Chapter 81: Descent of the Demon

The Demon Cultivators, so sure of their victory, never saw this twist coming. In just one clash, they lost several of their own.

Their gazes swept past the Chongxu Sect Daoists and landed in horror on the unassuming child.

That sword just now—the Sword of Nine Abyss? Then this sudden child in the peach blossom grove must actually be Zhan Yujie and her group? The remaining Demon Cultivators pieced it together in a flash and panicked greatly. They didn’t know what secret art Zhan Yujie and the others had used, but they knew that once the Xuanmen Daoists could unleash their full power, these mere Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t rampage through the Peach Blossom Miasma any longer!

“Run!” Seeing their companions’ gruesome ends, the surviving Demon Cultivators had no desire to gamble with their lives. They made a snap decision, wrapping themselves in escape lights and fleeing madly in the opposite direction with every ounce of their mana.

But where could they possibly run to?

A sneer rang out as Fuyu Sha swung her blade. A biting cold wind howled forth, turning the air’s moisture into countless shards of icy snow that instantly froze the surging river of blood solid. On the other side, Lin Hanzhi wasn’t about to be outdone. She urged her Dao law onward, and sword qi rained down like stellar thunderfire. In the blink of an eye, she wiped out the fleeing pack of Demon Cultivators. Without that divine ability’s influence, butchering these Demon Cultivators was effortless.

Among the Demon Cultivators, a few stragglers had stayed behind to guard the altars. After waiting ages with no word from their comrades, they sensed something was off. A stifling unease gnawed at them. After a moment’s thought, they sent a message via secret art to that Cave Heaven Daoist.

“Something feels off. If the altars run into trouble—” one trembling Demon Cultivator said uneasily.

“No matter,” another replied. “That lord won’t pin all her hopes on the altars. She’s dead set on taking Chongxu Sect and will descend in person if needed. These altars don’t just channel Dao law—they can summon her true body too.”

“Hope so,” the Demon Cultivator muttered.

As these hidden Demon Cultivators whispered, Zhan Yujie, Yan Zhichuan, and the others—who had just slain their foes—tracked down this altar. Along the way, they’d cut down anything in their path, be it demon beasts or Demon Clan. By the time they arrived, they were all wreathed in killing intent, their bodies cloaked in a bloody aura.

The Demon Cultivators locked eyes with Zhan Yujie and her group, instantly terrified out of their wits, as if their souls had fled to the nine heavens. They hastily drew their swords to fight back, but how could they match Zhan Yujie and the others? In a flash, only one remained, quaking in fear and glancing around wildly. Before any aid could arrive, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes, and he fell silent forever.

Zhan Yujie frowned, a hint of disgust in her expression. There were countless altars in the peach blossom grove, but arranged by the cycle of the heavens, this one was likely the last. Destroy it, and with no anchor left for the Dao law blanketing the area, the crisis might resolve itself effortlessly.

Decision made, Zhan Yujie destroyed the altar just like the others. But in that instant, a sudden change erupted. A massive vortex visible to the naked eye swirled into existence, churning violently amid earth-shaking rumbles from all directions. Stepping from the vortex was a half-human, half-demon monstrosity. Her upper body retained a human visage, beautiful and alluring, while her lower half was a massive spotted spider, its writhing legs like spear tips glinting with eerie light.

Zhan Yujie’s face paled. Before she could retreat, an immense force slammed into her, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Yan Zhichuan sat atop Cloudy, swiftly scooping the little snow dumpling from midair. She stared wide-eyed at the monstrous Demon Cultivator ahead, licking her lips with an inexplicable surge of hunger.

“This is—” Lin Hanzhi pressed her lips thin as chill raced up her spine.

“A Cave Heaven.”

In the Peach Blossom Miasma under the “Yin-Yang Reversal” Dao law, the strong grew weak and the weak grew strong. But the weakened were reduced to mortal frailty, and even the empowered couldn’t surpass their limits. Relying on the Three-Year-Old Pill to further suppress their cultivation still left them no match for a Cave Heaven Daoist.

The Demon Cultivator flicked her sleeve, summoning a gale that unleashed a torrent of pure white mist—raw mana assault. With a Cave Heaven’s profound reserves, crushing them would be like squashing ants. Her cultivation was too high; they couldn’t withstand it, even if the divine ability cloaking the area shattered.

Without hesitation, Zhan Yujie sacrificed a Nine Abyss Sword Talisman from her sleeve!

In a flash, azure light blazed. Vast sword light surged forward like a river, clashing with the white mist in a cacophony of grinding metal.

The Demon Cultivator let out a surprised “Eh?” and hissed, “Nine Abyss… Zhong Zhanxi.” She was Sky Nether City’s Cave Heaven, Dian Dang—the very architect of this Yin-Yang Reversal Dao law. Her old divine abilities lacked such power, but her lord had bestowed the “Demon Book,” a relic from ten thousand years ago by a Cave Heaven-level Demon Creature. She’d fused with a similar Demon Creature’s bloodline to withstand it, gaining this peerless talent from the book. But practicing such deviant arts had lowered her cultivation. Devouring Xuanmen Daoists would surely restore her to her peak.

