Chapter 407: The Ancient Night Finally Descends!!

BOOM——!!!

The ink-black sky suddenly shattered, a brilliant golden wheel shaped like a rising sun had barely blossomed across heaven and earth before being violently crushed, its shockwaves instantly transforming into a sky-covering storm of sand and dust that surged in all directions.

In the mountains and forests, countless ancient trees were severed at their trunks by the wind force, and the cliffs facing them were instantly pulverized into powder.

At the same time, in another part of the sky, a wild, sky-splitting blade of qi was slashing toward a main force of the demon race, but before it could land, it was repelled by a scaled iron fist.

Where the fist’s force passed, the night sky tore open a crack spanning ten thousand li; the churning sea of clouds was pierced through, revealing countless glittering stars beyond.

Winds, pressure, and terrifying aura all crashed down from the horizon, heavy as mountains, making the cultivators around the forest twitch their eyelids uncontrollably.

They knew a peak-level top-five realm expert had struck, but they had not expected the demon race to possess sufficient strength to block their attacks.

Beneath the roaring Dadao , explosions erupted continuously; the violent qi spread over a thousand li, causing these human cultivators to tremble with dread.

On a high mountain in the northeast of the Ancient Northern Plain, Ye Han, clad in black-gold battle armor, stood atop the peak, watching this scene.

Throughout demon race history, countless demon kings had been towering figures who dominated their regions, brilliant and extraordinary, each possessing their own legends within their tribes and across the entire demon race, sung by generation after generation of demon folk.

Yet what puzzled everyone was that, in their later years, all these demon kings would suddenly vanish from sight, silently, as if they had vanished into thin air.

Ye Han had once been puzzled by this question too; as a youth, he had even ordered his household ministers to investigate, but found nothing.

Until this time, when he went to the palace to beg his father, the Emperor, to order an invasion, he was brought before twenty-three coffins forged from snowfield dark ice.

When he saw his father awaken the twenty-three demon kings who had slept for eons within the coffins, he finally learned the answer.

Unlike humans, demons require no secret arts or potions; they are born with a natural method of entering deep sleep to extend their lifespan and slow aging.

But their reason for sleeping is not like that of humans, who seek ways to prolong life—it is because of their clan.

After the Ancient Great War a thousand years ago, the demon race, under the leadership of the First Demon Emperor, were forced to migrate to the snowfields, enduring bitter winds and frost.

Yet they always firmly believed that one day they would return home with their people.

From that time on, every generation of demon kings would enter hibernation in the underground ice caves beneath the Demon Emperor’s Palace at the right moment, waiting only for that longed-for day when their race would have amassed enough strength to face all wars.

But like human longevity arts, this sleep merely slowed bodily decay—it did not truly halt time.

Thus over these thousand years, countless ancient demon kings had died in their sleep.

In the ebb and flow, the dark ice coffins beneath the Demon Emperor’s City had changed hands countless times.

Until today, these twenty-three recent demon kings, carrying the blood and duty of countless ancestral spirits, had finally arrived at this moment.

At this moment, one elderly demon king in his sight crossed the void; his demonic form triggered thunderous roars, and with a single swing of his massive axe, he crushed a peak-level top-five realm expert deep into the Sacred Forest.

“Report! Prince, the western main force has entered twenty li into the forest; the southern main force is advancing diagonally to meet them within the forest.”

“It seems humans truly have no experience in group combat—this speed far exceeds my expectations.”

Ye Han narrowed his eyes: “Issue orders—within three days, ensure our troops breach the heart of the human Sacred Land.”

“Yes!”

The messenger bowed, immediately drawing his sword and galloping off; within moments, a deafening horn blared across the eight directions, like a spear piercing the plain and driving into every demon warrior’s mind—the demon army, previously scattered by human peak-level top-five realm experts, instantly reassembled, reorganized with speed, and charged once more toward the forest housing the Ancestral Sacred Land.

Facing this flood-like assault, the cultivators stationed in the forest surged forward, colliding violently with them in an instant.

As bloodshed erupted continuously through the woods, a silver spear suddenly descended from the sky.

The demon race’s famed dark demon general, Ye Tuo, struck; his iron spear became a roaring dragon piercing the wind, crushing the oncoming human cultivators.

At the peak of the dark demon realm, his combat power equaled that of a human Ying Tian; his spear struck like a dragon, drenching the ground in blood mist, filling the air with screams.

