Within the confines of the demon realm, the human and demon races did not exist in segregated territories, nor did they inhabit distinct worlds.

Here, the dominion of humankind radiated outwards from the nexus known as “Sui Ming City.”

In the annals of ancient history, the human emperor of the Youxiong clan successfully erected the Ten Thousand Demons Gate, severing the demon race’s hope of a full-scale counterattack upon the mortal realm. Thereafter, a minimal military presence sufficed to guard the gate, leaving the emperor free to subjugate the eight directions of the mortal realm.

Centuries later, in the middle ancient era, the human emperor of the Lieshan clan fought his way into the Ten Thousand Demons Gate, personally slaying a great demon. Within the very heart of the Heavenly Prison, he established this first bastion of human civilization. To commemorate the distant ancient human emperor Suiren clan, the city was thus named “Sui Ming,” implying it was the first spark of human civilization ignited in the demon realm. All subsequent human cities were built centered around Sui Ming City, spreading their light outwards like a torch. Every entity in the mortal realm deemed a “great sect” held its own great city within the demon realm.

Through the long passage of time, countless human cities have risen and fallen, waxed and waned, yet Sui Ming City has stood unyielding. Thus, it earned another moniker – “The Unyielding City.” Every single city brick is soaked in the blood of human warriors. Upon its bronze great gates, the bloodied palm prints of sages remain etched to this day. Over the eons, the human cities and settlements within the demon realm have constantly expanded and contracted in a brutal, back-and-forth struggle, each inch of ground soaked in the flesh and blood of countless warriors.

Yet, the overall trend has been one of expansion. Especially after the mortal realm’s national systems flourished, the human race entered a “Great Expansion Era” in the demon realm. Their territories now reached the fringes of what are known as the “Innate Boundary Passes” in almost every direction. To paint a clearer picture, the human territory resembles a vast basin encircled by the “Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”

Naturally, this “basin” is riddled with numerous “gaps,” some of which are colossal, capable of accommodating entire armies in pitched battles. It is in these locations that humans and demons erect their great cities, confronting each other directly. These are the main battlegrounds of the demon realm.

As for perilous places like Frostwind Valley, they are also exits, albeit more akin to “narrow paths,” with extremely brief periods of openness.

Although the human race has maintained an offensive posture throughout the ages, within the demon realm itself, the demon race undoubtedly possesses a significant numerical advantage. Outside the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, all is demon territory. The demon armies encircle the mountains, holding the human race in a stranglehold.

However, the human war effort is a war of rotation. The Prisoner Lightning Army replacing the Winter Silence Army exemplifies this cyclical nature. The demon race, on the other hand, has no other mortal realm to support them. Humans call the territory within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains the “Civilization Basin,” and the lands beyond “Barbaric Land.” The process of breaching the blockade of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is a constant bleeding of the demon race. The purpose of this war, of course, is also to scatter the seeds of civilization in the Barbaric Land. According to the common covenant recognized and maintained by the six great powers, should the demon race ever amass overwhelming forces and attempt to utterly annihilate the Civilization Basin, the human race of the mortal realm would unite and wage a war of extinction against the demons.

As the tide of humanity flows forward and the Civilization Basin grows more stable day by day, this possibility has become increasingly remote. The intensity of the war in the Heavenly Prison, for a long period after the new calendar began, was actually controlled by the human high command.

On an enlarged map of the demon realm, Yan Lao City lies in the northern part of the Civilization Basin, and Frostwind Valley is a relatively narrow, small passage. As for the intelligence on the Barbaric Land, human knowledge remains extremely fragmented. After all, humans have only completely occupied this Civilization Basin for the past few thousand years.

