"Merely testing the blade of the Annihilation God Emperor?"
Upon hearing these words, Jue Luo Sword Master felt his scalp tingle with dread.
He couldn't fathom what kind of earth-shattering battle would ensue if Gu An and the Annihilation God Emperor clashed. Such a confrontation would likely cause the very laws of the universe to tremble.
Too fearful to respond, Jue Luo Sword Master could only stare blankly at Gu An.
Noticing this, Gu An turned his gaze back toward him and smiled faintly. "I was just joking. Don't think too much about it."
With his cultivation of the Formless Free Spirit Body, Gu An was beyond the entanglements of causality. Even if he uttered the name of the Annihilation God Emperor, he wasn't concerned about being detected. After all, the Annihilation God Emperor in the outer heavens was merely an incarnation, not his true self.
Gu An gave Jue Luo Sword Master a reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning to leave. He walked along the base of Myriad Sword Mountain, casually strolling through the valley.
Though it seemed as if he was patrolling the Medicine Valley, Gu An's divine sense remained fixed on Ji Xiaoya.
Faced with the overwhelming Xuanhuang Demon God, Ji Xiaoya had fully unleashed the power of her Innate Dao Seal. While the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor refrained from directly engaging in the battle, she was diligently setting up a formation to draw mysterious forces from other great worlds to aid Ji Xiaoya.
Through the formation, Gu An caught a glimpse of three majestic figures. He surmised that they were likely the other three members of the Four Emperors of Yin-Yang.
As the Samsara Dao Emperor's immense power erupted, it shook the heavens and earth, alarming sects across the land. This spectacle also attracted numerous grand cultivators and powerful demon beasts to join the fray.
Gu An noticed that even the Sun Immortal Emperor and other great figures had entered the battle, engaging in a relentless struggle against the Xuanhuang Demon God.
Meanwhile, atop a mountain peak on the edge of the Third Medicine Valley, Long Qing sat by a cliff, gazing into the distant horizon. His sword-like brows furrowed tightly as though lost in thought.
From behind him, You Yingying approached quietly. She stopped by his side and asked, "Are you sensing something?"
Long Qing turned his head to look at You Yingying and nodded. "Yes, Aunt You. Do you feel it too?"
To Long Qing, You Yingying was like a mother. She had raised him since he was a child, and even though he was now hundreds of years old, he still treated her with utmost respect.
You Yingying's gaze was complex as she softly replied, "Yes, I've regained many memories and can sense my origin calling out to me, urging me to join that slaughter."
Long Qing's brows furrowed even deeper. He responded, "I haven't recovered any memories, but I, too, hear a voice urging me to take part in the battle."
You Yingying turned her head to study him carefully. Years ago, she had sensed an aura similar to her own emanating from Long Qing. She knew he was also a reincarnation of a Heavenly Demon, but she had never revealed this to anyone. She trusted that Gu An was aware of this as well, which explained why he had been hesitant to teach Long Qing how to cultivate.
"Think more about your master's teachings," You Yingying said with heartfelt concern. "Perhaps this is a tribulation we must face."
Long Qing nodded resolutely. "Don't worry, Aunt You. Master warned me long ago, and I won't act recklessly. Besides, I know exactly who I am. I am Long Qing. My past has nothing to do with me."
Though he had spent centuries in cultivation, Long Qing had gained some understanding of reincarnation. He suspected his previous life held a powerful and dangerous identity. If revealed, it would bring unimaginable trouble, which was likely why his master had refrained from directly teaching him.
The two turned back to the horizon, continuing to exchange their thoughts.
They were but one of many such cases. All over the world, reincarnated Heavenly Demon began to lose control and succumb to their original instincts, slaughtering indiscriminately once they regained their Heavenly Demon nature.
Gu An wasn't solely focused on Ji Xiaoya. His divine sense extended across the entire world, tirelessly exterminating Heavenly Demon and rescuing mortal lives.
He had no intention of altering the grand trajectory of the era but hoped to grant many mortals a better chance at survival in the days to come.
Dark clouds churned violently, demonic energy wandered across the mortal realm, and fierce gusts of wind howled over the land, shaking mountains and rivers alike.
