stjorthotic Chapter 33 Gathering
Chapter 33 Gathering
The Netherworld Ship pierced the black curtain of the Netherworld Sea, its demonic eye totem on the bow drawing a golden arc above the clouds, burning away the last wisps of demonic energy clinging to the deck. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the shattered deck. Bai Ze stood at the edge of the bridge, the cracks in his armor gleaming gold in the sunlight. He gazed at the churning black sea below, seemingly counting how many of the old wreckage buried in the mud still bore identifiable inscriptions.
"I've been searching for the Demon Shark Scale in this sea for hundreds of years," he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but calm, "thinking that finding it would allow me to restart the war reserve and redeem myself from the past. But I've discovered that what truly sank here wasn't the Demon Shark Scale, but myself."
He turned to look at Ling Chen, his golden vertical pupils gleaming like two pieces of molten amber in the sunlight: "The Celestial Venerable has been reincarnated, and the Demon Emperor has returned to the ship. I recognize that sword mark on the back of your hand—it's the core of the Nine Revolutions Demon Sealing Array's mortal realm foundation. The fact that you were able to bring this sword mark to the Netherworld Sea means that Yan Shi has already entrusted the Burning Heaven to you. With the three swords gathered and the sword mark having recognized its master, all that remains is to activate the spirit realm foundation and reinforce the seal before the Demon Lord completely breaks free."
"The Spirit Realm Array Foundation lies beneath this seabed. I personally helped the Celestial Venerable suppress the Array Foundation deep within the Netherworld Sea. The key to activating it is the Chaos Origin of the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram combined with the resonance of the Three Swords. Originally, a high-grade demon bone was required as a catalyst, but it's no longer needed—the Ghost Shark Scale itself is a relic left behind by the first Demon Emperor ten thousand years ago, and it's more than enough to replace the demon bone."
Upon hearing this, Ling Chen raised his hand and unleashed the Myriad Dao Returning to Nothingness Diagram. He unleashed the three swords—Severing Thoughts, Condensing Frost, and Burning Heaven—simultaneously, their three-colored sword intents intertwining to form a massive resonant ring above the Netherworld Ship. Bai Ze removed the Ghost Shark Scale from his chest armor; the scale transformed into a jade-colored pillar of light in his palm, merging with the three sword resonant ring before slowly sinking into the depths of the Netherworld Sea. The sea surface churned violently, black mud parting to both sides, and a golden array pattern spanning dozens of miles illuminated the depths of the seabed. Each stroke on the array pattern was an independent sealing law; the inscriptions at the ends, sensing the dual activation of the sword imprint and the Ghost Shark Scale, lit up one after another, like the earth awakening from a ten-thousand-year slumber.
The Spirit Realm Array Base is activated. As the array base restarts, the power of the Nine Revolutions Demon-Sealing Array spreads outwards. The concentration of demonic energy at the edge of the Netherworld Sea is rapidly decreasing, and the edge of the black mist begins to recede, revealing a scorched, black beach that has been soaked in demonic blood for millennia and is now barren. For the first time in millennia, those mud-covered rocks are once again exposed to true sunlight.
When the Netherworld Ship landed on the wasteland outside Ghost Cry Mountain, Silver Scale was already waiting in formation with all her half-demon guards. When she saw Bai Ze walk down from the bridge, her vertical pupils shrank sharply, and she seemed to be nailed to the spot. Then she knelt on one knee, and dozens of half-demons behind her knelt down in unison.
"Welcome back to your post, Your Excellency."
"Get up." Bai Ze reached out and helped her up, his aged hand gently pressing on Yin Lin's shoulder. "You've all worked hard while I was away."
Yin Lin shook his head, his lips moved as if he was trying to maintain the image of a cold captain, but in the end he couldn't help but turn his face away and wipe the corner of his eye.
Bai Ze didn't say much, turning to face Ling Chen and the others, his tone returning to the conciseness he used when deploying military affairs: "The expeditionary force from the mortal realm to the spirit realm has already assembled at Broken Sky Cliff, under the unified command of Elder Jian Xuan of the Qingyun Sect. The elites of the Iron Sword Sect, the Pill Hall of Falling Cloud Valley, the half-demon suicide squad, and the old demon clan members have all been incorporated into the joint operations. I have already sent messages to the old troops stationed in various parts of the spirit realm, and the estimated total reinforcement force is around 1,200 people—not many, but enough for a surprise attack."
He unfurled a map of the Spirit Realm, pointing to a deep red area in the northwest: "The Conferred God Platform is located in the far west of the Spirit Realm, due northwest of the Netherworld Sea. That was the main battlefield of the final battle of the God-Demon War. The Conferred God Platform itself is mostly destroyed, but the core foundation stone of the Nine Revolutions Demon-Sealing Array's divine realm base is still buried beneath it. The method to activate it is the same as the Spirit Realm's array base—the Chaos Origin plus the resonance of the Three Swords. The difference is that once the Heavenly Realm's array base is activated, the Demon Lord's seal in the God Realm will vibrate synchronously. At that time, even if the Demon Lord's true form has not yet broken free from the seal, it will be suppressed again for at least several hundred years. The price is that the person who activates the array base will suffer the backlash from the seal itself for a short period of time. If their cultivation is insufficient, their meridians will be directly shattered by the backlash."
"I will activate it. The Myriad Paths Return to Ruins Diagram can withstand the backlash. My meridians have already been reshaped once after the Heavenly Venerable's origin returned to its place."
