Chapter 402 - 205: Chen Xuan? It’s Actually Chen Xuan!

As expected.

The entire Dark Crossing was, indeed, in utter chaos.

News was spreading in every direction through all sorts of channels.

First, it reached the Grotto Heavens outside.

One by one, the mountain lords of the Grotto Heavens showed shocked expressions, erupting with powerful auras as they emerged from their secret chambers.

"What did you say? The Demon Slaying Order? A Demon Slaying Order has appeared?"

"Yes, it's absolutely true. It's at the Dark Crossing."

"Good, good, good! A Demon Slaying Order is a once-in-a-thousand-years event. Who is the one marked by it?"

"We don't know who it is. The Dark Crossing is in total chaos. All we know is that it's a young man they've never seen before!"

"A young man? Then I must go take a look!"

"Hahaha, I, Li Dao Yuan of Celestial Killing Mountain, am on my way!"

"I am Chai Hongyi of Celestial Treasure Mountain!"

Powerful mountain lords and grotto masters laughed wildly, their immense auras flaring as they rushed toward the Dark Crossing.

In addition, the top-ranked experts of the Red Dust World were also alerted.

Even Chu Shanhe of the Martial Alliance was startled.

"What? The Demon Slaying Order?"

Chu Shanhe shot to his feet, horrified. Without a second thought, he rushed out the door, transforming into a streak of light and speeding toward the Dark Crossing.

He didn't care who was marked by the Demon Slaying Order; he was claiming it for himself.

Anyone who dared to compete with him would be killed without mercy.

In short, the Grotto Heavens and the Red Dust World across the entirety of Great Xia were in an uproar.

Only Old Deng remained completely unbothered, showing no intention of leaving.

He was lounging on his recliner with messy hair, basking in the sun.

'Some unlucky bastard got tangled up with the Demon Slaying Order, huh? Now that Chu Shanhe has his eyes on him, even eight lives wouldn't be enough to survive. Oh well, no point thinking about it. Enjoying the post-meal sun is what's important.'

Old Deng was feeling lazy.

Life was getting more and more enjoyable.

He could even catch up with an old flame occasionally. It was a blissful existence.

...

「In another direction.」

The depths of the darkness.

An endless blackness that had not seen sunlight for years.

Occasionally, blasts of astral wind would sweep through.

The strange astral winds sent rubble scattering with a RUSTLING sound, occasionally tumbling white skulls along with it in a grim and eerie display.

When the news reached this region, it inevitably caused a commotion as well.

SQUELCH!

A large hand shot out from underground, grabbing a rolling skull.

Then, a dry, withered figure sat up from the ground, its voice hoarse.

"The Demon Slaying Order? A Demon Slaying Order actually appeared over at the Dark Crossing?"

"Excellent, excellent! This Demon Slaying Order was practically made for me, Profound Daoist! I have to get there early before those bastards from the Grotto Heavens snatch it away!"

"Those bastards from the Grotto Heavens, hoarding all the good resources and not letting us take a single step into the outside world! They all deserve to die, every last one of them! Especially that Feng Wuji—he deserves to die most of all!"

The withered figure cursed incessantly, as if he and Feng Wuji shared a blood feud, but he still flew rapidly toward the Dark Crossing.

「At the same time, in other parts of the dark depths.」

From cliffsides, hidden structures, and even ancient cities, Outer Saint Level masters flew out, streaking through the darkness toward the Dark Crossing.

"Hahaha, the Demon Slaying Order has appeared! Whoever gets it will unconditionally advance a level!"

"Wonderful, just wonderful! Even if I can't snatch it for myself, I can still make life miserable for everyone else. If I can't have it, none of you can either!"

"Hehe, I'll just go and fish in troubled waters. No need to fight for real. Once you've all beaten each other to a pulp, my chance might just appear..."

"Since ancient times, great treasures have belonged to those destined to have them. And I feel like I'm one of those destined people! In the end, none of you will be able to compete with me!"

One figure after another laughed with anticipation.

In a word, the Dark World was also in chaos.

Of course, this "darkness" didn't refer to the deepest parts of the Dark World.

This was only the shallow region.

It was the area where the 'islands' were located, a region already explored by the outside world.

As for the deeper darkness...

The news clearly hadn't reached that far.

And no one knew what lay there.

The explored shallow region was, in fact, quite similar to the Dark Crossing.

It had long since formed large, relatively orderly settlements that were densely populated, filled with powerful experts, and even contained entire cities.

They maintained a tenuous, intermittent connection with the Dark Crossing and the various Grotto Heavens.

...

「At this very moment.」

Chen Xuan, for his part, had not yet left. With the huge, bright, and blood-smeared character for "Demon" hanging over his head, he was ransacking the Lan family estate, smashing open floors and blasting into secret rooms.

He swept everything, without exception, into his Inner Realm.

After reaching the Outer Saint level, the Inner Realm within his body had become much vaster.

While it couldn't form a true miniature world like a Grotto Heaven where people could live, it was more than capable of storing items.

It was just like carrying a personal Storage Ring.

In less than half an hour, he had nearly emptied the entire, vast Lan family estate.

The entire Dark Crossing was in an uproar.

Countless people were shocked, their attention fixed on the situation unfolding there.

"A demon! He's a true demon!"

"Everyone from the Lan family is finished..."

"You're telling me! Even the Lan family's patriarch was wiped out!"

"No wonder he isn't leaving despite having the Demon Slaying Order over his head. His power is so profound that he has no intention of running."

"Who on earth is this person? Is he from the Grotto Heavens or the Dark World?"

"Keep your voice down! I heard he's from the outside, from the Red Dust World."

"What? From the Red Dust World?"

The crowd at the Dark Crossing was once again astonished.

And amidst the shocked discussions of the crowd, Chen Xuan had long since walked out of the Lan family's estate and arrived at the bank of the Black Water River. The bloody character above his head flashed ominously. He frowned and asked, "This Black Water Profound Grotto, or whatever it's called—do we really have to wait for it to appear on its own? Can't we just jump into the Black Water River and go find it ourselves?"