Chapter 309: The Demon Sovereigns' Scheme

[The fading fluctuations of a Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation rippled from the direction you were facing.]

[Evidently, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator had crossed into the Deity Transformation stage.]

['A Sword Dao Heavenly Monarch?']

[Your interest was piqued.]

[This newly advanced Deity Transformation stage expert was indeed a sword cultivator, ascending to the ranks of Heavenly Monarchs through the Sword Dao.]

[Six hundred years had passed in this simulation. Aside from the sixty years you spent cultivating before reaching the Deity Transformation stage,]

[you had spent the subsequent five hundred and forty years almost entirely in secluded cultivation within the Soul Capital.]

[Centuries ago, you had passed down numerous Sword Dao inheritances and cultivation methods to True Monarch Tianshuang, paying them little attention afterward.]

[You only possessed a general awareness that the Sword Dao lineage was developing rapidly.]

[Yet before you knew it, the Sword Dao lineage had unexpectedly produced another Heavenly Monarch.]

['Hmm... I don't feel anything...']

[You closed your eyes and focused for a moment, but noticed no other changes.]

[The two reincarnated immortals of the Dharma and Body lineages had deliberately reincarnated into the human realm to pass down their inheritances. By all logic, this act had to serve a purpose.]

['Is it because my cultivation realm isn't high enough?']

[You pondered this briefly, though you didn't take it too much to heart.]

[Spreading the Sword Dao was your plan to begin with. Even without the presence of the reincarnated immortals, you still would have done so.]

['The human realm...']

[You gazed into the distance, falling into deep thought.]

[Over the last century or two, the Demon Abyss Realm's offensive had intensified. Demon sovereigns had already charged out of the first two dimensional passages torn open in the Western Desert and Northern Plains. Demon Abyss Banners had taken firm root, occupying millions of miles in the surrounding area.]

[An area of a few million miles was insignificant compared to the vastness of the human realm.]

[But this signified that the Demon Abyss Realm's assault could no longer be held back. The two Deity Transformation late stage Heavenly Monarchs originally guarding the Western Desert and Northern Plains were nearing the end of their lifespans, likely with no more than a few centuries left.]

[As for new Deity Transformation late stage experts... currently, only Ethereal Peak had produced one, and they were presently tasked with guarding the passage in the Deep Sea territory.]

[And you? Your combat strength was undeniably the highest in the human realm—a fact proven with the lives of over a hundred Tier 5 early stage, mid stage, late stage, and even consummation demon sovereigns.]

[But so what if your combat strength was unparalleled? You could guard at most one passage. The moment you left the Soul Capital, a massive horde of demon sovereigns would descend from the passage in the sky above.]

[And if you returned? Those demon sovereigns would simply retreat into the Demon Abyss Realm, completely avoiding a head-on clash.]

[Of course, if you constantly traveled back and forth between the various passages, it would drastically curb the pace of the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion, even if the demon sovereigns retreated immediately.]

[But doing so would impact your cultivation speed.]

[Moreover, this approach only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. If several centuries or a millennium passed and more passages opened, you would easily be overwhelmed.]

[Your gaze remained calm as it swept across the human realm.]

[In truth, over these past few centuries of intensified invasions, quite a few Deity Transformation stage Heavenly Monarchs had secretly defected to the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Although there were only five major passages connecting the human realm to the Demon Abyss Realm, spatial rifts capable of bearing Tier 3 and Tier 4 demons were abundant. Contacting the Demon Abyss Realm was not difficult for Heavenly Monarchs. The Demon Sovereigns of the abyss would even hide recruitment messages inside the corpses of ordinary demons, which the Heavenly Monarchs would discover upon slaying them.]

[The reason the passages in the Western Desert and Northern Plains had fallen—allowing demon sovereigns to charge out and occupy millions of miles—was because treacherous Heavenly Monarchs had leaked information. Armed with knowledge of the exact injuries of the Deity Transformation late stage Heavenly Monarchs guarding those areas, the enemy waited until the defenders returned to Ethereal Peak and the Extreme Dao Hall to recuperate. A massive horde of demon sovereigns then descended immediately, causing the defensive lines to collapse.]

[Over the course of several centuries, the terrifying power of the Demon Abyss Realm had deeply etched itself into the minds of every Heavenly Monarch in the human realm. Faced with the twelve towering Demon Sovereigns and wave after wave of descending demon sovereigns, some Heavenly Monarchs believed the fall of the human realm was only a matter of time.]

[Rather than dying at the hands of demon sovereigns when that day came, they figured it was better to defect early. At the very least, they would survive. It might even prove beneficial, given that the cosmic status of the Demon Abyss Realm was much higher than that of the human realm.]

['Deity Transformation late stage.']

[Your gaze remained tranquil. Only by constructing a nascent Sword Dao domain perfectly suited to yourself, and using it to step into the Deity Transformation late stage, would you have the power to sever the passages at their source and completely expel the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Half a year later, while you were in secluded cultivation, the newly advanced Sword Dao Heavenly Monarch came to request an audience.]

