Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 1056 A Grand Sneak Attack

If Lord Yunzhong had paid even a little more attention to those minor troubles in Jiangnan in the early stages, there would have been no Xu Xuan later on, and the Three Lakes Water Lord Xiaoqing would never have appeared.

It's not that I'm defending Yun Zhongjun; it's purely that I resent that the BOSS really doesn't understand the heart of a demon.

"Some humans are the same," Duke Zhuang of Zheng suddenly interjected, his voice tinged with self-mockery, "and even more ruthless."

This hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period was clearly recalling some unpleasant past events.

In power struggles, the scheming and cruelty of humans are sometimes more terrifying than the straightforwardness of demons.

Xu Xuan: What are you two talking about, interspecies resonance? Do I have to say something before I can join?
The group walked on like this, and surprisingly, they actually made it to their final destination without anyone noticing.

As they passed through the last expanse of vibrant red spider lilies, the sight before them made all three of them involuntarily stop in their tracks.

At the heart of this deadly realm, a colossal island is rising menacingly from the center of the underworld.

The island was pitch black, as if it were built from the bones and blood of countless vengeful spirits, and its surface was covered with twisted patterns, like faces screaming in pain.

The turbid Yellow Springs River, like putrid blood, flows around the island. Twisted ghost faces rise from the surface from time to time, their mouths agape as if wailing, but then shatter into mournful waves that dissipate in the eerie wind.

At the center of the island, a pillar of blood-red energy pierced the heavens and the earth, with thick, blood-red mist churning within it, dyeing everything within a radius of several miles an ominous dark red.

Xu Xuan narrowed his eyes, feeling the heart-palpitating pressure.

Unlike the elegant figure I saw in front of the Heavenly Venerable Hall yesterday, what is now revealed to me is the true face of Yayu.

The ferocious nature of the ancient evil god.

The crimson mist greedily devoured the Yin energy of the entire hell, as if it were a living thing. A huge Netherworld vortex had already formed in the sky, and countless gray-black ghostly energies and purplish-black baleful energies flowed into the column of energy like rivers flowing into the sea, following the trajectory of the vortex.

The throughput was terrifying, as if some unimaginably large monster was lurking in the fog, replenishing the energy needed for recovery in this way.

Xu Xuan was very familiar with this.

The scene was similar when he absorbed evil energy in the City of the Wrongfully Dead to restore the cursed land.

The scene before them was a hundred times more magnificent than before. The vortex covered the entire sky, and even the distant Bridge of Helplessness trembled slightly under its influence.

He was more familiar with the scene that followed.

"Boom-"

From the depths of the thick fog came a heartbeat that shook the universe, each beat causing the waters of the underworld to flow backward and the piles of white bones on the shore to crumble into dust.

The rhythm seemed to come from the panting of an ancient demon god before awakening, carrying a primal, savage beat that even the vengeful spirits in the deepest depths of hell trembled and shuddered in.

"Boom-"

The second heartbeat followed immediately, and the crimson mist expanded and contracted rhythmically, vaguely condensing into the outline of a giant heart that stretched across the heavens and earth.

Each pulsation tore at the laws of the underworld, causing even the sea of ​​red spider lilies to sway and emit an even more eerie light.

Xu Xuan suddenly remembered the scene that Xiao Qing had once described.

When my physical body was resurrected in Leifeng Pagoda, I heard a similar heartbeat. However, the scene then was far less than one percent of what it was like here.

"It's confirmed, this is a real resurrection."

And we've reached the most critical moment.

"That's pretty impressive."

This resurrection display truly befits the status of an ancient deity.

Moreover, once you get here, stealth is pointless.

In front of the vast waters where the core island meets the outer domain, several smaller islands stand guard over the central main island like loyal fortresses.

Like the fangs of a giant beast, they protrude menacingly from the underworld, forming a natural defensive barrier.

At this moment, these satellite islands had already been completely occupied by a vast and terrifying demon army. As far as the eye could see, countless demon figures covered every inch of land.

