The Chaos Treasure Mansion condensed into an almost imperceptible speck of dust, streaking silently beneath the vast sky of the Demon Spirit Realm.
Li Mu sat cross-legged at its core, his Divine Thought locked onto the coordinates within the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint’s information stream—Tian Yong City, one of the Human Race’s three major powers.
As that ‘speck of dust’ was about to cross a desolate, blood-red plateau, the scene below suddenly changed!
“Caw—!”
A piercing shriek, sharp enough to cleave metal and stone, tore through the sky, and a fierce Qi surged skyward! Immediately after, a second, a third… countless shrieks converged into a terrifying wave of sound, sweeping out from the depths of the plateau! The sky was instantly obscured, as countless black shadows, like gushing ink, poured madly from nests in the jagged cliffs!
Overwhelming numbers of demonic birds—the Blackfeather Eagle Clan!
Their bodies were massive, the smallest over ten feet long, with wingspans like iron curtains. Their feathers gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, each one like a poisoned steel needle. Their sharp beaks curved like hooks, glinting with dark red, malevolent light. Their numbers were so vast, like rolling clouds of death, their target clearly aimed at the majestic bronze giant city standing tall beyond the distant canyon entrance—Tian Yong City!
“Kill!”
“Tear the Human Race to shreds!”
“Offer them to the Great King!”
Bloodthirsty thoughts exploded on a spiritual level, and desires for greed and destruction boiled over.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky-obscuring swarm of Blackfeather Demonic Eagles surged like a broken black torrent, pouncing fiercely towards Tian Yong City! With powerful flaps of their wings, countless black, mystical feathers, imbued with the power to pierce metal and stone, shot forth like a rainstorm! Their targets were precisely the tense and vigilant Human Race guards on the city walls!
The space was cut by the dense Blackfeathers, leaving fine white streaks, and the terrifying sound of tearing air roared like the Death God.
Above the city wall, the pale blue defensive light curtain fluctuated violently, flickering erratically. The guards roared as they formed arrays, and the lights of various Magic Treasures illuminated, as they desperately resisted this sudden, overwhelming disaster!
However, the number of Demonic Eagles was simply too great, and their attacks too dense. The light curtain swayed precariously, a large number of Human Race guards on the city wall died, shattered stones flew, and screams were faintly audible!
The speck of dust, transformed from the Chaos Treasure Mansion, hovered high in the sky, silently overlooking this bloody hunt targeting the Human Race.
Li Mu sat cross-legged within it, his gaze penetrating the mansion walls, falling upon the tragic battlefield. The Human Race guards fought valiantly, but like small boats in a furious sea, they were steadily pushed back under the Shock of the Demonic Eagle frenzy, their defenses on the verge of collapse at any moment.
“Sigh!”
Li Mu sighed, forced to act. A faint halo of Chaos Qi quietly emerged from his fingertip.
Towards the core of the Blackfeather Eagle swarm, which was impacting Tian Yong City like a black storm below, Li Mu casually pressed his fingertip downwards.
The movement was understated.
Om—
A low spatial tremor.
That point of Chaos halo suddenly expanded, transforming into an invisible ripple, composed purely of the Chaos Origin will, silently sweeping over the core area of the raging eagle swarm below!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Within the core area, dozens of Blackfeather Giant Eagles, those with the fiercest Qi and charging at the very front, their massive bodies suddenly stiffened! Their bodies, harder than refined steel, were as if crushed from within by an invisible giant hand, instantly exploding!
With a single finger, dozens of Demonic Eagles of the Demon King level were annihilated!
Dead silence!
Absolute dead silence instantly replaced the sky-shaking shouts of battle!
The originally rampaging eagle swarm seemed frozen, all their bloodthirsty, greedy vertical pupils instantly filled with incomprehensible shock and the deepest fear! The overwhelming “black cloud” came to a complete halt.
Tian Yong City.
On the wall, the Human Race guards who were struggling to hold on were also stunned by this sudden turn of events. They looked at the terrifying Demon Kings that had been instantly annihilated, and at the eagle swarm, stiff as if under a paralysis spell, their faces filled with unbelievable shock and bewilderment.
