Four hours passed quickly, and the second Lower Realm patch was successfully applied. Though it could only hold for six hours, this didn't mean they had to wait until the last moment; the quicker, the better, so they finished in four hours. The two overlapping patches finally suppressed the Sky Crack, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. This demonstrated the patches' effectiveness: they had withstood the Outer Demons' powerful assault. Now, they only needed to apply a third, fourth, and more patches to completely seal off the Outer Demon invasion.
However, before that, they needed to rest. Applying the first patch had taken all their strength, and they were nearly depleted after the second. If they attempted a third immediately, it would truly cost them their lives. Besides, things had stabilized for now, so they could afford to take their time.
Turning around, they saw that the ground below had been entirely corrupted by the four Heavenly Demons, transformed into a desolate wasteland. Fortunately, the area occupied by the four Heavenly Demons was not large relative to the entirety of the Chaotic God World, merely a very small fraction.
"They haven't expanded, just rooted themselves. The warnings from Heaven and Earth have also ceased," Su Shan observed, a wave of relief washing over him. "Luckily, we sealed the Sky Crack in time; otherwise, we'd be dead with no place for burial."
"Those four Outer Demons are probably not easy to kill. It wouldn't be too late to act after we've completed sealing with all four Lower Realm patches," Black City said, seeking opinions. After all, he was from the Ghost Clan, not the Human Clan, so many matters were not his to decide.
"Indeed, we're all exhausted. Even to recover will take several months at least." Li Ying assessed his condition. His body was significantly overdrawn and needed timely recuperation. Otherwise, it would leave behind latent injuries that would hinder future advancement—though, truth be told, further advancement seemed impossible for him now anyway.
Everyone wanted to become the Heavenly Dao and dominate the entire Chaotic God World. Even though the Chaotic God World was in turmoil, when it came to self-preservation, one had to prioritize it. The others were naturally in a similar state, making it impossible to apply a third patch anytime soon. As for the four Outer Demons, as long as they didn't expand, it was fine for now. Any plans regarding them could wait. For the moment, they would send their subordinates to probe one of them. This situation wasn't as critical as the Sky Crack, so there was no need for them to act personally.
"Very well, then we shall..." Just as Su Shan was about to announce their dispersal, a grotesque, oversized hand formed of flesh and blood lunged towards them.
If they hadn't dodged in time, being caught would have been a minor issue compared to the potent poison they sensed emanating from the massive hand. Once this poison entered their bodies, it would relentlessly corrode them until they were assimilated into flesh and blood.
"Some skill, but only some," a hoarse voice sounded. At the end of the massive fleshy hand, a man roughly their size spoke. The enormous hand, attached to a human-sized figure, struck them as utterly incongruous.
"Attack!" Su Shan took the lead. Though exhausted, he knew the enemy would certainly not let them leave this time. It was either kill or be killed. The remaining four didn't waste time arguing about who should hold back the enemy while others escaped; instead, they charged forward together. The five of them besieged the man.
"Ganging up? Heh." The man scoffed, the flesh on his body beginning to writhe. Then, he pulled another person out from his own back. The scene was horrifying. As he pulled the other person out, a torrent of blood and viscera gushed forth. The black blood, containing still-wriggling internal organs, made the ejected matter seem less like part of a living creature and more like some bizarre, fleshy plant.
"Do you realize how many foolish things you've done?" The man pulled from his back had a face contorted with rage, a stark contrast to the original man's calm demeanor.
"ROAR!"
With that, he unleashed a heaven-shattering roar. The visible sound waves ruptured space itself, directly intercepting the five cultivators' attacks.
"Running? How naive." The man with the giant hand swept his arm, and his massive hand tore open space. The five tumbled out chaotically. They had thought it was a good opportunity to escape and had naturally tried to flee immediately, but they hadn't expected their opponent to possess such spatial control abilities.
Hmm? Not simple, he thought, seeing them vanish. The five figures that tumbled out of the spatial tear vanished into nothingness. They were clearly not their true bodies but rather some form of avatars or projections; their actual selves had already fled.
They're still too inexperienced, one of the identical men thought, or perhaps both did. We let them get away, but I suppose they've been taught something of a lesson.
