Deep within the Nether Pool, the battle intensified, sparing neither the sky, the clouds, nor the waters of the pool itself.
The clouds were torn apart, and space shattered and distorted as the once-silent Nether Pool lost its tranquility, its Ruoshui surging in tumultuous waves.
Beneath the Nether Pool, Xu Xian and the Little Book Spirit watched with great interest, sipping on a pot of old wine while critiquing the events like a live broadcast.
"That lady's blade technique really has something to it..."
"As they say, an inch longer, an inch stronger. Her ten-meter-long blade is many inches longer than anyone else's, so of course it's powerful."
"I should get myself a long sword too, don't you think?"
"Look, Master, she's unleashing her ultimate."
"Good heavens, she has four wings. No wonder she's so fierce..."
As time passed second by second, the Nether Capital remained shrouded in a suffocating haze.
The hearts of the demons throughout the city had not known a moment of peace.
Just like the commotion in the distant sky, the unrest had not ceased for a single moment.
One hour passed.
Two hours passed.
Three hours passed.
As all things rested and the nether water began to glow, the long night arrived, yet the thunderous roars continued. The Small Priest was covered in wounds and looked incredibly disheveled.
The High Priest also unleashed her [Phantom Demon Atavism] divine ability, intending to end the battle quickly.
She transformed into a golden giant demon as well, but she possessed four wings, two more than anyone else, making her strength self-evident.
Xu Xian had heard long ago that [Phantom Demon Atavism] consisted of three stages. The first stage involved the physical body transforming into the likeness of the ancestral demons, possessing a massive size and a pair of wings.
The second stage granted four wings.
The third stage granted six wings.
It was said that the former Demon Sovereign could manifest six wings, which was a level higher than the current Jin Qing.
It was hard to imagine how powerful a six-winged Demon Sovereign could be if the High Priest was already this formidable.
Unfortunately, even so, he was still slain by Xu Xian's senior brother.
Furthermore, that happened four thousand years ago. Lei Yunche's strength must have reached a whole new level by now.
From Xu Xian's perspective, this battle among demon gods was exciting, but it paled in comparison to the battle in the East Desolation.
However, he hadn't seen that battle in the East Desolation personally.
He had only watched from afar as his senior sister slew the tiger and his senior brother fought Bai Ze.
This fight among the demons was more like a group of winged giants engaged in a savage collision, and the Bixu Mirror was only so large.
From a distance, things were unclear, obscured by lightning, wild winds, or blazing flames.
Up close, the view was incomplete, as they were all so large they dominated the entire illusion.
It was somewhat unsatisfying to watch!
The Little Book Spirit analyzed and estimated that the strength of the demon gods in the Demon Abyss was actually quite average.
Among the demon gods currently fighting, only the High Priest had strength comparable to a top-tier saint of the human race.
The others were likely just at the level of an ordinary ninth stage, which could be considered unremarkable.
It even said that with this level of strength, his senior sister Ye Xianyu could easily dominate them, and even Li Qingshan would find them a challenge.
Xu Xian responded smugly, noting that the Wendao Sword Sect's strength was naturally on a different level.
Moreover, the Demon Abyss had been crushed by his master ten thousand years ago and again by his senior brother four thousand years ago.
For four thousand years, they had remained stagnant, cowering within the Demon Abyss.
Under the bloodline theory, the Heavenly Demon race had grown pampered and lazy, lacking any drive for progress.
In these four thousand years, not a single new god had been born in the vast Demon Abyss.
With the Demon Abyss in such a state, it was only because these old fellows had long lifespans that they were still around. Otherwise, in a few thousand more years, one might not find a single demon god in the entire place.
The Little Book Spirit deeply agreed. In any world, plane, or among any intelligent creatures, a basic law was followed.
That was natural selection and the survival of the fittest.
But in the Demon Abyss, the Heavenly Demon race was born superior. Although there were millions of demons, only a small fraction of the Heavenly Demon race and Earthly Demon race could actually cultivate.
Less than a hundred thousand Heavenly Demons had access to top-tier cultivation resources, and even among those hundred thousand, their abilities were inconsistent.
They lacked actual combat experience and spent their days plotting against each other. It would be a miracle if they managed to rise.
The so-called bloodline theory existed, but it was too narrow. In a fantasy world like this, absolute powerhouses were what truly swayed the tides.
And the probability of an absolute powerhouse being born was naturally tiny, something that could not be measured by common logic.
If the Demon Abyss wanted to change its current state, it had to change its system from the root.
As long as the Heavenly Demon race did not fall, the sky over the Demon Abyss would never brighten.
It told Xu Xian that the Wendao Sword Sect's wariness of the Demon Abyss was somewhat unnecessary.
The Demon Abyss was not a threat worth worrying about.
Given time, it would eventually perish on its own.
Xu Xian did not argue. He felt that he and the Little Book Spirit were particularly like-minded today, almost like soulmates.
Xu Xian also complained that with this level of strength, that lady Jin Qing actually wanted to open the Nether Gate and release the Nether Beasts from the primordial period, which was simply suicidal.
No wonder Chi Ji's father had been so adamantly opposed to it.
However, he had to admit that if the Nether Gate were truly opened, it might indeed be a catastrophe for the Wendao Sword Sect.
The current demon race was not enough to threaten the Wendao Sword Sect, but if Nether Beasts were to ravage the Demon Abyss and eventually step out of the Blazing Fortress to trample the Northern Borders, it would indeed be a headache.
He thought that if conditions allowed, he should nip this danger in the bud.
He had to get his hands on one of those ten Demon God Commands.
By hiding it away, he would strip the demon race of their confidence to seek a mutual destruction.
Above the Nether Pool, as Jin Qing used her [Phantom Demon Atavism] divine ability, the five demon gods found themselves unable to match her.
They began to retreat steadily. Even the demon gods of the Qing and Lan families, who had been deliberately holding back, had to start responding seriously.
There was no turning back now.
Since they had made their move today, there was no retreat.
They either had to defeat the High Priest and force her to compromise and hand over all her power so the seven families could divide the spoils while the Heavenly Demons continued to rule the Demon Abyss.
Or they would be defeated today, the balance would be shattered, and the pretense would be stripped away, leaving them to face the High Priest's inevitable purge and drastic reforms.
The heads of the seven great Heavenly Demon families would all become lambs to the slaughter, left at the mercy of others.
Some began to suffer injuries as Jin Qing grew more courageous as she fought. The four demon gods who had been restraining the Small Priest and the golden giant dragon were forced to split into one-on-one matches to support the other five.
The situation turned into a one-against-seven battle.
The Small Priest breathed a sigh of relief and took the initiative.
The golden giant dragon also began to counterattack, chasing another demon god with a frenzied assault. Yet, even in a seven-against-one fight, they still couldn't gain the upper hand against Jin Qing.
The demon gods knew the High Priest was strong, but they had never imagined she could be this powerful.
It could only be said that this woman had hidden herself too deeply.
Her years of compromise and endurance had turned into a sharp blade that was now stabbing into them.
They began to panic.
Especially the two brothers of the Huang family, who had been the loudest at the start. They had been beaten black and blue, their earlier arrogance long gone as they pathetically called out to Chi Ming for help.
They knew very well that if this continued, they would certainly lose, and the only variable that could sway the battle was Chi Ming.
"Chi Ming, are you still not going to act? If you don't step in, we're finished, and your Chi family won't escape either. When she opens the Nether Gate then, will you still be able to stop her?"
"Uncle Chi, we agreed to stand together. Don't wait any longer, move!"
"Uncle Ming, what are you waiting for?"
Rate on N.U.