[This newly advanced Sword Dao Heavenly Monarch was named Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin. He was originally a Foundation Establishment stage body cultivator. However, upon learning of your existence—coupled with True Monarch Tianshuang following your orders to spread numerous Sword Dao cultivation methods and inheritances—]

[he had immediately switched to the path of a sword cultivator without hesitation.]

[Finally, at the age of six hundred and twelve, he cultivated to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak and broke through to the Deity Transformation stage, becoming the second sword cultivator Heavenly Monarch in the human realm aside from you.]

["Greetings, Sword Lord."]

[Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin was extremely respectful toward you. As a Sword Dao Heavenly Monarch, the moment he stepped into the Deity Transformation stage, he sensed another, far vaster sword intent existing within the human realm. This sword intent infinitely surpassed the one he had spent centuries pouring his heart and soul into condensing. Even sensing it slightly left Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin trembling in fear.]

["Mm."]

[You sized him up for a moment, sensing the sword intent he had nurtured, and nodded slightly.]

[Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin's aptitude for the Sword Dao was indeed quite good. Even though his nurtured sword intent was far inferior to yours, relying on it allowed his pure combat strength to approach the Deity Transformation Early Stage Peak.]

[Next, Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin respectfully asked several questions regarding the Sword Dao.]

[You answered casually. Heavenly Monarch Yuanjin felt as if he had received a profound enlightenment; only after a long while did he bow reverently and take his leave.]

[Year six hundred and fifty. You were six hundred and fifty years old.]

[You had comprehended over a dozen more nascent Sword Dao domains, yet still found none that satisfied you or perfectly matched your path.]

['Why hasn't the sixth passage appeared yet?']

[You looked out across the human realm, feeling slightly puzzled. Going by the intervals at which the first five passages were torn open, the sixth passage should have appeared decades, if not a century, ago.]

['Do those twelve Demon Sovereigns have some other scheme?']

[You speculated inwardly but didn't dwell on it. Your most pressing priority right now was cultivation.]

[While continuing to comprehend nascent Sword Dao domains, your divine sense simultaneously examined the World-Crossing Immortal Ark.]

[This World-Crossing Immortal Ark was severely damaged. Repair it? Even if a Puppet Heavenly Master intervened, it would take an endless amount of time. You certainly wouldn't live to see it fixed in your lifetime.]

['Just what did it encounter to be damaged this badly?']

[You observed the World-Crossing Immortal Ark. Inside its main control room sat a crystal. This crystal was the ark's control core and likely contained visual records of the many dangers it had faced.]

[However, the ark was too heavily damaged. At least eighty percent of it needed to be repaired before the main control crystal could be reactivated to review everything the vessel had endured.]

['I won't live to see the day it's fully repaired in this generation, but a hundred thousand years from now, I should be able to see it...']

[You stroked your chin, suddenly thinking of the World-Crossing Immortal Ark kept in the Ghost Realm Trial Field a hundred thousand years in the future.]

[Within the vast Demon Abyss Realm, the twelve Demon Sovereigns stood tall, simultaneously conversing with one another.]

["Hold off on tearing open the sixth passage for now. Wait until the demon sovereigns under our command make their move against Ethereal Peak. We will tear it open then. With forces coordinating from the inside and outside, this realm will pretty much collapse."]

[One Demon Sovereign spoke, his tone smug.]

[Over the years, a significant number of Heavenly Monarchs in the human realm had defected to the Demon Abyss Realm. Thus, through these turncoats, the twelve Demon Sovereigns had secretly allowed their subordinate demon sovereigns to infiltrate the human realm.]

[Many of the defecting Heavenly Monarchs hailed from major factions and held high positions of authority, which gave them the means to covertly smuggle in demon-sovereign-level demons.]

[After centuries of invasion, the twelve Demon Sovereigns also knew that apart from that "Sword Lord," the strongest factions in the human realm were Ethereal Peak and the Extreme Dao Hall.]

[As long as a crisis struck these two factions—for instance, if Ethereal Peak's sect gates were breached and annihilated—it would deal an unprecedented blow to the morale of the human realm's Heavenly Monarchs. It might even entice more Heavenly Monarchs to defect, causing the entire human realm to collapse on its own.]

[Hence, their current plan.]

[The twelve Demon Sovereigns' complete plan was to dispatch multiple Tier 5 Consummation demon sovereigns into the human realm. Carrying heavy treasures of the Demon Abyss Realm and using special methods to evade the world's suppression, they would all converge near Ethereal Peak and use those supreme treasures to launch an assault, shaking or even destroying Ethereal Peak in a short amount of time.]

[Simultaneously, the twelve Demon Sovereigns residing in the Demon Abyss Realm would tear open the sixth passage and overtly send out massive hordes of demons and demon sovereigns to invade the human realm. With both sides coordinating, they hoped to cause the human realm's complete collapse in the shortest possible time.]

[Even if the plan failed and Ethereal Peak wasn't annihilated, those Tier 5 Consummation demon sovereigns could scatter and run rampant throughout the human realm, which would still severely hamstring the deployment of the human realm's combat forces.]

[Multiple Tier 5 demon sovereigns wreaking havoc across different parts of the human realm—just what kind of terrifying devastation would that cause?]

[Regardless of what unexpected variables arose, this plan carried a hundred benefits and no drawbacks for the Demon Abyss Realm. Even at its worst, it would secure a massive advantage, allowing them to seize the opportunity to occupy vast swathes of territory. If luck was on their side, they could conquer the human realm outright in short order.]

["The creatures of these weak realms are truly amusing. They could clearly hold out a while longer, yet they voluntarily abandon all hope..."]

[Another Demon Sovereign spoke. Over endless ages, the Demon Abyss Realm had swallowed numerous realms. In many weaker realms, before the Demon Abyss Realm even exerted much force, hordes of native beings would willingly surrender and pave the way for them.]

["Right, Guixu, you must keep a close eye on that 'Sword Lord.'"]

[The Demon Sovereign who had spoken first looked toward Demon Venerable Guixu.]

[The sole flaw in this plan was you.]

[If the human realm caught wind of this scheme and had you lie in wait at Ethereal Peak beforehand, appearing just before the numerous Tier 5 Consummation demon sovereigns struck... with your strength, going all out, the Tier 5 Consummation demon sovereigns wouldn't stand a chance. At least half of them would be permanently left behind.]

[When that happened, not only would the twelve Demon Sovereigns fail to expand their gains, but they would also lose their respective Tier 5 Consummation demon sovereigns, truly giving away a bride and losing the soldiers in the bargain.]

["Rest assured, this Sword Lord has killed so many of my subordinates that a bond of karma has long since formed between us. I have locked onto his position using karma; it is absolutely foolproof. If there is any movement, I will inform you immediately."]

[Demon Venerable Guixu guaranteed.]

[Even Deity Transformation stage Heavenly Monarchs could sense their own karma, much less a Void Return stage Demon Sovereign.]

[The passage Demon Venerable Guixu had torn open was located directly above the Soul Capital, where you were cultivating in seclusion. Even separated by two realms, by using the passage as a bridge and circulating karma-type secret arts, Demon Venerable Guixu could maintain a constant lock on your position.]

[This kind of lock was a karmic lock. Even if you employed secret arts like a Second Primordial Spirit or an external avatar, you couldn't hide. Whether it was a Second Primordial Spirit or an external avatar, it was still you, and would thus be locked onto by Demon Venerable Guixu's karmic secret art.]

["This 'Sword Lord' is truly bizarre. How does he possess such overwhelming combat strength?"]

[A Demon Sovereign marveled.]

["So what if his combat strength is high? Below the Void Return stage, all are ants. Once we completely occupy this realm, I will convert him into my demon slave."]

["That won't do. I'm short on a demon slave myself; you have to let me have him."]

[The Demon Sovereigns chatted with one another in a relaxed tone, even beginning to squabble over you.]

[Although one's realm could never advance further after being converted into a demon slave—meaning they could never step into the Void Return stage—]

[the terrifying combat strength you had displayed while at Tier 5 was alone enough to make the Demon Sovereigns fight over you.]

[Even in the Demon Abyss Realm, Void Return Demon Sovereigns were considered top-tier experts. Under most circumstances, the Demon Sovereigns would not personally fight to the death with one another.]

[Instead, they would send out the demon sovereigns under their command to engage in gambling duels, thereby deciding the ownership of their respective territories.]

[Human Realm, Ethereal Peak.]

[A Starry Compass materialized in front of Heavenly Monarch Xingmang, dotted with starlight.]

['Those Heavenly Monarchs who secretly defected to the Demon Abyss Realm...' Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's expression was gloomy. Two hundred years ago, bolstered by the surge in the human realm's providence, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's divination arts had stepped into the Fifth Tier High Grade.]

[Fifth Tier High Grade divination arts had already reached the limit of the human realm. Even that Divination Heavenly Master from millions of years ago, who left behind the original stone of the Heavenly Cycle Book of Changes, only belonged to this realm.]

[The Starry Compass in front of Heavenly Monarch Xingmang constantly shifted, and a few more strands of white hair unknowingly appeared at his temples. 'Just the Heavenly Monarchs I've deduced as defecting to the Demon Abyss Realm already number three. As for those hiding in the dark who haven't been deduced...']

[As a Divination Heavenly Master, he didn't even need to use divination to feel how terrible the current situation was for the human realm. If the human realm collapsed, they could just hide inside the human realm's origin and seal themselves for millions of years... Ethereal Peak had done it once before, so doing it a second time wouldn't be completely unacceptable.]

[However, compared to millions of years ago, the terrifying Demon Abyss Realm was involved this time.]

[The Demon Abyss Realm would absolutely devour the human realm. When that happened, neither the human realm's origin nor the Heavenly Monarchs hiding within it would escape the fate of becoming food for the Demon Sovereigns.]

['It all depends on the Sword Lord...' Heavenly Monarch Xingmang thought to himself. He had also attempted to read your fate, but all he saw was a mist of nothingness, unable to deduce the slightest information.]