Lord of the Earth

Boom!

With each clash between the two sides, the outcome gradually became clear.

The light of the Demon Prince's nascent Dao Fruit flickered, and several "cracks" even appeared...

"Impossible! This prince possesses two true gods; how could I possibly be defeated by a mere 'illegitimate son'?"

At this moment, fear appeared in the Demon Prince's eyes!
It's important to understand that now that he has consumed the "Quasi-God Devil Fruit," he naturally has a close connection with the "Devil Fruit Tree"... What if the Demon Prince seizes control of the Devil Mother Tree...

He himself might become the other party's prisoner and be controlled by others, which was something that the proud and arrogant man could never accept.

"You forced me to do this! You lowly illegitimate son, feel the fear that comes from the source of your bloodline!"

The Demon Prince went completely mad, and at the cost of his own "True Blood of the Demon Emperor," he caused the most core section of the dark mother tree to spontaneously combust!
"With my blood, with the remains of the trees, I summon... the Primordial Shadow!"

boom!
The burning branches suddenly burst forth with a dark light that illuminated the entire Devil's Sea.

Suddenly, a blurry yet enormous tree-shaped phantom formed in the air. The moment the phantom appeared, it exuded a pressure that made the souls of all living beings present tremble.

That was a projection of the power of the "Primordial Demon Mother Tree," whose true form was still in the abyss!
Even though the world still has shackles on beings above the "True God" level, the status and power carried by this projection are almost touching the edge of the "True God" level!

The projected power transformed into countless gray-white "Primordial Serpents" that seemed capable of devouring all life and laws.

Wherever they passed, the space was corroded with permanent black marks, the seawater instantly became a toxic swamp, and some cultivators or demons who could not dodge in time were drained of everything and turned to ashes in the blink of an eye...

Even the severely injured "Yamata no Orochi" could not escape the fate of being "fed" by the Demon Mother Tree, let alone other living beings.

"True Warrior vanquishes demons, Black Tortoise suppresses the sea!"

Although Qi Jiguang was injured and weak.

But seeing this horrifying scene, his military duty compelled him to step forward once again!

He and his Xuanwu Legion soldiers once again forcibly rallied their military spirit, and the enormous Dharma image of "True Martial Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable" appeared, with tortoises and snakes coiled around it, attempting to support a pure land.

However, under the erosion of the extremely violent power of the "Primordial Demon Mother Tree", the light of the True Martial Dharma Image dimmed at a visible speed, and its protective range was constantly compressed, struggling to hold on.

This is not surprising, as the "Primordial Demon Mother Tree" is a treasure at the "quasi-supreme" level, even if it is only a wisp of power transmitted through the burning of its "branches".

It also possesses the power to destroy all the heavens and return the earth, fire, wind, and water to "chaos"!

Just when the situation was extremely critical, even the Demon Prince's expression was grave, and even the shimmering starlight of the newborn Mother Tree in his hand was utterly unable to withstand the threat of being devoured by these snakes—

"Key to Heaven, open!"

A clear and melodious shout rang out.

Huang Rong mustered her spirits and stepped forward from the crowd, holding in her hand a key-shaped treasure that was neither gold nor jade, with an ancient design and a rhythm of time and space flowing through it.

Indeed, it was the "Key to Heaven" that had been handed to her before summer!
This "true divine artifact," like the "Battle Map of the Land," is a "miracle of heaven and earth," forged with the unlocking of heaven and earth, and can even evolve autonomously...

Now, its power is even greater than when it fought against "Tsukuyomi"...

At this moment, the Emperor was firmly tied down on the high-dimensional battlefield by Lü Dongbin and Xia Tian. The Yamata no Orochi was dead, and Oda Nobunaga was also tightly entangled by Zhu Di. No one could stop the actions of this "quasi-god" who, though weak, was determined.

Huang Rong poured all her divine power into the "Key of Heaven," and the key burst forth with dazzling golden light, shooting out an incomparably condensed beam of rule.

Instead of attacking the Demon Prince, it struck directly at the faintly visible white bone portal deep within the Devil Sea, which connected to the "Highland Sky"!

"Om-!"

The portal of white bones trembled violently and was forcibly opened under the rule of the "Key to Heaven".

