao Hall, and could only watch helplessly as he took that step.

This child she loved most, at this critical moment when demons and monsters dared to provoke, had taken his first step, Daxiang the first battle—and now, he was wagering his own future to fight this battle to the end!

BOOM!

Within the Dao Hall, the Tai Xu Divine Manifestation fused, Jiang Xuming looked up and let out a long roar, his eyes turning void-colored, his entire body radiating an extraordinary and unique aura.

As a top prodigy, Chi Xu wasn't the only one with divine blood and strange bodies—Jiang's family had them too, and Jiang Xuming had them as well!

Throughout the entire Demon Ancestor's Dao Hall, immortal energy suddenly surged backward at a faster pace.

A force of void slowly eroded outward, enveloping the entire Dao Hall; immortal energy was repelled, yet beyond immortal energy, there existed other forces in heaven and earth—forces of void that had existed before chaos shattered and immortal energy arose!

And the Tai Xu Divine was the one who mastered that void force, using it to forge the Great Dao and carve his own Emperor Path!

Every Emperor carved a supreme Dao into this universe, each possessing his own unique Emperor Path, a one-of-a-kind existence!

Therefore, the Emperor realm could not be inherited or taught; one could only grant one's disciples opportunity and foundation, guide them to the peak of Immortal King, and then leave their destiny to fate.

"What?"

Chi Xu sensed the changes around him and froze slightly; his Celestial Star Veins were now affected, unable to draw power from the starlight.

While he was stunned, Jiang Xuming had already activated the Ten Thousand Dao Laws, wielding void force, arriving in an instant, his divine spear piercing straight toward him!

"Tai Xu Dao, Absolute No God!!"

Jiang Xuming growled, his eyes filled with killing intent.

The spear's intent was more immense than before—not immortal energy, but another kind of void force capable of swallowing all.

Any immortal technique touching this spear intent vanished instantly; Chi Xu's power seemed stripped away, and he helplessly watched the spear pierce down—his expression finally changed, shifting from shock to furious rage, then to intense killing intent in his eyes!

THUD!

A violent tremor echoed through the Dao Hall as immortal energy clashed with void force, like two stars colliding and warping spacetime slightly.

But the image of Chi Xu's body shattering again did not appear; instead, a pile of crimson, fleshy sludge resembling a corpse mountain emerged, sucking the divine spear into itself.

"To force me to this state, you deserve to die!"

Chi Xu's voice was low, like bones grinding to powder, sending chills down spines.

His flesh and blood suddenly trembled, and the sky within the Demon Ancestor's Dao Hall turned crimson red.

His true power was not immortal energy—it was his own blood force!

He cultivated by devouring all living beings; the more he devoured, the more he strengthened, and the stronger the life and bloodline he consumed, the faster his cultivation—making him one of the most Dingjian bloodlines among demons and monsters.

THUD!

With his words, the deep, ocean-like blood force surged backward in reverse; with a single tremor, the void cracked open, and Jiang Xuming's body was violently flung backward, his Emperor aura seemingly dimmed.

"How is this possible?!"

All of Jiang's family were stunned, unable to believe it.

After fusing with the Tai Xu Divine Manifestation and mastering void force, he had been defeated in an instant?!

The power Jiang Xuming had just displayed was already terrifying—ordinary Immortal King cultivators at the peak could not stand against him one-on-one, yet his ultimate strike had failed to kill Chi Xu!

"Hmph, Chi Xu is a prodigy unseen in ten thousand years among the Divine Blood Clan, born with the innate 'Devour' ability, capable of devouring all living beings. Had he not sought to push each realm's ultimate and final limits, his nine-hundred-year soul lifespan would have already reached the peak of Immortal King!"

The purple-robed man, seeing this, sneered coldly; without complete preparation, how would they dare come to human territory to challenge?

Jiang Qiuyu's face darkened; she knew Jiang Xuming had used all his techniques.

Lose? If it were only a loss, sacrificing one immortal city would be acceptable—but Jiang Xuming might perish. Such a prodigy was destined to reach the peak of Immortal King; if he died here, it would be far too costly!

Think of how many demons and monsters a peak Immortal King could kill on the border battlefield—how could that compare to even one immortal city?

Though human lives cannot be measured thus, reality is brutal: sacrifice and trade-offs are inevitable.

