Chapter 1578 : The Demon Sovereign's Ascension

"Boom—" After shattering the Cosmos [a vast, self-contained universe or realm], the group seized the remaining half of the fractured Cosmos. In that fleeting moment, the other half of the shattered Cosmos flowed like a hundred rivers converging, completely refined into the body of the Demon Sovereign [a supreme ruler among demonic beings]. "Hum—" A resonant sound followed. Clad in dark imperial robes, the Demon Sovereign stood tall within the boundless Dimensional Void [the empty space between dimensions and realms]. Three beams of Karmic Malignancy Red Light [a crimson light representing accumulated evil karma and misfortune] illuminated the myriad worlds, making him appear like an ancient world-ending demon standing amidst infinite dimensional spaces. "He succeeded?" murmured the Vajra Arhat [an enlightened Buddhist monk who has attained the Vajra, or diamond-like, state], his voice filled with shock. Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly, his gaze turning intensely grave. "Not quite. It seems he is still half a step short." At this moment, he sensed that while the Demon Sovereign's current power far surpassed that of a Dual Taiyi Foundation [a cultivator who has established two supreme foundational pillars of power], it still seemed somewhat inferior to the former Myriad Spirits Ancient Ancestor. "Indeed," Xuan Yu the Daoist nodded in agreement. "We tore away half of the Cosmos, preventing him from completely sacrificing it. His current strength should be comparable to an eight-calamity Earth Immortal [an immortal whose power is tied to the earth, having survived eight great heavenly tribulations]." Hearing this, the group felt a slight sense of relief. Had the Demon Sovereign achieved a Triple Taiyi Foundation [a cultivator who has established three supreme foundational pillars of power], they would have had no choice but to retreat in defeat. Since he had not taken that crucial final step, he had not undergone a qualitative transformation. Considering this, the Separated Flame Deity spoke, "In that case, let us thoroughly vanquish this demon today." With those words, she immediately acted, summoning the all-consuming Southern Brightness Sunfire [the supreme solar flame of the southern heavens] to incinerate all things, aiming to completely refine the Demon Sovereign. "Southern Brightness Sunfire?" Facing this attack, the Demon Sovereign responded with calm disdain. "The Southern Brightness Sunfire is indeed one of the world's supreme flames, but your cultivation is ultimately insufficient to unleash its ultimate might." "Today, let me show you what a true Supreme demonic flame is." As the Demon Sovereign spoke, he flicked his sleeve, unleashing a dazzling stream of demonic fire. This flame, like an inferno from the deepest netherworld, radiated an extreme, bone-chilling coldness that actually suppressed the Southern Brightness Sunfire. "Nine Nether Demon Flame [the demonic fire born from the deepest, coldest layers of the underworld]," Eldrin Chen murmured, his expression shifting slightly. The Nine Nether Demon Flame ranked ninth among the Ten Great Heavenly Flames, while the Southern Brightness Sunfire held the third position. Yet, in their clash, the Southern Brightness Sunfire was at a disadvantage. This clearly showed that the Demon Sovereign's current cultivation firmly overpowered the Separated Flame Deity. Without hesitation, Eldrin Chen moved to assist. With a sweep of his sleeve, he summoned boundless Pure Yang Celestial Flame [the purest celestial fire of the sun, embodying ultimate yang energy] to aid the Southern Brightness Sunfire against the Nine Nether Demon Flame. Combined, the two flames managed to hold back the overwhelming might of the Nine Nether Demon Flame. "Pure Yang Celestial Flame?" At the sight of the Pure Yang Celestial Flame, the Demon Sovereign's pupils contracted slightly, revealing a trace of killing intent. The Pure Yang Celestial Flame was the foremost among all Pure Yang [the ultimate yang energy] flames and ranked second among the Ten Great Heavenly Flames. Had the Solar Celestial Emperor not achieved enlightenment through the Solar Great Dao [the Great Dao of the Sun], this flame might even have contended for the top spot. Most crucially, this flame countered all impure and corrupt energies in the world, making it the bane of all Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who follow demonic paths] and Ghost Cultivator [cultivators who follow ghostly paths]. Once fully matured, it posed a significant threat to Demonic Cultivator. "Die—" With this thought flashing through his mind, the Demon Sovereign flicked his sleeve, unleashing a dazzling stream of Sword Qi [sword energy] that cleaved towards Eldrin Chen. Yet, how could the others stand idly by? In that instant, Zixuan the Daoist, the Vajra Arhat, and Xuan Yu the Immortal all sprang into action, determined to fight the Demon Sovereign to the death. The Demon Sovereign possessed astonishing combat power, having touched the threshold of an eight-calamity Earth