Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

Above the East China Sea, sword light shone like a rainbow. Five dazzling sword beams pierced through the clouds, leaving long trails of spiritual light as they headed straight for the direction of the Eastern Sea Island.

The leader was dressed in white, carrying a three-foot-long sword on his back. He had handsome features and a sharp aura.

This person is named Xie Wuchen, one of the three swordsmen of the Qiyun Sect in the contemporary era.

He walked on his sword, his robes fluttering, and his voice reached the ears of the people behind him.

"Fellow disciples, Master has deduced using the Heavenly Secrets Disc that there is a change in the heavenly secrets of the withered roots of the ancient Jianmu tree on the island of Dongying."

"We must hurry there to retrieve the withered roots of the Jianmu tree."

"If that evil Yamata no Orochi dares to cause trouble, then we will annihilate it and demonstrate the divine might of the righteous Qiyun sect."

The people behind him were all the most amazing geniuses of the younger generation of the Qiyun Sect.

The Three Swords and Two Stars were names known throughout the entire Nine Provinces.

It is the righteous path promoted by the Qiyun Sect, a major sect in the Nine Provinces today...

One of the women stood out the most.

She wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved fairy dress, her black hair cascaded down her back, and her appearance was aloof and peerless, with a faint celestial mark between her brows.

Her name is Qingxuan, one of the two contemporary stars of the Qiyun Sect.

He was adopted by a sect at a young age, cultivated the Heavenly Secrets Sword Path, and believed in the predetermined fate.

In her eyes, humans are humans and demons are demons.

Right is right, and evil is evil.

Humans and demons cannot coexist.

Following the will of Heaven and upholding the righteous path were principles she had heard since childhood.

At this moment, her gaze was calm as she looked towards the horizon of the East China Sea.

"The island of demons in the East has been tainted for many years. The evil Yamata no Orochi has been using young boys and girls as sacrifices. It should have been killed long ago."

Another young man laughed and said, "Junior Sister Qingxuan is right. If we can retrieve the withered roots of the Jianmu tree and slay the Orochi evil spirit this time, it will be a great relief to the Nine Provinces."

The group was full of confidence.

After all, they are the Three Swordsmen and Two Stars of the Qiyun Sect.

Standing behind him was the leader of the righteous path in the world.

But when the five sword lights descended from the clouds and landed in the sea area marked by the Heavenly Secrets Disc, everyone froze on the flying swords.

Ahead, the sea and sky meet.

The vast expanse of blue water, with its eerily clear clarity, flowed slowly under the sunlight.

There were even wisps of pure, orthodox air rising from the sea surface.

but……

What about the island?

What about Japan?

What about that Japanese island of demons, where monsters roamed, evil gods roamed, and mortal kingdoms coexisted with the shogunate?

Let alone the Yamata no Orochi and the so-called eight million gods.

Not even a single grain of mud belonging to the island of Japan was left behind.

The compass in Xie Wuchen's hand trembled violently.

The pointer swayed east and west, then finally snapped with a crack, revealing a thin line.

His eyes twitched violently.

"What about the island?"

"What about my island, which is that big?"

"It just evaporated?"

A junior student behind him swallowed hard.

"Senior Brother, could it be that we've gone to the wrong place?"

Xie Wuchen glanced down at the compass, then at the sea.

"The location marked on the Heavenly Secret Compass is correct."

"But the problem is..."

His voice was a little dry.

"Even the island is gone, how are we supposed to investigate?"

Qingxuan has already landed on the sea.

Her jade-like feet touched the water, her wide sleeves cascading down, and she reached out to gently brush the seawater.

A moment later, she closed her eyes.

The Heavenly Secret Mark glowed faintly.

She gradually captured the residual energy in the seawater.

Filthy incense, evil cultivators' blood sacrifices, and the demonic aura of Orochi.

There is also an even more terrifying, savage, unreasonable, and undisguised ferocity of the serpent family.

Even the slightest trace of that aura sent chills down her spine.

Qingxuan suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with shock and murderous intent.

"It's not a natural disaster."

"It's a calamity caused by demons."

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Qingxuan's voice was cold.

"An unimaginable, savage serpentine aura lingers in the sea."

"That monster not only stole the withered roots of the Jianmu tree."

"It even devoured all the living beings on the island."

A disciple of Qi Yun gasped in shock.

"The whole island?"

