As Dugu Bacheng practiced the saber techniques displayed on the wall, he discovered that the various saber energies within the canyon were frantically surging into his body—not absorbed by him, but rushing in of their own accord.

Not only that, but his soul origin began to grow uncontrollably. As his soul origin expanded, the speed at which those saber energies flooded into him increased exponentially. Soon, his **could no longer bear the influx, yet these saber energies began to refine his **.

Dugu Bacheng felt as if ten thousand blades were hacking wildly inside him. Even with his resolute will, he gritted his teeth against the searing pain.

His strength advanced by leaps and bounds: mid-Heavenly rank, upper-Heavenly rank, peak-Heavenly rank, Desolate rank, mid-Desolate rank, upper-Desolate rank, peak-Desolate rank, Grandmist rank...

The stronger he became, the denser the saber energy pouring into his body. The divine abilities of the Primordial Heavenly Witch were truly not to be underestimated.

Regarding the mad surge in his power, Dugu Bacheng transitioned from initial terror to a state of numbness. Having narrowly survived several near-fatal instances of bursting open, what else was there to fear?

His power grew ever greater, yet the saber energy in the canyon showed no sign of diminishing. This was because the stone saber was converting all the surrounding energies into saber energy for Dugu Bacheng to absorb. He was thus completely immersed in the advancement of his strength...

Hordes of demonic armies poured into the Demon Realm, and Yingkong Shi, Yan Senxu, Chi Yixiu, and the other remaining Demon Kings of the Demon Realm stood firm, organizing the resistance against the demonic invasion. They had gathered almost all the current might of the Demon Realm, yet they were still no match for the demonic army.

Jinglisi Jun, that fellow, had vanished somewhere, leaving the entire Demon Realm in complete chaos.

At this juncture, Yan, the leader of the First Legion under the third battle commander of the Devouring Demon King, received the order to immediately enter the Demon Realm. Intelligence filtering back from the front indicated that their comrades had already secured immense resources across that vast, boundless land, and the enemies resisting their demonic forces had been largely wiped out. All they needed to do was subdue the remainder.

Yan was deeply satisfied. The Demon Race, after waiting for ten thousand years, was finally about to return to the lands where their ancestors once resided.

With meticulous care, he retrieved from his robe a fist-sized blue gem, still containing some impurities. This was the Dark Stone bestowed upon him by the Lord Miao back then. He had been reluctant to consume it, as it was the last one he possessed, and he had no idea how long it would take to receive another allocation.

But now? Heh. The thought of the fertile and resource-rich Demon Realm made Yan savor the moment as he swallowed the Dark Stone in one gulp.

Just then, a figure shot toward him at incredible speed, landing directly in front of Yan.

"Yu, we are about to attack the Demon Realm. Why have you come here?" Seeing Yu, one of his only four major captains, Yan asked with clear confusion.

"My Lord, look..." Ye Jingyu, disguised as "Yu," seamlessly produced a fist-sized, utterly crystalline gem and offered it to Yan.

"You... where did you come from?" Although this Dark Stone was only fist-sized, similar to the one he had just consumed, this specimen was so pure, so translucent, that its grade was easily a thousand times superior to the one he had swallowed. Even knowing that greater Dark Stones awaited them upon reaching the Demon Realm, Yan's heart could not help but pound.

Ye Jingyu recited the fabricated story he had told Yu. Just as Ye Jingyu had predicted, Yan indeed left the legion alone with him.

It seemed the allure of the Dark Stone was too overwhelming for the Devouring Demons.

If they could successfully slay Yan, the loss of a Legion Commander would surely throw the rear echelon of the Demon Race into disarray?

Ye Jingyu pondered this while standing respectfully behind Yan, whose gaze was now entirely fixed on the pile of dazzling, multicolored gems.

So many gems, so many high-grade Dark Stones—was it truly because they were about to reach the Demon Realm that such a concentration appeared?

No, this was not the Demon Realm yet. If this many Dark Stones existed here, they would not have remained undiscovered. Moreover, the fact that they were all piled together clearly indicated artificial placement, deliberately arranged. Could it be...?

Yan was, after all, a Grandmist expert. Even facing such tempting Dark Stones, his resistance was not as weak as Yu's. As he hesitated in confusion, Ye Jingyu raised the Heaven-Overturning Seal and brought it down directly towards him...

Yan tilted his head, dodging the direct blow from the Heaven-Overturning Seal, but the Seal smashed squarely into his shoulder, shattering the bone instantly.

However, using that moment, his body shot upward toward the sky...

"You are not Yu. Who are you?" A massive divine sense erupted from Yan's body. Clutching his wound, streaks of black light flowed over him, constantly repairing the damage.

His mind was filled with astonishment. What kind of object could smash his physical form?

Seeing that their full-force attack had only managed to shatter Yan's shoulder, Ye Jingyu and the others’ expressions shifted drastically. This was a Grandmist expert!

If they failed to kill him in one strike, could they even withstand his counterattack? Casting aside all restraint, the Chiyou Banner was shaken, and the pre-arranged Twelve Heavenly Witch Extinction Grand Array instantly activated. Several chilling winds rose, and Zhurong, Tianwu, and Hanba struck out simultaneously. Furthermore, Hu Yanzhi, Jiufeng, and Hu Yanmeng, hidden within the formation, also launched their attacks. The Execution Immortal Sword, Slaughter Immortal Sword, Haotian Pearl, and Eastern Emperor Bell all flew out in unison, hurtling toward Yan. Facing Yan, who was two full realms above them, they understood they might only have one chance to strike...

"Hmph..." Seeing these ant-like creatures dare to attack him, Yan snorted coldly, raising a hand to unleash a punch. Hanba, Tianwu, and even Zhurong, who was on the verge of breaking through to the Desolate rank, were blasted away.

Zhurong, Hanba, and Tianwu were furious. They were, after all, former Divine Sovereign (Cosmic Rank) experts. To be swept aside by a mere fellow who had only reached the Desolate rank—how could they ever face anyone again?

They were about to charge forward in anger when they saw Yan sweep away all the magical artifacts attacking him. Though he sustained two sword marks and several broken bones, he turned and fled back toward Ye Jingyu's sea of consciousness. Preserving face was important, but what use was face if life itself was lost? Liang Xiaoke was even more decisive; after his full-powered activation of the Haotian Pearl only managed to break one of Yan’s bones, he retracted the Pearl and the two vicious swords and bolted... By the time Zhurong and the others retreated into Ye Jingyu's sea of consciousness, he had long since vanished without a trace...