Chapter 455: Dark Clouds in the Black Demon Abyss

Chapter 455: Dark Clouds over the Black Demon Abyss

Hearing Zi Yuan Xiao Lu's words, Qi Yuan was not surprised.

The Black Demon Abyss had always been loose, with each faction fighting for itself.

Not everyone was willing to stir up conflict with the Ghost Imperial Heaven.

"It seems Black Sword's dominance... still falls short," Qi Yuan remarked calmly.

He had self-awareness.

In the eyes of the Black Demon Abyss, Black Sword was the true leader, one of their own.

As for him, he was at most a tyrant of the Zi Yuan Heaven.

"These people are too much. With such a major event, they still can't unite as one. When the Lin Ya Molt begins, who knows what will happen?"

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu's voice carried a hint of worry.

She seemed dissatisfied with the decisions of the higher-ups.

Qi Yuan, however, was indifferent.

He had little connection with other regions of the Black Demon Abyss, only being familiar with the Zi Yuan Heaven.

"Since war has begun, should we join the battle?" Qi Yuan asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.

After all, his offensive fate-defying treasures still depended on the Ghost Imperial Heaven.

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu nodded and said softly, "But Blood Robe Senior Brother, you must be careful.

The Great Joy Celestial of the Ghost Imperial Heaven fell because of you, so... the Ghost Imperial Heaven might deliberately target you!"

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu did not ask how Qi Yuan had broken the situation.

After all, to her, such matters must involve secrets.

Better to know less.

"They'll target me?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu was slightly stunned but still answered honestly: "When this war begins, Blood Robe Senior Brother, try not to stray from the main force. Otherwise, even a Yang God might make a move against you!"

If before, when the two sides had not yet declared war, they might have observed some decorum.

"Yang God?" Qi Yuan blinked. "That good?"

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu was at a loss.

For prodigies like them, they were Yin Gods, and the gap with a Yang God was like the distance between earth and heaven.

Yet Blood Robe Senior Brother seemed so eager—she didn't understand.

"Senior Brother, you must be careful. That's a Yang God!"

"What Yang God? Just my moonlight!" Qi Yuan said with boundless anticipation.

If it were before, he might have hesitated.

Now, having comprehended the Supreme Principle, he needed to spar more with Yang Gods to stabilize his own Supreme Principle.

"Huh?" Zi Yuan Xiao Lu clearly didn't understand what "moonlight" meant.

But then, as if recalling something, Qi Yuan's face turned worried again.

"You're right. I need to keep a low profile."

After all, he was so ethereal and transcendent—what if the Great Principle of the Ghost Imperial Heaven joined forces with the Banner Master to strike at him?

That would be the end.

Hearing this, Zi Yuan Xiao Lu breathed a sigh of relief.

...

The Black Demon Abyss, an unknown location.

Two terrifying figures lurked, their divine souls in constant communication.

"Are you certain?" a voice, neither male nor female, asked with a trace of hesitation.

"Now that the Tai Huang Palace is hosting the Lin Ya Molt, we can no longer afford to hesitate," another, weathered voice affirmed.

"But... Black Sword has comprehended the Supreme Principle, enough to lead us..."

"Black Sword is merely that one's Supreme Principle—what does it have to do with us?

When the Lin Ya Molt begins, will he have the power to protect us?

This Lin Ya Molt will be the cruelest since the dawn of the world!" the weathered voice said.

"You want to make a move against Black Sword?"

"He has comprehended the Supreme Principle after all. Even if we plan with treachery, it will be hard to kill him.

But... we can target... Zi Yuan... instead.

That old fellow has never liked him, and this time, because of Blood Robe, he holds a grudge against the old man. The conflict between them runs deep.

We'll use Blood Robe as bait to lure him into the trap," the weathered voice said with killing intent.

"But he is a Great Principle. Even if we strike together... it will be hard to keep him."

"Look at this," the weathered voice said with a hint of glee.

"Root... Demon Blood. Where did you get that?"

The androgynous voice trembled.

This was the legendary Root Demon Blood.

Such blood was precious beyond measure, known as the Principle Killer.

When Root Demon Blood was used, it could draw out the Root Demon Tribulation in the hearts of Yang Gods at the Principle Realm.

For many old-timers, the descent of the Root Demon Tribulation could mean their fall.

But Root Demon Blood was exceedingly rare—not even a few portions existed in the Six Heavens.

"The Tai Huang Palace is hosting the Lin Ya Molt. This Root Demon Blood... naturally..." The weathered voice did not finish.

It involved the Tai Huang Palace and the Solemn Hall.