Behind the portal, a towering, lush tree with branches and leaves like a canopy, its entire body burning with a faint golden flame, suddenly appeared. Its trunk was like a pillar of heaven, and its branches and leaves seemed to support the sun, moon and stars. Its roots were submerged in the endless sea of ​​pure yang, while its crown was submerged in the ethereal aura of the sky.

Within the "quasi-true god's vision," six dazzling divine halos, each containing different supreme laws, enveloped the divine eye, radiating an innate spiritual root aura of the same level as the "Peach of Immortality," belonging to the "top-tier true god" level, causing all living beings to tremble!
It is the Fusang Divine Tree, which represents both fire and the ultimate yang!
hum!
Huang Rong raised her hand and imprinted a golden mark containing the aura of Emperor Donghua, obtained from the Peach Banquet at Yaochi, into the illusory divine tree...

Suddenly, it was as if a dormant will was awakened, or an ancient covenant was fulfilled.

At the summit of the sacred tree, endless pure yang divine fire gathered, and a magnificent phantom, clad in nine imperial robes and wearing a twelve-tassel crown, slowly materialized. Its face was shrouded in a dazzling divine light that made all living beings dare not look directly at it, except for a pair of eyes: the left eye was like the sun traversing the sky, illuminating eternity; the right eye was like the bright moon in the sky, penetrating the nine netherworlds.

Indeed, it was a wisp of Daoist aura manifested by Donghua Dijun, who is known as the head of the "male immortals of the Heavenly Court"!
"I humbly beg Your Majesty to grant my Qianxia aid!"

Huang Rong bowed deeply to the figure atop the Fusang Divine Tree, using ancient etiquette.

"Clang—clang—!"

The next moment, clear and melodious chirping rang out from the branches and leaves of the divine tree, which seemed to be condensed from pure solar essence. It was as if thousands of solar cores were awakening at the same time in the branches and leaves of the divine tree!

"Qiang——!"

"Qiang——!"

Countless pure golden "three-legged crows" shrieked as they flew out. They were no longer phantoms; every feather burned with the most primordial true fire of the sun, trailing a trajectory that would burn the entire universe, like a stellar storm sweeping away all darkness, crashing into the gray-white demonic snake swarm!
"What? The mark left by the Golden Crow clan has been awakened?"

Fusang wood was originally a sacred tree of the Golden Crow clan, and was a treasure at the "quasi-supreme" level!

Even though the "Golden Crow Divine Court" was destroyed later and the grade of the "Fusang Divine Tree" was reduced, it was still a treasure close to the "Seventh Heaven"!

Compared to ordinary top-tier "True God Spirit Plants", it is even better.

Hundreds of thousands of golden crows, like the embodiment of the sun, carrying the supreme yang power to burn away evil and purify all things, as well as ancient divine might, transformed into streaks of golden meteors that tore through the darkness, shrieking as they rushed toward the rampaging "Primordial Demon Serpent"!
Rumble!
The Supreme Yang Divine Fire and the Devouring Power of the Abyss collided violently, unleashing an annihilating light and roar.

While the “Shadow of the Primordial Demon Mother Tree” summoned by the Demon Prince is indeed terrifying, the Fusang Divine Tree is the ultimate yang innate spiritual root of heaven and earth, and is precisely the nemesis of such abyssal evil creatures!

Most importantly, the "Primordial Demon Mother Tree" is merely a branch... while the "Fusang Divine Tree" is now firmly rooted here. The difference between the two is naturally considerable.

Crack, crackle!

As the golden crows swept across the area like sharp swords, the gray-white demonic snakes let out mournful cries, were burned and purified by the golden flames, and continued to shrink and dissipate!
"This is... a tree of supreme yang energy from the Golden Crow alien race, now here, and even being controlled by a supreme human god?"

The Demon Prince let out a desperate and unwilling roar, and was forced to retreat step by step under the scorching of the Golden Crow Divine Flame and the Demon Prince's counterattack.

"Emperor Donghua!"

In fact, it wasn't just the Demon Prince who was shocked!
In the sky, the "Emperor" who was fighting against Xia Tian and Lü Dongbin changed his expression after sensing the aura of the "Eastern Emperor"!
Even the spell he was casting collapsed instantly.

