The arrival of Jiang Mengxiong was sudden, yet Yuan Xianting’s arrival was perfectly timed.

Frost Wind Valley, completely shattered, its innate barrier utterly broken – this was a matter involving the fundamental rules of the demon world, a shift in the very essence of heaven and earth. Naturally, it would draw the attention of powerful demon lords. Forged during the era of imprisonment in the Heaven Prison, when they endured alone, bore pain in isolation, and sought survival in the Chaos Sea, these so-called “innate world passes” were all the result of immense sacrifices and self-effort by the demon race’s powerhouses.

One by one, paths were opened; one by one, pieces of darkness were illuminated. Thus was born the realm we now call the “demon world.”

The demonic ballad, *Heavenly Enlightenment*, speaks of it:

*A hundred life beads unveil heaven and earth,*
*Boundless chaos divides the clear from the turbid.*
*An altar built in eternal night,*
*A desperate path forged at the world’s end.*
*Barbary gives way to thorns and snow,*
*Ten thousand *li* of wild lands become fertile soil.*

The history of the demon race’s struggle and subsequent departure from the mortal realm is encapsulated within these few short lines.

It was only with the advent of the human race’s large-scale invasions into the demon world that places like Frost Wind Valley came to be known as “innate world passes.” Before, they were merely persistent ailments of this world, malignant tumors between heaven and earth. Now, they had become barriers.

Of course, a barrier to the demon race was also a barrier to the human race.

Against the backdrop of tens of thousands of years of blood-soaked warfare, both sides required buffer zones.

Jiang Mengxiong’s decision to breach Frost Wind Valley was primarily to seek Jiang Wang. Detouring through other battlefields would be too slow, too inefficient. Moreover, it was to vent the wrath of the Son of Heaven and demonstrate the dignity of the Great Qi Empire, making clear to both human and demon sides the gravity of this matter.

The opening of a new battlefield meant the deployment of more troops, more sacrifices.

Since Frost Wind Valley was an “innate world pass,” its breaching would undoubtedly draw the immediate attention of the demon race’s mightiest.

At this very moment, Yuan Xianting stepped forth, the meaning of time and space materializing around him, appearing concretely in the skies above South Heaven City, facing Jiang Mengxiong. His war halberd gleamed with a magnificent gold and jade, and he declared boldly, “Today, what do you intend to take back?”

The skies of the demon world were predominantly gray.

A gray haze hung in the air, so thick that even the eternally shining golden sun could not pierce through.

Some areas were shrouded in rolling dust and smoke, while others were lost to ten thousand years of perpetual snowfall, devoid of any semblance of light.

At least, no one who had fought and killed in the demon world for so many years had ever seen a clear sky.

But at this very moment, within this gray and dim expanse, two objects of absolute blackness suddenly appeared.

They stood out sharply against the gloom.

That ‘pitch-black’ was like a light source unto itself, clearly swallowing all illumination, yet somehow forcing itself into the vision of every onlooker.

The golden sun behind them could not diminish their profound darkness.

They appeared abruptly, fundamentally unaligned with this world and its rules.

Yet, nothing could obstruct them.

Just like their master, they were overbearing, powerful. Limitless killing intent and malevolent aura were deeply contained within them.

They were the history of the past, and even more so, the reality about to unfold. Renowned generals of a thousand ages had fallen beneath these fists. Armies of myriad years had been overturned before these fists!

Their name: Overturn Army, Kill General!

Ranked first on Qi Country’s list of famous artifacts, and never falling outside the top twenty on any credible list of artifacts from any nation, they now made their appearance.

Jiang Mengxiong slowly fitted them onto his fists.

Facing this legendary powerhouse of the ape race, this supreme Heavenly Demon of the demon race, Jiang Mengxiong spoke only faintly, “I wish to take your head. I wonder if you are willing to offer it as a gift?”

“Hahahahaha!” Yuan Xianting threw back his head and laughed wildly, brandishing his war halberd. “Youngsters are as arrogant as they were back then! If you can slay me, it is a fate I welcome. Come and fight, what regrets would this body have? Yuan lives to fight and kill, but seeks only death!”

With a casual sweep of his halberd, the high heavens and barren earth trembled, their power reaching everywhere. The *Dao* principles within this heaven and earth shifted according to its will.

The space around Jiang Mengxiong, for a radius of ten *zhang*, was like a suddenly smashed porcelain vase with a round belly. First, it became covered in cracks, then it shattered into countless fragments!

Those ugly, black cracks, dense in the air, resembled a colossal spider web.

And Jiang Mengxiong, along with his pair of finger tigers, stood precisely at the center of that “spider web.” Every crack was a wound in space. Every fragment was the destruction of rules.

Time waits for no one, heaven does not grant desires.

The root is already dead, its essence impure!

Who can escape being buried alongside it?

As one of the few great worlds second only to the present world, the Heaven Prison world’s origin was exceptionally robust.

