Chapter 444: Borrowing Twenty-Four Sword Daos to Quell the Demonic Calamity

Chen Yu transformed into a golden light and shot out from Hundred Mountains, speeding northwestward.

In less than half an incense stick's time, he witnessed the scene described by Gu Songyue's personal disciple—

The earth was cracked like withered tortoise shells, the outlines of fields and villages still visible but already completely swallowed by surging demonic energy.

Evil path cultivators set fire to towns and cities; ordinary civilians fled and wept in the streets, only to be caught and overwhelmed by streaks of blood light chasing after them.

The sky was stained an ominous dark red by the blood light, as if even the sun itself had been obscured by the dense resentment.

A mortal dynasty was being destroyed before his very eyes.

Behind him, Feng Qingyun's face was as dark as water, and without a word, he stepped forward from the crowd.

He raised his hand, fingers spread wide, and pressed downward.

The long sword at his back split into countless sword lights that howled out, transforming into a golden sea of swords that skimmed across the ground, passing over the heads of those demonic creatures.

Wherever the sword light passed, the bodies of evil path cultivators and demon beasts were pierced through like paper.

In just a few breaths, the rampaging demons in the dynasty were completely wiped clean.

"Thank you, Immortal!"

The surviving civilians looked up at the blue-robed figure in the sky, knelt amid the blood and rubble, and kowtowed toward the light without stopping.

Chen Yu instructed several Golden Core cultivators to stay behind and clean up the mess, treat the wounded, then transformed back into golden light and continued flying forward.

The farther north he flew, the more shocking the scenes on the ground became.

Demonic energy rose from the earth like steam, shrouding the entire world in a layer of gray mist.

At that moment, an elderly voice came from the side.

The Earth Immortal from Blissful Heaven held an array plate shimmering with faint golden runes, riding spiritual energy to draw close to his side, and cupped his hands: "This old man, Zhuang Weisheng, greets the Dao Leader."

Chen Yu tilted his head slightly: "Elder Zhuang, do you have any advice?"

The old man's expression was grave: "This old man has observed that the evil path techniques seen along this path are extremely similar to the 'Devouring Heaven' path from Heavenly Mountain."

"The Devouring Heaven evil path was created three hundred years ago by an evil path patriarch. This path takes pleasure in slaughtering living beings and uses the creation of bloody, horrifying imagery to deepen one's understanding of the Great Dao."

"Those who cultivate this path leave behind devastation wherever they go—no grass grows, no life survives. Precisely because of this, cultivation on this path is extremely fast. As long as there are enough living beings to slaughter, their cultivation snowballs."

He let out a sigh, "They knew that all the Golden Core cultivators in the world would be rushing to the Southern Frontier for the Dao Assembly, leaving the righteous sects' internal defenses empty, with no one to stop them. So they seized this opportunity to strike boldly from their dormant state."

"What a pity that my Blissful Heaven has guarded Heavenly Mountain for centuries, yet never knew that this evil path cultivator had already broken free from his seal and lurked outside the Southern Frontier..."

"Now that living beings have been slaughtered, that demon's cultivation has probably accumulated to an unimaginable level. The Nine-Tailed Tribe falsely transmitted Elder White Abyss's orders. As things stand now, Elder White Abyss has likely already met with misfortune."

The Devouring Heaven evil path?

There was actually such an utterly evil Dao in this world?

In comparison, Galvin's demonic path seemed righteous.

I withdrew my gaze and spoke firmly: "It doesn't matter. You've already seen traces left by Futian; they're behind us, entangled with the calamity beasts. Everyone, follow me."

Southern Frontier, Yue Country.

The once prosperous capital had now become a slaughterhouse.

Corpses hung from the city walls, the remains of uncollected civilians lay strewn across the streets, and blood flowed slowly along the cracks in the stone steps, gathering in low-lying areas into pools of dark red.

At the center of the capital, the once majestic royal palace had been leveled by demonic power. Amid the ruins, a demon fox with nine enormous tails swirling behind it crouched among the broken walls.

Its fur, once pure silver-white, was now covered in ominous blood-red patterns.

It lifted a paw and casually slapped, sending a cultivator who tried to ambush it from the side flying—man and artifact alike.

The cultivator's body slammed heavily into a broken wall a hundred paces away, spurted a mouthful of blood, struggled a few times, and never got up again.

"Overestimating yourself."

The nine-tailed demon fox licked the bloodstains on its claws, its voice seductive yet laced with a bone-chilling coldness.

"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to draw a sword against me?"

