Chapter 1473: Demonic Cultivators Hold Power

The Taotie opened its bloody maw and swallowed the attacking cultivator whole.

Jiu Fengchun blacked out once again. The cultivators of the Immortal Realm had been pursuing him too relentlessly, leaving him nowhere to hide. Driven by starvation, he had inevitably exposed himself.

From the moment he transformed into the Taotie, all reason had been swept away.

People became nothing more than meals on a platter, all devoured whole.

After a full meal, Jiu Fengchun regained his senses. Feeling the stench of blood at the corners of his mouth, he knew what had happened.

Yet, looking again at the desolation around him, he felt not a sliver of regret.

"This world is always like this. If you don't kill me, I'll kill you."

"Since everyone has to die anyway, eating them makes no difference."

Jiu Fengchun was slowly losing himself. Over these countless years, his mind had sunk into silence.

When a person truly realized how capable they were, the moment their conscience scattered, they became a true villain—the kind of thing the world called a demon.

Jiu Fengchun set off once more toward the bustling crowds. Raising his eyes, he saw an Immortal Mountain, towering and magnificent.

Yet, in the face of hunger, this was nothing more than a scene about to be destroyed.

He walked up the mountain and slaughtered every last cultivator on it.

When Jiu Fengchun opened his jaws, all the surrounding Spiritual Energy gathered toward him. The Spiritual Energy within the dead cultivators was absorbed as well, ultimately reducing their corpses to withered bones.

The entire Immortal Mountain withered at a visible rate.

When Jiu Fengchun entered the Spiritual Vein, he devoured that as well.

At that moment, the surrounding Spiritual Energy gradually dissipated.

He had exhausted the Spiritual Energy from its very source.

This Immortal Mountain, which had stood in the Cultivation World for over a hundred and ten years, vanished from the world just like that.

Wherever he passed, he left behind nothing but a dried-up mountain range and corpses reduced to ash.

Having gorged himself, Jiu Fengchun set off toward the next mountain.

He had to lighten his burden before all those cultivators could come back to their senses.

He knew he couldn't escape.

Since that was the case, he might as well step forward himself.

...

When numerous demonic cultivators arrived at a certain Immortal Mountain, they suddenly realized the area was completely devoid of Spiritual Energy. Furthermore, the mountain's forests and vegetation were entirely withered.

"What happened here?"

Jian Shenghua hurried over upon receiving the news.

Looking at the state of this Immortal Mountain, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

He had heard about Spiritual Energy drying up, but he never expected it to reach this extent.

"Just as I thought, it's man-made..."

Jian Shenghua went to take a look at the Spiritual Vein. Unsurprisingly, it had been completely sucked dry.

It was no wonder the Spiritual Energy in the surrounding area was so thin that it could barely be felt.

Deep in thought, Jian Shenghua rubbed his chin.

He felt that whoever had done this had, to a large extent, helped their Demon Gate.

Only under the pressure of internal strife and external threats could the Mysterious Gate be forced into such a steady retreat.

However, with those grudges at the forefront, Jian Shenghua didn't want anyone else interfering.

"Move forward!"

"Don't let anyone beat us to it!"

Jian Shenghua's gaze sharpened. At this moment, all he wanted was to erase the Mysterious Gate from the world as quickly as possible.

...

"Dong!"

Tianji Mountain had been involved in the mortal world for a long time. Now, with the world undergoing a great upheaval, the Heavenly Dao Flame flickered endlessly.

Chen Daoqiu stared at the swaying firelight on the wall and couldn't help but lower his head.

Chen Daoqiu let out a long sigh. When he looked up again, he saw that the flame had grown even weaker, meaning this world had already reached a state of imminent peril.

"Does this catastrophe truly align with heaven's will...?"

Chen Daoqiu murmured. Turning to look outside the hall, he said, "Senior Brother, what should I do...?"

He still couldn't make a decision.

For heaven, for the people, or for himself...

These many matters settled in his heart, and for a long time, he could not find an answer.

The qi destiny of the Mysterious Gate was in constant decline. Over these past few years, the qi destiny of the Literary Dao had flourished like a dragon, and the Buddhist Dao was the same. Meanwhile, the Demon Gate was continuously gnawing away at the Mysterious Gate's qi destiny, using it to pressure the world.

The situation was growing clearer—so clear that their defeat was all but guaranteed.

This time, the demonic path held the advantages of timing, terrain, and unity, surging forward with overwhelming momentum. The Mysterious Gate, having experienced massive upheavals in earlier years, was already in decline. Now, with a catastrophe before them, they could hardly defend themselves.

"How can we let the demonic cultivators hold power?!"

"Exactly! It's completely absurd!"

"How can demons rule this world?!"

Many cultivators were filled with righteous indignation. Logically speaking, they always felt that anyone could rule this world, but it absolutely could not be this demonic heresy.

Lately, the disciples of Tianji Mountain had also been discussing this frequently.

Acting under the name of Tianji meant acting for the sake of the world, yet their current inaction left many cultivators deeply unsettled.

They didn't understand how the elders had made their decision. Initially, they hadn't paid it much mind, but now that their momentum was visibly lost, were they truly going to do absolutely nothing?

In this same year, Xiao Dongxu also returned to Tianji Mountain.

Although he was a disciple of Xuanjiu Immortal Mountain, he was also a guest elder of Tianji Mountain. On this mountain, he was frequently hailed as Senior Brother.

"This junior greets Elder Chen."

Chen Daoqiu invited him to take a seat.

After entering the door, Xiao Dongxu asked bluntly, "When does the elder plan to take action?"

Chen Daoqiu fell silent. He looked at Xiao Dongxu, unsure of how to answer.

"Alas..."

He let out a long sigh and said, "This old man cannot make this decision."

Xiao Dongxu looked at the Heavenly Dao Flame on the wall, and at this moment, he understood.

If he were in Chen Daoqiu's position, he probably wouldn't have been able to make the decision either.

It was simply human nature.

Xiao Dongxu raised his head and said, "Truthfully, I harbor the same confusion as you, Elder. Should we act for the sake of the world, or should we yield to the will of heaven...?"

Chen Daoqiu was taken aback. "You know?"

Xiao Dongxu turned back and said, "With things as they are, if I still couldn't see it clearly, I would be nothing more than an abandoned piece on a chessboard. Your student is not a cultivator with terrible comprehension."

Chen Daoqiu let out a long sigh and said, "It is precisely because we understand the changes of heaven and earth that it makes us so agonizingly conflicted. If we didn't know, we could at least get it over with quickly."

Xiao Dongxu had originally come to ask for guidance, but it seemed there was no longer any need.

People in the world harbored the same doubts he did.

Even a senior like Chen Daoqiu was confused by the current trends, leaving him stalled.

"Spiritual Energy is drying up, and the momentum of the demonic cultivators only grows more fierce," Chen Daoqiu said. "They have already crossed Shifang Mountain. Ultimately, the Immortal Realm will be completely destroyed. Cultivators will be wiped out, heaven and earth will lose their vitality, and demonic cultivators will hold power..."

Xiao Dongxu listened, but shook his head and said, "The demonic cultivators won't truly hold power. Just like the many other cultivators, they will disappear into the flowing river of time."