“What’s going on? What happened to the barrier of the Void Spirit Secret Realm?”
“Look at the water mirror—th-there are demons invading!”
“How is that possible? The Void Spirit Secret Realm is bound by rules. How could demons possibly enter?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They must have found some way to sneak in, then used the realm’s rules to lock us inside—trying to strangle us in the cradle so the cultivation world will wither with no heirs!”
The last large-scale demonic attack had been during the Immortal-Demon War, when Immortal Baili struck down a Demon Lord. Since then, the demons had retreated into their own realm, never invading again. At the boundary between realms, people were stationed to guard. Only occasionally did a few demons slip into the mortal world; whenever discovered, cultivators would swiftly drive them out.
That uneasy balance had lasted for over ten years. They had thought the Sword Demon incident was merely a leftover accident from that war. No one had imagined the demons would appear directly in the Void Spirit Secret Realm.
And right now, the secret realm was filled with the rising stars of the cultivation world.
In the water mirror, wisps of black fog manifested before young disciples—demonfolk of every shape: some breathtakingly beautiful, some grotesquely ugly. But they all shared a common trait—their eyes glowed red. The deeper the red, the stronger the power.
Seeing the battles ignite directly within the water mirror, the onlookers outside were aghast, hastily flying their swords toward the secret realm. Jingcheng and the elders of other sects rushed forward immediately, but the barrier still held its rules. They could not enter, forced to linger outside.
The cultivators inside, too, were unable to leave, for the allotted time had not yet arrived.
Panic spread. Why did the rules block them, yet not the demons?
Everyone looked to the Four Great Immortal Sects for a solution.
But before they could discuss, a bolt of lightning like heaven’s wrath crashed down onto the barrier, changing its color yet again.
Then a voice rang out: “The barrier has changed. If we concentrate our power and attack, it can be broken open!”
All eyes turned as Fu Zhiyi saw his two junior brothers standing atop the barrier, forcibly attempting to break it.
He didn’t care about Chu Fei—but Gu Baiqing…
The crowd had wanted to dismiss the effort as futile, but with the spiritual fluctuations, they truly sensed the barrier thinning. Only then did they believe Gu Baiqing’s words, and the battle to forcibly shatter the barrier began.
In the original text, the demons’ successful invasion wasn’t because the barrier had been destroyed, but because an inside traitor had colluded, setting up a special teleportation array. The demons had been directly transported into the secret realm. But because of their intrusion, the rules themselves had been disrupted, and so the secret realm’s barrier began to change.
At first, everyone—just like now—had tried and found it useless, convinced that the rules would not change, and could only fret helplessly. But how could the master in the original text possibly allow his disciple to face such danger? So he frantically attacked the barrier, attempting to break in.
In truth, Gu Baiqing himself didn’t know whether it would succeed. But he could never just stand by and watch his disciple be in danger inside while he did nothing. And as Gu Baiqing launched his attack, the others finally noticed the barrier was changing. So everyone gathered their strength, shattered the barrier, and rushed in to save people.
But by then, the weaker cultivators inside had already met with disaster.
Gu Baiqing had studied the system; he could not change the larger course of the story, otherwise it would violate the Heavenly Dao. So this plot point, he had to follow. But Gu Baiqing would never give up the chance to exploit a loophole. If he couldn’t change it, then why not make everyone rush in early to save people? Wouldn’t that work?
So this time, Gu Baiqing not only brought along Chu Fei—who never appeared in the original text—but also attacked right from the start, revealing the truth to everyone.
In an instant, the secret realm’s barrier endured the assault of half the cultivation world. Before long, cracks began to appear.
Meanwhile, battle had already broken out inside the secret realm. Thanks to their prior adventure there, everyone still had the ability to fight against low-level monsters.
But once faced with high-level demons, if they didn’t join forces, death was almost certain. Many teams drew closer to their companions, gathering strength.
At the Immortal’s Cave, Qian Yue was the first to fly out, producing his artifact—the Tranquil Heart Staff—and swung it at the densest black fog. With a clang, golden light flashed and the black mist dispersed, revealing a pair of rose-red eyes—this was a true high-level demon.
