Great Demon Sun Wukong

Yao Wumeng died in frustration, but regardless of his unwillingness, dead was dead. Once a person dies, no matter how talented or ambitious they were in life, it all vanishes like smoke. Yao Wumeng was such a case: possessing the strength of a Nine Patterns Supreme at its peak, he even had a Shadow Stele that could summon an Ancestor Demon. Yet, there he lay in the Underworld, not even with a whole corpse to claim—undeniably a tragedy, an epitome of being at the mercy of fate despite the times one lives in. The peak of the Nine Patterns Supreme, a level thought to be supreme beyond measure, ultimately could not escape the clutches of death.

This is the sorrow of the mighty, and the reason why so many, despite holding lofty positions and wielding great power, still tirelessly chase the elusive end of the Supreme Path. The endpoint of the Supreme Path signifies eternal life, an enduring existence unreachable even for a Heavenly Venerate. The stronger one is, the more frenzied the pursuit for eternity becomes, and Xi Zhao was the quintessential example of this.

With just a thought, Yao Wumeng's twin swords appeared in front of Zhibei, silently hovering. Without their master, these Ferocious Swords had lost their former sharpness, especially the Destruction Sword Fenji, which trembled and wailed non-stop as if mourning Yao Wumeng's death. The Tyrant Sword Juque, conversely, slashed directly at Zhibei's neck as soon as it appeared. Zhibei, seemingly expecting this, ducked, and the great Juque flew past and planted itself in the earth behind him, then becoming still.

Only Fenji continued to wail. The superiority of one sword over the other was evident. Zhibei sighed, reaching out to grasp Fenji, but as soon as his fingers touched the hilt, he swiftly retracted his hand. He then looked at the charred flesh at his fingertips with a bitter expression. Fenji was indeed a Divine Artifact.

Shaking his head, Zhibei realized that Fenji was currently beyond his reach. He didn't dwell on it, though. He was not a swordsman, and although the swords were excellent, they didn't interest him—not now when his power was spent, and not even before. He thought it might be nice to collect them later and give them away—Po Jun from the Myriad Gods Hall was a dual-sword user. Then, with another thought, a pale red Heavenly Stele appeared before him.

Looking at the Shadow Stele, so similar to the actual World Suppressing Stele, Zhibei closed his eyes, and the nine Nine-Destruction Copper Coins were already in his hand. He rubbed them for a moment before casually tossing them to the ground. As the copper coins settled, Zhibei squatted down and inspected them, expressing surprise. "Shadows are but illusions; this fake World Suppressing Stele is mass-produced? And it seems there's something formidable sealed inside? Tsk, Myriad Demons Country is truly impressive. Not only secretly making Thunder Fire Scorching Flame Cannons but now even replicating the World Suppressing Stele. What will we do if Myriad Demons Country becomes the first among the Six Great Divine Nations, let alone entering the Fallen Tomb?"

Having divined the origin and purpose of the Shadow Stele, Zhibei carefully put it away and then pulled out the Tyrant Sword Juque from the ground and stored it in his spatial container. However, when he tried to collect Fenji, he encountered difficulty. Since he could not touch it to put it into the spatial container and the pain from the prior attempt lingered, he hesitated. A sword without a master was still daunting to handle; had Yao Wumeng wielded it, what level of Combat Power could it unleash? Certainly, not something he could contend with.

After some thought, Zhibei gritted his teeth and took out a section of wood that looked like Golden Thread Wood, as tall as two men and over half a meter thick. Holding the log with one hand, Zhibei levitated above Fenji and pressed the wood down onto it. The log was strange; it was wood indeed, but as soon as it touched Fenji, the point of contact turned into a viscous substance much like mutton fat and absorbed the entire sword. Pleased, Zhibei nodded and seated himself cross-legged on the log, now hovering in mid-air. With a pat of his sole arm, the log transformed into a streak of Golden Light and shot forth.

Returning to the Spirit Controller, who had remained in the Patrolling Celestial World after announcing the trial results, he did not leave but went back underground to dismantle the Great Formation that had obscured the Patrolling Celestial World's aura. The Great Formation quickly vanished, and the world saw sunlight again. As the Formation receded, the Spirit Controller's control over the Patrolling Celestial World was also restored. The Formation not only masked the world's aura, in order not to alert other Law Enforcers, the Spirit Controller had invested significant effort, which in turn greatly affected his own control over the world.

