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Chapter 381: Chapter 378: The Curtain Falls
Qiushan Rift.
"Swoosh!"
Gu Jinlai, Zhou Yi, and Zhang Lihuo appeared simultaneously.
Outside, Zhang Yukan, Si Tianyan, and others who were guarding to prevent demon spirits from rushing out, heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing them.
"Venerable Daoist!"
"Sect Master!"
"Is everyone all right?"
They approached and asked with concern.
Gu Jinlai waved his hand, signaling that there was no harm, his gaze, however, fell onto the Qiushan Rift. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Zhang Yukan and the others instantly understood.
The rift to the Demon Realm was still open, now was not the time for pleasantries.
However...
Time passed.
Although the rift remained open, no demon spirits could be seen rushing out from the other side.
Even those small demon spirits that could pass through the rift easily were absent.
This scene made Zhang Yukan, Si Tianyan, Guan Xingyun, and others look somewhat bemused.
"The small rift can attract only a few demon spirits, could it be... that the demon spirits on the other side were all killed by the Venerable Daoists?"
Guan Xingyun muttered internally.
"Unless this rift enlarges enough to easily accommodate Catastrophic-level demon spirits, these spirits won’t come again."
Zhou Yi commented with some emotion, "Demon spirits are intelligent. Although True Spirits might drive them recklessly, such recklessness is based on seeing hope. If they know it’s a suicidal mission, not even the greatest temptation can overcome the innate fear of death."
"Is that so?"
Gu Jinlai pondered.
"Of course."
Zhou Yi looked at Gu Jinlai, even now seeming not yet fully recovered from the shock: "You killed... a Spirit Venerable! A Spirit Venerable level demon spirit! Other demon spirits coming here... it’s not the way to come to die."
"Spirit Venerable!?"
Zhang Yukan and others were slightly startled.
Then, seeming to grasp the significance of these words, their pupils dilated: "Killed a Spirit Venerable!?"
"Is it... the kind of Spirit Venerable I understand?"
Si Tianyan couldn’t help but ask.
"According to ancient records, Spirit Venerable level demon spirits are also known as Supreme Level demon spirits, Venerable demon spirits. In the demon spirit system, they are equivalent to Earthly True Immortals in the cultivator system, often holding many titles at the top tier, each Spirit Venerable is like Earthly True Immortal, belonging to the supreme ruling class beyond ordinary spirits..."
Guan Xingyun was also emotionally excited, quickly explaining.
Zhang Lihuo scanned the others, and although he used to share their sentiments, he had settled down by then: "You didn’t mishear, it is indeed the Spirit Venerable you all understand."
Even with Zhang Lihuo’s confirmation, Zhang Yukan still continued to inquire: "A Spirit Venerable... wasn’t it said that only a creator could kill...?"
Zhang Lihuo didn’t answer this question but instead turned his gaze towards Gu Jinlai.
Not just him, Zhou Yi similarly looked at him, his eyes filled with a hint of yearning.
Gu Jinlai began to ponder.
Qing Lian was his greatest secret; he couldn’t possibly reveal it to others.
But the current situation seemed to require some rationale nevertheless.
After a moment, he spoke: "It must be related to my personal ’Dao’."
"Dao?"
"Yes."
Gu Jinlai nodded: "You all are fully aware of the deeds of Purple Peak Immortal. He transitioned from True Immortal to Heavenly Master and developed the Great Sky Lord Realm with his understanding of ’Dao.’ My situation is slightly different, rooted in both the All Living Beings Dao and the Demon-slaying Dao."
"All Living Beings Dao, Demon-slaying Dao?"
Several people were somewhat confused.
"My Dao, at its core, is about maintaining order, punishing the evil and promoting the good, and eliminating demons. Therefore, when I maintain order and engage in punishing the evil and promoting the good and excising demons, I can continuously strengthen my spiritual conviction, thus allowing me to unleash a power far beyond my own."
Gu Jinlai spoke solemnly: "Just like how an Earthly True Immortal through comprehending their own ’Dao’ breaks through shackles, influencing the outside world, making the impossible possible."
"Punishing the evil, promoting the good, eliminating demons..."
