Chapter 1243: Hongyuan Tianxia

The Demon Sovereign had underestimated the power of the Demon Pill. Although Wang He's aura continued to climb, a closer look revealed that his physical body was already buckling under the overwhelming demonic qi.

If this continued, his body would surely explode.

The Demon Sovereign frowned slightly and shook his head.

He was a suitable vessel, but he fell drastically short when compared to Zhao Yuqing. Had it been Zhao Yuqing, he would have ruthlessly suppressed the Demon Pill, steadily gnawing away at its power bit by bit.

With little choice, the Demon Sovereign stepped in once more.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Wang He, raising a hand to point from afar and tapping squarely on the center of his brow.

"To achieve true power, one must always endure tribulation. It is a pity your physical body is so frail. No matter—I will give you a hand!"

A brilliant golden light erupted from the center of Wang He's brow.

Wang He's eyes shot wide open. The demonic qi within his body began to circulate in an entirely foreign pattern, pooling within his internal organs and bridging across his meridians.

The Demon Sovereign struck several of his acupoints in rapid succession.

With another wave of his hand, he conjured several ancient characters.

"Seal!"

The ancient characters sank into his body, and the volatile demonic qi began to settle.

Wang He's body, which had been on the verge of shattering, finally stabilized.

With a hoarse roar, Wang He collapsed in exhaustion.

After a long moment, everything returned to a dead calm.

Outside, the demonic cultivators were already rushing toward the scene.

Seeing this, the Demon Sovereign lingered no longer. He left behind a body-tempering manual and vanished from the area.

When Wang He was finally discovered, he was covered in blood and his skin was laced with deep fissures. He was completely unconscious, yet the demonic qi rolling off his body surged toward the heavens, leaving all the demonic cultivators staring in awe.

Even Jian Shenghua, acting as their leader, was taken aback.

He could not fathom what had just transpired.

How had Wang He suddenly acquired such a terrifying volume of demonic qi?

Jian Shenghua puzzled over it to no avail. He would just have to wait for the man to wake up and ask him directly.

...

Meanwhile, the Mortal World was growing even more turbulent.

The Human Sovereign sought to purge the world of demonic evil. Yet the demons of this world were countless, cunning, and difficult to identify. Who could truly separate good from evil? Caught in the sweeping tide of this campaign, the only guiding rule was that it was better to kill by mistake than to let any slip.

Through this bloodletting, the conflict between humanity and the Demon Race rapidly escalated.

Hunted and besieged on all sides, the demons began to band together.

The Demon Race of the Southern Domain gradually rallied together to form a true collective. Capable figures stepped forward to lead the Demon Race, swearing to live or die alongside their kin.

The Imperial Court's indiscriminate slaughter had cemented an absolute, irreconcilable enmity with the Demon Race.

It was only then that the demons finally understood.

"In the end, humans and demons can never share the same sky."

Countless members of the Demon Race migrated south, establishing a new realm upon the coastal lands.

They named it Hongyuan Tianxia.

This was an entirely different concept from the Demon Market.

This was a true domain, not merely a trading ward.

This was the demons' domain!

Since they could not change the minds of the mortals, they would simply slaughter them all!

Let the Demon Race reign supreme!

In the past, suppressed by the majestic human dao qi fortune, the Demon Race would never have had the chance to rise. But things were different now. The human dao qi fortune had been forged into a Dharma Instrument, held solely in the hands of the Human Sovereign. It no longer blanketed the world in its protection, giving the demons the perfect opening.

The Southern Domain came under attack as the Demon Race established cities and expanded step by step to the north.

Countless villages were ravaged, their people devoured by demonic maws in a horrifying death toll. In settlements too weak to mount a defense, not even severed limbs were left behind; everything was reduced to a desolate, eerie silence.

"Humans brand all demons as evil, blind to right and wrong, and slaughter our Demon Race! Today, we raise Hongyuan Tianxia! A home for the Demon Race! We shall overturn the heavens and earth!"

