Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 493 Don't Say the Tribulations of Tongxuan Are Over, Grasp the Universe and Fight Kongji (Seeking Rewards and Subscriptions!)

The void of the Tongxuan Dharma Realm is now stained with the blood of both humans and demons.

Giant pillars of spiritual energy pierced the heavens and earth, like the toppled jade pillars of an ancient demon court, supporting this once crumbling sky.

Blood-red yet pure spiritual energy flowed freely, nourishing the very essence of this world riddled with wounds.

The will of Heaven in this realm resonates silently within the primordial chaos.

They conveyed an unprecedented sense of filial piety and dependence to the figure sitting upright on the altar, with a Xuanhuang pagoda above his head and a blood-stained immortal sword in front of him.

For tens of thousands of years, the Heavenly Dao of Ten Thousand Demons has only taken in and not given out, and its exploitation and destruction of the two realms has been extremely severe.

The center of the battlefield was as brutal as a prison.

The enormous and magnificent demon body of Bifang was covered and devoured by endless Five Elements Gu worms from all directions. The World-Burning True Flame, which once burned the sky and boiled the sea and made immortals and Buddhas retreat, could hardly exert its power at this moment!
The Five Elements Gu worm greedily devoured the extreme high temperature and the law of destruction. Its body transformed and was reborn in the raging fire, and the spiritual light of the Five Elements circulated endlessly within its body, transforming into an even more ferocious power.

Bifang's magnificent feathers were torn apart, and with each wave and flap, large pieces of scarlet flesh and blood were scattered.

At this moment, one of its two demonic eyes, which were originally like golden crystals from a furnace, had been pierced by the Gengjin sword energy condensed by Lu Cheng using the Xuan Tian Divine Skill.

Golden demonic blood, like lava, flowed from the charred holes, dripping into the void and sizzling as it burned.

"Hold on! Kill this evil Taoist! He's at his last gasp!" Bi Fang raised his wounded head high, still proud, and let out a sharp roar.

The sound pierced through the raging energy turbulence in the void, forcefully suppressing the deep-seated fear and despair that permeated the army of ten thousand demons, attempting to awaken the last trace of ferocity originating from antiquity in their blood.

Despite his own utter despair, he had been forcibly carried by the Yinglong Demon God to the vicinity of the altar and the core of the array by the Zhou Guang Dao Fa. The Bi Fang Demon God then deliberately landed, revealing his true form to attract the insect swarm, thus creating an opportunity for Yinglong and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

But no one expected that the Xuanhuang Pagoda, with the blessing of the Crimson Heart God and the incomplete Heavenly Dao of this world, would, to some extent, make Lu City almost invincible with the Xuanhuang Pagoda standing above its head.

Yinglong and Jiuwei's all-out attack had no effect on Lucheng. On the contrary, Lucheng, blessed by the Heavenly Dao and Heavenly Fortune, easily unleashed the Tongxuan Sword, killing the two saints with a single strike.

Correspondingly, the fortunes of Yinglong and Jiuwei had already declined to the extreme when they were in this realm formation.

Bi Fang was unaware of the key to this, but he was well aware of the magical power and cultivation of Yinglong and Jiuwei. The sword strike from the Taoist just now was certainly not something that could be easily unleashed, especially since he was already deeply trapped inside the formation. Even if he wanted to retreat now, it would be too late.

"Our glorious status as the Heavenly Dao of Ten Thousand Demons cannot be desecrated by a mere ant from a mere realm! He has already slain two demon gods, Yinglong and the Nine-Tailed Fox; how could he be unharmed? Whoever can kill this demon, I guarantee he will ascend to the position of a newly promoted demon god and enjoy the Primordial Taiyi realm for ten thousand years! Kill him!!"

The World-Burning True Flame, blazing white with a destructive crimson hue, was frantically forced out by the Bifang Demon God, disregarding the depletion of its own resources.

