Two saints went north; a man drew his sword, and an old man raised a banner.
They stood guard by the sea.
At the Demon Abyss in the west, Lei Yunche stood alone, blocking the demon race.
On the Broken Sword Mountain Range to the south, a girl persuaded eleven Central Plains saints to retreat.
Wendao Sword Sect.
The entire sect prepared for war at the head of Longevity Bridge.
Shadow Hall disciples shuttled back and forth, relaying every piece of intelligence from the Demon Suppression Abyss ten thousand miles away...
And to the east...
The three-thousand-mile Demon Suppression Abyss was deathly silent. The Spirit Eye and Demon Eye that once monitored this deep valley seemed to have fulfilled their mission.
At some point, they had fallen from the high heavens, crashing into the mist-shrouded forest and leaving two massive craters.
Spirit Elixir City was no longer the bustling hub of demons and the hundred-mile scent of pills. It was silent and dilapidated.
The youth still sat on that low wall. Beside him stood a girl and a young man, both possessing the grace of banished immortals.
The auspicious beast now had a master.
Most cultivators from the Central Plains could only return to Demon-Slaying City in dejection.
Some demon hunters stayed behind, hiding behind Spirit Elixir City, staring blankly at the banks of the Wild River, filled with worry.
A great change, a war between humans and demons.
Victory or defeat seemed less important to them now.
What they feared most was what their future held.
Spirit Elixir City had been leveled. Could Demon-Slaying City still exist?
In the future, would there still be demons to hunt in this three-thousand-mile Demon Suppression Abyss?
If not, what would they do? Cross the Wild River and venture deep into the East Desolation?
The balance was broken, the landscape entirely altered. Their hearts were filled with confusion.
If they didn't slay demons, what else could they do?
If they returned to the Central Plains, what would they do there?
No one knew.
Just as they didn't know how the battle in the Heaven Beyond Heaven was faring—how tragic it was, how intense...
At sunset, the tribulation transcendence experts of the Central Plains finally arrived at the Demon Suppression Abyss.
They were shocked to learn from their disciples everything that had transpired that day.
The youth had summoned divine swords.
Yun Zheng had charged into the East Desolation alone.
The fall of a beast god, the defeat of Emperor Bai Ze... all of this was beyond their comprehension.
They realized they had still underestimated the Wendao Sword Sect.
Just one person could slaughter his way through the entire East Desolation. What if all five of them had come?
What if the legendary Sword Ancestor were still alive?
Ultimately, the matter was settled. They had arrived too late and would leave empty-handed.
They could sense the struggle between saints continuing beyond the distant mountains, the outcome still unknown.
Nevertheless, they ordered their juniors to withdraw from the city for now and return to the Central Plains.
With Ye Xianyu here, and this being the territory of the Wendao Sword Sect, they certainly couldn't seize the auspicious beast.
Carrying resentment and shock, the Central Plains cultivators left Spirit Elixir City and then Demon-Slaying City.
As they left, they couldn't help but look back at that low wall, at that youth.
They had a premonition that from now on, or in the near future, this youth would personally shatter the existing world order.
Wendao Sword Sect was strong.
And it would only get stronger.
Provided he didn't die. But...
Did they want him dead? At least, they didn't dare think it.
Though the youth was only at the sixth stage, if he gripped a divine sword, even those at the eighth stage would likely find him a difficult opponent.
That day passed in a blur.
That night was spent tossing and turning.
Whether they stayed or journeyed home, they couldn't snap out of what they had witnessed.
The scenes, the events, one after another, played repeatedly in their minds.
The auspicious beast wasn't a white deer? It was a blood deer.
That towering giant tiger.
That sword from beyond the heavens.
That green-robed sword immortal.
Emperor Bai Ze.
The battlefield in the sky, where terrifying figures collided.
And that youth, that Sword Tower, and the two swords summoned from within it.
Heaven-Burning Sparrow.
Yellow Spring Burial.
The fleeing demons, the victorious sword cultivators...
All of this seemed related to them, yet also entirely unrelated.
They discussed it in low voices, whispering incessantly.
Some spoke with respect, some with sarcasm, some with mockery, some with disdain... each had their own view.
"I'm truly floored. How can the Wendao Sword Sect be this strong?"
"Nonsense, they've always been strong, haven't they?"
"The Demon Suppression Abyss won't exist anymore..."
"The Half-Step Human Realm's immortal sword rank needs an update. Who says there are no divine weapons in the human realm? This Xu Xian has two of them himself."
"Heaven-Burning Sparrow and Yellow Spring Burial... tsk tsk, I wonder which one is superior?"
"I just want to know if that sword immortal named Yun Zheng really plans to slaughter every last demon in the East Desolation."
"Who knows? It's been a day, and there's no sign of the sword or the man..."
"Sigh... will demon hunters even have work in the future?"
"Sure, cross the Wild River and go into the Great Desolation..."
"I wouldn't dare. There are beast gods across the Wild River."
"After tonight, there might not be any left..."
——————
Time flowed like a quiet stream, silent and invisible.
One day...
Two days...
Three days...
Yun Zheng did not return for three days, and Xu Xian did not move for three days.
The youth was deathly still, his face ashen, his lips blue. Beneath his tightly closed eyes, two lines of blood-tears flowed silently.
The swords had not returned either!
During this time, Li Qingshan and Ye Xianyu noticed the depletion of Xu Xian's spiritual energy and tried to replenish it. However, for some reason, an invisible barrier surrounded Xu Xian, isolating him from everything.
They wanted to help, but they couldn't.
The Wendao Sword Sect disciples did not retreat. Instead, they used the mangled natural chasm of the Wild River bank to maintain a constant vigil, defending the area as if fearing the fleeing beast tide might return.
During those three days, Fanzhou was far from peaceful. Falling stars were often seen in the night sky.
The great battle in the East Desolation was surely continuing, and the scale must be immense. Otherwise, how could it cause the stars in the heavens to change color?
Sages across the world were uneasy.
The Demon Abyss was filled with a sinister aura.
The shores of the North Sea were also restless; mountains shook, and waves surged.
Terrifying figures emerged, shrouded in seawater, only to be forced back by two figures.
The unrest in the East Desolation and the North Sea caused the ley lines of Fanzhou to become unstable.
The spirit veins of the entire world fluctuated. The spirits dwelling in the mountains and rivers often wailed and wept in the quiet nights, terrifying the common people so much they couldn't sleep.
Finally, three days later, near sunset, Xu Xian's eyebrows twitched.
Li Qingshan and Ye Xianyu noticed immediately, their gazes snapping to the youth.
In the next second, a sword pierced through the heavy, dark sky.
Before anyone could react, it vanished into the youth's body.
At that moment, every eye was fixed on Xu Xian.
Xu Xian finally opened his eyes. His exhausted face was etched with weariness and sorrow.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
He coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of dark blood.
Ye Xianyu asked anxiously, "Little Eleven, are you alright?"
Xu Xian raised a stiff arm, wiped his lips, and whispered, "I'm fine."
Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief...
"And Senior Brother?" Ye Xianyu hesitated.
The hearts that had just relaxed tightened once more.
Xu Xian looked up at the sky and forced a faint, strained smile.
"We won!"
Rate on N.U.