“A good opportunity…” Xia Tian seized the opportunity to further expand his control over the “Emperor’s Mask,” and the “mask” in his hand now controlled almost one-tenth of the Emperor’s power…

"hateful……"

Sensing that he was facing utter defeat and destruction, the Emperor chose to make a decisive move...

Just as the tide of battle at the Devil's Sea was turned by the manifestation of the Eastern Emperor, and the Emperor was thrown into turmoil by sensing the Emperor's aura—

"Serve the country with utmost loyalty, and reclaim our lost land!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Young men of Qianxia, ​​follow me to fight the enemy!"

Each roar seemed to transcend time and space, embodying boundless faith and unwavering will.

It didn't resound across the Devil's Sea, but exploded directly over the cities of the Cherry Blossom Country!

With the help of the "Mysterious Inn's" ability to teleport regardless of distance and the "Human Race's Ark of Crossing the World"'s power to traverse the void, Yue Fei's main force of the Beiwei Army appeared as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky, directly in the heart of the heartland of many historical dynasties in the Sakura Kingdom!
This mighty army, whose members are all at least Saint Realm experts and have undergone countless trials of blood and fire, began to sweep through the weakly defended cities, palaces, shrines, and even the forbidden areas of the Sakura Kingdom under the shadow of Yue Fei's "prototype of the Wumu Dao Fruit"!
This time it wasn't a simple siege; they faced a surge of priests, Onmyoji, and fanatical samurai pouring out of the city to defend it!

Yue Fei stood outside the city wall, his face as cold and iron-like. He slowly raised his hand, and an ancient scroll, its edges seemingly stained with dried blood and tears, slowly unfolded in his hand!

At first glance, the scroll appeared dim and tattered, but inside it seemed to form its own ghostly world, where countless twisted, painful, and resentful shadows, yet carrying a strange and sacred feeling, struggled, wailed, and roared.

"What?! This is a painting of a hundred demons... Night Parade!"

An elderly Onmyoji from Sakura Country turned pale the moment he saw the picture.

"This is the scroll that my great Onmyoji of the Sakura Kingdom used to capture and seal away the evil spirit! How did it fall into your hands?"

It's important to know that Shintoism, as the state religion of Japan, is most adept at using the power of Shinto incense offerings to "refine" various mountain and river spirits into "shikigami" (spirits) to be commanded...

The Hundred Demons Night Parade Scroll was created by the combined efforts of the most powerful Onmyoji in the entire Shinto sect, and it contains a large number of powerful "demons and gods".

Including the infamous and extremely ferocious "Tamamo-no-Mae, Ōtengu, and Shuten-dōji" and other "three great demon gods"!
"Hmm, how many of your so-called 'eight million gods' are actually 'false gods' or 'demons' who have plundered the spirituality of mountains and rivers, drained the willpower of the people, or even been created through blood sacrifices and evil magic? Today, I will let you taste the bitterness of being devoured by the 'demons' you worship!"

Yue Fei's gaze was like lightning, and his voice like ice.

As soon as he finished speaking, he forcefully poured the immense power of "Wu Mu" into the scroll!
"A hundred demons parade at night, heed my command—parade in the night!"

"boom--!"

The scroll shone brightly, projecting a "ghostly realm" that covered the entire city. Terrifying figures appeared, exuding an aura of resentment and destruction!

Shuten-dōji was a colossal demon engulfed in crimson flames, his fangs piercing his lips.

It laughed wildly and slammed down with its giant hand, not at the Qianxia Army, but at the most popular shrine in the center of the capital of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, the one that worshipped it!
The vermilion torii gate shattered like a toy under its grasp, and the palace was engulfed by blood-red flames. The priests and believers who were praying madly were turned to ashes in despair.

"Since you offer your blood and flesh as food, today I will feast upon you with your blood, flesh, and soul!"

Maniacal laughter mingled with the screams of believers.

"General, come and have a good night's sleep with me!"

Tamamo-no-Mae's exquisite fox-like form grew enormous, its nine tails obscuring the moonlight, and its eyes no longer held allure, but rather a bewitching, maddening purple light.

