Chapter 236 - One Man Against an Army
In an ancient underground palace, a man in white strolled into its deepest chamber. He was a middle-aged Sword Cultivator, his eyes like twin seas of swords, casting endless sword shadows wherever he gazed.
"Qian Die?" he paused at a spot, his expression turning icy as he picked up a piece of azure fabric from the ground. His face grew dark and cold.
"Bold indeed, to dare kill one of my Eternal Sword Prison disciples," he narrowed his eyes, his nose twitching slightly. Smirking wickedly, he said, "The scent of a devil? So, the Endless Netherworld has opened its gates too."
With a sudden turn, he strode towards the exit of the palace!
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Realm, the blood of the human cultivators boiled with fervor. Led by Yun Xiao, they rushed towards the gates of the Heavenly Realm, ready to face the demons at the first line of defense.
"This young one is quite interesting," the solitary figure in white mused, licking his lips. "If it's a final battle, the devil should show up. To dare kill my disciple, you better be someone significant, otherwise... heh heh heh..."
BUZZ! The golden gates of the Heavenly Realm appeared again, sealing its entrance. Amidst the attention of thousands, only one person stood outside the gate!
Countless members of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army and human cultivators, having just defeated the demons at the Ancestral Temple, now hurriedly gathered at the Heavenly Realm's gate. The gate acted as a colossal shield, defining the battleground.
With the entrance to the Heavenly Realm being narrow, the vast demon army couldn't swarm in all at once. This meant that the elite part of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army was effectively blocking the gate!
Outside, Yun Xiao stood like a lone general challenging the enemy at the city gates, facing the terrifying demon clouds with an unyielding stance that inspired everyone.
At this moment, the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm were filled with strong beliefs. They had just vanquished the demons of the Ancestral Temple, their morale sky-high, and with the belief that the Primordial Array, the second line of defense, stood behind them, their hearts were steadfast.
"The demon army is weakened, nothing to fear! With our two lines of defense, we can surely hold out until the armies of the other four Immortal Empires arrive!"
"The only concern is the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor. It’s said to have grown stronger by consuming so many corpses. We must prevent him from attacking the gate of the Heavenly Realm!"
Ordinary demons attacking the gate would have to pay with their lives, but the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor could potentially smash through this massive shield!
"Don't worry, our Empress and Yun Xiao can handle it," the human cultivators said; their faith in these two had reached an almost blind level. Whatever Yun Xiao did, nothing surprised them anymore...
This was not the attitude of a people under siege by a demon army. It was more like a bunch of folks watching monkeys trying to storm a city, their inherent confidence and pride unshakable.
On one side, the horde of demons roared fiercely.
On the other, the human cultivators were all smiles and jokes...
"Gentlemen, let's keep our humor, but don't let your guard down later!"
"Nonsense! We're just confident and full of faith, not delusional."
"To be honest, we really see hope now!"
Under the command of the Supreme Marshal, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army was the first to arrive, already setting up formations at the gate of the Heavenly Realm.
Only about a million stood at the forefront, the entrance to this pocket universe was only so big. But this was the advantage of the Heavenly Realm. If the gate were larger, the overwhelming numbers of the enemy could be fully utilized.
"All forces, prepare!" the Supreme Marshal commanded, standing solemnly and majestically in front of his troops.
The demon horde, like a surge of black and red waves, roared towards them, endless as far as the eye could see.
Yet, what stood out most wasn't the golden shield of the Heavenly Realm, but a young man in white standing before it.
"Yun Xiao!"
One man standing against 80 million demons—wasn't this suicidal?
BUZZ! The noise from the demon army was enough to drown out any sound. So, Yun Xiao didn't speak, and no one could have heard him if he had. He simply drew his Heaven Burial Sword Soul, mounted it, and transformed into a streak of blue light, charging towards the endless black demon clouds.
BOOM! The hearts of the human army behind him surged with even greater excitement. What kind of audacity was this? From the moment Yun Xiao appeared, he had been instilling one key idea into the hearts of all human cultivators, and that was confidence!
Confidence was the pinnacle!
For generations, humans faced demons with an instinctive cowardice, fear, and reluctance to draw their swords, crushed under a heavy mental burden. But now, their hearts truly stood tall. For a coward, the idea of being overly proud was ludicrous.
The immediate priority was to stand and fight!
"He's a real daredevil!"
"But such a daredevil can inspire the people, the masses, to cast aside nightmares, and fight to the death!"
The Supreme Marshal, Sword Saint Sun, and others knew that every action of Yun Xiao was a rallying cry for courage.
The human spirit was the greatest weapon on the battlefield!
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
For a thousand generations, they had been humbled, and endured a thousand generations of humiliation. Would they tolerate it any longer?
Who said they couldn't be confident?
Those constantly pushing you into self-doubt, making you reflect, were the real villains, the scoundrels!
A streak of blue light, like a needle piercing through flesh and blood, couldn't kill many demons, but none could touch him either. Except for the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor!
Without a second thought, Yun Xiao launched his attack directly at the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor! And why not? His body double, Moon Fairy, was already battling inside the demon, locked in a deadly fight!
