# Chapter 2979: We Have No Choice!
Thus, under the cruel methods of Lord Eternal Demon Lord, Blood Umbrella Celestial Venerable began an extremely humiliating life as a captive!
First, lecture for an hour, then get beaten for an hour—a repetitive cycle!
However, this was far better than the treatment of those Eternal Realm experts. They had their souls searched, then were directly thrown into the wind, continuously beaten without even a moment to catch their breath!
They could only constantly resist the Wind Shadow's brutal beatings, and during this process, the wind would gradually outline their forms!
These experts were the pinnacle of the cultivation world, all with excellent comprehension and talent. Although they were constantly beaten, they could still manage to grasp something!
It's just that this process was quite painful!
Jiangnan also obtained a more comprehensive method of spirit refinement from Nian Hongyan and Blood Umbrella Celestial Venerable, gaining a deeper understanding of the Six Paths of the Celestial Palace!
But Nian Hongyan's work was not yet finished. The Rogue Cultivator Alliance was still sending treasures over by the boatload, including a large number of technique scrolls!
All of these required Nian Hongyan to read through!
Her scalp felt a bit numb. If what Lord Demon Lord said was true, then wouldn't she have to memorize all the technique scrolls in the entire cultivation world?
What a massive treasure this was!
How did such good fortune fall upon her? And she could use any of the treasures they plundered freely?
It could be said that Nian Hongyan was currently enjoying the most top-tier resources in the entire cultivation world!
She absorbed immortal crystals freely, grabbed magical artifacts by the handful, and all her techniques and secret arts were the highest grade!
Even a pig would take off at this rate, right?
Thinking of this, Nian Hongyan didn't even know how to thank Lord Demon Lord properly!
She had thought this would be the calamity of her life, but she never expected it to be the greatest opportunity of her life!
She might as well consider that she had used all her luck to meet Lord Demon Lord!
To repay him, she had to do her work well!
Only then could she review the technique scrolls faster!
In the following time, Nian Hongyan simply lived on the ship! While diligently cultivating, she also studied hard!
As a result, her original peak Void Refining realm level directly broke through to the Unbounded realm!
That was equivalent to Star Breaker!
What surprised Nian Hongyan was that after breaking through to Unbounded, the quality of her spiritual root actually improved, a huge enhancement!
Her cultivation speed and efficiency in absorbing immortal energy surged, and the quality of her spiritual root continued to improve!
It was as if some switch had suddenly been turned on!
Nian Hongyan was a bit confused. She had never heard that breaking through to Unbounded could improve spiritual root quality, let alone continuous improvement!
After all, spiritual root quality was determined by heaven and was almost impossible to wash clean through acquired means!
She didn't know what was happening and simply attributed it to the magical effects brought by her new cultivation method and secrets!
This was even better—it made her more useful in helping Lord Demon Lord!
Jiangnan naturally noticed Nian Hongyan's changes. As his gaze shifted, a hint of a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"As expected... there are no coincidences in this world. Hmm... Could it be what I'm thinking?"
...
In the Demon Eye Galaxy battle, the Demon Eye Envoy watched. The Eternal Demon Lord descended and, with absolute strength, fought two Creation Realm experts in succession!
Grand Derivative Sword Immortal was utterly defeated, and Blood Umbrella Celestial Venerable, along with twenty to thirty Eternal Realm experts, were captured!
The Eternal Demon Lord also made the bold claim that he would only give the cultivation world seven days. Otherwise, he would act to destroy the world, completely shattering the Grand Derivative Era and overturning the entire cultivation world!
As soon as this news came out, one stone stirred a thousand waves, causing a massive upheaval in the cultivation world!
Everyone was panicked, and a layer of gloom settled over the entire cultivation world!
Even the Grand Derivative Sword Immortal had lost. Who else could be a match for the Eternal Demon Lord?
Did the Grand Derivative Era only have seven days left?
The countdown... had appeared!
Overnight, the name of the Eternal Demon Lord spread throughout the entire cultivation world!
Some said he came from the Eternal Demon Realm, and since the demon realm's fate was exhausted, the Eternal Demon Lord had come to this starry sky, seeking to hold the entire world in his grasp!
