Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 585 Golden Glow Sweeps Away Demons and Breaks Through Cloud Barriers, Blood Refines Divine Weapons with Unparalleled Craftsmanship (Thanks to Alliance Leader Taihao for the extra chapter!)
The Tianjue Canyon is a mountain range that looks as if it has been cleaved by a giant axe, with the cliffs on both sides charred black and soaked in blood and evil.

The blood cloud of the Chi Demon, which had once clung to the valley like a maggot, now appeared thin and dissipated, like tattered blood-stained silk torn apart by a gale.

The balance of power has already shifted!
In the past, when the Chi Demon pressed in, the black tide surged and the baleful aura soared to the sky, making it difficult for the native cultivators of the Taiqing Sect and the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace to survive.

Now, Wugu is severely injured, Huangquan Laoren has lost an arm and his treasure, and has fled in a sorry state, greatly diminishing the morale of the demon army.

In the world of cultivation, when two forces clash, the battles between high-level cultivators account for about 60% to 80% of the outcome. When mid-to-low-level cultivators fight against high-level cultivators, a defeat is a crushing defeat, and a victory is a Pyrrhic one.

Deep within the Tianjue Canyon, the Taiqing Sect's spiritual vein array hummed, with the giant spirit warship hovering in the center, breathing in abundant spiritual energy. The runes repaired on its hull flowed, radiating a heart-palpitating pressure.

Using this eighth-tier giant flying ship as a mobile formation, the Taiqing Sect and the native cultivators of the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace began to gradually counterattack, inflicting heavy casualties on the Chi Demon Clan cultivators.

Flying swords, magical artifacts, talismans, and spells—a dazzling array of colors and patterns—looked from above like a giant awl driven into a patch of blackish-red, rotting flesh.

The cultivators of the Chi Demon Clan are indeed fierce and brave, but they cannot survive in the Earthly Immortal Realm on their own.

Amidst the battle formation, two graceful figures stood out.

Sisters Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue stood side by side, their faces solemn, their slender hands simultaneously forming profound hand seals.

The Demon Refining Golden Pagoda hanging above their heads was now shining brightly, no longer as restrained as it had been during the previous defensive counterattacks, but instead fully unleashing the vast power of this natal spiritual treasure!

The tower has nine layers (after its cultivation was enhanced with many spiritual materials), each layer radiating boundless platinum light. Wherever the light reaches, it is like the sun melting snow. The remaining malevolent demonic energy and filthy blood evil in the valley will emit a "sizzling" sound of annihilation upon contact, and dissipate and melt away.

With the Demon-Subduing Technique in operation, streaks of demon-refining divine light crisscrossed back and forth.

Especially the platinum light beams shooting from the top of the Demon Refining Pagoda, even Chi Demon Clan cultivators who had reached the Fusion Stage dared not directly withstand its power!
"The Demon-Subduing Golden Wheel, appear!"

The two Xiao sisters, of one mind, shouted in unison.

The first level of the Demon Refining Golden Tower opened its doors, and a golden wheel, condensed from pure white-gold divine light and with edges as sharp as a divine weapon, roared out.

The golden wheel spun, emitting a deep, resonant chant, instantly tearing apart a defensive formation composed of dozens of elite Chi Demons.

As the golden wheel passed by, the demonic cultivator's body shattered like rotten wood, and his soul, under the Buddha's light, let out a shrill scream before being forcibly purified and exorcised, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating.

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

The deep, resounding six-syllable mantra echoed throughout the valley. It did not originate from the golden pagoda, yet it perfectly matched the pagoda's light, as if it had been infused with supreme divine essence.

A young monk, dressed in a moon-white robe and holding a string of ancient Bodhi prayer beads, appeared as if he were the protagonist of the world. Even the crimson sun behind him became a backdrop for him. This was none other than Zen Master Xiaoyue from Xiji Zen Temple who had come to lend his support!

His face was compassionate, and his steps were unhurried. With each step he took, a golden lotus phantom appeared beneath his feet. This was the Buddhist supernatural power of "lotus blooming with every step".

He chanted mantras, and his body shone with Buddhist light, which condensed into pale golden swastika-shaped Buddhist seals that shot towards the remnants of the Chi Demon army like a golden meteor shower.

Zen Master Xiaoyue's Buddhist magic, unlike the fierce and brutal Golden Pagoda Divine Light, was far more profound and mysterious. As the Buddhist seal entered his body, the lower-level Chi Mo struggled for a moment, but the ferocity in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by confusion and even a sliver of clarity. Finally, he laid down his weapon, sat cross-legged, and chanted a muffled Buddhist mantra. His demonic energy was slowly dissolved by the Buddhist light; he was forcibly converted!
Those with slightly higher cultivation levels could barely resist, but their souls were shaken, their movements became sluggish, and the demonic energy within their bodies was not circulating smoothly, so they could not exert 70% of their full strength.

If one is injured by a group of cultivators, one's will will naturally weaken, increasing the possibility of being converted by Buddhist teachings. If one remains stubborn and unyielding, one will be killed by a group of Taoist cultivators in this state.

The Golden Pagoda Divine Light is responsible for "breaking evil" and "slaying demons," and is fierce and ruthless in its killing; the Zen Master Buddha Seal is responsible for "conversion" and "suppressing the soul," and dispelling the enemy's will.

The two, one hard and one soft, one refined and one transcended, complemented each other perfectly, forming an incredibly profound synergy!

"This method of forcibly distorting people's minds and then leading them into Buddhism is more like enslavement than salvation."

