Archean Eon Art c1-766

by I Eat Tomatoes, Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi, 我吃西红柿

  Black Cloud Miasma… was a treasure that even fifth Firmament demon monarchs coveted.

  “Okay.” With a wave of his hand, a tiny black cloud flew towards Lofty Wood. He immediately accepted it as the demon sage instructed, “Come up with a good plan. Take action and kill Marquis Windrain within a year.”

  “Yes,” said Lofty Wood excitedly.

  The demon sage thought nothing of giving away the Black Cloud Miasma. As a demon sage, his wealth was astounding. In addition, the three Imperial Lords had bestowed him treasures due to the risks he took to enter the human world. This made his wealth several times greater than ordinary demon sages.

  “What about you?” The demon sage stared at the last greater demon monarch.

  Greater Demon Monarch Blackrock respectfully said, “In the Great Zhou Dynasty, over 23,000 demon monarchs died in battle. About 30 percent were third Firmament demon monarchs. Three fourth Firmament demon monarchs died in battle, and 61 Godfiends were killed. Among the killed Godfiends, 35 were Archean Mountain Great Solar Godfiends.”

  The demon sage continued to listen.

  “In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the one who poses the greatest threat is King True Martial. Rumours say that King True Martial can pry into the past and find demon monarch lairs. Nearly 20 percent of our losses were caused by him alone. The two dead fourth Firmament demon monarchs were also killed by him. At the same time, there’s a Great Solar Godfiend couple in my territory. They’re Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue,” said Blackrock.

  “Great Solar Godfiends?” The demon sage was astonished.

  “Although they are Great Solar Godfiends, they have strength comparable to Marquis Godfiends,” Blackrock continued. “Furthermore, Meng Chuan has the fastest Lightning Devastator Fiend Body among humans. His rescue area is vast, reaching that of a state. Over a year, over 1000 demon monarchs have died at the hands of the couple. They are almost comparable to a Regis Godfiend. According to my estimations, they might become Marquis Godfiends at any time. Once they break through, their threat will rapidly increase. They’ll be more of a threat than Marquis Windrain.”

  “Are you confident of getting rid of the couple?” asked the demon sage.

  “Meng Chuan poses a great threat to us demons. Archean Mountain knows that too. Archean Mountain has definitely bestowed life-saving means to such a peerless genius,” said Blackrock. “His wife, Liu Qiyue, can cast Phoenix’s Nirvana to increase her strength greatly. If I were to take action, I only have a 50 to 60 percent chance of killing them. Actually, what I’m most worried about is the life-saving treasures bestowed by Archean Mountain.”

  The demon sage smiled and nodded. “You should have the confidence if I bestow you with the Dragonwater Domain, right?”

  “I will have more than 90% confidence unless the life-preservation means bestowed by Archean Mountain are too powerful.” Blackrock was also excited. “A precious treasure shouldn’t be too powerful in the hands of a Great Solar Godfiend like Meng Chuan.”

  “Alright, plan well. Kill the couple within a year.” With a flip of his palm, an azure dragon sculpture appeared.

  Blackrock was somewhat excited as he watched the azure dragon sculpture fly towards him. With this treasure, his strength could double. As a peak fourth Firmament demon monarch with strength close to that of a Regis Godfiend, treasures that could increase his strength were naturally extremely valuable. In the Demon Realm, only fifth Firmament demon monarchs and above were qualified to vie for such treasures.

  Yet, they were bestowed with such treasures in the human world.

  Chapter 235 - Difficult Survival

  In the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qian State’s Pingguan Prefecture—the remote Changqu County City.

  Meng Chuan and his wife walked on the streets.

  “A county city has been reduced to such a dilapidated state in a year,” said Liu Qiyue softly. At a glance, one could see many ruined places. “The survivors didn’t rebuild these areas after the demon monarch attacks. It’s already good if they can barely survive.”