“Well, well. What a handsome monk. I like.” A sultry male voice came from a scantily clad, seductive man. And what blocked the staff was not any weapon—he had grabbed it barehanded. The sparks that flew came from the golden claw caps he wore, scraping against the metal of the staff.
Qian Yue’s expression didn’t change, nor did he speak. He simply drew back the staff and attacked again.
The man only curled his lips and retreated, with a wave of his hand sending a plume of pink smoke toward Qian Yue. Watching Qian Yue engulfed in the smoke, the man was just about to leave smugly when he sensed a gust of force from behind. Barely dodging, he turned—only to see the still-expressionless Qian Yue standing there.
The man’s face twisted, as though in disbelief, then shifted into a mocking smile, movements alluring. “As expected, you Buddhists are natural enemies of us succubi! Little monk, unlucky for you today—you’ll die at my hands!”
The two instantly clashed, battling in midair.
Xie Qingrong, uneasy, flew up to help, but the moment he neared, something else blocked his way.
He swung his sword and felt it strike something inhuman. In the next instant, two masses of things coiled around him at high speed. Forced into combat, he could only resist. Yet with eyes that could not see, and since these inhuman things carried no spiritual power, his spirit-sight was useless. Xie Qingrong could only rely on his exceptional combat skills, judging by the shifts in the surrounding wind. For the moment, he could not subdue them.
Jingzhan gripped his sword, itching to move, when he suddenly sensed a huge wave of demonic beasts’ auras closing in. With Mo Xuanli and Li Xiuran still unable to move, he couldn’t leave—he had to guard them here.
“W-what’s going on? How can there be demons here…” He Zixiao was utterly terrified, his hand clutching the sword unsteady, blurting questions to no one in particular.
Jingzhan, irritated, snapped: “Shut up. If the demons don’t kill us, your noise will.”
“You—” He Zixiao didn’t get to retort, for at that moment dozens of red-eyed demon-tainted beasts appeared outside the cave.
Nan Zhi barked to her sect-mates: “Guard Junior Brother Mo!” With that, she hefted her heavy sword and charged.
The cultivators who had stayed behind were forced to join the fight for their own survival. Normally, handling a single beast was already difficult—now, with so many appearing at once, everyone’s hearts clenched tight.
Jingzhan still didn’t strike, standing directly between Mo Xuanli and Li Xiuran. He had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next instant, small demons dropped from the sky.
Jingzhan sneered, and the Twin Star Sword danced in his hands, every movement flowing with effortless grace. The rain of little demons fell lifeless, all cleaved in half by his sword-screen before they ever reached the ground.
Off to the side, He Zixiao was dumbstruck. He’d never imagined that the Jingzhan who always bickered with him was actually this strong. But just then, He Zixiao suddenly felt something beneath his feet. Looking down, he cried out in horror, “Ah! There are worms under the ground!”
“No—it’s gu worms! Demonic gu worms, don’t let them bite you!” A rogue cultivator recognized them and shouted.
Yun Yue immediately scattered powder around to resist the gu worms.
The disciples of Tianzhao Sect had no healers and couldn’t defend. At this point, He Jing shamelessly called out to Yun Yue: “Yun Yue, come help us!”
Yun Yue raised her head and gave He Jing a cold glance. That look alone made He Jing shiver, certain she, like Nan Zhi, wanted to take the chance to kill him—how could she possibly help? No one else dared to ask her, and quickly flew up on their swords. But Li Xiuran was still down below.
Cursing, He Zixiao dove down, reaching to grab Li Xiuran while struggling to fend off the gu worms with minor spells.
But he was still too slow. Just as one worm lunged to bite Li Xiuran—
Suddenly, a powerful sword aura erupted from Li Xiuran’s body. In the blink of an eye, his tall figure shot up like an unsheathed blade. The divine weapon, Dingtian Sword, traced a silver arc of light before plunging point-first into the ground. With the surge of spiritual force, it was as if an earth-dragon roared, instantly blasting all the gu worms—both underground and on the surface—out onto the earth, where they were burned into charred husks.
That was the might of Supreme Sword Intent.