"If he can't win, have Jiang Xuming surrender. The thing we left inside should be able to transmit a message to him."

Su Zhenyuan noticed Jiang Qiuyu's expression and his eyes shifted slightly; she was the one who understood Jiang Xuming best—and if even she looked this way, victory was already unlikely!

Hearing Su Zhenyuan's voice, Jiang Qiuyu hesitated, then saw the battle reignite within—the void was engulfed in towering blood radiance, and Jiang Xuming, even with Tai Xu force, could not break free. She clenched her teeth and agreed with Su Zhenyuan.

Earlier, to prevent accidents, they had secretly planted a mechanism inside, one the demon could not detect.

That mechanism allowed them to transmit voice into the arena, enabling command at critical moments—but if the power gap was too great, command was useless. Yet beyond command, it could also be used to urge surrender.

The sealing barrier blocked all interference; both sides watched closely, no trickery possible. Thus, the only option was to have Jiang Xuming surrender—if he did, they would immediately intervene to protect him, without breaking the rules.

"Xuming, if you can't win, surrender. We've lost this battle—but as long as you're safe, that's all that matters!"

Jiang Qiuyu quickly transmitted the message.

Jiang Xuming, locked in fierce combat, heard his mother's voice and froze. Before he could think, Chi Xu's assault intensified violently—THUD! flinging him backward, slamming him into the sealing barrier.

Jiang Xuming felt his Tai Xu immortal body nearly shattered; he gritted his teeth and rose, glancing outside the barrier—he saw the anxious, worried faces of Jiang's family, and his mother's eyes filled with desperation.

He felt as if every drop of blood had been drained from him, a sensation beyond words.

The sky turned gray, as if the end of days were near.

In this world, the cold wind cut like knives, scraping against bones and face.

He stood before billions, his body broken, even pitifully disheveled.

Surrender?

Jiang Xuming clenched his fists; he knew this battle was meant to slaughter human prodigies—Chi Xu would never hold back, and would strike to kill the moment he saw an opening.

But wasn't he the same?

Surrender… Jiang Xuming loosened his clenched fists, then turned toward his mother and gave her a serene smile.

The instant she saw that smile, Jiang Qiuyu froze.

Then she saw Jiang Xuming raise his hand, slash open a fissure, and pull out a vial of pills.

Jiang Qiuyu stood frozen, her blood seeming to solidify; she tried to shout, but Jiang Xuming had already tipped back his head and swallowed the pills without hesitation.

BOOM BOOM! Sounds erupted, as if chains were snapping—Jiang Xuming's body ignited a blazing golden divine light, which then shifted into chaotic void. His hair reversed upward, his aura surged, climbing far beyond its previous level; his cultivation realm leapt from Immortal King Stage Eight to Nine!

THUD!

The towering blood aura surged forward, shattered by a single spear thrust.

Jiang Xuming lifted his head, cracks appearing on his face, his Tai Xu immortal body on the verge of collapse.

The violent power coursing through him filled him with an unprecedented, terrifying force.

Kill!

Without hesitation, he roared and charged toward Chi Xu.

Chi Xu's pupils shrank, surprise flashing in his eyes—but then he let out a furious, monstrous roar, his blood aura surging, and dozens of black Dao patterns erupted from his body, spreading across his entire form!

"Devour the Eight Directions!"

Seeing this, two demon prodigies in the crowd showed shock, their expressions grave.

They knew Chi Xu had unleashed his ultimate technique, his last resort.

BOOM!

The Dao Hall trembled; Jiang Xuming, his aura amplified, merged with his divine manifestation, raised his massive spear, and plunged into the sea of blood.

The eight black chains within the blood sea snapped one by one, then a terrifying force erupted.

Su Zhenyuan, Jiang Qiuyu, and the others all paled.

"Xuming!"

Jiang Qiuyu's eyes bled with anguish, her aura surging erratically; strange phenomena erupted around her body, transforming it into a terrifying forbidden zone.

CRACK! From within the blood sea, Chi Xu's figure suddenly appeared—not as crimson sludge, but as a humanoid form covered in sharp, spiked thorns, gripping a figure tightly in his thorned hands: Jiang Xuming!

