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Chapter 260: Chapter 257: Harvest
The battle at Yuntian City entered its third day in the morning.
The Demon God Guards had ceased their pursuit, and everyone returned carrying abundant spoils of war.
That day, Great Sun Brilliance enveloped Yuntian City, persisting without decline.
Having reached the third step of Heavenly Monarch, which touched the True Spirit Realm, Gu Jinlai’s mastery over spiritual power had soared to the pinnacle of this realm.
The demonic nature contained within the demon blood essence was incinerated to ash by the brilliant force.
At the same time, countless Demon God Guards who had not yet refined an undying demon body were casting their demon bodies, and those Demon God Warriors who had already forged their demon bodies underwent a transformation, advancing to the middle, upper, and even Great Demon levels.
Among them, the specially nurtured commander-level figures, Gu Chifeng, Gu Luochen, Gu Qingmei, Gu Yunxin, and Gu Xiliu, ascended dramatically, their physical strength reaching that comparable to middle-level Great Demons.
The only downside was that, up until now, Gu Chifeng and Gu Qingmei, who had the fastest progress in the Great Sun Demon God Body Refining Method, still had not perfected this cultivation technique to bring forth the Great Sun True Demon Body.
Without the support of Divine Skills, Mental Realm, swordsmanship, or Martial Arts, it was unclear whether their consolidation into middle-level Great Demon bodies had made them any stronger than before.
Bullying a Refining God Immortal posed no problem, but facing a Divinity Transformation Cultivator...
They still could not contend on their own.
"The Demon System is clearly weaker than the Cultivator System at the third rank. Only at the fourth rank, the Demon King stage, can it surpass the latter. At this stage, some Demon Kings have completed their cultivation of the Undying Demon Body, amassing Qi Blood Demon Power, an energy rich in demonic nature that poses a great threat to cultivators..."
Gu Jinlai glanced toward the direction of a large pit ten miles away.
The Champsosaurus King was, in fact, a terrifying existence with an Undying Demon Body Perfection.
It was such that two or three Devas couldn’t trouble it at all.
This was also why it dominated over Tianhe.
If not for the fact that Di Luo, the foremost expert of the Demon Path, was the summoner for the Divine Sword assembly, it would never lead a retreat to the Champsosaurus Swamp, dodging the brunt.
The human Demon God Warrior System...
Even if they could eventually enable their bodies to match those of a Demon King, because their Qi Blood does not contain demonic nature, they could never compare to a genuine top Demon King.
It was almost a weakened version of the cultivation system.
Thus, starting from the middle-level Great Demon, the springtime for Demon God Warriors ends, and they will always be surpassed by demons and cultivators.
Becoming the weakest among the three systems.
"Need to find a way to solve these problems."
Gu Jinlai pondered.
Enable Gu Chifeng and others to achieve Divinity Transformation and then break into the Mental Realm just like him?
That’s unrealistic.
Not everyone can perfect several schools of swordsmanship in a very short time by relying on Qingguang like he did, and comprehend the Mysterious of Divinity Transformation by association.
Not to mention comprehending the Mental Realm with the convenience of the Heavenly Master’s Spiritual Knowledge.
Although the Great Sun Demon God Body Refining Method compensates for the deficiency of Qi Blood in Heavenly Masters, that’s about all it does.
To go down the path of a Demon God Warrior or a Heavenly Master.
Without training into the Eternal Furnace, this system can’t ever complete its cycle to unify both aspects.
"Before this issue is resolved, Demon God Warriors can only be used as heavy infantry."
Gu Jinlai resolved firmly.
...
Tianhe Demons aggressively heading south, inevitably impacting the political landscape of the southern states.
Facing such a potentially life-threatening situation, all forces dared not slacken their vigilance, quickly dispatching a large number of scouts who soon provided the first-hand information.
The earliest to receive battle reports from Yuntian City was none other than the Purgatory Sect, which had sent some elders to join Lingxiao City’s camp.
Upon seeing Gu Jinlai, for the second time, use that treasure obtained from the Aries Star Palace to annihilate the Champsosaurus King and a large number of Great Demons, causing the demon army to collapse headlessly in massive defeat, Zhang Liefeng and Lu Zhanxian, the two Supreme Elders, simultaneously turned pale.
"Impossible! How could such a treasure be reused?"
"A treasure equivalent to the strike of a Peak Deva already rivals a Supreme Grade Spirit Artifact in value, even reaching the level of a Quasi-Dao Artifact... For such a treasure to be reused! That’s definitely a Dao Artifact-level Supreme Treasure! How could it be gifted by the Aries Star Palace after passing just one True Dragon Gate?"
The two Primordial Spirit True Monarchs wore incredulous expressions.
They even harbored a terrifying suspicion they had not uttered.
The strength of the Champsosaurus King was in itself equal to that of a Peak Deva.
The power of that treasure that Gu Jinlai used to kill the Champsosaurus King...
Was it really only at the Peak Deva level?
It took a while for the two Primordial Spirit True Monarchs to calm down again.
Zhang Liefeng’s gaze fell on Lu Zhanxian: "Supreme Elder, Lingxiao City has won a great victory. They used a tactic similar to the one used against Dragon Roar City, first barraging the demons with that War Spiritual Artifact called a sharp sword, startling their hearts, then inviting Gu Jinlai to bring out that Supreme Treasure, annihilating all the Great Demons including the Champsosaurus King, decisively settling the matter..."
As he spoke, he recalled the entire process of the battle.
It was almost a replica of the battle at Dragon Roar City.
Lingxiao City had won a great victory through its own strength, naturally eliminating the need for Purgatory Sect’s support at a critical moment, thereby consolidating loyalty among the people.
Zhang Liefeng couldn’t help but ask again, "What should we do next..."