It looks even more sinister and terrifying than demonic martial arts! Indeed, it's neither bald nor poisonous, neither poisonous nor bald!

Xiao Yuxue, with her lively and carefree nature, looked at the handsome young monk in his moon-white robes and whispered this to her sister beside her.

“Alas, sister, both Buddhism and Taoism are benevolent religions. They are only helping to convert evil spirits, not harming others. Besides, they came to help us.”

Xiao Yuhong, with her calm and composed demeanor, spoke thus. Then, this beautiful female immortal, accompanied by her younger sister, ascended the cloud and took the lead in bowing and saying:
"The Zen Master's Buddhist teachings are profound; he can subdue demons without them even realizing it. Yu Hong is truly impressed!"

If it were only based on their cultivation level and status, they would not be qualified to communicate with Zen Master Xiaoyue in this way. However, since Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue are both the principal wives of the head of the Taiqing Sect, there is nothing wrong with them speaking like this.

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Xiaoyue smiled kindly, her Bodhi prayer beads moving even faster. Visible ripples of pale golden Buddhist light spread out from her body, calming the battlefield's ferocity and enhancing the Daoist cultivators' advantage. She then responded:

"The Demon-Refining Golden Pagodas of the two benefactors of the Xiao family contain the true essence of the ancient Buddhist sect for subduing demons. Their power is immeasurable, and their future is bright. This old monk is merely adding icing on the cake. Destroying demons and protecting the righteous path is our duty. We should work together with one heart and one mind."

"Both Buddhism and Taoism belong to the path of goodness, and both can be practiced together, which can greatly enhance the power of this pagoda to subdue demons."

Just now, Zen Master Xiaoyue used his own vital energy to bless the Demon-Refining Golden Pagoda with the Six-Syllable Great Light Mantra, increasing its power within a thousand years. If Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue are willing, they can also comprehend the Buddhist teachings within and incorporate them into their Taoist practices. Cultivating both Buddhism and Taoism can also lead to remarkable achievements.

For a Buddhist practitioner, this would be an immense gift.

As a Mahayana cultivator of the Western Great Zen Temple, there are probably few cultivators in this immortal realm who have studied Buddhism more deeply than him.

Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue exchanged a glance, then both bowed to thank Zen Master Xiaoyue for his gift.

However, what the two women were thinking was: after returning, they would beg their husbands to remove the Buddhist seal on the golden pagoda. Cultivating both Taoism and Buddhism was indeed a path, but the Xiao sisters did not know why they did not take the great road to heaven, but instead insisted on taking the rugged mountain path.

However, these two sisters had been in the Taiqing Sect and by Lu Cheng's side for many years, and their exposure to the Dao had deepened their connection with it, so they would not easily change their path.

Zen Master Xiaoyue was unaware that the Buddhist seal she had planted, at the cost of expending her own vital energy, had already been easily discarded by the Xiao sisters.

His gaze swept over the area deep within the canyon where demonic energy was more concentrated, and he said:

"That cave is filled with demonic energy and seems to be protected by a remnant formation. It must be where Wugu Can is healing his wounds. The Golden Pagoda is sharp and can be used as a vanguard to break through its barrier. This old monk will use the Buddhist seal to stabilize the space and cover for the two ladies, preventing their blood escape."

“That’s exactly what I wanted!” Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuxue’s beautiful eyes flashed with a cold light. She exchanged a glance with her sister, their thoughts in sync.

Knowing that Zen Master Xiaoyue was aware of their identities and was willing to give up this great merit to them, they immediately accepted without hesitation.

As the two women cast their spells, the Demon Refining Pagoda suddenly shrank, transforming into a golden beam of light condensed to its extreme, its tip pointing directly at the area deep within the canyon where thick black gas was billowing.

Wherever the beam of light passed, the space seemed to be scorched with faint marks.

"Hmph!" Zen Master Xiaoyue uttered a true word, and a swastika-shaped Buddhist seal, as solid as a millstone and as large as a millstone, arrived first and landed steadily on the rolling black mist.

The black energy surged violently, emitting a shrill howl like ghosts and wolves, attempting to erode the Buddha seal, but it was firmly held in place, like a poisonous insect nailed to amber.

The next moment!
Boom—Crack!!!

The golden beam of the Demon-Refining Pagoda crashed violently into the demonic energy barrier that was held in place by the Buddha's seal!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a teeth-grinding, crisp sound like shattering glass.

The demonic barrier, created by the remnants of Wugu's magic and mixed with the malevolent energy of countless vengeful spirits, crumbled and collapsed inch by inch under the dual crushing force of the Buddha's light and the golden pagoda, just like ice and snow thrown into a furnace!

The demonic barrier shattered, revealing a crudely carved cave behind it. A flash of bloody light appeared inside the cave, accompanied by a roar of shock and anger. A disheveled figure, shrouded in a thick aura of bloodlust, shot out in panic. It was none other than Wugu Can, who was heavily injured and whose aura was several times weaker than before!

He glared at Zen Master Xiaoyue with venomous hatred, then transformed into a streak of blood without hesitation, abandoning his remaining subordinates and fleeing desperately towards the outside of the canyon.

If it were just a Buddhist Mahayana cultivator like Master Xiaoyue, Wugu Can would not be afraid. However, at the four corners of the great formation in front of him, there were still three enormous auras as deep as the sea, faintly locking onto this place.

Both sides were old rivals who had been fighting for hundreds of years. Wugu Can certainly knew who his opponent was. If he didn't leave now, would he be surrounded again?

