Translator: AnubisTL

Three ancient demons at the Divine Transformation stage, accompanied by a vast horde of Nascent Soul realm demonic races, descended upon Heaven’s End Island.

This overwhelming force instantly paralyzed all Nascent Soul cultivators present, triggering a wave of primal terror.

How can we possibly fight this? The disparity between their strength was as vast as the difference between clouds and mud. The two sides existed on entirely different planes of power.

Once one reached the Divine Transformation stage, mere numbers could no longer wear them down.

These beings could command the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth, their mana reserves virtually limitless. They could unleash divine abilities and mystical arts at will, their boundless mana alone capable of crushing any foe.

Li Qing felt suffocated, nearly activating his Wind-Thunder Silver Wings to flee using the spirit treasure’s extreme speed.

Yet he held back. The first nail hammered in gets hammered down. The immediate priority was to minimize his presence, avoiding the ancient demons’ attention, and seizing any opportunity to escape.

This is too sudden. Not even a hint of warning. Has the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild made no preparations at all? Li Qing muttered inwardly, his gaze shifting toward the stone tower on Heaven’s End Island.

True Monarch Wan He remained standing, his expression slightly grave but lacking any real panic, as if he had a plan in mind.

Seeing this, Li Qing felt a slight sense of relief.

It seems the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild has a backup plan after all. Did they anticipate this and prepare accordingly? Li Qing mused inwardly, deciding to suppress his urge to flee and observe how the merchant guild would respond.

Unfortunately, not everyone present possessed such insight and composure. The sudden arrival of three ancient demons in the divine transformation stage threw many into chaos.

Several nascent soul realm cultivators abruptly activated their mana, their figures rising into the sky like ghostly apparitions.

Confident in their escape speed, they were certain they could flee Heaven’s End Island and evade this sudden calamity.

Indeed, these nascent soul realm cultivators possessed remarkable escape speeds, ranking among the best in their cultivation tier.

Among them was an overseas cultivator with a Wind Attribute Variant Spirit Root, whom Li Qing had briefly encountered at the grand auction in Heavenly Treasure City—a half-acquainted fellow daoist.

This cultivator’s speed was particularly astonishing, allowing him to nearly merge with the wind itself. His movements were so swift that his figure became virtually impossible to track.

In the next instant, one of the ancient demons in the sky stirred.

Its massive demonic body moved with what seemed like sluggishness, yet it mobilized the very power of heaven and earth. Endless demonic qi stretched for thousands of miles around, forming an impenetrable barrier.

In the blink of an eye, the overseas cultivator with the Wind Attribute Variant Spirit Root was frozen in place, his figure suddenly exposed.

Bang!

A colossal demonic qi palm descended from the sky, crushing him into a bloody, mangled mess. Blood splattered across the air.

Moments later, from the bloody remains, a cyan nascent soul flickered into existence, its face contorted with extreme terror as it desperately tried to flee.

But things were never that simple. The idea of the nascent soul escaping to seize another body and rebuild its cultivation was nothing more than wishful thinking.

After all, it was facing an ancient demon in the Divine Transformation stage. With a mere blink, the formidable demon imprisoned the cyan wind attribute nascent soul and snatched it into its palm.

With effortless ease, it had captured the nascent soul of a Nascent Soul cultivator, expending no more effort than blowing away dust.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators who had attempted to escape met the same fate. Their fleshly bodies were crushed into bloody pulp, and their nascent souls were captured.

Only one cultivator remained, whether because the ancient demon’s attack lacked precision or because he had already undergone a body seizing once, his nascent soul shattered along with his fleshly body.

Witnessing this, the cultivators on Heaven’s End Island gasped in unison, no longer daring to act rashly.

At that moment, True Monarch Wan He declared in a clear voice, "Fellow cultivators, remain calm. The demonic race advances with overwhelming force, but the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild is not without its preparations."

With these words, True Monarch Wan He respectfully clasped his hands toward the tower’s summit behind him. "Founding Ancestor, we beseech you to intervene!"

Founding Ancestor?!

The only being worthy of such reverence from True Monarch Wan He could be none other than Wan Shengtian himself!

"Fellow Daoist Wan He, could Senior Wan Shengtian truly be on this island?"

"We’re saved! Senior Wan Shengtian is here!"

"Please, Senior, lend us your aid!"