"Very well... I'll do it," the androgynous voice said through gritted teeth.

At this moment, there could be no more hesitation.

Since the curtain had risen, one had to choose sides. The neutrals were always the first to die.

Now, dark clouds drifted over the Black Demon Abyss. When a strong one fell, it was better to let a fellow Daoist die than oneself.

This Root Demon Blood, if it fell on him, would not be pleasant either.

Elsewhere, within the Demon Pass, Qi Yuan's figure appeared.

The Ghost Imperial Heaven had declared war on the Black Demon Abyss, and five divisions of the Black Demon Abyss answered the call.

They were the Black Demon Heaven, Zi Yuan Heaven, Ice Profound Heaven, Yin Soul Heaven, and Yang Blaze Heaven.

The five divisions gathered at the Demon Gate.

The Demon Gate towered high and majestic, its height unknown, its cyan stone scarred and battered, bearing the marks of great battles.

Outside the Demon Gate, several hundred small stars lingered like ornaments.

Countless battles had once raged beyond the Demon Gate.

In the previous Linya Transformation, the Black Demon Abyss relied on the Demon Gate to repel enemies, fighting until heaven and earth shattered and the world broke apart.

These small stars were forged by the Yang God Celestial Venerable with supreme divine power, gathering the remnants of worlds and imitating the projection of stars.

At this moment, a host of prodigies from the five divisions stood atop the Demon Gate, gazing at the stars ahead, all revealing expressions of awe.

“It is said that beyond the Sixth Heaven there are many worlds, not round heaven and square earth, but stars.

The Yang God’s star projection was created in imitation of stars,” Ice Sword explained, looking at the stars.

“This star projection looks just like an egg,” a prodigy said in confusion. “Such a huge egg... how can mortals stand on its opposite side without falling off?”

This prodigy had clearly been in secluded cultivation for a long time and was unfamiliar with many cutting-edge concepts of the cultivation world.

“Strength... is force, which attracts the weak.

The weak can cling to it and will not fall off,” Ice Sword explained simply.

This sentence made Qi Yuan think of what the Great Calamity had said: strength is calamity.

The stars are vast, so they involuntarily emit some force, attracting... some kind of unknown attention? But before he could ponder further, the voice of Sister Bullhorn came through.

“Brother Ice Sword truly deserves his reputation as an egg-layer; he studies things of his own kind so thoroughly,” Ziyuan Daxue said, spewing mushrooms from her mouth as she spoke.

Hearing this, Ice Sword’s forehead sprouted black lines.

He felt he should stay far away from Ziyuan Daxue.

He should never have spoken.

Sure enough, upon hearing Ziyuan Daxue’s words, many of the prodigies present recalled the incident that had occurred during the recent visit to the Supreme Principle Dao Debate, and they cast sympathetic glances at Ice Sword.

At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at Ice Sword with admiration and said, “Brother Ice Sword, if you ever lay an egg the size of a star after becoming a Yang God, could you give me a few? I’m curious.”

He had seen real stars, but never an egg the size of a star.

The black lines on Ice Sword’s forehead multiplied, and he quietly retreated behind the crowd.

Today, he should never have come out to “show off” and flaunt his knowledge.

He hadn’t been struck by lightning, but he had suffered an even worse fate.

“Oh, you lot, day in and day out...” At that moment, a Yang God appeared, his tone laced with helplessness.

“Greetings, Celestial Venerable!”

All the prodigies bowed.

Facing a Yang God, basic respect was still necessary.

“War is about to begin. Brother Black Sword summoned me here to brief you on some matters.

This battle against the Ghost Imperial Heaven is no child’s play; you must be cautious.

These are your merit tokens. Killing one Great Venerable earns you one point.

When your merit reaches two hundred, you can exchange it for a... Yang God’s Gift!”

Hearing this, the prodigies present all breathed heavily.

The prodigies who could appear here all had hopes of stepping into the Yang God realm.

But not everyone could achieve it.

After all, even if one’s cultivation reached the required level, without resources and the accumulation of star projections, it was still difficult to enter the Yang God realm.

But with the Yang God’s Gift, it was different.

The Yang God’s Gift often contained the silent projection of a Yang God’s star.

In other words, as long as one’s cultivation was sufficient, one could directly enter the Yang God realm.

This could save a great deal of time.

For example, among the prodigies here, Ziyuan Xiaolu came from an ordinary background, unlike Sister Bullhorn, who was born with a silver spoon. After reaching the peak of the Mythical realm, she would need to accumulate resources or foundation for millions of years before she could raise a star projection and step into the Yang God realm.