The pressure on the defensive light curtain suddenly vanished, leaving only the hum of energy flow.
That fear, originating from the depths of their Bloodline, overwhelmed all bloodthirsty impulses. It was unclear which one let out a short, shrill wail first.
Immediately after, with a “whoosh,” like a receding tide, the sky-obscuring black “cloud” suddenly dispersed! The surviving Demonic Eagles flapped their wings frantically, turning around desperately and fleeing for their lives into the depths of the blood-red plateau, leaving behind only scattered Blackfeathers drifting through the air and a faint scent of blood.
Above the Tian Yong City wall, the pale blue light curtain gradually stabilized.
The guards looked at each other, gazing at the fleeing demonic shadows, and then at the dozens of abrupt empty holes on the plateau—where the terrifying Demon King giant eagles, previously raging with fierce might, had been, now only scattered dust remained, and a few broken Blackfeathers slowly fell.
A tremendous shock overshadowed the wild joy of surviving a disaster, leaving only heavy breathing and suppressed discussions spreading across the city wall.
“What happened?”
“Who… who made the move?”
“That power… it’s too terrifying…”
“The Demonic Eagle Emperor… was scared away?”
No one could answer. That invisible, all-erasing power came abruptly and left without a trace, like a miracle in a nightmare.
The dust transformed from the Chaos Treasure Mansion had, carried by the turbulent airflow, quietly crossed the border of the blood-red plateau.
Below, the majestic bronze city walls of Tian Yong City became increasingly clear in their sight. The huge city gate was like the mouth of a giant beast, exhaling and inhaling the flow of people and carriages.
Several days later.
West of Tian Yong City, deep within an ordinary alley.
The door of an inconspicuous small courtyard was lightly closed, its walls dusty grey, with a few stubborn clumps of moss growing at the corners. An old locust tree in the courtyard cast dappled shade, and under the tree, a stone table and stone stools were simple and clean.
Li Mu had changed into a faded blue cloth long gown, his Qi completely restrained, appearing like a mediocre Loose Cultivator struggling for a living. He pushed open the door and walked in, casually brushing off a bit of dust clinging to his clothes. Inside the courtyard, there were only three small rooms, simply furnished with just a bed, a table, and a chair, exuding a sense of desolation.
Outside the window, the clamor of the market faintly drifted in: the cries of peddlers, the frolic of children, the rumble of cartwheels over bluestones… It felt like a world away from the sky-shattering eagle shrieks and the desperate roars of Human Race guards on the blood-red plateau.
“Li Dage, are we going to live here?”
Xue'er looked around the courtyard with delight, asking expectantly. She had restrained her Qi and used a spell to conceal her appearance. A coarse cloth dress wrapped her graceful figure, and her face held a few intentionally ordinary features.
However, the innate purity that radiated from her bones, the clarity flowing in her limpid eyes, were like a bright pearl hidden beneath a veil; the crude disguise could not conceal her naturally unadorned brilliance.
Xue'er walked lightly around the small courtyard, her fingertips brushing the rough bark of the old locust tree. She then squatted down, curiously poking at the moss in the corner of the wall.
“Yes, we’ll stay for a few Years,” Li Mu said with a slight smile, nodding, seeing the long-lost ease and joy in her eyes.
They had drifted for too long. This small courtyard, this mundane life, was a rare stability for Xue'er.
“That’s wonderful!” Xue'er’s eyes curved into crescents, and her smile rippled from her eyes. That heartfelt joy made everything around them, however simple, seem to come alive and brighten.
Xue'er walked to the stone table and sat down, resting her chin on her hands: “No more rushing, no more constant worry, I can hear the neighbor aunt calling her child for dinner…”
The scent of cooking, drifting from an unknown kitchen, mingled with the faint, fresh Qi of the old locust tree, making Xue'er narrow her eyes in contentment.
…
On the other side, the Nine Heavens Demon Court, Suspended Holy Palace.
