Staring at this small boy, barely five feet tall, with a cherubic face, delicate features, bright teeth, and crimson lips—he looked so incredibly adorable that everyone watching felt a momentary delusion that such pure cuteness could exist in this world...

However, Ye Jingyu, Dugu Bachen, Liang Xiaoke, and the others instantly felt a wave of cold sweat drench their backs, their skin erupting in gooseflesh.

How had this boy arrived? They had no idea.

Yes, he had walked from the horizon, but how? Who saw him? Who sensed him arriving...? The boy’s face broke into a brilliant smile, the kind that should soothe anyone who witnessed it.

Yet, to Ye Jingyu and the others, this smile felt profoundly uncanny, utterly fiendish...

And as he smiled, all manner of energy from the void surged continuously into his body—be it the spiritual Lingqi of heaven and earth, primal Yuanli, or even negative energies like Shaqi, Death Qi, and vital Blood Qi.

He was like a colossal vacuum cleaner, drawing everything inward...

Even under Ye Jingyu’s Eye of Reincarnation, he saw the boy’s eyes, which resembled two black holes, capable of swallowing the very essence of existence...

“Esteemed Uncle,” a tender, childish voice suddenly emerged from the boy’s lips, directing his address toward Dugu Bachen, who had just managed to rise from the ground.

Dugu Bachen remained silent, offering only a slight nod.

He presumed he was the strongest among them now, yet his entire focus was locked onto the boy.

This small figure instilled in him a deep, pervasive sense of disquiet.

“Tee-hee, so if I defeat you, I can claim everything you possess?” the boy inquired again, even managing a hint of bashful tenderness on his face.

Dugu Bachen faltered, but Ye Jingyu, standing behind him, cried out in alarm: “Master, be careful...” Shouting fiercely, Ye Jingyu surged toward Dugu Bachen at full speed, the Eastern Emperor Bell instantly materializing above his head.

But the boy’s cultivation was terrifyingly potent.

His eyes merely flashed twice, and Ye Jingyu felt the very space before him carve open with a visible rift.

No matter how fast he moved, he could not reach Dugu Bachen’s side.

Could mere speed even traverse spacetime? Thus, even armed with the Eye of Reincarnation and the power of the Stars, his current velocity could not bridge the distance across space, especially space distorted by the boy’s will.

It felt like a single step spanned ten thousand miles; it was simply uncrossable unless Ye Jingyu could break the confines of established rules.

That level of comprehension was something only peak experts at the Grandmaster (Zhou) level might grasp; with his current strength, he had no means of understanding it.

He could only watch helplessly as a beam of light shot from the boy’s eye toward Dugu Bachen.

However, Dugu Bachen’s attention had never left the boy.

Even before Ye Jingyu’s warning cry, he had sensed the incoming black beam.

The stone blade in his hand instantly appeared before his chest, rising to meet the dark energy beam...

With a resounding BOOM, the black beam slammed directly into the stone blade, causing it to explode outward.

The immense force sent Dugu Bachen staggering backward; his arms and ribcage began to shatter, and blood erupted from his mouth like a geyser.

Yet, his body did not completely disintegrate.

“Hmm?” The boy suddenly uttered a sound of deep surprise, his gaze—those black-hole eyes—fixed intently upon the stone blade held in Dugu Bachen’s grip.

“A fine blade...” the boy murmured, perhaps to himself, or perhaps addressing Ye Jingyu and the others.

“Of course, it’s a fine blade; it hails from the Heavenly Blade Valley!” A grand, resonant male voice suddenly sounded next to the boy.

Immediately, a strikingly handsome man, clad in robes of rich black brocade, materialized beside him.

With his arrival, an aura saturated with absolute destruction radiated outwards...

Following closely, five other figures phased into existence near the boy.

Compared to the first two arrivals, these five seemed unwilling to fully manifest; viewed from a distance, only five distinct shadows were visible, yet the power they emitted was no less formidable.

Destruction, Fury, Terror, Greed, Nightmare—plus the boy of Devourment and this handsome man representing Ruin—the Seven Great Demons had simultaneously entered the battlefield...

With a rapid swish-swish-swish, countless dark beams flickered behind the seven figures.

In a single instant, dozens appeared, each radiating a power as potent as the Seven Great War Generals who had preceded them.

The Seven Lords, along with their entire corps of commanders, had fully manifested...

Sensing this oppressive might, from the lowest foot soldier to generals like Nangong Shang, and even Ye Jingyu himself, a crushing despair set in.

They knew that Dugu Bachen, their strongest, could barely withstand a single blow from any one of the Lords.

In fact, the Seven Lords didn't even need to act; even a slightly stronger War General could overwhelm Dugu Bachen.

As for the others, they might be lucky to handle the Legion Commanders ranking just below the Generals...

Was this truly the end? Was humanity destined for extinction? At that very moment, within the infinite void, atop the mountain that scraped the clouds, beneath the pavilion whose simplicity was almost insulting, five aged Daoists sat facing each other.

As if sensing the overwhelming power rising from the lower realm, faint smiles touched the lips of all five elders.

“I believe the time has come,” stated the first elder, dressed in flowing white Daoist robes.

“But must we truly dispatch the entire Dragon Lineage?” the elder in the cyan robe asked, his face etched with reluctance.

“Indeed.

Only the Dragon Clan’s blood can awaken him.

With his intervention, we save immeasurable effort.

Friends, you must understand, the Immortal Realm is not what it once was.

The Patriarchs have departed, and those ancient Immortals are all gone.

How can the combat strength of our Heavenly Realm compare to the past? With our current might, we might not even match these demons.

If not for the contingency plan left by the Patriarch, the very realm we inhabit might already be overrun!” the white-robed elder stated with detached pragmatism.

“But this path means the Dragon Clan is highly likely to...” Daoist Qingxu’s expression remained one of deep pity.

“Brother Qingxu, the Dragon Clan’s sacred duty is to guard the Heavenly Realm.

Now, only this final layer of the Thirty-Three Heavens remains.

Do you wish to see even this last bastion utterly destroyed?” Before Daoist Qingxu could finish, Daoist Yanxu, clad in red robes, cut in sharply...