"Even if Gu Jinlai performed exceptionally well in the Aries Star Palace at True Dragon Gate, there’s no way he would be granted a Dao Artifact! Moreover, an artifact that continuously unleashes the peak strike of the Heavenly Beings, there must be some restrictions to that treasure. Just like the Purple Night Divine Sword of the Purple Night Sword Sect, it requires top-notch swordsmen to infuse Sword Qi and Sword Intent, accumulating it to perfection before it can burst forth and sweep across all directions..."
Lu Zhanxian declared confidently.
He was unwilling to believe that Lingxiao City truly possessed such a powerful supreme treasure.
"I think so too, otherwise it would be too unfair of the Aries Star Palace."
Zhang Liefeng nodded but then added, "Even if that treasure has restrictions on its release... Gu Jinlai is not weak, and now he has such a terrifying trump card... In the lands of Tiannan... no power or force can influence him anymore, what should we do next..."
Lu Zhanxian remained silent, not saying a word.
Images of his disciples, Tan Qingquan and Xue Wuqing, flashed through his mind.
It was undeniable that his prejudice against Gu Jinlai stemmed not only from his reluctance to share the power of being a Supreme Elder of the Purgatory Sect but was also influenced by the deaths of both disciples at his hands.
But now...
The momentum of Gu Jinlai had become unstoppable.
Purgatory Sect had once been close to Gu Jinlai, but if they continued to let the relationship deteriorate...
What good would it bring Purgatory Sect when Gu Jinlai intends to sweep across Tiannan in the future?
After a long while, this Supreme Elder, one of the ten great masters of the Demon Path, finally sighed, "The Purgatory Sect must make a statement."
After pondering for a moment, he said, "Isn’t Venerable Daoist Gu interested in acquiring Immortal Essence Gold? Once Liu Jingtiao returns, let’s send the Immortal Essence Gold of our Purgatory Sect over... at the same time, we should clarify our position to Venerable Daoist Liu. He has a good relationship with Venerable Daoist Gu. In this way, both parties can reconcile."
"I’ll have it arranged immediately."
Zhang Liefeng nodded.
His attitude towards Gu Jinlai was similar to that of Lu Zhanxian.
Now that Lu Zhanxian was inclined to make concessions, he naturally would not insist on his own way.
...
"Gu Jinlai’s trump card... can it actually be used again!? Thankfully, our Netherworld Sect did not blindly trust the information probed by the spies of the Purgatory Sect and develop any improper ideas."
Netherworld Sect.
Yout Quan Ancestor immediately summoned Three-Life Ancestor, who had previously been dispatched to Lingxiao City, "Go, our Netherworld Sect should prepare a generous gift to celebrate Lingxiao City’s grand defeat of the Tianhe Demons and opening the north-south pathway, restoring peace to south of Tianhe."
"I’ll go right away."
Three-Life Ancestor nodded, "Last time Lingxiao City intended to purchase our Immortal Essence Gold... We originally thought there was a Heavenly Being behind them, and that these Immortal Essence Gold were preparations for that Heavenly Being to forge an Immortal Golden Body, so we were very strict. However, we have recently learned that his strike of the Heavenly Beings stems from a supreme treasure, and the news about the Heavenly Being behind him has become elusive..."
"Then let’s gift the Immortal Essence Gold!"
You Quan Ancestor made a decisive decision, "The rise of Lingxiao City is now unstoppable, unless our Netherworld Sect, Purgatory Sect, Cold Moon Sect, and Yellow Sky Sect can fully unite; otherwise, no one can withstand Lingxiao City’s momentum..."
He shook his head, "Among the four major powers, Cold Moon Sect is in peril, Yellow Sky Sect sustained heavy losses in this battle, and although Purgatory Sect’s position is somewhat ambiguous, after this battle, it must see the situation clearly. It is impossible for us to unite and oppose Lingxiao City. Without unity, we cannot stand against Lingxiao City. Since we cannot oppose them, we must find a way to befriend and maintain friendly relations."
"Maintaining friendly relations..."
Three-Life Ancestor was actually somewhat worried.
They were willing to submit, but as Lingxiao City continued to rise...
Whether they could tolerate the presence of powers like the Netherworld Sect was an unknown.
"The situation is more powerful than people. When it’s time to bow, one must bow. At the very least... when Lingxiao City truly intends to target the surroundings, we shouldn’t become the first target."
You Quan Ancestor said, "Begin your journey as soon as possible."
"All right."
...
Compared to the complex thoughts of the Purgatory Sect and Netherworld Sect, the Cold Moon Sect, which had just engaged in battle with the Mu State Demons, was overjoyed upon receiving this news.
"Good! Good! Good!"
The Sect Master Fang Linghai, who also possessed the cultivation of a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, exclaimed three times, "Lingxiao City, truly lives up to its name as a Demon Slayer! Even the Tianhe Demons have been routed in their battle!"
"Can we ask Lingxiao City for help? After all, we are all members of the Tian Nan Alliance, and there is a duty to support each other against the demons."
The person beside him, Fang Yumian, asked.
"Ask for help, of course, we must ask for help,"
Fang Linghai pondered for a moment, then said, "However, being members of the Tian Nan Alliance...just listen to that part, if we actually want Lingxiao City to take action... I’m afraid we’ll have to pay some price."
"You mean..."
Fang Yumian asked, quickly realizing something.
"Yes, they have been seeking Immortal Essence Gold everywhere. If we are willing to offer the Immortal Essence Gold stored in our sect, it won’t be difficult to request their help. After all, the hatred of the Heavenly Master towards demons is much greater than ours."
Fang Linghai nodded, and then, suddenly looking at Fang Yumian, an idea occurred to him, "Yumian, what do you think of Heavenly Monarch Gu?"