She gracefully swept across the densest part of the city wall, her red lips parted slightly, and she hummed a strange song that could bewitch the masses and shatter their will to fight. Countless samurai and foot soldiers of the Sakura Kingdom were instantly bewildered, dropped their weapons, or killed each other, or bit their tongues and committed suicide with silly laughter!

"Tengu, swallow the moon!"

The majestic red-nosed Tengu's face became incredibly ferocious, and the fan in his hand transformed into a demonic weapon that stirred up the celestial phenomena.

It fanned itself violently, no longer a gentle breeze, but a pitch-black, demonic wind that tore everything apart. The wind blades were like knives, directly slicing off the top floor of the castle tower, which symbolized authority in the city, and lifting the assembled cavalry, men and horses, into the air before smashing them into a bloody pulp.

The "wind" it controlled became an accomplice to destruction.

The Bridge Princess's resentment transformed into a black waterfall that corroded everything, washing over the moat and dam; the Bone Woman crawled out from the ground, her skeletal claws targeting nobles and generals in fine clothes; hordes of kappa overturned boats on the inland waterways, dragging those who fell in into the abyss...

These "shikigami," once worshipped, feared, and upon whom the people of the "Land of Cherry Blossoms" placed their hopes, have now all transformed into the most cruel "monsters," frantically destroying everything they once "protected" under the guidance of Yue Fei's will!
This is not a war; it is a sacrificial backlash against the very foundation of Shinto faith in Japan!
Countless soldiers and civilians of the Sakura Kingdom witnessed their gods and feared monsters turn against them, destroying their homes and slaughtering their compatriots in an even more brutal way. The despair and fear brought about by the collapse of their faith even surpassed the pain of physical death.

The morale of the troops collapsed instantly, and many defensive lines crumbled without a fight.

"Marshal Yue... is this what they mean by 'using their own methods against them'?"

A deputy general of the Beiwei Army took a deep breath as he looked at the hellish scene before him.

Even the seasoned soldiers of the Beiwei Army, who had experienced countless battles, couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy upon witnessing this scene!
Yue Fei put away the scroll and looked firmly toward the next city, the capital of a more central dynasty.

"It's not out of cruelty, but to destroy their spirit and to achieve a swift victory. Only by breaking their courage and destroying their reliance can we end this civil war among humans as quickly as possible, freeing up Qian Xia to deal with the real powerful enemies of all the races in the heavens!"

"Order the Beiwei Army to closely follow the path cleared by the 'Hundred Ghosts,' wipe out the remaining enemies, seize key points, and march straight for the capital. Show no mercy to any resistance encountered!"

Under the combined onslaught of the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" and the overwhelming force of the Beiwei Army and the Golden-Winged Roc Legion, the defenses of the Sakura Kingdom collapsed at an alarming rate.

Yue Fei's actions were not only an attack on the city, but also a slaying of the gods, fundamentally destroying the spiritual pillar and war potential of the Sakura Kingdom's allied forces.

Almost simultaneously, above the Devil's Sea, sensing the sudden devastating blow to his homeland and the massive loss and collapse of his faith power, the Emperor, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Xia Tian and Lü Dongbin, experienced a sudden and violent fluctuation in his aura, and his offensive stalled.

The "Imperial Radiance," which was originally powerful enough to withstand the sword techniques of Lu Dongbin at the True God level, dimmed for the first time.

This means that his "pseudo-true god" Dao fruit was severely affected by the impact!
"No—! My divine foundation!"

He let out a roar that was a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief.

"good chance!"

Summer's eyes gleamed with a sharp light; how could she possibly miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
"Now! Seize the Sacred Path of Fuxi!"

The "black and gold mask" in his hand, which he had partially mastered, hummed and trembled. Taking advantage of the flaws that appeared in the Emperor's Divine Kingdom due to the turmoil, the backlash and fortune-plundering power of the invisible "Emperor's Silk" network suddenly increased several times!
Like a shark smelling blood, it frantically tore at the "causal relationship" between the Emperor and the territory of the Sakura Kingdom.

"puff!"

The Emperor's body trembled violently, and his aura visibly weakened...

Meanwhile, Xia Tian's control over the "Emperor's Mask" and the fortunes of the Sakura Kingdom instantly broke through a critical threshold, beginning to approach one-third! (End of Chapter)