"Junior!" Lucifer Nihhao thrust a finger forward, and sword light erupted in all directions!

Completely unlike the violent combat before, this single finger attack was imbued with supreme artistic conception, mesmerizing all in the way of the Sword.

The Demon Race actually harbored such a powerful master! Qian Jing’s eyelids twitched. If the Great Demon King were to join the fray, even the Serpent Sovereign and Li Ba would struggle to withstand this demon on the Human-Demon Battlefield, wouldn't they? Merely through the sheer will of his sword, he had smashed through several chains of curses within his body! If his lifespan were long enough, he could one day shatter all the locks with this sword intent. Alas... this demon’s lifespan was nearing its end! Qian Jing could sense that beneath that vast sword intent lay dwindling vitality, perhaps only a few years left, no longer vigorous or soaring.

"No one can stop me from taking my Demoness!" Qian Jing countered with a reverse hammer blow, the combined force of the Eighteen Mountain-Peak Hammers shattering the incoming sword energy, a wave of hammer-qi spiraling back toward Lucifer Nihhao.

"The profound essence of the Hammer's conception!" Lucifer Nihhao’s eyes snapped open again, his spirit instantly galvanized as he rose. Five streams of sword-qi shot from his splayed fingers, neutralizing Qian Jing's hammer-qi: "To grasp such a deep realm at such a young age! You cannot be allowed to live!"

"If Qian Jing wishes to leave, no man nor demon can stop me! If not for the threat of the Undead, none of you would leave here alive today!" Qian Jing unleashed the Myriad Shadows Style, the sword qi tearing five large holes through his afterimages as his body rapidly retreated out of the arena: "Save your strength for the great enemy, the Undead."

"The Undead are nothing! You must die first!" Lucifer Nihhao flicked his wrist, drawing his Holy Artifact longsword. It flared with brilliant light as he stabbed directly forward.

Executing the same strike, Nihhao’s sword lacked the violent slaughter of Asmodeus’s thrust. This strike was simply the drawing of the sword, and the thrust.

This thrust articulated an ultimate aspect of the Way of the Sword.

The Great Dao is achieved through simplicity!

Lucifer Nihhao’s Myriad Sword Soul Domain merged perfectly into this single strike. Everyone present, human and demon alike, felt as if there was nothing between heaven and earth but this one sword. Whoever it deemed should die would die; if it wished for that star to fall, that star would no longer hang in the firmament.

An invincible strike! A sword expressing the very Dao Qi! Lucifer Nihhao strode forward with unhurried grace, gathering years of enlightenment into this single blow, believing only Qian Jing was worthy of meeting this sword and perishing by it.

"Fine sword technique! Pity it's not a fine sword!" Qian Jing spun back, snatching the Starfall Sword of the Fallen and transforming it into a great saber: "Endless stars, unleash your lamentation for the sovereign!" Saber! Qian Jing began his career with the saber; his Blood Battle Seven Forms, Heaven-Splitting Continuous Slash, Earth-Breaking Cleave... all his combat skills could be executed with the saber. Sometime ago, the battle saber had become an extension of Qian Jing’s own body. This single slice did not fully articulate the true mystery of the saber, yet it unleashed the most primitive killing aura of the blade.

Lucifer Nihhao’s eyes widened again, instantly sensing that the heavens themselves felt lost before this cut, that the stars themselves were about to be cleanly divided by it!

Saber and sword energies collided, followed by the physical meeting of blade and sword. The Holy Artifact in Lucifer Nihhao's hand instantly fractured, exploding into countless fragments that scattered away. He was forced back several steps, several internal sword qi streams barely managing to ward off the lingering power of Qian Jing's strike.

The Holy Artifact shattered! What? All the demons were stunned. This was unheard of; how could a Holy Artifact break? There was no record in history of a Holy Artifact ever being damaged!

"Holy Artifacts have different qualities; yours was too poor." As Qian Jing spoke, he had already flown a hundred meters away: "Today I am here to save the Demoness; I do not wish to kill more demons."

"Trying to leave?" Lucifer Sui Ruige’s face darkened: "Even if I bear the infamy of history, I will turn you into a corpse! Dark Division Magic Corps!"