Rhinoceros demons covered in bone armor strolled along the shore, moth spirits with compound eyes hovered low in the air, and twisted tree spirits dug their roots deep into the netherworld soil. Their numbers numbered in the tens of thousands, like a locust swarm, turning the entire body of water into a den of demons.

These demons came in all shapes and sizes, their ferocious and twisted forms creating a powerful, overwhelming aura that shot into the sky like thick ink spilled onto a dim, yellowish backdrop.

The demonic energy mixed with the already gloomy ghostly mist of hell, forming a dark cloud that blotted out the sky.

The clouds were not still, but churning and writhing under the disturbance of countless demonic auras, like a huge, living, and malevolent monster, making the soaring blood-red aura in the core area behind them even more unpredictable.

This legion appears to be in complete chaos, and in fact, it truly is in complete chaos.

Different races huddle together, and small-scale conflicts frequently break out over tiny territories or a mouthful of fresh blood.

Under the watchful eyes of Xu Xuan and the others, a three-eyed wolf demon had just bitten off the neck of the snake demon sitting next to it, while on the other side, a gargoyle was fighting with a skeleton soldier for a corpse that had not yet decomposed.

However, beneath this seemingly lawless chaos lies a deeper level of order.

It was a feeling of absolute fear and submission to the awakening power in the core area.

All the demons, no matter how violent and unruly they were, subconsciously maintained a strangely respectful posture towards the core island.

“It seems,” Xu Xuan let out a soft sigh, “that we’ve arrived just in time.”

The Father was a seasoned veteran who enjoyed playing from behind, while the others didn't have the confidence to go crazy with him.

"Ahem. Mr. Xu, I think your previous statement about postponing this matter makes a lot of sense."

Wusheng gazed at the vast, sky-covering demon army in the distance and spoke in a hoarse voice.

This once-powerful hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period showed a rare hint of wavering on his face.

He suddenly realized that he must have stayed in this hellish underworld for too long, and his soul had been deeply eroded by the ghostly energy; or perhaps his mind had been bewitched by something invisible.

Otherwise, why would someone be so crazy as to abandon their business, built up over many years, and follow someone they've only known for a few days to do something so suicidal?
It wasn't until I witnessed this terrifying scene with my own eyes that I regained my senses under the extreme shock of fear.

Perhaps continuing to slowly accumulate strength in the underworld and wait for a better opportunity would be the wiser course of action.

"It's not too late to turn back now," he murmured, his foot unconsciously taking a half-inch backward.

But by then it was too late to leave.

"Brother Wusheng, please wait." Xu Xuan reached out to stop him, his tone still gentle.

"You've just been a ghost for too long, so long that you've lost control of your rationality, which is why you waver so easily at crucial moments."

He stepped forward, his gaze piercing as he looked directly at his wavering ally:

"If you continue to sink into hell, you will become like those monsters on the other side and those completely corrupted subordinates before, constantly breaking your own bottom line, and eventually becoming completely lost in the underworld."

Do you still remember why you stood guard over that breach alone?

"It's to protect humanity, and to atone for your sins in your previous life!"

"So now," Xu Xuan asked, emphasizing each word, "is that belief still firm?"

"Some emperors were wise rulers in their youth, but became muddle-headed and confused in their later years, not to mention turning into ghosts after death."

"As a ghost, it will instinctively yearn to return to the human world to cause trouble and vent its pent-up desires; and as a former king who once ruled over all people, that desire will be a hundred times stronger than that of an ordinary ghost, and almost impossible to suppress."

Xu Xuan's tone suddenly relaxed at this point, even carrying a hint of a smile:
"So, since we're already here..."

He patted Duke Zhuang of Zheng on the shoulder, a casual gesture as if inviting an old friend to join him on a stroll:

"It's better to do something truly commendable while you still have reason. It's better than falling into complete depravity and becoming someone you despise later."

The Stone King watched this scene in silence.

It knew that these words, though seemingly comforting, had actually cut off all of its 'ally's' escape routes.

