After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

He conquered countless ages and quelled countless darknesses, witnessing the cruelty of the outer realms and the ruthlessness of gods and demons, yet he could not see through the coldness of the human heart.

This has been true for a thousand years, and it will remain true for all eternity.

Humanity's inherent flaws have remained unchanged through the ages.

In times of crisis, kneel down and beg for survival.

In times of peace and stability, they forget kindness and betray trust.

Mischief is attributed to the strong, while merit is determined by fate.

It's laughable, pathetic, and lamentable.

The Demon Lord, witnessing this scene, burst into wild laughter, his voice piercing through the clouds and echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

"Hahaha! What a farcical spectacle!"

"Lin Ping, the people you risked everything to protect have now turned against you!"

"You protect their peace, and they call you selfish. You shoulder all the calamities, and they blame you for causing trouble."

"Do you see this? This is the mortal world you swore to protect with your life, this is the path of bonds you are so proud of!"

"Your compassionate path protects a bunch of ants who are least worthy of your protection!"

"Your Dao heart is crumbling at this very moment! I'll see if you can still hold onto your so-called protective spirit!"

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons deliberately incited public opinion, attempting to use the ignorant accusations of countless people to shatter Lin Ping's compassionate heart and undermine the foundation of the Six Paths of Bonds!

It knows best that Lin Ping's invincibility stems from his protection.

Once the heart of protection collapses and the path of compassion is shattered, the bonds of the six realms will break down on their own. Without any intervention from the other side, Lin Ping will be defeated without a fight!

The online criticism continues, with more and more people being swayed by public opinion and joining in the condemnation.

"Lin Ping should come out and give the world an explanation!"

"Quickly remove the barrier protecting the Nine Provinces and distribute your power equally to save the world!"

"If you hadn't been so reckless and injured, how could you have allowed monsters to ravage the world!"

The noisy, harsh, and selfish voices, like countless fine needles, pierced the white-clad figure in the sky.

The surviving people of Kyushu below, seeing the entire internet smearing them while looking at the secure golden barrier above their heads, felt both ashamed and angry. They all went to the front to defend themselves, but they were no match for the overwhelming tide of public opinion.

Lin Ping slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all the tenderness in his eyes had vanished.

All that remains is an indifference and coldness as cold as eternal ice.

He saw through the coldness of people's hearts and completely abandoned pointless compassion.

My protection is never a given.

I will protect my homeland, my beloved relatives and friends, and those who are grateful to me. That is enough.

As for those ungrateful ants who distort the truth, they don't deserve even a fraction of my protection.

Lin Ping's gaze swept across the entire void, his voice steady and powerful, penetrating the Daoist principles of heaven and earth, reaching every corner of Blue Star, overwhelming all the noise and accusations:

Listen carefully, everyone.

"Eternal darkness, extraterrestrial hegemony, ancient calamities, countless crises that threatened to overturn the heavens—it was I, Lin Ping, who fought bloody battles to stand before the mortal world."

"You have lived peacefully in the secular world for many years, enjoying a time of peace and tranquility, without experiencing any bloodshed or suffering."

"The calamity that has befallen us today is the result of an ancient scheme, the machinations of the Lord of All Demons, and not my fault. I was careless and fell into their trap; it was my negligence, and I admit it."

"But I have never owed the world the slightest thing, nor have I ever owed anyone anything!"

"Today, my Dao Foundation is severely injured and my combat power is diminished, yet I still forcefully overdraw my source to support the protective barrier of the Nine Provinces and ensure the safety of my Chinese land."

"I don't help those overseas, not because I'm selfish."

"But the people of this world are a mixed bag, their hearts are cold and indifferent, and they are not worth my life to protect!"

"Since you have already made accusations and wantonly smeared me, from this moment on, the overseas catastrophe has nothing to do with me."

"My protection, Lin Ping's principle, is selective; I will no longer offer salvation to all beings!"

Every word resounded powerfully, echoing through the ages!

The entire internet went completely silent!

All those who blindly followed suit in criticizing and wantonly smearing him were instantly rendered speechless and turned pale.

They had never seen Lin Xianzun so powerful and so indifferent.

In the past, he cared for all living beings, gently protected them, and embraced all the unpleasantness of the world.

But today, they have shattered that tenderness with their own hands.

The Demon Lord's expression darkened slightly. He hadn't expected that the backlash from the overwhelming public opinion would not only fail to shatter Lin Ping's Dao heart, but would instead allow him to completely see through people's hearts, making his Dao heart even more refined!

"Stubborn to the end!" the Demon Lord roared angrily. "Since you insist on remaining obstinate, then I will personally shatter your barrier over the Nine Provinces and slaughter everyone you protect!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Demon Lord stopped watching and unleashed his immense demonic power.

The entire cloud of demons converged wildly, and hundreds of ancient demon lords simultaneously unleashed their life's worth of demonic power, pouring it into the body of the myriad demons!

Boom!

A terrifying aura that crushed all heavens surged into the sky, far surpassing the Abyss Emperor and approaching the peak of the Extraterrestrial Ancestor!

The Eternal Demon Lord has fully revealed his power!

"All troops attack! Break through the barriers of the nine provinces and slaughter all the people of China!"

With a wave of his hand, the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons led dozens of top-tier demon lords, followed closely by thousands of demons, and with the power to destroy the world, they crushed the golden protective barrier of the Nine Provinces!

The high-altitude airflow exploded wildly, the void shattered layer by layer, and the entire world trembled violently.

