Black sea tide demon energy surged onto the ground, the writhing demon energy in the crevices was pulled upwards, like pellets of mud, one after another floating into the sky.
These demon orbs then differentiated into "dewdrop" shapes. As they ascended, they continuously expanded, shaking and stretching violently, as if some terrifying monster was about to hatch within them.
*Bang, bang—*
*Bang, bang, bang—*
The strange colliding and friction sounds grew more intense, finally exploding in the sky with a "boom."
The black mist spread out like a mushroom cloud. Amidst red light and black smoke, countless terrifying demon creatures emerged.
Concurrently, numerous medium-sized teleportation formations rapidly unfolded like mushrooms after a rain. The demons sealed beneath the endless sea had finally broken through the barrier and were forcibly summoned by the Demon God, forming the scale of a demon army.
Those protected by Gu Junshi's magical artifact looked up in astonishment at the sky, the almost apocalyptic scene filling them with dread.
Someone cried out in panic, "It's the demons! The Demon God has even summoned the demons. With Gu Junshi alone, she's dealing with the Demon God; how can she spare any effort to worry about others?"
"We're going to die, we're all going to die!"
Ghost cultivators were notoriously selfish, always prioritizing their own lives when trouble arose.
The ancestral spirits of the Spiritual Realm, with their broader perspective and concern for the populace, pondered more deeply.
"The Demon God has still not acted personally... Although I don't know why, at least this gives us a sliver of a chance to breathe. Otherwise, who could possibly withstand the Demon God's attack?"
"But without the ability to counterattack, the outcome will ultimately be the same."
"Didn't Gu Junshi say before that since He came out of the prison early, so..." The speaker suddenly had an epiphany and understood: "The reason Gu Junshi set up the scheme to release Him, besides gaining His trust and further increasing her cultivation level to become the Underworld King with His demonic essence, was also to obtain a sliver of hope, to disrupt the Demon God's perfectly planned initial scheme, and to prevent the Demon God from fully recovering His divine power."
"That's indeed the case. If the Demon God had acted according to His plan, this small world would likely have been destroyed long ago. But even so, the Demon God remains so powerful that we are powerless against Him."
Upon saying this, someone suddenly remarked, "Although Gu Junshi isn't a good person, she at least did something decent..."
"Yes, besides her, no one in this world can contend with that insidious and venomous Demon God."
"Is this what they call fighting evil with evil, using poison to counteract poison?"
"Truly, it takes a villain to defeat a villain. We are still far too inferior."
"..."
Hey, hey, are you praising her, or are you using this opportunity to praise her openly while secretly denigrating her, taking revenge for being scared half to death by Gu Junshi earlier?
On the other side, after summoning the largest vanguard of the demon race at once, the Demon God Xu Mang's body had become considerably fainter.
However, He did not care. As long as all the living beings of the twenty-eight heavens were slaughtered for Him to devour, He would naturally recover, and even advance further.
"Gu Junshi, you don't want to be like those hypocritical immortal Buddhas, eradicating demons and defending the common people, saving the world? I shall first let you watch as these useless ants die one by one before your very eyes!"
Gu Junshi flicked her sleeve, brushing away the demon energy that was tentatively reaching for her, and looked back with a slight frown.
The Demon God's demon energy was different from that of ordinary demons. Even with her immortal artifact shielding them, it could not protect them perfectly.
She had known from the start that it would eventually escalate to this. Having "weaknesses" and soft spots meant she would be restrained and hesitant.
She had initially intended to eliminate future troubles in the most time-saving and labor-saving way. First, it went against the will of heaven; second, it would be more beneficial for her to strengthen the Underworld. What a pity.
At this moment, some people were being corrupted by the demon energy. Most of them had blood-red eyes and confused expressions. Those with weaker willpower would fall into delusion and madness.
But fortunately, Gu Junshi had prepared in advance, preventing them from immediately descending into demonic states upon being affected. This level of influence could be endured with willpower.
"Gather divine light, reach the utmost emptiness, and achieve boundless selflessness!"
The old abbot of Mohe Zen Temple quickly formed mudras with his hands. A void-golden Buddha appeared above everyone's heads. He closed his eyes in compassion, assuming a meditative pose. His sonorous voice of the Great Tathagata brought peace and stability, dispelling external interference.
Seeing that their self-rescue was effective and they were temporarily safe, Gu Junshi then let go of that matter and focused on her confrontation with the Demon God.
"You have quite the imposing aura, but the Underworld has everything else, except perhaps in terms of sheer numbers, you might not be able to outdo me."
Gu Junshi smiled slightly, a deep meaning swirling in her eyes, as teleportation arrays of various colors erupted on the ground, in the air, in the sea, and even in the clouds like fireworks.
Unlike the construction of teleportation arrays in the Spiritual Realm, these were composed of darker, more bizarre lines of thorns and scaled serpents.
The light within the arrays blazed, and amidst the intense light, astonishingly strange and monstrous creatures emerged.
There were the Eight Divisions of Ghostly Warriors from the Underworld, often depicted in temple murals, the Hundred Ghost Infant Demons renowned for their power among ghost cultivators, and even the Hellhound with Nine Heads, spoken of only in legends...
Many more were either unknown or unheard of by anyone.
Such as the hundred-foot behemoths with countless arms, the winged beasts with eight horns on their heads, faces like sheep, and bodies like humans, the Azure Ox demon beasts – all made a grand and shocking debut.
Each of these monstrous creatures was surrounded by a different colored light. Although all possessed the unique dark radiance of the Underworld, their strength could be distinguished by the intensity and brightness of the light surrounding them.
"..."
If the demons were considered human-like, at least with some semblance of human form, then the creatures of the Underworld were somewhat difficult to look at directly. Their power was expressed entirely through their exceptionally frightening and unusual appearances.
"Are there no human-like ghost monsters in the Underworld?"
Someone asked curiously.
"Yes, isn't the Hundred Ghost Infant Demon one of them?" Lu Ziyin taunted.
The person looked and immediately fell silent.
"...Suddenly gaining confidence in the Underworld's battle against the Demon Realm. These monsters emerging from hell all look formidable, as if they could eat people."
Yan Tianjiao and Ru Lan looked at him.
Ru Lan rolled her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and said righteously, "Remember, these are our allies. No matter how ugly, terrifying, or astonishing our allies look, you must find them beautiful and cheer for them."
The person was speechless.
When you say that, don't keep glancing around nervously, as if you're guilty.
Yan Tianjiao said coldly, "If you still have the leisure to think about these trivial matters, and if Gu Junshi is defeated, we will be the first ones used to replenish the Demon God's life force."
This cold splash of water startled them.
But then, to Yan Tianjiao's surprise, the small disciples from the immortal sects who couldn't help and were even too insignificant to be cannon fodder, became as if injected with chicken blood. They immediately raised their arms and cheered loudly.
"Beat the hell out of those demons, the Underworld will win!"
"Those losers from the Demon Realm are bound to lose. They're all sick in the head, only knowing how to plot world destruction. Do they really think that if all other races are annihilated, only the Demon Race will last for ten thousand generations and unify the Six Realms? Nonsense!"
"King Gu of the Underworld—although your personality is extremely, extremely, extremely bad, and you're not exactly a decent person—but—please—don't lose—you must win—"
Ru Lan looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and shouted this sentence with nearly all her strength and voice.