Chapter 1371: The Struggle for the Mortal World

Who could remember the past, and who truly understood the passage of years?

Between Heaven and Earth, who was not merely a passing traveler?

Deity, demon, immortal, or buddha—all were the same. Even if they managed to scrape together a bit of longevity, they ultimately could not escape the erosion of time.

It was like a game of chess; between the lowering and raising of one's head, untold years slipped away.

The Demon Sovereign raised his hand, but Chen Changsheng was nowhere to be seen. Understanding what had happened, he sat down and slowly waited.

This seemed to be the only thing he could do in this lonely Reincarnation.

Chen Changsheng returned to the Cultivation World. After such a long expanse of time, he once again picked up that Geographical Map.

Walking this road, it was hard to find an end.

Thus passed another cycle of Reincarnation.

...

The Mortal World was ever-changing. Across those long years, emperors rose and fell; after reigning for twenty years, they hastily met their ends and left the throne to the next Crown Prince.

This year, Hongyuan Tianxia's offensive grew increasingly ferocious.

Along the borders of the Southern Domain, the situation was complex. Humans were humans, and immortals were immortals.

Under such an onslaught, who knew how many more would die.

Meanwhile, someone in this world was frantically searching for answers. She walked the roads, never pausing for even half a step.

Decades had passed, and Yu Youyu already felt deeply exhausted.

She suddenly realized that her original ambition was incredibly difficult to achieve. Some people in this world were simply destined never to ascend the immortal path.

To make every person like a dragon—how difficult that was.

She once again arrived in the Southern Domain Land. Looking at the vicious Great Demons below the city walls, she saw that despite decades of effort, the Human Race had only made slight progress, while the Demon Race's accumulated strength had surpassed them by an immeasurable amount.

Xiao Dongxu looked at the current situation and could only shake his head and sigh.

"The human dao is about to perish."

He saw the ending clearly. With the current disparity between the two sides, the outcome of this struggle for qi destiny was already sealed.

Hearing this, Yu Youyu scoffed and said, "Humans are humans, and immortals are immortals. You upper-realm cultivators might look like you act out of righteousness and loyalty, but in reality, you merely covet the qi destiny of the Mortal World. For years, you stood by and did nothing, secure in your own arrogance. If you had taken action back then, how could things have deteriorated to this state?"

Faced with her words, Xiao Dongxu found himself unable to answer.

Yu Youyu said, "Now that the stalemate is broken and the situation has reversed, are you going to abandon this place again?"

"Am I wrong?"

"It is nothing more than you being born a few years earlier and practicing Cultivation a few years longer. Do you really think that your Dao Cultivation gives you the right to treat this Mortal World like meat on a chopping block? Can the likes of you even lift the knife?"

"How utterly ridiculous."

These words left Xiao Dongxu feeling deeply ashamed.

The arrogance of upper-realm cultivators was something even he could not change. But in this great upheaval, they had been driven by profit from the very beginning. If not for this qi destiny, who would willingly come here?

To a cultivator, what righteousness was there to speak of in a completely unrelated place?

The world bustled for profit, and the world rushed about for gain.

Yu Youyu snorted coldly. "Right now, are you even wondering if you chose the wrong side? Are you thinking you should have stood with the Demon Race from the start?"

Xiao Dongxu sighed softly. "Who can truly calculate the affairs of the world? It is nothing more than a matter of choices and trade-offs. It is common for things to not go as one wishes."

Yu Youyu drew her Sword and pointed it at him, asking in return, "The immortal path is vast, but does my Human Race have no one?"

Xiao Dongxu looked at her and said, "You wish to change the landscape of the human dao with your strength alone? Isn't that laughable? Rather than wasting words here, why don't you look south and see what heights Hongyuan Tianxia has reached? And in all this time, how far has your human dao truly advanced?"

"If you do not comprehend yourself, how can you borrow the strength of others?"

Xiao Dongxu shook his head, saying, "I do not care whether the cultivators of other Immortal Sects leave or stay. But I, Xiao Dongxu, will remain here. Even if this 'Investiture of the Gods' ends in defeat, I, Xiao Dongxu, will see it through to the end."

Yu Youyu paused in surprise.

She paused, then said, "You have some guts, at least."

Xiao Dongxu looked at her and said, "My path is what it is, and it is not as cheap as you think."

Yu Youyu lowered her head and simultaneously lowered her Sword.

She sat down, saying no more.

Xiao Dongxu looked at her and asked, "Over these past few decades, you have stirred up storms in the Mortal World, guiding mortals onto the immortal path. But in the end, out of all those who stepped onto the immortal path, how many actually cared about the safety of the human dao?"

"They depart from the eastern coast, crossing over to the Immortal Realm, never to return. Out of that majority, what percentage actually came to the Southern Domain?"

Yu Youyu said, "Four out of ten."

Xiao Dongxu shook his head with a smile and said, "Ultimately, human hearts are all the same. People gain power and forget themselves—isn't it always like this?"

Yu Youyu took a deep breath and said, "They will return."

Xiao Dongxu looked at her.

Yu Youyu said, "Those who went out will ultimately all come back."

Hearing this, Xiao Dongxu did not reply.

He turned to look at Yu Youyu and said, "The demons outside the city have already gathered overwhelming momentum. Now, neither of us can afford to stand by and watch any longer."

Seeing this, Yu Youyu raised her Sword.

Xiao Dongxu raised his hand, summoning his Immortal Sword. "Shall we head down the wall and give it a try?"

"That is exactly my intention!"

The two of them descended the city tower and stepped into the chaotic horde of demons.

Immortal Arts and Divine Abilities were unleashed in full force, sparking endless slaughter outside the city.

The soldiers of the Mortal World surged forth like an ocean. Everyone who came here, without exception, possessed the resolve to die.

Hearing of the upheaval in the Southern Domain, some cultivators traveled across mountains and rivers to arrive, raising their swords as they charged down the city walls.

In this Mortal World, there were ultimately still righteous and loyal souls.

Beyond the sounds of slaughter, Sha Tang silently observed everything unfolding before him.

His expression remained calm as he merely shook his head. "A dying struggle."

Decades of stalemate had been for nothing else but this exact moment—to completely erase the human dao from this world.

And to thoroughly transform this Mortal World into the territory of the Demon Race.

He, too, had waited a very long time for this day.

...

Yun Hengzi gently stroked his white beard.

He watched a bloody, baleful aura rise across the world, accompanied by the resurgence of countless karmic debts and the aura of death.

Yet, as the mastermind behind it all, he seemed like a complete outsider, calmly watching everything take place.

"Is Heaven truly supreme?"

Yun Hengzi murmured. He was intent on changing Heaven and Earth, pursuing the ultimate endpoint of a cultivator.

The qi destiny of the human dao was constantly waning.

All of this fell within his gaze.

From the moment the war drums sounded, this struggle for qi destiny would gradually draw to a close.

Once this was over, the human dao of this realm would cease to exist.

The demons would reign supreme!

...

Meanwhile, at the foot of that Southern Domain city wall.

A figure suddenly appeared.

The old man cast his gaze over the battlefield, unable to hide his sorrow.

"How can my homeland tolerate the invasion of you demons?"

The old man reached out and drew a Painted Scroll from his sleeve.

He tossed it forward. As the Painted Scroll unfurled, it seemed to blot out the sky and cover the sun, entirely shrouding everything outside the city.

A golden fire phoenix flew out from the Painted Scroll, charging straight toward the demons.

Yu Youyu looked back and was momentarily stunned.

She saw the old man upon the city wall, yet she had absolutely no impression of him.

Who was this person?