Like a blazing sun unwilling to fall into the abyss, in its final swan song, it dragged its dying tail flames and crashed headlong into Lu City!
Wherever it passed, the void twisted and collapsed like melting wax, and even the fearless Five Elements Gu worms were instantly vaporized, forming a tragic and resolute path of death.

At this moment, Bifang, the demon god, had only one obsession in his mind:
Before Lu Cheng's magic power is restored, this demon king who has overturned everything and slaughtered countless of his own kind must be completely annihilated!

Otherwise, not only would it perish today, and the loss of this realm would be a minor matter, but the very foundation of the entire Heavenly Dao of Ten Thousand Demons would likely be shaken!
This desperate strike had already condensed the peak magical power of the Bifang Divine Bird in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, almost reaching the late-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. It carried the will to annihilate the entire world and locked onto Lu City, which was shrouded in the radiance of the Xuanhuang Pagoda.

Lu Cheng stood at the foot of the tower, his Taoist robe fluttering wildly, his long hair flying wildly in the raging energy storm.

The repeated fierce battles, the activation of seventh-tier treasures, the control of the grand formation, the myriad poisons, and the flying swords had indeed taken a terrifying toll on his mental and spiritual energy.

Faced with the relentless collision of this blazing sun, Lu Cheng's eyes showed no panic, only a cold and profound insight.

Even with divine intervention, such external support cannot be inexhaustible. Use the Xuanhuang Pagoda to withstand its attack, then kill it immediately.

Once they've cultivated to their level, under normal circumstances, most of the magical treasures and flying swords in the mortal realm are no longer useful.

Therefore, Yinglong and Jiuwei rely more on their physical bodies, magical power, and cultivated supernatural abilities when they take action.

Lu Cheng had cultivated Taoism for over a thousand years, yet he could easily kill them.

On the one hand, cultivation is much easier for humans than for demons. There are many cases where humans with a few decades of cultivation can defeat those with a thousand years of cultivation and fall into a death calamity.

On the other hand, there is the difference between the two sides in terms of magical treasures. Lu Cheng's magical treasures can be regarded as top-quality and of the highest quality in the Earth Immortal Realm.

The Xuanhuang Pagoda above his head hummed and spun, and even thicker Xuanhuang Qi burst forth, forming layers of light shields, ready to withstand this fatal blow.

However, just as the scorching sun, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, was about to collide with the Xuanhuang light shield!
A shadowy spot on the edge of the battlefield, covered in demonic blood and shattered laws, suddenly rippled as if ink had been poured into clear water.

In the next moment, a chaotic, malevolent, yet extremely pure and refined aura silently spread out, as if a venomous dragon lurking in the abyss had finally revealed its deadly fangs.

It's that evil patriarch, Yang Xiao Daoist!

At this moment, he was shrouded in a thin layer of gray Five Fiends Mixed Qi, his figure appearing both real and illusory, like a strange shadow quietly seeping into the mortal world from the cracks of the netherworld.

"Hehehehe... Lu Cheng, after I help you kill this fiend, we'll truly be even!" Yang Xiao's divine sense transmission was like a cold wind from the depths of hell blowing through white bones, chilling and piercing.

His figure blurred for a moment, and then, in the next instant, he seemed to merge into the shadows, ignoring the raging flame storm and spatial distortion around Bi Fang, and appeared directly behind and to the side of Bi Fang!
There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any dazzling magical light.

Yang Xiao simply extended his hand, which was covered with strange blood patterns. His five fingers were like hooks, and his fingertips were flowing with black, sticky Five Fiend Primordial Qi. That Qi seemed capable of corrupting all things and extinguishing life.

"Godslayer Finger!"

Without a sound, five jet-black energies, condensed from Yang Xiao's lifelong cultivation and containing the evil power of the primordial spirit, pierced through the protective divine flames around Bi Fang Demon God with unparalleled precision and poured into the chaotic demon sea within his body—the place where the power of the demon god and the origin of the primordial spirit reside, similar to the purple mansion of a cultivator!

Bifang Demon God was not unaware of or unable to sense Hunxie Ancestor Yang Xiao; rather, Lu Cheng moved at the same moment Yang Xiao made his move.