Many prodigies were tempted.

War carried risks, but also enormous rewards.

“How many merits for killing a Yang God?” Qi Yuan couldn’t help asking.

This question stunned the Yang God.

The other prodigies were used to such things.

He gave Qi Yuan a meaningful look. “An ordinary minor Heavenly-rank Yang God earns one great merit.”

“Can great merits be exchanged for Black Demon Ancestral Blood?” Qi Yuan asked expectantly.

If anyone else had asked, that Yang God would probably have ignored them.

But this was Blood Robe, so he answered seriously.

“No.”

Black Demon Ancestral Blood was almost exclusively reserved for the Ancestor.

Even he had never obtained it.

Thinking of how Blood Robe, upon arriving at Ziyuan Heaven, had been gifted Black Demon Ancestral Blood by the Ancestor, this Yang God felt a mix of envy and jealousy.

“No Black Demon Ancestral Blood... how stingy. Then there must be offensive Creation Treasures, right?” Qi Yuan asked.

Now, in the Black Demon Abyss, what he valued most were the Black Demon Ancestral Blood and offensive Creation Treasures.

“No...” The Yang God thought for a moment before answering Qi Yuan.

He was actually quite speechless inside.

From what he knew, offensive Creation Treasures—the entire Black Demon Abyss probably had only one or two.

How could such treasures be given away casually?

“Then... what’s useful?” Qi Yuan was also speechless.

This Black Demon Abyss was indeed somewhat poor.

“One great merit can be exchanged for two Yang God’s Gifts, along with other magical artifacts and elixirs...” The Yang God Celestial Venerable slowly listed a series of rare elixirs and artifact names.

Each elixir made the prodigies present green with envy.

These artifacts and elixirs could not only enhance a Yang God’s combat power but also accelerate the condensation of Dharma bodies, such as the Earth Emperor Primordial Pill.

Some could even increase the breadth and depth of star projections, making even ordinary Yang God Celestial Venerables tempted.

Qi Yuan listened to these dazzling names of elixirs, his heart as still as an ancient well.

These rewards did not pique his interest.

“Sigh, I’d even disdain these things as betrothal gifts to marry me off. In the end, I’m here for poverty alleviation,” Qi Yuan lamented.

Ziyuan Daxue smiled: "If you render a great service, why not come exchange it for the mushroom in my mouth? One great service, and I'll give you a catty—how about that?"

"You're so beautiful, but why are your thoughts just as beautiful?"

The two casually traded a few jabs.

"Before the Demon Pass, these stars condensed from world remnants count as a corner of the battlefield. When you head to the front lines, you must be cautious and careful—best to form a team." The Sun God Heavenly Venerable said, glancing at Qi Yuan, "Brother Black Sword asked me to bring you a message: in this war, you must be careful. Battle merits aren't important—what matters is... staying alive!"

The other prodigies heard this and were all very envious.

An Xunlu heard it and felt a mix of envy and jealousy.

Brother Black Sword hadn't even told her to be safe, but he specifically told Blood Robe to watch out—she was sour.

"Don't worry, I've always been cautious. I don't do things without certainty," Qi Yuan replied lazily.

The Sun God Heavenly Venerable nodded in satisfaction—this Blood Robe fellow was still quite steady.

Because Blood Robe had been attacked, he now drew the attention of many Sun Gods.

If he were assassinated, the morale of the Black Demon Abyss would plummet.

And some high-ranking members of the Black Demon Abyss vaguely wanted to use Blood Robe as a pawn to scheme against Gui Yutian.

Of course, this was vetoed by Ancestor Ziyuan.

"I'm planning to go hunt Sun Gods—who has the best information and knows a lot about Gui Yutian's Sun Gods? Team up with me!" Qi Yuan announced loudly.

The one who had just thought Qi Yuan was steady gave him a speechless look.

Hunt Sun Gods? You actually say that?

He couldn't be bothered.

The other prodigies exchanged glances, not believing Qi Yuan's words, and dared not team up with him.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan couldn't help saying, "I am the Overlord of Ziyuan Heaven—no one wants to team up with me?"

What he lacked most was information.

He didn't lack combat power.

Just then, Ziyuan Daxue laughed boisterously, "I am the Mom of Ziyuan Heaven—I'll team up with you."

Qi Yuan was stunned.

Overlord of Ziyuan Heaven?

Mom of Ziyuan Heaven?

Were these couple screen names?

Before he could think further, Ziyuan Xiaolu also said weakly, "I'll come too."

(The chapter ends)