Chapter 1021: Mr. Ji Has Arrived

Even though Ji Yuan was still some distance from the Black Desolation, the commotion there was so immense that he could faintly feel the intense clash between good and evil from his position at sea.

It was indeed a little earlier than he had anticipated, but the arrangements and preparations had been made even earlier. By now, an extra month or two made little difference. For Ji Yuan, until the Dragon Clan completed their clearing of the wilderness and the desolate realm collided with the current world, the conflict between good and evil was merely a frustrating war of attrition. He presumed his opponents felt the same.

While this might sound harsh, it was the truth. Without figures like Ji Yuan and Yue Cang, who acted as proxies for the heavens, and without the savage beasts of the desolate realm, this grand war between good and evil would undoubtedly be protracted. After both sides had endured casualties, one faction would eventually gain absolute supremacy and slowly cleanse the world.

Perhaps then, the Heavenly Dao would gradually mend itself, or a greater catastrophe would be unleashed, and after a significant period, everything would slowly settle.

But reality offered no such 'ifs.' Ji Yuan knew precisely when this game would be decided, and while many of his long-term arrangements might still appear somewhat weak, they were certainly not without purpose.

Two days later, Tianyu Continent came into Ji Yuan’s view. However, someone was waiting for him in the sky over its northern coast, seemingly having precisely predicted his flight path.

Phoenix Xihuang stood alone on the clouds, awaiting Ji Yuan’s arrival. Ji Yuan’s flight speed involuntarily decreased. He could tell that the phoenix was in a significantly worse state than before; even in her human form, she appeared somewhat haggard.

“Fellow Daoist Xi, I am pressed for time and cannot linger. Why are you not recuperating on Immortal Haze Island?”

Most cultivators from Immortal Haze Island were currently in the Southern Desolation, and given Xihuang’s condition, she should have retreated to the island. Yet, Xihuang merely gazed at Ji Yuan, shook her head, and smiled.

“Mr. Ji, how can I hide away amidst such a crisis?”

Given the Phoenix’s power, Xihuang had withstood the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, meaning she had survived a major ordeal and would not perish. However, Xihuang knew she could not, and did not wish to, hide now.

“Mr. Ji, are you injured?”

With the Phoenix’s sensitivity to vital energy, Xihuang immediately sensed Ji Yuan’s injury as he approached. For someone of Ji Yuan’s cultivation level, sustaining an injury indicated a significant issue, even if Ji Yuan himself might not be concerned.

“It’s nothing. If I were uninjured, I fear those cowards would never dare to reveal themselves, preferring to play hide-and-seek.”

Yue Cang and the others were not in their true forms at present. Their true bodies could only be liberated after returning from the desolate realm, and even then, they would require time to recover and cultivate further. Only after attaining completion by harnessing the chaotic vital energy in the turbulent world could they pursue transcendence.

However, if the Two Realms Mountain were to block the desolate realm, Yue Cang and the others would easily deduce that the desolate realm could not truly merge with the world unless Ji Yuan was eliminated. They would either have to continue the war of attrition until good and evil had a clear victor – and only if evil triumphed – or devise a way to kill Ji Yuan with all their might.

Even with such an easily inferred situation, Ji Yuan still worried that his opponents might not be decisive enough to make a move against him, so he added another layer of "insurance" to make them feel more compelled.

Having contended for a share of the Heavenly Dao in ancient times and now aspiring to transcendence, it was impossible that they would lack the courage to fight once more at this crucial juncture.

However, Ji Yuan saw no need to elaborate on these plans to Xihuang, nor did he have the time. After speaking, he intended to leave. If Xihuang wished not to hide on Immortal Haze Island, he would allow it; he certainly couldn't force her back now.

“Mr. Ji, please wait.”

Seeing Ji Yuan apparently about to depart, Xihuang immediately called out, causing him to frown.

“What else is there, Fellow Daoist Xi?”

“Xihuang also wishes to lend Mr. Ji a hand.”

