Those who set foot upon the lands of the Godly Firmament, beholding this ancient text of the Great Dao, each were stirred in their hearts.

At this very moment, such a stone inscription stood before them.

It seemed akin to the legends of the ancient Feathered Clan, where, after countless years, they would beckon later generations with a wave of their hand, welcoming guests with hidden treasures.

This colossal stone bore no magnificent radiance, nor did it pulse with any discernible power. Yet, it possessed a profound sense of history, a weight born of ages. Especially the words etched upon its surface. One could not judge the skill of the script, nor easily discern its structure. Upon closer inspection, it seemed less like carving and more like the natural erosion of time, polished by wind and frost. Each stroke, each line, appeared as traces of the passing eons. Solely from the patterns themselves, no matter how one looked, it was impossible to deem them the work of a craftsman.

Had the inscription been in the script of the Feathered Clan, or that of other demon clans, or even the myriad texts of the human nations, the marks of axe and chisel would have been evident. For the birth of such scripts is invariably intertwined with the influence of intelligent beings.

But here, born directly from the essence of the Dao itself, a Dao text whose meaning was understood upon sight, held the possibility of being a natural creation.

Of course, its profound significance surely stemmed from the legend of those ten thousand years ago.

This only served to deepen the reverence of those who came after! What manner of being was a Heavenly Demon?

The will of Heaven is my will; a state akin to what the absolute peak existences among humans termed “Deriving the Dao.” These few hazy words, seemingly a natural creation, possessed a power that transcended imagination.

Bear San Si silently swallowed the words he had been about to utter.

Feather Xin, of course, yearned for recognition and glory. Had she not just escaped a perilous situation where she was besieged, she would have already declared her sovereignty as the “Little Feather Pin.”

But though she remained silent, her face radiated sincere pride.

Spider Lan Ruo parted her lips as if to speak, but in the end, nothing escaped them. She merely reached out and took the zither held by Spider Ying. Her hand rested on the strings, seemingly about to pluck a melody, but ultimately, she did not move, simply holding the instrument close to her.

The scene before their eyes was a Dao that defied articulation!

And Jiang Wang, alone in the mirror world, was suddenly startled! He did not know how many years ago, Feather Pin had left words here, saying “Guests from afar have come.”

A very long, very long time passed, and the Godly Firmament’s secret treasury opened, gathering winds and clouds. Looking upon this place, who could be considered a guest from afar?

Bear San Si of Purple Wu Hills?

Deer Qi Lang and Snake Gu Yu of God Fragrance Flower Sea?

Sheep Yu from Ancient Difficult Mountain, or Rat Jialan from Black Lotus Temple?

Or…

He, this outsider curled up in the mirror world?!

It was not that he was inherently suspicious, seeing enemies in every shadow. It was truly because ever since he entered the Demon Realm, he had been constantly constrained by the will of Heaven, feeling fate’s cruel hand playing tricks upon him at every turn. Although thus far, every choice he made stemmed from his original heart, things often went against his wishes. He struggled and fled continuously, plotted and failed repeatedly, fell into disappointment and rose again, yet still stepped closer and closer to an irrecoverable desperate situation.

Seeing such a sentence at this moment, he inevitably thought more.

But upon careful consideration, it was also highly unrealistic. During his time in the Demon Realm, he had always strived to understand the demon clans. How many years ago did Feather Pin exist? Corresponding to human history, it was already close to the ancient era.

How could it be possible for someone from such a distant time to leave words greeting the people of this era?

And to specifically target him, a mere Divine Arrival Realm cultivator? It was somewhat like seeing a bow reflected as a snake’s shadow…

“From the perspective of time, we are all guests from afar,” Deer Qi Lang sighed with emotion, “In this life, I cannot behold the great ancestor Feather Pin, but from this sentence, I perceive their magnanimity. A true hero! I, Deer Qi Lang, a junior of later generations, contemplate the ancients and the present, and my heart is filled with emotion!”

Spider Ying’s untimely cold remark shattered the atmosphere: “Don’t be so quick to wax poetic, it’s not even certain whether these words were left by that great ancestor of the Godly Firmament.”

Based solely on appearance, Deer Qi Lang was indeed the public enemy of the male demons present.

And Deer Qi Lang’s response… was merely a slight smile towards Spider Lan Ruo.

At this moment, before all the demons lay the vast expanse of the Godly Firmament lands. Behind them remained only a wall compressed into a silver-white gateway by the Godly Firmament’s secret chamber.

