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Chapter 550: Demon Clan's End
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 14:00:12 +0000 UTCThe Concealed Emperor smiled at Perfected Huanglong’s question. “Junior Brother should be clear about the power of the Immortal Court. The Buzhou Immortal Sect did not rename itself because it claims to be of Master’s lineage.”
“You mean that the Immortal Court wasn’t destroyed in the great tribulation?” Perfected Huanglong asked. He didn’t wait for the Concealed Emperor to answer. “No wonder, no wonder. It seems that the Jade Fantasy Palace has fallen into your hands as well.”
The Concealed Emperor stayed silent, but Perfected Huanglong didn’t care.
“I’ll tell you that even the reborn Heavenly Lord of the Virtuous Way has ceded the dominance of Three Thousand Immortal Realms to us,” the Concealed Emperor said.
“The Heavenly Lord of the Virtuous Way?!” Perfected Huanglong cried out, losing his composure for the first time. He went through the information given to him by the Demon Clan. “Confucius? Is he the Heavenly Lord of the Virtuous Way? If he survived, what about Master?”
The Concealed Emperor’s smile disappeared. “Since the end of the primordial era, Master has not contacted me. None of Master’s artifacts rejected my attempts to refine them.”
Perfected Huanglong turned silent. He knew that the hope was slim, however, he always harbored hope. Now, the Concealed Emperor all but told him that the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning likely perished. “Damn devils.”
“Then what about the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasures? The Numinous Sword Sect is of his lineage,” Perfected Huanglong asked.
The Concealed Emperor shook his head. “You should know from the years of battle that the Numinous Sword Sect only deduced the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure’s sword arts from the four Immortal Extermination Swords. They did not receive his orthodox legacy. The Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasures taught without discrimination. How could his lineage only include sword immortals? You should know this better than anyone.”
“It’s understandable. Even Master failed, and only the most unfathomable of the Three Pure Ones saved his life, but at a cost. How could the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasures survive?” Perfected Huanglong said.
“Junior Brother, have you thought it through? If you are still unwilling, I am more than happy to test your strength, but once that happens, all the demons will perish,” the Concealed Emperor said.
“Don’t you threaten me,” Perfected Huanglong said. “You and I know that once we clash, we will not be able to hide it from the Buddhists. Once they see us, their guard will be raised. And they might even take advantage of our clash to advance their goals.”
“Luya already knows.”
“Luya, Di Jun’s son, the last of the Golden Crows? He’s still alive?” Perfected Huanglong let out in shock.
“He’s now the Sūryaḥ Buddha of Buddhism,” the Concealed Emperor said.
“What exactly are you planning?” Perfected Huanglong asked.
“To escape,” the Concealed Emperor revealed without reserve. “The Heavenly Throne allowed me to survive, but it also placed a shackle onto me.”
Perfected Huanglong sneered. “You should have known that the heavenly officials bear no good karma, even the highest seat.”
“It can’t be helped. I was only a clone. How could I disobey the Main Body’s command?” the Concealed Emperor asked. “Enough stalling. Tell me your answer.”
***
Gradually the Concealed Emperor and Perfected Huanglong’s figure became blurry. Even Tianyi could not sense them. It was as if they had entered a separate dimension untouched by spacetime.
Tianyi didn’t mind. He teleported next to Daoyi and teleported her inside into the Nine Heavens Universe. Next, he appeared next to Ba Shifang, who was standing next to Hu Landie. An awkward expression appeared on his face.
His clone had long gained independence, but they were from the same origin after all. Even before that, his clone was a separate individual with different thoughts and personality, but Tianyi still found it strange that his clone married.
When Ba Shifang and Hu Landie first announced their relationship, he had rushed to Daoyi saying that it was not his intention. It was Ba Shifang’s own choice, and he was not cheating. Yeah, that was an awkward conversation. Because of this, he generally did not contact Ba Shifang when he was next to Hu Landie.
“Do you want to enter my inner universe?” Tianyi asked.
“What about Landie, can she enter too?” Ba Shifang asked.
Tianyi hesitated. The fact that he possessed an inner universe was a secret only known to the high echelon. Very few immortal monarchs knew about it, and this did not included Hu Landie. As an immortal monarch and an outsider who joined during wartime, the Immortal Court made a psychological profile on her.