"Demon generals, ride north with me! We shall sever the head of the Human Sovereign!"

This demonic uprising in the Southern Domain caught everyone entirely off guard.

It was as though this had all been meticulously planned—waiting for the perfect moment to unite the world's demons under one banner.

Daoist Sanyuan quickly grasped the situation.

Someone was absolutely pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Perhaps a demon, or perhaps... a human...

Who was after the Human Dao's qi destiny?!

Daoist Sanyuan could not divine the answer. For now, their only option was to immediately reinforce the Southern Domain and stem the tide of the demonic rebellion.

Yet within this world, Human Dao cultivators were not only scarce, but their strength paled in comparison to the demons.

Heading south would merely amount to a desperate, stubborn resistance.

Over the years, the Demon Race had continuously grown, while the world's cultivators had seen precious few opportunities to step onto the immortal path. Amidst the great upsurge of the world's Spiritual Energy, the Human Dao had completely missed its chance.

"Sigh..."

Daoist Sanyuan let out a heavy sigh.

He could already foresee the tragic devastation that would soon blanket the Mortal World.

"Senior Brother, the situation is grim. The Human Dao lacks the strength to resist. Hongyuan Tianxia is operating like a grinding stone, steadily whittling away the resistance of our worldly cultivators. In just the past few days, our Quanshan has lost over a dozen disciples, and the casualties among the Rogue Cultivators who bravely headed south to fight the Demon Race are even worse."

"The Imperial Court is in a blind panic. Yan Nantian has never taken Hongyuan Tianxia seriously; he hasn't the faintest idea just how dangerous this Demon Race truly is."

Hearing his junior brother's report, Daoist Sanyuan's expression grew even more grave.

If things continued like this, the Mortal World would inevitably fall to the Demon Race.

His junior brother finally spoke bluntly, "Senior Brother, the Human Sovereign is ignorant. We march south to slay demons without reaping a single shred of benefit. Why don't we simply withdraw from this war, abandon this realm, and establish a new Immortal Sect elsewhere?"

Daoist Sanyuan was deeply torn. He sensed that this was the Mortal World's great tribulation, yet he didn't agree with his junior brother that there were no benefits to be found. If they could endure this calamity, Quanshan's legacy would echo for ten thousand generations. When that day came, regardless of how mortal dynasties rose and fell, Quanshan would still stand proudly above the world.

Opportunities and risks always walk hand in hand.

...

Having caught wind of the news, Zhao Lin relayed it to the Badger Demon.

"Ward Lord, the demons of the Southern Domain have united to establish Hongyuan Tianxia. Even now, they march north to wage war upon the Human Race."

The Badger Demon didn't look at all surprised by the report.

He seemed to have anticipated this long ago.

"A bit faster than I anticipated."

The Badger Demon mused, "It seems whoever is pulling the strings behind Hongyuan Tianxia is no ordinary figure."

He paused, turning the matter over in his mind before adding, "The time has come for our Demon Market to decide whether we stay or go."

Zhao Lin froze at those words.

Panic spiked in his chest.

"Ward Lord, surely you don't intend to join Hongyuan Tianxia...?"

The Badger Demon said, "Do you believe that if our Demon Market merges with Hongyuan Tianxia, they will truly gain a firm foothold, and the world being permanently split in two will become a foregone conclusion?"

Zhao Lin opened his mouth, but found himself unable to form the words.

The Badger Demon simply continued, "On the surface, that is exactly how it appears."

"But if you look a bit further, you'll realize that Hongyuan Tianxia has absolutely no chance of prevailing. Merging our Demon Market with them won't change that in the slightest."

Startled, Zhao Lin asked, "Why is that...?"

The Badger Demon replied, "This isn't a mere war over territory; it is a war for qi destiny. The demons of the Southern Domain aren't the only ones hungering for that destiny. There are those watching from afar."

Zhao Lin blinked, realization suddenly crashing over him.

"The Immortal Practitioners of the upper realm?!"