“D*mn it! Who dares harm my gu worms?” A delicate, charming voice rang out. From the black smoke above, a girl in an exotic crimson gown appeared, seated on a palanquin borne by several low-level demons.
Her round eyes looked down, expression tinged with coy petulance. “What a hateful fellow—hurt my worms, and I’ll make you into food to feed them.”
As she spoke, the young girl leapt lightly, her bare white feet landing on the palanquin. Silver bells were tied to her wrists and ankles; every movement made them chime, and with her dancing the sound formed a melody. From the ground, more worms surged forth—faster and more filled with demonic qi than before.
Having only just absorbed the Supreme Sword Intent, Li Xiuran could not use it repeatedly. He could only resort to spells to clear them. At that moment Jingzhan was also freed up to help. The two joined forces to wipe out a wave of gu worms. Seizing the chance, Li Xiuran shot toward the gu-controlling girl, seeking to capture the ringleader first.
The girl sprang up nimbly; with a flick of her arm, a venomous snake flew from her sleeve.
Li Xiuran thought he could easily dodge it, but this was no ordinary snake. Being from the demon clan, it had wings and darted nimbly about, spewing venom again and again. The girl smirked provocatively. “Among humans, you might be impressive—but compared to our demon youths, you’re far lacking.”
Suddenly a cloud of black mist drifted over, and from within came a voice: “This one has gained Supreme Sword Intent. He cannot be allowed to live.”
“None of your business. Go kill another one—either way, they all must die!” the girl said willfully.
The black mist paused briefly, then rushed straight toward the cave below.
Jingzhan, seeing yet another enemy arrive, immediately moved to intercept. But before he could engage, a broken sword shot out of nowhere at him. He raised the Twin Star Sword to guard his chest, but that nearly ruined blade struck like a heavy hammer, sending him flying and slamming him hard into the wall. Blood spurted from his mouth; as he raised his head in a sorry state, he found himself unable to rise, clearly gravely injured.
From the black mist emerged another demon. His form was obscured, but those blood-red eyes were enough to chill the soul.
This was…the strongest.
Ignoring Jingzhan, the demon charged directly at Mo Xuanli, who was in the midst of breaking through.
Just then, a black heavy sword thrust into its path. The black mist wavered, dodging aside as Nan Zhi flew in from behind.
But Nan Zhi was not on the same level at all. In only three exchanges she was struck vomiting blood. Pale-faced, facing a demon for the first time, she had never imagined the gulf in power would be so vast.
The demon’s target remained Mo Xuanli. Once Nan Zhi too was blasted aside, he rushed again toward him.
By now, Mo Xuanli already sensed the danger outside. His breakthrough stalled, brows tightly furrowed, his expression extremely grim.
Other disciples hurried forward to shield him, but the strike of that broken sword instantly blasted them all away.
With an unstoppable momentum—killing whoever blocked his path, god or man—the demon’s blade thrust toward Mo Xuanli.
At that instant, a figure suddenly leapt in front of him, blocking with her body. It was Yun Yue.
The sudden appearance made the demon hesitate for a split second.
And in that split second, a surge of powerful spiritual energy burst forth. Light of a rare spatial-arts inheritance flared, absorbing into him. Spiritual force swept upward like a hurricane, instantly roiling the many battles overhead, even dazing the powerful demon before him.
The demon raised his arm to block. Through a gap he glimpsed a pair of eyes—black, terrifying, with a faint trace of crimson.
In the blink of an eye, his sword stabbed forward—yet pierced nothing. Fixing his gaze, he saw the spot was now empty.
Sensing with his keen perception, he swung his sword in another direction. And there, out of thin air, appeared Mo Xuanli and Yun Yue.
It turned out Mo Xuanli had used spatial arts to instantaneously shift the two of them. But because he had only just grasped it, like Li Xiuran he could not wield it smoothly—he could only flash a short distance.
Still, that was enough to give him an opening. He brought up his sword to block the strike. Though his iron sword was instantly shattered, he borrowed the force of impact to retreat with Yun Yue.
In retreating, Mo Xuanli shoved Yun Yue toward the battered Nan Zhi.
“Junior Brother Mo, be careful!” Yun Yue cried.