Moreover, the fact that Xiu Yuan in Yan Lao City suddenly awoke and flew out of the city, indeed seeing the figure of the Commander of the Soldier Affairs Hall in the distance, but with just one step he vanished, leaving only a majestic and overbearing aura lingering for a long time, is significant. Xiu Yuan also knew that with Jiang Wang’s current identity and position, any incident involving him would inevitably shake the world. He had anticipated that the court would send a True Monarch of the Derivation Path to further confirm Jiang Wang’s status – whether alive or dead, it had to be determined without doubt. The person coming would very likely be Supervisor Ruan Qu. Although the demon realm is a completely different world, and diviners are certain to face strong interference from the demon race, the art of celestial calculation might not be effective here. However, Ruan Qu, for better or worse, possesses more means of searching for individuals compared to other Derivation Path powerhouses, and he had collaborated with Jiang Wang several times, making them relatively familiar.

If not Ruan Qu, then it should be Jiang Mengxiong. This matter involved Ji Zhaonan, and Jiang Wang was undoubtedly the current emperor’s favorite, recipient of great favor and honor, unmatched in the entire court! As Jiang Wang was led away by Ji Zhaonan to Frostwind Valley and an incident occurred, the Military God found it necessary to take action. He only didn’t expect Jiang Mengxiong to arrive so swiftly. The demon realm had just dawned this day, and even he, who was stationed in the demon realm, had only arrived at Yan Lao City late last night. And the Grand Marshal who Guards the Nation followed almost immediately.

This implied that Ji Zhaonan had hurried back to the mortal realm last night to report the news to the Qi Court. And after a brief communication within the Qi Court, the Military God immediately stopped his current affairs and personally descended. One must understand that although Qi Country is powerful, it is also a large family with vast responsibilities everywhere. The mobilization of every Derivation Path powerhouse is not something that can be done arbitrarily.

And Xiu Yuan more keenly noticed that Ji Zhaonan did not follow the Military God back to the demon realm. The demon realm was Ji Zhaonan’s long-term developing territory. He had experienced all seven human cities of Qi Country. He had been to dangerous places like Frostwind Valley countless times. His growth trajectory was clearly etched here. The Qi Court was cultivating him to be the future military governor of the demon realm. But today, Jiang Mengxiong personally descended into the demon realm, and he did not follow back. The implications behind this were thought-provoking.

Xiu Yuan remained silent for a moment, casually writing a military order to his personal guard, then took a step and departed, also heading towards Frostwind Valley. With Jiang Wang suffering an accident so easily in the demon realm, he, as the main commander governing the Qi Country’s military in the demon realm, could not escape responsibility. But with the Military God arriving so quickly, perhaps there was still hope for Jiang Wang? He would see what the Military God, who had not set foot in the demon realm for so long, intended to do today.

The speed of a True Person in this world is inherently absolute. From Yan Lao City to Frostwind Valley, it was but an instant. When Xiu Yuan arrived, the first thing he saw was Jiang Mengxiong standing quietly before the mountain valley. He had stood there majestically for so many years.

“You came?” Jiang Mengxiong looked into the mountain valley without turning his head. Xiu Yuan lowered his head in a ritualistic bow: “Great Marshal.”

“Jiang Wang is not inside Frostwind Valley,” Jiang Mengxiong said. “I did not find his corpse here.”

Xiu Yuan remained silent, for he had personally searched last night, even breaking the Frostwind barrier and entering the valley. Indeed, he had not seen a corpse. But as an important figure governing the Qi Country’s military in the demon realm, he had to be responsible for the tens of thousands of soldiers stationed there. He could not personally cross Frostwind Valley and search for a person within demon territory. And indeed, it was difficult to say there was even that necessity; in that situation, with Jiang Wang’s cultivation, it appeared a dead end from every angle. The absence of a corpse could mean it was destroyed and devoured by the extreme cold wind, or perhaps swallowed by a demon beast. And even if he were to cross Frostwind Valley, he himself wasn’t certain of returning alive, let alone Jiang Wang, who was only at the Divine Arrival level?

Jiang Mengxiong did not wait for Xiu Yuan’s response. His was merely a simple statement, giving notice to the Nine Troops Commander who governed the military in the demon realm. And then, he raised his fist.

It was such an ordinary fist, devoid of any grand declarations of light or shadow. There was no golden brilliance or jade-like color, only yellow skin, blue veins, bone and flesh, even the peak of the fist was gentle. But as Jiang Mengxiong’s fist, it was far from ordinary. Jiang Mengxiong struck out with a simple, direct, and decisive fist. The momentum seemed no more significant than a street thug’s brawl.