  “Changqu County City had a population of more than 90,000 a year ago. Now, there’s only about 20,000 people,” said Meng Chuan. “Some were slaughtered by demon monarchs. However, most chose to leave the county city and live in the wilderness. This is the most remote place in our designated rescue area. Many times, by the time we arrive, the demon monarchs have already retreated. We can’t protect this place completely.”

  Liu Qiyue nodded.

  They protected five prefectures. The areas they primarily protected were Gu Mountain Prefecture and Eastcalm Prefecture. Any further and their rescue efficiency would drop greatly.

  Since the demons attacked simultaneously, the duo naturally rescued the nearest and most important places first. The areas further away were of lower priority. As some county cities became more ravaged, they naturally saved the still-bustling county cities first. The remote, ravaged county cities were at the back of the queue.

  This was the only way because they were unable to be everywhere. However, this county still was still within their designated rescue area. Meng Chuan and his wife felt rather guilty after seeing the county city in such a sorry state.

  “Steamed buns, steamed buns for sale! Hot piping meat buns,” someone shouted.

  Meng Chuan looked over.

  Around the ruins, one could see a few barely intact buildings. One building sold steamed buns. However, very few people were doing business in the county city.

  “Mom, I want to eat meat buns.” A child crawled out of a ruin. He stared at the buns with a covetous look.

  “It’s already good enough that you can eat your fill. You still want to eat meat buns? Hurry up and leave.” The woman crawled out from the ruins. Their home was hidden in a self-dug tunnel deep within the ruins. The family of five lived there.

  “Mom.” The child’s eyes were red. “I haven’t eaten meat in half a year. I want to eat it.”

  “Then stay here.” The woman carried the basket and walked away. The child could only follow.

  Meng Chuan and his wife watched from afar.

  “Let’s go,” said Meng Chuan. As Godfiends, what could they do?

  The couple left quietly.

  The duo stayed close to the ground on their way back to Gu Mountain Prefecture City.

  Meng Chuan opened his third eye at his glabella—the Divine Eye of Lightning. The electromagnetic domain expanded rapidly. This electromagnetic domain could penetrate a quarter-kilometer deep underground! Although very few demons hid within a quarter-kilometer of the surface, they would occasionally encounter some demons traveling underground. Over the past year, they had relied on this method to kill over 100 demon monarchs—an unexpected gain.

  Meng Chuan’s electromagnetic domain could affect light, preventing others from seeing the couple with the naked eye.

  “Oh?” Meng Chuan suddenly frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” Liu Qiyue was puzzled.

  “Let’s go.” He flashed to a lake about a kilometer away with his wife. Tall reeds littered the lake.

  On the lake was a small, wooden boat. The lake water beside the wooden boat churned.

  Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue appeared on the wooden boat. With a wave of his hand, his Great Solar Quintessential Essence seeped into the water, cut through the underwater reeds, and pulled two children up.

  One child had a pale face as he clung to his companion tightly. The other child—who was slightly older—panted heavily.

  “Third Brother, Third Brother, wake up.” The child looked at his younger brother’s pale face and was on the brink of tears. He immediately begged Meng Chuan and his wife. “My lords, please save my younger brother. Save my younger brother.”

  “He’s fine,” said Meng Chuan.

  As soon as he finished speaking, the pale-faced child suddenly spat out a few mouthfuls of water before waking up.

  The older child finally heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Where’s your home? I’ll send yo
u back,” said Liu Qiyue gently. Their hearts ached when they saw these children because they also had two children.

  “It’s over there. In the reed marsh.” The older child pointed in a direction. “About a quarter-kilometer away.”

  “Okay.” Meng Chuan nodded.

  Immediately, the tiny wooden boat they were standing on began to accelerate to high speeds, causing the two children on the boat to find it hard to believe what they saw. How could their little wooden boat be so fast? They were still in a daze when the little wooden boat had traveled a quarter-kilometer.

  There were five boats in the reed marsh. Clothes, as well as pots and pans, hung outside the boats. People were clearly living on the boats.

  “That’s our boat.” The child pointed at one of the boats.