Above the Nine Heavens, the sea of clouds churned like boiling water, and vast stretches of rosy light descended, yet they could not penetrate the eternal gloom deep within the palace. It was as if a condensed fragment of the cosmic wilderness had been captured, with stellar debris floating and flickering in the Void Realm. Ancient stellar trajectories transformed into tangible Dao marks, imprinted upon the dark black palace walls, slowly flowing.
This was the Dao field of the Nine Heavens Great Saint, the place of quiet cultivation for a Supreme existence, one of the twelve pillars supporting the heavens in the Demon Spirit Realm.
At the heart of the palace, upon an ancient Dao platform that was neither metal nor jade and the color of ink, a figure sat cross-legged, clad in a dark robe, upon which flowed the faint light of revolving galaxies. His face was blurred behind the flowing, dark Qi, yet only his eyes were clearly visible.
They were a pair of ancient golden pupils, as deep as an abyss and encompassing all phenomena. Within them, countless fox fires seemed to flicker, and with each opening and closing, a terrifying Dao rhythm of shifting galaxies and flowing Years permeated the air.
Nine colossal, ethereal yet solid dark gold fox tail phantoms, like pillars of Law supporting heaven and earth, flickered in and out of existence behind him.
He was the Nine Heavens Great Saint, the Supreme progenitor of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox lineage.
At this moment, this Supreme existence, who commanded all demons and could shift stars with a single thought, sat with his eyes closed in meditation, his aura subtly resonating with the entire Suspended Holy Palace, and even the vast Demon Spirit Realm beneath his feet.
Suddenly!
The stellar debris floating within the palace all halted simultaneously! The flowing stellar Dao marks instantly solidified! A subtle yet incredibly clear tremor, originating from the depths of his Bloodline, like a stone dropped into an ancient well, instantly shattered the eternal silence and balance.
The Nine Heavens Great Saint’s ancient golden pupils suddenly opened!
In that instant, throughout the Suspended Holy Palace, the stellar Dao marks imprinted on the dark black palace walls, which had been flowing, were forcibly twisted and torn as if by an invisible giant force, emitting a strained, groaning wail!
The eternally churning Chaos cloud sea deep within the palace seemed to encounter the suppression of a Supreme will, instantly smoothing out, transforming into a dead, suffocating Domain of absolute Void Realm!
An indescribable heaviness, like billions of tons of a divine mountain, descended with a crash! This heaviness originated from the Nine Heavens Great Saint himself; it was a resonance of the Great Dao triggered by the sudden drastic change in his mood!
Deep within those ancient golden pupils, the scene of revolving galaxies and fox fires had completely vanished, replaced by a profound solemnity that permeated through eons of time and space. Wherever his gaze fell, space froze inch by inch, and even the rosy light seemed to be crushed and devoured by that invisible pressure.
“Strange Race?”
A low, hoarse name, as if unearthed from the dust of endless Years, slowly echoed in the silent Holy Palace. Each syllable was as heavy as a star, slamming against the solidified space, stirring up visible ripples that distorted Law.
The moment this name left his lips, the nine massive, ethereal fox tail Dao shadows behind the Nine Heavens Great Saint suddenly solidified for an instant, their tips erupting with silent, dark blue fox fire, scorching the solidified Void Realm into a spiderweb of inky black cracks!
The Nine Heavens Great Saint slowly raised a hand towards the solidified Void Realm in front of him, his five fingers slightly splayed, making a “pulling” motion.
Om!
The majestic giant gate of the Suspended Holy Palace, forged from stellar skeletons and Chaos divine iron, along with the layers of spatial Restrictions arranged outside it, opened silently!
A dark blue stream of light, carrying monstrous Demonic Qi and chilling cold, as if summoned by a Supreme call from the Origin of its Bloodline, instantly crossed an infinite distance, precisely projecting onto the cold, star-map-etched floor at the heart of the palace!
The dark blue flames receded, revealing the figure of the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint, clad in a black robe with a stern face. He bowed slightly, respectfully saying, “Son greets Father Emperor!”
The Nine Heavens Great Saint’s gaze fell upon the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint. There was no reproach in his ancient golden pupils, only a scrutiny that penetrated the Divine Soul, and… a hint of unprecedented solemnity that even the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint felt a tremendous shock in his heart.
“Tell me everything, without missing a single word, about your encounter with that Cultivator from the outside world who controls the Chaotic Great Dao, and his mention of the ‘Strange Race’ reappearing…” The Nine Heavens Great Saint stared at the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint, his voice carrying an unquestionable command that penetrated the Divine Soul: “Recount it all.”
As soon as his voice fell, the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint felt as if he was bearing the weight of the entire Demon Spirit Realm, his Divine Soul trembling slightly under that invisible gaze.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Saint steadied his mind, forcibly suppressing the Bloodline pressure, and recounted everything from encountering Li Mu, being drawn into the Chaos Treasure Mansion, the other party inquiring about the Human Race and the Mysterious Tree of Deceit, to the final shocking warning about the unexpected depth of the Shepherd Race’s foundation. He recounted it all, in detail, without omission.
His voice was steady and clear, only unconsciously emphasizing his tone when mentioning the “Mysterious Tree of Deceit,” “Calamity from Beyond the Domain,” and Li Mu’s remark, “The Shepherd Race is no small matter; their foundation should not be so shallow, and this Realm is also in danger.”
As the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint recounted, the Nine Heavens Great Saint’s deep, abyss-like Qi began to show subtle fluctuations.
On the palace walls, the torn stellar Dao marks twitched and twisted violently like living things, emitting even more mournful wails! At the edge of the solidified Void Realm Domain, space silently collapsed and annihilated, forming patches of absolute darkness that devoured everything!
Behind him, the nine massive fox tail Dao shadows stirred restlessly. Each swing brought forth destructive energy undercurrents, and the dark blue fox fires flickered erratically, scorching the Void Realm with sizzling sounds! A terrifying will, a billion times heavier than before, capable of making all demons prostrate and dimming galaxies, silently brewed and surged within the Nine Heavens Great Saint’s body!
Upon hearing that “Li Mu personally experienced the harm and said its foundation was unfathomably deep,” the Nine Heavens Great Saint’s ancient golden pupils sharply contracted! In the depths of his pupils, a terrifying imprint regarding the “Strange Race,” left from countless Years ago, seemed to be instantly ignited!
A chilling, bone-deep dread, originating from the depths of his Soul, like a cold tide from the Nine Netherworlds, spread uncontrollably!
“Hmph!”
A cold snort, as if from the primordial Chaos, suddenly exploded deep within the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint’s Divine Soul!
Boom!
The Nine-Tailed Demon Saint felt as if struck by an ancient divine mountain; his body trembled violently! The surging Demonic Qi around him was instantly suppressed back into his body, and the dark blue flames on his nine fox tails flickered violently, almost extinguishing.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Saint’s face paled, golden flames flickering in his pupils. He forcibly stabilized his figure, swallowing hard, and managed to suppress the surging Qi and blood, preventing himself from losing composure. Just a single cold snort, imbued with Supreme will, made him feel the insurmountable chasm between himself and his Father Emperor!
The Nine Heavens Great Saint remained seated on the Chaos Dao platform, his black robe fluttering without wind. He slowly raised his head, his ancient golden pupils seemingly penetrating the dome of the Suspended Holy Palace, penetrating the boundary of the Demon Spirit Realm, and casting their gaze towards the vast, boundless, and perilous Three Thousand Main Realms.
The Nine Heavens Great Saint’s gaze was incredibly heavy, as if he bore the rise and fall of the entire Universe.
The palace was terrifyingly silent.
Only the silently annihilating space, the collapsing stellar Dao marks, and the nine restless fox tail Dao shadows behind the Nine Heavens Great Saint, radiating destructive Qi, revealed the monstrous waves stirring within the heart of this Nine-Tailed Sky Fox Supreme.
The name “Strange Race,” like the most ominous death knell, rang out in the core of this Ancestral Court of Ten Thousand Demons.
After a long while, a bone-chilling voice, as if capable of freezing time and space, slowly echoed in the silent Holy Palace, carrying a profound solemnity that comprehended all ages and an unquestionable resolve: “Issue an order… to the Eleven Demon Courts, inform them that the Strange Race has reappeared!” (End of Chapter)