Things were restless at the Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier; Xuanmen Grotto-Heavens would rush there.

Chongxu Sect likely had only its sect master, Bie Jingque, left behind. Gravely wounded, she couldn’t have fully recovered in time. At her current level, she couldn’t break the Yin-Yang Reversal—a prime chance to eliminate a Xuanmen Cave Heaven.

She’d assumed the advance Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators had dealt with the Xuanmen juniors and advanced the altars, but they’d proven useless against the Daoists within the Dao law.

Without Sky Nether City’s need for her at the Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier, she’d have come here long ago and devoured all of Chongxu Sect.

Dian Dang’s thoughts churned, dark light flickering in her eyes. Though the sword talisman had scattered her attack, it was just an object—not Zhong Zhanxi herself. Its power would eventually run dry. And even if Zhong Zhanxi sensed the anomaly, she’d never abandon the barrier for this place. Xuanmen’s only hope to stop the slaughter was Chongxu’s Bie Jingque.

Reality deviated slightly from plan, but Dian Dang still looked smugly assured. Regardless, the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice at the barrier was underway—and here, even without the Dao law’s anchor, she’d descended her true body via the remnants before all altars collapsed. Her goal was mostly achieved.

“Senior Sister Zhan.” Yan Zhichuan snapped back from her unsettling hunger as the Heavenly Dao System gave her a nudge.

Everyone clustered together, masking their fear and steeling themselves to face the Cave Heaven Daoist radiating overwhelming might. Zhan Yujie steadied her nerves and reassured them: “With the sword talisman here, Master will arrive soon!”

—

Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier.

Dark clouds gathered, dismal mists hung heavy.

A translucent barrier stood over the barren Profound Demon Cliff, where nothing had grown for eons. It shimmered with seals from ancient Dao Fruit predecessors and finer marks from later Cave Heaven guardians maintaining it. Invisible forces extended from the gateway-like portal—destroy the barrier, and you’d have to breach that first.

Zhong Zhanxi’s expression was grave. The sword talisman was hers; she could sense trouble there.

Ahead, Sky Nether City’s Cave Heavens and Soul Transformations clustered around a stalwart Daoist with horns on his head and an otherworldly face, performing the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice Ritual. After slaying Dong Rong, Sky Nether City had restored its nine Cave Heavens, but only eight appeared now—meaning one was elsewhere, most likely at Chongxu Sect.

Green flames bore countless blood-red blossoms in a whirlwind, accompanied by shrill ghostly cries as the world darkened further.

Ancient texts recorded the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice Ritual as a Demon Clan grand rite, used to locate their kin. Sky Nether City once had only Demon Cultivators, no true Demon Clan, but now with one awakened, it sought to rouse dormant Demon Clan in Xuanmen lands and gain insights from those beyond the barrier.

The Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier sealed off the Profound Demons, trapping the Demon Creatures on the other side. But with no Dao Fruit cultivators left in Xuanmen to maintain it, they couldn’t confirm if Demon Clan beyond had reached Dao Fruit and pried a gap. Zhong Zhanxi didn’t want to assume the worst, but vigilance was key—they couldn’t afford any “what ifs.”

No matter what, they couldn’t let this Demon Clan’s Heavenly Demon Sacrifice succeed.

The assembled Cave Heaven Daoists struck without hesitation. Sword lights flew, myriad divine thunders primed. Explosions grew denser, vast flames soared like toppling mountains, shaking heaven and earth.

Amid the barrage, Sky Nether City’s Demon Clan showed no fear. It calmly drove the ritual onward. Once the dormant Demon Creatures and Demon Clan stirred, the bloodline rite would summon them here. The crashing thunder and sword qi struck the awakening Demon Creatures. Regardless of past power, they emerged weakened; the Cave Heaven assaults shattered them into dissipating essence, like drifting mist.

This Cave Heaven-level Demon Clan smiled faintly. Far from aiding them, it twisted its divine ability to whale down the scattered essence. Demon Clan had bloodline hierarchies—lessers bowed to greaters. The only way up was devouring superiors’ bloodlines, though the weak devouring the strong was near impossible. History brimmed with low Demon Clan becoming fodder for the high. Here, the awakened Demon Clan had no intent to protect kin; instinct ruled as it devoured them utterly. Devour enough, and its power would climb.

The Xuanmen Cave Heavens realized this.

Their attacks were just hastening this Demon Clan’s feast on its fellows.

But letting the sacrifice proceed risked it truly linking with the qi beyond the barrier.

“She’s using our hands to devour the Demon Creatures lingering in the Human World,” the Xuanmen Daoists thought with a chill.

Targeting Chongxu Sect, devouring Demon Creatures, linking the Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier—

This Demon Clan was smarter and more ruthless than any Demon Cultivator they’d faced.