Chapter 312 Sword Cleaving Heaven and Earth

["Give me a direction?"]

[Feeling a sense of despair, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang stared blankly for a moment.]

[Then he realized—the Sword Lord was right beside him!]

[Given the strength the Sword Lord had displayed in the past, if he rushed to Ethereal Peak right now, might he arrive a few breaths faster and slightly reduce Ethereal Peak's losses?]

[In Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's eyes, rushing from the Soul Capital back to Ethereal Peak would take at least thirty breaths. This was the absolute limit for a Heavenly Monarch at the Deity Transformation stage.]

[Thirty breaths... Since the twelve demon sovereigns of the Demon Abyss Realm dared to sneak so many Tier 5 Consummation demon lords into the Human Realm, they certainly had the confidence to shake or even destroy Ethereal Peak's mountain-guarding grand array in a short time.]

[But if you arrived as quickly as possible, perhaps it would give those Tier 5 Consummation demon lords some pause and save those few core dharma peaks?]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang continuously pinched his fingers to deduce, rapidly utilizing his Fifth Tier High Grade divination arts to grasp Ethereal Peak's slimmest chance of survival.]

["Right there."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang immediately provided a precise direction.]

[Those dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords had used some unknown method to flawlessly conceal their auras. However, simply by standing outside Ethereal Peak, they triggered its monitoring foundations. The incarnation Heavenly Monarch Xingmang had left at Ethereal Peak clearly knew their exact location, which meant his true body in the Soul Capital naturally knew it as well.]

["No, that's not right..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he looked up at the spatial rift beneath the firmament.]

[Under his continuous deductions, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang finally divined that the moment the Sword Lord left the Soul Capital, the two-realm passage hanging above the city would completely erupt.]

[The countless demonic creatures and demons who had been suppressed by the Sword Lord for hundreds of years and dared not move, the various demon lords, and that Void Return Demon Sovereign who had been staring down the Sword Lord for centuries would launch a full-scale invasion. At that time, an area radiating tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of li around the Soul Capital would be entirely occupied by the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Then, echoing with the other two-realm passages, the Human Realm would inevitably be engulfed in the smoke of war, and the flames of battle would completely spread inward.]

["Sword Lord, you cannot leave! This two-realm passage..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's heart was bleeding, but he still made the most rational judgment. The situation at Ethereal Peak was already set in stone. Even if the Sword Lord rushed over right now, he would arrive dozens of breaths later. At most, he would only slightly reduce Ethereal Peak's losses.]

[The price, however, would be the complete fall of the two-realm passage here at the Soul Capital.]

[Under these circumstances, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang could only decide to abandon Ethereal Peak.]

["Yes, I know. A demon sovereign has been locking onto me through karma this entire time..."]

[You glanced up sideways at the deep, twisted spatial rift, gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword with your right hand, and swung the blade lightly, slashing toward the direction Heavenly Monarch Xingmang had provided.]

[A beam of sword light flashed and vanished.]

["This is?"]

[Before you unleashed this slash, you hadn't leaked the slightest trace of your aura. Through his divination techniques, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang could only tell that your strength had advanced considerably, but he had no idea exactly how strong you were.]

[But the moment this slash was executed, vast Sword Intent circulated. Heavenly Monarch Xingmang felt as though he were facing the boundless heaven and earth. Just by looking at that fleeting streak of sword light, he felt as if his Primordial Spirit were about to be torn apart and cleaved in two.]

["This slash?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Xingmang was horrified. He had never felt so fragile. Watching that beam of sword light, he faintly felt as if he had returned to his days in the Core Formation Stage, experiencing the distant, oppressive might of a Heavenly Monarch.]

[After finishing this slash, you sheathed the sword and looked up at the spatial rift. Distorted, blurry demonic energy continuously spread, and one could faintly see demonic silhouettes standing within, looking as if they were ready to slaughter their way into the Human Realm at any moment.]

[However, as you cast your gaze over, these demonic silhouettes immediately halted their descent into the Human Realm.]

[Behind those demonic silhouettes stood an even more towering figure that seemed to prop up heaven and earth. It was none other than Demon Venerable Guixu.]

["That slash?"]

[Demon Venerable Guixu's expression was grave. Through the two-realm passage, his perception was heavily suppressed. Locking onto the Sword Lord's position via karma was already his absolute limit, but even so, when he watched you unleash that slash from afar, he still sensed that something was wrong.]

[From the moment Heavenly Monarch Xingmang detected the dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords approaching Ethereal Peak to the moment you unleashed that slash, only a tenth of a breath had passed. The speed of communication between Heavenly Monarchs was truly staggering.]

[You hadn't shown the slightest hesitation either, directly unleashing a slash with your full power.]

[The unleashed sword light instantly merged into heaven and earth. Following the spatial ripples of the Human Realm at an utterly inconceivable, ever-increasing speed, it slashed forward.]

[Ethereal Peak.]

[Dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords gazed at Ethereal Peak in the distance.]