He did not waste the fleeting opportunity created by Yang Xiao. His left hand, which had been resting on the flying sword in front of him, suddenly rose and pointed a finger at the sluggish Bi Fang.

There is no sword at his fingertips, yet the five elements rotate within them!
Five colors of light—cyan, red, yellow, white, and black—flowed from his fingertips, instantly condensing into a strand of chaotic sword energy as fine as a hair, refined to the extreme, yet containing the supreme meaning of birth and death.

This sword energy is not only a result of his own high level of control over the Five Elements Immortal Qi, but also a subtle influence on the world's origin power fed back by the great formation below - the Five Elements Life and Death Sword Qi!
"The Way of Heaven is clear, and the Five Elements are subject to birth and death. This fire... shall serve as fuel, forging a new life for this world!"

"When the five elements return to one, all phenomena cease to exist!"

That chaotic sword energy, as thin as a hair, instantly traversed space, ignoring Bi Fang's remaining protective divine fire and the chaotic spatial storm, and shot in with unparalleled precision—no, it directly "merged" into Bi Fang's demon core, which had been severely damaged and pierced by Yang Xiao's God-Slaying Finger!

Time seemed to stand still for a fraction of a second at that moment.

The next moment, an unimaginable scene unfolded!

Bifang's enormous demonic body, still burning with embers, did not explode in a spectacular fashion. Instead, like a snowflake thrown into the core of the sun, it silently melted away from the inside out.

The World-Burning True Flame, the Resilient Demon Bones, the Vast Demon Essence, and even its Powerful Primordial Spirit Imprint were all decomposed, assimilated, and thoroughly refined into the purest Heaven and Earth Essence by that chaotic sword energy containing the will of life and death!
This powerful, lingering demon god seemed to have never existed.

Only a wisp of the purest innate spiritual fire, a pale white-gold color, about an inch long, hovered in the void, radiating a warm aura that burned without being scorching and remained silent.

That was the original Dao seed of the Burning World True Flame, the purest essence of "fire" after the tyrannical will of Bifang was removed.

With a wave of his hand, Lu Cheng summoned the wisp of divinely bestowed platinum spirit fire, which gently floated into his palm and disappeared into his skin.

Another mid-level demon god who once shook the heavens, Bifang—annihilated in both body and soul!
Where it fell, a massive pillar of spiritual energy, even more dazzling than before and imbued with a trace of immortal divinity, shot straight into the heavens, as if piercing a hole of light through the sky.

Countless surviving Five Elements Gu worms bathed in this pure spiritual tide, emitting satisfied hisses, their bodies swelling in size, their ferocity growing even stronger.

"May the Divine Lord be victorious!!"

"The might of the Dao Lord!!" The numerous human cultivators below, who had fought to the brink of death and were almost at their limit, witnessed Bi Fang disappear like a dream, looked at the newly formed, even more powerful pillar of spiritual energy, and then at the figure on the altar that seemed to never fall. Their despair instantly turned into soaring fervor and reverence, and their roars gathered into a sea that shook the clouds for thousands of miles.

The already wavering and scattered fighting spirit surged once again like lava.

The remaining demon gods and demon saints were now utterly terrified.

Looking at Lu Cheng and Yang Xiao, who was hiding in the shadows, was like looking at two deadly demons crawling out of the abyss of blood.

No demon god dared to rush forward easily; the formation was in disarray and the morale of the army had been lost.

Meanwhile, in the distant Tongtian Realm, separated by countless cosmic storms.

The Golden Summit soars into the clouds, a platform for observing the stars and the atmosphere.

This place was once the core stronghold of the Boundless Immortal Sect, a giant in the human realm, but it has now become a ruin of an immortal palace.

Amidst the ruins, only a magnificent observation platform, forged from steel sculpted from ancient stars, remains, its surface covered with ancient star trail runes. Beside the cloud-shrouded platform, three people sit facing each other at a simple stone table.