Others said the Eternal Demon Lord came from the same place as the Demon Eye Envoy—a higher-level world...
Regardless, the invincible reputation of the Eternal Demon Lord had already been deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts!
The warning from the Dao Tree was real!
The entire cultivation world entered a state of emergency!
The leaders of the other five Great Dao Sects directly headed to the Grand Derivative Sword Sect to discuss countermeasures!
Although they hadn't shown their faces in the Demon Eye Galaxy battle, how could they not know about such a huge commotion? They had been observing from the shadows all along!
At this moment, inside the Grand Derivative Sword Sect's Immortal Sword Holy Hall, the atmosphere was gloomy!
The five Creation Realm experts gathered together, but Li Daoyan was not in his seat. Instead, he was leaning against a corner of the holy hall, his eyes vacant!
In his hand was an empty wine gourd...
His face was covered in sparse stubble, and his hair had turned completely white overnight!
The sect master of the Grand Derivative Sword Sect was presiding over the situation, his expression strained.
(˵ಠ﹏ಠ˵) "This is all the information we have so far. The Eternal Demon Lord is definitely not a cultivator of this realm. His system is completely different from ours. He doesn't have his own small world, yet he can rely on that silver energy and domain rules to unleash absolutely overwhelming power!"
"He's too strong. No one in this realm can match him. He possesses invincible combat power to sweep across the entire cultivation world! And... he only gave us seven days!"
"In seven days, it's either life or death—either the Grand Derivative heaven collapses, or the Eternal falls! This is the battle footage recorded by sect disciples using retention beads. Please take a look, everyone!"
The five people present all watched the battle footage with grave expressions, over and over again!
Among them were the Divine Hidden Dao Sect's Thousand Sea Divine Emperor, the Eight Desolate Demon Sect's Spirit Sparrow Demon Venerable, the Ember Silence Demon Sect's Ultimate Dark Demon Emperor Yan Xing, the Sacred Soul Spirit Sect's Sacred Spirit Master Boundless, and the Ten Thousand Scrolls Technique Sect's strongest spellcaster Qing Yu!
These were the other five Creation Realm experts besides Li Daoyan and Blood Umbrella Celestial Venerable—the strongest batch of people in the cultivation world, all gathered here!
Spirit Sparrow smiled bitterly:
(｡･ˇɞˇ･) "I didn't expect the Dao Tree's warning to come true so soon. The Eternal Demon Lord, huh? An absolute powerhouse from beyond this realm..."
Qing Yu's gaze was filled with shock as she watched the countless Wind Shadows, her scalp tingling:
(*⁰̷̴△⁰̷̴) "These divine abilities are too profound. I thought I had already reached the end of spells, but I never expected that what I've seen is just the tip of the iceberg!"
Thousand Sea Divine Emperor narrowed his eyes:
(￢益￢٥) "Stop boosting their morale and undermining our own. Let's think about how to prevent this wind from replicating our divine abilities too, or else we'll have even less of a chance!"
"We have nothing to rely on. The only thing we can depend on now is ourselves! We... are the heavens of this cultivation world! The heavens cannot fall, understand?"
Ultimate Dark Demon Emperor took a deep breath:
(･ˇ益ˇ･｡:) "It's not completely hopeless. At least the Grand Derivative World Tree is on our side!"
"Since the Demon Eye Galaxy battle, I've suddenly felt lighter. The pressure that had been bearing down on me nonstop since breaking through to Creation Realm has disappeared!"
"The Grand Derivative World Tree has been radiating immortal light. The world will be our strong backing!"
Hearing this, Boundless was also stunned:
∑(°口°๑) "You feel that too? Me too!"
It wasn't just the two of them; all seven Creation Realm experts had received the blessing of the Grand Derivative World Tree!
Not only had the pressure vanished, but they even felt that the path ahead was smooth. In such a short time, they had even made significant progress!
Yan Xing raised an eyebrow:
(๑◔益◔ิ) "Grand Derivative, say something. What are we going to do? We only have seven days. We can't afford to waste any time!"
