-had all disappeared. They had clearly withdrawn their requests for help. The danger at the three large cities and eight medium-sized World Entrances should have already passed. The real emergencies had been at Silver Lake Pass and Eastcalm City. Most places can handle the demon monarchs themselves.
Archean Mountain’s arrangements were very appropriate. Only a few places needed emergency reinforcements.
I wonder what the global situation is like.Fifth Firmament demon monarchs have attacked the world. I’m afraid that it’s not just Eastcalm City. I hope that the other regions managed to defend themselves.
There was a limit to what he could do. After all, Meng Chuan was only as strong as a top Regis Godfiend after Demon Slayer devoured the Creation-realm alien corpse. In such a major battle, the help he could provide was ultimately limited.
Swoosh.
Marquis West Sea flew over from afar and looked at Meng Chuan with excitement. He had only come after the demonic aura completely dissipated. “That demon monarch is dead?”
Chapter 296 - Casualties
“It’s very difficult to kill a fifth Firmament demon monarch,” said Meng Chuan.
Marquis West Sea nodded. “That’s right. After reaching the fifth Firmament, these demon monarchs have extremely strong vitality.”
“I’ve already captured it alive. After the battle, I’ll hand it over to Archean Mountain,” said Meng Chuan.
“Captured alive?” Marquis West Sea was alarmed. According to his knowledge, even if a fifth Firmament demon monarch’s body was diced up, they could still counterattack at any moment. He only dared to come forward when the fifth Firmament demon monarch’s demonic power had completely disappeared. He was afraid of being a burden on Meng Chuan if he was ambushed.
“Oh, right. This is Senior Brother Yu’s corpse.” Meng Chuan waved his hand, and Marquis Purple Rain’s corpse appeared on the ground beside him. The white-haired Marquis Purple Rain had a bloody hole in his chest; his heart had been torn out.
“Senior Brother Yu.” Marquis West Sea looked at the corpse with grief.
“Marquis West Sea, I’ll leave the matters here to you. I still need to take a look at other areas.” Meng Chuan looked at Marquis Purple Rain’s corpse and felt somewhat sad. However, he had seen too many deaths over the years.
“Alright.” Marquis West Sea nodded. He knew that Meng Chuan was in charge of providing reinforcements in this region.
Swoosh.
Meng Chuan immediately transformed into a bolt of lightning and vanished from the city.
Although the other cities and medium-sized World Entrances he was in charge of had retracted their requests for help, Meng Chuan still wanted to check on them.
Swoosh.
Supremacy Qin Wu streaked across the sky like a sword. When he arrived outside a large city, he was about 50 kilometers away from the battle between Godfiends and demon monarchs.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
On the battlefield, about 50 kilometers away, sword beams naturally condensed in the void and killed six fourth Firmament demon monarchs swiftly.
Supremacy Qin Wu cultivated the Thirteen Swordbane Fiend Body. At his realm, everything within 50 kilometers of him was his territory. He could condense sword beams and kill enemies with a thought. To him, a fourth Firmament demon monarch… was very weak. He did not need to release his Swordbanes.
Although killing demon monarchs is easy, it takes time to travel to the various locations. Qin Wu stood in midair as he looked at the token in his hand. All cities within 1,000 kilometers have canceled their requests for help. The battle should be over. Our human race suffered heavy losses in this battle. However, I wonder how heavy the losses are for the demons.
He flew to a large mountain more than 50 kilometers away and sat cross-legged on the mountain peak. Qin Wu had to stay prepared to help any area at a moment’s notice. After all, the war had yet to end, and the demons might attack again. Time passed.
As night fell, the world began to calm down.
The next day, at the break of dawn.
Whoosh. An illusory man appeared beside Qin Wu.
“Master.” The illusory man respectfully said, “I’ve returned to Demon Sage Nine Abyss’s pocket grotto-heaven. Almost all demon monarch teams have returned.”
“They have all returned to the grotto-heaven?” Qin Wu frowned slightly. “From the looks of it, they have temporarily stopped attacking? How are the losses on the demons’ side?”