"Chase!" The elite warriors of the Taiqing Sect's battle camp roared in unison, their morale soaring. Under the pure and holy light emanating from the Demon Refining Golden Pagoda, they surged forward like a golden tide towards the routed Chi Demon army.

The Heavenly Canyon has now been transformed into a magnificent battlefield where the divine light of the Supreme Purity has cleansed away the demonic aura!

On the battlefield, the most opportune time to inflict casualties and gain substantial gains is when one side suffers a major rout.

Following closely behind, Zen Master Xiaoyue unleashed his palm-sized Buddhist power, imprisoning and converting a large number of the scattered Chi Demon army cultivators. When his power could no longer contain them, he put them into a bag.

This grayish-yellow pouch was also a rare treasure. By the end of the entire battle, hundreds of thousands of Chi Demon cultivators had probably been put into it, yet it didn't seem to become much bloated.

"Could it have already turned into blood?" Xiao Yuxue asked her sister beside her in a low voice, her heart pounding with fear.

“Amitabha! This treasure is called the Human Seed Bag. It only has the power to imprison and suppress. After I return to the Buddhist temple, I will release them. From then on, they will listen to the Dharma day and night and resolve their resentment and obsessions.” With his cultivation level, Zen Master Xiaoyue would naturally hear Xiao Yuxue’s words and explained with a smile.

The Lingshan Cave remains serene and secluded, isolating itself from the sounds of battle from the front lines of the canyon.

Amidst the swirling spiritual energy, Daoist Lu Cheng sat cross-legged on a jade futon.

A simple, ancient mirror hung in front of him. The mirror was not reflecting himself at this moment, but rather rippled like water, projecting a three-dimensional scroll of light and shadow that covered most of the quiet room.

This is a detailed aerial map of the entire Eastern Celestial Region, and even some adjacent areas!
Mountains and rivers, important sects and towns, spiritual energy nodes, and even the general movement of cultivators and demonic armies are all marked with light spots and fine lines of different colors, showing every detail in a grand and precise manner.

At this moment, on the front line, three Mahayana Dao Lords, Ming Que, Ming He, and Tong Zhen, as well as Zen Master Xiao Yue, are fighting. The four Mahayana cultivators are facing a heavily injured Chi Mo clan Mahayana cultivator. In addition, since Lu Cheng's own injuries have not yet healed, he will naturally not step forward in this battle.

At this moment, his gaze was calm, like a deep pool in an ancient well, and his fingers slowly slid through the air, manipulating the light and shadow on the scroll.

Lu Cheng's gaze was firmly fixed on the core area of ​​the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace and the front line of the main force of the Chi Demon Clan.

Battle reports may be embellished or concealed due to differences in stance or outcome, but the scenes and images on the front lines truthfully reflect reality.

"Mo Yanxing, what a brilliant move of 'exchanging land for people'," Lu Cheng muttered to himself.

On the light and shadow map, the halo representing the control area of ​​the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace is shrinking backward at a tenacious and slow pace along several pre-set main defense lines.

Each contraction was accompanied by the violent surge and depletion of dark red light spots, representing the Chi Demon Clan's military might and symbolizing intense bloodlust.

The light spots resisted by the Heavenly Palace cultivators rose and fell along the retreat route, stubbornly resisting. With each outbreak of resistance, the dark red light spots of Chi Mo would dim a little and shrink in size.

Clearly, Mo Yanxing had discerned the fatal weakness of the Chi Demon Clan, which was forced to migrate south due to pressure from the Sea King Clan. Although the individuals were brave, their overall military strength, especially the top-tier Mahayana-level combat power, was insufficient.

He used the vast territory of one of the nine sects of the human race, and the blood and flesh of countless disciples and allies, to gradually wear down the Chi Demon Clan's sharpness and edge in their southward invasion.

Every inch of land that seems to be "lost" is soaked in the blood of the Chi Demon clan.

As Lu Cheng calculated and deduced in his mind, his gaze finally focused on the eastern core of the light and shadow diagram—a magnificent palace complex constructed of countless complex runes and tiny puppet phantoms:
Heavenly Palace Creation City!
This is the location of the mountain gate of the Eastern Celestial Palace of Creation, and also the final battleground chosen by Mo Yanxing.

That place is where the Heavenly Palace has accumulated tens of thousands of years of history, and it is also the place where Mo Yanxing's life's work of creating the highest level of puppetry has been realized.

"If we win this battle... the Chi Demon Clan will suffer a severe blow, and their southward invasion will be completely interrupted. They may even be pushed back by the combined forces of other clans, suffering a great loss of vitality. It would be the least of their worries if they could not recover for tens of thousands of years. I'm afraid the disaster of extinction is just around the corner."

"However, if we lose this battle, the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace and Mo Yanxing will have no chance of returning. I'm afraid... their lineage will be severed and their sects will be destroyed. The destruction of one of the nine sects of the human race would be a huge loss for the human race."

Lu Cheng slowly closed his eyes after calculating to this point, but his consciousness sank even deeper into the scroll in front of him, calculating countless possible outcomes and possibilities, as well as effective countermeasures from the perspective of the Taiqing Sect.

……

Easternmost Celestial Realm, Heavenly Palace of Creation.

This magnificent city, which floated in the eastern part of the Eastern Celestial Realm and embodied the essence of humankind's most ingenious creations, has now been brought down to the ground. It is no longer a pure land of immortals, but has become a killing field forged in blood and fire, and written by despair and madness.