In the final analysis, they concluded that Hu Landie was not someone trustworthy. Logic dictated too much of her actions and they could not rely on her emotions to secure her loyalty. Thus, she was specifically listed as someone that could not know Tianyi’s secret.
He didn’t think she would allow him to seal her and then bring her into his inner universe without all the information. Her analysis also listed her distrustful nature, and even if Ba Shifang guaranteed, Tianyi didn’t think she would budge.
Ba Shifang knew the answer when he saw Tianyi’s silence. “I’ll wait. If I’m really in danger, I know you’ll save me.”
Tianyi was helpless. Ba Shifang felt like a child who refused to listen to reason, though Tianyi knew where he was coming from. If Daoyi could not be taken to safety, Tianyi felt like he would remain behind too.
“Okay,” Tianyi said aloud. He left, but remained within a thousand meters of the two. This way, he could arrive in a short amount of time and save the two.
Hu Landie glanced between Tianyi and Ba Shifang.
“Is there anything wrong?” Ba Shifang asked with a gentle smile.
She looked away. “It’s nothing.”
Hu Landie wasn’t stupid. She realized that Tianyi and Ba Shifang had communicated secretly because they were discussing a secret she couldn’t know. Still, she didn’t feel much about it. Unless the information harmed her, it wouldn’t matter.
After that little episode, Tianyi kept his eyes on the two blurry divinities. He wasn’t the only one, as many immortals and demons kept their attention on the two divinities. Of course, they still kept the necessary precautions against their foe, in case they launched an attack.
Neither side did, as the decision-makers knew that whatever action they took was incomparable to a divinity taking action. So, they waited patiently.
Finally, the divinities’ visage became clear again. Everyone held their breath. The two’s decision would decide the outcome of the war. Even if the humans held the upper hand, they could still lose.
Under everyone’s bated breath, Perfected Huanglong spoke first. “The Demon Clan has lost.”
It was as if lightning had struck everyone. The demons’ morale plummeted. They gazed at the humans, especially the Concealed Emperor with fear, sadness, unwillingness, and hatred. Although they might not all die thanks to Perfected Huanglong, they would undoubtedly lose something very important.
Some demons glared at Perfected Huanglong with resentment. They weren’t like Demon Emperor Redraco or the other demon emperors. They only learned about him at the end of the war. How great their excitement and hope were at his appearance equated to their current hatred and despair.
Completely opposite of the demons, the humans were jubilant. Even the sword immortals, who knew they would eventually have to face the Concealed Emperor, could not help but show cheerful smiles. They didn’t show too much, or else they might earn the ire of the divine dragon. Even if the Concealed Emperor wanted to save them, they still had a high chance of dying. Once they died, no matter what price the demon paid, they would not come back.
While the weaker immortals celebrated, immortal emperors like Southsword and Vastlight were troubled. However, Minister Vastlight’s expression soon relaxed. The Concealed Emperor already informed them that they would get forty-five percent of all the Demon Clan’s wealth.
It was the opposite of Emperor Southsword. He was happy about getting forty-five percent of the Demon Clan’s wealth, but troubled by the other half of the agreement. The Demon Clan would not be wiped out, but in return, they would have to choose to join either the Immortal Court or the Numinous Sword Sect.
Whichever side Perfected Huanglong joins would inevitably lead to a large number of demons joining.
Emperor Southsword hoped that this didn’t include the divine dragon. Either side it joined would spell catastrophe for the Numinous Sword Sect. If Perfected Huanglong joined the Numinous Sword Sect, it would undoubtedly affect the leadership. In all likelihood, they might take over the Numinous Sword Sect, and it would become the new Demon Clan in all but name.
If Perfected Huanglong joined the Immortal Court, it would also create problems. The best result would be that the Immortal Court enters civil war as the Perfected Huanglong and the Concealed Emperor vie for power. However, the chances of that happening were small. It was more likely that the two sides would cooperate. For the Numinous Sword Sect that had no divinities, the information was akin to the heavens falling.
“I’m not willing, I’m not! If this is the result, what about Blacktiger’s death and Bluefeather’s sacrifice?! I would rather die!” Demon Emperor Redraco shouted. Perfected Huanglong had obviously informed him of the price for the Demon Clan’s survival.