The illusory man sighed in amazement. “Terrible. I heard from many demon monarchs that Regis Godfiends ambushed them when they attacked the cities! They said our humans’ Regis Godfiends are very sinister. They used their Seamless domains to approach them and attack them suddenly once they were close enough. The demon monarch teams suffered quite tragically. It’s considered pretty good if two or three demon monarchs in a team escaped. There are even a few teams that failed to return at all.”
“Okay.” Supremacy Qin Wu nodded slightly. “Do you understand the general losses of the demons?”
“I’m not sure.” The illusory man hesitated and said, “I estimate that the demons have lost about 50% of their forces in the human world. It’s just my guess.”
“Alright, continue keeping tabs. Inform me if anything develops,” instructed Qin Wu.
“I think the demons have lost their morale. I don’t think there will be a second wave of attacks for a while,” said the illusory man.
Qin Wu smiled. “I hope so!”
Demon Sage Nine Abyss’s grotto-heaven.
Many fourth Firmament demon monarchs gathered together. They drank, ate, and chatted.
“We tried to kill the human Godfiends, but King True Martial suddenly appeared!” A white-browed wolf demon monarch couldn’t help but feel afraid as he held a cup of alcohol.
“King True Martial… He’s one of the most powerful human Regis Godfiends. It’s said that he can even fight a demon sage. The six of us were scared silly, and immediately scattered. We burrowed into the ground and fled. It’s only because my Essence Soul had reached the third level that I remained lucid. This allowed me to barely escape and survive,” said a red fox demon monarch.
“It’s not bad for two of you to survive after meeting King True Martial,” said a demon monarch.
The red fox demon monarch said, “That King True Martial was eager to save Godfiends. If he had restrained his aura and carefully approached us, we would’ve had more time. We could’ve killed Marquis Azure Wood. Instead, he showed himself from afar to scare us. We immediately fled, and that allowed Marquis Azure Wood to live.”
“We were in quite a sorry state as well. We encountered a strange peacock beast while attacking a city. When the peacock beast spread its tail, golden beams of light shot out. They were Regis Godfiend-level attacks. We were nearly scared silly by the barrage of hundreds of golden beams. Two of us managed to escape thanks to our powerful bodies,” said a pig demon while chewing on meat.
“A peacock beast? What peacock beast?”
“Could it be a demon?” The other demon monarchs were puzzled.
“No.” The pig demon shook his head. “It’s not a demon, not a human. It felt more like a special weapon that isn’t alive.”“Our team also encountered a strange beast. That strange beast was definitely comparable to a peak fifth Firmament demon monarch. When it opened its mouths, everything turned pitch-black. There was no light at all. We fled underground in fear, and only I survived.”
The demon monarchs shared their experiences. They still felt lingering fear when they thought back on their experiences.
“Nine Abyss.” In the main hall, a black-robed figure flipped through a dossier and said, “From the intelligence provided by the demon monarchs that have returned, most of the human cities are guarded by Regis Godfiend-level forces…”
Demon Sage Nine Abyss listened silently.
“Only a very small number of places were guarded by Marquis Godfiends. They chose extremely powe
rful Marquis Godfiends to work together and guard these areas. When two such Marquis Godfiends joined forces, they were able to fend off our six-man demon monarch teams. The black-robed figure continued, “Also, other experts reinforced them when they arrived. We can currently confirm that Archean Mountain’s rescue team consists of Supremacy Qin Wu, Supremacy Li Guan, King True Martial, King Clear Jade, and Marquis Eastcalm. The ones responsible for reinforcing Black Sand Dynasty are Supremacy Bai Yaoyue, Supremacy Meng Tiange, King Transcendence, and King Molten.”
“King Clear Jade? King Molten?” Demon Sage Nine Abyss said, “Both of them are Regis Godfiends from 500 to 600 years ago. They should be nearly 1,000 years old if they’re still alive to this day.”
“Yes.” The black-robed figure said, “Most of the humans’ Regis Godfiend-level combat forces were those from hundreds of years ago. There are also some rare treasures and weapons protecting various places. We’ve suffered heavy losses across the entire world.”