Beyond the wall lay the other side of this forest. One glance could not see its end, nor were there any discernible paths. It was deep and unfathomable, concealing unknown dangers.

No one in the group dared to lightly disregard this feeling of danger. Especially in this place that possessed extraordinary history.

Rat Jialan, being a cautious cultivator who delved into the Dao Origin, reached out and pushed the silver-white wall. It remained motionless. He injected his spiritual sense, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. He urged his sacrificial Black Lotus, but still received no response… He then knew that this path was no longer accessible, and returning the way they came was also impossible.

“Divide the roads!” He declared decisively, “There are twelve demons here, and in the forest there are six paths. This is a marvelous fate, surely two demons per path, this cannot be lightly violated. Heaven above and Earth below, I, Buddha, am the sole honored one! I will take the middle path. For auspiciousness, I choose the third one from the left. Who will accompany this Buddha grandpa?”

Undeniably, the monk from Black Lotus Temple was swift in his actions. While the other demons were still contemplating, he had already made his selection.

Sheep Yu master spoke softly, with a lingering sorrow: “The fourth one from the right, to say it’s auspicious is not entirely accurate.”

Regarding the saying of two demons per path, he did not refute it. The word ‘fate’ cannot be lightly dismissed. If not responded to carefully, good fortune can turn to bad, and luck can become sorrow.

Rat Jialan pointed at him with his戟-like hand: “You unlucky bald donkey, stay far away from this old man, that is very auspicious!”

Sheep Yu smiled slightly: “Big blockhead monk, you are too attached to appearances. That is what is most vexing!”

Rat Jialan had a mind to roll up his sleeves, but fearing that someone else would benefit, he simply endured. His gaze swept across the area, and he happened to see a rough cloth-wrapped object on the ground.

“Eh, what is this thing?” He muttered to himself and walked forward.

This object had been brought here from within the Chai family old house. It had been inconspicuous within the Godly Firmament’s secret chamber, but the moment they were pushed into the outer space, it became difficult to ignore.

Especially since there were so many demon kings with the strength of Heavenly List new kings present, almost everyone saw it. Rat Jialan merely found a casual excuse to be the first to pick it up.

Although this object had no radiant light or magnificent shadows, one could infer that anything brought into this place would not be simple. Within that Chai family old house, there were still wooden plank beds, and even a short jacket, skirt, and bellyband… Why were those not brought in?

Deer Qi Lang also subconsciously looked over, slightly frowning. But a plump hand blocked his line of sight.

“Oh, mine,” the Taiping ghost messenger said, picking up the small cloth package from the ground and tucking it into his embrace.

Having already moved closer to the object earlier, Pig Da Li was of course more nimble than Rat Jialan.

He hadn’t fully understood why the Dao Master wanted him to send a mirror to the Chai family old house in the dead of night. Now he understood… The Dao Master was creating an opportunity for him to participate in the contention for the Godly Firmament’s secret treasury!

Compared to the grand pronouncements of Deer Qi Lang and Rat Jialan, the arrangement by their Taiping Dao Master was so much more subtle and effortless.

Pig Da Li was a shrewd one.

Ape Immortal Court personally sent Ape Meng Ji into the Godly Firmament lands. How could the other heavenly prides of the demon clans not have powerful backing?

From the backing of Deer Qi Lang, Rat Jialan, and the others, one could roughly speculate on the current power level of the Taiping Dao Master.

He was definitely on the path to becoming a Heavenly Demon.

At the very least, his style was superior to that of Ape Immortal Court, wasn’t it?

And this mirror was also no ordinary item. A treasure that could send him into the Godly Firmament lands was certainly a supreme treasure of the Taiping Dao. How could he let this Rat monk exploit a loophole and take it home?

“How is it yours?” Rat Jialan stopped in his tracks, squinting at him. The lines of the sixth-grade Black Lotus on his bald head became even deeper.

Pig Da Li chuckled: “I just took it out tonight, if it’s not mine, whose is it? Can you clearly describe what the object wrapped in this cloth looks like, or if it has any flaws?”

In his heart, he was frantically asking the Dao Master how to use this treasure, whether he should take it out and show it off to this Black Lotus Temple monk a few times.

This Rat monk might not be easy to deal with.

Now that they were within the Godly Firmament lands, the high-level figures of the Taiping Dao could not enter this place. Relying on himself, he was indeed no match.

In the mirror, the Taiping Dao Master woodenly drew out his longsword.