Just then, its demonic vertical pupils suddenly constricted, and it jerked its head up to look at the sky.

A golden light was cutting through the blood-red sky, growing from far to near in its vision, finally materializing into a white-robed figure with hands clasped behind its back, hovering above the capital.

The nine-tailed demon fox was startled at first, retreating half a step, then, as if remembering something, raised its head again.

"A Golden Core Dao Master? Tsk, tsk, a rare guest."

It flicked its tail, and the blood-red patterns on its body suddenly flared up, a dense bloody aura surging from within.

"Now that I've destroyed an entire kingdom and comprehended the Devouring Heaven evil path through the blood essence of these ten thousand people, I've achieved the Golden Core Dao Fruit. Even if you're a Golden Core Dao Master, what can you do to me?"

"If you know what's good for you, retreat obediently. I'm in a good mood and might spare your—"

Its voice suddenly caught in its throat.

Because above the sky, behind that white-robed figure, streaks of multicolored spiritual light were cutting through the heavens, arriving one after another.

Each descending beam of light carried a weighty pressure like an abyss, stopping one by one behind Chen Yu.

Every figure within those beams radiated an aura that was in no way inferior to its own—some even surpassed it.

The nine-tailed demon fox's gaze went from arrogant to dazed.

It looked up at the sky now filled with colorful spiritual lights, stiffly bent its limbs, and prostrated itself on the ground, its voice trembling.

"Um... is it too late to surrender now?"

Chen Yu didn't even look down at it.

His Divine Sense swept across Yue Country, taking in the casualties and lingering demonic energy, then transformed into golden light and continued northwest without looking back.

Seeing him leave, the nine-tailed demon fox breathed a sigh of relief, but before it could feel fortunate, Xue Qin, leaning on her walking stick, gave it a faint glance.

【All-Through Dao】

Heavenly pressure fell like an invisible giant hammer, slamming down onto the nine-tailed demon fox's head.

The blood-red patterns on its body flickered wildly as it tried to resist the descending force, but no matter how it struggled or screamed, its body was pressed inch by inch into the shattered stone slabs.

In just a few breaths, the blood light around the demon fox was extinguished, its body went limp, collapsed to the ground, and its soul was utterly destroyed.

The immortals followed Chen Yu as he advanced north from Hundred Mountains, and wherever they passed, evil path cultivators scattered at the mere sight of them, demon beasts fled in panic, and the recovery of lost territory happened faster than anyone had anticipated.

However, as they pushed deeper, the horrors along the way became even more shocking.

Burned villages, towns subjected to blood sacrifices, wilderness littered with corpses—the scenes that met the eyes of every Golden Core cultivator ignited an unquenchable rage in their hearts.

"It's Futian, right ahead!" The Earth Immortal from Cold Palace, known for their Divine Sense, suddenly spoke.

The words had barely left their mouth when a earth-shaking rumble came from deep within the mountains.

A cyan-gold figure flew backward from the depths, breaking through the resistance of ten thousand demons, and slammed heavily into the mountainside of a peak.

Half of the mountain collapsed under the impact, and rolling boulders mixed with dust filled several dozen feet of the valley below.

Futian struggled a few times in the rubble but couldn't get back up.

Hot on his heels, four dark red flames also shot backward from the mountains, and the massive bodies of the Chi slammed into a ridge, shattering and collapsing it as Chi blood seeped through the cracks in the rocks, turning the scaled cliff face into a sea of fire.

Five demon kings, including a cyan phoenix at the late Golden Core stage, had actually been defeated and thrown out.

The expressions of all the Golden Core cultivators instantly turned grim.

They stopped before the mountains where Futian had fallen, not advancing rashly.

Another heavy boom came from deep within the mountains, and dozens of dark red figures charged out from the swarm of demons surrounding the peaks, raising their heads in miserable roars.

These were all Chi.

They were bound with chains that cut deep into the flesh beneath their scales, and for every mile they flew, dark red dragon blood dripped down the chains, scorching patches of ground that smoked with green fumes.

Behind them, they were dragging a massive demon carriage.

The carriage was carved from the giant shell of a Xuanwu tortoise, its surface covered with densely packed seals that glowed with an ominous blood light.

Lounging atop the carriage was a seductive figure.

It was a demon fox woman who had taken human form.

She wore a thin, red gauze garment that fluttered slightly in the wind, revealing her snow-white, slender skin beneath.

Her face was extremely beautiful, with slightly upturned eyes and full lips, but her skin was covered with eerie blood-red patterns.

