It's Time

By the time dawn approached, the great battle had already raged for more than ten hours.

The battlefield had shifted from the invisible depths of the Nether Pool to the banks of the Nether Capital.

Amidst the howling gales, the war flags on the shores of the Nether Pool had already snapped.

Many trees and buildings were destroyed, and the Inner City of the Nether Capital was now a ghost town.

Whether they were heavenly demon race or mortal demon race, they all saw it; this was no foreign invasion, nor was it a sudden change in the Nether Pool.

This was a war between demon gods.

A golden dragon and a black dragon, two legendary beasts, were chasing and hunting each other in a struggle for dominance.

Twelve high and mighty demon gods were slaughtering one another.

They had transformed into the ancestral demons of legend, flapping their demon wings and baring their claws and fangs. Their terrifying forms were enough to strike horror into anyone who caught even a glimpse of them.

The commoners did not care how the struggle between the demon gods had started, nor did anyone else. Even if a demon god were to fall, it had nothing to do with them.

They only wanted to live, and they knew that if they didn't run now, they would be buried in this city by the demon gods.

The conflict between the demon gods had already exceeded everyone's imagination and expectations. Even the law enforcement squads, the Demon Court, and the city guards were terrified by the overwhelming pressure and the apocalyptic chaos, fleeing in haste.

They abandoned the Nether Capital!

At the city gates, with the city guards no longer maintaining the blockade, the crowd surged out like a flood through a broken dam.

But the gates were only so large, while the crowd numbered in the millions.

A massive bottleneck formed.

Some people jumped into the Nether Pool, trying to swim along the shore toward the mouth of the Nether River, only to be swallowed and drowned by the surging waves of nether water.

Others climbed the high city walls, using ropes to slide down to the base.

On the crowded battlements, people could be seen losing their footing and falling from time to time.

Falling from the hundred-foot-high wall, they were instantly smashed into a pulp.

Children were separated from their families, wailing on the ground in helpless despair.

There were also elderly people who accepted their fate calmly, sitting in place and waiting for death.

Of course, there were those who sought fortune in danger, moving against the flow to sneak into the Inner City to loot treasures, and there were madmen committing atrocities.

Yet, there were none of the expected ignorant masses kneeling in prayer to the gods.

Because they could see that this chaos was being personally created by the gods they believed in.

Although Xu Xian was still in the Nether Pool, he could see the chaos in the Nether Capital clearly through the visual sharing of the little book spirit.

He felt a profound sense of impact.

Even though he was not of the demon race and had no sense of belonging to the Demon Abyss, he could not deny that his heart felt heavy seeing the ordinary beings of the Demon Abyss suffer such a disaster.

A sense of pity he couldn't quite suppress welled up in his eyes.

Xu Xian wasn't sure why. He thought that perhaps the education he had received wouldn't allow him to remain indifferent in the face of such tragedy.

But... it was only a feeling of discomfort, nothing more.

The battlefield was now very close, and the aftershocks of the combat had begun to ravage the Nether Capital.

The golden giant dragon had broken through the encirclement and reached the dark sky above the city.

In the city, most of the trees had long been stripped of their leaves, and even the weeds in the corners were smothered by the pervasive smog and mist.

The light of the nether water dimmed, but the Nether Capital did not light up as it usually did.

Whistling cold winds accompanied the chilling rain as they raged. The Nether Capital was oppressively dark. If not for the piercing screams of the demons, Xu Xian would have suspected it was a Nether ghost city.

The night had passed, yet darkness descended.

However, for Xu Xian, this was not a bad thing.

In the water, he could clearly see the figures of the High and Small Priests.

He could see the combat between them—the formation lights, secret arts, and finishers were being unleashed in an endless stream.

His ears buzzed as he heard their mutual taunts.

Xu Xian had to admit that the High Priest was truly formidable. Facing the combined assault of nine others, she had managed to fight her way here from over a thousand miles away.

Unfortunately, even the brightest lamp eventually runs out of oil, and human strength has its limits.

She was already extremely weak, at the end of her tether, and she could no longer maintain her ancestral demon form.

In fact, several of the twelve were no longer able to maintain that state.

Some were due to excessive exhaustion, while others were due to heavy injuries.

The Small Priest, Jin Yu, was one of them.

Yet even so, the commotion caused by their techniques remained as intense as ever.

Any observer could see that the High Priest's defeat was certain. She likely wouldn't even be able to escape unless she was ruthless enough to use the lives of the demons below as bargaining chips to cover her retreat.

But it was also clear that these demon gods wouldn't care.

The Nether Capital never lacked people.

Even though these people were currently scrambling for their lives, once the dust settled, countless more demons would be fighting to squeeze back through those gates.

If they died, they died.

High and mighty as they were, they naturally wouldn't care about the lives of ants.

Only Jin Qing was different. She had originally intended to use the lives of the heavenly demon race to stall for time.

But by the time they reached the shores of the Nether Pool, the heavenly demon race had already fled long ago.

What could be achieved by leaving behind these mortal demons and earthly demons?

Did she really have to harm them? If she did, she would truly become the sinner of the Demon Abyss.

Although she always believed that as long as the result was right, the process didn't matter.

Everything required a corresponding price.

Pursuing the correct result through incorrect means wasn't exactly right, but it didn't mean it was unfeasible.

However, when she saw the scene currently playing out in the Nether Capital of millions, she hesitated.

Dragging the innocent into the fires of war to gamble on a result she was destined to lose... everything lost its meaning.

She thought that perhaps this was fate. She had lost. This was not the first time she had experienced failure.

Even though the end was already determined and she couldn't calculate a single chance of a turnaround, she didn't want to give up just yet.

She could accept failure, but only on the condition that it was the result of her giving everything she had.

At the very least, she could tell herself with a clear conscience that she had tried her best.

She stopped trying to break through and instead turned to meet them. The ten-meter-long blade in her hand became even longer and sharper after her phantom demon transformation, flickering with a sharp, hunting edge reinforced by demon essence.

She shielded Jin Yu behind her and faced the ten of them. Before her final frenzy, she spoke gently to Jin Yu.

"Go!"

War is cruel. The struggle between powerhouses can be long-lasting, yet every minute and every second is intense, allowing for not a moment of distraction.

The expected sentimental scene of sisterly devotion did not happen.

Jin Qing only said that one word, then turned and charged, launching a maddened assault.

And Jin Yu left immediately.

She did not hesitate for a single moment.

They both knew that they couldn't both escape. The only one who could stay behind to stall the ten was Jin Qing; Jin Yu couldn't do it.

This sliver of a chance was only for an instant.

If Jin Yu hesitated for even a second, the opportunity would vanish forever.

The sisters had lost.

This was the inevitable conclusion. If she insisted on staying, neither would escape, and it would truly be over.

Only if she lived would it not truly end.

On her scarred face, water droplets slid down, and her emerald eyes rippled.

The world was a blur; it was the chaotic rain, it was the heavy wind...

"Sister!"

"Thinking of running?"

"Quick, stop her!"

Jin Qing turned back, allowing Chi Yan's spear to pierce through her chest as she raised her long blade and slashed down violently.

"Sever!"

The blade light cut across the sky, blocking the path of those who tried to pursue.

"Damn it!"

Watching the entire scene, the little book spirit whispered a reminder: "Master, it's time."

Xu Xian gave a soft grunt of affirmation and manifested the azure nether fire in a corner.

Freezing a portion of the Nether Pool, he quietly took out the Bixu Mirror, his intent connecting with it.

Using the cover of the endless rain and the vast waves, he activated the divine ability of the divine artifact.

Bixu Phantom.

"Likeness..."

"Manifest!"