The second breakthrough belonged to Lin Xiaoyi; with the aid of the Heaven Enlightenment Pill, the inheritance of Dugu Bachen instantly illuminated his mind, allowing him to directly breach the Martial Venerable realm and ascend to the rank of a Celestial Master.

Hu Yanmeng and Xue Wuqing subsequently achieved Celestial Master status as well. Conversely, Hu Yanqi, upon whom Ye Jingyu had placed such high hopes, remained stuck at the Ninth Heaven realm, though his expression betrayed no hint of dejection.

Xue Ming also failed to advance. Nangong Shang’s cultivation base was comparatively weaker; after consuming the Nine Revolutions Primal Pill, he still required time to fully assimilate its medicinal power. Once that process was complete, he was set to reach the Ninth Heaven realm; whether he could then pierce that final barrier would be up to fate.

However, the Nine Revolutions Primal Pill was no lollipop bought off the street, available for infinite supply. Gongsun Xiangyi had only managed to refine seven such pills over many years.

Luo Ruofeng received one, Nangong Shang one, Yi Ruoshui one, and Yao Rao one. Ye Jingyu kept the remaining three, handing them all to Luo Ruofeng. As the current Emperor of the entire mortal realm, Luo Ruofeng required his own reserves of strength.

Ye Jingyu trusted him, just as Luo Ruofeng trusted Ye Jingyu.

After the overall strength of the group had been elevated, Ye Jingyu also entrusted the Map of Mountains and Rivers to Luo Ruofeng’s keeping. Pertaining to the very foundation of the realm—its mountains and rivers—Ye Jingyu deeply hoped Luo Ruofeng would prioritize these matters.

Such a monumental gesture deeply moved Luo Ruofeng. He exchanged no pleasantries or polite reassurances; instead, he simply embraced Ye Jingyu tightly…

For this impending journey to the Demon Realm, Ye Jingyu was accompanied only by Liang Xiaoke, Jiufeng, Hu Yanmeng, Hu Yanqi, and Xue Wuqing—five individuals. Though Lin Xiaoyi had also reached the Celestial level, his combat experience was far too thin, and he possessed no defensive magic artifacts; going along would be tantamount to sending him to his death. It was better for him to remain by Luo Ruofeng’s side, training a cadre of powerful experts.

The demons were overwhelmingly powerful. Ye Jingyu and his companions absolutely had to forge an army capable of opposing these formidable foes.

Perhaps the conditions were not ripe before, but now, possessing Gongsun Xiangyi, an alchemist at the Immortal realm, and the Map of Mountains and Rivers, a heaven-defying artifact capable of altering time, they had the means to assemble an army comprised of Martial Gods, or perhaps even Martial Venerables, given sufficient time.

Yet, neither Luo Ruofeng nor Ye Jingyu could accelerate the time within the Map of Mountains and Rivers by a factor of one hundred. With their current strength, they could manage a temporal acceleration of at most thirty times that of the outside world. Thirty times the time, coupled with Gongsun Xiangyi’s elixirs, meant that building a formidable army was no longer an impossible dream.

Luo Ruofeng immediately issued a decree across the entire nation, selecting all talented individuals, regardless of whether their aptitude lay in martial arts, soul cultivation, or even direct cultivation of immortal arts. Furthermore, Chief Fang Zhuguo dispatched two thousand highly gifted youths from the Guhua Continent. After just over a month, a total of one hundred thousand boys under the age of twelve had entered the Map of Mountains and Rivers. Those remaining in the mortal world—Gongsun Xiangyi, Lin Xiaoyi, Yao Rao, and others—also entered the map, as cultivation within its confines proceeded at over thirty times the external rate, and even Luo Ruofeng himself would occasionally enter to train.

His son, Luo Xiaoyuan, was also fortunate enough to receive a Heaven Enlightenment Pill and a Nine Revolutions Primal Pill, cultivating diligently within the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

Meanwhile, Ye Jingyu and his retinue were already traversing the lands of the Demon Realm, gathering up Chi Yixiu and others along the way, while pressing forward at full speed toward Mount Qin…

On Mount Qin in the Demon Realm, Dugu Bachen, Xuanyuan Jue, and Gui Jianchou bore heavy wounds, yet their faces were set with unwavering resolve. Facing Yuan, whose strength clearly surpassed their own, their eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

Especially Dugu Bachen and Xuanyuan Jue: their power had been restored within the Map of Mountains and Rivers, but due to damage to their soul origins, they could advance no further. However, upon reaching Mount Qin, they discovered that as they cultivated, their soul origins were slowly mending. This realization brought them immense joy. Both were figures of astonishing genius; faced with such an opportunity, they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to cultivation. Joining them was Yu Luosha, who had survived the seals breaking through sheer luck due to his obsession with martial arts. The three sparring with each other caused their power to surge, hinting at a trend of breaking through the Celestial level and reaching the Desolate level.

Yu Luosha, in particular, had initially been the weakest among the three. However, having witnessed death, Dugu Bachen and Xuanyuan Jue found his strength subsequently surpassing theirs. Especially after being severely wounded when the seals were initially broken by the demons, Yu Luosha’s power advanced rapidly, subtly approaching the Desolate level he had long sought to attain.

But precisely at this moment, the demon Yuan, whom they had encountered before, returned. Facing the formidable Yuan, even the three combined were no match for him.

However, Yuan himself was presently brimming with frustration. He had finally acquired the Yantu Sword, believing breaking the seal would be simple, only to encounter a monstrosity—a powerhouse of that caliber existing in such a fragile realm. Had Jin Lisi Jun not suddenly appeared to lend him aid, he might still be unable to reach this location. The cost? He had to return the treasured book Jin Lisi Jun had given him, along with the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree obtained from Mu De…

But if that was all, it wouldn't matter; once the seal was broken, what were these external possessions compared to the arrival of his own kin?

He had anticipated breaking the seal directly, yet these three stood in his way.

Three Celestial-level entities. If he were at his full strength—even the strength he possessed when he first entered this plane—he could crush them effortlessly, let alone now, wielding the Yantu Sword. But he had battled the monstrous entity for over a year, exhausting the greater part of his power, and arrived here without time to recuperate. Now, being blocked by these three—was the return of his people to this plane truly destined to be so fraught with difficulty?

Gazing at the three who met death without fear, Yuan’s expression grew colder. Must he truly ingest that?

“Forget it. Even if she dislikes me in that form, for the sake of my people, I can no longer hold back!” Yuan sighed deeply in his heart. In his mind, an image surfaced involuntarily: a pair of pure eyes, utterly devoid of taint. No one knew that Yuan, hailed in the Abyss as the Scion of Destruction, harbored affection for a human enslaved by his own father.

With a long sigh, Yuan pulled a triangular object from his embrace and swallowed it in one gulp. Immediately, his previously smooth skin began to rapidly roughen; scales sprouted across his body. The muscles of his face writhed uncontrollably, transforming him into a terrifying monster with seven fists-sized eyes. More horrifying still, an aura of pure destruction radiated from him…

“I truly did not wish for this…” Yuan murmured in lamentation, reaching out one hand toward the void…

(Six chapters dropped today! Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for your tremendous support!)