Chapter 728 - 477: Slaughter and the Demonic Realm (Part 2)

This was a sign of heaven and earth mourning a Divinity Transformation’s death. But before the Cultivators could comprehend what was happening, the scene from the Awakening Lion Valley camp descended upon them once more.

A waiter was carrying a tray of hot food, his face beaming with a warm smile. He had just taken a step forward when, in the next moment, he fell flat on the ground. The delicious dishes spilled, releasing their tempting aroma.

Friends who were laughing and drinking together slumped over onto their tables and chairs the very next second. The once-bustling hall fell silent in an instant.

In a private room, the Second Generation Sect Leader of the Lingliang Sect and the Vice Sect Leader of the Spiritual Technique Sect were plotting something in secret. A light breeze blew past, and both froze, their expressions vacant.

At an auction, a dozen or so Golden Core Cultivators were passionately bidding for a High-grade Elixir. In a private box on the top floor, two Nascent Soul Cultivators from Qi Yun watched the scene with faint smiles.

A group of young children were running around wildly, and a mother was calling for her child to come home from her doorway.

The silence was contagious. The entire Nine-star Marketplace plunged into absolute stillness the instant after Yue’e died.

Even the birds flying by, the crickets in the grass, and the earthworms underground became empty husks in that moment. Their very essence had been pulled into the sky, merging with the dense mass of souls, indistinguishable from one another.

Under the Yuanhou Lion Dance’s Divine Technique, all life was equal.

The Jade Rabbit, who had witnessed this all with her own eyes, felt her ten-thousand-year-old composure shatter in an instant. She couldn’t believe that her master, whom she revered like a mother, hadn’t even lasted a single breath.

"Oh, a little rabbit. How interesting."

A deep, amused voice echoed beside the Jade Rabbit’s ear. The next moment, before she could get very far, her vision went black and she fainted.

Perhaps it had already had its fill, or perhaps it was because the Jade Rabbit was not human. In any case, the Old Lion chose not to devour her immediately. Instead, it knocked her unconscious, held her in its mouth, and prepared to turn back.

But in the next moment, the Old Lion’s gaze suddenly shot toward the distant horizon, a grave expression finally appearing in its eyes.

...

High above the Nine Heavens, millions of miles from White Mountain, a city was materializing in the sky.

The city was formed from tens of millions of overlapping, layered shadows. The faces of its countless inhabitants were blurry, yet all bore a faint resemblance. At a glance, it became clear that these thousands upon thousands of residents were all the same person.

These people were engaged in the most ordinary of activities: eating, sleeping, murdering, committing arson, swindling, and cheating—playing out every facet of the human condition.

In the vast expanse of sky beyond this city, three divine senses were communicating with one another.

’The Celestial Demon Illusion Realm has reappeared. Has something gone wrong with the Celestial Essence Array again?’

This was an indifferent voice, tinged with an unquestionable authority.

’It’s not a problem with the Celestial Essence Array, but with a person. Fellow Daoist Li was unable to pass his Celestial Tribulation and resorted to such a desperate measure. This outcome is due to his own bad luck. It’s an internal matter and has nothing to do with those Outer Celestial Demons.’

’Internal troubles and external threats... a time of crisis. You two should focus on the matter at hand. The sooner this is over, the better.’

This was a gentle voice, carrying great persuasive power. However, the wills of the other two were absolutely resolute, and they paid it no mind.

’Very well. I’ll go handle the matter of Fellow Daoist Li’s lineage and succession. I’ll leave this to the two of you.’

One of the divine senses quickly retracted, crossing hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant to return to the Great Zhou Academy Main Campus.

Within the Sixth Rank Spiritual Land, three chimes rang out from the centermost courtyard. A few moments later, a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator wearing a golden crown hurried inside.

The man stopped in the courtyard, and a voice came from within:

"Li Taizai was under the jurisdiction of the East Government Outer Courtyard, correct? Take this letter to them and have them begin handling the matter."

A letter was passed into the man’s hands. After receiving it, he bowed respectfully and said:

"As the Dean commands."

...

Before the Celestial Demon Illusion Realm, only two consciousnesses remained. Now that the head of the Great Zhou Academy Main Campus was gone, the distance between them felt even greater.

After a long while, neither of them had spoken. Both were watching the figures within the Celestial Demon Illusion Realm play out their various dramas.

A Celestial Demon Illusion Realm is a paradise for all sorts of Demons, formed when a Cultivator fails to resist a Demon Tribulation.

