Between Shen Lin and Dong Zhen, the chasm was vast, present in every facet.

Consider the moment Gui Jia Bridge shattered, severing all hope. Jiang Wang had been the first to prepare, yet in the actual clash, his peak strike, the Absolute Peak Tilt Mountain sword intent, was caught effortlessly by Quan Ying Yang’s palm.

But a Shen Lin cultivator of Great Qi’s Wu An Marquis lineage was no mere idler. Jiang Wang’s swordsmanship was divine, his killing intent terrifying. The Bu Zhou Feng, sword intent fully blossomed, and the Zhi Wen Bell in hand, finally granted him the qualification to harm a True Demon.

Only then did a battle become even conceivable.

Though the chances of victory were nigh zero.

The heretofore concealed Eternal Spring and Ruyi Immortal Clothes, superimposed, bought him this fleeting instant. This was his opportunity to wound Quan Ying Yang, to turn cultivation into experience, and capture reality as his gain!

At that moment, Quan Ying Yang raged, his hatred a palpable force. His left hand cupped light, containing a sea of boundless sword momentum, while his right hand gathered light into arrows, shattering the Ruyi Immortal Clothes thousands of times in a single breath…

Suddenly, a shock surged through his heart!

His face abruptly fractured, brilliant light spilling from the cracks. His body seemed to transform into a vessel of radiant porcelain, easily shattered, the light within flowing everywhere.

In this state, all attacks would be evaded, unless Jiang Wang could perceive his ‘true’ form.

But Jiang Wang merely turned without hesitation.

By the time the scattered light coalesced back into Quan Ying Yang’s form, Jiang Wang had already retreated far.

That sword, illuminating fire with wind, bursting with killing intent, had been retracted as swiftly as it was unleashed.

Yet, that single strike had forced a True Demon to recoil!

If this scene were to spread throughout the world, it would be more than enough to immortalize Jiang Wang’s deeds.

Naturally, for the recoiling True Demon, it was a matter of profound shame.

Quan Ying Yang reacted, pressing a palm from afar. The distance between them, already thousands of zhang, plunged into darkness, stripped of all natural light!

In the complete blackness, Jiang Wang’s carefully laid Cang Long Seven Changes – the Seven Spirits Seeds concealed within the Yuan Qi – appeared starkly clear and utterly futile.

Quan Ying Yang did not laugh. He did not mock a brave man facing a formidable foe.

He simply manipulated the flowing light, disintegrating the ambushing Cang Long Seven Changes before they could explode. At this moment, standing in mid-air, he seemed to encompass all. All the brilliance of heaven and earth surged towards him almost without end.

The True Demon’s power resonated with this world, even drawing Jiang Wang’s involuntary gaze, making him turn his head to look!

The stretch of darkness between Quan Ying Yang and Jiang Wang was like a pitch-black corridor within the Shen Xiao world. Quan Ying Yang strode through this corridor, extended a finger, and plucked the only remaining light from the darkness, igniting it – illuminating Jiang Wang’s crimson-gold eye light, his clothing’s sword light, the frost-covered white light, the flowing fire’s red light, and even the light of his Tian Fu burning within his chest and abdomen!

With these five lights, he reversed the Five Elements, striking back at Jiang Wang!

In Sheng Guo, there was a young heaven’s chosen, named Jiang Li Meng, who had gained the Si Yao divine ability, becoming a master of light and shining brightly at Guan He Terrace.

Jiang Wang, of course, had not forgotten, and had long ago researched how to counter such an ability. After the brief exchange with Quan Ying Yang, he had already secretly prepared.

But Quan Ying Yang’s control over light was direct, reaching the level of inherent rules, not even relying on the power of divine abilities. It completely bypassed his preparations!

His Tian Fu light reversed to strangle his five inner palaces, his red light pierced his flowing fire, his frost light countered his Bu Zhou Feng, his sword light attacked his longsword and tore his immortal clothes, his eye light targeted his eyeballs!

His Yuan force was utterly chaotic, all Dao techniques involving Yuan force failing to manifest.

In this pitch-black environment, Jiang Wang’s own light became his cocoon. His rapidly retreating figure was temporarily bound by light, injured by light!

It wasn’t that he didn’t fight back; he simply couldn’t defend effectively.