The old man on the left is dressed in a bright yellow Taoist robe embroidered with dragon patterns soaring through the clouds. His face is simple and slender, and his eyes seem to hold the illusion of stars disappearing and the world changing between dawn and dusk.

It was Lu Cheng's master, Daoist Huang Longzi.

On the stone table in front of him was a bronze round mirror that was neither gold nor jade, but ancient and mysterious. The mirror surface rippled like water, and what it reflected was not scenery, but the blurry and ever-changing cosmic energy.

On the right are a pair of cultivators who look like a divine couple.

The male cultivator's name was Wan Ziyi, and he wore a deep purple Daoist robe. His temperament was as steady as a mountain, and there was a hint of purple aura rising between his brows. The female cultivator's name was Su Ying, and she wore a plain white dress. Her face was as cold and aloof as a fairy in the moon palace, and her pair of bright eyes were exceptionally lively, as if they could see through people's hearts.

“Fellow Daoist Ziyi, the game of chess is like the affairs of the world. If one move is slow, every move will be slow. Between giving and receiving, one must always have some courage. This battle does not require the Yunxiao Immortal Sect to really take action. What we, master and disciple, ask for is only to temporarily borrow the ‘Yang Ring’ to help Tongxuan overcome this tribulation.”

"Fellow Daoist speaks so lightly. The Two Elements Universe Rings are the most precious treasures of our sect, left behind by our ancestors. If they were to be lost even slightly, how could Zi Yi face our ancestors again?"

With Huang Longzi's current level of magical power, he is just a junior with some potential in front of Wan Ziyi and his wife.

Although they were indeed quite confident in cultivating their primordial spirit, Wan Ziyi and his wife did not need to pay too much attention to it.

However, if he were the master of that Divine Lord Lu, then his influence would be significantly different, and Wan Ziyi and his wife would have to take his words seriously.

Huang Longzi tried to persuade her again, but Wan Ziyi remained silent.

The female cultivator Su Ying, standing to the side, slightly shifted her gaze as she looked at the ancient bronze mirror. The image reflected in the mirror was blurry, yet it seemed to faintly exude an earth-shattering aura of killing intent, causing her heart to tremble slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Huang Longzi, what is the situation of the battle in the Tongxuan Realm? What about that Divine Lord Lu?" Before he could finish speaking...

The ancient bronze mirror in front of Huang Longzi suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, its light fluctuating violently, clearly reflecting the void of the Tongxuan Realm:

Several unprecedentedly dazzling pillars of spiritual energy pierced the sky, and within one of them, a wisp of pure white-gold flame flashed and disappeared!

Immediately following, the illusory scene of countless shattered demonic shadows falling and the earth-shattering shouts of human cultivators pierced through the mirror's surface. A grand, noble aura, carrying the joyful will of the Heavenly Dao of this world, permeated the entire Qi-observing platform through the mirror's light.

Huang Longzi raised the spirit tea cup to his lips, and his usually calm eyes suddenly flashed with an indescribable brilliance.

"The aura surges to the heavens, the calamity turns crimson. The demon god's blood is spilled, the blue sky descends... The demon god Bifang has fallen!"

"The destiny of Heaven is not determined by temporary strength or weakness, but by who rises to the occasion in accordance with that destiny." Huang Longzi put down his teacup, his voice ethereal and tinged with the mystical:
"You two are favored by Heaven, and it will not be difficult for you to ascend to the Upper Realm in the future. But have you done enough meritorious deeds for this world?"

Today, there's no need for the two of you to personally venture into dangerous situations and fight those extraterrestrial demons and gods. Simply lending out the Yang Ring is sufficient; after all, even if you ascend to the upper realm in the future, your merits and karmic debts will always follow you.

This explanation, which was almost a matter of destiny, completely shattered the last hesitation and wishful thinking of Wan Ziyi and her husband.

The struggle on Wan Ziyi's face vanished completely, replaced by a solemn and resolute expression. He took a deep breath and solemnly bowed to Huang Longzi:
"Fellow Daoist, your righteousness and insight are truly admirable! It is not that my wife and I are retreating to protect ourselves, but rather that we are considering the opportune moment to borrow this treasure. Seeing this scene today, I realize that Lord Lu is truly favored by Heaven, and this treasure is destined to be born!"