How to use it? You big shout about world peace, and I’ll just jump out! First chop you, Pig Da Li, then go kill Rat Jialan.

I told you to be more natural, to naturally put the mirror away. You couldn’t even do that properly. Your movements were exaggerated, that big backside of yours twisting and turning, instead letting Rat Jialan detect something strange!

The Dao Master was tired, no longer plotting.

What’s the point of plotting anymore… Like Chai A Si said, just do it directly.

“What does it matter what object it is!” Rat Jialan said roughly, “This Buddha grandpa saw it first, so it belongs to this Buddha grandpa! If you say it’s yours, why didn’t you pick it up first, instead of waiting for this Buddha grandpa to see it?”

“My things, I pick them up whenever I want, why do you care?” Pig Da Li retorted, not backing down.

His confidence came from the response transmitted by the Taiping God Wind Seal. The Taiping Dao Master told him to be casual!

Exactly!

If the Dao Master, his old man, had no preparations, how would he send a Taiping ghost messenger with such unremarkable cultivation in here? One must know that there were so many strong individuals within the organization, and they might not have been selected.

On this mirror, the Dao Master had definitely made arrangements.

Among the three officials, seven officers, and nine messengers, although he, Pig Da Li, respectfully occupied the last seat, he would not disgrace the Taiping Dao!

Seeing that both sides were unwilling to yield and were on the verge of a bloody conflict.

Deer Qi Lang suddenly said: “Indeed, it is this Taiping ghost messenger’s object.”

“This object has the breath of this Taiping ghost messenger upon it. Uh…”

At the moment when Rat Jialan and the Taiping ghost messenger confronted each other, his spiritual awareness felt a sense of danger, as if something extremely evil was about to be released.

If it were allowed to be released, he feared that not a few in the group would see bloodshed, among which perhaps even he, Deer Qi Lang, might not be excluded…

At this moment, the true form of the Godly Firmament’s secret treasury had not yet been revealed, and he did not want to stir up any unnecessary waves. Thus, his tone was very sincere, and he looked at Chai A Si again: “And also the breath of this Dog Clan brother.”

He was describing the reality of the breath, but what he was saying was a probe.

Did this Taiping ghost messenger and the mysterious Chai A Si have any connection? Or did they even belong to the same organization? Chai A Si waved his hand frankly: “Oh, they were all in my home just now. It’s hard to avoid them carrying my breath.”

Even now, he did not forget his own principles. He would not engage in meaningless killing. Contention was contention, robbery was robbery, but he would try not to injure these future pillars. So, he would offer advice where he could. After all, he carried the ancient god mirror, favored by the will of Heaven, and followed by the ancient god. The secret treasures of this place were already within reach. Why let these doomed little demons, whose joy would ultimately be fleeting, shed their sweat and blood in vain?

Rat Jialan had originally intended to use force to probe the Taiping ghost messenger a bit. After arguing for so long, he couldn’t possibly truly not make a move. But since Deer Qi Lang had already spoken thus, there was no need to continue.

Everyone knew about Deer Qi Lang’s spiritual awareness. Since he could sense the terror of the Taiping ghost messenger and took the initiative to ease the conflict, then this Taiping ghost messenger was certainly very terrifying…

Thus, he merely grunted: “Let’s choose our paths! Once inside the secret treasury, we’ll each rely on our own means!”

Sheep Yu smiled lightly. That smile was even warmer, making Rat Jialan feel even more mocked. The more he felt Sheep Yu’s mockery, the more cautious he became.

If he were to be injured in this place, the monk from Ancient Difficult Mountain would absolutely show him no mercy.

If he were to kill a Sheep Yu, his harvest within the Godly Firmament’s secret treasury would not necessarily be less, and the same applied to the other side.

“I choose the third path from the right,” the master from Ancient Difficult Mountain said with folded palms, “My Buddha is compassionate, cutting his flesh to feed the eagle, accompanying evil. Even if we cannot go together, we can be neighbors.”

Among the twelve demons present, if they were to be allocated to these six paths, Bear San Si and Feather Xin, Spider Lan Ruo and Spider Ying, Sheep Yu and Dog Xi Hua naturally formed three groups.

Deer Qi Lang looked at Chai A Si. The Taiping ghost messenger’s body carried the danger of extreme evil, while Swift Wind Kill Sword’s body held unfathomable mystery. Compared to that, he was more interested in Swift Wind Kill Sword.

