Meng Chuan despised him; therefore, the despicable Godfiend seemed like a clown in the painting. There were more than one of such “ugly” Godfiends in Meng Chuan’s painting. They were located at the corner of the painting, inconspicuous.
…
Late autumn in Wu State, a small county city in East Harbor Prefecture.
Smoke from the county city’s fire beacons rose as the city was devastated by three third Firmament demon monarchs wreaking havoc wantonly. Rain poured from the gloomy sky. In the tunnels, the county city’s mortals waited for help. One tunnel after another was discovered by the demon monarchs, leading to the demise of the mortals within.
This was a nightmare. After nearly 30 percent of the county city’s population was massacred, four streaks of light rushed over from afar.
“It’s three ordinary third Firmament demon monarchs.” The Godfiend team’s killing intent increased.
After experiencing heavy losses during the first large-scale probe, third Firmament demon monarchs began forming teams. Demon monarchs with divine powers led the most troublesome squads! Other demon monarchs teams were much less of a threat.
“Attack, don’t let any of them escape.”
“Kill them.”
The four Great Solar Godfiends were filled with killing intent. For the sake of the dead in the city, they had to kill these three demon monarchs. These four experienced Great Solar Godfiends quickly surrounded the three demon monarchs. The demon monarchs cast forbidden spells and tried to resist, but the massive difference in strength meant that they couldn’t last long against the Godfiends.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any geniuses among this Great Solar Godfiend team. In one of the county city’s restaurants—pinned down by a collapsed tree—a figure watched the battle from half a kilometer away. This gray-robed figure watched the battle silently from one of the restaurant’s rooms.
Forget it. Killing four Great Solar Godfiends is also considered a win. The gray-robed man stood up and blinked his eyes.
Two golden beams shot out from his pupils. The two golden beams left two faint traces in the void. The four Great Solar Godfiends—who were fighting in the distance—soon sensed the two golden beams approaching, but they had no time to block them.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The golden beams penetrated the four Great Solar Godfiends’ glabellas. After doing their job, the two golden beams quickly disappeared from the scene as it streaked across the air. The golden beams returned to the gray-robed man’s eyes.
“Time to leave.” The gray-robed man instantly vanished.
A distance away, the four Great Solar Godfiends collapsed weakly. Despair and disbelief colored their eyes. They were East Harbor Prefecture City’s guardians. For the past nine months, they had been silently protecting the city from demon monarchs. They had saved countless mortals and killed many demon monarchs.
However, the four of them now laid on the ground weakly. Two Godfiends were Archean Mountain inner sect disciples, while the other two were Archean Mountain outer sect disciples. All of them were Great Solar Godfiends.
…
About ten minutes later, a Regis Godfiend arrived.
For one to annihilate a Godfiend team instantly, one had to be a fourth Firmament threat at the very least. If a fourth Firmament and above threat appeared, the three supreme sects would mobilize the strongest and closest Godfiends.
However, ten minutes was enough time for the gray-robed man to flee the scene. Even the Regis Godfiend was helpless.
…
In a dark, underground palace.
“Hahaha!” The gray-robed man laughed as he took off his gray robe. He was none other than the single-horned demon monarch, Greater Demon Monarch Fu Jiao.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” said the demon monarchs in the hall obsequiously.
“I only killed four Great Solar Godfiends,” said Fu Jiao with a smile. “It’s nothing worth mentioning.”
The demon monarchs in the hall began flattering him.
“It’s only because the demon monarchs in the other prefectures are too useless. They killed so few Godfiends.”
“Your Majesty is truly impressive. You easily killed four Great Solar Godfiends.”
While sitting on his throne, Fu Jiao said, “You can’t blame the demon monarchs of the various prefectures. The Godfiends are very cautious, and the rescue teams quickly arrive once help is requested. On average, at least 30 to 40 demon monarchs in Wu State die to kill a Great Solar Godfiend. Such losses are unacceptable to the Demon Realm; thus, I must kill a few Great Solar Godfiends personally.”