  “Mom!” the elder child shouted loudly. A dirty-looking woman walked out of the boat cabin. When the woman saw that Meng Chuan and his wife were dressed in extraordinary clothes, she couldn’t help but be a little more respectful. At the same time, she whispered to her child, “You two disappeared when I wasn’t looking.”

  “We went fishing. Third Brother fell into the water and was trapped by the reeds. I wanted to save him, but Third Brother hugged me. These two lords saved us,” said the elder child. As for the younger child, he was still weak from the ordeal.

  “Thank you for saving my children, my lords.” Upon hearing this, the woman immediately kowtowed in gratitude.

  Meng Chuan and his wife looked at the five boats and easily sensed their dilapidated interiors. They didn’t say anything as they nodded and left in a second.

  “The two of you, I told you not to go into the water when there are no adults. Yet, you still did. Do you want me to die of anxiety? If the two of you die, what will I do?” Only then did the woman cry from the lingering fear. The two children leaned against their mother, not daring to make a sound.

  …

  Meng Chuan and his wife continued their journey home.

  “Those five boats represent five families. From the looks of it, they usually live on the boats,” said Meng Chuan. “They’re just hiding in the reeds.”

  “It’s difficult to be discovered by demon monarchs. At the very least, it’s safer,” said Liu Qiyue.

  “Now, the more remote a place is, the more people reside there,” said Meng Chuan. “However, it’s very difficult to survive in many remote places.”

  “Everyone—other than those in large state capitals and prefecture cities—has it difficult,” said Liu Qiyue softly, “Village forts have completely vanished. Small villages are everywhere now. Although it’s very unlikely for a small village to encounter a demon monarch, they will definitely die if they encounter one. Most of the world’s county cities are desolate. Too many people have died. There are plagues everywhere. Thankfully, Godfiends immediately rush over to resolve the plagues. However, the problem regarding demon monarchs can’t be solved. There are too many of them.”

  “Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded.

  In the past year, the couple had rescued many people. Although the demons were very cunning, they had killed over 1000 demon monarchs in total.

  But so what?

  Indeed, most inner sect disciples were safe now since they cultivated on Archean Mountain. Occasionally, Marquis Godfiends would attack demon monarch lairs or carry out interception missions as a way to hone themselves.

  The elite Great Solar Godfiends were the only ones fighting with all their might. From the current ratio of Godfiend casualties, it was over ten-fold better than when they guarded small and medium-sized city passes. After all, powerful Godfiends like them could easily slaughter demon monarchs.

  However, too many mortals are dying. Meng Chuan sighed inwardly.

  Even those within prefecture cities struggled to survive. Since food became more and more expensive, it was naturally not easy to survive.

  Countless mortals died in this world.

  The survivors also had it difficult.

  Meng Chuan and the other Godfiends did their best to maintain the cities’ safety.

  If I can become a Marquis Godfiend, I’ll be stronger and faster. I believe I can protect more prefecture cities and county cities. I believe that I can save over 100 million people when I’m a Marquis Godfiend.

  The more powerful a Godfiend was, the more mortals they could protect. This made many Godfiends, including Meng Chuan, yearn for greater strength.

  They wanted to become stronger so that they could protect more mortals.

  Huh? Meng Chuan and his wife felt their chests warm up. They immediately took out their Patroller tokens. Their Patroller tokens emitted one red blip.

  “Request for reinforcements? Eastcalm Prefecture’s Zhenyou County?” The couple exchanged glances.

  “Let’s go.” Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue rushed toward Eastcalm Prefecture rapidly.

  Chapter 236 - Phoenix Nirvana

  Meng Chuan and his wife were long accustomed to acting as reinforcements. They had stayed in Gu Mountain Prefecture City for nearly six years. During this period, they had two children-Meng You and Meng An. The number of rescues they did was uncountable. This was especially so in the past year.

  They were used to rescuing people, and this rescue mission seemed normal.

  Phew. Meng Chuan and his wife rushed to Eastcalm Prefecture with all their might. They did so every time because the faster they arrived, the more likely they could kill demon monarchs and save more people.