"No need to call them! Don't you find it strange that only Qian Jing came to rescue the Demoness?" Duan Feng Buer's voice, grating enough to anger a demon without consequence, sounded slowly: "What do you think we've been busy with all this time? Your rotten batch of Dark Division cannon fodder has already been entirely dealt with by us."

Duan Feng Buer’s voice echoed continuously, yet no one could see his figure. Instead, Qian Jing and the other person in the sky suddenly vanished!

"Invisible Soul Domain!" Lucifer Nihhao pointed into the air, and wherever his sword light fell, Duan Feng Buer was forced backward through the air, revealing his shape.

"Quite the formidable old man!" Duan Feng Buer flickered, instantly retreating back into the Invisible Soul Domain: "I don't have time for a fight today; we’ll battle another time."

"Trying to leave?" A voice filled with the majesty of a sovereign caused the very air to freeze instantly. A punch-force pressure surged up from beneath the earth, stabbing directly into the Invisible Soul Domain.

The Great Demon King! Qie Kefulite’s heart hammered wildly. The battle qi in his sword flared violently. Such immense power left him no leeway to maintain focus on the Invisible Soul Domain—all humans and demons were instantly exposed!

Long unseen, His Majesty the Great Demon King, who had been in seclusion attempting to fuse his two bloodline powers, finally appeared at this moment!

The demons, who had been on the brink of despair, now roared with excitement in unison.

In such a short time, Qian Jing’s appearance had almost completely demolished the glory of the Demon Race. The powerful demons who had once troubled the experts of the Zhen Ce Dynasty now appeared fragile as children before Qian Jing. If Qian Jing hadn't restrained himself from excessive slaughter, countless demons would have met their end here today.

This heavily fortified City of Fallen Souls was like his own backyard to Qian Jing—he could enter and leave as he pleased.

If Qian Jing were truly allowed to depart like this, the Demon Race would suffer an unprecedented blow to its dignity!

The magic tower towering over the demon lands had not been activated today to keep Qian Jing contained. This was clearly because Duan Feng Buer and the others had already preemptively cleared all the obstacles preventing escape while Qian Jing was rescuing the Demoness.

Too many demon eyes were fixed on the plaza, waiting for Qian Jing’s appearance. Although other locations had contingency plans, Qian Jing’s team had already resolved those obstacles without issue.

The demon populace and the demon experts finally relaxed their tense emotions, their hearts swelling once more with infinite fighting spirit.

His Majesty the Great Demon King had appeared! The truly invincible Great Demon King of this era! He had emerged from his seclusion! His mere appearance, with a single punch, had temporarily disabled a master wielding the Invisible Soul Domain, achieving a precision even surpassing Lucifer Suihao.

"Qian Jing, you can try to take Liu Shui, but I doubt you can safely take everyone else," the Great Demon King emerged from the massive ground crater, his kingly demeanor commanding awe. Every move he made suggested absolute control over all things.

Qian Jing slowly descended from the sky, turning back to look at Qie Kefulite nearby. If he hadn't been aiming for the maximal stealth effect of the Invisible Soul Domain, he wouldn't have taken that punch from the Great Demon King so heavily. Three pairs of black fallen angel wings—Qie Kefulite was the one among all Bloodline Warriors and Demon Warriors most likely to achieve ultimate awakening! Moreover, though his power hadn't fully awakened, the power of his bloodline grew rapidly every day.

The three pairs of black fallen angel wings were already a manifestation of the ultimate awakening for Fallen Angel Demon Warriors. Nearly every human or demon who saw Qie Kefulite believed he would awaken ultimate power.

"Three pairs of wings? A Human-Demon hybrid? Has he awakened his power?" the Great Demon King appraised Qie Kefulite, saying lightly: "You cannot leave either. I must extract the secret of the three pairs of wings from you! Only then can I surpass all previous ultimate bloodline warriors and become a true God!"

As the Great Demon King spoke, his eyes shone with a zealous confidence.

A master who awakens ultimate bloodline power is practically a demigod. The Great Demon King, with his dual-bloodline Heaven-Grade Awakening and dual True Saint cultivation, if he reaches the ultimate awakening, will surely surpass all predecessors. Whether he can become a true god is unknown, but he is certainly capable of being called a demigod!

Everyone desired the awakening of ultimate bloodline power, and even the current Great Demon King could not resist the temptation of awakening it.