Yet as that spear’s force surged forward unimpeded, a finger of light suddenly shot out from the forest.

Chai Ze, direct disciple of the Longevity Hall of the Heavenly Book Academy, stood atop a high mountain; with a flick of his finger, he violently repelled the spear.

Simultaneously, a graceful figure rushed forward; He Lingxiu, surrounded by magical arts, drew her sword amid the howling wind, and a bolt of lightning slashed down, hurling Ye Tuo back hard.

Shi Junhao also arrived swiftly, single-handedly slaying Ye Tuo, who spat blood.

Then the three united, charging into the demon army with fierce momentum.

Amid flying blood and shattered limbs, the demon army suddenly scattered in all directions, forming groups of a hundred and surging outward.

He Lingxiu and the others turned to see the demon troops, now dispersed into the forest, advancing from countless angles and routes toward the deeper region of Luoyue Territory.

From a sensory perspective, the scene resembled a chaotic, panicked rout.

But upon closer observation, their marching speed and rhythm were perfectly synchronized—clearly a tactic of dividing into countless combat units, then recombining for coordinated assaults.

In contrast, the humans: clans followed sects, the weak followed the strong; no one dared to break away and pursue.

Just as they had sensed earlier, humans overall possessed more peak-level experts than the demon race, but the demon race’s group combat awareness was a major problem.

Most crucially, whether clan or sect, humans fought for the chance to claim a share of the spoils afterward—and spoils only mattered if you survived; demons fought for their clan, willing to die.

East of Luoyue Gorge, Peach Blossom Riverbank.

Beneath thick nightfall, the rushing river made a continuous Huahua sound.

Zuo Qiuyang walked along the riverbank, dark light swirling around him, his aura roaring like thunder.

Suddenly, a shrill vibration rang out; the river’s surface erupted in a violent spray of water, which vanished instantly into endless mist.

Within that mist, an elderly demon king suddenly appeared; his massive halberd, radiating oceanic force, slammed down.

BOOM!!!!

Zuo Qiuyang swiftly raised his hand; ten thousand rays of dark light burst forth, his palm-sword blocking the sky-splitting halberd.

Yet just as the halberd was pinned down, a howling sound came from high above; two more demon kings broke through the air, slamming forward with two ferocious iron fists.

A violent explosion erupted; half the river was instantly vaporized.

A thin trickle of blood seeped from Zuo Qiuyang’s lips; he stared coldly and steadily at the three demon kings, who too were battered, blood droplets falling from their fingertips.

ZOOM!!!

Amid the standoff, a vibrating sound approached rapidly from afar.

Chai Hu, master of the Longevity Hall, suddenly appeared; with a wave of his hand, a powerful force field, like a mountain, slammed from behind toward the elderly demon king wielding the halberd, his fur whipping wildly.

Seizing the moment, Zuo Qiuyang stepped into the air, leaping toward Luoyue Gorge.

But before he could take that step, three long blades suddenly slashed through the sky—three more demon kings arrived, forcing his movement to a halt.

Seeing this, Zuo Qiuyang turned to look behind him.

The three demon kings pursuing him and Chai Hu locked eyes for an instant, forming a standoff.

“Are these three following you?”

Chai Hu gasped: “Yes. All extremely troublesome opponents—I can’t shake them off.”

Hearing this, Zuo Qiuyang’s third eye furrowed slightly.

He had not expected the demon race to possess so many demon kings; it seemed that even when the barbarian-allied forces invaded You and Yun provinces, they had concealed their true strength, never revealing their full Diyun .

But unquestionably, they were being held back.

His younger brother Lu Fengchuan, the Wenda Zong , the Shanhai Pavilion, the Chen Shixian Clan, and the Lingjian Mountain’s peak-level top-five realm experts—likely facing the same situation.

“Honorable demon kings, why have you chosen today to strike against our human race?”

As Zuo Qiuyang spoke, he fixed his gaze on the three demon kings who had pursued him, especially the elderly demon king wielding the halberd.

Since their first appearance, they had clashed countless times; from their coordinated battle cries, Zuo Qiuyang had gained some understanding of them.

The elderly demon king wielding the halberd was clearly their most venerable and powerful, named Gu Chuan.

The other two were his brother Gu De and his direct disciple.

After his question, the three demon kings gave no response.