"That Eternal Demon Lord is arrogant, treating this like a cat playing with a mouse. This is our chance. We have to teach him a bloody lesson and make him understand that we're not lambs to be slaughtered!"
But Grand Derivative acted as if he hadn't heard, still slumped in the corner!
The eyes of the several Creation experts dimmed...
Yan Xing squinted: (≖益≖ꐦ) "Grand Derivative! I'm calling you! Say something!"
Li Daoyan's voice was hoarse, his eyes vacant: "Don't call me by that Dao title. I don't deserve it..."
"I lost... I shouldn't have lost..."
Two veins bulged on Yan Xing's forehead:
(▼皿▼ꐦ) "Damn it, isn't it just losing one battle? Who here hasn't lost before? Look at your cowardly appearance!"
Li Daoyan shook his head: "It's different... You don't understand. Eh... You all discuss it. I'll be there on the day of the final battle. I'll fulfill my responsibilities!"
Yan Xing: !!!
"Damn you!"
He suddenly stood up, strode over to Li Daoyan in large steps, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and slammed him hard against the wall!
The wall was cracked with spiderweb-like fissures!
"Wake the hell up! This isn't the Li Daoyan I know! You and I have been fighting on the demon and immortal paths for all these years, and in the end, you still surpass me. I originally respected you! I rarely admit defeat, but I respected you!"
"But look at your cowardly appearance now! Just because your sword heart shattered? Then forge a new one! You're the leader, the backbone, the strongest in this realm! If you've already admitted defeat in your heart, how can we win?"
"Is this the sword path you sought? The strongest you pursued? Then your sword path is far too fragile! You make me ashamed! Damn it, I can't believe I lost to a coward like you!"
Li Daoyan smiled bitterly: "Think whatever you want!"
Yan Xing grew even angrier, grabbing Li Daoyan and slamming him to the ground!
"Don't talk to me in that tone! I hate it! Aren't you the strongest? Pull yourself together!"
"You said it! The weak hold their swords, pointing at those weaker. The strong hold their swords, pointing at those stronger! Now, someone stronger is right in front of you! Draw your sword, damn it!"
"Are you weak? Are you? Answer my question!"
Li Daoyan opened his mouth but said nothing...
Yan Xing gritted his teeth: "In the previous battle, only you and Blood Umbrella went. Just two of you—that's not all of us!"
"Now, even though Blood Umbrella is lost, with you and the six of us, we still have a chance! Let's go all out and fight him with everything we've got!"
Li Daoyan smiled bitterly: "Can the six of us together... beat him? Is there really... a chance?"
"You're all Creation experts. You can't really fail to see it, can you? He didn't even use his full strength! Was it fifty percent? Or thirty percent?"
Yan Xing: !!!
He raised his fist, his eyes filled with fury, and smashed it fiercely into Li Daoyan's face!
"If you won't wake up, then I'll beat you awake!"
With a loud crash, the entire Immortal Sword Holy Hall was shattered, collapsing in a cloud of dust!
But Yan Xing didn't stop. He continued punching Li Daoyan in the face, blow after blow!
"Rather than letting you go die in the final battle, I might as well finish you off here! Don't bring shame to the Grand Derivative Era!"
"There's no hope! I know there's no hope! But do we have a choice? If we don't fight until the very end, we won't have even the slightest chance!"
"I know the final outcome might not be what we want! But we are the pillars of this Grand Derivative Era! Now the sky is falling, and we have to hold it up! Even if we can't hold it, we have to try our damn best! Understand?"
"Even if we lose! Even if we're defeated! Even if the Grand Derivative Era collapses and the Eternal Demon Lord destroys the world—so what? In that final battle, we'll give it our all, leaving no regrets! Isn't that enough? Isn't it? Huh?"
As Yan Xing roared, he kept pounding Li Daoyan, smashing his face until it was covered in blood, his own eyes reddening!
And then, just as Yan Xing's fist was about to land again, Li Daoyan suddenly raised a hand and firmly caught the descending punch!
The residual shockwave of power spread, blowing away the endless dust!
Li Daoyan's blood-covered face gradually took on a resolute expression. He turned his head and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with two broken front teeth, then smiled.
"You bastard... You still hit as hard as before, don't you?"