Jiang Xuming's divine spear was broken, its light gone; his immortal body shattered, riddled with cracks. He continuously unleashed immortal techniques and pounded at Chi Xu, but could not break free—instead, his own aura steadily weakened, being drained and absorbed.

"You've forced me into this state—you deserve to die!"

Chi Xu growled, his voice thick with malice and killing intent.

Suddenly, he remembered something, turned his head toward the outside of the Demon Ancestor's Dao Hall, grinned wide and monstrous, then his head swelled violently and he bit down, crushing half of Jiang Xuming's body.

In that instant, the world fell silent; thirty-six thousand immortal cities were utterly still, as if struck dumb, staring blankly at the scene.

Only the sound of chewing echoed within the Dao Hall.

"Though I've overextended, the taste isn't bad."

Chi Xu evaluated himself, then gazed at the still-struggling half-body, his palm oozing blood that covered it.

"Surrender now!"

Jiang Qiuyu risked everything, shouting urgently through transmission.

Jiang Xuming's primordial spirit had already escaped to the side; watching the demon devour his immortal body, he roared in fury, his three hundred golden bones within the primordial spirit blazing with searing light, then shot toward Chi Xu like a meteor.

He would expend every ounce of his primordial spirit to take the demon down with him.

This power was terrifying; even Chi Xu had to pause his actions, gaze intently, then repeatedly activated blood techniques, launching deadly thorns that struck Jiang Xuming's primordial spirit, draining its strength relentlessly.

Since the end of ancient demon wars, both humans and demons have diligently studied and cultivated, refining immortal techniques and killing arts specifically targeting primordial spirits—this is why, ten thousand years later, the core regions of the True World remain home to myriad races; prolonged warfare produces great generals, and each race's cultivation methods now prioritize the primordial spirit.

Yet, primordial spirit cultivation is far harder than realm cultivation.

Even with astonishing talent, one can only slightly accelerate progress—sudden enlightenment cannot solve it entirely; it still requires slow accumulation through time.

Thus, prodigies like Jiang Xuming, who cultivated three hundred primordial spirit golden bones within a thousand years, possessed truly heavenly talent.

BOOM!!

Suddenly, a black cauldron burst from the blood sea and slammed into Jiang Xuming's primordial spirit.

A massive resonance rang out; Jiang Xuming's primordial spirit golden flame was extinguished, and he collapsed, dazed and disoriented.

The black cauldron inverted, enclosing him, and Chi Xu began devouring his immortal body; after finishing, he approached the cauldron and released blood force into it, forming crimson blood flames that burned continuously.

The cauldron bore the seal of pseudo-world power, blocking Jiang Xuming's screams and sounds—but everyone could see his primordial spirit writhing in agony within the blood flames, howling in torment, his body melting like a candle.

The pain of the primordial spirit is ten to a hundred times greater than that of the immortal body; being burned alive like this, everyone could imagine the unbearable agony, the utter horror!

"Surrender! Make him surrender now!"

We lost, but we won't let him die!

In every immortal city, countless people were anxious, wishing they could be there in person.

Outside the cultivation ground, the Jiang family clutched their fists, teeth gritted tight; those closest among them had already been unable to hold back, wanting to shout for Jiang Xuming to surrender—even though they knew their voices couldn't reach inside the ground, they still couldn't help crying out.

But before they could open their mouths, Jiang Qiuyu had already transmitted a voice-command, forbidding anyone from urging surrender.

Her heart ached more than anyone's, yet she was calmer than anyone else; defeat was certain, death was inevitable. Their frantic shouts to surrender would only become mockery in the demons' mouths, crushing the morale of humanity.

This battle, the demons were watching too—thirty-six thousand immortal cities were watching. The Jiang family had lost, but the Jiang family must not fear defeat!!

"Xuming..."

Jiang Qiuyu clenched her silver teeth. Since taking over as head of the Jiang family tens of thousands of years ago, too many Jiang family prodigies had perished under her watch—including her elder brother, younger brother, parents... It wasn't that she was incompetent, but war had been too frequent, humanity too weak!

Now, seeing her own child perish before her eyes, her heart still felt as if slashed by a knife.

Why was he so foolish? Why wouldn't he surrender? Why fight to the death? A painful echo rang through her mind—but she knew the answer: because Jiang Xuming bore the Jiang surname.

He too wanted to slay demons and purge evil!!

"Jiang Xuming..."

