Chapter 1018: A Decisive Condition

Yu Hu Cavern could at least be somewhat contained by Tu Yi. However, there were many other places like Yu Hu Cavern across the world where demons and monsters could freely surge out. While perhaps not as terrifying as the Two Desolations, this too was a formidable development.

Although a considerable number of righteous cultivators among the demonic and naturally benevolent spirits existed, most of them were now hiding, equally astonished and fearful in this chaotic situation.

In a mountain market near the Southern Desolation, Duke Du, the boar demon, was frantically packing his belongings, putting treasures and ornaments from his cave into spatial storage items.

Duke Du had initially remained calm, but the upheaval in the Southern Desolation mountains was so astonishing that it was impossible not to feel its impact. He no longer dared to stay in the market he managed.

“Your Grace, Your Grace, the Southern Desolation mountains are in chaos, utter chaos! The fighting is intense. It won't be long before the world belongs to us demons! Your Grace, we should join in quickly!”

Duke Du continued packing his items, carefully placing porcelain and tea sets fired by renowned human artisans into bags, then meticulously handling translucent jade artifacts. These items were fragile but had reached an artistic pinnacle that brought great delight. Hearing the Mountain Dog's words, he paused and looked at him.

“Come here, come here.”

Duke Du beckoned, and the Mountain Dog excitedly scurried over.

“I'll make you 'join in'!”

*Slap!*

Duke Du delivered a backhand slap that sent the Mountain Dog spinning more than a dozen times in the air before he crashed against the opposite cave wall with a thud. He swayed dizzily, seeing stars.

“Are you going to help His Grace pack or not?!”

“Uh, yes, yes, yes!”

The Mountain Dog dared not object and immediately helped Duke Du pack. It must be said that the Mountain Dog was extremely loyal to Duke Du and remarkably resilient to blows, making him truly Duke Du's closest subordinate, so Duke Du had no intention of abandoning him.

“Mountain Dog, with all this fighting to the death across the world, we shouldn't get involved right now. With our meager cultivation, we'd be instantly pulverized if we met someone powerful. And you're still dreaming of getting rich? This unrest in the world's destiny is completely wrong; many will die regardless of the outcome. I, for one, don't want to die!”

“Yes, yes, yes, Your Grace is right. So where do we go? Should we seek refuge in the Southern Desolation mountains?”

“Fool! The Southern Desolation mountains are no haven now! His Grace has his own plan!”

Duke Du was very good at assessing the situation, understanding that demons were now rampant, and that it was best for a rational being like himself to hide. His reliance on the Southern Desolation mountains was certainly no longer dependable, so he needed to find another way out. Conveniently, he had previously connected with an extraordinary individual, Wei Wuwei.

As an intelligent demon, after a few limited interactions with Wei Wuwei and after Wei Wuwei had subtly (or not so subtly) displayed his cunning several times, Duke Du understood that this fellow, who was as stout as himself, was actually terrifyingly clever.

Such a person was always prepared, always had a fallback, and would never put themselves in a position of failure or one that would cause a major crisis. Therefore, over half a year ago, Duke Du had begun to subtly align himself with Wei Wuwei.

“All right, let's go quickly. Inform the market inhabitants; those willing can come with us.”

“Uh, okay!”

The demons living in this demon-established market were actually accustomed to a relatively peaceful life. Now, in this time of anxiety, they naturally followed Duke Du. It was only as he ascended into the sky with a group of demons that he cast a spell-coin towards the mountain market below.

Places suitable for establishing immortal ports varied in their concentration of spiritual energy, but they were definitely hubs for the flow of qi from all directions. Such locations were not ideal for establishing sects, as they might appear "impure," but they were excellent sites for various markets. Duke Du's boar demon market was in a similar kind of place.

This precious spell-coin had been in Duke Du's possession for a long time. It wasn't one he'd traded from the Earth God previously, but rather one given to him by Wei Wuwei.

At this moment, the demons in the market instinctively looked back at their former dwelling. The instant the spell-coin landed, a faint white light emanated from it, then flowed like a gentle breeze over the entire market. The light wasn't intense, yet it carried a very unique aura, as if it were...

Duke Du looked up at the sky. Though it was daytime, he seemed to sense the starlight. At the same moment, Ji Yuan, standing in the Heavenly River Realm, also began to perceive human starlight from various earthly locations echoing the celestial realm.

“Fellow Daoist Zhao, the terrestrial realm has responded. The rest is up to you.”

The Earth God of Zhao Family Village, now Celestial God Zhao of the Heavenly River Realm, materialized. He bowed to Ji Yuan while assenting.

