Great Desert.

Across the vast land, a human army is marching southward, with the elderly, women, and children trailing behind them. On both wings of the formation are the Demon Clan.

This peculiar army is none other than the Demon-Slaying Army led by Zhang Luyao.

Their strength is lacking, with Zhang Luyao, the strongest among them, merely at the tribulation crossing stage.

Their survival until now is owed partly to the chaos caused by the Demon Army's battle with the Donghua Taoist Alliance, and partly because every person here bears an unquenchable grudge against demons and monsters.

Most of them have witnessed the tragedy of their wives and daughters becoming food for demons and monsters.

They have no desire to live anymore; all they want is to drag a demon to hell with them.

After enduring years of humiliation and planning under Zhang Luyao, five million humans united with the determination to die stormed the Demon Army's base.

Now, only two to three million remain who have managed to escape.

"General, where are we heading?"

"To the south, to seek refuge with the Donghua Taoist Alliance."

"But the Demon Army is in that direction too."

"To live, we must embrace death."

The crowd lowered their heads and pressed forward.

They had no fear of death; in fact, they felt that inflicting heavy losses on the demons before dying would be even more gratifying.

The Donghua Taoist Alliance was their sacred symbol after all.

If they could contribute even a little to the Alliance, it would be worth it.

Western Camp.

The leaders of Yujue Demon Country, Moyu Country, and the Demon Islands convened here.

The two sides discussed a joint offensive.

Qingchen Heavenly Master was also present.

"Qingchen, a human rebel army managed to escape from the rear; go and exterminate them," said the Eastern Evil God, the Wood God.

A show of loyalty?

Upon hearing this, Qingchen understood the implication.

If he wanted to join them, he had to prove his sincerity first.

"Alright, I will make sure to pacify them," Qingchen said with a subtle smirk.

"Not pacify; I said exterminate them entirely. Fully wiped out, do you understand?"

The Eastern Evil God stared at Qingchen, emphasizing each word.

"Fine... I will lead my men immediately," Qingchen hesitated briefly before making up his mind.

After that, he cast aside all sentiments. Since he had decided to embrace infamy, he wouldn't hesitate any longer.

Some things, once chosen, must be carried through; he wouldn't care how others saw him.

With these thoughts, Qingchen gathered his troops and set out for the Great Desert.

Great Desert.

Zhang Luyao and the others were marching, relentlessly pursued by demons not far behind.

The Demon Army had quelled its internal chaos and dispatched troops to chase them down.

However, the demons were still some distance away, and with a rear guard sacrificing themselves to hold the line, the marchers were not yet in complete disarray.

Suddenly, a shadow covered the earth.

Zhang Luyao looked up and saw Qingchen Heavenly Master and his troops.

"Finally!"

Zhang Luyao exclaimed in excitement.

Heavenly Master Qingchen had indeed taken notice of them.

Yet Qingchen's expression was peculiar, scrutinizing Zhang Luyao for a moment before saying, "You may come with us. Leave the others behind."

"Why?"

Zhang Luyao asked, full of confusion.

Qingchen didn't answer but waved his hand decisively.

"Kill!"

Sword Qi burst forth like blooming fireworks—beautiful yet deadly. Each flash of Sword Qi claimed a life.

The humans who had managed to escape died in droves at the hands of their own kind.

"How dare you!!"

Zhang Luyao was furious. He charged at Qingchen Heavenly Master without a second thought.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Qingchen dodged, but refrained from striking back.

"Hold your hand. You have talent worth preserving. Stop wasting your potential; save your strength for what's ahead," Qingchen urged.

Qingchen considered himself a lover of talent. Although the Demon Clan's leaders had ordered him to annihilate all the rebels, he believed sparing a few wouldn't matter.

Zhang Luyao's fury erupted—blood energy surged around him, mana stretched for miles, and the treasure sword in his hand, along with his left-hand gestures, unleashed spell after spell.

"If you push me further, I really will kill you."

Qingchen Heavenly Master's face darkened.

"Do you think I fear death? Come on, kill me! Take my head and use it for your show of loyalty!"

Zhang Luyao howled like a madman.

Seeing Qingchen refuse to kill him, he began to indiscriminately slaughter the other members of the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance.

After all, being a tribulation crossing expert, Zhang Luyao managed to kill quite a few before they could react.

"How audacious!"

Slash!

Qingchen Heavenly Master finally took action. With one swing, he severed Zhang Luyao's arm and cut off his meridians.

Thud!

Zhang Luyao's figure collapsed to the ground.

Qingchen landed nearby.