These Demons consume the Cultivator’s lifelong cultivation as nourishment, using their life’s experiences to manifest all kinds of scenes. This is the feeding process of a Celestial Demon.

Before his death, Li Taizai was a veteran Divinity Transformation expert who had weathered the Three Calamities and Three Misfortunes. This was his second Celestial Tribulation, and unexpectedly, he fell during the Demon Tribulation.

Although the Celestial Demon Illusion Realm before them was nothing to the two beings present, properly disposing of it would still take some time.

It wasn’t that the disposal process itself was time-consuming, but rather that they needed to wait for the Celestial Demon Illusion Realm to "ripen."

Based on the speed of its evolution, it would take half a year for the Celestial Demon Illusion Realm to fully digest the accumulated cultivation of a veteran Divinity Transformation expert, including the source of the True Meaning of the Great Dao that he had comprehended.

This source of the True Meaning of the Great Dao was what the two beings truly valued. If they acted now, the source comprehended by Li Taizai would be tainted by the Celestial Demons. Even if they annihilated all the Demons, this demonic intent would still seep into the world.

If future Cultivators were to comprehend this same True Meaning of the Great Dao, they might mistakenly learn the version that had been polluted and twisted by the Celestial Demons, believing it to be the authentic truth. Wouldn’t that be leaving a back door open for future Celestial Demons?

Conversely, if they waited for the Celestial Demons to digest this portion of the True Meaning of the Great Dao before killing them, then the True Meaning, now supplemented by the Celestial Demons, would return to the world and become even more complete.

This was the strange and treacherous nature of Celestial Demons. They harmed others for their own benefit, yet they also gave back. These Celestial Demons have no method of advancing on their own; they can only target Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm, corrupting them from the shadows. Only by devouring a Cultivator of the same realm can a Demon evolve.

However, the Cultivation Realm was protected by the Celestial Essence Array. This Array was not only to guard against the Wilderness Demonic Beasts, but also to defend against dangers from the Nine Heavens Star Realm.

A long time passed before one of them finally spoke:

’Are you sure you want to leave?’

’I want to go back and see. Ever since I was young, I’ve heard the elders say that the distant Star Sea is our true home. I have nothing left to pursue now. This is my only remaining wish.’

’As for me, this place is my home. I don’t care if you leave, but you cannot use up the power accumulated by the Celestial Essence Array.’

’I will only use the portion belonging to Qi Yun. I have no use for the Beast Taming Sect’s part anyway.’

’Tens of thousands of years of accumulation were not saved for you; it belongs to all Qi Yun Cultivators. As their leader, you shouldn’t be so selfish.’

’Elder Liu, I don’t believe it’s your place to lecture me on how I should act. If you truly care so much for the Cultivators of this realm, why didn’t you try to stop the Realm Master when he left?’

Silence. The Guardian Envoy of the Beast Taming Sect fell silent. The Master of Heaven and Earth Peak had brought up the Realm Master, and he truly had nothing to say.

Just as the Guardian Envoy of the Beast Taming Sect remained speechless, deep in the distant White Mountain, the Yuanhou Lion Dance crossed the dividing line between the Barbaric Wilderness and the rice paddies.

Instantly, this scene was transmitted through the Celestial Essence Array, crossing a million miles to appear clearly in the minds of the two powerful beings.

’How dare it!’

’Oh no, Yue’e is in danger!’

The Guardian Envoy of the Beast Taming Sect had only enough time to send a single thought to the Master of Heaven and Earth Peak before he abruptly threw his divine soul into the Celestial Essence Array.

The Guardian Envoy of the Beast Taming Sect crossed the distance of a million miles in just a few short minutes. At that moment, the Yuanhou Lion Dance had just finished devouring every living being in the marketplace.

CRACK-BOOM!

The once clear, boundless sky suddenly filled with flashing lightning and roaring thunder. A torrential downpour immediately followed, cascading over the entirety of White Mountain.

It wasn’t just the area around the Nine-star Marketplace; at that moment, heavy rain began to fall across all of White Mountain, from south to north.

Within the Qingyuan Sect, Fang Qingyuan was having a heart-to-heart with Huo Yao’Er. Faced with Huo Yao’Er’s advances, Fang Qingyuan had not pushed her away.

The moment the rain began to fall, Fang Qingyuan felt his heart skip a few beats. An incredibly heavy sense of pressure washed over his entire body.

It wasn’t just Fang Qingyuan. Every Golden Core Realm Cultivator on White Mountain felt an inexplicable agitation at that moment. They all instinctively left their residences to look toward the source of this oppressive feeling.