Their mission was to delay human experts—or kill them if an opportunity arose—to aid the demon army’s entry into the Ancestral Sacred Land; everything else was meaningless, so they would not answer any questions.

But failing to get an answer, Zuo Qiuyang did not give up.

“The demon race and human race have been allies since ancient times, meant to live in harmony, neighbor to neighbor. You allied with the barbarians and seized our You and Yun provinces—fine. But now you suddenly unleash your full army against Zhongzhou—do you truly intend to shatter this thousand-year peace?” Zuo Qiuyang’s tone grew colder.

Gu Chuan smiled faintly: “Peace? If there had been true peace, why would our demon race have abandoned these nine provinces to flee to the snowfields?”

“That was your own choice—why blame it on our human race?”

“After the Ancient Great War ended, your human ancestors hung sacred relics above our ancestral lands for three days, publicly claiming they were purging remnants—but how could we not flee?”

Zuo Qiuyang raised his gaze: “Your demon race was far stronger than ours back then. I believe our ancestors merely sought to protect our people.”

Gu Chuan glared coldly: “Your human race loves excuses. But clan conflicts need no noble pretenses—only victory or defeat. We accepted it then; you must accept it now.”

BOOM!!!!

A massive fissure split open across Luoyue Ridge.

Amid swirling dust, the demon army surged forward like a dam broken, rushing toward the heart of the Ancestral Sacred Land.

Seeing this, the demon kings instantly raised their qi to its peak, ready to intercept any human expert attempting to reinforce the battlefield.

But unexpectedly, they did not move—they simply watched as the demon army surged past like a flood.

Yet at that moment, a vast golden dark light suddenly rose from the dark forest, and countless golden threads spread like ripples across the trees.

They were array patterns—identical to the protective arrays of countless sects.

PUFF—

The first hundred demon cavalry had no time to react before being instantly annihilated; blood rained down like a storm.

This sudden turn stunned the demons, filling them with shock and fury.

For the barbarians had spent a thousand years attacking without ever stepping a foot into the Nine Provinces—ninety percent of that failure was due to the great array atop the Northern Wall.

No matter how precise their tactics or how flawless their coordination, how could they possibly breach an array with zero blind spots?

But soon, they realized something was wrong.

Because unlike the Northern Wall array, which remained active once triggered, these ripples were steadily weakening, their glow dimming.

This array was not the same as the Northern Wall’s.

Instantly, the demon army’s heavenly demon generals confirmed this.

Correct—the Northern Wall array had been carved for over twenty years; how could they possibly have prepared an identical one in such a short time?

And judging by its rate of decay, this array must require time to charge.

If it’s truly this real, then each opening must have a time limit, and the attack window cannot last long.

As they suspected, roughly ten breaths later, the ripples suddenly vanished from the air, and the killing intent encircling the entire sacred ground instantly dissolved.

“Just as I thought!”

“The great array cannot remain active—soldiers, charge!”

At the command of the leading divine general, the vast horde of demonic troops immediately surged with vigor and charged forward once more.

Though the array could not sustain operation, it had still bought precious time, allowing the human cultivators who had been evaded by the scattered tactics to finally catch up.

Thus, the head-on charge reignited an endless storm of bloodshed.

In truth, if the demonic race truly wished to engage the human race in direct combat, they could gain little advantage—especially now, as they must constantly guard against the array’s sudden activation, causing their advance to be brutally stalled, as if mired in mud.

After several such attempts, casualties within the army began to rise steadily.

The main forces on the western and northern flanks also breached toward the core’s edge from other directions, encountering identical obstacles and Kunjing , causing the entire battle to grow fiercely desperate.

Most crucially, when a vanguard unit managed to evade the array’s deadly strikes and fought through immense hardship to penetrate inside, a stone mirror suddenly rose into the air.

Endless immortal light erupted, violently repelling the demonic forces that had broken through the array’s killing zone.

And the suffocating power forced countless blood-boiling demonic warriors to abandon the hard-won opportunity and retreat once more.

It was a sacred artifact.

Whether the ancient king standing against the fifth-tier peak or the heavenly demonic general leading the assault, all now turned their gaze toward the crimson palanquin deep within the dense forest.

Seeing this, the human cultivators erupted in a triumphant cheer, their eyes toward the demons instantly filled with contempt.

Indeed, no matter how recklessly the demons threw themselves into battle, no matter how many elite warriors they possessed beyond expectation, how could they possibly oppose a sacred artifact?