Zhang Luyao staggered to his feet, clutching his treasure sword, and marched slowly toward Qingchen.

"Don't waste your strength; you cannot defeat me," Qingchen said.

"But I refuse to surrender, no matter the circumstance. No pretext, no lofty ideals—it's meaningless. As humans of the Demon Lands, you don't understand what we've endured. Even in death, we will resist..."

Zhang Luyao accused Qingchen of betraying humanity, his words bitter and cutting.

And then, he stepped forward, raised his sword, and swung it down.

Snap...

His head fell to the ground, of course.

The Northern Land Human Race was utterly annihilated.

Qingchen stared at Zhang Luyao's corpse, lost in thought.

...

Eight Immortals World.

On the shores of the East Sea, the Eight Immortals gathered.

All eight were Harmonization Immortals.

"The Flat Peach Banquet is about to begin. The Heavenly Court's attention is entirely on it. Now is the time to act; afterward, we'll storm the Heavenly Court and kill the Jade Emperor, seizing the Palace of the Polestar."

"What excuse should we use?"

Zhongli Quan asked.

"We'll claim the Dragon Prince stole Lan Caihe's Magic Treasure," said Iron Crutch Li.

As he spoke, Iron Crutch Li threw out a crimson gourd, allowing it to float upon the water. The group stepped onto it.

Zhongli Quan lightly waved his Palm Leaf Fan, propelling the gourd across the open sea.

Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

The bastion of the East Sea Water Clan, countless water creatures and dragons roamed freely. The East Sea Dragon King presided over it.

The Dragon Palace glittered with Luminous Pearls, filled with singing and dancing.

Having seized control of the entire water system, the Dragon King was wealthier than Kunlun itself. His life consisted of nothing but indulgence—eating and drinking endlessly.

"Keep playing music! Keep dancing!"

The Dragon King bellowed drunkenly.

The wealth of the Water Clan came at the expense of mortal citizens, who had to pay exorbitant tributes year after year to ensure favorable weather.

And all of this was squandered by the East Sea Water Clan.

Boom!

Suddenly, a shocking tremor rippled through the area.

Everywhere it passed, fish and shrimp flipped belly-up, while demons and monsters dissolved into ash.

The East Sea Dragon King sprung to his feet, furious. "Who dares? What's happening?"

"Your Majesty! Someone is fighting the Crown Prince on the sea surface!"

Terrified shrimp and crab soldiers scrambled in.

"What? He doesn't know the East Sea belongs to the Dragon Clan?"

"He knows, Your Majesty; the Crown Prince told him as much. But the intruder claimed we stole their Magic Treasure."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King was livid with rage.

Everyone knew the Dragon Palace had the most treasures; how dare anyone accuse the Dragon Clan of theft?

The disturbance above the ocean continued, proving the invaders were not to be trifled with.

With that thought, the East Sea Dragon King took flight from the Dragon Palace.

He summoned the winds and thunder, wielding the boundless might of the ocean.

As the ruler of the sea, his powers here were unparalleled.

Even ten immortals might struggle to defeat him.

When the Dragon King ascended, he noticed blood upon the waves ahead.

A corpse fell from the sky.

Fixing his gaze, the Dragon King recognized it—his eldest son.

"Mojie!!!"

The Dragon King's roar was mournful, his fury turning the boundless ocean upside-down.

A True Dragon, carrying the full force of miles of seawater, soared into the sky.

Above were eight immortals.

"You again!"

The Dragon King threw caution to the wind and attacked mercilessly. His rage could not be contained.

"Someone's lost their temper," Lan Caihe sneered.

"Enough chatter—let's finish this quickly!"

In an instant, the Qi Land Eight Gods unleashed their powers.

Sky and earth upheaved; day and night disappeared.

For a fleeting moment, the Heavenly Court lost its control over the mortal world.

Chaos reigned in the Heavenly Court.

When the light returned, observers saw the East Sea Dragon King slain by the Eight Immortals.

The East Sea was partially buried under a colossal mountain.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous! Arrest them—bring the Eight Thieves here!"

The Jade Emperor was livid, his anger palpable through divine spells.

The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, Five Directions Divine Beings, Thunder Department Fire Department, Acquired Immortals, and Buddhist Soldiers assembled.

At that moment, Song Lin felt his heart stir as he gazed toward the Palace of the Polestar.

Golden light gleamed in his eyes, instilling awe in all who saw him.

"Emperor Donghua, Pure Yang Venerate has appeared! All forces, return to your places!"

...

(Apologies for the delayed update; went out drinking tonight.)

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