An Hao stood atop a mountain with a group of cultivators. They gazed at the battlefield ahead, each wearing expressions of shock. Even An Hao, who always prided himself on his composure, could not maintain his usual calm.
At the edge of the earth, the towering figure of the Xuanhuang Demon God loomed larger than mountains themselves. His flowing hair writhed like countless dragons, spewing flames that scorched the heavens. His massive arms, broader than mountain ranges, waved continuously as gigantic celestial treasures hovered around him, their radiance erupting with divine abilities that shook the heavens and earth.
An Hao's attention was fixed on a singular figure—a woman cloaked in black robes, her face obscured by a black-and-white mask resembling a Taiji diagram. Her long hair danced wildly in the air, and behind her floated a massive, resplendent golden wheel. From this golden wheel surged an endless stream of golden dragons, charging fiercely toward the Xuanhuang Demon God.
It was none other than Ji Xiaoya!
The power of her Innate Dao Seal had been fully unleashed. In her true form as the Samsara Dao Emperor, she stood against the Xuanhuang Demon God.
Though her figure was merely a hundred zhang tall, far smaller than the Xuanhuang Demon God, her aura was no weaker than his. From An Hao's distant perspective, it was impossible to ignore her presence.
An Hao even found himself comparing her to the Sun Immortal Emperor. The comparison left him stunned; the Sun Immortal Emperor paled in comparison to this woman.
Moreover, a sense of familiarity nagged at him, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
"Roar—!"
The Xuanhuang Demon God let out another deafening roar, his voice hoarse and full of rage. The heavens and earth quaked violently.
Above his head, the black clouds churned fiercely, forming a massive vortex. Within it, thunder and lightning raged, as if heralding the arrival of an unimaginable terror.
Boom!
A terrifying figure descended from the black vortex, crashing into the earth and sending up a dust storm thousands of zhang high.
Another Xuanhuang Demon God!
Upon closer inspection, this new demon god's appearance was almost identical to the Xuanhuang Demon God, with only a slight difference in skin tone. It was as if this was merely a clone of the original. However, his aura was equally overwhelming, on par with the Xuanhuang Demon God himself.
His sudden arrival caused even the Sun Immortal Emperor and the others to turn pale with dread.
One Xuanhuang Demon God alone was enough to drive them to despair. Now, with a second one appearing, how could they possibly fight back?
Ji Xiaoya, now the Samsara Dao Emperor, remained unfazed, or at least her expression could not be discerned behind her mask.
The two Xuanhuang Demon Gods stood side by side, as immovable and imposing as the highest peaks in existence, exuding an aura that looked down on all living beings.
In their presence, everything in the world seemed insignificant.
For a brief moment, the battle came to a halt. The forces of Heavenly Spirit Grand World dared not act rashly, while the two Xuanhuang Demon Gods entered a strange, motionless state.
"What's happening?"
A cultivator standing beside An Hao frowned and asked. The others grew visibly more anxious, their unease growing as if sensing an impending disaster.
Suddenly, An Hao felt something and instinctively looked up. His face instantly turned pale as he cried out involuntarily, "How is this possible?!"
The other cultivators followed his gaze, and each was similarly stricken with fear, their faces drained of all color.
Above the black clouds, countless terrifying figures flickered in and out of view. Each was massive beyond imagination, their forms identical to the Xuanhuang Demon God.
Even the Sun Immortal Emperor and the Sacred Minister could not conceal their fear, their faces deathly pale.
In the distance, on the desolate earth where the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor was setting up formations, he, too, was left speechless. His entire body trembled as he stared in disbelief.
"How can there be so many…" the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor muttered with a quivering voice. Behind him stood three colossal shadows, continuously channeling power into the Samsara Dao Emperor. Yet, even these three figures seemed insignificant—like ants before deities—in the face of the overwhelming presence of the countless demon gods.
As far as the eye could see, the forms of the Xuanhuang Demon Gods filled the entire sky. Their immense and terrifying figures had now exceeded one hundred, creating a scene of utter despair for all beings under heaven.