Either rediscover your original aspirations in this battle, or succumb to complete despair in retreat—there is no third way.

Wusheng suddenly realized what was going on.

The other party even took his wavering into account.

Upon closer examination, it does make sense.

How could someone like Xu Xuan not see through the thoughts of this ghost who had been trapped for hundreds of years?
At the same time, I truly understood why we have been guarding that gap for hundreds of years, and the indescribable complex feelings I had when I recently saw demons trying to return to the human world.

"Is he actually wavering?"

He murmured to himself.

After Xu Xuan bluntly exposed her inner conflict, she felt a sense of clarity.

Since the way out is cut off, and since the original aspiration has not been extinguished, then—

"Anyway, we can't leave now."

Duke Zhuang of Zheng gave a wry smile, but his hand holding the sword regained its steady grip.

The arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. Besides, the enemy was so overconfident and completely unprepared, which saved them a lot of trouble.

Xu Xuan was in a great mood to see that his ally was so sensible.

At least I don't have to sacrifice a teammate at the start of the game.

"Don't worry," he reassured calmly, "Now that we've gotten this far, our strategy is already half successful. The rest..."

He smiled slightly, his gaze fixed on the towering pillar of blood-red energy in the distance:
"give it to me."

He gestured to the Stone King and Wusheng to protect him, and then solemnly took out the Chilong Sword.

The scenario is simple; it's just a matter of zooming in at the start.

Since we're all acquaintances, there's no need for empty formalities like sacrificial offerings.

He directly triggered the immense magical power sealed within the sword with his divine soul. Since magic possesses a primordial spirit, at this moment Xu Xuan seemed to see the beautiful figure of Bai Suzhen watching over him.

"With your blessing, things shouldn't be too bad."

A grand sneak attack has begun.

The white lotus's divine soul was shining brightly, as if it had returned to the Cloud Dream Secret Realm, to the moment when it joined forces with Bai Suzhen to unleash great divine powers.

"Offering sacrifices to the dragon that defies the Yellow Springs, my heart follows the white shadow to knock on the Xuantian."

"With a single sword, rain is summoned from beyond the clouds, cleansing away the demonic aura to reveal the blue smoke."

As he chanted softly, the sword began to glow with a soft white light. This magical sword, obtained from Bai Suzhen, shone exceptionally brightly in the underworld.

"Divine sword, draw!"

The ancient dragon sword suddenly emitted a clear and melodious ringing sound, as if the dragon soul that had been sleeping for thousands of years had been awakened in that instant.

A warm, white light flowed across the sword like water, instantly dispelling the surrounding bloodlust and demonic aura that had been present for several feet.

Immediately afterwards, the longsword flew out of his hand, not falling, but like a stream of light breaking free from its restraints, soaring straight into the gloomy sky of hell!

As the sword ascended, it disintegrated inch by inch, transforming into countless pure and dazzling white rays of light. These rays intertwined and entwined, quickly outlining a massive and majestic silhouette.

Its form is revealed for the first time!

That was no longer a sword, but a pure white dragon with its scales clearly visible!

Its body is slender and graceful, yet it contains an unparalleled sense of power. Each dragon scale seems to be carved from the finest spiritual jade, flowing with a warm yet sacred luster.

Dragons soar through the sky!

The white dragon stretched its body, drawing a perfect arc in the air, its movements as fluid as a reversed Milky Way.

It charged straight into the leaden-gray vortex of clouds, and wherever it passed, the dark blue-black destructive winds made way for it, and the dark purple lightning lay dormant.

The gloomy sky, originally shrouded in demonic energy and bloodlust, was suddenly torn open by the pure white light emanating from it, creating a dazzling gap.

The dragon's roar rose again, clear and high-pitched, instantly drowning out the clamor of the demons and the pounding of the heart.

This chanting no longer merely conveys the sharpness of weapons, but also carries a natural power that commands wind and rain and commands heaven and earth.

Summon the wind! Call the rain!
(End of this chapter)