The blazing light in his chest and abdomen perforated him like a sieve.

Ruyi Immortal Clothes could not stop it; Xuan Tian Shu Li Gong was instantly shattered.

The frost wind and red fire outside his body scattered.

Long Xiang Si rang out with a metallic clang, battered by the sword light until it was almost impossible to hold, like a small boat on an angry sea, threatening to slip from his grasp and capsize at any moment.

Fortunately, there was Eternal Spring!

The Green Eternal Jade Pearl continuously supplied life force.

His flesh wounds instantly recovered, and Ruyi Immortal Clothes floated back into place.

All the light and flames on his body were extinguished. Jiang Wang turned his body, turned his sword, shook the Zhi Wen Bell, and simultaneously folded his body into the Big Dipper. At this moment, his body was the Dipper’s Spoon, and Long Xiang Si was the Dipper’s Handle.

Above, no starlight; below, no sword light.

Only a faint, chilling edge, capable of cleaving through darkness, plunging the world into winter!

Just as Quan Ying Yang, having pierced the darkness, arrived at this point, he met this sword head-on. He immediately gathered light and entered the corridor. The brilliant light in the dark corridor also became a sword, this light-sword clashing against the faint edge, battling dozens of rounds in an instant.

In the fourth round, Jiang Wang’s left abdomen was pierced. In the ninth round, his throat was nearly cut. In the thirteenth round, the wrist holding his sword was almost severed in half!

Swordsmanship considered absolutely top-tier among the young generation of Shen Lin cultivators was utterly incapable of holding out against Quan Ying Yang.

Reaching the level of a True Demon, their movements seemed effortless, but they were rooted in the manipulation of fundamental rules.

No matter how perfect his own sword moves were, if they could not align with the world’s fundamentals, at the rule level, there were loopholes everywhere.

But what made Quan Ying Yang wary was that Jiang Wang wasn’t simply relying on Eternal Spring’s recovery to trade injury for injury. The fight was clearly intense, precarious, yet he was never reckless.

Jiang Wang’s injury-trading was exchanging his own severe wounds for his own fatal wounds, and in this process, he was rapidly becoming familiar with the sensation of exchanging blows with a True Demon!

Ordinary Shen Lin cultivators, of course, could not do this.

Not to mention dying countless times during the ‘familiarization’ process. Shen Lin cultivators wanting to ‘familiarize’ themselves with a True Demon’s fighting style faced a gap in vision and a barrier in cognition!

And all of these… were erased by the Zhi Wen Bell.

Truly a fine treasure!

Quan Ying Yang’s light-sword shook, intending to strike down the bronze bell.

Yet, Jiang Wang pointed his faint edge directly at a life-and-death vital point, adopting a stance of exchanging life for life – even more insane than attempting to sever his head!

Quan Ying Yang intended to waste his divine abilities, break his limbs, and inflict the world’s most excruciating torment upon this person.

But the support of the Eternal Jade Pearl made Jiang Wang almost an undying existence, removing the possibility of broken limbs and scattered remnants. As a world treasure, a mythical treasure, the last bit of origin accumulated over those long years, while insufficient to revive itself, was more than enough to support a mere Shen Lin realm Jiang Wang.

Although his realm was suppressed and his swordsmanship crushed, the continuous ringing of the bell granted him some understanding of the True Demon’s methods, allowing him to firmly guard the Zhi Wen Bell and the Eternal Jade Pearl.

For Quan Ying Yang, constantly hacking, injuring, and crippling his opponent should, of course, be a form of torture. But looking at Jiang Wang’s resolute eyes, he increasingly felt that the one being tortured seemed to be himself.

He wanted to once again break Jiang Wang’s sword defense, once again cut open the Ruyi Immortal Clothes, shatter the Xuan Tian Shu Li Gong, then shatter Jiang Wang’s golden body and jade marrow, and then personally watch them rapidly recover, only to repeat the process again.

Of course, no matter how good the Zhi Wen Bell and Eternal Jade Pearl were, they were merely external objects. A contemporary True Demon could not fail to find a method to truly eliminate his opponent. He only needed to penetrate the reality of time, to truly grasp this world!

A faint corridor pierced the vast sky, within it, a struggle for life and death.

And this faint corridor continuously spread, becoming longer, more vast.