"Although there are many demons and evil spirits on that island, there are still mortal kingdoms and people."

"How could this monster be so utterly depraved?"

The coldness in Qingxuan's eyes deepened.

"These monstrous creatures are devoid of humanity and deserve to die a thousand deaths."

"If it were to escape into the Nine Provinces, it would surely bring calamity to our human race."

"We must get to the bottom of this."

A young man in black who had been silent for a long time suddenly frowned.

"But those ordinary people on the Japanese islands are not necessarily innocent either."

"In recent years, Japanese pirates have repeatedly harassed the coast of Kyushu, burning, killing, looting, and even sending the people of Kyushu to the demon temple as blood sacrifices."

"Those shogunate daimyo, ronin pirates, and evil cultivators and demons on the island were already entangled."

Another female disciple immediately looked at him.

"Senior Brother Ye, you are mistaken."

"Evil people should naturally be punished, but Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life."

There are always innocent people.

"Does the sheer amount of sin in one place justify swallowing up all the living beings on the island?"

"If I, the righteous one, acted in this way, how would I be any different from a demon?"

The young man in black remained silent.

Xie Wuchen nodded as well.

"good."

"Demons and evil spirits should be eliminated, but the common people should not suffer this undeserved calamity."

"That giant serpent is so bloodthirsty; it is no ordinary demon king."

"If it enters Kyushu, all the coastal states will likely suffer calamity."

Everyone felt heavy-hearted.

A terrifying monster capable of swallowing the entire island of Japan.

This is beyond the scope of their experience.

One of the junior disciples turned pale.

"Could this monstrous creature be a demon immortal?"

Xie Wuchen took a deep breath.

"At least at the level of a demon immortal."

"They might even be more terrifying than ordinary demons and immortals."

At this point, his tone became serious.

"In the present world, the righteous path of humanity is led by my Qiyun Sect."

"Within my Qiyun Sect, there are five immortal beings presiding over it."

"If we include the other major sects of the righteous path, the entire righteous path can gather a total of ten human immortals."

"This is also the source of the confidence that the righteous path can act on behalf of Heaven and subdue the world."

Another disciple chimed in, "Although the demonic path is suppressed by our righteous path, those old fogies are hiding in the shadows. If they were to truly unite, they could have the strength of seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators."

Qingxuan said coldly, "The demonic path only dares to hide in the gutter; it can never be brought to the forefront."

The disciple gave a wry smile.

"But the demon race is different."

"The demon race under heaven is a disorganized mess, with only three demon immortals on the surface."

"The one deepest within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, critically injured and on the verge of death, has fallen into an eternal slumber."

"That one from the East Sea is of a carefree nature; who knows where he's wandered off to in the past."

"The last one had already submitted to the righteous sects and guarded the mountain gate, becoming a gatekeeper and protector."

He looked down at the empty sea.

"This giant serpent that can devour Japan is definitely not one of the three great demon immortals."

"When did such a terrifying anomaly appear in the world?"

These words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

An anomaly.

To the disciples of the Qiyun Sect, these two words were more jarring than demons.

The Qiyun School believes that destiny is predetermined.

What we fear most is, of course, something beyond the will of Heaven.

Xie Wuchen took out a new compass and used a secret technique of his sect to activate the remaining energy.

A glint of light flashed on the compass.

That savage, serpentine demonic aura was extremely domineering, almost swallowing up all the clues.

However, a very faint wisp of black mist still pointed towards the southwest of Kyushu.

Qingxuan looked at the compass and spoke slowly.

"Ten Thousand Demon Mountains"

The group fell silent.

Recently, the secrets of the Myriad Demon Mountains have been in chaos.

One by one, the stars on the celestial compass were obscured by the black mist.

The sect leader initially thought that some demon kings had greedily consumed spiritual objects, causing the restriction to backfire.

But now it seems that it may not be that simple.

Xie Wuchen put away the compass, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"This matter must be reported back to the sect immediately."

"After the giant serpent swallowed the island, its energy pointed towards the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains."

"It is also very likely that the withered roots of the Jianmu tree fell into its hands."

Qingxuan looked southwest, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"If it really is that demon at work."

"No matter where it's hidden, I will find it."

"Slay demons and eliminate evil spirits."

"Acting on behalf of Heaven."

As the sea breeze blew, the five sword lights rose again.

Behind them, at the former coordinates of the Japanese islands, only an eerily clear expanse of seawater flows silently.