Chapter 1404: The Demon Shadow Descends Upon the World (Part 2)
“I understand.” Mu Bingyun nodded. Yin Xue Realm was located at the extreme north of the Dong Shen Domain, indeed one of the star realms closest to the Bei Shen Domain.
And when mentioning the Bei Shen Domain, a clear hint of strangeness flickered in Mu Bingyun’s eyes. As she left, she said in a low voice, “Back then, Father was killed by demons. Mother’s dying wish was that the demons of the Northern Domain be the eternal enemies of Yin Xue… No matter what happens in the future, even if it costs me my life, I will never let a single demon set foot in Yin Xue!”
Mu Xuanyin: “…”
Mu Bingyun departed. Mu Xuanyin stood still for a long time, then opened her ice-cold eyes and called out softly, “Feixue.”
Mu Feixue, dressed in an Ice Phoenix snow-white robe, her stunningly beautiful snow-like face as eternally frozen as Mu Xuanyin’s, came behind Mu Xuanyin and knelt down in salute.
“Your Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon has no room for further progress in a short time,” Mu Xuanyin said. “Starting tomorrow, I will teach you [Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick] and [Moon-Breaking Destruction Sorrow].”
“Yes.” Mu Feixue replied softly.
“Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, like the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon, is an Ice Phoenix divine power left behind by the ancient Ice Phoenix. Currently, aside from me, no one in the entire sect has been able to master it. Whether you can comprehend it depends entirely on your insight and fortune. As for Moon-Breaking Destruction Sorrow, it is a forbidden technique created by our ancestors. You should have heard of its name from your grandfather long ago. Although its power is immense, I need to use essence blood as a guide even when I activate it. If you ever use it in the future, it may require your very life as a guide. Keep that firmly in mind.”
“Yes.” Mu Feixue responded with no ripple in her tone.
Yun Che’s comprehension ability was extremely high. Both the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon and Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick came to him as easily as reaching for something in his pocket… But Mu Xuanyin had never taught him Moon-Breaking Destruction Sorrow.
The world fell silent. Mu Xuanyin stood still for a long time, silent and motionless. A full half hour later, she noticed that Mu Feixue was still kneeling behind her. She said softly, “You may go.”
“Yes, Master.” Mu Feixue rose and walked away slowly. Even she could clearly sense that Mu Xuanyin was somewhat unsettled.
As Mu Xuanyin had predicted, the sudden beast tide in the northern border of Yin Xue was by no means an isolated case. That very same day, and even the same hour, nearly thirty percent of the star realms in the Dong Shen Domain simultaneously erupted with beast tides of an identical nature… with no warning whatsoever.
A common feature of these star realms was that in their eastern skies, they could see a red star that was growing increasingly dazzling.
Moreover, as this star grew more glaring day by day, more and more star realms could see it.
And this day was merely the starting point for a series of disasters that would follow in the Dong Shen Domain.
A silent, colorless, formless shadow had quietly begun to spread across the Dong Shen Domain… more accurately, across the entire Chaos space.
Dong Shen Domain, Zhou Tian God Realm.
Zhou Tian Shen Di stood atop a dome even higher than the Zhou Tian Tower. He gazed eastward, his hair and beard flowing in the wind, his divine emperor’s eyes filled with a gravity never seen before.
But a layer of abnormally pallid gray-white floated on his complexion.
Behind him, two figures drifted in.
One was dressed in a white robe, tall and imposing, with white beard and white hair, immortal-looking yet amiable in expression, like a celestial elder.
The other was clad in black, his face carved like a sword, his eyes dark, sharp, and seemingly devoid of emotion.
The two most renowned forces under Zhou Tian Shen Di were undoubtedly the Guardians and the Arbiters. The former were the core strength and cornerstone of the Zhou Tian God Realm, while the latter served as the arm that maintained order in the Dong Shen Domain for the Zhou Tian God Realm.
As for these two men, the white-robed elder was [Taiyu Zunzhe], the head of all Guardians. In status and cultivation, he was second only to Zhou Tian Shen Di in the Zhou Tian God Realm.