"Nihhao, you capture this hybrid." The Great Demon King strode toward Qian Jing, his two battle souls, which could never previously appear together, manifesting simultaneously. Two pairs of black fallen angel wings proved he had activated the Fallen Angel bloodline, but the other unique colors on his skin indicated that the Great Demon King had activated both battle forms simultaneously!

"Qian Jing? I will capture him myself."

The demons instinctively backed away, simultaneously staring intently at Duan Feng Buer and the others. Even if capturing a powerhouse like Qian Jing proved impossible, seizing those beside him would still be a great accomplishment!

The strongest expert of this era was always acknowledged to be the Great Demon King!

In the past, whether among the Demon Race, their mortal enemy the Zhen Ce Dynasty, or the perpetually wavering Barbarian Race, consensus held that the strongest current figure was undoubtedly the Great Demon King of the Lucifer Dynasty.

Now, a voice had begun in the Zhen Ce Dynasty suggesting that Serpent Sovereign Pan Hongji had taken the mantle—the strongest person now belonged to Qian Jing!

However, no matter how dominant Qian Jing was, the Demon Race never believed he could shake the invincible status of the Great Demon King.

At this moment, the two figures lauded as the strongest... all the experts held their breath, fearful of missing even a fleeting glimpse.

"If I want to leave, no one can stop me!" Qian Jing calmed his mind, paying no further attention to the surroundings. With Li Dongfeng and the others stationed nearby, it would be difficult for other demons to play any tricks. Furthermore, the Demon Race's trump cards had already been calculated and predicted countless times by Fen Tu Kuangge and Mu Ne Zhen Ce working in tandem, and they had recently been sabotaged.

The horror of an Into-Saint expert wasn't solely in frontal combat. If an Into-Saint expert discarded all dignity and honor to engage in guerilla tactics, they would become the nightmare of any faction.

Fen Tu Kuangge was an ordinary warrior who had reached the Into-Saint realm. Lacking the inherent glory and arrogance of a bloodline warrior upon reaching that level, he continued to employ the tactical planning methods of an ordinary warrior, carrying no burden in executing such tasks. This was a loophole that Lucifer Sai Ruige had failed to calculate.

"Insolent! Daring to show disrespect to His Majesty!" Asmodeus’s longsword flickered, thrusting toward Qian Jing again before any other demon could react!

Qian Jing made a casual saber slash without turning his head! Lucifer Nihhao didn't even have time to shout a warning; his most outstanding disciple was instantly severed into two corpses.

Bang! Asmodeus’s corpse slammed onto the ground, kicking up dust stained with blood. His eyes stared blankly at the sky, silently expressing his shock. How could a dignified True Saint perish from a single strike by an expert of the same rank?

Being of the same True Saint realm, the gulf in cultivation was already too vast. In this era, fewer than ten humans or demons could withstand a single strike from Qian Jing!

Asmodeus was clearly not among those ten.

"Qian Jing, you kill my subject in front of me. This is provocation."

In the vast plaza, the Great Demon King stood solemn, his form like a pillar supporting the sky, motionless at the true center of the square.

A chilling, bleak wind whipped against the Great Demon King’s imperial robes with a snapping sound, mixing with the dirge sung by the surrounding demons, conveying an unspeakable tragedy.

After several days apart, Qian Jing noticed that as the Great Demon King fused his bloodline powers, his dominant eyes were underscored by two long, red eye-shadow markings, and his black-and-red hair billowed in the wind, radiating even more kingly dominance.

One was determined to leave, the other determined to stay! An irreconcilable conflict existed! The Great Demon King had to defeat Qian Jing. Qian Jing’s presence in the Demon Race these past few days had been far too overwhelming; without defeating him, the entire Demon Race’s morale would rapidly decline.

No more words were necessary. The clash of their auras caused the air pressure to rise sharply. All experts held their breath at this moment.

The instant their auras touched, the Great Demon King’s ferocious, kingly eyes locked onto Qian Jing instantly turned into gemstone black, devoid of joy or sorrow, emotionless, as if a true god looked down upon the vicissitudes of the mortal world.

True Demon! Legend held that only a Demon Warrior who had awakened ultimate bloodline power had the faintest chance of comprehending the True Demon Realm!

