Ye Jingyu awoke to find a surge of information flooding his mind—data left behind by Hei Mingba. The arrival of this influx immediately cast a shadow over him; could the mighty Hei Mingba truly have fallen? He had chosen self-detonation to stop Ashura, willingly sacrificing his life to prevent the descent of the Abyss Demons.

He was the Purple Flame Demon King, branded by the world as the very incarnation of evil. Yet, such a great demon king had chosen to give up his life to protect those very people who misunderstood him.

Was this irony? Or a profound sorrow?

For the first time, Ye Jingyu gained a deeper understanding of the Witches, of those great sages and powerful beings from the Primordial Era.

They were the true saints, dedicating not only their lives but also willingly burdening their descendants with such a heavy mandate for the sake of humanity.

The Witches!

At that moment, Yingkong Shi also awoke, having likewise received fragments of Hei Mingba’s memories—memories pertaining to the ancient Witch Clan. Connecting these with the scattered tales passed down in his own lineage, Yingkong Shi suddenly grasped so much.

He slowly stood up, gazing at the colossal Qin Mountain, his eyes filled with solemn reverence. He bowed deeply three times toward the mountain before turning to look at Ye Jingyu.

“Now that Qin Mountain has been split by a chasm, none of us know how much the seal has loosened. Should we perhaps settle our grievances another time?” The blood of the Witches flowed within him, and now, having absorbed Hei Mingba’s data, he knew precisely what he should and should not do.

Ye Jingyu rose from the ground, meeting Yingkong Shi’s stern gaze, and nodded slightly. Faced with the threat of the demons, what did the feud between them even amount to?

“Then, I shall take my leave…” Yingkong Shi spoke, turning to depart.

“Wait…” Ye Jingyu called out, stopping him.

“What else?” Yingkong Shi asked coldly.

“You have achieved the Demon King realm; have you weathered the Heavenly Tribulation?” Ye Jingyu was intensely curious. When Yan Senxu attained the Demon King realm, the heavenly tribulation had been terrifyingly immense. Even if he had accidentally provoked it due to his own actions, it shouldn't have been this overwhelmingly powerful, should it?

“Of course. Anyone aspiring to the rank of Demon King must undergo the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation. However, with this present, I have no need to face the tribulation between heaven and earth!” Yingkong Shi gestured toward the Thunder Gathering Cauldron beside him, then offered no further explanation, transforming into a streak of blue light that shot toward the sky.

Though Yingkong Shi hadn’t elaborated much, Ye Jingyu understood everything perfectly. This great cauldron was the Thunder Gathering Cauldron, a magical artifact passed down by the Primordial Heavenly Witch Qiangliang. While perhaps not on par with supreme innate treasures like the Eastern Emperor Bell, it was still an absolutely top-tier artifact, especially since it could condense Heavenly Thunder on its own. He surmised that over the years, it must have accumulated vast amounts of Heavenly Thunder in the Thunder Marsh, absorbing immense energy.

Its destructive power would naturally far exceed that of the standard Heavenly Tribulation. Once Yingkong Shi reached that high a level, he could absolutely endure the tribulation within the Thunder Gathering Cauldron.

The lightning power within the Thunder Gathering Cauldron originated from Heavenly Thunder, differing little from the bolts sent down by the Heavenly Tribulation. Crucially, the tribulation strikes from heaven were governed by the rules of the Heavenly Dao, whereas the power of the tribulation within the cauldron could be entirely controlled by the cultivator himself.

To temper his physical body using the lightning force of the Heavenly Tribulation, allowing it to truly ascend to the Demon King realm—perhaps the effect wouldn't quite match the real Heavenly Tribulation, which cleansed not just the body but also the spirit—but regardless, this method was infinitely safer, eliminating the risk of being utterly vaporized.

This was undoubtedly a heaven-defying artifact. No wonder he managed to pass the Heavenly Tribulation without anyone noticing; that was the reason.

Watching Yingkong Shi’s figure disappear into the distance, Ye Jingyu turned back to look at the enormous Qin Mountain, then at the colossal Abi Sword. He let out a long sigh. Silver light flickered beneath his feet, and he too sped away toward the horizon. However, perhaps due to the injury sustained by his spirit, his speed was not great.

Furthermore, had he not received Hei Mingba’s memories, neither he nor Yingkong Shi would have known that they had been violently swept to this location, to this Far East region.

The Far East region was tens of thousands of miles from the Thunder Marsh Circle. Even a Demon Emperor master like Hei Mingba, capable of instantaneous displacement, would have required a considerable amount of time to travel there, let alone Ye Jingyu and Yingkong Shi.

Both their spirits had suffered damage. They spent the journey simultaneously repairing their injuries. By the time they returned to the Thunder Marsh Circle, over three months had passed.

Their injuries had fully recovered, but the battle within the Thunder Marsh Circle had not concluded. Races like the Werewolves and Vampires were almost entirely annihilated. The Purple Flame Demon Clan, the remaining Demon Dragons, and the seven great families of the Blue Demon Clan had simultaneously launched an offensive against the Asura Clan. Numerous Ninth-Rank Demon Lords fell in succession.

The Blue Demon Clan was reduced to only two Ninth-Rank Demon Lords, Yingkong Zhan and Huang Xiao. The Purple Flame Demon Clan’s twelve Ninth-Rank Demon Lords were now only three.

Even Yue Hen, who had been at Ye Jingyu’s side, perished during the brutal fighting while protecting Hu Yanmeng. Wu Yuan and Wu Hui were both slain while attempting to save their younger brother, Wu Qing. Their entire life essence was transferred to Wu Qing, not only preserving his life but also greatly boosting his power.

Yet, faced with the savage Asura Clan—a race even stronger than the Demon Dragons, which had suffered surprisingly few losses—the casualties among their own ranks remained severe.

If not for the support of a Demon King like Yan Senxu, they might not have stood a chance against these Asuras. After all, their strength had been heavily depleted fighting the Werewolves and Vampires. Especially the Demon Dragon Clan: fewer than five of their eighteen Ninth-Rank experts remained, and even Long Ba, their strongest after Long Zhantian, perished in a mutual destruction pact with an Asura Clan Demon Lord.

When Ye Jingyu and Yingkong Shi arrived, they saw three Ninth-Rank Asura Demon Lords surrounding Yan Senxu. Perhaps the continuous fighting had already exhausted too much of his strength; now, facing three Ninth-Rank Demon Lords, even he appeared to be struggling slightly.

Yingkong Zhan and the others were only barely holding back the Asura assault. Even though they were utterly exhausted, they clung fiercely to their positions, refusing to let the Asuras retreat a single step.

Those not of our kin shall be slain without pardon…

And at that moment, Ye Jingyu watched as an Asura Ninth-Rank Demon Lord swung a saber down toward the heavily wounded Jiuli Tower. The towering Jiuli Tower was in no position to evade such a strike; it could only watch as the blade descended upon it…

(P: I must admit, I have been truly exhausted recently, leading to several continuity errors popping up. This is my fault. Some have already been corrected, including the matter of Yingkong Shi’s tribulation today. I thank the brothers who pointed these out. I also missed Gongsun Xiangyi, for which I sincerely apologize; I will devise a way to bring her back into the plot smoothly. For a novel running into several million characters, it is inevitable that some gaps will appear. I will endeavor to mend every loophole I discover. I hope the brothers can understand; the refinement of a book is a collective effort. If similar issues are noticed, please email me at 108669196; we can discuss it together! Thank you for your continued support! There will be another update later tonight.)