But as this fist descended, the extreme cold wind that had howled within Frostwind Valley for countless millennia suddenly ceased! The sky cleared in an instant! The moment before, the whooshing howl could be heard, seemingly without end, the extreme cold seeping out of the valley, filling onlookers with fear. The next moment, the wind dispersed, the snow scattered. The moment before, it was a vast expanse of white, the next, a boundless void.

What this fist extinguished was not merely the extreme cold wind within Frostwind Valley; that self-less, enemy-less, overbearing fist intent, like an invisible colossal beast, horizontally charged, collided, and rolled over. It rolled over the extreme cold wind, rolled over the frozen snow of the sky, rolled over the mountain stone, rolled over those things deemed immutable. In its path, nothing remained but “emptiness,” the emptiness of all emptiness! The entire Frostwind Valley was shattered by this strike. The wind and snow that were once thought to be eternal also vanished completely. The very foundation of this segment of the world, a natural barrier born of the heavens and earth, was broken!

This segment of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in the demon realm now had a massive gap. The battles fought here every winter month between small groups of elite warriors from both races, contending for this narrow passage, now became history. It was foreseeable that not long after, both the human and demon races would need to station large armies here, build great cities, and establish this place as a new front line.

Jiang Mengxiong, with a single fist, had carved out a brand new battlefield! A period of silence lasting eleven months? So it had been since ancient times, a rule of the heaven and earth boundary? Jiang Mengxiong disagreed! If he wished to pass through here, the heavens could not block him. If he wished to charge into demon territory to search for a person, who could stop him?

And at this moment, standing on the side of the Civilization Basin, gazing through where Frostwind Valley had been, one could clearly see the opposite side – a vast wilderness, its frozen snow not yet melted, where an elite small team of the demon race, not lacking in Demon Kings, scattered in panic. Amidst the slowly falling snowflakes, there were several dozen scattered black dots. Xiu Yuan strained his vision, and with a True Person’s sight, he could even see the outline of a demon race great city in the distance, roughly the same distance from Yan Lao City to Frostwind Valley.

“There is no trace of Jiang Wang’s life force within this extreme cold wind. This suggests he was not dissolved and devoured by the extreme cold wind. It is possible he escaped into demon territory.” Jiang Mengxiong spoke lightly again. Then, he walked forward.

He had no earth-shattering momentum, just a simple lifting of his step, a simple forward movement. But it was unstoppable! With just one step, he had already traversed a vast distance, landing above the ancient city at the edge of his vision. Xiu Yuan understood clearly that he was a witness. To witness Jiang Mengxiong’s public declaration, to witness that the Grand Marshal who Guards the Nation was not attempting to conceal anything for his disciple, Ji Zhaonan – a grand Military God, after all, did not need to do so. The information Xiu Yuan gleaned from this matter was that the emperor was truly enraged. The consequence of Jiang Wang being trapped and lost in Frostwind Valley might be far more serious than anyone imagined!

As the subordinate of his superior, the Commander of the Soldier Affairs Hall, serving as a witness, Xiu Yuan himself harbored no dissatisfaction. Because Cui Zhu and Yan Ju resided there, and because of Yan Tu, he had been sidelined, finally enduring his time on the cold bench until the campaign against Xia ended, and he rotated into the Ten Thousand Demons Gate, a time when he was eager to display his abilities, only to encounter this matter involving Jiang Wang. One could say he had not gained anything good, but was stained with misfortune, all of it an innocent calamity.

After leaping to follow, he could see the words “South Heaven” written in Dao text above the gate of this ancient city – the demon race’s writing was simply Dao text, unlike the human race with its multitude of ordinary characters. Thus, all demons “knew characters,” because Dao text is “understood upon seeing.” But only Demon Kings and powerhouses above that level would write characters, because it was an act of manifesting the Great Dao, something only the strong could accomplish.