Bai Ze looked at him for a moment and nodded: "Your fate is your own to decide. But before entering the Conferred God Platform, you must clear out the surrounding demon forces. The Demon Lord couldn't possibly have missed such a big commotion as the restart of the Spirit Realm's array base. He will stop at nothing to prevent us from getting close to the Conferred God Platform. You must prepare for the worst."
Bai Ze's judgment was confirmed the following morning.
The scouts' reports were more dire than anticipated—over two thousand demonic troops had amassed outside the Conferred God Platform, including at least three Void Realm demonic generals, one Nascent Soul Realm demonic commander, and a large number of demonized cultivators ranging from the Condensation Realm to the Void Realm. Demonic Commander Shi Kun, one of the Demon Lord's strongest surviving direct subordinate demonic generals, had clashed head-on with Yan Shi ten thousand years ago and escaped unscathed. This name was mentioned in fragments of memory left behind by Yan Shi before his afterimage dissipated—Shi Kun's forte wasn't direct combat, but turning the battlefield into a meat grinder, endlessly wearing down opponents stronger than himself.
"A Demon General at the Nascent Soul Realm... Can Elder Jianxuan defeat him?" Han Tie asked.
"Elder Jianxuan is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and his cultivation is no less than Shikun's. But the battlefield is not an arena. On our side, we only have three people above the Void Transformation stage: Jianxuan, Bai Ze, and the Supreme Elder. Su Qingyuan is at the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage, and the rest are mostly at the True Condensation stage. On the other side, there are two thousand demon soldiers, three of whom are at the Void Transformation stage, and one is a Nascent Soul demon general. Fighting them head-on is suicide."
Looking at the map, which was densely marked with dots by the demon army, Ling Chen stated his judgment: "Unless they can split their forces into three groups."
Bai Ze nodded: "That's what I meant too. The Netherworld Ship will be responsible for the left flank. Its fire control system is still usable. It will launch a feint attack from the Netherworld Sea direction to tie down at least one Void Realm cultivator and five hundred demon soldiers. After that, it will directly storm the warehouse to unseal the war supplies. The Iron Sword Sect and the Falling Sunset Valley will form the central square formation and advance from the front, with Elder Jianxuan personally overseeing the attack to hold off the main force of Devouring Kun. The right flank—"
He looked at Ling Chen.
"The right wing will pass through the abandoned mine tunnels, bypassing the main defenses and heading straight for the Consecration Platform. You won't be assigned many men, just fifty elites, led by Xiao Lie and Han Tie. Su Qingyuan will accompany you; she'll be responsible for blocking anyone who gets close when you activate the Divine Realm Array. Yin Lin will lead a half-demon suicide squad to meet you at the mine tunnel exit. After you succeed, she'll blow up the entire mine tunnel to cut off the demon army's pursuit route, and then use the backup entrance to bring you back to the Netherworld Ship."
Su Qingyuan gripped the hilt of the Frost Condensation Sword without objection. She only glanced at Ling Chen when she heard "blow up the entire mine tunnel," and then calmly said, "Then hurry up, don't keep Yin Lin waiting too long."
Silverscale emerged from the shadows, the silver-gray scales on his arms gleaming coldly in the candlelight: "The half-demon suicide squad is all in position. The explosives in the mine tunnels are set to the equivalent of those used against Void Realm demon generals; their power is enough to bury the mine tunnels and ourselves in the rubble. If the demon army pursuers break through the defenses, we'll detonate the entrance."
Su Qingyuan had already reached Yin Lin's side without him noticing. She didn't say anything like "Don't die" or "Take care," but simply placed an ice crystal pendant in Yin Lin's palm—a talisman formed from the Frost Condensation Sword Intent, capable of blocking a fatal attack in a critical moment. Then she took a step back without saying a word.
Xiao Lie pulled out the Crimson Flame Sword and sheathed it again, repeating this three times, finally cursing, "It's finally time to fight." Han Tie silently checked the inscriptions on the Golden Scale Sword for any loosening. After checking, he looked up and said, "The explosives in the mine, even if calculated based on the Void Realm, could they destroy that Demon Commander if he chases after us?"
"We can't blow him up." Silver Scale hung the ice crystal pendant around his neck, a cold smile curving his lips. "So we didn't plan to let him come in."
The bugle call sounded in the darkest hour before dawn. All the remaining demonic runes on the Netherworld Ship lit up, and the demonic eye at the bow opened in the night, like the demonic battle flag that had never fallen on the battlefield of gods and demons ten thousand years ago. The heavily armored cultivators of the Iron Sword Sect lined up below the ship, while the alchemists of Sunset Valley distributed a final round of emergency pills to those about to set off. The half-demon suicide squad made a final check of the explosive fuses at the mine entrance. Xiao Lie and Han Tie each led twenty-five men, all elite inner sect members at or above the Condensation Realm, their swords newly engraved with demon-slaying runes.
Ling Chen hung the three swords back on his waist. Burning Heaven was on his left, Severing Thoughts on his right, and Frost Condensation was not on him—but in the narrow passage of the mine, every time he turned to the side, he could see Su Qingyuan's ice-blue eyes, reflecting the fluorescent ore on the mine wall, shining like two stars that refused to go out.
Bai Ze stood on the bridge of the Netherworld Ship, taking one last look in the direction of Ghost Cry Mountain. He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and gave an ancient demon salute towards the wasteland. His demonic eyes suddenly widened in the dawn light, golden beams piercing the last darkness before daybreak.
Three armies set off simultaneously.