On the city wall, the once radiant and vibrant defensive barriers have long since faded and broken, leaving jagged gaps and charred marks like ugly scars.

Even after falling to the ground, the Heavenly Palace Creation City remains like a colossal divine mountain.

Below, however, the Chi Demon Clan's army, like a viscous black tide, carrying a suffocatingly fierce aura, relentlessly assaulted the crumbling steel fortress wave after wave.

The remains of the puppet legion and the cultivator legion were piled up like mountains. Broken limbs mixed with severed limbs, molten metal mixed with blood and blood, and shattered spirit stone cores floated in the dark red muddy water. The air was filled with the pungent smell of burning metal and blood.

In the sky, the "Universal Celestial Puppets Grand Array," once a source of pride for the Heavenly Palace cultivators, was torn open with several huge rifts. The turbid and surging blood clouds of the Chi Demon, like the floodwaters of the Styx River bursting its banks, continuously poured in, eroding the remaining pure and ethereal light of this place.

Mo Yanxing, the current sect leader of the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace, is a man of great talent and strategy. His strategy of "fighting and retreating while exchanging land for people" has indeed been constantly depleting the strength of the Chi Demon Clan.

However, Mo Yanxing still underestimated the resilience and terror of the Chi Demon Clan!
The losses in the decisive battle at the Heavenly Palace Creation City far exceeded his expectations. Even the Heavenly Palace Creation City itself was forcibly knocked down from the sky by the Chi Demon Clan's supreme treasure, the "Blood River Banner."

At this moment, the war is in the most brutal street fighting. All the cultivators in the Heavenly Palace Creation City are caught in a full-scale war. This is a war between races. If they are defeated, the fate of the survivors will probably be worse than death.

The last elite cultivators of the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace, the two Mahayana Heavenly Craftsmen, Xuanji and Yuheng, along with dozens of "Heavenly Craftsmen Elders" at the Integration Realm, are like the core gears embedded in a huge precision instrument, frantically burning their Dao fundamental source and pouring their life's magical power and cultivation into the central hub of this giant city beneath their feet.

Driven by them, the Heavenly Palace Creation City seemed to be a living entity with its own will, continuously slaughtering large numbers of cultivators who were being attacked by the Chi Demon army.

Correspondingly, the violent shocks brought by each charge of the Chi Demon army also caused their bodies to tremble and blood to spill from their mouths, yet no one retreated a single step.

The real source of immense pressure, besides the Chi Demon army that had gathered the power of all cultivators, was the three Mahayana elders of the Chi Demon race who had survived countless battles. Under the leadership of the Grand Elder, Wugu Tu, all three had transformed into demon god avatars.
The demon has three heads and six arms, and is ferocious and terrifying. It wields phantoms such as a giant axe, a demonic fork, and a bone banner. Every swing of its weapon tears through space, annihilates armies, and brings forth a bloody storm with overwhelming demonic power.

In a one-on-one battle, the Eastern Celestial Palace of Creation is already beyond saving. The two Mahayana Celestial Craftsmen, Xuanji and Yuheng, along with dozens of Celestial Craftsmen Elders at the Integration Realm, might not even be enough to kill Wugu Tu alone.

Therefore, their gazes were fixed on the figure standing at the deepest part of the Heavenly Palace, at the intersection of endless spiritual light and destructive storms—Palace Master Mo Yanxing.

Mo Yanxing hovered before the intricately complex and constantly operating "Creation Pivot," composed of countless gears and mechanisms. His aura was profound, yet also carried a strange, inhuman chill. Behind him, the "Creation Emperor," whose face was identical to his but whose mask was worn in a different direction, a creation that consumed ten thousand years of accumulation by the Eastern Celestial Palace of Creation and was considered the pinnacle of puppetry in this world, was radiating a chilling fluctuation of magical power.

It was not an ordinary, lifeless puppet. Dark golden veins of primordial energy flowed across its metal body, and a ball of light, like an artificial sun, pulsated slowly at the core of its chest. Each "heartbeat" caused the entire Heavenly Palace Creation City to resonate with it.

“The moment has come…” Mo Yanxing’s voice echoed calmly in the core of the cardinal, penetrating the roar of battle outside and clearly entering the consciousness of core members such as Xuanji and Yuheng.

"Chi Mo, having schemed for millennia, lured me into his trap, using the legacy of the Divine Machine Clan as bait to induce me to assimilate into this body, ultimately turning me into his puppet, which then devoured my main soul and severed my lineage... His scheme is undeniably profound!"

"What? The Chi Demon clan has been planning to migrate south for ten thousand years, and they've set their sights on my Creation Palace?"

This was the first time that even the two Mahayana cultivators, Xuanji and Yuheng, had heard of this inside story.

It's just that there aren't many cultivators like Mo Yanxing who have reached the pinnacle in both the arts of cultivation and personal political maneuvering. The vast majority of cultivators are like Xuanji and Yuheng, who dedicate themselves to arduous cultivation.

Let alone being distracted by power struggles and schemes, even being distracted by pleasure could hinder one's cultivation path.

Therefore, Mo Yanxing never resented the Taiqing Sect for diverting the trouble to the east, because he knew in his heart that the Chi Demon Clan's original target was the Heavenly Palace Creation City!
“Yes,” Mo Yanxing’s gaze swept over the blood-soaked city beneath his feet, over the disciples fighting valiantly, and over Xuanji and Yuheng, his two fellow disciples and friends who had been companions for millennia.