As soon as she finished speaking, and before Ji Yuan could respond, Xihuang stepped forward, closing the distance to within a pace of him. She had even anticipated his reaction, for when he stepped aside, her movement did not halt.

At that moment, a red light emanated from Xihuang’s body. This light detached, condensed, and flew towards Ji Yuan. Frowning, Ji Yuan extended his left hand, pointing a hand seal at the red light.

But the moment his fingertip touched the red light, it instantly merged into his finger, as if bypassing his profound techniques. Subsequently, a red glow coursed through Ji Yuan’s body before quickly dimming.

Xihuang’s hands, concealed within her sleeves, clenched slightly into fists as she stood steadfastly upright, managing a smile.

“Alright, Mr. Ji, you may go.”

“Fellow Daoist Xi, preserve your true spirit and hope for a next life.”

Having spoken, Ji Yuan had already transformed into a flash of sword light and disappeared. Xihuang waited until he was gone before exhaling deeply.

“Hah... I hope there is a next life.”

Her words had barely faded when Xihuang could no longer support herself, collapsing softly onto the clouds. A faint red glow reappeared around her, and after a few breaths, she transformed into a phoenix. She flapped her wings once and flew north. Though little strength remained, her phoenix blood persisted. Having left herself no retreat, she would naturally push herself to her absolute limit.

In the southern part of Tianyu Continent, the battle between good and evil had been relentlessly fierce from its very beginning, showing no signs of abating and only growing more intense. However, the magical power of Buddhist Ming Kings and Immortal True Immortals far surpassed that of the Black Desolation Demon Kings. Their unrestrained attacks literally churned the sea and sky into chaos.

The entire maritime region fronting Tianyu Continent was utterly transformed into an endless purgatory. Righteous masters, spearheaded by Buddhist Ming Kings and Immortal True Immortals, clashed with numerous demon kings, arch-demons, and great devils from the Black Desolation, utterly overturning the area. The collision of their magical powers unleashed destructive forces, even holding back many demons and devils from the Black Desolation. Countless newly appearing demons and devils perished in the collateral damage of these exchanges, which significantly eased the pressure on the Tianyu mainland.

However, the Black Desolation was vast, and its demonic forces were countless. The pervasive darkness relentlessly expanded in all directions. The righteous forces also divided into several groups, engaging the Black Desolation demons, and most relatively open areas saw powerful cultivators locked in combat.

The old beggar single-handedly fought multiple demon kings, inflicting countless casualties on the demonic hordes. He used magic for long-range assaults and fearlessly clashed with powerful demons, his form flickering like an illusion. He flashed above a massive rhinoceros, reaching out to grasp its single horn, then gently pulled backward.

“Rise.”

“Roar—”

The colossal rhinoceros, as massive as a small mountain and standing upon black clouds, had its forelegs lift from the old beggar’s pull, causing its immense body to become unstable.

“Rumble…”

The rhinoceros was yanked backward, plummeting directly into the sea and erupting a surge of water dozens of feet high. Some of the lesser aquatic demons nearby were swept away by the massive waves.

A flash of lightning-like light shot towards the old beggar. He sidestepped, raising his hands to block, and instantly felt a tearing force that he resisted, which emitted a sharp, grating screech.

“Screeeeech…”

“Awoo—”

Immediately followed by a roar and a blurred yellow silhouette.

“Thud…”

The old beggar’s hands tingled slightly, and he shot backward. The light pursued him, faintly revealing its form: a tiger demon with a human body and a tiger’s head. Around this demon king, countless ghosts pervaded, merging with its demonic aura, rendering its form highly indistinct.

“What a wicked tiger! You’ve devoured countless people!”

“Hmph, I’ll eat you too!”

The tiger demon attacked again. The old beggar spread his arms like a great goose, and the wind generated by his palms swept the nearby immortal cultivators further away. This tiger demon was no ordinary foe; it must have been an ancient demon from the depths of the Black Desolation.