She idly played with the long hair that fell over her shoulders, her voice soft and languid.

"Fellow Daoists are truly too polite, greeting little old me with such a grand formation. I'm truly honored."

Xue Qin's voice was cold as ice: "Huan Long, where is Elder White Abyss? What about the other seven tribes?"

Huan Long chuckled behind her hand, then said, "Isn't the result obvious?"

She dropped her smile, and her gaze turned cold. "That old fool kept talking about maintaining the balance of heaven and earth, unwilling to clash with the humans, hindering my demon tribes' expansion."

"Little old me kindly invited him to taste a newly brewed wine, adding a bit of demonic poison to it. Oh dear, who knew he couldn't hold on?"

She licked her lips, as if savoring a delicious taste. "Now he's become a nourishing morsel for my Devouring Heaven evil path through a blood sacrifice."

"As for the other tribes..."

Her face suddenly turned cold. "Just a bunch of trash. Demons should bow to us, the Devouring Heaven demon foxes. The rest are only fit to be servants."

As soon as she finished speaking, Futian's desperate roar came from the ruins. He struggled to lift his upper body but collapsed back onto the mountain.

Xue Qin and Wu Shouzhuo exchanged glances.

These two late Golden Core cultivators, the most senior among the righteous path cultivators of Xu Xuan Heaven, moved in unison without a word.

Xue Qin pressed her palms together, and the All-Through Dao coalesced in her hands into a swirling golden sphere, within which countless tiny runes seemed to cycle through birth and death.

Wu Shouzhuo took a deep breath, pushing the Primordial Unity True Technique to its peak, forming a massive vortex of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy centered around him.

Their Daos converged and merged into one, transforming into a phoenix bathed in golden light, which let out a clear cry and dove straight toward Huan Long's demon carriage.

Every Golden Core cultivator present watched with pounding hearts. These two peak cultivators of Xu Xuan Heaven displayed Dao techniques that not only didn't repel each other but resonated like a perfect harmony of harp and zither.

The might of their harmonized Daos made the very air tremble.

Huan Long's brow furrowed slightly, and she raised her hand, waving it.

The sea of blood behind her surged up and slammed down hard toward the oncoming golden phoenix.

The moment the phoenix crashed into the blood sea, gold and blood lights interwove fiercely, emitting a piercing shriek, and the entire sky was stained a mottled dark gold.

The phoenix's blood-stained wings struggled desperately within the blood sea, almost breaking through its barrier.

Huan Long's expression darkened, and she suddenly reached out and grabbed beside her. Her five fingers sank into the chest of a fellow tribeswoman nearby.

That demon fox didn't even have time to scream before its entire body withered like a fruit drained of moisture, turning into a thick cloud of blood mist that flowed into the blood light in Huan Long's palm.

Then came the second, the third... The tribespeople who had followed her onto the carriage burst open one after another, not even getting a chance to scream before being devoured by her evil technique.

"Huan Long, what are you doing?!"

The demon foxes that hadn't yet been devoured scattered in terror, but they couldn't escape the carriage's range. With a casual grab and squeeze from Huan Long, they were turned into blood mist, flesh and soul alike, absorbed into her palm.

The blood patterns on her body surged wildly, casting her face like a ghost risen from hell.

She licked the remaining bloodstains on her lips: "What am I doing? Of course, I'm having my dear tribespeople give me a helping hand."

She pressed down with her hand again.

The blood sea's power had multiplied several times after devouring the essence blood of dozens of her kin, crashing down with overwhelming force and completely engulfing the golden phoenix.

Their Dao images damaged, Wu Shouzhuo and Xue Qin both spat out a mouthful of blood, their auras weakening significantly.

Huan Long covered her lips with a soft laugh, her eyes full of mockery: "Humans are truly fragile. Barely five hundred years old, and already so decrepit. Elder Wu, it seems you can't stop me."

The expressions of the Golden Core cultivators grew grim.

This Huan Long had cultivated some unknown evil technique, and after devouring her kin, her aura already showed hints of transcendence.

Even if all hundred Golden Core cultivators attacked together, with her profound cultivation, if she wanted to flee, no one present could truly stop her.

If that inhuman demon fox escaped, found a hidden place to comprehend ascension, would Xu Xuan Heaven ever know peace again?

Perhaps the demonic calamity would return, and the Devouring Heaven evil path would dominate all lesser Daos, ruling that world.

All eyes turned to the white-robed figure at the very front.