That thin layer of golden light seemed fragile and vulnerable in the face of the ancient demonic power, and could shatter at any moment!

The hearts of all the people and cultivators in the country were instantly filled with fear.

"The barrier is about to break!"

"So many demon lords! They're too powerful! The immortal lords are seriously injured; they simply can't withstand them!"

"We're doomed! We're going to be slaughtered by the monsters!"

A sense of despair spread rapidly.

Zhu Xiaohan and the other three girls stepped forward instantly, their four great powers all being added to the golden barrier to solidify its foundation.

"Master, we will help you strengthen the barrier!"

"The six realms are bound together as one; as long as the barrier remains unbroken, the mortal world will never perish!"

The four women unleashed their full power, merging the four top-tier Daos of Time and Space, Array Dao, Heavenly Fire, and Gu Dao into the protective light barrier.

The originally thin golden barrier instantly became incredibly thick and dazzling, managing to withstand the first wave of the demon lord's crushing attack!

Bang!

The earth-shattering collision resounded throughout the heavens and the earth.

The combined attack of dozens of demon lords was forcefully blocked. The terrifying shockwaves of demonic power scattered in all directions, but they could not shake the barrier in the slightest.

However, all four women simultaneously experienced a violent tremor, their blood and qi surging, as they endured an extreme backlash.

"The barrier can only be temporarily stabilized and won't last long," Zhu Xiaohan said urgently in a deep voice. "The Demon Lord has accumulated the power of countless ages, and with the support of hundreds of demon lords, his attacks are relentless. If we continue to deplete our resources, our source will be exhausted sooner or later."

Wan Yue nodded: "Prolonged defense is doomed to failure. Only by taking the initiative and slaying the Demon Lord can we truly end the demon calamity!"

Lin Ping nodded slightly, his eyes sharp: "That's right, the calamity will not end until the culprit is eliminated."

He looked down at his cracked Dao Foundation, feeling the slowly recovering primal power within his body, and his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes.

He had just suffered a severe backlash, losing 30% of his combat power, and then forcibly overdrawn his own source to support the national protection dojo. Although he seemed to be in a passive situation, this was not actually the case.

Having endured extreme pressure and life-or-death trials several times, his damaged Dao foundation is rapidly transforming, and from the broken cracks, an even more powerful and supreme Dao charm is emerging!

Breaking through desperate circumstances, undergoing a transformation from life to death!

This is the ultimate breakthrough opportunity for the Eternal Path!

"The four of you should stabilize the barrier, block the Demon Lord's attack, and buy him a moment."

Lin Ping slowly raised his hand, and the black and white supreme longsword in his hand hummed and trembled, with the sword body flowing with the seven-colored radiance of the six paths combined into one.

"I'm going to slay the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ping, dressed in white, soared into the air alone, defying the tide of countless demons, heading straight for the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons in the deepest part of the demon clouds!

One man, one sword, facing the ancient demon lord and hundreds of ancient demon lords!

Even with a damaged foundation, even amidst universal condemnation, even facing imminent calamity, they still pressed forward relentlessly, defying the heavens!

The Demon Lord sneered at Lin Ping, who had charged in alone, "You dare to challenge me while heavily wounded? You're courting death!"

"You used the formation to scheme against me just now; that was treacherous of you." Lin Ping stepped forward through the air, his sword light growing ever more dazzling. "Now, I will use my mangled body to slay you, so you will know what it means to be a supreme being in the mortal world, what it means to be invincible in the Six Paths!"

"How arrogant!"

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was furious. His pitch-black demonic fist, imbued with ancient demonic power, swept across the sky with the force to crush stars and overturn mountains and rivers, and slammed into Lin Ping!

This punch carries the power accumulated over countless ages, comparable to the peak strike of the Primordial Ancestor from beyond the realm!

The void collapsed instantly, the rules of heaven and earth shattered, and countless demonic powers condensed into a pitch-black giant fist that blotted out the sky and crushed down!

Countless surviving cultivators watched from afar, their minds completely frozen, convinced that Lin Ping was doomed to defeat.

But the next second, Lin Ping's eyes flashed, and he unleashed a sword strike!

"The six realms unite as one, the crippled body slays the demon lord!"

The seven-colored sword light pierced through the darkness, tearing apart the boundless demonic power, and with the supreme sharpness of breaking through the desperate situation, it precisely slashed at the pitch-black demonic fist!

Ding--!

A sharp, metallic clang that shook the heavens shattered the sky!

The invincible Eternal Demon Fist shattered inch by inch under this sword!

The demonic power that filled the sky was completely dissolved, and the dark fist shadow shattered with a deafening roar!

The seven-colored sword light, its momentum undiminished, slashed straight at the Demon Lord, whose expression had drastically changed!

The Demon Lord's pupils constricted, his face filled with disbelief. He hastily activated the billions of demon chains around him, layer upon layer, to block in front of him!

Bang!

The demon chains instantly shattered and scattered!

puff!

A blinding flash of blood erupted, and the majestic demon body of the Demon Lord was cleaved by a sword, leaving a terrifying wound that revealed the bone, with black demon blood gushing into the sky!

The invincible Demon Lord was severely injured by Lin Ping's head-on sword strike!

The entire room fell silent!

The rampaging demon lords all stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at the white-clad figure.

The entire internet community watching fell completely silent, their hearts trembling with extreme shock!

Even severely injured, he remains invincible!

Despite facing numerous criticisms, he still managed to suppress the ancient demon lord with a single sword!