At the edge of the Taicang Continent, a group of ragged people were slowly making their way toward the forest from a sandy beach.

Among them, a young girl was helping her elderly grandfather walk. She glanced up at the blood-colored anomaly in the sky, fear clouding her eyes.

“Grandpa, they let us come here… do you think it’s some kind of trap?”

She asked timidly. Her face was smudged with dirt, but her bright eyes still shone through.

Her grandfather moved forward unsteadily, voice weak as he replied,

“Things will get better…”

They weren’t the only ones—others around them shared the same unease, mixed with a glimmer of hope.

All across the edge of the continent, similar groups were making their way inland.

Those with higher cultivation vanished quickly; those with lower cultivation could only advance on foot.

From afar, Gu An watched all of this unfold. With his divine sense, he could tell these people were all reincarnations of Heaven Demons, their soul origins linked to You Yingying and Shen Xinzi through karma.

Every one of them had arrived via Teleportation Arrays, which vanished the moment they passed through.

Using Karma Perception, Gu An gleaned some insight.

Heaven’s Prison.

These people came from Heaven’s Prison, though they didn’t know why—they’d simply been driven out by its rulers.

Although Heaven’s Prison had no karmic or fated ties with the Holy Court, Gu An didn’t need to think hard to guess the one behind it—the Great Ming Saint King.

After all, only a handful of enemies could move at this scale, and the Great Ming Saint King was one of the few capable.

Releasing so many Heaven Demon reincarnates… wasn’t this just a ploy to draw in the Dark War Emperor?

Gu An scoffed at such tactics. Still, if it could lure the Dark War Emperor out early, it would mean fewer casualties—and give the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path a righteous excuse to strike.

“Master, what’s that in the sky?”

Long Qing looked up, his little face full of fear.

No one who saw him could imagine this child as a future Emperor of the Domain of Extinction.

Gu An patted his head gently, reassuring him:

“It’s nothing—might be rain coming. Didn’t you say you’d be a man when you turned five? So why are you crying?”

Long Qing quickly wiped his tears, clenched his fists, and declared:

“I’m not crying! Sand just got in my eyes!”

His words made You Yingying giggle, breaking the tension.

Gu An set Long Qing down and turned to You Yingying with a grin:

“You planning to keep holding onto me like that?”

She immediately let go, blushing and muttering,

“Tch, who wants to hold you?”

“Really? Someone almost ripped my sleeve off just now.”

“Hmph. That was an accident.”

As they bantered, the Taixuan Sect’s Sect-Protecting Grand Formation activated. In the distance, a magnificent light barrier rose, and silhouettes of cultivators soared across the skies above the Third Medicine Valley.

The Taixuan Sect was going into battle mode!

From afar, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord rose to his feet, looking out:

“Trouble again. Looks like we won’t be finishing this game of Go today.”

His elderly opponent sighed in relief and was about to speak when Nine-Fingered Divine Lord suddenly vanished.

Elsewhere, under a tree, Shen Xinzi also stood and disappeared.

Beneath the rolling thunderclouds, flames devoured the earth—like a scene from hell.

A figure strode through the inferno, clad in tattered black battle armor. His black hair was matted and wild, his limbs blistered and oozing with blood. He walked hunched over, a terrifying face hidden beneath his mess of hair.

His face, too, was decaying—no lips, only sharp teeth visible in a horrific grin. The only part untouched was his eyes.

He was—the Dark War Emperor!

With every step, he exhaled foul air.

Looking ahead, he spotted a white-robed man floating on the distant horizon.

After just a glance, he looked away.

Then he stopped, straightened his back, and sniffed the air.

Suddenly, he jerked his head to the side and vanished.

In the next instant, he appeared under the blue sky, above a vast sea of clouds. He dove downward, scattering clouds for thousands of miles, crashing toward the earth with unstoppable force.

BOOM!

A terrifying firelight lit up the heavens, a devastating impact exploded outward, scorching the landscape black. Countless lives were erased in a flash.

“That’s enough.”

The white-robed man’s voice echoed, heavy with authority.

An evil laugh followed from the Dark War Emperor, adding even more terror to the shattered land.

Inside the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An felt a divine sense sweep through—far surpassing that of the Mystic Celestial Immortal. It had to be the Dark War Emperor.

As expected, the emperor had been drawn by the karmic resonance of Heaven Demons across the land.

Gu An began walking toward the Teleportation Platform.

“Where are you going?”

Ji Xuanyu’s voice entered his ears. Gu An looked back—she stood in the distance, watching him.