The demon monarchs—in charge of gathering intelligence—praised his strength. They weren’t skilled at fighting.
“Sixty percent of the demon monarchs in each prefecture have died in the past year, but they’ve only killed four Great Solar Godfiends in total. Your Majesty killed four Great Solar Godfiends at once.”
“His Majesty is almighty!”
Fu Jiao waved his hand. “Everybody leave. Give me some silence.”
“Yes,” said the demon monarchs respectfully before leaving the hall.
Fu Jiao pondered as he sat on his throne. The humans will definitely investigate my existence after this. They might even ambush me. However, they can waste their time looking for me. I won’t attack again for the next two years. I’ll decide what I’ll do after two years have passed.
He wanted to kill Godfiends, but the humans wanted to kill demon monarchs. Their desire to kill was much stronger than his. To the demons, the death of a fourth Firmament demon monarch for ten Great Solar Godfiends’ deaths was worth it.
Only 27 fourth Firmament demon monarchs entered the human world during the first batch. For the three supreme sects, sacrificing over 200 Great Solar Godfiends to take down these 27 fourth Firmament demon monarchs was very worth it.
However, the fourth Firmament demon monarchs were extremely cunning and slippery. They rarely appeared in public.
Chapter 204 - Road”
Night, in Archean Mountain.
Archean Mountain Lord carried dossiers to the Supremacy’s study and whispered, “Supremacy, this is today’s dossiers.”
Qin Wu glanced at Archean Mountain Lord. “I’m guessing it’s bad news from your weak tone?”
Archean Mountain Lord nodded gently. “The Godfiend team at Wu State’s East Harbor Prefecture were killed today.”
Qin Wu’s eyes narrowed. “They were all killed?” Qin Wu muttered to himself softly. After some time, he asked, “What about the murderer?”
“We didn’t manage to find out their identity. The bait didn’t work. The murderer is likely a new fourth Firmament demon monarch,” said Archean Mountain Lord in a low voice.
“You didn’t manage to discover anything?” Qin Wu looked at Archean Mountain Lord. “Isn’t it said that Earth Net has nine layers of surveillance. If even one is attacked, other Godfiends will support them. Weren’t Godfiend teams supposed to have bait that could tempt demon monarchs into appearing after being killed? Are you telling me that Earth Net failed to discover anything and that the bait was useless?”
Archean Mountain Lord wore a bitter expression as he respectfully said, “This fourth Firmament demon monarch was too cunning. He didn’t engage in melee; instead, he chose to kill the four Godfiends from afar. The bait carried by the Godfiend team failed to tempt him.”
The study fell silent.
After some time, Qin Wu said, “Are we certain that another fourth Firmament demon monarch has appeared?”
“Yes, it’s suspected that there are 12 fourth Firmament demon monarchs within the Great Zhou Dynasty,” replied Archean Mountain Lord respectfully. “In the past half-year, the scattered Marquis Godfiends managed to ambush and kill one fourth Firmament demon monarch. The Godfiend teams’ bait allowed us to discover another three fourth Firmament demon monarchs. Another Godfiend team utilized a treasure—that they were carrying—and also killed one fourth Firma
ment demon monarch. In total, us humans have killed five fourth Firmament demon monarchs.
“We captured three fourth Firmament demon monarchs alive after tracking them. The demons probably don’t know that they have landed in our hands,” said Archean Mountain Lord.
“Only five have been killed.” Qin Wu shook his head gently. “It’s far from enough.”
Archean Mountain Lord immediately said, “There aren’t many fourth Firmament demon monarchs in the Demon Realm. The number of third Firmament demon monarchs that can break through to the fourth Firmament at any given time probably doesn’t exceed a hundred. There are even fewer that can successfully infiltrate our world.”
“A fourth Firmament demon monarch is extremely cautious if they can survive in our human world,” said Qin Wu. “Furthermore, I’m truly worried about how many third Firmament demon monarchs are here. As time passes, a small number of third Firmament demon monarchs will reach the fourth Firmament during life-and-death battles. At least ten or even a hundred third Firmament demon monarchs will reach the fourth Firmament in the human world.”
Archean Mountain Lord’s heart tightened.
Qin Wu said coldly, “Therefore, we need to maintain our absolute advantage. We have to surround and kill them constantly, reducing their numbers in the human world. If they are few in number, it will be difficult for third Firmament demon monarchs to reach the fourth Firmament here. Their only advantage is in numbers. When they have few forces here, they will have no advantage.”
Archean Mountain Lord agreed.
Qin Wu flipped through the dossiers. Apart from the news about Wu State’s East Harbor Prefecture, the day was quite normal. Humans continued to pursue and kill the demons methodically. The demons had no choice but to hide underground. Even the slightest of clues left behind could lead to their discovery.
“By the way,” Qin Wu flipped through the dossier and said, “I heard that Black Sand Grotto-Heaven’s King White Treasure single-handedly captured two fourth Firmament demon monarchs and killed a large group of third Firmament demon monarchs. He’s responsible for nearly half of Black Sand Grotto-Heaven’s accomplishments in the war against the demons.”
“Yes.” Archean Mountain Lord nodded immediately. “King White Treasure cultivates the Samsara Divine Body. With the Samsara Divine Body as his foundation, he created a domain technique—Nine Heavens, Ten Earths. This ultimate technique is good for scanning the underground. It can be said to be the strongest ultimate technique when it comes to scanning the underground. This technique allowed him to capture two fourth Firmament demon monarchs and wipe out many third Firmament demon monarch lairs.
“Archean Mountain has obtained a copy of the “Nine Heavens, Ten Earths” technique after trading with Black Sand Grotto-Heaven,” Archean Mountain Lord explained. “However, one has to cultivate the Samsara Divine Body and become a Regis Godfiend before they can reach King White Treasure’s reconnaissance proficiency. Our Archean Mountain doesn’t have any Regis Godfiends who cultivate a Samsara Divine Body.”
Qin Wu nodded and said, “I have an idea. Discuss with Black Sand Grotto-Heaven about this. When King White Treasure’s scanning of Black Sand Dynasty’s territory no longer yields much result, he can come to our Great Zhou Dynasty’s territory. He can scan the places we are suspicious of. Let’s see what conditions Black Sand Grotto-Heaven will raise.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” Archean Mountain Lord nodded. “However, Black Sand Grotto-Heaven will definitely make exorbitant demands.”
“He is single-handedly responsible for half of Black Sand Grotto-Heaven’s current war accomplishments when it comes to killing demons. It’ll be worth it to invite him here,” said Qin Wu.
Godfiends had their own areas of expertise. Some were very good at tracking demon monarchs.
Black Sand Grotto-Heaven’s King White Treasure could be said to be the best when it came to finding demons! He could scan up to 2.5 kilometers deep underground. This made him the best in the world when it came to locating demons.
Even Meng Chuan’s Essence Soul perception domain was greatly weakened when scanning the underground, much less ordinary domains. The effects of reconnaissance abilities were greatly weakened when obstructed by soil. It wouldn’t be surprising if the ability had only a hundredth of their original effectiveness.
It was inconceivable that King White Treasure’s technique could maintain such effectiveness when scanning the underground. Of course, others could also achieve such effectiveness with their own abilities. For example, Two World Island’s King Mist Illusion was most skilled at splitting into many embodiments. He could split into more than 10,000 fog bodies—which would then search the underground together.
Another example was Archean Mountain’s King True Martial could discern past events that acquire a short period of time ago. He had terrifying tracking abilities.
…
Meng Chuan had vaguely discerned the global situation after repeatedly rescuing others. He knew one thing: many ordinary Godfiends had sacrificed themselves for their current “peace.”
However, their sacrifices were necessary. Only by forming teams of Godfiends could the entire world be protected!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The cold wind howled outside.
In his study, Meng Chuan finally finished the last stroke of his current painting. He placed the three long scrolls he had painted during the past year on the table.