The Su and Lin families—Su Muqing, Lin Jinrou, and others—watched silently, their eyes filled with grief, shock, resolve, and intense killing intent.

Jiang Xuming had lost, defeated, denied even the chance to beg for surrender, facing death—yet the opponent had had the chance to surrender, but chose instead to burn his Primordial Spirit, gambling everything!

Though he, as humanity's Vanguard Commander, had failed to win, that burning, death-defying battle spirit now ignited everyone.

We can lose, we can die—but we cannot retreat!

"Is this your humanity's top prodigy?"

Chi Xu, having directly sacrificed Jiang Xuming, had transformed his body back into his former human form. A cold sneer curled his lips as he scanned the outer boundary of the sealing barrier—voices from outside couldn't enter, but sounds from within could escape.

He chuckled softly: "Taste is decent, but alas—nothing special..."

His words echoed through the demon realms, where every demon clan roared in celebration, chanting Chi Xu's name.

"Chi Shen is invincible!"

"The Lingxue Clan is the strongest!"

Countless demons shouted, their voices wild with excitement.

Meanwhile, in the thirty-six thousand immortal cities of Gu Su Emperor Star, the anxious, doubtful, terrified cries faded as they watched the black cauldron slowly consume Jiang Xuming's Primordial Spirit until it flickered out—finally, all fell into silence and stillness.

No one had expected such a brilliant, monstrous prodigy to perish here, to die so brutally!

Amid the oppressive, heavy silence, someone—no one knew who—spoke up.

"It's only the first battle—what's there to fear? We can win it back!"

"That's surely the strongest demon among them—we still have the Su family's True Phoenix unchallenged, and the Lin family's Imperial Prince!"

"Yes! Don't lose heart! He had a bright future, fought for us, and never surrendered—how can we surrender?"

In every immortal city, a new wave of furious roars erupted—countless voices united in righteous wrath.

Meanwhile, in the Demon Ancestor's cultivation ground, Chi Xu had already retrieved the black cauldron. Jiang Xuming was dead—before the eyes of all.

The first battle: the demons won!

"So it seems you have no intention of sending your humanity's top prodigies? I've heard of the Lin family's Imperial Prince and the Su family's True Phoenix—will they fight?"

The purple-robed middle-aged man smiled lightly, his voice carried by the boundary stone across both human and demon realms.

Lin Daogong's eyes grew deep as he stared at him: "What, afraid we'll retreat? You overestimate us. Even if we die, humanity will never retreat!"

His words seemed to speak for the dead Jiang Xuming.

Countless humans roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, echoing across the entire star!

Yes! Even if we die, we will never retreat!

The northern human territories were not like other regions—scattered and weak. Here, after countless battles against demons, humanity had seen through them, understood them: surrender only meant becoming a traded commodity in the demons' hands. When facing utter despair, that was when collective courage erupted!

"Good. Don't let yourselves be scared off."

The purple-robed man smiled lightly. He had indeed feared Chi Xu's display might make humanity lose heart, causing them to send only weaklings afterward as a mockery.

Killing one human prodigy wasn't enough—he wanted to exterminate this entire generation of human prodigies!

"Who's next?"

At that moment, Chi Xu spoke in the Demon Ancestor's cultivation ground, a sneer on his lips as he scanned the crowd outside.

Hearing this, the previously furious crowd now turned pale.

He had no intention of stepping down—he wanted to keep fighting?!

Instantly, the Jiang, Su, Lin families, and other noble prodigies all grew grim-faced—shocked, furious, enraged.

But Su Zhenyuan and Jiang Qiuyu remained silent; the original rules had not forbidden consecutive battles.

He had brought twenty warriors—fight until none remain!

But with Chi Xu's performance—suppressing and slaughtering Jiang Xuming, even after the latter consumed an immortal pill to boost his power and realm—still losing—who would step forward next? Who had any certainty of victory?

All eyes turned involuntarily to Su Muqing, Lin Jinrou, and a few other young Lin family members.

These few were the most renowned prodigies present, and Su Muqing's reputation stood first.

Sending anyone else would be suicide—only they had even a chance to fight.

Even Lin Jinrou might not be enough—not a sure match. Altogether, it seemed only Su Muqing remained.

Su Zhenyuan's face darkened—he had to send his daughter Su Muqing out now.