Jiang Mengxiong’s single fist had shattered Frostwind Valley, and a single step had brought him to South Heaven City. With just a glance, he determined that there were no living humans in this city, nor was there Jiang Wang’s aura. His face remained expressionless, only his voice, like the rumble of heavenly drums, shook ten thousand li: “Great Qi’s Marquis of Martial Peace did not die on the front lines, did not die amidst a thousand armies and ten thousand stampeding horses, yet died due to human-demon collusion; it is truly a pity for the world!”

As this voice fell, demons immediately began to perish horizontally! Demons on the city walls fell down one after another!

Xiu Yuan understood perfectly why Jiang Mengxiong, clearly having not found Jiang Wang, had directly announced his death. This was the best response under the current circumstances. If Jiang Wang had been devoured by some demon beast, or directly annihilated without a trace, then there was nothing to say. No one could do anything. But if Jiang Wang was still alive, it was crucial not to let the demon race know he was alive.

And Jiang Mengxiong’s voice continued: “Regardless of the mortal realm, the Heavenly Prison, wherever the banners of war fly, I will make you all witness the fiery wrath of the Great Qi Empire, and first, this city shall serve as a burial ground for Marquis Jiang of Martial Peace!” His voice had already directly shaken to death a large number of demons. As he spoke, he unleashed another fist!

It was still that ordinary fist, but this time it was not so calm. The face of the fist dragged ten thousand dark black cracks, each one connecting to the distant sky. This fist seemed to forcibly drag down the entire sky of the demon realm. Such a fist seemed to want to pierce through the earth itself! The hearts and gall of all the demons in the city cracked!

But just at this moment, another voice rang out, a voice glorious, powerful, and unrestrained—

“Who do I see?”

Beneath Jiang Mengxiong’s singular fist, above South Heaven City, a dazzling golden light cover appeared in response. Jiang Mengxiong’s fist descended, smashing against the light cover. It emitted a long, resonant crisp sound, like an ancient monk striking a great bell deep in the mountains. The sound waves, like a tidal wave, stirred up ten thousand li of dust and fog. The light cover did not move, and the fist did not move.

But the wilderness cracked, the entire South Heaven City was pressed down several inches with a boom; in an instant, the flowing golden light cover rapidly condensed, turning into a dazzling golden point, then expanding outwards again, condensing into a golden war halberd with an exaggeratedly huge blade. A demon powerhouse with a circle of golden hair around his face stepped out from the meaning of time and space, reaching out to grasp the body of the halberd. Thus, he existed. He wore a three-pronged bound-hair red-gold crown, two feathers like bloodstains. He wore beast-faced swallow-head linked armor, with swallows on his shoulders and knees, majestic and terrifying. A tight armor of exquisite lion-barbarian belt, grand and imposing, like wrapping a mountain peak, wearing a blood-red battle robe, and stepping onto cloud-iron boots. Truly majestic.

This entire set of equipment was made from the corpses of Heavenly Demons. It was also proof of his past military achievements. Bloody to the extreme, and also powerful and majestic to the extreme. He was precisely Jiang Mengxiong’s old opponent.

Heavenly Demon! Yuan Xian Court!

The demon race’s ranking is Little Demon, Demon Soldier, Demon General, Demon Commander, Demon King, True Demon, Heavenly Demon. Compared to human cultivators, everything below the Climbing Dragon realm is considered a Little Demon. After Climbing Dragon, they can be called Demon Soldiers. Inner Mansion cultivators can be Demon Generals, Outer Building and general Divine Arrival cultivators are Demon Commanders, and strong Divine Arrival cultivators are qualified to be sealed as kings. True Demons are stronger than general True Persons, and Heavenly Demons are of the same rank as True Monarchs.

That year, Jiang Mengxiong’s second disciple died in battle in the demon realm. Jiang Mengxiong also personally came to search, unleashing a great slaughter in the Heavenly Prison, crushing countless demons, even fighting and killing a Heavenly Demon! In the end, he was blocked by Yuan Xian Court. Both sides fought a great battle for three days and nights, without a clear victor or loser.

Finally, Jiang Mengxiong returned to the mortal realm alone, carrying only a blood-stained Shao Hua spear. Today, they met again!