As sighs of relief rippled through the crowd, a vast aura suddenly surged from the tower’s summit, its intensity rivaling that of the three Divine Transformation stage ancient demons.

Boom!

Boundless spiritual light erupted from the tower’s peak, radiating outward in shimmering waves that completely purged the encroaching primordial demonic qi.

"Guests have arrived, yet I failed to greet them properly. My apologies for this discourtesy."

As the boundless spiritual light dissipated, a strikingly handsome young man stood atop the tower.

His features were perfectly balanced, and his demeanor was refined and scholarly, like that of a Confucian scholar well-versed in the classics.

His eyes were particularly striking, their deep pupils seeming to contain the vast expanse of the starry sky, as if one could lose themselves in a single glance.

This was Wan Shengtian, the Founding Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild, a cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage.

Li Qing was slightly taken aback. He had never imagined that the guild’s Founding Ancestor would appear so young, even a few years younger than himself—like a youth who had just reached adulthood!

It was merely a preconceived notion. Having always heard him referred to as "Founding Ancestor," Li Qing had subconsciously pictured Wan Shengtian as an elderly figure with white hair and a wizened face.

"I misjudged him," Li Qing mused inwardly. "With the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild’s resources, acquiring Beauty Preservation Pills, Youth Preservation Pills, or spirit herbs with rejuvenating effects should be a trivial matter."

He then turned his attention to the shifting dynamics of the battlefield.

Although Wan Shengtian had joined the fray, he still seemed outnumbered and outmatched against the overwhelming might of the ancient demons.

The ancient demons, however, saw things differently. Their gazes turned to Wan Shengtian, who stood atop the tower, and their expressions shifted from relaxed to serious. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"A human cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage," one of the ancient demons remarked. "Capturing him alive would be worth the battle merit of dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Be cautious," another warned. "I sense a faint aura of danger from him. We don’t know what tricks he has up his sleeve."

"Indeed, he’s no ordinary opponent. Let’s take him down together and leave him no chance to retaliate!"

The three Divine Transformation stage ancient demons immediately decided to strike Wan Shengtian simultaneously, aiming for a swift and decisive kill.

Boom!

The three powerful ancient demons unleashed their attacks in unison, each employing their unique techniques. The primordial energy of heaven and earth surged into chaos.

Raging demonic qi surged like an endless ocean, its overwhelming power unmatched.

One of the demons drew a dark purple scythe. The chilling, razor-sharp edge of the blade seemed to dim the very heavens and earth.

With a single downward slash, the heaven and earth spiritual energy within hundreds of miles instantly retreated, as if the demon intended to cleave Heaven’s End Island in two.

This was undoubtedly a Demonic Treasure, and of considerable rank!

Of the other two ancient demons, one unfurled massive, bat-like fleshy wings, revealing himself as a powerful member of the Winged Demon Clan. His wings were his greatest asset.

The final Divine Transformation ancient demon unleashed torrents of Demonic Fire. These pitch-black, malevolent flames burned so fiercely that they consumed all the heaven and earth spiritual energy in their path.

Three against one—how could anyone possibly win?!

As the scene threatened to obliterate the world, the Nascent Soul cultivators on Heaven’s End Island, who had just calmed their nerves, found their hearts racing with renewed dread.

In contrast, Li Qing remained remarkably composed.

He trusted that Wan Shengtian wasn’t a fool. Having anticipated this situation, he must have prepared countermeasures.

Sure enough, in the very next moment, the colossal tower on Heaven’s End Island began to tremble violently.

Rumble!

As the tower shifted, a ten-thousand-zhang-long beam of spiritual light erupted from its base.

"Heavenly Evolution," Wan Shengtian murmured calmly.

Instantly, formation art spiritual light flared along the edges of Heaven’s End Island, enveloping the entire floating island in a protective barrier.

The three ancient demons’ assault was instantly neutralized.

The massive scythe crashed against the formation’s protective spiritual light, unable to penetrate even an inch further.

The eerie black Demonic Fire quickly extinguished, vanishing as if it had never existed.

The Winged Demon Clan leader, moving with lightning speed, halted his dive and instead unleashed a palm strike against the Great Island-Protecting Formation.

"Demonic Essence Hand!"

Yet even this formidable divine ability failed to shake the mystical formation.

"The Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation? Impossible! Isn’t that the legendary formation from the spirit realm?"