The black-clad middle-aged man was Quhui Zunzhe, the head of the Arbiters who had presided over the Xuan Shen Assembly back then.
It was rare for them to be summoned by Zhou Tian Shen Di at the same time.
“You are here.” Zhou Tian Shen Di turned around, his expression still grave.
“The master has called the two of us here; there must be a major matter,” Taiyu Zunzhe said. Quhui Zunzhe nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, it is a major matter—not of the Zhou Tian God Realm alone, but a matter concerning the fate of the Dong Shen Domain.” Zhou Tian Shen Di exhaled lightly. “Today, a large number of star realms in the Eastern Domain suddenly erupted in beast tides. You must have heard of this by now.”
Taiyu Zunzhe’s gaze shifted: “Does the master know the cause of this?”
Zhou Tian Shen Di slowly nodded, then turned his gaze back to the east, his face bearing a heaviness that the world could not comprehend: “The root of all this is the crimson crack on the Chaos Wall.”
Both Taiyu Zunzhe and Quhui Zunzhe’s expressions changed slightly at the same time.
“How… how could that be?” Even at the level of these two venerables, they could not understand this statement.
“Back when we discovered that peculiar crack on the Chaos Wall, Fantian and I had many conjectures. On the eve of the God-Sealing War, we also published various speculations and possible final outcomes on the Feng Shen Platform… But three years ago, after sending the group of chosen ones into the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, I obtained a possibility that is ten million times more terrifying than the ‘worst outcome.’ And in just these three short years, this possibility has become increasingly closer to reality.”
“What possibility?” Taiyu Zunzhe asked in a deep voice.
“The crimson crack is not a natural disaster, but a grudge that originated in ancient times yet afflicts the present.” Zhou Tian Shen Di’s voice was heavy, but he did not elaborate. “I can tell you now that the sudden unrest among the Xuan beasts in those star realms is influenced by a demonic aura. That demonic aura carries an **extremely heavy resentment and hatred**… and its source is that crack on the Chaos Wall!”
“What!?” Taiyu and Quhui showed immediate shock. Taiyu Zunzhe quickly shook his head and frowned: “Impossible! If such a demonic aura truly existed, how could I have sensed nothing at all?”
Taiyu Zunzhe was absolutely qualified to say this, because aside from Zhou Tian Shen Di, he was the only tenth-rank Divine Lord in the Zhou Tian God Realm, a true pinnacle-level existence, and naturally possessed the most acute spiritual perception of the era.
“Alas,” Zhou Tian Shen Di sighed heavily, “because that demonic aura is at too high a level. Even you and I cannot detect it.”
Taiyu Zunzhe: “…”
“For now, only Xuan beasts are being affected. Perhaps it won’t be long before humans are also influenced without even realizing it, and the effects will grow heavier. This is not my conjecture, but… the words of the Ancestor.”
“Ancestor!?”
Those two words caused the leaders of these Guardians and Arbiters to be greatly alarmed. The backs that had not bent even before Zhou Tian Shen Di involuntarily stooped a few inches at the same moment.
If it truly was the words of the “Ancestor,” then even if it were ten times more unbelievable, they would not have a trace of doubt.
“Too fast… too fast…” He muttered twice, deeply worried. Although the existence of the crimson crack had been made public three years ago, few truly took it seriously. And he, the only one who knew the truth, bore a weight on his body and mind that others could not imagine.
Today, the beast tide in the Dong Shen Domain suddenly erupted without warning… It was truly too fast—faster than he, faster than even the “Ancestor” he spoke of, could react.
Indeed, if it was truly power at that “level,” how could it possibly be understood or predicted by them?
“I summoned you here today because there are major tasks I need you to carry out.”
There was no need for Zhou Tian Shen Di to say more. The “major tasks” he spoke of would concern the future of the Dong Shen Domain. Taiyu Zunzhe and Quhui Zunzhe both listened solemnly: “Taiyu, set aside the matter of Xie Ying for now. You are to personally go to the Fan Di and Yue Shen realms immediately, and at the same time send people to all major upper star realms. Mobilize all the power of all Royal Realms and upper star realms to construct a dimensional array leading to the extreme east of the Chaos!”
