Yongye World. Hall of Demon Gods.
Countless demon gods gathered, each seated in their own place. Yi Tianxie was among them.
This time, when the Hall of Demon Gods opened once more, the number of Yongye demon gods assembled was even greater than before—far more complete. Compared to the last gathering, their numbers had at least doubled. From this alone, one could see just how terrifying the depth of Yongye's foundation truly was.
Every demon god present in the hall was a ruler of their own domain. Even the weakest among them had already reached the Dao Proving Realm.
At this moment, the demon gods watched silently.
What they gazed upon were the images reflected from Buzhou Mountain—battle after battle of prodigies clashing to the death. Both Yongye and Eternal prodigies were falling one after another.
From the very beginning, the prodigy war had entered a white-hot phase.
When prodigies of the two realms met, it was a fight to the death. Rarely would either retreat. The struggle was utterly brutal. Between them, there was no room for compromise—only life or death.
These scenes, falling into Yi Tianxie's eyes, also left him secretly grave. The number and strength of Yongye prodigies surpassed Eternal by a margin. Now, with the Nightmare World's prodigies entering as well, matters grew even more chaotic. These Nightmare prodigies were nothing but troublemakers—they killed without hesitation, whether Eternal or Yongye. When it came to seizing fortune, they yielded nothing. This made the situation infinitely more complex.
The more variables, the weaker the control. That much was certain.
"To be summoned again this time… it's not merely for the prodigy war. Yongye is preparing for a far greater move."
Yi Tianxie's eyes flickered, a faint smile touching his lips as he mused inwardly.
"Everyone, this council will once again be presided over by me."
At the head of the hall, the Evil-Eye Sovereign sat proudly, his voice steady.
"The prodigy war has begun. Its outcome depends solely on the strength of the younger generation. Within Buzhou Mountain, no one can interfere. Everything is up to them. Yet our Yongye prodigies surpass Eternal's in number and strength, giving us a clear advantage. If we can slaughter Eternal's prodigies, we will sever their future fortune. This will be of immense benefit to Yongye."
"However, this meeting is not for that matter, but for something far more important."
"The Demon Calamity has now raged for nearly a hundred years. The laws of the two realms are fusing and are about to reach their first peak. At that time, the collision of the laws will trigger a Chaotic Tide. With its arrival, the invasion and fusion of laws will deepen further. More importantly, it will pierce open even more channels between the two realms—more Demon Abyss."
The Evil-Eye Sovereign's words fell heavily, each one carrying a crushing pressure.
With the merging of worlds, the Chaotic Tide was inevitable. This tide brought not only destruction, but also opportunity—fortunes unending. The density of heaven-and-earth spiritual qi would rise dramatically, perhaps even multiply on the spot, reaching astonishing levels. Countless treasures would be born, opportunities no less wondrous than those produced when Eternal World fused with the myriad realms. Whoever seized these fortunes could soar to the heavens in a single bound.
For Yongye, however, the Demon Abyss birthed by the tide were the greatest opportunity of all.
Forcing them open prematurely was far too costly, beyond even Yongye's tolerance. But if the Chaotic Tide did it naturally, nothing could be more welcome. It signified that the fusion of the realms had already entered another stage.
"Yes, the day has finally come. Our clans have prepared for a long time. Once the Demon Abyss open, we will unleash endless demon armies upon Eternal. Then Eternal will learn that our Yongye foundation is not something they can resist!"
"Kill! Slaughter the myriad races of Eternal World as much as possible! The fewer they become, the weaker their resistance will be. The Demon Calamity may not crush Eternal in one stroke, but it will bleed them dry. War is in our bones—Yongye is the ancestor of Eternal when it comes to war!"
One by one, demon gods bared cruel grins.
Yongye had grown strong through endless wars, through plunder after plunder. They had every confidence in their words.
It was no empty boast.
"The prodigy war has begun. We cannot intervene. The Chaotic Tide will soon arrive, bringing the Demon Calamity's destruction upon Eternal. But this is still not enough. Next, we must summon back the powerhouses of the last epoch. The summoning site will be the Yongye Battlefield. There, war against Eternal will continue as we open the Third Campaign of the God-Demon Battlefield. This will tie down Eternal's strength and leave their interior hollow, giving the Demon Calamity greater room to unfold."
The Evil-Eye Sovereign's tone was calm, yet his words carried the weight of doom.