The entire Shen Xiao world swallowed more and more light, becoming increasingly dim.

Ling Xi Hua was still crawling on the mountain path when he heard Xiong San Si shout Hu Tai Sui’s name, heard Hu Tai Sui acknowledge the title of Three Evil Tribulation Lord and saw his father.

Although his father was attached to the Spider String, although his father did not look at him once.

He had broken an arm, his gallbladder cleaved by Jiang Wang, and his weakened state influenced him, preventing him from rushing out to fight alongside his father for the first time.

It wasn’t a lack of loyalty or courage, he simply couldn’t.

He hoped his father would understand.

Until his father, with a single glance, subdued Xiong San Si, who possessed the power of a True Demon war, he only wanted to stand up and express a few feelings. But in the very phrasing, the situation changed abruptly, his father schemed to seize the Feng Shen Terrace, and various deities rose up in attack.

His father was truly confused!

Being in the demon world, if he had to oppose someone, it shouldn’t be the Ancient Imperial City. After all, the Ling Clan still needed to survive here – if he truly wanted to oppose them, he should wait until the Ling Clan’s wings were full, shouldn’t he?

His father’s eyes blazed with killing intent towards the various deities. Wherever his gaze fell, the divine images collapsed one after another.

Watching him, Ling Xi Hua involuntarily straightened his waist.

Until Xuan Nan Gong manipulated the various deities, directly clashing with his father.

He crawled back down.

Until a certain moment, the images of the various deities who had surged forth from the Tian Yao Altar suddenly stopped their attacks.

The True Demon Spider String controlled by his father suddenly stilled.

Then, his pupils scattered, that terrifying power vanished, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse with a fading breath, which tumbled from the Feng Shen Terrace, falling into the boundless sea of clouds.

What had happened?!

Ling Xi Hua was utterly bewildered.

The sky… had turned black.

True Demon Quan Ying Yang’s absorption of the sky’s light had always extended to this point, and continued to spread towards the entire mountain, and beyond.

Quan Ying Yang killing that fake monk from Sumeru Mountain shouldn’t be a problem, and he didn’t care much either… The bad part was that his father’s scheme had failed! Where would the Ling Clan go? Where would he go?

Those divine images didn’t scatter. Instead, they flew back to the Tian Yao Altar one by one, seemingly forming some array, solemnly surrounding the bronze giant cauldron – he didn’t know why.

Ling Xi Hua gazed somewhat blankly at the dim sky. The light of the sky seemed to have been completely extinguished, as if even his gaze was being pulled away, as if some hidden terror was yet to fully erupt. His gaze fell upon Chai A Si, who was on a mountain platform across from him. Chai A Si held his rusty iron sword tightly, tense and cautious.

For some reason, that sword-holding posture reminded him of that monk from Sumeru Mountain. There was indeed some similarity.

His gaze continued to shift, finally finding Xiong San Si in the sea of clouds.

Still hanging there, endlessly struggling, endlessly in pain – Xiong San Si, a victim of the Heavenly Demon’s methods, though not eliminated.

Watching his body constantly convulse, spirit qi scattering from him… Ling Xi Hua suddenly stood up, walked a few steps, and picked up a fine sword from the ground – one of the two fine swords that had fallen when the Spider String fell.

For some reason, he wanted to help this person find relief.

He was certainly not a good person, nor did he have any emotional connection to Xiong San Si.

But this feeling in his heart was inexplicable, beyond explanation.

But he stopped again.

Because at that moment, within the only eye Xiong San Si could still control… in the midst of the blood tears cracking from the corner of his eye, a black dot appeared. The black dot leaped out, becoming a black small insect.

Ji Xing Kong’s gift, the faith insect of the era of ultimate law!

That single insect had responded at that moment to help Xiong San Si lock down the Three Evil Tribulation Lord, but it wasn’t exhausted. Unbeknownst to Xiong San Si, a single one remained.

At this moment, it flew high into the sky, weaving a dark shadow, transforming into a Night Bodhisattva with no discernible face!

Several hundred of the divine images surrounding the Tian Yao Altar solemnly turned around, each with a defensive posture.