"Unbelievable! This formation is said to be capable of slaying Body Integration Stage experts. How could it appear in such a mere Minor World?"

The two Divine Transformation Stage ancient demons, with their vast knowledge of the spirit realm, quickly recognized the formation’s extraordinary nature.

"Hmm, this isn’t the complete Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation. It’s been simplified and is even somewhat incomplete."

The ancient demon wielding the dark purple scythe instantly discerned the formation’s true nature. Yet even with this knowledge, he dared not act rashly.

The Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation was renowned for its immense power. During the war between the demon realm and the spirit realm, countless ancient demons of terrifying strength had fallen within its grasp.

Even a fragmented, simplified version of the formation was not to be underestimated.

"So that’s why this mere Minor World possesses the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation. This island must have fallen from the spirit realm."

They quickly discerned Heaven’s End Island’s origins and deduced the formation’s source.

"There’s no need for excessive fear. This isn’t the true Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation. No matter how powerful it may seem, a single human cultivator could never sustain it for long!"

"Agreed! Let’s break the formation together and exhaust him!"

With these words, the three ancient demons launched a fierce assault on Heaven’s End Island from all directions.

The remaining Nascent Soul realm demonic races followed suit, encircling the floating island.

Ancient demon attacks rained down from every side, causing the Great Island-Protecting Formation to flicker and tremble violently. The island’s very foundations began to shake.

Wan Shengtian single-handedly activated the Grand Formation to defend against the enemy. Harnessing the power of heaven and earth, he channeled boundless heaven and earth spiritual energy into the formation, repelling the demonic race’s relentless assaults.

"Fellow Daoists, the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation can accept various forms of mana as replenishment! Please assist the Founding Ancestor in repelling the enemy!" True Monarch Wan He called out urgently.

As his words echoed, mirror-like crystalline discs materialized within the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation.

"Fellow Daoists, please channel your mana into these crystalline discs to assist the Founding Ancestor in operating the Grand Formation!"

True Monarch Wan He demonstrated the process. He raised both hands, directing his thick, pure mana toward the nearest crystalline disc.

Moments later, the formation’s spiritual light around the disc intensified dramatically, glowing with renewed brilliance.

Seeing this, the other Nascent Soul cultivators immediately sprang into action. They dared not delay any longer, fearing that if the miraculous formation collapsed, they would fall prey to the ancient demons’ deadly clutches.

In the next instant, streams of mana in various colors converged from within the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation into the crystalline disks.

Li Qing was far from idle. He raised one hand, channeling mana into the disk before him, but he deliberately held back, not pouring in his full strength.

This formation currently appeared capable only of passive defense. How long could it possibly hold out?

Ultimately, it would likely crumble anyway. Better to conserve some mana for escape later, especially considering the immense mana consumption required to activate the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

Moreover, Li Qing couldn’t be certain if the others would fully commit their mana to the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation. If everyone held back, resisting the ancient demon’s ferocious, frenzied assault would be exceedingly difficult.

This boiled down to guessing human nature.

In such a life-threatening situation, self-preservation would naturally take precedence. After all, better to sacrifice a fellow Daoist than oneself.

If the formation fell, having conserved some mana would undoubtedly prove advantageous.

Li Qing thought this, and the others likely felt the same.

In that moment, Li Qing saw everyone as if they were only going through the motions, holding back their true efforts. This made him feel even more justified in conserving his own strength.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the divine transformation stage leader of the Winged Demon Clan roared, "Friends of the Crystal Demon Clan, it’s your turn to strike!"

Across the sky, a group of ancient demons suddenly materialized, their demonic bodies forged from crystalline materials. Though demonic qi flowed through their forms, they appeared remarkably translucent and clear, like black crystals.

A fourth divine transformation stage ancient demon!

The pressure on the human cultivators of Heaven’s End Island intensified.

With the Crystal Demon Clan joining the battle, cracks finally began to appear in the protective barrier formed by the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Formation, as if it were on the verge of collapse.

Wan Shengtian shouted loudly, "Fellow Daoist Azure Flood Dragon, fellow Daoists of Bright King Valley, if you don’t act now, you might only see Wan Shengtian in the netherworld!"

Hearing this, the crowd’s hearts jolted. The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild truly had reinforcements!

(End of the Chapter)

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