["The Sword Lord hasn't come over."]

[The leading demon lord felt his heart settle. Even though they had sneaked into the Human Realm, he still possessed the means to contact the demon sovereigns of the Demon Abyss Realm at any time.]

[Demon lords who could cultivate to Tier 5 Consummation were no fools. Without sufficient backing and support, they never would have rashly entered the Human Realm to throw their lives away.]

[But in the eyes of the numerous Tier 5 Consummation demon lords, the Sword Lord holding down the fort at the Soul Capital was an unavoidable, towering mountain. If they encountered other experts of the Human Realm, given their strength—even while suppressed by this world—they could at least escape.]

[But if they met the Sword Lord? The over one hundred demon lords who had died several centuries ago were a prime example.]

[Therefore, locking down the Sword Lord's position and receiving real-time updates was the very confidence that allowed the Tier 5 Consummation demon lords to dare sneak into the Human Realm.]

[Rumble.]

[The leading demon lord didn't waste any time. Less than a breath had passed from the moment he revealed himself and observed the surroundings. With a slight shift in thought, a Giant Black Hammer appeared in the sky above.]

[This Giant Black Hammer, a hundred zhang in size, exuded a terrifying, oppressive might. The space around the hammer twisted and shuddered, as if the heaven and earth of the Human Realm simply couldn't withstand it.]

["The Great Desolation Demonic Hammer!"]

[Upon seeing this Giant Black Hammer, a touch of fanaticism surfaced on the faces of the other Tier 5 Consummation demon lords.]

[The true demonic hammer was the primary combat demonic treasure of the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign, and the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign was the strongest among the twelve demon sovereigns invading the Human Realm.]

["Everyone, we only have one breath of time."]

[The leading demon lord's voice rang in the ears of every demon lord. Once they struck, the Demonic Candle would no longer be able to conceal their auras. All of the Tier 5 Consummation demon lords would be entirely locked onto by the heaven and earth of the Human Realm and subsequently suppressed.]

[From the moment they were exposed to being locked onto and suppressed by the world, there would be a window of exactly one breath.]

[After being suppressed...]

[The demon lords wouldn't retain even a tenth of their full strength.]

[Once exposed to the Human Realm and bearing its suppression, a Tier 5 Consummation demon lord would likely only possess strength equivalent to the Fifth Tier Middle Stage.]

[This was also the reason why the dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords, having sneaked into the Human Realm long ago, hadn't struck until now.]

[They needed to strike at the most critical moment to inflict the greatest possible blow on the heaven and earth of the Human Realm.]

[Using their strongest state to power the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer and shatter Ethereal Peak's mountain-guarding grand array—even if they were suppressed afterward and could only unleash Fifth Tier Middle Stage strength, having so many entities at the Fifth Tier Middle Stage face an Ethereal Peak whose defensive power had collapsed would still result in an absolute massacre.]

[As long as the Sword Lord didn't rush over, dozens of demon lords with Fifth Tier Middle Stage combat power, coupled with the eruptions of various two-realm passages, would absolutely be able to shake the entire Human Realm!]

[Within the vast Demon Abyss Realm, demon sovereigns stood tall, watching the Human Realm with a sense of anticipation.]

[The plan was already more than half complete by this point. As long as the next steps went smoothly, the Human Realm wouldn't last much longer.]

["Guixu, there's no problem on your end, right?"]

[A demon sovereign looked toward Demon Venerable Guixu and asked.]

["The Sword Lord hasn't left. He just unleashed a slash."]

[Demon Venerable Guixu thought for a moment before saying solemnly, "I feel like there's something wrong with that slash."]

["He only unleashed one slash? What could be wrong with it?"]

["Right. As long as the Sword Lord hasn't moved, we're fine."]

[The other demon sovereigns conversed in flat, casual tones.]

["A slash?"]

[The most towering of them all, the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign, looked into the Human Realm through the two-realm passage.]

[His primary combat demonic treasure, the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, was his natal demonic treasure. Having nourished it with his heart's blood and divine soul for thousands of years, even though it had been taken into the Human Realm and had its personal mark erased, he could still use it to observe the Human Realm and contact those dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords.]

[At this moment, the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign's attention was mostly focused on the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, using it to carefully inspect the surrounding environment.]

[The dozens of exhilarated Tier 5 Consummation demon lords... the distant Ethereal Peak enveloped in drifting clouds and mist—everything fell under his observation.]

[Until—]

["Not good!"]

[The Great Desolation Demon Sovereign's expression turned exceedingly ugly.]

["Power the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer with everything you have!"]

[After activating the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, the leading demon lord immediately poured his demonic energy into it.]

[The other dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords followed suit without hesitation. All the demon lords unleashed their power completely. The Demonic Candle could no longer conceal them, and their terrifying demonic energy violently shook the heaven and earth of the Human Realm.]

[At this moment, all the Heavenly Monarchs in the Human Realm, and even the Grand Cultivators at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, sensed something and looked in the direction of Ethereal Peak.]

