Fantasy: I, the Great Celestial Venerable of the Dao

A silvery-white light tore through the sky, like a sudden thunderbolt from the heavens.

Before the Heavenly Demon Emperor could even scream, the beam of light pierced through his chest.

The dull thud of bones breaking was like rotten wood being smashed by a giant hammer.

The sound was particularly jarring in the quiet Shushan Square.

The immense magical power contained within the silver light exploded within his body, shattering his meridians inch by inch.

"puff--"

The Heavenly Demon Emperor spat out a mouthful of black blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

It smashed the seven stone pillars outside the Demon-Sealing Tower.

He fell to the ground like a slump of mud.

Amidst the swirling dust, he barely managed to open his eyes, his vision blurred, only able to see a hole the size of a bowl in his chest.

The demon core was already covered in cracks.

The Earth Demon King's fur stood on end, and the Yellow Demon King's cane snapped in two with a "crack".

All the demons present took three steps back in unison.

At this moment, the people of Shushan erupted in thunderous cheers.

"A true master! It's Dao Xuan Zhenren!"

Dugu Yuyun clutched his chest wound, tears streaming down his face.

Behind him lay three hundred Shu Mountain disciples, all covered in blood, half of them lying on the ground, unable to rise. Just moments before, Shu Mountain had been nearly annihilated.

Now, the figure in white robes stands in the center of the square, with his back to the Shu Mountain people and his face towards the demon race.

Dao Xuan Zhenren did not turn around, but simply said, "Brother Dugu, you have suffered."

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Immediately, he raised his right hand slightly, and silver light flowed from his fingertips, turning into starlight that sprinkled down on the disciples of Mount Shu.

The starlight fell into the wounded man's body, and the bleeding stopped immediately.

The broken bones began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Dao Xuan!" The Earth Demon Emperor finally couldn't hold back any longer. He took a step forward, causing the ground to crack. "Do you think my demon race is without anyone?!"

Dao Xuan then slowly turned around.

It was a face that looked no more than forty years old, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and gentle, jade-like features.

But those eyes were as deep as an icy pool, and when they swept over him, the Earth Demon Emperor unconsciously took another step back.

"Bullying the weak and taking advantage of the many," Dao Xuan said, each word like an ice bead hitting the ground. "Today, I will teach you what reason is."

Before he could finish speaking, Dao Xuan's figure vanished in an instant.

It's not a stealth technique, nor a movement technique; it's pure speed at its absolute limit.

The three demon emperors' pupils shrank sharply, and they roared simultaneously, their demonic energy soaring into the sky.

The Earth Demon Emperor revealed his hundred-foot-tall demonic form, which turned out to be a black-scaled earth dragon with a single horn on its head; the Black Demon Emperor transformed into a demonic roc with long wings soaring through the sky; and the Yellow Demon Emperor was a qilin, roaring towards the sky.

The aura of three demon emperors was enough to make all living beings within a thousand miles kneel in submission.

But Dao Xuan was already among the three.

He made a fist with his right hand, and crimson flames surged from his palm—the True Flame of the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon; he raised his left hand slightly, and a dark blue light flowed—the True Water of the Mysterious Netherworld.

Water and fire are inherently incompatible, yet at this moment, in Dao Xuan's hands, they transformed into a rotating Tai Chi diagram.

"town."

As the word was uttered, the Tai Chi diagram suddenly expanded, covering the entire Shu Mountain.

The Earth Demon King's true form of the Earth Dragon had only rushed halfway when it felt as if it had crashed into Mount Buzhou.

No, it's more terrifying than Buzhou Mountain; it's the suppression of the very origin of heaven and earth.

His demonic scales shattered one by one, and his horn snapped off with a "crack".

The Xuan Yao Emperor's long wings, which were said to be able to withstand heavenly tribulations, were now as fragile as glass.

As the Tai Chi symbol pressed down, he heard the sound of his own wings shattering.

The Yellow Demon Emperor suffered the most.

Relying on his unparalleled defense, he slammed his fists into the Tai Chi diagram.

The moment the fist touched him, crimson flames erupted from his body, and his flesh rapidly rotted in the azure true water.

The clash between water and fire caused excruciating pain, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The three demons were sent flying backwards almost simultaneously.

This time, Dao Xuan did not hold back.

He moved like lightning, catching up with the Earth Demon Emperor who was flying backward.

With a single palm strike, the Earth Demon King's hundred-foot-tall demonic body crashed down onto the main peak. With a deafening roar, half of the mountain collapsed, and dust billowed into the sky.

In another flash, he was already above the Xuan Yao Emperor, and stepped down.

Its body was forcibly stomped into the ground for thirty feet, with only the edges of its feathers protruding above the surface.

In the end, even the Yellow Demon Emperor was no match for him!

a bit!

Two hits!!

Three times!!

All the bluestone slabs in Shushan Square shattered, creating a ten-zhang-deep pit.

The Yellow Demon Emperor lay at the bottom of the pit, most of his scales had fallen off, blood was flowing from his seven orifices, and he was barely breathing.

The whole process took no more than three breaths.

The entire room fell silent.

The countless demons who escaped from the Demon Locking Tower were now trembling like leaves.

Some of the less skilled ones immediately revealed their true forms—rats, foxes, and lynxes—lying on the ground, not daring to even lift their heads.

Dao Xuan landed gracefully, his white robes spotless. He didn't even glance at the three demons in the pit, only raising his eyes to sweep over the rest of the demons: "Go back."

Two words are more effective than any supernatural power.

The demons surged towards the damaged Demon-Sealing Tower like madmen.

They trampled each other, just to get back to the tower as soon as possible.

In two breaths, there were no more demons standing in the square, only four dying demon emperors remained.

Dao Xuan then turned around and looked at Dugu Yuyun.

Dugu Yuyun led the Shu Mountain group in a chorus of bows: "The entire Shu Mountain community thanks you, Master, for saving our lives!"

This greeting was given with genuine sincerity.

If Dao Xuan hadn't arrived in time, the Shushan lineage would have been severed today.

Dao Xuan quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying sincerely, "Brother Dugu, please don't do this."

"With the Demon-Sealing Tower collapsing and the demon race wreaking havoc, how can our Qingyun Sect stand idly by?"

Dugu Yuyun stood up, his face still pale.

Just as he was about to speak, Dao Xuan suddenly frowned and looked towards the eastern horizon.

"Brother Dao, were any powerful figures present at Mount Shu just now?" Dao Xuan asked solemnly.

"As I rushed here, I sensed an extremely terrifying aura. Although it was fleeting, it still terrified me."

Dugu Yuyun's expression changed drastically.

"It's Demon Lord Chonglou."

Those five words made Dao Xuan's pupils shrink.

"Demon Lord Chonglou? Why would he come to the human realm?" Dao Xuan asked in a deep voice.

"The Demon Realm has not yet merged with the human world, and the boundary barrier still exists. Even if he is the Demon Lord, it is impossible for him to easily break through the boundary to come here."

"I don't know." Dugu Yuyun shook his head. "When he appeared, he only took two swords. One was the Demon-Suppressing Sword, and the other was the Demon Sword. After taking the swords, he left without going on a killing spree."

Dao Xuan pondered.

It's understandable that Chonglou would take the Demon-Suppressing Sword, after all, it's a divine artifact that was left behind by the gods.

But the Demon Sword... that was forged by Princess Longyang of the Jiang Kingdom.

Though stained with blood and sharpened, it is ultimately a mortal weapon; how could it possibly catch the eye of the Demon Lord?

"What else did he say?" Dao Xuan pressed.

"He said..." Dugu Yuyun recalled Chonglou's words at the time, "It must have been for the unfinished competition."

Dao Xuan's heart stirred.

An old friend? Who else could Chonglou's old friend be besides that one in the divine realm?

Just then, an elder from Mount Shu suddenly exclaimed, "Sect Leader! That evil aura at the bottom of the Demon-Sealing Tower... is gone!"

Dugu Yuyun was struck dumb, staggering backward: "What?!"

Dao Xuan's expression also changed.

The evil energy suppressed at the bottom of the Demon-Sealing Tower was the Evil Sword Immortal, which had become stronger and stronger over thousands of years of purification.

Now that the Demon-Sealing Tower has collapsed, the evil energy has escaped...

"Such is fate," Dao Xuan sighed.

"That evil energy was suppressed for thousands of years, and even if it escaped, it did not grow stronger."

Now, the only recourse is to issue a widespread notice, urging all cultivators to take note.