The two identical men suddenly dissolved into two large puddles of bloody flesh. Since their targets had fled, chasing them wasn't worth the effort. Their objective was to staunch the major hemorrhaging, to prevent the Chaotic God World from dying of massive blood loss. Those five hadn't just severed one major artery; they'd cut two at once. If the Four Domain Kings hadn't staunched the bleeding so quickly, the Chaotic God World might have already perished.
This area was still within the Evil King's domain, so the manifested Clone could still function effectively. Outside this range, its power would significantly diminish. After all, their Heaven and Man Five Decay was incomplete, and the Merit Giant was too massive to enter this particular region. Otherwise, with full 'signal' coverage, they wouldn't need to worry about power degradation.
After Su Shan and the other four fled, their expressions were grim. Those two were merely incarnations of that flesh-and-blood Outer Demon, Su Shan thought, still shaken. Who would have thought they possessed such formidable power?
"They merely took advantage of our exhaustion! At our peak, I alone could have dealt with those two!" Black City said resentfully.
That wasn't an empty boast, but they were enemies. Naturally, one would strike when the opponent was weak. Who would wait for their enemy to recover fully and prepare themselves before attacking? Anyone that foolish would have died a thousand times over.
"If they adhered to any martial virtue, they wouldn't be invading us in the first place," Li Ying sneered.
They themselves were no strangers to sneak attacks or profiting from others' calamities. It was just that every time they did so, they cloaked their actions in such righteousness that no one could argue, or they simply ensured no one found out. Every one of them was particular about appearances. Though shameless, they meticulously maintained their veneer of respectability. Their 'righteous cause' was usually for the benefit of their own clan. They only cared about the opinions within their clan, paying little heed to how other races viewed them.
"If you two are amenable, the Demon Clan and Ghost Clan could ally with my Human Clan. This would prevent these four Outer Demons from defeating us one by one." At this moment, Su Shan extended an invitation. When external enemies threatened their mutual interests, they would unite. The Human Clan was currently the strongest. If the Demon and Ghost Clans refused, the Human Clan certainly wouldn't be the first to be annihilated.
"Since you extend such a sincere invitation, it would be remiss of me to refuse," Black City immediately declared. Even if Su Shan hadn't proposed it, he and Mysterious Ginseng would have made the request themselves. Saving one's life was paramount; there was no shame in it. Fortunately, Su Shan was perceptive enough to extend the invitation directly, saving them from unnecessary complications. An invitation from the Human Clan was indeed optimal. If the Demon and Ghost Clans had been the ones to request an alliance, it might have exacerbated underlying tensions, though conflicts were bound to arise after merging regardless. However, in the face of a greater cause and the broader situation, even deep-seated hatred had to be suppressed.
The three groups quickly parted ways. Black City and Mysterious Ginseng had to return to relocate their clansmen to the Human Clan's territory.
"Why didn't we wait for them to ask first? We could have gained more leverage that way," Yin Lu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Going too far would have been counterproductive," Su Shan replied. "We could have pressured them, and it might have worked, but it would inevitably have sown resentment. Such resentment becomes a hidden danger. If trouble arises, how do you think the Demon and Ghost Clans would react?"
"They'd betray us at the first sign of trouble," Li Ying interjected with a grin.
"Conceding a little now changes nothing," Su Shan continued. "The initiative remains firmly with the Human Clan. They can only choose to submit and play a subordinate role. Besides, this way, everyone saves face." He explained that they hadn't lost much; at most, they'd forgone an opportunity to flex their authority. However, trying to intimidate two Ancestral God Realm experts from other Alien Races at such a critical juncture would be rather lacking in foresight, wouldn't it? It wasn't worth it for such a trivial gain.
"In that case, I was indeed being narrow-minded," Yin Lu admitted after hearing Su Shan. He didn't dwell on why he hadn't seen it. It wasn't a major failing. Wasting time on regret was pointless; it was better to focus on recovery.
"You're being too modest," Su Shan chuckled. "You're not narrow-minded at all; you often see things more clearly than the rest of us." He then took his leave to recuperate.
Yin Lu paid them no mind and also went off to recover, leaving only Li Ying behind, an enigmatic smile playing on his lips as he pondered some unknown thoughts.