In the very next moment, these spatial cracks were rapidly healed by the powerful origin rules of the Heaven Prison world.

But amidst this breaking and healing, Jiang Mengxiong stood there, firm and unmoving. Like a mountain that had stood for ten thousand ages.

The shattering seemed unrelated to him.

The healing also held no sway over him.

Perhaps in that instant, he did not exist – only those equally powerful could possibly discern his state. But his fists were undeniably real!

That fist, encased in black finger tigers, suddenly shattered the very meaning of distance, smashing directly towards Yuan Xianting’s skull: “Since you sincerely seek death, it would be impolite of me not to grant your wish!” Yuan Xianting laughed wildly, merely shaking his red-gold hair-tying crown, and instantly transported the entire space containing him and Jiang Mengxiong to the high heavens, piercing through the gray haze, bathing in the demon world’s golden sun. “Good fist! Twelve years have passed, let Master Yuan see your progress!”

In that instant, his enormous golden war halberd seemed to pierce into the heart of the golden sun, stirring up ten thousand rays of brilliant light.

And his red cloak billowed in the high sky, like a surging river of blood!

“The matter concerning Qi Country’s Jiang Wang, was it your doing?” In the impenetrable darkness, a voice inquired.

It was the voice of an old man, but not decrepit; rather, it flowed with the wisdom of ages.

Immediately, the voice of a middle-aged man resounded, carrying a hint of impatience: “I am not that idle.”

The old man’s voice asked again: “Then was it the God Hero’s doing?”

A young man’s voice rang out: “Holy Duke, why must you ask? We thirst to drink from the gutter, our aim is to cleanse the world’s filth. To fight among ourselves in the demon world, to backstab the human race – this is a matter of great injustice. How could I do such a thing?” The old man’s voice was silent for a moment, then said again: “Then, could it be Zhao Zi’s own decision? She has always been opinionated, and rarely has scruples.”

That young voice, representing the God Hero, replied again: “Merely a Divine Presence. If Zhao Zi truly wanted to kill him, would she expend this effort and travel to the demon world to do it herself?”

The ancient voice belonged to the Holy Duke, the young voice to the God Hero, and the middle-aged voice, naturally, to the King of Zhao.

Of course, these voices did not reveal true appearances; they were immeasurable, incalculable, false, and ethereal.

They were merely a state of interaction between the three highest leaders of the Equal Country, nothing more.

“I already understand the course of events,” the King of Zhao said with some drowsiness. “Killing one person in this manner is a waste of time and effort, and it’s not even pleasant. No protector would need to do it like this. Because if we were to kill Jiang Wang, there would be no need to conceal it, nor would we be afraid to publicize it. As for that young man named Mei Xuelin, he should have been discovered early on, and then conveniently utilized during this period – our claws and teeth spread throughout the world, there is nowhere they don’t exist. It is difficult for us to conceal all fellow travelers.” The ancient voice said: “So to speak, this is quite a large black pot. Someone wishes to achieve something by our hand.”

“Who could it be?” the King of Zhao said curiously. “Jing Country? Mu Country? Chu Country? Qin Country? Jing Country? Or even their own Qi Country people? These so-called empires, behind the scenes, who knows what dirty deeds they do.”

The Holy Duke’s voice was always deep and without waves. The King of Zhao’s voice always carried emotion, various kinds of emotion. The God Hero’s voice, for the most part, was filled with passion.

These were three attitudes towards entering the world.

They walked the same path, yet each had their own aspirations.

The ancient voice said: “Those who do not wish to see Qi Country too strong may not be limited to just one family. Those who wish to see a good show are even more numerous, beyond these six families.” “I feel it’s Jing Country,” the King of Zhao suddenly said.

“How do you see it?” the God Hero asked.

The King of Zhao chuckled lazily twice, then said: “I am indifferent, but it is best if Qi Country also thinks so. If old rules are not broken, new rules cannot be born. These years, their wars have been very restrained, either fighting in river valleys and plains, or in the Star Moon Plain, either Sheng Country, or Xia Country – how can they continue to be so restrained? They should let Jing Country be the one to break the rules.”

The Holy Duke said: “Doing it intentionally is hard to conceal traces, which is unattractive. It is better to let nature take its course, let them guess for themselves. We only serve as the wind fanning the flames, not the stone lighting the fire – indicating that this matter is unrelated to the Equal Country is sufficient.”

“That makes sense,” the God Hero said. “A burning plain fire should be received from heaven; from man, there is guilt.”

“Hehehe, then I also agree,” the King of Zhao said, his voice gradually fading away.

Thus, darkness returned to darkness.