But what the human cultivators did not anticipate was that, even after sensing the sacred artifact’s might, the demons showed not the slightest fear or retreat—instead, they pressed forward.

In the subsequent assaults, the demonic army made countless attempts.

They encircled the outer perimeter of the Sages’ Sacred Ground, stretching their battle line into an extremely wide arc, searching for openings from night until dawn.

After two days and two nights of relentless assault, both human and demonic forces began to gasp for breath, showing clear signs of exhaustion.

Yet the most worn-out were not they, but the alchemists within the valley.

Continuous, unceasing repairs had drained them severely; even the gathered alchemical light no longer pulsed with its initial abundance and vigor.

Yet hearing the battle sounds drawing ever closer, they dared not slacken for a moment.

Hold steady…

Do not let the fissures tear apart again…

Amid the surging alchemical light, Yuan Li, repairing the cracks, ignored the screams and roars from outside, muttering incantations as he continued his work.

Before his eyes, both fissures had shrunk to mere fragments.

“BOOM!!!”

After an unknown length of time, as a vast wave of energy descended, a pure and majestic aura spread in all directions.

At the Peach Blossom Riverbank, Zuo Qiu Yang suddenly widened his eyes and involuntarily turned toward the Sages’ Sacred Ground.

In that instant of distraction, the demonic kings abruptly abandoned their encirclement of him and soared skyward, crashing down toward the central valley.

“Damn it—the imitation array can’t hold the demonic kings!”

“No worry—the Mirror Master guards the core; with the sacred artifact in place, nothing will happen!”

Zuo Qiu Yang and Chai Hu soared into the sky toward the sacred core, where they saw the demonic kings using their formidable bodies to directly clash with the array, blocking countless killing strikes as they forced their way in.

As expected, the Spirit Sword Mountain’s young master’s spiritual mirror had already risen into the air, and multiple beams of immortal light shot forth, striking the demonic kings.

The sacred artifact wielded the power of the Heavenly Dao, representing Heaven’s wrath—no matter the demonic king’s realm, even the ancient demonic cultivators of the Lin Immortal Realm could not withstand it; their demise should have been certain.

But unexpectedly, as the spiritual mirror unleashed its power, a colossal shadow appeared in the night sky, whispering a single word that instantly erupted into a thunderous roar across the heavens.

As that roar crashed down upon the sky, the spiritual mirror above trembled violently, its immortal light instantly diverted, missing every target.

“Demonic Emperor…”

“How is this possible? The Demonic Emperor can block a sacred artifact?”

Zuo Qiu Yang stared at the towering figure in the night sky and suddenly recalled the aura his younger sister You Yingqiu emitted during her cultivation seclusion—he froze. “No—he didn’t block the sacred artifact. He altered the momentary flow of Heavenly Fate.”

At once, the demonic ranks erupted in cheers, their morale surging violently.

Meanwhile, Ye Han on the high mountain could not suppress his own exhilaration.

All humans knew the Abbot of the Heavenly Book Academy could control Heavenly Fate, but few knew the Demonic Emperor’s lineage could do the same—though there was a distinction.

The Abbot of the Heavenly Book Academy controlled Heavenly Fate through the Art of Heavenly Fate, while the Demonic Emperor did so through bloodline Tianfu that sensed Heavenly Fate.

Since the end of the Ancient War, the Demonic Emperor’s lineage had relentlessly studied how to counter sacred artifacts using Heavenly Fate, making countless attempts.

But they later discovered that no matter their efforts, the sacred artifact—imbued with Heavenly Dao’s might—remained the most powerful force in this world, impossible to oppose.

The Demonic Emperor’s lineage had once sunk into despair, believing their return to Jiuzhou was hopeless—until this generation, his father’s.

His father abandoned direct confrontation with sacred artifacts and devoted all his energy to manipulating Heavenly Fate.

That instant just now was his act of obscuring Heavenly Fate for a fleeting moment, successfully disrupting the sacred artifact’s perception.

“They’re all fools who see only what’s right before them…”

Deep within the core forest, Fang Ruoyao softly spoke, then rose and leapt down into the valley.

After repairing the two fissures, the Yu Danzong, to prevent a chain reaction of instability, had simultaneously begun opening the Sacred Ground.

Now, as the mysterious light expanded, an entrance slowly unfolded at the location of the two fissures.

Welcome the descent of the new world.