The first scroll—from right to left—depicted North River Pass’s Godfiends and soldiers as they guarded the city pass against a demon invasion. It was followed by battle scenes from the invasion of Jiang State Capital; it included the scene of Meng Chuan and his senior brothers fighting Blackwater Palace Lord.
The second scroll had scenes of the demons’ first large scale probe. This large-scale probe caused blazing beacons—from all over the world—to emit smoke. It was the most tragic scene on the second scroll. One scene depicted fleeing Godfiends—who had betrayed their teammates’ trust. Another scene depicted Godfiends silently watching demon monarchs destroying village forts.
The third scroll focused on seven very tragic battles. In some battles, Godfiends were completely wiped out. In other scenes, one could see Godfiends annihilating all the demon monarchs.
When placed in order, the three scrolls formed a very long painting. Its total length reached 83 feet! At a glance, it was like a road. The battles and corpses formed a bloody road. Only by traversing this road, would the humans attain victory.
Bloodshed? Sacrifices? There was no way one could obtain victory without any of that!
Meng Chuan wrote one word on the rightmost edge of the first scroll. It was the name of the painting—Road.
He wrote a sentence line beside his name—”Personally seen and heard after four years off the mountain.”
Chapter 205 - Becoming a Dad!
Everything he had experienced in the past four years after he left the mountain had a huge impact on his state of mind.
He had seen too many deaths.
The deaths of mortals and Godfiends.
Scenes of many mortals slaughtered, and many Godfiends dying in battle…
Meng Chuan was a little lost after seeing too many of such scenes. He felt that he might one day die just like them. Could this war be won? Although his often-repeated slogan mentioned victory, his heart was filled with confusion. He couldn’t see through the fog ahead.
Thus, he decided to paint what was on his mind. He sought answers from his inner self. He asked himself what he strove for! The more he painted, the more answers he received; thus, leading to a greater understanding of what he was fighting for.
There were thousands of different humans! There were also thousands of different Godfiends. Those that became Godfiends were elites, but this didn’t mean that they weren’t despicable. Meng Chuan was impressed by the valiant heroes and looked down on the despicable.
There are many heroes amongst the Godfiends in th
is world. These heroes’ blood will forge a bloody path through the fog. There are many fellow travelers on this bloody path! The heroes who died in battle, the surviving Godfiends, and the future generations of Godfiends are all fellow travelers. I’m not alone on this path.
Everyone shall charge forward together. We will definitely achieve victory.
Meng Chuan became even more determined. He dared to look straight at pools of blood. He dared to face the corpses of his fellow Godfiends. He no longer feared or panicked when faced with such scenes. He just cut through the fog and advanced. When the fog dispersed, it would be the day he arrived at the opposite shore—victory.
After seeking answers from his inner self for a year as he completed the painting, his heart sublimed. During this year, his Essence Soul would constantly emit a spiritual glow. It slowly transformed; this transformation lasted for nearly a year. This transformation was very astonishing.
The influence the painting—Road—had on Meng Chuan’s heart was greater than any other painting. Meng Chuan could sense that his Essence Soul was much stronger.
Hum! Within his sea of consciousness, Meng Chuan could sense how his Essence Soul constantly transformed over the past year. It had become more corporeal and larger. His Essence Soul was 8 feet tall[1]! It was identical to a normal person’s height, making it extremely realistic.
My Essence Soul has strengthened by several times, but it’s still a second-level Essence Soul. Meng Chuan knew this based on the Archean Mountain’s documentation on the Essence Soul. Only when his Essence Soul exceeded 9 feet in height would it reach the Nightroaming stage.
He wasn’t far from breaking through.
One of the thresholds for becoming a Regis Godfiend was a third-level Essence Soul. Upon attaining a Nightroaming-stage Essence Soul, one’s Essence Soul gained various mystical qualities; it could exist in the outside world independently. One could use their Essence Soul alone to deliver many attacks. For example, King Calm Sea had once spared no expense to leave a sword mark on Yan Jin. The sword mark was an Essence Soul mystical technique.
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