What is the True Demon? No human or demon could explain it clearly. Even many demon warriors who achieved ultimate awakening throughout history failed to grasp the True Demon realm.

True Demon—the Great Demon King had comprehended the True Demon realm that many demon experts who had awakened ultimate bloodline powers could not attain!

In the plaza, the breath of demons permeated everywhere.

True Demon: Neither false nor self-confining.

True Demon: All myriad demons ultimately evolve back into the One.

True Demon: Fusing the essence of a hundred demons, comprehending the self, incorporating the spirits of the hundred demons into the body.

The True Demon is the truth of all demons. Only by integrating the spirit, soul, and history of all demons can one become the True Demon.

Under this star, everything in the world can become demonic, possessing demonic nature. Thousands of demons transform into the True Demon, locking onto Qian Jing.

Seeing this scene, the fear the demon experts felt for Qian Jing instantly vanished without a trace. Their bodies and minds entered a state of unprecedented freedom. Spreading their arms, they felt capable of soaring through the cosmos without needing to utilize any battle qi.

The True Demon can influence all demons! The Great Demon King entered the True Demon state, his twin souls reflecting one another, actually merging into a single soul!

One body, two souls, unified as one! What Fen Tu Kuangge had once managed, the Great Demon King, entering the True Demon realm, also managed to merge his twin souls, forming a new primary battle soul based on the Fallen Angel battle soul!

His elastic muscles rapidly swelled. Stripes resembling strokes painted by a master artist spread across his entire body, mapping out the War God of the world!

The aura of the absolute peak of the True Saint realm radiated out. The surrounding demons involuntarily knelt on the ground, bowing as if on a pilgrimage.

The True Destruction Demon Eye appeared on the Great Demon King’s forehead! It boiled like high-temperature fire from hell in his gaze.

"Qian Jing! Submit!" A voice imbued with endless kingly authority leaped from the Great Demon King's lips. The entire City of Fallen Souls seemed to tremble violently. The rebound shockwave generated by his feet striking the ground roared to the heavens, causing countless kneeling demons to tumble over. In their sight, there was only a swirling mass of shattered stone, but His Majesty the Great Demon King was nowhere to be seen.

At this moment, let alone ordinary demons, even Real Saint level demon experts could not clearly track the Great Demon King’s path of movement; they could barely discern a phantom. Only True Saint level experts could vaguely make out a hint of his movements, and even that was a strenuous effort.

To see something, and to be able to fight it, were entirely different concepts! Seeing him did not mean you could keep up with his speed!

The Great Demon King’s battle qi erupted skyward. Wherever his kingly aura passed, the flying stones rapidly fell back down, as if expressing submission to their sovereign. The peerless aura of the age was displayed completely.

The Great Demon King clenched his five fingers into a fist. In an instant, it seemed as if everything under heaven was grasped in his palm; the life and death of all beings rested on his whim. The fate of the entire Demon Race was fused with his own!

The punch of the True Demon! The punch of the King!

The True Demon, as legend stated, was the ancestor who founded the Demon Race. The body of the True Demon transformed into the mountains of the earth; its blood became the rivers. The blood of all demons was connected to the True Demon—he was the true origin of the Demon Race!

He was also the Sacred Demon of the Demon Race!

The True Demon was also the Demon Race's ultimate realm. Only by reaching the True Demon state could one understand the meaning of 'demon'! It allowed one to integrate the history of the Demon Race, the flesh and blood of the Demon Race, and all demons together.

The glory of demons, the rise and fall of demons, the prosperity of demons, the sorrow of demons, the will of demons, the civilization of demons—everything about them converged!

The Great Demon King took a step forward, wielding a True Demon Combat Skill—a technique that transcended everything, fusing all ordinary Demon Race combat skills based on the bloodline warrior’s personal techniques.

This strike was not just a strike of the True Demon; it also contained the strike of the King! The Great Demon King’s undefeatable will, at this moment, concentrated the entire oppressive aura that the Demon Race held against Qian Jing into this single punch.

The undefeatable True Demon, the Kingly True Demon! The Great Demon King's True Demon realm far surpassed that of previous True Demons because he possessed the aura of the King! The true essence of the sovereign!