“Catch!” Nan Zhi hurled her heavy sword. Mo Xuanli grabbed it, just barely warding off the broken sword’s second strike.
But the opponent’s cultivation and power were far beyond his. Like Jingzhan and Nan Zhi, Mo Xuanli was immediately blasted away.
At that moment, Li Xiuran suddenly appeared behind Mo Xuanli, steadying him with a palm and dispersing the force of the blow.
The two locked eyes, instantly finding a tacit rhythm.
Within the Void Spirit Space, augmented by Supreme Sword Intent, a strike that had spanned hundreds of meters suddenly manifested right before the demon, forcing him back a step.
At last they gained a fleeting advantage. But the demon girl whom Li Xiuran had temporarily cast aside reappeared, scolding furiously: “How dare you abandon your lady grandmother! You’re looking down on me!”
Li Xiuran was once again entangled, and the battlefield descended into utter chaos. Yet the sword-wielding demon remained fixed on Mo Xuanli alone.
Mo Xuanli knew his only reliance lay in the newly gained Void Spirit Space. He would have to use its brief flashes with utmost cunning to find chances to survive and strike back—or he was dead for sure.
His mind raced, strategizing even as he parried the demon’s onslaught.
When he opened his eyes and saw demons attacking them inside the immortal’s cave, Mo Xuanli was stunned as well.
He took in the scene—Jingzhan and Nan Zhi badly injured, struggling against common monsters; the others beset by frenzied beasts. He understood at once that this strongest demon’s target was no one else but him. At least until he was slain, the demon would spare no attention for others. Likely it was because of his inheritance. After all, unless it was a rare case like the Sword Demon or Wuxiang Temple, or someone at Tribulation Stage and above, ordinary demons—no matter how strong—would not discern his bloodline.
So Mo Xuanli could only conclude: it must be because of the inheritance.
Judging from the current situation, the demons’ plan was to seize the chance to wipe out the younger generation of the cultivation world in one fell swoop. And since he and Li Xiuran had obtained inheritances, they were the primary targets. The rest of the must-kill list were those renowned rising talents.
Qian Yue was battling a demon in the northern sky, while Xie Qingrong was entangled by some strange thing, and from even farther away the sounds of combat kept coming—no one’s situation was easy.
No one knew where these demons had come from, but it was clear the barrier of the Void Spirit Secret Realm was still intact, making outside reinforcements hard to guarantee.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Mo Xuanli was struck head-on by another heavy blow. Luckily, Nan Zhi’s greatsword was sturdy enough. After taking several moves, Mo Xuanli quickly grasped his opponent’s patterns, used a touch of finesse to deflect, cutting the force in half—but even so, the flesh of his palm split open from the shock.
Mo Xuanli locked his gaze on the demon within the black mist, eyes sharp, as if searching for an opening. Suddenly his expression changed, and in that instant he launched a counterattack.
A dragon of fire rushed into the black fog. The black mist casually slashed with his sword, splitting it apart. But in the instant his arm swung down, the scene flickered—the next moment Mo Xuanli had shifted beneath his arm. The sword he had swung out couldn’t be pulled back in time, leaving his arm exposed beyond the mist. Mo Xuanli swung his heavy sword with all his strength, the blade carrying a wind so swift one couldn’t react, slashing toward the demon’s hand.
A sharp clang rang out.
“Not bad… you’re skilled in battle… too bad you’re far too weak. Otherwise, I might actually be interested in sparring with you a few more times!”
This was the first time the demon spoke, voice hoarse and grating. What shocked Mo Xuanli most was that even with his full strength, his heavy sword hadn’t harmed the demon in the slightest. The blade had landed squarely on the arm—yet all it did was ring out a sound, without leaving so much as a mark.
Was this the absolute difference in cultivation? By the standards of cultivators, was the other already near Tribulation Crossing?
When the demon swung down his sword, even though Mo Xuanli’s speed was great, he was still caught by the sword’s intent, smashing heavily into the ground.
The impact blasted a crater into the earth.
“Remember this, I am the Kill Demon! Die!” The Kill Demon raised his broken sword high, cleaving down toward the pit with his finishing blow.