Before he finished speaking, the hand seals in his hands changed like a lotus flower blooming.

He touched his brow with his fingertip, and a surge of pure magical power erupted forth, condensing into a complex rune-like seal before him. Then, he touched the jade belt at his waist.

hum!
A clear and melodious jade-like sound, resonating through the soul and like the first sound of heaven and earth, echoed across the golden peak in the clouds. Its sound penetrated the boundaries of time and space, faintly resonating with a certain node in the Five Elements Reincarnation Grand Array of the Mysterious Realm billions of miles away.

Before Wan Ziyi and his wife, the void rippled like water.

A jade ring, no bigger than the palm of your hand, with a smooth and translucent surface, and an ancient shape resembling two yin-yang fish chasing each other, containing endless pure yang essence, slowly emerged.

Although it has not yet been activated, it is only manifesting at this moment, yet it exudes a Taoist charm and Dharma meaning that opens up the distinction between the pure and the impure and divides the universe.

"Please accept this treasure on behalf of Lord Lu, to break the demonic calamity and restore order to the world!" Wan Ziyi carefully held up the small jade ring that shimmered with pure white light and handed it to Daoist Huanglongzi with both hands.

Huang Longzi accepted this top-tier ancient treasure of this world with both hands, his expression solemn.

It has a warm, jade-like feel, yet contains a primordial, earth-shattering power within.

"Heaven and Earth unite, Yin and Yang return to one. The profound Dharma realm awaits; this calamity must be overcome!" Having said this, Daoist Huanglongzi turned and took a step forward, his figure blurring in the air, leaving only his resounding words:

"You two fellow Daoists have done immeasurable good deeds today!"

Looking in the direction where Huang Longzi disappeared, and then at the dazzling golden light and the scene of fierce battle reflected in the ancient bronze mirror, Wan Ziyi and her husband were filled with emotion, and also with boundless hope and awe.

Beyond the Tongxuan Realm, in the chaotic starfield battlefield.

With the demise of the demon god Bifang, the aura of the ancestor of chaos, Yang Xiao, also completely disappeared from the Tongxuan Dharma Realm. Of course, he did not die, but successfully escaped the calamity.

Lu Cheng went all out to save this Demon Lord and spared no expense in using resources and pills to heal him. His original intention was to have him help him block one of the two demon gods, Sheng Yang and Kong Ji, and to secretly subdue him with the Netherworld Blood Pact.

Unexpectedly, this Demon Lord was also incredibly cunning, constantly making subtle moves to change the situation, slaying two mid-level demon gods in succession, essentially completing the Netherworld Blood Pact, and then leaving without a trace before the true Great Calamity arrived.

If Lu Cheng had followed his original plan, Yang Xiao would have been able to hold off either Sheng Yang or Kong Ji, buying them some time, but he would most likely have perished in the calamity.

Now, Yang Xiao has escaped unscathed, and his injuries are not even too serious.

"But at least he left this treasure to me, so our friendship wasn't in vain." On the altar, Daoist Lu Cheng murmured these words, and a jet-black jade ring appeared on his left hand, which was the Yin Ring from the Yin-Yang Universe Ring.

If it weren't for this treasure, Lu Cheng wouldn't have been able to easily let Yang Xiao escape.

Holding the Yin Ring, Lu Cheng could faintly sense a subtle yet extremely refined sensation, flashing incessantly regardless of distance, rapidly approaching him.

……

As a cultivator's cultivation and magical power continue to improve, he will naturally find that the world is getting smaller and smaller relative to himself.

The Tongxuan Dharma Realm alone is already no smaller than Earth in Lu Cheng's previous life, but in this world, a cultivator who reaches the Golden Core stage can travel the entire world on a sword in just a few days:

Eastern Danqiu and western Taihua, morning travels to the North Sea and evening travels to Cangwu. This is not a Taoist exaggeration.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one will feel the limited space of this world.