Every True Saint expert’s life was a glorious scroll capable of shaking the soul. The Great Demon King's undefeated, kingly life was far more turbulent and grand than that of ordinary True Saint experts. By bringing forth everything of the Demon Race now, the shock was so profound that even a True Saint expert facing it would instantly have their fighting spirit crushed, sinking deeply into the demon's conception.

Qian Jing, having blasted through more than half the Demon Race territory, had already incited dissatisfaction among countless demons! That dissatisfaction, previously transformed into fear, now transformed into rage again due to the Great Demon King’s appearance. When the Great Demon King threw his punch, it was not just him fighting alone; the entire Demon Race fought alongside him!

Qian Jing, at this moment, faced a battle against the entire Demon Race!

The peak! The first strike! The Great Demon King escalated the destructive power to its zenith!

The True Demon Combat Skill erupted between the Great Demon King's outstretched arms, instantly unleashing the strongest strike he had ever claimed as invincible! The entire plaza and the heavens changed color. Surrounding True Saint experts felt as if their chests had been hit by a heavy hammer, retreating repeatedly. Real Saint experts were completely mesmerized by the True Demon, spitting out a three-foot-long sword of blood from their mouths.

Rumble...

The instant the Great Demon King struck, Qian Jing also moved! The combined force of both sides surged, churning the plaza, changing the world, their momentum shattering stars and dominating the firmament!

Qian Jing released the Super-Void Soul consecutively! His three battle souls merged back into his body, the resulting battle qi resembling illusory clouds and mist, like the most mysterious stars in the sky—making his form indistinct.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Qian Jing released all the insights he had gained these past few days in an instant. He strode forward; the surrounding stones instantly turned to dust. Wherever he walked, everything reverted to stardust. The demons were astonished to find they could clearly trace Qian Jing's path of advance; behind him remained a series of nearly solid afterimages.

Different from the Great Demon King’s dragon-like elusiveness, Qian Jing advanced in steps covering about one meter each, like an ordinary person. Everywhere he passed turned into nothingness. Only moments later would the explosive impact erupt from the ground beneath his previous steps, the path he traversed looking as if it had been ravaged by the forbidden spells of a magic legion.

The peak of the Myriad Shadows Style—Qian Jing took ten steps and suddenly stopped. Everything behind and around him fell into dead silence, like the final, resolute quiet before two opposing armies clash. Boundless battle qi sprayed from his pores, swirling around his body like constellations.

As the battle qi continuously erupted, Qian Jing's usually steady and mountain-like body suddenly swayed side to side. The surrounding battle qi vibrated so violently that it seemed even the stars followed its violent shaking. The entire body released new power amidst this rotation, and finally, the resulting storm of battle qi converged into his right arm.

This right arm was drawn out from his side, following the leverage of his rearward push, the thrust of his waist and shoulder, slicing through the air with a howl, seeming truly capable of tearing space itself. Countless stars surged upward from his side, finally concentrating on his fist, colliding and exploding in succession. Ten million points of starlight wrapped around his body. Only his right arm blazed with the light of a giant star. Innumerable combat skills clashed, shattered, disappeared, and then new combat skills were generated. They devoured the sky, devoured the earth, and devoured the air. Wherever they passed, the air was completely scraped clean, leaving behind a uniquely transparent, crystal-like hole, erupting with the ultimate power of chaos.

“The Invincible Responsibility!” Eight Desolations Sword Hero’s mind was severely shaken, his body involuntarily reeling. His eyes blazed with brilliant divine light; he could not believe this was the Qian Jin from their last encounter in the Demon Race territory—this was a peerless strike capable of defeating one blow!

All the True Saint powerhouses stared at the battlefield in petrified silence. They had always known Qian Jin was terrifyingly formidable, but they never imagined he could mount such a resolute counterattack against the Demon King’s supposedly invincible True Demon Dao!

This was Qian Jin’s ascended strike, integrating all his combat techniques, channeling every past experience, and comprehending the vast, all-encompassing essence of the stars!

The chaos that embraces, creates, destroys, and regenerates all things met the unyielding glory radiating from the True Demon, the Demon King’s undefeatable will. This was no longer a contest of combat skills, but a renewed clash of profound intent, a competition over the ultimate understanding of this world.

Rumble!

The ground of the [Plaza] boiled, collapsed, and fractured. Countless fragments of rock flew upward as the earth subsided endlessly. Fissures wide enough to swallow war chariots ripped across the surface, manifesting a scene of apocalypse as if the gods themselves were intent on destroying the world through the collision of such intense power.