Immortal. However, the five opponents were no pushovers. Among them, four possessed combat power equivalent to a Dual Taiyi Foundation, meaning they could likely hold their own even against a Triple Taiyi Foundation. Although the Demon Sovereign's power was terrifying, he had not truly stepped into that ultimate realm. Facing the combined assault of such formidable foes, he found himself somewhat overwhelmed. "Troublesome," the Demon Sovereign muttered coldly, seeing that he was outnumbered. With a flick of his sleeve, an ancient formation diagram unfurled. Upon it, the Blood Demon Soul-Slaying Sword, the Heavenly Demon's Immortal-Slaying Sword, and the Heart Demon God-Destroying Sword erupted with boundless slaughterous aura, transforming into an immense sword formation that enveloped the group. "Another Three Demons Slaying Immortals Formation [a formation powered by three demonic swords]," Zixuan the Daoist remarked. He flicked his sleeve, summoning the Kui Ox Heavenly Drum to block, only to find this sword formation's power was peerless. Even with his Taiyi Immortal Weapon [an immortal weapon of the Taiyi grade], he struggled to withstand it. Seeing this, Zixuan the Daoist declared, "This formation cannot be opposed without three Taiyi [cultivators of the Taiyi realm]. Let us join forces and break it first." With these words, Zixuan the Daoist stepped into the grand formation once more. The Vajra Arhat saw this and also charged into the formation. The Separated Flame Deity glanced back at Eldrin Chen. Seeing that Eldrin Chen showed no intention of entering, she immediately strode into the formation herself. Xuan Yu the Daoist, witnessing this, simultaneously directed the Nine Heavens Milky Way Star Sand Sword to attack the Demon Sovereign while sending a mental message to Eldrin Chen: "Fellow Daoist [a respectful term for a fellow cultivator], can you still hold on?" Eldrin Chen swept his long sleeve, sending the Heavenly Separated Twin Swords crisscrossing through the air to slash at the Demon Sovereign. "It's fine. I can still fight." "Good, then let us fight side by side," Xuan Yu the Daoist replied. With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned boundless stellar Great Divine Ability [a supreme mystical technique], manifesting nine Star Deity [deities associated with stars] clones that strode forward, surrounding and attacking the Demon Sovereign. Eldrin Chen glanced over, his eyes narrowing slightly. Xuan Yu the Daoist truly lived up to being a long-cultivated Earth Immortal Great Perfection [an Earth Immortal at the peak of their realm]. This Divine Ability [a powerful mystical technique] was named 'Stars Derive My Path' [a technique where stars chart one's path]. Each of the nine clones it created possessed combat power comparable to an Earth Immortal Great Perfection. Although these clones could not wield supreme treasures to strike powerful enemies, their combined force could unleash astonishing combat power, enough to hold off a Half-Step Celestial Immortal [one who is half a step into the Celestial Immortal realm] with a Single Taiyi Foundation [a cultivator who has established one supreme foundational pillar of power]. Meanwhile, the Demon Sovereign, facing the assault from both, revealed a look of arrogance. "Xuan Yu, you brat, after all these years, you still haven't made much progress." "If this is the extent of your skills, then stay here today." As he spoke, the Demon Sovereign flicked his sleeve, summoning an utterly pitch-black Demonic Banner. This banner soared into the Void Heaven [the highest layer of the void]. With a shake from the Demon Sovereign, boundless, sinister Dark Fiend Qi [dark and fiendish energy] instantly engulfed the Endless Void [the boundless emptiness]. "Jie jie jie!" Amidst a chorus of shrill, mournful wails, tens of thousands of vengeful ghosts flew out from the Demonic Banner and surged towards the group. Xuan Yu the Immortal saw this and hurriedly activated a Divine Ability to defend, then warned with extreme gravity, "Be careful! This is the Demonic Path [the faction of demonic cultivators]'s supreme treasure, the Myriad Souls Banner [a banner containing countless trapped souls]." "Hmph—" Eldrin Chen's expression darkened. He immediately summoned boundless thunder and lightning power. In an instant, billions of lightning bolts flooded the Void [the concept of emptiness], and the overwhelmingly domineering Pure Yang Divine Thunder [divine thunder imbued with pure yang energy] drowned everything. The sky full of ghosts let out miserable shrieks, countless numbers of them instantly turning to ashes. Demonic Cultivator often use extremely evil materials to refine their treasures, sparing no vile method. Righteous Path Cultivator [cultivators who follow righteous paths] treasures, on the other hand, typically require carefully selected rare materials for refinement, often of superior quality compared to those of the Demonic Path. Therefore, while Demonic Cultivator often possess far more treasures than righteous path cultivators, these treasures are also much more fragile.