They cupped their hands together in unison, their voices solemn: "We ask the Dao Leader to strike down this demon."

Following their gaze, Huan Long saw the young man in white, who was supporting Wu Shouzhuo and channeling spiritual energy to stabilize his injuries.

She tilted her head, her gaze sweeping up and down Chen Yu: "Oh? The Dao Leader?"

She licked her lips. "A truly handsome young man."

"How about dual cultivation with little old me? I'll share half of this Devouring Heaven evil technique with you. With our talents, in less than a hundred years, we'll both ascend together."

"Dao Leader, don't listen to her seductive lies!" several Golden Core cultivators quickly called out.

Wu Shouzhuo coughed a few times in Chen Yu's arms, raised his hand and lightly patted his arm: "Junior Brother... I leave it to you."

Chen Yu nodded, carefully handed him over to Gu Songyue to support, then straightened up, turned around, and fixed his gaze on the seductive blood-red figure atop the carriage.

He spoke calmly, his voice not loud but clearly reaching the ears of every Earth Immortal present.

"Those who cultivate the sword Dao, take one step forward. I need to borrow twenty-four swords."

Borrow swords?

The Golden Core cultivators present exchanged confused glances, not understanding.

But among the crowd, figures stepped forward without a moment's hesitation.

Bi Ciyuan of the Golden Balance Sword Dao, Luo Xiao of the Azure Cangwu Sword Dao... One by one, sword Dao Golden Core cultivators stepped out and lined up behind Chen Yu.

On the demon carriage, Huan Long's smile froze slightly.

Her instincts were screaming a warning. This man, honored as the Dao Leader by a hundred Golden Core cultivators, was no ordinary person.

Without hesitation, her form transformed into a streak of blood light, fleeing into the distance.

With her current cultivation, if she could find a remote place to cultivate and comprehend, ascension was only a matter of time. Why bother entangled with these desperate old Daoists here?

Chen Yu watched her retreating figure and gently shook his head: "Too late."

The golden light around him spread out, dyeing the entire sky a pure gold.

【Gel Fusion】

The twenty-four sword Dao Golden Core cultivators were enveloped by that golden light, startled at first, then felt a vast and gentle force wrapping around them.

They hesitated for a moment but ultimately abandoned their resistance, allowing that force to merge with them.

Under the gaze of all the Golden Core cultivators, the auras of those twenty-four sword Dao Golden Core cultivators suddenly vanished, as if they had merged with Chen Yu.

Then, an aura that made everyone's hearts tremble rose from Chen Yu's body.

Sharp sword qi emanated from him, crisscrossing and tearing through the air with a shrieking sound.

Cultivators standing a bit closer felt their robes being cut by invisible blades.

The Golden Balance Sword Dao, the Azure Cangwu Sword Dao, the Heavenly Light Sword Dao of the Azure Sky, the Blazing Sunset Sword Dao... Twenty-four completely different sword Dao auras now all converged within a single person!

Chen Yu simply raised his sword and swung it down.

A white light extended from the sword's tip, shooting straight into the clouds.

The clouds parted on both sides under the impact of the white light, revealing a crack hundreds of miles long, as if the very sky had been split open by his sword.

Hundreds of miles away, Huan Long, in the midst of her frantic escape, suddenly halted.

She looked back, and in her Divine Sense, that white-robed figure standing between heaven and earth was gazing at her from afar before swinging down that unremarkable sword.

There was no earth-shattering explosion. It felt as if the entire world had been cleaved in two at that moment.

The sword light passed by, and the mountain ridge split silently, the cut as smooth as a mirror. The clouds were sliced open, revealing a gap that led to the end of the sky.

The four seasons became chaotic; on the left side of the crack, goose-feather snow began to fall, while on the right side, the sun blazed fiercely.

Huan Long's smile was still frozen on her lips when her body was already split in two.

In her demonic vertical pupils, the image of the split sky was reflected, and then the light in her eyes was extinguished entirely.

Her corpse fell from the air and turned to ash before it even hit the ground—her soul utterly destroyed.

The sword light continued to extend forward, only slowly fading when it reached the end of the world.

Faint traces of broken void could even be seen; if he had used just a bit more force, the Dao Leader would have ascended on the spot.

Silence fell across the land.

The Golden Core cultivators stared at the white-robed figure standing alone in the sky, long unable to speak.

Who could have imagined that a great demon on the verge of ascension was so helpless before the Dao Leader?

All the schemes and calculations now seemed laughably pointless.

Twenty-four Daos united as one—this was already unprecedented in the world.