This Night Bodhisattva merely raised a palm to block, and from its mouth issued Ji Xing Kong’s voice: “Mind your own affairs, Xuan Nan Gong. Command deities or do whatever you wish, the Buddha Lord will not interfere with you.”

This voice was utterly unlike the crude and wicked mockery he had used in Mo Yun City. Instead, it was deep, wise, and compassionate.

Thus, the various deities turned back.

And he lowered his head, overlooking the figure writhing in torment in the sea of clouds, sighing: “Why bother?”

He and Xiong San Si had a connection long ago, an inside story that even Shu Jia Lan was unaware of. This was another piece he had placed in the Shen Xiao world.

“The power of this single faith insect cannot contend with Hu Tai Sui. I am late.”

He was explaining why he had waited until Hu Tai Sui appeared before showing himself.

But Xiong San Si seemed to hear nothing. His entire body convulsed non-stop, even his mouth was twisted, blood foam occasionally spraying from its corners.

With Ji Xing Kong’s level of power, he could naturally see that Xiong San Si had already lost his five senses. At this moment, all his power and will were engaged in a struggle with another power within his body.

Hu Tai Sui’s method was that of infinite cycles. The power opposing Xiong San Si’s will drew strength from Xiong San Si’s own resistance. That is to say, the more fiercely Xiong San Si struggled, the stronger the power he had to resist became.

More effort, more pain. More struggle, more torment.

And he himself did not know…

He actually thought his struggle could restrain a part of Hu Tai Sui’s power, and thus, in a state where all five senses were lost, he endured the pain so resolutely!

He didn’t know what kind of existence Hu Tai Sui was trying to grind out; his methods were too cruel. But no matter the outcome, at this moment, it was all unrelated to him.

Ji Xing Kong’s voice was an existence that penetrated the five senses.

He continued to ask in Xiong San Si’s consciousness: “Is it worth it? You want to help that person, you want to fight alongside that comrade. He fundamentally doesn’t know you are fighting for him here, doesn’t even know who you are. Even everything you are doing is completely useless! A mere Shen Lin cannot escape a True Demon’s capture.”

Xiong San Si’s body convulsed violently as if struck by lightning. He twisted his features, and with a truly gritted teeth effort, he struggled, struggled, and finally a voice emerged from his throat: “I am… human!”

He didn’t seem to answer directly, but he had already answered everything.

The word “human” stood firm and supported the heavens!

From ancient times to the present, all those who fought for the future of the human race did nothing more than these three words – “Exhaust human affairs”!

Human power had its limits, but the capacity to exhaust one’s ability was boundless.

Ling Xi Hua and Chai A Si, from their different positions, looked up at that Night Bodhisattva.

And the Night Bodhisattva still gazed at Xiong San Si, forming a dark black lotus seal with his hand, and spoke with a compassionate voice: “Foolish child! I know your thousands of bitter sorrows, your ten thousand difficult trials. Now you row your boat in the sea of suffering, finally seeing the other shore… I have come to ferry you across.”

“Yaoshi Rulai has already attained the Dao, and the Dao thrives in the era of ultimate law.”

“In the time of ultimate law, demons wear the robes of Buddha. They embrace the secular heart, coveting the five-colored decorations, a world of five inversions and turbidity!”

“And reaching the ultimate law is not like the time of orthodox law. Saving the suffering and resolving disasters requires more thunder.”

“Under Yaoshi Rulai’s seat, there should be the eight divisions of ghost gods.”

“First is the multitude of ghosts, second is the multitude of gods, third is Rakshasa, fourth is Gandharva, fifth is Asura, sixth is Garuda, seventh is Kinnara, eighth is… Mahoraga!”

“As per our previous agreement, I give you a clear path. San Si, with your good faith, would you be willing to enter my Black Lotus Temple? From this point forward, you and the clan that comes into being because of you shall receive the supreme good Dharma, cultivating the correct practice to protect all sentient beings, taking the name Mahoraga! When you achieve fruit position in the ultimate law, would you be willing?”

On the Tian Yao Altar, one of the deities who had walked to the front of the bronze giant cauldron and was about to place something in the center of the cauldron, couldn’t help but glance sideways.

Ji Xing Kong’s other placed piece actually intended to seize Hu Tai Sui’s gains! He wanted to transform the entire Ling Clan into Mahoraga!

What a kick while a man is down!