“I know,” said Demon Sage Nine Abyss, “I can sense how tragic our losses are through the token. What we need to know now is how bad the humans’ losses are? If the humans’ losses are just as tragic, our losses will be worth it.”
Chapter 297 - Hope
“We’re still investigating the humans’ losses,” said the black-robed figure. “However, their losses aren’t too great.”
Demon Sage Nine Abyss fell silent. The demons had suffered huge losses this time. Their attacks on the cities had hit huge snags! They had even lost a significant number of fifth Firmament demon monarchs.
Demon Sage Nine Abyss finally said, “Investigate it first. Use all means available to investigate the humans’ losses. Also, investigate the human forces’ true strength and report it to the Imperial Lords. What we do next will be decided by the Imperial Lords.”
The black-robed figure nodded.
The situation this time was worse than they had expected. They never expected a large group of ancient Regis Godfiends to appear. Their lifespans were limited by the laws of the world. Even the demons were unable to help existences live beyond their lifespans. However, humans had actually managed to do so.
Evening
High in the sky, Meng Chuan flew by Eastcalm City and saw numerous people entering and exiting Eastcalm City’s four city gates. Under the setting sun’s illumination, the countless people looked as tiny as ants.
Swoosh.
A figure streaked across the sky; it was Qin Wu.
“Master.” Meng Chuan bowed respectfully.
“Every large city is the hope of countless mortals that live in the wilderness.” Qin Wu looked down. “Look. The people who live in the wilderness can transport food to the city and sell it for a high price. They can buy clothes, weapons, cultivation manuals, and send their talented children to a Dao Academy to cultivate.”
Meng Chuan looked down. For many mortals living in the wilderness, entering a large city was a joyous occasion. “As long as large cities exist, we will always have hope in life. If there are large cities, they will completely sink into oblivion, forever living in darkness,” said Qin Wu. “Furthermore, with so many large cities as garrisons, Earth Net can search the world. These large cities must continue to exist, be it for the people’s hope or control over the world. If they didn’t exist, it would be difficult for us to investigate demon attacks.”
“I heard that Two World Island’s situation is very serious,” said Meng Chuan. “Away from a city, one can often encounter demons wreaking havoc.” “Humans and demons are almost coexisting in the Great Yue Dynasty.” Qin Wu sighed. “Unfortunately, our Archean Mountain and Black Sand Grotto-Heaven are finding it difficult to protect even our territories. We can’t help Two World Island.”
Meng Chuan nodded. In this era, humans truly felt powerless. When he was young, the world was still relatively peaceful on the surface, and all city passes were guarded. In the past few decades, he had watched as city passes were abandoned, followed by village forts, prefecture cities, and county cities. Most humans lived like savages in the wilderness; only a minority lived in large cities.
“These years, things have changed too quickly,” said Meng Chuan softly. “Yes, the changes happened quickly,” said Qin Wu. “The demons planned on completely occupying our human world with this battle. However, how can we humans be so easily defeated considering how we have survived to this day? The demons have suffered heavy losses this time. I’m afraid they will be even more prepared when they launch their next attack.”
Meng Chuan’s eyes lit up. “How’s the outcome of this battle?”
Qin Wu smiled at Meng Chuan. “I’m here to tabulate the results of the battle. How’s your demon monarch kill count?”
“I encountered a demon monarch team at Chu An City. I killed five, one escaped,” said Meng Chuan. “I killed six demon monarchs at Silver Lake Pass and a fifth Firmament demon monarch in Eastcalm City. I killed a total of 11 fourth Firmament demon monarchs and one fifth Firmament demon monarch. As for ordinary demon monarchs? The number I killed can be ignored.”
“Fifth Firmament demon monarch?” Qin Wu’s eyes lit up.
“It was captured alive by me.” Meng Chuan waved his hand, and an ice sculpture appeared beside him. The azure-scaled demon monarch’s head was frozen inside. His eyes opened, and he looked at Meng Chuan and Qin Wu.
“Master, I’ll leave it with you,” said Meng Chuan.