This time, Yongye would strike from all directions—hand in hand, pressing forward—to launch a comprehensive assault on Eternal World. Not to truly conquer it, but to weaken its foundation as much as possible.
With the Demon Calamity, they would exhaust Eternal's living forces.
With the battlefield campaign, they would pin down Eternal's elites.
With the prodigy war, they would occupy Eternal's younger generation.
Three fronts. If they secured decisive victories in just two, the situation between the realms would become clear. Yongye's advantage would swell, momentum rising like an unstoppable tide.
"May I ask, Sovereign—has the time for summoning been set? Do you require us to assist?"
Yi Tianxie suddenly spoke.
"Mm. The summoning is tentatively set for ten years from now. A supreme summoning array must be prepared to draw back those lost in the endless currents of time and space. When the moment comes, I will send word and summon some of you to aid the ritual."
The Evil-Eye Sovereign nodded.
He concealed nothing about the timing.
Ten years was the rough estimate. It might have been earlier, but the theft of ancestral veins in the Yongye Battlefield had sown division among the three great clans, delaying matters.
Soon, the council ended.
The demon gods departed, each carrying their own tasks. All began preparing for the coming war in earnest. This was a war tied to Yongye's destiny—no one dared slacken. Troops and resources were mobilized at a furious pace.
In Yongye, power meant profit. In war, whoever seized the most battle merits gained the greatest voice. This could not be disputed—Yongye's highest rulers bore witness to it.
Everything had to be fought for, seized.
No fortune would fall into one's lap.
Eternal World.
Primordial Continent.
Peak of Creation.
Here, endless auspicious light rose like a tide. Celestial qi surged, exotic flowers and herbs abounded, immortal cranes and spirit deer roamed the mountain streams. It was a true celestial paradise. At the mountain's summit stood a palace, shrouded in immortal radiance, half-veiled among the clouds, like a divine realm.
If one listened closely, faint celestial music seemed to linger in the air.
On the plaque above the palace gates, several words shone: Palace of Creation Immortals!
Inside, seated amid boundless immortal light, was a Daoist whose presence radiated sanctity. Before him sat hundreds of disciples, enraptured as they listened to the Dao sounds.
Looking closer, this man was none other than the one who had once proved the Dao in a single thought—Ma Huaqian, who now styled himself the Immortal King of Creation.
After proving the Dao, he seized a spiritual mountain within the Primordial Continent, establishing this Palace of Creation Immortals. He gathered disciples, built a holy land, and his influence grew ever greater.
As the first to prove the Dao in this epoch, his fame spread far and wide. The myriad races sought his favor, and his name shone brightly. With fortune seemingly upon him, his cultivation advanced smoothly, like water flowing downhill.
Suddenly, as he lectured, Ma Huaqian faltered. A flicker of astonishment—and fear—crossed his face before quickly vanishing. Casting his gaze over the hall, he said:
"Enough. Today's lecture ends here. Go and contemplate what you have heard."
"Yes, Master."
The disciples bowed, then withdrew, leaving the hall silent.
In the next instant, a jade talisman appeared in Ma Huaqian's hand. It flashed with light, releasing a voice:
"Come at once!!"
Immediately, the talisman transformed into a massive heavenly gate before him.
"Yi Tianxing… So the calamity I dreaded has come after all. I cannot escape it."
Ma Huaqian's face turned pale, emotions surging wildly within him. His heart was bitter.
In the past, he had cultivated the Dao of Deception. With deception, he could fool heaven and earth, deceive all beings—even using it to prove the Dao. He had stolen Yi Tianxing's rightful destiny as the first Dao Proving, replacing him, and on the spot attained the Dao. Through deception, he obtained the Dao of Creation, gaining the title of Immortal King of Creation.
All of it had been built upon lies.
To prove the Dao by deception—false as root, fortune as surface.
So long as the lie held, false became real. He truly possessed the power of a Dao Proving, truly was the Immortal King of Creation.
But if the lie was exposed, his cultivation would vanish instantly. When the false was revealed, truth turned back into falsehood. Without belief, the lie lost meaning. The Dao of Deception would collapse, and all he built would crumble.
Only Yi Tianxing knew this secret.
For this reason, Ma Huaqian dreaded meeting him more than anything. In truth, he secretly hoped Yi Tianxing would meet an untimely death, erased forever, leaving him free of danger.
Now, however, the summons was unmistakably from Yi Tianxing.
And Ma Huaqian could only sit in dread.