Demon Emperor Redraco was the most devout believer of the Perfected Huanglong, but at this moment, he turned away. Not just him, but many of the demons couldn’t accept it.
The Qilin Patriarch sighed and flew next to Demon Emperor Redraco. He wasn’t the only one. The Phoenix Patriarch and Dragon Patriarch did the same.
Many demons followed their actions, but they were the diehards. Most demons retreated. If they had a chance to live, they would not give up their life.
“Those who are willing to surrender, come to me,” Perfected Huanglong said. Most of the demons who were willing did so, leaving behind only a minority.
The demon emperors did not stop this. They just watched and when all the demons that were willing to surrender left, Demon Emperor Redraco stared at Tianyi. “Human, I challenge you to a duel to the death! Do you dare to accept?”
Only a few seconds passed, and Tianyi accepted. He flew forward and met Demon Emperor Redraco, who did the same.
The two started to fight, but although the clash seemed fierce, Tianyi felt rather disinterested. Demon Emperor Redraco’s ferocity exceeded before, because he had really given up on life and was using everything he had to kill Tianyi.
But he lacked a fire, the drive that pushed him to act before. Having lost his will to live, he was closer to a walking corpse in Tianyi’s opinion. Even if Tianyi didn’t kill him, his waning willpower would see to his end.
Not long later, Tianyi crushed Demon Emperor Redraco’s scale and annihilated his soul. He took the Realm Dragon Scales, but the Azure Dragon Blood Essence flew away and into Perfected Huanglong’s claws.
The next one to challenge was the Qilin Patriarch, and his chosen foe was Minister Everpast, who accepted.
Tianyi watched with apathy. Had he not fought Demon Emperor Redraco, he really thought the demon leaders were trying to deal the last casualty to them, but after discussing it with Minister Everpast and Vastlight, he learned the truth of the matter.
The demons, or the leaders at the very least, weren’t hellbent on fighting to the death, or maintaining their last bit of pride or dignity. Nor were they committing suicide using a borrowed knife. No, they were using their lives to pave a way for the Demon Clan’s future.
If the Demon Clan’s leaders like themselves surrendered, the humans would never trust them and would use all sorts of hidden methods to weaken them. They couldn’t rely on Perfected Huanglong to protect them because of the Concealed Emperor’s presence. If he could have protected them, he would not have surrendered.
Once they, the former leaders of the Demon Clan, died, the Demon Clan would enter a new age. The humans wouldn’t be as wary and might even allow them to restore their strength in the future. They were trading their lives for the future of the Demon Clan.
Just like with Tianyi, Minister Everpast won and killed the Qilin Patriarch. The demons who did not surrender and did not know the truth of the matter trembled. The Phoenix Patriarch sighed and glanced at them. “It’s not too late to regret. You still have a chance to surrender.”
Some demons did, but many stayed. Whether it was out of loyalty or their last bit of pride, no one knew. The Phoenix Patriarch came forward next. His battle lasted the longest because of his abilities. He still perished in the end.
Finally, it was the Dragon Patriarch’s turn, and he followed Demon Emperor Redraco’s footstep.
Tianyi sighed as he watched all this. There was no joy in his eyes as he watched them perished one by one. He glanced at the Black Tortoise, the only one who joined Perfected Huanglong. Even if the Black Tortoise was unwilling to give up, his death probably wouldn’t matter, so he simply didn’t join.
Still, that didn’t prevent the Black Tortoise from feeling grief. Compared to Perfected Huanglong, he could have said to have fought side by side with the contemporary Demon Clan and developed much deeper feelings.
Finally, the farce came to an end as all the Demon Clan’s leaders perished. Only a few demon kings and the demon lords remained. Some challenged the humans, but many stayed silent. Unable to leave, but unwilling to die.
The humans looked toward the Concealed Emperor for guidance. Should they step forward and slaughter these remnants or let them go?
The Concealed Emperor turned around. “Leave them.”
The members of the Immortal Court and Numinous Sword Sect followed behind. Perfected Huanglong and the demons did the same. Most of them followed the Immortal Court, but a few split off and joined the Numinous Sword Sect.
The final Divine Beast-Human War had come to an end.
Comments
Zaim İpek
It would be smart to have Donghai Longzhi join the Numinous sect as a spy.
Ed
What happened to clone dragon guy, did he return with tianyi?