“This minor deity will do his utmost. Master Ji, you are now...”

Ji Yuan simply smiled.

“There are those resisting in the Southern Desolation, but the Black Desolation is even more troublesome. I must go. Remember to always keep an eye on the Two Realms Mountain and on Divine Monarch Qin.”

“This minor deity will ensure it! Please, Master Ji, be careful!”

“Mm.”

Ji Yuan stepped forward, vanishing from the Heavenly River Realm, and reappeared above Cloud Mountain the next moment. He glanced at the Cloud Mountain Daoist Temple below. Apart from Daoist Qingsong, who remained at the temple, the Seven Sons of Cloud Mountain, Bai Ruo, Sun Yaya, and others had all descended into the mortal world to offer their strength for the common people.

After Ji Yuan departed, Celestial God Zhao almost immediately began casting spells, moving along the Heavenly River. He pointed towards each responding light below; each distant gesture invariably caused a massive burst of starlight to descend upon the terrestrial realm.

Immortal ports in various regions, and even some uninhabited special locations, especially where the Yu Huai Mountain Treasure Pavilion once stood, all corresponded to the starlight rising in the celestial realm. They appeared like colossal, almost imperceptible pillars of vital energy supporting the heavens, upholding the world's destiny, and slightly calming the agitated elemental energy of heaven and earth.

At this moment, the constantly descending starlight fell upon certain prepared deities, significantly loosening their territorial restrictions so they were no longer confined to one area and could go forth to eliminate distant demons.

For example, Pizi Mountain, Tingqiu Mountain (now renamed Ting Mountain), and the Great City Gods in many places – this not only allowed the City Gods to act more easily in the mortal world but also helped the underworld cope more effectively with its significant problems.

With his Dharma Eye, Ji Yuan could naturally see the continuous descent of starlight in the Heavenly River Realm. The Profound Yellow Qi he had left in the celestial realm was also rapidly depleting, but Ji Yuan felt no compunction. A moment later, he looked away, and with a flash of sword light, he used sword escape to depart from Cloud Mountain, heading directly towards the Black Desolation.

The closest landmass to the Black Desolation was Tianyu Continent, followed by Southern Desolation Continent, and then Yun Continent. These three continents were located directly north, northwest, and northeast of the Black Desolation, respectively. Excluding the ocean, Southern Desolation and Tianyu Continents were in front, with Yun Continent behind, implicitly blocking the Black Desolation.

The arrangement in Southern Desolation Continent formed a large arc blocking the southeast, largely obstructing the Black Desolation. In Tianyu Continent, major sects like Qianyuan Sect had already made extensive preparations. Yun Continent also had early arrangements. Furthermore, there were starlight responses from various places across the world and islands in the sea.

This setup appeared to be a very secure chessboard arrangement, blocking the opponent's moves.

In reality, Ji Yuan knew very well that the chessboard was too vast, with too many variables, making it impossible to completely seal off. Moreover, chaos reigned everywhere across the world. With most of the righteous path's strength maintaining this area, other regions faced even more uncertainties.

Even without other changes, if the fighting continued like this, the world would be ravaged, and countless lives would be lost. Even if they held on, the current state of heaven and earth would inevitably lead to a major catastrophe sooner or later.

Not to mention a potentially even more severe crisis. While Yue Cang and others hoped to settle everything with one decisive blow by opening the Desolate Domain, Ji Yuan also wished to seize this opportunity to recreate the cosmos and thus achieve a decisive outcome.

Of course, before recreating the cosmos, there was a necessary foundational condition, one that Ji Yuan needed to achieve at any cost, and it was also the purpose of his current sword escape.

The timing of everything unfolding was very close to Ji Yuan's estimations. Naturally, the opposing side likely thought the same, perhaps even anticipating some of the righteous path's or Ji Yuan's arrangements and reactions, and would have their own minor countermeasures. However, Ji Yuan could no longer concern himself with those; living beings could only seek their own fortunes.

Above Boundless Mountain, Qin Zizhou and Huang Xingye arrived together, where Zhong Pingxiu had already been waiting.

On the peak where Zhong Pingxiu cultivated, the two sides exchanged simple greetings without excessive pleasantries. Though meeting for the first time, they conversed as if long-acquainted, keenly aware of what lay ahead. After a few brief words, Zhong Pingxiu began helping Huang Xingye perceive the terrain and geomantic veins of Boundless Mountain.