Nascent Soul cultivators can already barely fly through the stars and chase the moon. If they further cultivate to the Primordial Spirit realm, they can explore the universe alone, which is quite safe.

The nine worlds of Qingming, Chiyang, Dingzhang, Tongtian, Liehuo, Xuankong, Jumang, Yuqing, and Yinyang in this star field were explored one by one by the predecessors of cultivators, and their Dao methods evolved in an extremely prosperous way.

This means that the Yang Ring of the Yin-Yang Universe Ring will soon fall into Lu Cheng's hands, and it also means that the two true demon gods, Sheng Yang and Kong Ji, will descend upon this world soon.

Among the twenty-four demon gods, Yinglong Demon God has a noble bloodline and powerful magic. If he were not trapped in a top-tier seventh-order killing formation, he would be able to roam the heavens and no one could stop him. He would not be invincible, but he was close to it. However, he was still a junior cultivator of Shengyang and Kongji.

His greatest ambition was nothing more than to force these two demon gods to ascend to heaven and leave some scraps for future generations.

As Lu Cheng pondered, the space in front of him began to twist and fluctuate strangely. After a moment, the void condensed into an ancient jade ring surrounded by supreme yang purple energy—the yang ring of the Yin-Yang Qiankun Ring.

Lu Cheng reached out with his right hand, and the Yang Ring obediently fell into his palm. The moment it touched his hand, a warm, powerful, and seemingly life-giving magical energy surged into his limbs and bones, complementing the magical energy and primordial spirit that he had greatly depleted in the series of bloody battles, like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

This Yang Ring magic treasure was transported to the Blazing Fire Realm, the closest to the Tongxuan Realm, by the interdimensional teleportation array after Huang Longzi left the Cloud Peak, according to his plan. Then, with the combined power of Huang Longzi, Chi Shenzi, and Mie Hongzi, a seventh-order talisman was activated, and the treasure was delivered to Lu Cheng.

However, just as this withered tree was bursting with life again, a chilling pressure, completely opposite to the warmth of the sun, suddenly enveloped the entire chaotic star field outside the Tongxuan Realm!
The void twisted and froze silently. Even the enormous pillar of spiritual energy that stretched across the sky and supported the universe groaned under the pressure, and the light of heaven and earth dimmed.

Lu Cheng's heart trembled violently. The warmth he had just received from the Yang Ring vanished instantly, replaced by a terrifying aura that chilled even his primordial spirit to the bone, crashing down like a falling ancient star!
"finally come!"

Lu Cheng suddenly looked up, his divine light flashing like lightning, piercing through the myriad spatial fragments and chaotic spiritual energy turbulence within the great formation.

In the far distance, in the dark void, an unimaginably magnificent palace was flying towards them at a terrifying speed that seemed to tear through the void.

The palace was entirely constructed from the purest and most exquisite innate five elements, with the five colors of green, red, yellow, white, and black flowing endlessly, as if demonstrating the ultimate principles of the creation of the universe and the birth and death of the five elements.

The palace itself is a perfectly functioning Five Elements world. Its scale is so large that it is almost a small world. It is majestic and vast. The magical power emanating from its existence alone silently annihilates the surrounding floating star fragments, and even distorts and collapses spacetime.

It is none other than the Five Elements Divine Palace, the natal magic weapon of Daoist Kongji!

At the summit of the divine palace, a figure stood with his hands behind his back. His green robes fluttered, his black hair flew wildly, his face was indifferent and expressionless, yet his eyes seemed to hold the illusion of starry rivers fading and the rise and fall of countless worlds. It was none other than the supreme demon god who had once looked down upon the ages and regarded humanity as worthless grass—Kong Ji Dao Ren.

It is said that in its early years, this demon did not use any magical treasures or techniques when fighting people. Instead, it loved to use the Five Elements Divine Palace to tear open the void and crash into people. Its magical power was extremely fierce. It roamed for tens of thousands of years and no one could defeat it.

(End of this chapter)