“This…!!” Taiyu Zunzhe raised his head sharply. At his level, what spatial arrays had he not seen? But the extreme east of the Chaos was immeasurably far… A dimensional array connecting to the extreme east of the Chaos was almost equivalent to piercing through a small half of the Chaos space!!
This was an unimaginably massive project.
“Say no more.” Zhou Tian Shen Di knew what he would say and raised his hand slightly: “This task must be completed, and within one year. Tell all upper star realms that this is not a negotiation, but an order… Even if the most severe threats have to be employed.”
Matters concerning the survival of the Dong Shen Domain were something no one could stand aside from.
“…” Looking at Zhou Tian Shen Di’s expression, the shock on Taiyu Zunzhe’s face gradually faded, and then he nodded with extreme gravity: “I understand.”
“Our Zhou Tian must set an example by offering all the divine crystals accumulated over these hundreds of thousands of years… Yes, all of them—do not hold anything back!”
An earth-shattering statement, yet Zhou Tian Shen Di spoke it with unwavering determination, without a trace of reluctance or hesitation: “After this is done, seek help from the Royal Realms of the Western and Southern Divine Domains. You are to go personally as well.”
Taiyu Zunzhe raised his hands: “I will not fail the mission.”
Taiyu Zunzhe going personally would not only show due respect but also convey the severity of the matter to the three divine domains.
“Good.” Zhou Tian Shen Di nodded slightly: “One year… I hope it will be enough…”
But even if it was enough, it could only be a hopeless fight for a slim chance…
Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly trembled violently, and his face instantly became shrouded in a terrifying black aura.
“Master!”
Taiyu and Quhui were greatly alarmed and rushed forward.
Zhou Tian Shen Di’s face was contorted in extreme pain. His fingers pressed several times on his chest, and finally, his chest caved in, and he spat out a large mouthful of pitch-black blood. Only then did the black aura on his face fade slightly.
“Master, are you all right?” Taiyu Zunzhe asked with concern.
Zhou Tian Shen Di took a heavy breath and said: “Xie Ying’s power erodes the bones and destroys the heart; it is far more terrifying than I anticipated. I thought that with my ability, I could dissolve it in three to five years at most. Now it seems… even with another ten years, it will be difficult…”
“Quhui, this is also the reason I summoned you here.”
Quhui Zunzhe: “Please speak plainly, Master.”
Zhou Tian Shen Di said slowly: “Though Xie Ying’s power is terrifying, if given time, I could eventually dispel it all. But circumstances are special now. I must stand in the forefront and bear everything. I can no longer afford to be in this weakened state. Therefore, the favor of the Western Region Dragon Queen—this time, I have no choice but to seek it.”
The favor of the Western Region Dragon Queen… that was the most valuable favor in the world.
Only her unique Light Profound Force could easily dispel the terrifying demonic energy that had invaded his body in a short time.
“I understand.” Quhui accepted the order. “I will set off immediately to seek an audience with the Western Region Dragon Emperor.”
“Go.” Zhou Tian Shen Di said. With the current situation, not a single breath could be delayed.
Taiyu and Quhui took their orders and departed. Their moods were naturally countless times heavier than when they had arrived.
Zhou Tian Shen Di did not leave. He coughed violently, flashes of pain frequently crossing his face. But the torment of Xie Ying’s power was far less than the weight in his heart.
He had to prepare everything, even if it was only a hopeless and feeble preparation. Yet he could not reveal the truth before that, because once the truth—too horrifying—spread, it would cause immense panic throughout the Dong Shen Domain, and even the three divine domains. That terror would drive countless beings mad… The consequences would undoubtedly be disastrous.
“The Ancestor’s words cannot be wrong… Could it truly be a world-covering catastrophe…” Zhou Tian Shen Di looked up at the sky. As the Divine Emperor of the Eastern Domain, his voice was so powerless and sorrowful… and even tinged with a very heavy darkness and despair.