With restored control, every creature within the Patrolling Celestial World was within his perception—so the Spirit Controller immediately sensed Ling Weiyang's group and the Rogue Heart Sword Hero's standoff, apparently on the verge of battle. After another careful sensing, he had a complete grasp of the situation; there was no sign of Yi Xuan and Chi Ghost, which relieved him as it meant the two had left. But Xi Zhao's aura had disappeared as well—could Xi Zhao be dead?

After a moment of hesitation, the Spirit Controller decided he could not allow Ling Weiyang and the Rogue Heart Sword Hero to start fighting. If the last few powerful players were also killed, he would truly be out of pawns. Besides, he needed Ling Weiyang's help with other matters—a smart person always prepares on multiple fronts, and the Spirit Controller was well aware of this. His figure disappeared in an instant, and when he reappeared, he was already at the battlefield between Ling Weiyang and the Rogue Heart Sword Hero. Both parties were alarmed by the sudden appearance of the Spirit Controller.

"The trial in the Patrolling Celestial World has concluded, and conflict is now forbidden. Those who violate this, I will personally obliterate," the Spirit Controller stated. While he showed no temper in front of Yi Xuan, it was because he thought Yi Xuan was at the peak of Heavenly Venerate's realm. However, when facing the Rogue Heart Sword Hero and the others, the imposing manner of the Spirit Controller returned. Though he was only at the Heavenly Venerate Primary Stage, he could annihilate all present if he wished—it wouldn't be difficult. The chasm between a Heavenly Venerate and a Domain Lord level was immense.

The two parties, who were on the brink of battle, immediately ceased their movements. They were neither Chi Ghost nor Yi Xuan; facing a Heavenly Venerate like the Spirit Controller, they had no choice but to bow their heads. Naturally, the Rogue Heart Sword Hero and his companions were furious, while the people of the Myriad Demons Country were secretly delighted—it was truly as if they had picked their lives back up. But within Ling Weiyang's heart, confusion reigned. What was the Spirit Controller doing? Hadn't he decided to abandon them? Why was he reappearing now? As he pondered, the Spirit Controller knew; he was still of use, there was still something he needed to do.

Since the Spirit Controller had intervened personally, the Rogue Heart Sword Hero and others had no choice but to let it go. At this moment, Sun Wukong and his two companions also hurried over. Sun Wukong had sensed the standoff and thought a battle was about to break out, which is why he rushed here. However, when he landed beside the Rogue Heart Sword Hero, he was surprised to see the Spirit Controller there as well.

Seeing Sun Wukong and his companions appear also gave the Spirit Controller a headache. He was not worried about Sun Wukong or Sha Wujing but was quite wary of Hei Kui. Although the three together were not a match for him, he feared the what-ifs. A misstep into the Life and Death Blood Realm would mean the end for him.

Despite his inward apprehension, the Spirit Controller did not show any less imposing manner. "Where is Xi Zhao? Where is he?"

Sun Wukong glanced at the Spirit Controller, his aura not losing out in any way, and said calmly, "Xi Zhao is indeed with me. I can release him, but I need an exchange." The Spirit Controller, gnashing his teeth with frustration at Sun Wukong's attitude, glanced at Hei Kui but held back his anger, asking, "What price?"

Sun Wukong chuckled slyly and said, "Three Domain Instruments or an Elixir that can raise one's Cultivation Realm. Of course, one that can bypass the Heavenly Dao restrictions would be better."

"Sun Wukong, don't push your luck. Believe me, I can erase all of you here and now."

Sun Wukong appeared rather unconcerned and said, "Heh, of course I believe it. The strength of the Heavenly Venerate Primary Stage is enough to deal with us, but I reckon you won't do that. The Life and Death Blood Realm is not to be trifled with."

"I don't have any Domain Instruments. There is only one Elixir, which can elevate one's level by a Domain Lord grade, with no side effects."

"Deal, thank you for your generosity, my lord!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendations and Monthly Passes at Starting Point ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)