[However, there was still one breath of time before the Human Realm would lock onto and suppress them.]

[During this single breath, the dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords could maintain their absolute strongest power, driving the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer in their Peak state to shatter Ethereal Peak's mountain-guarding grand array.]

[Hum—]

[Enduring the infusion of vast demonic power from dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords, the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer also began to tremble.]

[Space acted like thin paper, continuously tearing and annihilating.]

[The leading demon lord looked thrilled as he poured all his strength into the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, preparing to smash it into Ethereal Peak not far away.]

[However.]

[Right at that moment.]

["Run!"]

[An obscure fluctuation transmitted from within the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, causing the leading demon lord to freeze in a daze.]

["Run?"]

[The leading demon lord found it somewhat unbelievable. They had already gathered outside Ethereal Peak, struck with full force, exposed themselves, and activated the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer. They were just one final step away! In just one-fifth of a breath, the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer would shatter Ethereal Peak's mountain-guarding grand array.]

['Run now?']

[If it weren't for the fact that only the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign could contact him through the demonic hammer, the leading demon lord would have suspected that this order was a joke.]

[They, as Tier 5 Consummation demon lords, had risked dying under the Sword Lord's blade just to take a stroll outside Ethereal Peak's gates and run away?]

[But immediately after...]

[The leading demon lord also noticed something and turned his head to look behind him.]

[At the edge of heaven and earth, an impossibly thin, long line had appeared at some unknown time.]

[The long line was boundless and endless, seeming to slice the entire world into two halves.]

[The moment he saw that long line, the leading demon lord's heart trembled.]

[How was that a long line? It was clearly formed from inconceivably profound sword qi and Sword Intent, which had crossed an unknown distance yet remained firmly condensed, slashing right toward them!]

["The Sword Lord..."]

[The leading demon lord was in disbelief. This unbelievable sword light could only have been unleashed by the Sword Lord, but the distance between the Soul Capital and Ethereal Peak covered nearly half of the entire Human Realm continent!]

['Run?']

[This single thought surged in the leading demon lord's mind. Right now, that long line seemed to be quite a distance away from them, but it only looked that way. In the brief instant he had laid eyes on it, the long line had already closed in to within a million li of them.]

[If they didn't run, they would probably be cleaved by this long line before they could even fully activate the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer!]

["It's too late."]

[Looking up at the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, intense bitterness welled up in the leading demon lord's heart.]

[The Great Desolation Demonic Hammer was a demonic treasure at the Void Return level. For demon lords like them to activate it with their full strength meant they would be unable to break free from it in the short term.]

['Run?']

[They couldn't run at all.]

["Smash it!"]

[The leading demon lord's thoughts raced, and he finally decided to risk it all. He redirected the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer, which had been smashing toward Ethereal Peak, to strike at that boundless "long line" instead.]

["What is that?"]

[At this moment, the other demon lords also noticed that endless "long line." They trembled in fear, wanting to flee, but were held back by the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer.]

["Don't get distracted."]

[The leading demon lord's voice rang in the ears of all the demon lords. At the same time, they realized that the Great Desolation Demonic Hammer had already turned, smashing toward that "long line" behind them.]

[The demon lords immediately understood their leader's plan. Since they couldn't run, they would fight it out. The Great Desolation Demonic Hammer was the primary combat demonic treasure of the Great Desolation Demon Sovereign. Even if they couldn't unleash its full power, they refused to believe it couldn't block a single sword strike from that Sword Lord.]

[Rumble!]

[The mountain-like Great Desolation Demonic Hammer smashed toward the boundless "long line."]

[The moment the two collided, heaven and earth seemed to fall silent.]

[Immediately after, the pitch-black Great Desolation Demonic Hammer trembled slightly. That "long line," however, didn't pause. It slashed forward just the same. The sharp sword qi pierced through everything. Even with the demonic hammer blocking in front, the penetrating sword qi lightly brushed across the bodies of the dozens of Tier 5 Consummation demon lords.]

[Then, that slender "long line" continued to slash further away, its trajectory almost brushing right past the mountain-defending array of Ethereal Peak.]

[Soul Capital.]

[You slashed out with your sword, then sheathed it.]

[Afterward, you simply stood there quietly, narrowing your eyes as you gazed in the direction of Ethereal Peak.]

[Beside you, the anxiety on Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's face suddenly froze. Through the perspective of his incarnation at Ethereal Peak, he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.]

[A boundless, endless long line slashed over from afar. The dozens of demon lords radiating terrifying demonic might, as well as that Giant Black Hammer that shook the heaven and earth of the Human Realm, all fell into a bizarre standstill after this "long line" swept past.]

[At the summit of Ethereal Peak, Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's incarnation was dumbfounded. He strained his eyes to their limits, staring at that slender "long line."]

[A thought welled up in Heavenly Monarch Xingmang's mind.]

['This must be... Sword Cleaving Heaven and Earth?']