"Am I to be a piece of meat on a chopping block, to be slaughtered at will? Three thousand years ago, from that broken jade slip in the 'Ancient Battlefield of Guixu,' I already glimpsed some of the truth about this technique. The Great Dao of 'Human-Puppet Unity,' the secret tradition of the 'Machine God Clan' that was destroyed by Chi Mo, is not about devouring, but rather... transformation! Using the souls of living beings as fuel, to forge the true 'Machine God'!"
Although the Chi Demon clan exterminated the Machine God clan, this clan was foolish and ignorant, unable to truly comprehend the mysteries of the Machine God's magic. Or rather, the fact that the Machine God clan failed to complete this technique ten thousand years ago does not mean that I am also unable to complete it after combining it with the highest level of human puppetry!

Xuanji Tiangong, who had also read the contents of "The Pivot of a Thousand Machines and Hundred Ingenuity: The Heavenly Scroll," exclaimed in shock, "Palace Master! You mean..."

"Excellent!" Mo Yanxing's eyes flashed with a sharp light, a fervent and clear-headed brilliance that pierced through the fog:
"Over countless years, under the catalysis of the 'pollution' hidden within the alien race's heritage by the Chi Demon, the 'Creation Emperor' had already developed a naive yet greedy 'self-awareness'! It yearned for a complete life! Yearned for... a 'perfect fuel' like me!"

"Palace Master, you mustn't!" Yuheng Tiangong's eyes widened in fury as he tried to rush forward, but he was firmly suppressed by the violent energy field of the Cardinal Core.

"There must be another way! We will risk our lives to protect you until the reinforcements from Master Lucheng arrive..."

"It's too late, Uncle-Master Yuheng. The main force of the Chi Demons is all here. Even if Fellow Daoist Lu Cheng is a genius, he should consider the future of the Taiqing Sect. Moreover, this is what I have been hoping for for ten thousand years of cultivation: can an extremely exquisite puppet replace the physical body of a cultivator and achieve our ideal of eternal existence?"
The Mechs failed back then, but that doesn't mean we will fail too.

Mo Yanxing's gaze fell upon the increasingly active core sphere of light of the "Creation Emperor," which exuded a terrifying allure.

"Rather than be defeated by the Chi Demon Clan and lose the Heavenly Palace's tens of thousands of years of foundation, I would rather complete this 'transformation' myself!" Mo Yanxing's voice suddenly rose, carrying a martyr-like solemnity and fervor:
"Abandon my physical body, my consciousness, use my primordial spirit as the catalyst, and my life's cultivation as the furnace! I will completely ignite this 'Mechanical God' body, and make it... serve me! For the Eastern Celestial Palace of Creation, for the billions of lives in this city, I will fight for that sliver of opportunity to defy fate!"

Before Xuanji, Yuheng, and the others could say anything more, Mo Yanxing suddenly spread his arms wide.

A vast, star-like light of primordial spirit erupted from his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows!
That wasn't an attack, but... a sacrifice! It was the annihilation of the self!

His physical body instantly disintegrated, merging with his divine consciousness and magical power to transform into an indescribably brilliant primordial spirit, carrying Mo Yanxing's life's wisdom, memories, emotions, and enlightenment. Like the purest sweet rain, or the most resolute torrent, it actively surged towards the core light sphere of the "Creation Emperor"!

He has a high chance of dying. The goal of using a puppet to replace the physical body of a cultivator in order to achieve immortality has been studied by countless cultivators throughout the ages, but almost all of them have failed.

The physical body of a living being, possessing the creation of heaven and earth and containing the mysteries of all things, is truly beyond the reach of the current level of puppetry techniques in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

However, Mo Yanxing is also a puppet master with extremely high talent and skill. Even though he has been bound by the position of sect leader for ten thousand years, he has not extinguished the flame in his heart and challenged the authority from the creator as a puppeteer!
"Palace Master—!!!"

Xuanji, Yuheng, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators were all shocked, but they could only watch helplessly as the unique life mark representing Mo Yanxing was instantly swallowed and melted by the light sphere, like gold dust thrown into a furnace!
The body of the "Creation Emperor" trembled violently! The core sphere of light erupted with an unprecedented, terrifying light that surpassed even that of the sun!
The light instantly swept across the entire core of the cardinal, even penetrating layers of restrictions, illuminating the Chi Demon army formation that was fiercely attacking with a pale white light!
As time passed, though it was only a few breaths in reality, it felt extremely long to Xuanji, Yuheng, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators. An overwhelming pressure, surpassing the limits of this world, descended with a thunderous roar, like an ancient beast that had been sleeping for countless ages awakening!

Click!

Click!
The "Creation Emperor's" originally slightly stiff metal joints emitted a teeth-grinding grinding sound, which then became incredibly smooth.

Its pair of eyes, like a furnace of stars, slowly lit up. They were no longer cold, mechanical light, but filled with a newborn, cold, and resolute majesty, bearing the imprint of Mo Yanxing's last will!

It—or rather, it slowly raised its palm. Within its palm, countless profound and mysterious runes flashed, rearranged, and coalesced wildly!
"This is... the pressure of the Mahayana! It is the will of the Palace Master! The Palace Master has truly succeeded! The inheritance of the Machine God Clan and the 'Thousand Machines and Hundred Ingenuity Pivot - Heavenly Scroll' of our sect have mutually verified and merged, and can truly create a perfect puppet equivalent to a human body!"