"If I can hold it off, the rest is up to them..." Glancing back, he saw the Heavenly Realm ablaze with fighting spirit. Besides the Heavenly Realm's army, there was a shadowy figure in black and red—the War Princess!
Yun Xiao and Moon Fairy, one on the outside, one within, were already engaged in fierce battle with the corpse demon.
When she would join depended on how the situation evolved. If Yun Xiao could hold his ground, she might secretly aid the human forces in guarding the gate of the Heavenly Realm.
"Additionally, the timing of her Endless Netherworld reinforcements could be crucial!" Yun Xiao thought! His only focus was to hold on.
At this moment, the vanguard of the demon army, like a colossal pillar of blood, crashed against the gate of the Heavenly Realm.
"Fire!" the Supreme Marshal commanded, calm and collected, leading the charge. With both hands, he conjured a lightning tiger, hurling it into the midst of the demon horde.
The strength of the human army lay in their large-scale, wide-ranging destructive spells, while the demons excelled in close combat. So, defending the gate of the Heavenly Realm, holding the giant shield, and continuously bombarding with spells was key!
BOOM BOOM BOOM! Millions of spells passed through the gate, forming a tide of various elements like wind, fire, water, earth, thunder, and frost, bombarding the blood-red column of demons!
The raging storm of spells tore through the demons, turning them into countless corpses, which, to everyone's horror, were absorbed by the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor!
Each act of slaughter only strengthened Forbidden Fate. But there was no other option. The gate of the Heavenly Realm had to be defended!
Only the Supreme Marshal and Yun Xiao knew there was no Primordial Array. This was their last stand! If the gate fell, 80 million demons would invade the Heavenly Realm, spelling doom for their race.
In this brutal battle at the gate, where demons used their lives to attack and the Nine Heavens Immortal Army used theirs to defend, the Supreme Marshal could only be ruthless and fierce, directing waves of warriors to replace the fallen.
It was clear that, in the art of war, humans surpassed demons by more than just a level.
"That kid's suggestion, it really worked!" The Supreme Marshal looked back at the Nine Heavens Immortal Army. These warriors, facing the onslaught of demons, showed no fear in their eyes, only coldness, hatred, and a desire to annihilate.
"It's not just him. Her Majesty's act of declaring war has also boosted the morale of the entire population!" Sword Saint Sun looked around and asked, "Why isn't Her Majesty joining Yun Xiao?"
"For this? My girl doesn't need to step in for such a thing!" the Supreme Marshal boasted confidently.
"..." Sword Saint Sun's vision darkened for a moment. Since when had they all become this confident?
"Enough questions! Next wave, you Sword Cultivators take the front, use your Flying Swords to carve a path!" the Supreme Marshal roared.
"Yes!" Nangong Xi, You Yue, and Su Lianlian were already prepared.
"As long as Forbidden Fate doesn't come up and blow up the gate of the Heavenly Realm, we should be able to hold out until the reinforcements from the other four Immortal Empires arrive!" the Supreme Marshal declared coldly.
"Have you noticed? The resolve of the demons seems shaky! The lesser demons charge ahead to breach the city, while the greater demons hang back, watching," observed Sword Saint Sun, raising an eyebrow.
"Forbidden Fate is still devouring the corpses of demons, surely instilling fear in some of them. This is our chance..." The Supreme Marshal's gaze was deep and intense. They were far from idle, one commanding the army, the other the Flying Swords, both blocking the gate of the Heavenly Realm, continuously unleashing spells and swords outward.
The roars and booms shook the heavens and earth, causing the entire pocket universe to tremble. Wave after wave of bloody onslaught stained the golden gate of the Heavenly Realm red. But these bloody stains were quickly absorbed by Forbidden Fate, becoming part of him.
"The situation is really not that bad!" After withstanding the first wave of the demon army's assault, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army's confidence soared, and the gate stood firm as a mountain.
"Kill!!"
With strengthened resolve, their lethality surged!
"Just don't let the Forbidden Fate get through!"
As the human army defended this narrow passage, the eyes of countless human cultivators, burning with determination, were fixed on a brilliant sun-like figure in their hearts.
KLANG! A chaotic sword light, like a falling star, struck the mountain of flesh and corpses.
SLASH! The 1,000 layer Sword Aura of the Heaven Burial Sword Soul proved effective. With one slash, a gash a thousand meters long opened in front of Forbidden Fate, spewing blood and limbs!
"Sword Cultivator!" Atop the mountain of flesh, the skinless head of the Violet Emperor turned towards Yun Xiao, grinning sinisterly, "You're quite brave."
Yun Xiao stood with his sword, his white robe fluttering, blocking the path to the mountain of flesh.
"I'm thinking, if I refine your body into a Blood Crystal Sword Ring, how powerful would it be?" Yun Xiao's gaze was intense.
At this, Forbidden Fate's laugh grew even more chilling. "I'm also thinking about something," the skinless head on Forbidden Fate's brow said eerily. "Once I devour you and destroy the gate of the Heavenly Realm, consume all the flesh of the Heavenly Realm and demon army, then go to the rest of the Divine and Demon Continents and devour all living beings, how strong will I become?"
"That won't happen!!" Yun Xiao, while speaking, took out four Pouches of Holding and poured out 40,000 Sword Hearts. "May the ancestors bless me!"
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