  Liu Qiyue looked at her husband’s face and couldn’t help but smile. The couple had long come to a decision-they would fight on the battlefield and slay demons all their lives until they died. Although they had seen many mortals and Godfiend teams die, they continued to enjoy every day. They knew they might perish in battle, but she continued hunting down demons with her husband.

  “Zhenyou County City is just ahead,” said Meng Chuan suddenly. “Mmm.” Liu Qiyue stared ahead intently.

  As they approached, Liu Qiyue saw three demon monarchs wreaking havoc in Zhenyou County City. They were just second Firmament demon monarchs, but mortals were unable to put up a fight.

  “The demon monarchs haven’t left yet.” Liu Qiyue instantly held her divine bow and pulled the bowstring taut. Three flame-condensed arrows rapidly shot into the distance.

  The three flame arrows were much faster than Meng Chuan. They arrived far away in the blink of an eye. The three ordinary demon monarchs were unable to dodge Liu Qiyue’s arrows and died on the spot.

  Zhenyou County City was located in Eastcalm Prefecture.

  Although Meng Chuan and his wife were in charge of an area-nearly the size of an entire state—they prioritize certain areas. They focused more on the areas around Gu Mountain Prefecture and Eastcalm Prefecture. Therefore, Eastcalm Prefecture’s county cities were still relatively fine. Zhenyou County City still had a population of roughly 70,000 to 80,000. It was considered a rather prosperous, populated county city.

  When county city residents discovered demon monarchs, they frantically fled into tunnels. Like always, they waited for Godfiends to arrive. They only came out when the all-clear was given.

  “They came really quickly.” Greater Demon Monarch Blackrock stood on a street roughly half a kilometer away from the three second Firmament demon monarchs. However, he had completely distorted the light around it, making it impossible to see him with the naked eye. He had completely converged, so even those with Essence Souls couldn’t sense his aura unless they were within a certain range.

  Blackrock smiled as he raised his head to watch the two figures in the sky. Three flame arrows shot through the air like meteors, killing the three second Firmament demon monarchs.

  “From the looks of it, they might not necessarily land in the county city.” Blackrock nodded slightly. “This distance is enough.”

  Blackrock waved his hand, and the azure dragon sculpture appeared. As a fourth Firmament demon monarch, he only needed half a month to refine the Dragonwater Domain complet
ely. After doing so, he then proceeded to deal with Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue.

  “Rise.” With the azure dragon sculpture in hand, Blackrock infused his demonic energy into it, instantly activating the domain.

  “Oh?” Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue’s expressions changed. The sensed a terrifying demonic force erupting in the county city at the same time.

  Following that, he noticed the changes in the surroundings.

  The Heaven and Earth powers were stirred endlessly, transforming into turbulent waves that filled the area.

  “Be careful.” Meng Chuan immediately activated his baneful aura domain, and Liu Qiyue released flames from her body to fend off the waves.

  Rumble… The waves in midair gathered like divine dragons as they struck at Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue.

  Even though Meng Chuan’s baneful aura froze some of the surging waves, they still broke through his baneful aura domain easily. They also broke past Liu Qiyue’s phoenix flames and surged towards Meng Chuan and his wife.

  Meng Chuan immediately executed the Red Lotus Stance to block the rest of the waves.

  The Dragonwater Domain was centered around Blackrock. The Dragonwater Domain spanned a massive 2.5-kilometer area. An endless flood of water appeared within this region as waves swept through the city. The Dragonwater Domain destroyed about a fifth of Zhenyou County City. The waves easily destroyed the city wall as it ravaged the buildings and flooded the tunnels. The people hiding inside the tunnels died on the spot.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Everything within the Dragonwater Domain was destroyed.

  “Mom, Mom, I’m afraid.” Hearing the rumbling sounds outside, a child hugged his mother. His mother held her husband’s hand tightly.

  “The Godfiends will come and save us,” consoled an elder.

  Following that, the tunnel completely flooded. The dozens of people inside revealed looks of despair before the waves killed them.