Xuanji Tiangong felt that familiar yet unfamiliar overwhelming pressure. Tears streamed down his face as he roared hoarsely. At this moment, he was almost unlike a cultivator at the Mahayana realm. It was an outpouring of both grief and ecstasy!
But without this passion and yearning, how could he have cultivated himself to the level he has today?

"Mo Yanxing!!!" A terrifying roar filled with shock, anger, and disbelief echoed from within the Chi Demon Clan's formation!
It was none other than Wugu Tu, the Mahayana ancestor of the Chi Demon Clan, who was deeply hidden and extremely powerful!

He never expected that the seed of death he had planted after spending ten thousand years of effort and giving away so much of the heritage of the "Machine God Clan" would not only fail to devour Mo Yanxing, but would instead be truly controlled by him in this mutually destructive way, thus benefiting the other party and turning against himself!

Above the sky, terrifying black mist and tribulation clouds rapidly gathered, but quickly dissipated, because the target's aura had instantly merged into the aura of billions of living beings.

The Great Tribulation is the Heavenly Punishment of the Dao that governs the operation of the Heavenly Dao in this world. Of course, it will not kill countless mortals without cause. However, this tribulation that targets individual cultivators will later transform into even more terrifying tribulations such as tribulations of human relationships and tribulations of love.

Within the Creation Emperor, Mo Yanxing's will was rapidly recovering, which meant that the method of replacing the human cultivator's physical body with a perfect puppet had been initially successful. At the same time, Mo Yanxing noticed that he had already advanced to the Mahayana realm, which was precisely because flesh and blood were weak and bloodless, and the puppet proved the way!
"At this moment, the speed at which my divine sense operates has even surpassed that of an ordinary late-stage Mahayana cultivator. Although this puppet body can only perform basic movements, combined with its material and the speed at which my divine sense operates, it is equivalent to a body cultivator at the Mahayana realm."

Wow, that's amazing!
…My consciousness is slowly dissipating. Although it is very slow, at most 30,000 years, my self-awareness will be completely dissipated. In the end, it is still no match for the natural physical body created by cultivators.

"Fine, with combat power almost equivalent to a late-stage Mahayana cultivator, plus this puppet body, I can easily ascend to the Immortal Realm within these 30,000 years. I believe the Immortal Realm must have a truly perfect puppet cultivation method that can replace a cultivator's physical body!"

The next moment, a terrifying, almost tangible divine consciousness spread out from the Creation Puppet, even reaching almost the entire Creation Heavenly Palace City of a whole world.

The Creation Heavenly Palace City was refined and repaired by the Eastern Creation Heavenly Palace for tens of thousands of years, and countless cultivators exhausted their magic power and effort. It was originally a tenth-order pseudo-immortal artifact. However, before that, there was simply not enough divine sense and computing power to truly control it.

Now things are different. The Creation Emperor and the Creation Heavenly Palace City have perfectly combined to create a flawless tenth-order pseudo-immortal artifact. If this treasure is completed, it will be virtually invincible in the mortal world.

Click, click, click…

As the Creation Emperor's divine sense spread and he manipulated the entire Creation Heavenly Palace, it gradually merged with him, every inch and every part constantly changing. A gigantic humanoid figure, rising from the ground as if it could reach out and pluck the stars, was gradually taking shape.

At this moment, Mo Yanxing's divine sense was incredibly powerful, protecting almost every human cultivator in the entire Creation Heavenly Palace City.

Then, every cultivator within the Creation Heavenly Palace City provides him with a source of magical power.

"Withdraw! The entire army must immediately withdraw from the Heavenly Palace Creation City!"

The Great Elder of the Chi Demon Clan, Wugu Tu, understood what was happening and immediately ordered the Chi Demon Army to retreat at all costs. Even though the cultivator army moved incredibly fast, a portion of the Chi Demon Army was still trapped forever within the ever-changing Heavenly Palace Creation City.

The "Creation Emperor"—or, as it should be called at this moment, the "Ink Evolution Emperor"—has merged with the giant city and has completely transformed into a colossal divine weapon.

The enormous metal head turned slightly, its gaze locking onto several sources emanating Mahayana energy deep within the Chi Demon army formation.

His giant hand pressed down without hesitation!

With that one press, it was as if the entire universe had been condensed into the palm of his hand!

The Buddhist Palm Kingdom and the Taoist One-Qi Capture are already extremely domineering and fierce supernatural powers. However, at this moment, compared with the palm strike of the Mo Yan Emperor's giant divine weapon, they are somewhat lacking in domineering power!
It wasn't a deafening explosion, nor a beam of light tearing through the void. Where the giant hand landed, space itself groaned under its strain, twisting and collapsing layer upon layer, ultimately forming a completely black, all-consuming singularity!

No sound could emanate from it, nor could any light escape from it. That singularity was like the entrance to the cosmic void, carrying a great terror of the end of all things.

Of the three Chi Demon Clan Mahayana Ancestors who were locked on, one was a little slow to react and was instantly captured by the terrifying collapsing force field!

His once-proud and powerful demonic body, capable of overturning rivers and seas, shattered and twisted like fragile glass at this moment. He couldn't even let out a scream. His primordial spirit, magical treasures, and all traces of his existence were completely swallowed and erased by the absolute darkness!
Although the other two Mahayana patriarchs managed to break free from the gravitational core at the last moment by using secret techniques, they were also swept by the storm of spatial fragments at the edge of the collapse. Their protective demonic energy shattered like paper, leaving terrifying wounds on their demonic bodies that were deep enough to expose bone and filled with an aura of destruction. Their auras instantly weakened, and their eyes were filled with utter horror!
"Pseudo-Immortal Power! This...this is already at the half-step True Immortal realm!" A heavily injured Chi Demon Ancestor screamed in disbelief.