“Jiang Wang, a righteous man. His words and deeds are worthy of the word ‘person.’ Though confined by environment, he does not understand the greatness of equality. But he also acts chivalrously, punishing evil and promoting good. He treads dangerous paths, slays demons and eliminates monsters. He has righteousness towards others, and faith towards himself. Those who are not comrades are perhaps latecomers. One day, the world will be equal, and it may not be impossible to see him return from his lost path. Now, people envy his talent, collude with the demon race, causing a hero to die young, his achievements incomplete. Those who hear of this matter cannot help but deeply despise human traitors and sigh for the hero. The Equal Country also mourns him! We mourn deeply! Our ideals are far away, reality is ten thousand difficulties. We suffer and torment ourselves, deeply ashamed in our hearts. Along with this text, a bag of fine rice is gifted, for burial money. Grain by grain of hard work, word by word of sincerity.”

A proclamation, posted quietly outside Old Mountain Separate Manor at some unknown time, was roughly torn down.

The flowing light upon it quietly extinguished.

The end of the proclamation still bore the special seal of the Equal Country – one would imagine there were few in this world who would dare to imitate it.

“What dog-shit article is this!”

“Your mother’s grain by grain of hard work, word by word of sincerity!”

He crumpled this sheet of proclamation into a ball with three or two motions and threw it on the ground. “Even if Jiang Wang wasn’t that great, he is a glorious figure destined to be recorded in history. Do these rats from the gutter need to mourn him?”

He rarely swore, even being lazy to speak, but he had lost his composure. He had originally left Qi Country and was about to wander the sword world, his next stop being the grassland scenery.

But while still on the road, he heard the news of Jiang Wang’s predicament – the news spread unusually fast. The events that transpired after the Ten Thousand Demons Gate reached the major countries of the present world within three days. Of course, this was due to Jiang Wang’s fame reaching its peak after chasing and killing Zhang Linchuan for ten thousand *li*. It was also not without some malicious forces aiding in the publicity.

He immediately turned back, rushing towards South Xia at extreme speed.

Excluding Bai Yuxia, among all of Jiang Wang’s subordinates, he was most familiar with Du Gu Xiao. After all, they had once contended together in Qing Yang Town. He also knew that Jiang Wang trusted Du Gu Xiao deeply, and that they had a special communication channel.

He came to South Xia, first to provide military support to Du Gu Xiao, ensuring that Jiang Wang’s fief on this side would not fall into chaos. Second, it was to make a final confirmation through Du Gu Xiao.

He had been to Ling Xiao Secret Land, seen Xiao Anan, and knew that Jiang Wang had such a younger sister.

If Jiang Wang truly met with some accident, everything he had fought so hard for would naturally be inherited by Jiang Anan. As Jiang Wang’s friend, he had a responsibility to guard all of this for Jiang Wang after his passing.

This proclamation from the Equal Country arrived abruptly.

The guards of Separate Manor dared not reveal it, after all, the three words “Equal Country” were truly renowned.

It was he, usually muddled and regarded by many in the Marquis Manor as a “poor relative sponging off meals,” who showed his edge at this moment, not only tearing it down but also cursing loudly.

At this time, Du Gu Xiao also walked out from the manor, walked to his side, and bent down to pick up the paper ball on the ground.

“Why pick it up?” Forward frowned and asked.

Du Gu Xiao carefully unfolded the crumpled paper, smoothing out the creases, and seeing that the Equal Country’s seal was undamaged, she folded it neatly and put it away.

She then picked up the small bag of fine rice from the ground and walked back.

“It’s still for Chongxuan adult to see. Furthermore…”

“No matter what, if the old master truly met with trouble, at least we can confirm it was unrelated to the Equal Country. I hear that the Equal Country’s actions are always acknowledged. Then, my enemies will be one less.”

Her voice was so light, her back so slender, and her cultivation so-so.

But Forward inexplicably felt a chill.

Some people’s pursuit of good or evil was actually unrelated to this world. It was only related to Jiang Wang.

Were such people limited only to Du Gu Xiao?

Once upon a time, he, Forward, had also gazed from afar at this person’s light, and thus had the courage to continue walking forward.

He followed her in and asked, “You still can’t contact your old master at home?”

Du Gu Xiao shook her head. On her thin face, a brief moment of bewilderment finally appeared: “From the time Marquis left for the demon world, the god sculpture in the Tongtian Palace has received no feedback. From the time I received the news until now, I have communicated with the god sculpture every half hour, and there has been no change.”

The well-informed Forward naturally understood why this was the case. As the object of Du Gu Xiao’s worship, Jiang Wang’s power was insufficient to pierce the barrier between two worlds. Even if Du Gu Xiao communicated repeatedly, it would be the same. It was impossible to get a response. It was even unrelated to Jiang Wang’s life and death.

But he did not advise Du Gu Xiao not to do this.

Because people always needed something to support themselves.

So he only said: “Perhaps he is very lonely right now, and very much needs your call.”

Du Gu Xiao did not speak, only clutched the bag of fine rice tightly in her hand. She desperately needed to be needed by the old master.