For Huang Xingye and the others, this process was quite natural; it didn't require constant meditation. Instead, he led Huang Xingye around various parts of Boundless Mountain, and they inevitably encountered Zuo Wuji and his companions.

Zuo Wuji no longer practiced martial arts forms or body hardening techniques on Boundless Mountain. Aside from occasionally instructing Li Feng, he often stood or sat alone in meditation. Seeing Qin Zizhou and the others approach, he appeared quite calm.

“Immortal Zhong, I presume these are Divine Monarch Qin and Senior Huang!”

Facing the three esteemed figures who arrived on the wind, Zuo Wuji greeted them with a cupped-fist salute, as did Li Feng beside him. Golden Armor, however, remained motionless; he only revered Ji Yuan and paid no heed to anyone else.

“Martial Saint, your prediction is correct. It is indeed us.”

“I wouldn't dare claim to be a senior to a Martial Saint; I've only been out in the world for a few years.”

Huang Xingye actually had the leisure to crack a joke, but his gaze at Zuo Wuji quickly turned to extreme astonishment. He could faintly sense the feeling of being a spirit still within a human body on Zuo Wuji, yet Zuo Wuji clearly had no such 'human-body spirit'. Had he misjudged?

“Martial Saint, have you nurtured a human-body spirit within yourself?”

Huang Xingye's question startled both Zhong Pingxiu and Qin Zizhou.

“What?” “Such a thing exists? Martial Saint Zuo?”

Zuo Wuji frowned. He didn't know much about human-body spirits but knew he didn't possess such a thing. He simply shook his head and replied,

“I know every inch of myself, inside and out; there is no human-body spirit within me.”

No one present doubted this, but Huang Xingye became even more puzzled.

“Then Martial Saint, are you aware that your physical condition is extremely similar to that of nurturing a human-body spirit?”

Zuo Wuji didn't answer immediately, instead recalling his years of cultivation on Boundless Mountain. In terms of martial arts, perhaps he could finally live up to the "Martial" in "Martial Saint."

“Perhaps it is because I have now become a bridge between heaven and earth, achieving true self and spirit, thus reaching the pinnacle of martial sincerity.”

Pinnacle of martial sincerity, true self and spirit?

Such a martial arts realm was incomprehensible even to two gods and an immortal. Perhaps in this world, only Zuo Wuji, having reached it, could truly understand?

“Perhaps that is indeed the case...”

Huang Xingye furrowed his brow slightly; this was the only plausible explanation.

“Esteemed seniors and immortals, is the world outside Boundless Mountain now in great chaos?”

Zuo Wuji's question broke the silence, and Qin Zizhou took the cue, nodding in response.

“Indeed. The Heavenly Dao has collapsed, and destiny is in disarray. All continents are embroiled in chaotic battles. A significant portion of the righteous path's main forces is concentrated around the Two Desolations. Martial Saint, you too could leave Boundless Mountain to slay demons and monsters.”

Zuo Wuji smiled, then shook his head.

“I have a feeling that this place might need me more, and it will be the most crucial place for a battle.”

Qin Zizhou frowned.

“Martial Saint, your martial arts have reached an unfathomable realm. The outside world greatly lacks an expert like you. Perhaps you could even lend Master Ji a hand. What he faces are evils far beyond human imagination. Others might not be able to interfere, but I believe the Martial Saint possesses that strength...”

“Yes, soon I will become a True God of Boundless Mountain, with the power of the Heavenly River and infinite Profound Yellow Qi descending. Where the Two Realms Mountain falls, nothing can pass through. It will be the most formidable barrier in the world. This place won't need...”

“Divine Monarch Qin, Senior Huang, Master Ji holds the universe in his grasp, leaving no detail overlooked; he surely has excellent methods. However, I feel that I cannot leave!”

Zuo Wuji interrupted Huang Xingye. After speaking, he paid no further attention to the others and simply sat cross-legged by the old tree. The scene made it seem as if Zuo Wuji was an ancient sage or immortal, and Qin Zizhou and the others were mere mortals, striking them as particularly odd.

“All right, let's not disturb the Martial Saint.”

Zhong Pingxiu broke the awkward silence. He knew well that Zuo Wuji was no ordinary person, nor would he hide on Boundless Mountain out of cowardice. Since he spoke of a "premonition," even if the heavenly secrets were now chaotic and unpredictable, they should let him be. Could they really force Zuo Wuji to the Two Realms Mountain?

After Zhong Pingxiu and the others left, Zuo Wuji, with closed eyes, uttered, “What are you staring at? Practice your punches!”

This immediately snapped the dazed Li Feng to attention, and he began practicing his martial arts.