Demons below the rank of Void Saint either vomited blood from the shockwave or were instantly obliterated, or perhaps shredded into pieces by the sheer force of the turbulent currents!

The Eight Desolations Sword Hero thrust his battle aura outward, shielding himself from the rampaging energy flows. He fixed his gaze on the center of the battlefield, desperate to grasp the outcome of the confrontation between the two current strongest entities, as no one could truly predict the victor between them!

The Demon King, with his dual souls merged, dominated this age! Qian Jin, with his one body housing three souls, possessing the Star Battle Intent! They were truly the twin sovereigns of this era!

Fight, fight, fight, fight! At this moment, Qian Jin finally lowered his stance, pressed his hips back, and drove his shoulders forward, forcibly advancing half a step while unleashing all his battle aura and techniques in an explosive outward surge!

The Demon King’s long, red-and-black hair stood fiercely on end, making him resemble a fierce demon crawling out of hell. Thin streams of blood leaked from the corners of his eyes. He attempted to drive forward again, channeling more True Demon might, but the ground beneath him seemed to abandon him. His entire body was violently thrown backward, explosive blossoms of blood mist erupting along his arms, tearing apart the muscle tissue around his fists and limbs.

The massive Fallen [Plaza] became a tragic mass grave. The surrounding earth continued to tremble—not merely from the residual shockwaves of power, but from the immense opposing forces of the battle, triggering deeper, fundamental shifts in the energies beneath the earth, inducing genuine earthquakes!

It was not only the earth that shook, but the spirits of countless demons! What Qian Jin had repelled was not merely the Demon King, but the True Demon into which the aggregated will of countless demonic entities was channeled—he had crushed the very origin of the Demon Race!

Bang, bang, bang, bang…

The Demon King flew backward, smashing through countless structures, leaving behind nothing but devastated ruins and shrouds of dust in his wake.

Viewed from high above, a long, gray trail of smoke and dust was clearly visible—that was the trajectory of the Demon King’s retreat.

His Majesty the Demon King… was defeated!

Amidst the storm, countless beings ignored their pain and disregarded the threat of death, staring blankly at Qian Jin standing in the center of the [Plaza]. They knew instantly that the one sent flying must have been His Majesty the Demon King!

The invincible Demon King of this age… had been defeated!

Every demon dared not believe their eyes. Qian Jin, this recently risen ordinary human warrior, had actually overpowered the entity whose dual souls were merged, who had comprehended the True Demon, and was halfway toward achieving ultimate awakening!

Where there is battle, there is victory and defeat. His Majesty the Demon King, who had never known defeat… had lost…

Now, who could stand against Qian Jin’s advancing stride? Could anyone in this world withstand that immense, sweeping strike he just unleashed?

“So, this is the True Demon?” Lucifer Sairig maintained his composed demeanor amidst the turmoil, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the retreating Demon King. “I understand now. That is the True Demon. I am inherently a demon; I am the True Demon. Hahaha, I understand!”

With two declarations of understanding, Lucifer Sairig unleashed his own bloodline power—the fifth wing of the Fallen Angel! Indeed! Lucifer Sairig had not achieved the ultimate awakening of six wings, but he had manifested the fifth wing, placing him above the Demon King!

“Hahahahahahaha…” Lucifer Sairig’s laughter climbed from a low chuckle to outright madness. “By comprehending the True Demon, I have gained a fifth wing! Qian Jin!… Do you think you are invincible? Do you think…” “So, this is the True Demon… I am inherently a demon, I am inherently a demon…”

Two acknowledgments of "I am inherently a demon" were spoken by Checkfurit, his calm tone brimming with an ineffable sense of realization.

Crack, crack… Checkfurit’s body suddenly shuddered. A desolate aura, stretching back to the primordial era, began to ooze from within him. Black energy rays erupted from his forehead. Influenced by the True Demon, his power surged yet again.

Ultimate Awakening! Lucifer Nihao watched this scene and felt a chill run through his body. This young Fallen Angel Bloodline Martialist was… was undergoing the Ultimate Awakening! The Ultimate Awakening for this generation of Fallen Angel Martialists was manifesting in a half-blood!