One strike! With just one strike, two Mahayana cultivators were injured, and one Mahayana cultivator was instantly killed!
The immense power of "Emperor Moyan" instantly terrified the entire battlefield!

Inside, the Heavenly Palace cultivators, who had been in despair, erupted in thunderous cheers. The remaining puppet army in the world seemed to have received some kind of blessing, unleashing even greater power and launching a full-scale counterattack.

The Chi Demon army's offensive, which was originally like a raging tidal wave, showed obvious signs of slowing down and becoming chaotic with fear!
"By the Heavenly Craftsman, I will follow the Emperor—to slay the enemy!" Xuanji Heavenly Craftsman's spirits soared. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, let out a sharp roar, and manipulated the central core, pouring the remaining spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body of "Emperor Moyan" without reservation.

The massive body of "Emperor Moyan" moved.

The massive metal arm swept across, generating enough wind pressure to crush the mountain-sized Chimo war beast into mincemeat!
The beams of primordial energy shooting from between his fingers easily pierced through the layers of the demon army's battle formation, carving out bottomless lava ravines!

He became the absolute ruler of the battlefield! Single-handedly, he halted the offensive of the Chi Demon army and even began to push back!
The scales of victory seem to be tipping in favor of the heavens.

The eyes of Xuanji, Yuheng, and other Heavenly Crafts Elders were rekindled with hope, as if they could see the dawn of defeating Chimo and turning the tide under the leadership of the Palace Master (Emperor).

If the changes had stopped there, things would indeed have continued in this way. At this point, the Great Elder of the Chi Demon Clan, Wugu Tu, was already planning to retreat with a portion of his clansmen. Although they had lost the battle, leaving behind some of their destiny was better than all of them dying here.

As long as one Mahayana cultivator from the Chi Demon Clan remains alive, the human race will not dare to go too far!

However, at this crucial moment when the situation seemed to be settled.

A figure, almost blending into the shadows, with a missing arm and a sinister, disheveled aura, appeared silently like the most deadly venomous snake on the edge of the battlefield, where the energy of heaven and earth was most turbulent. It was none other than the Yellow Spring Elder of the Nine Nether Ghost Saint Clan!

He was emaciated, with black mist swirling around his severed arm, his face deathly pale, yet his eyes burned with a deep-seated resentment and a kind of manic excitement.

He stared intently at the colossal warrior that swept across the battlefield like a god descending from heaven, his lips moving silently as if chanting a curse from the depths of the underworld.

"...Mo Yanxing...Mo Yan Emperor? What skill! What courage! He actually managed to complete the Machine God Clan's millennia-long plan and even ascended to the rank of Pseudo-Immortal with this body... It's a pity that whether it's you, the Chi Demon Clan of that time, or even the Machine God Clan, you are all just pawns in the master's hands. He can make you live or die as he pleases."

With his one arm, the old man from the underworld carefully took out an object from his bosom. It was a strange jade talisman, no bigger than the palm of his hand, but as black as ink, and engraved with countless twisted and writhing runes that drove people crazy!

The moment this jade talisman appeared, the surrounding space instantly became cold and deathly silent. Even the raging energy of heaven and earth on the battlefield was strangely distorted and dissipated when it passed through this place.

"Unfortunately... you are ultimately just a 'Machine God'! No longer a sentient being! Without the protection of a physical body, this 'Primordial Demon Talisman' bestowed by the Lord is the final fate of you, human creations!" A fierce glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and his one arm swung out suddenly!

The black jade talisman did not shoot out, but disappeared instantly as if it had merged into the void!

The next moment!

Om-! ! !
A deep, resounding boom, so loud it could stop a person's heart and shatter their soul, suddenly erupted from the core of the massive body of "Emperor Mo Yan" without warning!
The colossus, which was sweeping through the Chimo and was invincible, suddenly froze! As if it had been paused!
His cold, majestic eyes, which carried Mo Yanxing's last will, were instantly covered by a thick, impenetrable blackness that seemed to writhe like a living thing!

"Ugh... Ah—!!!"

A terrifying roar, which could not be produced by the friction of metal, and which was a mixture of the painful wails of billions of living beings and the frantic screams of some new life force, burst forth from the depths of the "Emperor Mo Yan's" chest!

This roar formed a visible destructive sonic wave that swept across all directions in an instant!
Countless Chi Demon warriors who approached Him, along with the remains of the Heavenly Palace puppets and cultivators, were silently reduced to dust like sand sculptures!

Xuanji, Yuheng, and all the Heavenly Craftsmen who were channeling power into Him and were connected to Him in spirit were struck as if by a heavy hammer!

The sounds of "poof" filled the air, and those with weaker cultivation levels were instantly blasted into a bloody mist!
Xuanji and Yuheng, the two Mahayana Heavenly Craftsmen, also bled from their seven orifices. Their souls felt as if they were pierced by millions of steel needles, and they let out extremely shrill screams. Their pure primordial spirit essence was being frantically extracted by an irresistible and terrifying suction force originating from the core of the "Emperor"!
"No! This divine sense is not the Palace Master's! This is not... the Emperor!" Xuanji Tiangong's eyes widened in shock as she sensed the chilling, chaotic, greedy, and terrifying will emanating from the core, a will completely opposite to Mo Yanxing's. In an instant, she understood what was happening.

That scream was the last trace the Palace Master left in this world.

