All the sects and factions received the news of their disciples' life lamps extinguishing. Upon checking the identities, they all discovered that the disciples who had gone to Fengdu were the ones affected, immediately realizing that something major had happened and that it might be a conspiracy by Fengdu Ghost City.
Rushing to the scene were the sect leaders, reclusive old ancestors, and some half-immortals who had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs and were in the Tribulation stage. Upon entering Fengdu City, they saw the space distorting where the sky met the black clouds, forming a heterotopic dimension, a demonic vortex, as if affected by demonic energy. Within it was a figure entirely enveloped in demonic power, pitch black.
It was impossible to tell if it was male or female. Black, butterfly-like demonic patterns adorned its body, and demonic energy either ravaged or aided it, in a continuous cycle.
Higher up in the sky, in a place that could not be looked upon directly, it was like the primordial universe, birthing a world-ending evil entity, sweeping up clouds and debris, like an ocean with ceaseless waves, turbulent and unpredictable.
What was that?!
Was it the culprit behind the devastation in Fengdu City, the scene of death and carnage, the rivers of blood?
They fearfully probed deeper with their divine senses, but in the next second, their faces all registered expressions of fear and shock.
"Ah—my eyes—"
Those with weaker cultivation went blind, weeping blood tears, clutching their eyes and wailing in pain.
Those who could barely maintain their composure suffered damage to their divine senses, their heads splitting with pain.
Only the few half-immortals in the Tribulation stage first sensed that something was wrong. They let out a roar towards the pitch darkness, "Form the array!"
Due to their timely creation of a protective barrier, many were spared disaster.
The divine sense of the Demon God was incredibly powerful, naturally sensing the arrival of more noisy insects. However, it did not pay them any mind, allowing them all to arrive. Even with their combined strength, it would be futile.
It was Gu Junshi, however, that it truly could not comprehend.
It thought she would at most withstand its triple Azure Wave Demonic Arts, but it didn't expect her to reach seven stages now. Her bones shattered and then slowly repaired, shattered and then repaired again. Her skin rotted over and over, the foul, heavy stench of blood making her seem like a bloodied person at times, but her blood was quickly absorbed by the demonic energy.
Even so, she continued to challenge her limits, nearing the eighth stage. The Demon God naturally would not allow her to possess power too great to threaten itself, but it did not expect all of this to gradually begin to spiral out of its control.
Gu Junshi was like a massive sponge thrown into water. Even if it wanted her to stop, it could not actively sever the link with her.
It could only wait for her to become saturated, or for her to self-destruct from being unable to withstand the eighth stage of demonic power.
At this moment, the great powers of the Immortal sects activated their high-grade spirit artifacts with spiritual light, directly activating a large-scale killing array—the Demon Slaying and Evil Dispelling Array. A six-pointed star woven from light circles shot towards the Demon God.
Wherever it passed, the poisonous mist and haze dispersed, returning clarity to the heavens and earth.
They finally saw it clearly: a pair of immensely evil red pupils in the sky, as if formed from all the most evil and malevolent things in the world. The accumulated malevolence of trillions, without even needing to touch, could make one's body go soft and their liver and gall shatter from its chilling presence.
For it was the karma that resulted from the demise of countless innocent beings, an indelible stain.
However, no matter how powerful the "Demon Slaying and Evil Dispelling Array" was, it could not break through the Demon God's sea of blood barrier.
Those demonic eyes hung high in the sky, not just for show. They almost protected the Demon God with an absolute domain, rendering all their attacks incapable of breaking through.
And Gu Junshi was still drawn into it by the Demon God. It was bestowing demonic energy upon her, transforming her from immortal to demon. If interrupted now, Gu Junshi would be harmed.
The Demon God looked at the cultivators who intended to use mortal techniques against it. Although they were like ants to it, they were not entirely without use.
It deliberately revealed itself, its voice vast and sonorous, "Gu Junshi, with your talent, if you were of the demon race, you would at least be a true demon. With my boundless demonic power poured into you, you will be thoroughly transformed and become the ruler of these three realms!"
Gu Er, listening in Gu Junshi's divine sense, was stunned upon hearing this.
"What's wrong with this Demon God? What does it mean to say this at such a time?"
However, Gu Junshi understood it clearly.
"My potential is too great, making it wary. It doesn't want me to continue."
"Damn, this demonic god is too stingy! For an ancient Demon God, it can't even supply this little demonic energy?"
"This little demonic energy?" Gu Junshi did not think so. "It has no source of demonic energy replenishment. It truly is an ancient Demon God, and what it needs and lacks is demonic essence. This small world does not have enough demonic essence for it to squander like this."
Gu Er seemed to understand, yet also not quite.
"Sister, how do you know so much about this Demon God?"
"Naturally, someone told me."
Gu Junshi did not continue chatting with him, instead seizing the opportunity.
As expected, this statement caused the cultivators to lose their composure. They had already felt hesitant about facing the Demon God, but now they all shifted their targets to Gu Junshi, thus gaining some confidence.
They united against a common enemy, filled with righteous indignation.
"Our spirit realm is already in ruins. We cannot allow another demon to be born. Even if we have to sacrifice our lives, we must first eliminate Gu Junshi!"
"That's right!"
"We will never retreat! We will fight with all our might and face the calamity together with the spirit realm!"
In the Western Heavens, the wind and clouds swirled, and a stream of light appeared. A dazzling radiance flashed. The cultivators of the cultivation sects turned their heads and saw the arrival of the Wushang Mansion, clad in white robes with blue patterns.
This time, a hundred people from the Wushang Mansion had come, almost their entire force. Such solemnity and outrage were unprecedented.
"Gu—Jun—Shi—"
A piercing and furious roar echoed through the sky. The hundred people, with bloodshot eyes, stared at Gu Junshi, who was under the black demonic energy shield, their hatred filling their chests.
"It is this woman who killed our Holy Lord! This hatred is irreconcilable!"
"And the revenge for the two Young Masters! Even if every last member of the Wushang Mansion perishes, we will absolutely kill Gu Junshi!"
The hundred of them smeared their blood and formed a strange, large array in the air. The array was filled with unusual multicolored light, like a celestial sun gradually transforming into a long sword. The sword body was like the vast ocean waves, and wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and snow represented the changing of the seasons. This was a divine array derived from heavenly rules, different from the methods of mortal cultivators.
Of course, such an array was infinitely powerful, but it was also a great loss for the Wushang Mansion to unleash it once, and it was essentially unrepeatable.
At this moment, the Demon God sensed something unusual. It sent a wisp of its consciousness to observe.
After a moment, it murmured, "Divine race bloodline..."
At this point, it could not stop. It was only one step away from transforming Gu Junshi into a demon.
The enormous sword sliced through the black mist as if it were paper, shaking the clouds apart. The violent aura tore through heaven and earth. It was a divine method that everyone had never witnessed before. At that moment, everyone held their breath, awaiting the final judgment of the Wushang Mansion.
"Even if a true god came, they would have to consider whether to be my enemy, let alone a group of people with a diluted divine race bloodline!"
As this ear-shattering sound echoed, a point exploded from the ground, and a large area of people flying in the sky fell like burning bats.