Sensing the four immensely powerful auras erupting from the demon army, Luo Ruofeng’s expression shifted dramatically. Over the previous six days of fighting, the demons had rarely deployed even Heaven-rank demons; at most, they had only sent ten masters of that tier. But now, they had dispatched twenty Heaven-rank masters, plus four Desolate-rank experts—beings comparable to Xuan Immortal realm powerhouses! The strongest on his side barely reached the peak of the Heaven rank; even one Desolate-rank opponent would be unbearable, let alone four. What was he to do?

Luo Ruofeng even considered summoning the Taotie and Ni Bo, who were currently cultivating within the Shanhe Sheji Tu (Map of Mountains and Rivers). After so many years of secluded training, surely those two savage beasts were formidable by now?

But even if they appeared, could they truly handle four Desolate-rank experts? Luo Ruofeng sighed inwardly, turning his gaze toward Xuanyuan Jing. Perhaps he possessed a solution.

Seemingly noticing Luo Ruofeng’s look, a faint smile touched Xuanyuan Jing’s handsome face. He turned toward Luo Ruofeng and spoke, “Your Majesty, rest assured. Leave these few to me! Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, it is time for you to act!” As Xuanyuan Jing’s voice faded, four beams of light—azure, crimson, white, and black—shot forth from behind his head. In the next instant, four figures soared skyward. When they revealed themselves, they were three men and one woman. The three men were each over ten feet tall, their muscles bulging, presenting a terrifying sight. Even the sole female figure stood taller than everyone else present, her muscles corded like ropes, and her entire body radiated immense heat.

Without another word, the four bolted forward, heading straight for the four great demon captains. Their savage auras proved to be no weaker than that of the Desolate rank.

Witnessing this, Luo Ruofeng’s face paled with shock. Four Desolate-rank masters—where had he found four such experts by his side?

Luo Ruofeng was consumed by shock, while Xi Yang, who had been cultivating in the Shanhe Sheji Tu, rushed out the moment he felt the aura emanating from the female figure. Clad in red satin, she appeared like a fiercely blazing inferno.

“The aura of the Vermilion Bird? Could she also be a descendant of the Vermilion Bird?” Xi Yang muttered, watching the woman who charged directly toward the demon’s leading captain.

Xuanyuan Jing, standing nearby, turned to look at Xi Yang, who had suddenly appeared beside Luo Ruofeng. A flicker of strange light crossed his eyes, yet he said nothing more.

The Vermilion Bird bloodline was exceedingly rare. She merely cultivated the Vermilion Bird’s Blazing Heart Technique, yet she carried the purest Vermilion Bird essence. If they knew, I wonder if they would immediately descend to the lower realm to capture her!

Sighing internally, he turned his attention back to the unfolding battlefield.

The full engagement of eight Desolate-rank masters was naturally earth-shattering. However, for some unknown reason, the Human Realm, whose spatial structure had been extremely fragile, had now become incredibly sturdy; even the full power of Desolate-rank masters could not tear the space apart.

Seeing that the humans also possessed experts at the Desolate rank, Xie’s expression completely changed. Was it truly as their Lord had said—did the Human Realm really hold so many hidden masters?

His mind involuntarily drifted back to the words his general had spoken to him.

“Xie, listen to me carefully. The Human Realm is not as simple as you imagine. Back then, our army numbered in the hundreds of millions, and experts were countless, yet we could not conquer it. Though the Human Realm has declined, it must never be underestimated. But you need not worry; strike boldly. Cast aside any rules about Desolate-rank masters being unable to fight in the Human Realm!”

Could the Destruction Lord have foreseen something?

On the Hongyuan plain, the other great demons stationed there watched in astonishment as the Desolate-rank masters Xie controlled entered the fray without suffering any harm from the Heavenly Dao rules. If they had known this, why hadn’t they dispatched their own high-tier experts? Wouldn't they have broken through the city wall long ago?

But when they saw the Four Great Generals—Azure Dragon and the others—fighting the captains under Xie to a standstill, these demons all fell silent.

They hadn't expected the Human Realm to harbor such powerhouses. Even now, they dared not rashly send their own forces into battle. If four Desolate-rank masters could appear, who knew how many more might be hidden?

They had already begun dispatching messengers to the Demon Realm to notify their superiors...

While the battle raged beneath Storm City, far away in another region of the void—a space inaccessible even to Heaven-rank or Desolate-rank experts—tens of millions of islands floated in the air. Each island was the size of an entire Doulou Continent, and the largest among them was several hundred times the size of the entire Doulou Continent.

On this largest island stood a mountain of unimaginable height. Its rock was no ordinary stone, but composed entirely of the purest white jade.

The white jade exuded an intense spiritual energy—an energy potent enough to drive ordinary cultivators insane. Even a piece of stone the size of a fist contained the spiritual essence equivalent to tens of thousands of years of cultivation for an immortal.

Around the mountain peak, mythological beasts like the Phoenix, Celestial Dragon, Qilin, and Pixiu danced about. Occasionally, exquisitely beautiful men and women drifted across the mountain peaks on clouds. This place was indistinguishable from the legendary Immortal Realm.

Atop this mountain, even those riding the clouds required several days of continuous flight to reach the summit. There were no grand halls or luxurious palaces; the only structure was a pavilion the size of a basketball court, built from bamboo that shimmered with seven-colored light.

Beneath this pavilion lay five rush mats, upon which sat five elderly men, robed and radiating benevolence.

“Daoist Brother Xuanxu, are you truly resolved to do this?” the elderly man in the azure robe, seated on the far left, asked the white-robed elder seated in the center, his tone mild.

“Yes. Only this way can we thoroughly eradicate them…” the white-robed elder replied just as calmly.

“But if that is done, the myriad souls of the Human Realm…”

“Daoist Brother Qingxu, this is the decree left by the three Founding Ancestors. Do you intend to defy it?” Before the other elder could finish, the white-robed elder snorted coldly.

“Alas…” Hearing Daoist Xuanxu’s words, Daoist Qingxu sighed softly and said no more.

Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat all things as straw dogs. In the eyes of those three Founding Ancestors, even they themselves were no more than ants, let alone the myriad living beings below.

But for the sake of dealing with those few Saints, was all this truly worth it? Qingxu pondered.

(Stars, because I have no backlog, I have been writing in the mornings, so updates are a bit late. I'm releasing three chapters now, and I hope for more support later—don't skimp on Golden Bricks or votes! The recommendation votes are less than half of others; stars reading on computers, don't fall behind! Let’s all work hard!) [Ti: Dear reader, this chapter has reached the last page of this book]