“Rumble…”

The sea below suddenly erupted, and the giant rhinoceros burst forth from the water, its massive horn aiming at the old beggar in the sky. But the old beggar seemed to have anticipated this, stomping down with a single foot.

His worn shoe made contact with the enormous rhinoceros horn. The surrounding aura seemed to waver for a moment, and even the tiger demon paused its attack.

“Thud…” “Crackle…crackle…crackle…”

The rhinoceros horn hadn't merely struck a foot in a worn shoe; it was as if it had slammed into an indestructible mountain. The terrifying charge instantly halted, but while the horn stopped, the body continued upward, causing the immense rhinoceros to keep rising, its internal organs and bones emitting horrifying crushing sounds.

“Go!”

The old beggar stomped down again.

“Boom…”

The colossal rhinoceros was once more stomped into the sea, erupting waves even higher than before. This time, however, these waves were stained with a thick, bloody hue.

“Awoo—”

The tiger demon roared, unleashing countless *chang* ghosts from its body, which formed a gray storm enveloping the old beggar from all directions, while the demon itself retreated.

“Ah ah ah… A-choo—”

The old beggar let out a sneeze, "blowing away" all the surrounding *chang* ghosts. When he looked again, the tiger demon had already fled. His heart tightened slightly; this demon’s cultivation was extraordinary, and he wasn’t even sure he could kill it. Yet, it had retreated directly, and it would surely wreak havoc elsewhere.

But just as the old beggar intended to pursue, even more demons surged forward…

Amidst the cruel and anxious struggle, Ji Yuan’s sword light approached from the north, seemingly insignificant, yet its sharp edge sent a tingling sensation through countless masters and powerful demons alike.

As he approached the battleground of good and evil, Ji Yuan’s speed did not falter in the slightest. Standing against the wind, holding the Green Vine Sword, the interval from when he first saw the boundless magical light and demonic aura to when he flew close was but an instant.

“Zheng—”

Ji Yuan’s sword-finger slid, and the Green Vine Sword sprang from its sheath. A hum arose from the blade, and its light flashed, instantly piercing into the infinite darkness. Wherever it passed, crack-like sword light continuously spread, and sword qi crisscrossed, severing countless demons into pieces.

As the immortal sword cleaved relentlessly forward, Ji Yuan steadily ascended.

The Green Vine Sword’s light continued onward, cleaving across dozens of miles and slaying innumerable demons and monsters. Then, guided by Ji Yuan’s sword-finger, it ascended higher and higher, reaching beyond the Ninth Heaven in an instant, before Ji Yuan’s finger flicked downward again.

Boom—

The sky silently vibrated. Infinite vital energy stirred with the immortal sword. The next moment, the immortal sword descended from the heavens, its formidable sword intent engulfing the entire sky. The vast white expanse, along with the immortal sword, pressed down upon the earth. The lingering energies of demonic qi, devilish aura, immortal light, and Buddhist dharma that had converged in the sky disintegrated simultaneously. As it descended, clouds dispersed, and winds vanished. This was the collapse of the very heavens!

“A sword that overturns the heavens…” “The Sky-Toppling Sword Stance?”

“Ji Yuan?”

“Mr. Ji has arrived too!”

Many righteous masters were deeply shaken, while most cultivators felt a mix of bewilderment and dread. The demons, however, who were directly in the path of this sword, felt an overwhelming sense of impending doom. Even in their madness, they were not without fear. Confronted by the might of a collapsing sky, over ninety percent of the demons continuously fled downwards, scattering in all directions…

“Clang…”

The sword hummed softly. As it descended, a powerful tiger demon was pierced through the heart by the Green Vine Sword. It gazed in disbelief at the large hole in its chest, then its life force completely vanished.

Simultaneously, countless demons plummeted from the sky, and innumerable ghosts directly dissipated. Within the sword's range, with the exception of those possessing an exceptionally strong mind, over ninety percent of the demons had their spirits severed, all plunging from the sky. The sea surface was continuously churned by falling bodies, and across a significant area, the demonic qi and devilish flames were utterly cleared.