The Demon King is back, leading adorable kids on an adventure around the world!

The sweeping monk looked up at the emperor's figure, and his dry, well-like eyes finally showed a slight change.

That slight change was fleeting. He thrust his palms forward, and the dark golden light around him condensed into the shape of a giant python, which rolled and crashed towards Luo Tian.

The giant python was formed entirely of spiritual energy, its scales clearly visible, and it plowed a deep trench in the ground wherever it passed.

The Emperor's Shadow behind Luo Tian simultaneously swung his sword, which collided with the giant python, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.

The giant python's head was cleaved open, and fragments of spiritual energy scattered everywhere, but its momentum did not diminish, and the python continued to pounce.

Luo Tian stepped aside, and the giant python grazed past his shoulder before crashing against the courtyard wall.

The dilapidated courtyard wall did not collapse; instead, a layer of golden patterns appeared on its surface, absorbing and dissipating the impact.

An array was operating within the entire temple grounds, resonating with the spiritual energy fluctuations of the sweeping monk.

Without pausing, the sweeping monk flipped his palms and delivered a second strike.

The giant python's severed head reformed and rolled towards Luo Tian once more.

This time, it didn't charge straight at Luo Tian, ​​but instead coiled around him, its body wrapped in spiritual energy like a rope, binding him tightly.

Behind Luo Tian, ​​the Emperor Shadow Sword swept horizontally, and a golden sword aura slashed into the python's body.

The sword energy pierced through the middle of the python's body, splitting the giant python in two, and scattering fragments of spiritual energy like rain.

The sweeping monk took a step back, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and the scattered fragments of spiritual energy re-condensed, transforming into dozens of arrows that rained down on Luo Tian.

Luo Tian raised his right hand, and the giant sword in Di Ying's hand was held horizontally in front of him. The sword spun around, forming a golden light screen.

The arrows bounced off the light barrier, and several flew past it, grazing Luo Tian's shoulders and arms, leaving burn marks on his robes.

The final arrow, trailing an even stronger flame, shot through the light barrier and grazed Luo Tian's forearm.

His sleeve was torn, leaving a shallow burn mark on his forearm.

Luo Tian glanced down at the burn mark, then looked up.

"My turn!"

Emperor Ying raised the giant sword high, and a golden beam of light condensed at the tip of the sword, piercing straight into the sky.

The beam of light pierced through the invisible array barrier above the courtyard, tearing a hole in the clouds.

Sunlight streamed through the crack and fell on the tip of the sword.

Luo Tian took a step forward, and Di Ying took a step in sync. With each step, three parallel cracks appeared in the ground.

The cracks quickly spread to the foot of the courtyard wall, but were blocked by the formation again.

But the crack had reached the limit that the formation could withstand, and the ground trembled slightly.

The imperial sword, as vast as the heavens and as deep as the abyss, fell from the sky.

The sweeping monk raised his hands above his head, and dark golden spiritual energy condensed into a tortoise-shell-shaped barrier above his head.

As the giant sword fell, cracks began to appear on the tortoise shell from the center, and the cracks quickly spread to the entire barrier.

But the tortoise shell did not break; just before it shattered, the sweeping monk blocked the sword's momentum from below.

His knees were slightly bent, and the stone slabs beneath his feet had been shattered into dust, but he stubbornly refused to kneel down.

Luo Tian saw the support beneath his feet, and in an instant, he withdrew three-tenths of his strength, causing the Emperor Sword's power to diminish slightly.

The cracks on the tortoise shell stopped spreading, and the sweeping monk used this momentum to deflect the sword's force to both sides.

Two long grooves were cracked in the ground, their walls smooth, as if they had been melted and solidified by high temperatures.

Both of them stopped their attacks at the same time. The sweeping monk took a breath, and there was a layer of fine sweat on his forehead, but his gaze remained calm.

The imperial shadow behind Luo Tian slowly dissipated, and the golden light retreated back into his body.

The ground was crisscrossed with cracks, and a thick layer of gravel and dust covered the surface.

The dilapidated temple still stood, and the locust tree in the corner was still there, its withered branches swaying slightly in the wind.

Luo Tian looked at the sweeping monk: "You've been guarding this place for a long time."

The sweeping monk didn't speak. He looked down at the ground and remained silent for a long time.

The broom lay fallen in a pile of rubble not far away. He bent down, picked it up, wiped it on his robe, and then held it in his hand.

"What you're looking for is beneath the temple, under the third stone slab."

He spoke, his voice dry, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Luo Tian walked to the entrance of the main hall, pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and saw that the Buddha statue inside was incomplete, with a layer of dust on the lotus platform.

The third stone slab loosened and flipped open, revealing a shallow, hidden compartment underneath.

Inside was a palm-sized, dark-colored stone with a smooth surface and a heavy feel.

Its texture was exactly the same as the one he found underground in Kunlun, but it was a larger and more complete Void Stone.

He put the stone away and turned to walk back into the yard.

The sweeping monk was still standing there, broom in his hand, his gaze fixed on the sunlit mountain ridge in the distance.

They're all gone.

The sweeping monk spoke to himself, his voice very soft, as if he were truly speaking to himself.

"A long time ago, there were many people on this planet."

They left too many traces; someone has to watch over what's left.

Where did they end up?

Luo Tian's tone was neither warm nor cold.

"Another starry sky."

The sweeping monk glanced at Luo Tian, ​​but didn't stop what he was doing.

"After a great battle, the spiritual veins dried up, the order was shattered, and those who were alive left."

They built a teleportation array and went to another place, their fate unknown.

Many people have passed away, including well-known names such as the Monkey King, Erlang Shen, the Queen Mother of the West, Laozi (Li Er), and Confucius...

They were all real people, great cultivators with unparalleled cultivation, each with their own unique path.

I don't know what happened after that.

He paused, as if recalling a distant memory, carefully going through it again before slowly speaking:

"There are people from beyond the realm watching this planet. Every epoch, they send people here to harvest a batch of people and things."

That ancient battle might also be related to this.

The spiritual energy of this planet has been cut off time and time again, the number of cultivators is decreasing, and spiritual objects are becoming increasingly scarce.

Now, there are very few left standing here.

He paused, then turned his gaze from outside the mountain back to Luo Tian:

"Since you've come, it means what was bound to happen has finally happened."

"What do you mean? Did you know I was coming? How many secrets from Earth's ancient past are still hidden?"

Luo Tian stared at the Sweeping Monk, his mind filled with countless thoughts. Besides the great war in ancient times, what else happened on Earth?

The person in front of me seems to know a great deal, but is unwilling to reveal it. What is he worried about? Or is there a taboo or a great terror at play?

"It cannot be spoken of, cannot be asked, cannot be thought of. When the time comes, you will naturally understand. You have already obtained what you wanted, so hurry and leave!"

The sweeping monk made a Buddhist gesture with one hand, then turned and continued sweeping.

Luo Tian stood in the courtyard, took one last look at the ancient temple, and then turned and left.

The sweeping monk watched his departing figure, a glint of light flashing in his eyes before returning to calm.

The cracks on the ground, remnants of a major battle, were shocking to behold. Dust slowly settled into the pits and crevices as it fell, and fallen leaves were swept up and dropped by the wind, gradually covering the cracks.

It seems to symbolize the traces of an ancient war, which will eventually be buried, and those people will eventually disappear without a trace!

Looking at the sky outside, Luo Tian had many thoughts and speculations in his mind, hoping that what he was thinking was not true!

Otherwise, that would be terrifying. Perhaps even an Emperor-level expert would be nothing more than cannon fodder in such a battle.