“A Si, this way!” Ape Meng Ji’s face held an expression of “I won’t hide it anymore”: “Come over quickly, I’ll take you!”

This was a great general he had just brought under his command! He had spent a fortune!

If he didn’t use him at this time, when would he? He wasn’t a fool. Although his grandpa, Ape Immortal Court, had personally sent him in, this place was isolated from the outside. If something truly happened, his grandpa, his old man, wouldn’t be able to know even if he saw it. And there were so many demon kings here, he truly couldn’t defeat any of them.

He was clear about Chai A Si’s strength. He had observed him on the arena several times, at most having the power of a demon general. Regardless of whether his surrender was sincere, keeping him under control was not a problem.

Following this fellow down one path, all the harvests would still be in his hands, wouldn’t they?

As for the mysteriousness felt by the other demons… He simply didn’t think in that direction at all. He had personally witnessed Chai A Si’s cultivation. Could it be fake?

Chai A Si grinned brilliantly: “Okay, Young Master Ape!” Having already predetermined his ultimate victory, he now looked at these young demons with the true mood of “leisurely watching the flowers bloom and fall before the courtyard.” Let them make noise, let them laugh.

The fourth group was formed with a single gesture.

All the demons in the group looked at Ape Meng Ji with sympathetic eyes.

Only he himself felt an extreme, hidden pride. With these teams determined, the remaining four demons had no room for choice. Deer Qi Lang could not possibly accompany Snake Gu Yu, and Rat Jialan could not possibly accompany Pig Da Li; these were all paths where they were destined to fight to the death.

Deer Qi Lang smiled lightly and said to Rat Jialan: “Rat monk, I wonder if we have the fate of accompanying each other on a path?”

Between Rat Jialan and the Taiping ghost messenger, he had made his choice. The latter had just given him a premonition of danger. Although he did not lack courage, he did not want to court trouble.

Rat Jialan was indifferent to Snake Gu Yu and Deer Qi Lang. He laughed: “You have fate with my Buddha, seeing this contention and robbery.”

Pig Da Li did not speak. He only felt vulgar.

He could accompany anyone on a path. Anyway, the Dao Master had made all the arrangements. Of course, being able to walk with Snake Gu Yu was much more pleasing to the eye.

Snake Gu Yu remained silent from beginning to end. Only after all the demons had chosen their paths did she silently follow behind Pig Da Li, walking into the shaded path of the forest.

Although they were on the same path, both sides remained vigilant, maintaining a safe distance.

This was the first path from the right among the six passages of the Godly Firmament lands, the one closest to the welcoming giant stone.

The exploration within the Godly Firmament lands had just begun. The investigation outside Mo Cloud City had already concluded.

Several Heavenly Demons stood or sat, scattered around the Chai family old house. True Demon Dog Ying Yang and Demon King Dog Shou Zeng stood in the middle of the courtyard, their noses bruised and faces swollen.

The master of the Mo Cloud Dog family carefully conducted his report.

“That Chai A Si’s parents died during a task on a Seal God Platform. He himself grew up with his grandpa since he was young. His grandpa’s name was Chai Zheng Zhou. In his youth, he was indeed a war general of my Dog family. Later, as he aged and declined, he retired…

“Chai Zheng Zhou’s life was unremarkable, not particularly special. Just his character was relatively strong. He offended quite a few colleagues. So, his retirement days were not too good, even being casually expelled from the family by old opponents… I have oversight responsibility in this matter.”

“As for his background, indeed, over so many years, no one has ever seen any. Only Chai Zheng Zhou himself boasted when he was drunk, saying he had a thin bloodline of the Dog Clan’s great ancestor Chai. Such words, those soldier ruffians would exchange a few sentences, it doesn’t count for much.”

“Chai Zheng Zhou, that demon, was indeed hit and killed by the carriage driven by my worthless son, Dog Xi Zai. At that time, I asked. There was no reason, just because he did not avoid and salute in a timely manner… It is my poor teaching.”

“Besides…”

“Through investigation, it was discovered that these several imperial coins flowed from Chai A Si’s hand!”

Dog Shou Zeng spread open his palm. In his hand lay several five-zhu imperial coins, stained with traces of unknown blood.

He gritted his teeth and said: “Dog Xi Zai disappeared in the 100,000 Great Mountains some time ago. Most of his accompanying guards also disappeared. The imperial coins checked out this time, all have secret marks upon them. These are the coins carried by Dog Xi Zai’s accompanying guards!”

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