“Very good.” Qin Wu waved his hand and put it away. He sighed with mixed emotions. “The most troublesome thing is that a group of fifth Firmament demon monarchs appeared this time. They were extremely cunning. They let the demon monarch teams attack the cities first. If they discover a Regis Godfiend guarding a city, they will retreat. If Marquis Godfiends are the ones guarding a city, they will ambush them. Almost all Marquis Godfiends that died in battle died to the hands of fifth Firmament demon monarchs.”
“There are only three super-large city passes in the world. Fifth Firmament demon monarchs can’t enter, right?” asked Meng Chuan. “They should’ve been fourth Firmament demon monarchs that broke through in the human world.” “Yes.” Qin Wu nodded. “They should be newly-advanced fifth Firmament demon monarchs. However, all of them have received treasures from the demon Imperial Lords. They have valuable treasures with them. They almost have the strength of a peak Regis Godfiend. Of course, they require external items to achieve that strength… They are still somewhat lacking compared to an actual peak Regis Godfiend.”
Meng Chuan nodded.
For example, the azure-scaled demon monarch hadn’t cultivated his physical body for that long a time. If he were a true peak fifth Firmament demon monarch, his body would naturally be stronger. It would’ve been several-fold harder for Meng Chuan to kill him.
Meng Chuan was considered to be as strong as a peak Regis Godfiend. However, he was powerful in many aspects. He had the Undying Body, unparalleled speed, divine powers, and baneful aura. His master had given him a Creation-realm alien corpse, allowing Demon Slayer to transform. If Demon Slayer hadn’t transformed, he wouldn’t have been able to dice the azure-scaled demon monarch’s body.
“From today onwards, you will continue scanning for underground demon lairs,” instructed Qin Wu. “You can also stay in Jiang State Capital.”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan revealed a look of delight since he could accompany his daughter now. He then asked, “What about Qiyue?”
“Other Marquis Godfiends have to stay where they are. We also need to make arrangements depending on the demons’ actions,” said Qin Wu. “You were in charge of rescuing the various areas, so you have more freedom.”
Meng Chuan nodded. It looked like he couldn’t reunite with his wife for the time being.
Time passed.
The world’s atmosphere remained tense, but Meng Chuan had returned to his old routine. He spent 12 hours underground every day and returned home at night.Meng Chuan had given tokens to his family so they could sense each other’s location
. He knew which city his wife was at, but due to Archean Mountain’s orders, he couldn’t disturb her. The couple could only communicate through letters.
“Ah Chuan, I just received news today that my master, Marquis Heavenstar, was also one of the Marquis Godfiends who died in battle. After I learned of it, I felt muddle-headed. My mind was filled with scenes of my master teaching me archery on the mountain. Even now, I’m still grieving when writing this letter…” Liu Qiyue’s words made Meng Chuan fall silent.
He knew more than his wife. Yesterday, when he dumped his many accumulated demon corpses at Archean Mountain, he learned of many things from Archean Mountain Lord. He knew that 12 Marquis Godfiends had died in the battle. Archean Mountain hadn’t suffered such a huge loss for many years.
“Qiyue.” Meng Chuan also wrote a letter. “I heard that 12 Archean Mountain Marquis Godfiends died in battle. Eleven of them died at the hands of fifth Firmament demon monarchs. Marquis Heavenstar was no different. However, the demons suffered greater losses…”
He filled two pages with writing before stopping. After finishing the letter, he looked at the bright moon through the window. He was a little hesitant.
He and his wife were separated for the time being. They had to carry out their missions separately. Many Marquis Godfiends had died in battle. When would this war end? It was impossible to know.
“Little Gray, send this to Archean Mountain.” Meng Chuan threw the letter out the window.
A gray bird swooped down and transformed into a woman. She respectfully received the letter before soaring into the sky and headed straight for Archean Mountain.
Chapter 298 - World Gap (Final Chapter of Volume)
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
One million demon monarchs secretly infiltrated through the numerous smaller World Entrances. Although such infiltration was slow, it made it harder for them to be intercepted. Human Godfiends were ultimately too few in number. If a Great Solar Godfiend were to act alone, they would be easily intercepted and killed by demons…
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