Yuheng Tiangong also let out a desperate cry, trying to sever its connection with the central hub, but found that it and all the surviving Tiangong were like moths welded to the torrent of primordial energy of heaven and earth, unable to break free even for a moment!
However, the real disaster has only just begun!
"Emperor Moyan"—no, at this moment He has completely transformed, it would be more appropriate to call Him "World-Devouring Demon Lord". His eyes, covered with eerie black light, slowly turned inward and scanned the magnificent city within his body that carried billions of lives—the Heavenly Palace Creation City.

There was no longer any intention to protect; only naked, primal, and greedy hunger!
At the very beginning of life, what emerges is the most primal desire, the desire to satisfy instinctual impulses; without the constraints of morality or right and wrong, it aims to seek to satisfy one's instincts to the greatest extent possible.

The once brilliant artificial sun at the core of His chest has now transformed into a wildly spinning, bottomless black vortex!

The vortex unleashed an indescribable, terrifying suction force, no longer absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth, but... plundering life! Plundering souls!

"what--!"

"Help!"

"My body...my body!"

The shrill, desperate screams spread like a plague to every corner of the Heavenly Palace Creation City!
Whether you are a cultivator fighting bloody battles, a master craftsman controlling puppets, a mortal hiding in a fortress, or an infant in swaddling clothes... as long as you are within this giant city, regardless of your cultivation level or social status!
An invisible force locked onto every living being! Countless faint, yet imbued with the essence of life and the mark of the soul, crimson light threads were irresistibly drawn from every living creature!

The agonizing, contorted faces of billions of living beings, their desperate struggles and afterimages, converged into an unimaginably vast torrent composed of the pure essence of life and soul!

This torrent, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, was being frantically swallowed up by the dark vortex at its core!
Visibly, large swathes of the city instantly lost all signs of life.

The houses still stand, and the streets still crisscross, but all living things in them, whether people, animals, or spiritual plants, turn to ashes in an instant!
Only an empty shell remained, which then disintegrated into the finest dust under that destructive suction!
Blood doesn't flow; it evaporates!

Immeasurable amounts of life essence were forcibly extracted and gathered from the bodies of billions of living beings!
The human body melted and turned into blood, forming a vast, boundless, extremely thick and viscous blood-red ocean above the Heavenly Palace Creation City!
This sea of ​​blood churned and roared, exuding a nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell of death, within which floated countless tormented and twisted souls!
This terrifying sea of ​​blood, formed from the essence and blood of billions of living beings and containing endless resentment and life force, did not disappear directly under the vortex's devouring. Instead, it was like the Styx River finding its home, frantically seeping and pouring into the dark golden veins of heaven and earth energy on the surface of the "World Devouring Demon's" massive metal shell!
Click! Click, click, click!
A chilling sound emanated from the demon's body, as if metal was groaning, yet also reforming and transforming!
After absorbing a massive amount of life essence, His metal body seemed to have acquired the texture of flesh and blood, and even twisted and wriggling dark red tissue resembling muscle fibers grew at the joints!
His aura surged exponentially! That pseudo-immortal-level pressure quickly became solid and heavy, but it was stained with a layer of thick, unyielding blood and chaos that seemed to come from the deepest part of the Nine Netherworlds!

At this moment, it is no longer a guardian divine weapon dominated by Mo Yanxing's will, but has completely degenerated into a world-destroying ferocious demon forged from the blood and souls of billions of living beings, who only knows how to devour and destroy!

"You wretch! Stop right now!!"

Two fierce howls, filled with endless grief and raging fury, rang out almost simultaneously.

It was Xuanji and Yuheng, the two Great Ascension Celestial Craftsmen who had just barely managed to regain their composure after the excruciating pain of their souls being torn apart, who finally managed to escape from the giant soldier's body using the spatial teleportation technique.

They witnessed their own Heavenly Palace, which they had protected for millennia, and the people they had protected, being transformed into the flesh and blood of demonic soldiers in such a horrific way!
The brief glimmer of hope that Palace Master Mo Yanxing gained at his own expense turned into the beginning of even greater despair!
The overwhelming grief and rage instantly overwhelmed reason!
These two Great Ascension Celestial Craftsmen exchanged a glance at each other at that moment, and then both chose the most heroic, yet most hopeless, way to take revenge—self-destructing their primordial spirits!
boom! boom! ! !
It was like two stars exploding beside the Demon Lord!
Xuanji and Yuheng unleashed their life's cultivation, along with their damaged primordial spirit, without reservation!

A violent storm of primordial energy, powerful enough to instantly destroy a small world, carried their last will to sacrifice themselves and crashed into the core of the "World Devouring Demon" and its mutating head!
This is the swan song of the last two Mahayana Heavenly Craftsmen of the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace, their final lament for the Palace Master, the sect, and the billions of living beings beneath their feet!
The Heavenly Palace Creation City, once a glorious training ground of the human race's nine sects, along with its billions of inhabitants, is now merely a name without substance.

With the fall of Xuanji and Yuheng, and the complete dissipation of Mo Yanxing's Dao, the lineage of the Eastern Pole Creation Heavenly Palace, at this moment, accompanied by the roar of that demonic lord, was declared... effectively severed.

As time passed, the two storms of primordial energy subsided, leaving only the all-consuming demonic shadow standing there, like a huge scar across the world, seemingly foreshadowing deeper darkness and calamity.

As time went by, He gradually repaired Himself, and then, following His instincts, He journeyed into the distance.

(End of this chapter)