He replied with a voice transmission:

“Heading to Xuan Valley. There are plenty of people here—no need to worry.”

She nodded reluctantly, watching him leave.

Gu An teleported to Xuan Valley, where Lu Jiu Jia had gathered the disciples to discuss the terrifying anomalies.

“Master’s here!”

A disciple cried out, and all turned to see Gu An, their faces lighting up. The emperor’s oppressive aura had everyone on edge—seeing Gu An brought comfort.

As he approached, Gu An felt Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s divine sense lock onto him.

It seemed… Nine-Fingered was starting to suspect he was tied to the Sword Sovereign.

How interesting.

Then suddenly, everyone on the Taicang Continent felt a choking pressure. No matter their cultivation, all experienced the same fleeting suffocation.

“What was that?”

Zuo Yijian, standing beside the Heaven-Splitting Axe, looked toward the sky, frowning.

Everyone on the Butian Platform felt a jolt of fear—something had happened, something very real.

Panic rippled across the entire continent.

Beneath the heavens, the Dark War Emperor floated above a vast ocean, looking toward the continent ahead—Taicang Continent.

He had felt a powerful force blocking his momentum, forcing him to stop.

That continent harbored true power.

With such intense Heaven Demon aura here, this place likely had no ties to the Holy Court.

The emperor’s eyes flickered. He raised his right hand, black mist roiling from his palm, sweeping across the skies and surging toward the continent.

People looked up as black clouds surged in—then, suddenly, day turned into night.

“What’s going on? Why is it suddenly dark?”

“Did your heart stop just now too?”

“Is the Grand Cold Demon Sect coming again?”

“Could it be some apocalyptic demon emerging?”

Xuan Valley disciples murmured in confusion. Gu An’s face darkened, but he couldn’t explain. All he could do was urge them to trust the Taixuan Sect.

As the continent fell under the shadow of the black clouds, the Dark War Emperor’s oppressive presence grew stronger, spreading dread.

On her balcony, Ji Xuanyu suddenly froze.

She felt as if a dark figure was walking toward her, each step stomping on her heart.

She wasn’t alone. All living beings across the continent fell into the same eerie trance.

Inside the Imperial Palace, Li Xuandao sat on his dragon throne, stunned, watching a deathly figure approach the hall. Ministers around him turned pale and silent.

From temples to pavilions, from palaces to forests—anywhere and everywhere, regardless of visibility—beings were drawn into an indescribable nightmare.

The reincarnated Heaven Demons felt it strongest. Like You Yingying, who saw the emperor’s face—ugly, terrifying.

She wanted to scream, but no sound came. She couldn’t move.

She could only wait for death.

Even Shen Xinzi, at the Ninth Level of the Roving Immortal Stage, was trapped.

He gritted his teeth, panic welling up. He couldn’t understand the emperor’s divine power—couldn’t accept his own helplessness.

In the real world, the Dark War Emperor lifted his arm, laughing madly. A torrent of black mist surged from his palm, forming a sky-obscuring cloud. Within his hand, a black spear took shape, covered in strange runes and emitting an aura of dread.

“Let me see what you’re made of.”

He licked his teeth, his raspy voice dripping with killing intent.

Suddenly!

He looked up. Within the black cloud, a powerful light shone. His expression changed slightly—he gripped his spear with both hands, aura exploding in all directions.

Below, the sea collapsed in a magnificent spectacle.

He poured all his power into the spear. Black flames erupted from it, countless wailing souls crawling out from the surface, trying to escape—but they couldn’t.

Far above, in the Outer Skies, mysterious beings from seven suns opened their eyes, all staring down at the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm.

From the heavens, the vast and radiant world now had a black dot—one that was quickly growing.

Inside the Third Medicine Valley, Ji Xuanyu fell into the same eerie trance. She saw the Dark War Emperor walking toward her, past the medicine garden.

It was a scene she had seen in dreams—again and again. But facing it now, it felt completely different.

An uncontrollable fear and despair gripped her heart.

She tried to push it away—but couldn’t.

“D*mn it…”

She gritted her teeth. A red Dao Sigil between her brows stretched, igniting into flames.

She was activating the power of her Innate Dao Sigil!

Just then, a brilliant light burst behind her, dispelling the darkness in her vision. She instinctively turned—and caught a glimpse of a figure. Her pupils dilated.

A sword shadow!

A silver-glowing sword shadow!

Thunder raged across its blade, shaping its form.

She had never seen such a sword—like it had crossed the river of time from an ancient age. Wherever it pointed, darkness shattered.

In that moment, not just her—all the despairing beings of the continent saw the same sword.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep