A day later.
Chen Chen, who had regained consciousness, sat in front of the spiritual spring and looked at the black remains on the ground while thinking about his life.
He did not have a Golden Core, so there was no way he could reach the Nascent Soul realm naturally. Hence, the Nascent Soul formed on the surface of his body, but everything was gone after he was struck by the body refinement tribulation.
However, his cultivation level was now at the Nascent Soul realm for both Qi training and body refinement.
He even felt that his body had metamorphosed.
It also made him feel as if all the impurities in his body had been removed by the Thunder Tribulation.
To be honest, since he embarked on the path of cultivation, he swallowed an unknown number of heavenly treasures, and a large number of impurities must have remained in his body.
Besides, strictly speaking, his Innate Spirit Body was not actually the Innate Spirit Body in the true sense.
However, everything had changed, and things were different now. He had completely shed his mortal body, becoming pure and flawless.
"There can't be anyone in this world who is purer than me," Chen Chen muttered, and then happily took out the messenger token to spread the news.
"I have already stepped into the Nascent Soul realm, and everything is going well."
Naturally, he wouldn't say that he had almost been struck to death by the Thunder Tribulation, as that would do nothing other than cause the others to worry.
Soon, there was a reply from Xia Xishuang.
"Congratulations, the kind will always be rewarded. By the way, a group of demons came to Tianyun Clan yesterday, but they have already been scared into retreating. There shouldn't be any demons coming to Tianyun Clan again soon, don't worry."
After reading the message, Chen Chen put away the messenger token.
He knew what Xia Xishuang was worried about, just as Xia Xishuang knew what he was worried about.
Although their relationship was platonic, a simple exchange showed the tacit understanding between them.
"Host, congratulations for stepping into the Nascent Soul realm. The tracking range has increased to 100 meters and you are awarded 10 opportunities to track within a range of 50 meters."
Chen Chen stretched and stood up, but a prompt from the system appeared in his mind.
"Ten chances to track within a range of 50 meters?"
Chen Chen was a little speechless. The rewards were not as good as a single opportunity to track within 5,000 kilometers because the total tracking area was much slower.
Now that his cultivation level had reached the Nascent Soul realm, ordinary tracking opportunities were no longer meaningful to him. How many great opportunities were there? He had to track in a very large area in order to find them.
However, even then, Chen Chen didn't mind. After all, the system had been very nice to him.
…
Chen Chen stayed in the Little Carefree Immortal Palace, while Lao Hei stayed outside in the Seven Orifices Armor, being worshipped by all the demons.
"Welcome out of seclusion, Lord!"
The dog spirit took the lead and fell to his knees, his face full of devotion.
God knew how strong Lao Hei had become after that great tribulation. Although he was still in the Core Formation realm, no demon dared to treat Lao Hei as a Core Formation demonic cultivator.
The other demons quickly knelt down too.
They were in awe and full of respect towards Lao Hei because he managed to survive the intense Thunder Tribulation.
They had been accustomed to Lao Hei hiding his cultivation level, and if not for the fact that he would respond to them occasionally, they might have thought that he was a divine dragon disguised as a pig.
"I have successfully transcended the tribulation. Are you willing to go to a small nation with me and then become the hegemon of a land?"
Lao Hei waved his hoof and gave instructions while golden rays of light engulfed him. If they didn't take a careful look, they wouldn't be able to tell that an earth pig was talking.
"We are willing to follow you, Lord!"
"Very good! Then let's set out and head south!"
After issuing that order, Lao Hei flew into the air, going towards the south while hundreds of demons followed behind him.
After a full day of flight, Lao Hei had taken several demons under his wing. In the beginning, he still had to intervene personally, but towards the end, the demons would all surrender and submit to him as soon as he waved his hoof.
By the time they reached the Flame Mountain Range, Lao Hei had thousands of demons under his command, including eight Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivators and one late Nascent Soul realm powerhouse.
The newly joined demonic cultivators were subconsciously in awe of Lao Hei too when they saw other demonic cultivators submitting to Lao Hei.
The dog spirit, who considered himself to be Lao Hei's veteran subordinate, had the guts to talk to the new demonic cultivator at the late Nascent Soul realm stage on an equal footing, thus making the latter more and more convinced of Lao Hei's power.
At the same time, he made up his mind to serve Lao Hei well, and once he became a veteran subordinate, he would teach the dog spirit a lesson.
Although there were only a few demons that were inherently powerful, their cultivation levels weren't too bad. They formed a demon cloud that covered the sky and loomed over the Flame mountain range before flying towards all directions.
More than a thousand demons crossed the flame mountain range, successfully reaching the State of Zhou's territory.
At this time, there were battles everywhere in the territory of the State of Zhou. Such a large force of terrifying demons suddenly appearing out of nowhere caused the people in the Demon Clan to become stunned.
"Heaven wants the Demon Clan to be destroyed!"
The Clan Master came out to block two Essence Soul realm powerhouses. Who would have expected such a large bunch of demons to come to the State of Zhou? He could tell from their mightiness that the leader must be a Demon Emperor!
The State of Zhou was not like other vassal states, which were supported by major forces. They could only rely on themselves!
After Zhou Renlong, who was somewhere in the battlefield in the middle of the State of Zhou, learned of the news, he couldn't help but look up to the sky and laugh miserably. He then took out a certain messenger token.
"Kid, you'd better continue to hide. Life in the Demon Clan is too arduous…"
Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Never In This Life
"What's wrong? Clan Master, did something major happen?" Chen Chen asked, feigning ignorance.
Chen Chen was lying on a hanging chair in the Little Carefree Immortal Palace.
"It's nothing, it's just that another Essence Soul realm Demon Emperor has arrived, so my Demon Clan might be overthrown."
Zhou Renlong seemed to have resigned to fate, as if it didn't matter whether he died or not.
Seeing this, Chen Chen hollered furiously, exclaiming, "Has the Demon Clan reached the critical point of being on the brink of death? Clan Master, at a time like this, you actually told me to continue to hide! What kind of person do you take me, Zhang Chen, for?!"
Zhou Renlong was obviously stunned.
Chen Chen continued, "I, Zhang Chen, will forever be a member of the Demon Clan, regardless of whether I'm dead or alive! Clan Master, please let me live and die with the Demon Clan!"
Zhou Renlong replied a long time after the message was sent.
"You're so thoughtful… I didn't expect you to be so loyal! Okay! Great! I didn't choose to trust the wrong person. If you really want to help, come back with me to the headquarters of the Demon Clan. Someone distracted me and steered me away. The headquarters should be in danger now!"
Hearing this, Chen Chen almost fell off his chair. Zhou Renlong was really generous, and the headquarters were already in danger. How could he be so free to talk to Chen Chen?
…
However, he did think of resolving the issues in the State of Zhou first.
On one hand, the State of Zhou and the State of Jin were connected. If the State of Zhou fell, the State of Jin would definitely be the next target.
On the other hand, if Zhou Renlong stopped the two Essence Soul realm powerhouses, the Tianyun Clan probably wouldn't be able to survive until Xia Xishuang came to provide aid.
Strictly speaking, the Demon Clan had already repaid the favor of guarding the second line of defense.
Of course, he still had some thoughts in his head.
If he did not appear again at this time, the Demon Clan would basically have nothing to do with him anymore. He had been lurking in the Demon Clan for such a long period of time, and all the influence created in the Demon Clan would disappear into thin air.
Chen Chen knew better than to allow that to happen.
Xia Xishuang had a superior identity, while he was just a successor of the Tianyun Clan. Even if Xia Xishuang didn't mind, there was no guarantee that the Haoran Sword Clan wouldn't care.
He didn't want to put on a corny act of a romance story between a poor scholar and a wealthy girl.
Instead of being disliked by her mother's family and making things difficult for Xia Xishuang, he might as well work hard now and build a force of his own.
If he wanted to build his own force, the easiest solution was to use the State of Zhou and the State of Jin.
Even if it was only a secret unification, his persuasive power among the entire human race would increase greatly as long as he had that power.
Having made up his mind, Chen Chen took out two masks from his storage ring and put them on.
After that, the Omni Divine Blade also emerged from his body, turning into a golden-red giant sword.
He gazed at the sword silently, as if they hadn't met for a long time.
…
A few moments later, Chen Chen came to the palace hall.
Lao Hei brought thousands of demons to a mountain that had relatively dense spiritual energy.
"Lord, where do we attack first?"
After opening the cave, the dog spirit was the first to come up to Lao Hei. He wished that there would be a huge battle soon, so that he could put his wit to use.
Lao Hei rubbed its dog head and seemed to be deep in thought. After a long time, he replied, "There's no need to hurry. Observe the situation first, so that we can make maximum gains."
"What gain?" the dog spirit asked with a dumbfounded expression. Given his wit, he actually couldn't understand what Lao Hei was talking about.
"Doggy, there's a lot for you to learn. You have to learn what this idiom means," Lao Hei explained seriously. At this point in time, there were several books in the Little Carefree Immortal Palace, all of which were written by Chen Chen in his free time.
For example, there were books about brainwashing, unifying fools, tips to lie without being exposed, and many others…
After reading these books, Lao Hei considered himself a cultured pig.
At least among these thousands of demons, he felt that he was the smartest of all.
The things that Chen Chen wrote were indeed very useful. According to the methods stated, Lao Hei had to divide the thousands of demons into several factions and make them restrain each other. This would allow him to relax, not worried that the demons would rebel.
Anyone who thought of rebelling would immediately face the wrath of the other factions.
After listening for a long time, the dog spirit still couldn't make sense of what he meant. However, that didn't stop him from feeling touched, because Lao Hei had bestowed him with a title.
That was a great honor!
He decided that he had to inform the other demons later, so that they would know that he was Lao Hei's true confidant.
While they were conversing, Chen Chen had already left the Little Carefree Immortal Palace.
…
In the headquarters of the Demon clan.
At this moment, the demons were all in disdain when they saw the harsh environment.
The seven or eight Nascent Soul realm demons were glowering at the vault with exasperation in their eyes.
It was the first time they had seen such a poor clan!
"Chase them! Hunt and kill those damned Demon Clan cultivators!"
With a command, hundreds of demons rose up in the air and chased in the direction where those Demon Clan cultivators had fled earlier.
As for those at the headquarters of the damaged Demon Clan, they naturally gave up.
Seeing that there were dark clouds behind them once again, that group of Demon Clan cultivators sped up.
While fighting within the State of Zhou, they wouldn't be so stupid as to persist without retreating. If they couldn't beat them, they would run away and use their familiarity with the terrain to fight the demons. That was their forte.
'Eight Nascent Soul realm demons? Must they do this? It's just the headquarters, they can just take it…' Yuan Qingtian cursed while flying wildly. His cultivation level was now already in the middle stage of the Core Formation realm.
All the other junior division masters of the Demon Clan had also reached the Core Formation realm.
Although the second line of defense of the Demon Clan had failed once, the Immortal Demonic Phoenix clan had been involved, so not much merit was deducted from them.
When the demons pretended to retreat, the Demon Clan also received a lot of bounties from the Haoran Sword Clan, which were all converted into combat power.
Not only did the cultivation levels of the junior division masters increase greatly, even that of the Nascent Soul realm division masters had increased greatly.
However, that was not considered much compared to the demon race.
Seeing the dark clouds in the back getting closer and closer, Yuan Qingtian couldn't help but think of his Senior Brother once again.
'If Senior Brother was here, he would have stayed behind to hold back the enemy and cover the other retreating disciples, right?'
At this moment, he realized what kind of huge psychological pressure Senior Brother was facing when he made such a decision.
Boom!
Just when he was thinking about all this mess, a strong burst of energy behind him had blasted over. They were obviously about to enter the attacking range of the demons.
Sensing this, Yuan Qingtian hollered at the group of Demon Clan cultivators in front of him, a look of determination on his face.
"You guys, leave quickly! I'll hold them back! No nonsense, or I'll kill you!"
While saying these words, Yuan Qingtian felt like he had soared very high.
In this moment, he felt like he had inherited his Senior Brother's will!
The willpower seemed to have filled his body with power.
"Senior Brother is dead, so I'm everyone's Senior Brother now. I am obliged to protect them."
After murmuring this to himself, Yuan Qingtian suddenly stopped in his tracks and faced the vast, dark clouds with a tinge of relief in his eyes.
He could imagine that the Junior Brothers behind him were looking at him with the same gaze as they had looked at their Senior Brother back then.
Their gazes were filled with reluctance and admiration.
"I wonder if anyone will cry for me after I die… Senior Brother, I'm here to accompany you!"
After hollering, Yuan Qingtian's black clothes fluttered and he started attacking the dark cloud aggressively.
A powerful energy emerged and blasted the dark cloud!
However, the dark cloud was unresponsive…
"Where did that stupid fool come from?" questioned a certain Nascent Soul realm diabolic cultivator who was in the dark cloud.
Immediately afterwards, a terrifying attack descended and blasted directly at Yuan Qingtian.
Yuan Qingtian was unable to resist it, and his whole body darted out like an arrow.
However, in an instant, he overtook the crowd of Demon Clan cultivators behind him and flew to the front.
He also saw the expressions on the faces of the Junior Brothers.
They were all astounded by his fast speed…
'I'm not… I'm not…'
Yuan Qingtian wanted to explain, but he kept vomiting blood. He wanted to say that he was not running away. However, he could not bring himself to do it.
At this point, he wanted to cry, but there were no tears left.
He had inherited his Senior Brother's will, but not his Senior Brother's power, and he could not stop that group of demons at all.
Bang!
Only when he crashed into the ground, did they stop looking dumbfounded.
Yuan Qingtian, who had face planted on the ground, was overwhelmed with sorrow and agony. At this moment, he had only one doubt in his mind.
'Why do I always not die?'
He wanted to just die in the mud.
'Indeed, I will never reach the heights that Senior Brother did in this lifetime. Even if I just want to mimic him for a moment, I can't.'
Just as he was waiting for death with his eyes closed, a shocking cry filled his ears!
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Brother! Turns out you're actually not dead!"
…
"The Junior Clan Master is back."
Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Ultimate Double Elites
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yuan Qingtian froze in the mud.
'Could it be… Is it?!'
When he thought of some kind of possibility, Yuan Qingtian began convulsing vigorously.
He subconsciously wanted to eat a mouthful of dirt.
Enduring the severe pain that was spreading throughout his body, he struggled to turn over and finally discovered that figure.
The figure was dressed in black, with a mask on his face. However, his back was like a majestic mountain that gave them an unparalleled sense of security.
Yuan Qingtian spat out the dirt in his mouth, his eyes filled with hot tears.
There was only one person whom the Demon Clan disciples would address as Senior Brother in unison.
He would never be able to reach that level…
…
Chen Chen also looked at Yuan Qingtian, who was lying on the ground in the distance, sighing and thinking to himself that he was built tough.
'How many times has it been?'
He could not even remember anymore.
Ever since that rascal escaped from his hands, he felt that he had a really tough body, but he never thought that it would be so tough that he would not die despite facing so many dangerous encounters, all of which should have been fatal.
When he thought about how he almost got struck dead by the thunderbolt, Chen Chen couldn't help but be jealous.
Seeing that his Senior Brother was looking at him, Yuan Qingtian crawled out of the mud with a complicated gaze that was full of complex emotions. All of a sudden, he was at a loss for words and all he could say was 'Senior Brother.'
Chen Chen smiled at him and gestured.
At the same time, the dark cloud in the distance swarmed towards him. Its power and intensity were quite similar to that of the previous attack on Yuan Qingtian.
Chen Chen did not pay attention to that, simply letting the energy attack him.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, the energy was shaken away, but Chen Chen's body did not move an inch.
When the group of junior division masters saw this, they fell silent. Some of them even subconsciously looked at the disheveled Yuan Qingtian.
'Now this is what you call a gap in strength!'
Even a few of the division masters subconsciously constricted their pupils when they saw that scene.
The blow just now was launched by the Nascent Soul realm demons. Even they had to deal with it carefully, but the blows couldn't shake the Junior Clan Master.
'Could it be that the Junior Clan Master has broken through to the Nascent Soul realm?' Thinking of that possibility, the few division masters could not help but be agitated.
'Finally, another real expert has emerged from the body refining lineage!'
…
Chen Chen turned around, the Omni Divine Blade in his hand emitting astonishing fluctuations.
That demonic cloud also stopped at this moment.
That masked person was not like the fool who previously appeared. That fool insisted on pretending and bragging despite being incompetent.
Seven or eight Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivators appeared from the demon cloud, looking at Chen Chen with a serious expression.
The four Nascent Soul realm demons flew over from all directions and surrounded him.
Seeing this scene, the division masters of the Demon Clan began to look nervous.
Only three of the nine Nascent Soul realm cultivators of the Demon Clan were present. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been chased by the demons today.
Although they now had an expert like the Junior Clan Master, they still might not be a match for the demons.
They subconsciously still wanted to escape.
There were four Nascent Soul realm demons, and even the invincible Chen Chen might not be their match…
Although they do not want to admit it in their hearts, they still felt that Chen Chen of the Tianyun Clan was the top elite of the two nations.
After all, he was really invincible, able to face the Immortal Demonic Phoenix that was in the middle of the Nascent Soul realm. Perhaps only Xia Xishuang, who managed to kill a
kill an Essence Soul realm cultivator with a single slash of her sword, could contend with it.
Thinking of this, the division master of the Poison Division spoke in a hoarse voice, "Junior Clan Master, there will be plenty of chances to get back at them in the future, as long as you stay alive. Our rescue army is right up ahead…"
There was no rescue army. Of course, they were just making things up… There were no reinforcements ahead at all.
Chen Chen came from the front, so of course he knew that there were no reinforcements.
Looking at the group of Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivators in front, he laughed loudly, a condescending aura emanating from his body!
"No need to say more. Some time ago, the Demon Clan was transferred by the human race to rush to the front line. I couldn't share the hardships with everyone, and that makes me feel really guilty. If I can't fight for everyone now, I will regret it for the rest of my life. So today, even if I die…"
Before Chen Chen could finish his words, a Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivator launched an attack on him.
That infuriated Chen Chen!
'I haven't gotten into the somber and sorrowful mood yet, why are you so eager to attack?!'
After cursing in his heart, Chen Chen swug his hand downwards furiously!
A majestic golden Qi and Blood force erupted!
Boom!
With a massive explosive sound, the early Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivator was severed into two!
Seeing this scene, Chen Chen continued, "Today, even if I die, I must block these demons. You guys, retreat quickly!"
The eyelids of the Poison Division master twitched when he saw that.
'You're so strong… It seems I had been thinking too much.'
'These two are supreme elites.'
"The strength of the Junior Clan Master is on par with the successor of the Tianyun Clan."
"I told you. If Senior Brother is alive, he definitely won't be weaker than Chen Chen. Yet, you refuse to believe me. See!"
The injured Yuan Qingtian, who was below, grabbed the junior division master of the Division of Illusion and shook him continuously in excitement, as if they were celebrating a festival.
Feng Huan did not struggle, instead wearing a guilty expression as he regretted suspecting that his Senior Brother's strength was inferior to that of Chen Chen, the successor of the Tianyun Clan.
…
The Demon Clan and the demonic cultivators were engaged in an intense battle in the State of Zhou.
If it was in the human frontier, it would only be like a small ripple in a large river. It wouldn't be too eye-catching.
However, Xia Xishuang had killed the Demon Emperor Hu Lian with a single slash of her sword in front of the Tianyun Clan, and that was a major event that soon spread to both humans and demons.
On one hand, both Xia Xishuang and Hu Lian were famous figures of their respective clans.
On the other hand, the fact that she had killed an Essence Soul realm cultivator while she was in the middle of the Nascent Soul realm herself was a remarkable feat.
Be it human or demon, once one reached the Essence Soul realm, they would develop divine senses, and even if their bodies were destroyed, they might not die.
As long as one could find a good body, they could continue cultivating.
However, such a powerhouse that could not die easily, actually dying at the hands of a young junior?
That news boosted the morale of people everywhere, as if they saw the hope of the future of the human race.
Only the real top echelons of the two clans knew what was going on.
…
Somewhere on the battlefield of the Western Frontier, the successor of the Haoran Sword Clan frowned when she heard of the news. She even crushed a teacup on the spot, sighing deeply.
…
On the clan compound of the Immortal Demonic Phoenix clan at the Western border, a young Immortal Demonic Phoenix's eyes lit up when she heard the news.
"That damned woman Xia Xishuang has finally unsheathed the Breaking Dawn Sword! She must be severely injured now. No, I must take revenge!"
…
On the land of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan at the Western Border.
A male fox stared in the direction of the State of Jin, his eyes full of grief, muttering, "Sister, I told you not to go there, but you insisted on going. You died because of your own jealousy after all…"
After saying that, he flew directly in the direction of the State of Jin.
Although his sister was not a good demon, he had to avenge her since he was her brother.
Now that Xia Xishuang had used the Breaking Dawn Sword, she was just a Nascent Soul realm cultivator who was slightly better than average. There was nothing that he had to be afraid of.
…
The situation in other major clans was also similar. Many demon elites were eager to go to the State of Jin to attack Xia Xishuang, using that to impress others.
In a remote mountain in the State of Zhou.
A certain Demon King was conversing with a fox spirit with a sullen face.
"Miss… Madam has just arrived in the territory of the two nations, but she has already been slashed by the human elite, Xia Xishuang. My condolences!"
The fox spirit covered her mouth when she heard those words.
"Miss! Don't be too sad! Who would have thought that Xia Xishuang would have given up the Essence Soul realm Dao…"
Before the Demon King finished speaking, the fox spirit flew out like she was fleeing, only stopping after having flown dozens of kilometers.
"Hahaha! This stepmother of mine is finally dead! Haha, I almost burst into laughter just now!"
As she laughed, she started crying again as she looked up into the sky.
"Mother, that homewrecker is finally dead. Do you see it from Heaven, where you are now? She died at the hands of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator and has become the laughingstock of both clans."
After crying for a while, she once again returned to that mountain.
Since Hu Lian's stepmother died, she could rightfully return to the demons and take over their affairs in the State of Zhou.