Zhang Lihuo, hearing Gu Jinlai’s words, seemed to understand something: "No wonder, Venerable Daoist, you almost periodically judge those tremendously wicked individuals..."
"Correct."
Gu Jinlai nodded: "Although such matters supposedly no longer require my personal involvement, each judgment session is a process through which I introspect and inquire about Dao."
Zhou Yi, Zhang Yukan, Si Tianyan, Guan Xingyun, and others, although feeling that the Dao of an Earthly True Immortal and the explosive potential of a Heavenly Monarch’s True Spirit shouldn’t be conflated, but...
With the precedent set by Purple Peak Immortal before them.
Moreover...
The power of the Dao was indeed mysterious and unfathomable.
This power itself is about turning the impossible into the possible.
This was also why Earthly True Immortals could far surpass Saints, and even the creators did not take them lightly.
Especially those who had realized their own Dao and produced True Immortal Dao Fruit, the creators’ Soul Secret Techniques could not shake their will and divine sense. Only through forbidden Ruined Beasts and Divine Weapons could they suppress the Earthly True Immortals.
Therefore, several Heavenly Monarchs quickly accepted this statement from Gu Jinlai.
"The mystery of the Dao is truly astonishing."
Zhang Lihuo was the first to express his amazement.
The others also nodded in agreement.
Especially Zhou Yi...
Zhang Lihuo and the others, hailing from the Qiantian World, did not understand what "Spirit Venerable" really meant, but he deeply understood how terrifying these spiritual creatures were.
At this moment, that Gu Jinlai, in the form of a Heavenly Monarch, could actually annihilate a Spirit Venerable...
This genuinely gave him a tangible sense of hope.
A hope more dazzling than the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine and Cheng Ying Mecha.
The Mystic Bird Fighting Machine and Cheng Ying Mecha could only ensure that Heavenly Masters and cultivators had an advantage against devils, but the essence of devils is Demon Spirit.
No amount of Cheng Ying Mechas would be useful against a Demon Spirit.
But now, Gu Jinlai, not yet a creator, not even at perfection in the Heavenly Monarch path, becoming a Great Sky Lord, yet could wear down a Spirit Venerable...
This achievement was more meaningful than him piloting the Cheng Ying Mecha to annihilate three Demon Demon Emperors.
At this moment, he deeply felt that following Hong Ye to Qiantian might be the most correct decision he had made in these years.
"Everyone, let’s quickly adjust the various performances of the Cheng Ying Mecha. Although the devils of the Three Thousand Marshes are retreating to Mu State, if I cannot pilot the Cheng Ying Mecha to return to the battlefield at the last moment, this war might not be completely successful, and we will still face harassment from the Three Thousand Marshes in the future,"
said Gu Jinlai.
Everyone solemnly nodded their heads.
The Cheng Ying Mecha must be quickly repaired and have Master Gu rush to the battlefield, demonstrating to the Three Thousand Marshes, and even to the world, the power of their Cheng Ying Mecha.
A fully functional Cheng Ying Mecha, along with a terrifying record of annihilating three Demon Demon Emperors and twelve Demon Demon Kings, would be enough to deter the Three Thousand Marshes from daring to make any rash moves for a long time.
...
Before the opening of the Qiushan Rift, Gu Jinlai and Zhang Lihuo, Zhou Yi, and others had already prepared everything.
Now the adjusted and repaired Cheng Ying Mecha took only three days.
Three days later, escorted by the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine piloted by Zhang Lihuo and Zhou Yi, Gu Jinlai soared into the sky, streaking across the void like a golden light, whistling toward the direction of Southern Mu State.
A few hours later, the Cheng Ying Mecha crossed the ten thousand miles from Lingxiao City to the Southern Mu State battlefield, descending from the sky, crushing a King-level Demon Bird circling the void to gather intelligence.
Seeing this Mecha, which appeared like a guardian god of Tian Nan, appear, all the soldiers on Lingxiao Palace’s side were buoyed to an unprecedented peak, cheering exuberantly, venting their joy and fervor.
Afterwards, statistics showed that after this battle, the cultivators who were initially resistant to transitioning to Heavenly Masters proceeded to join the ranks of Heavenly Masters in succession.
Within Lingxiao Palace’s territory, a scenario where Demon God Warriors, cultivators, and Heavenly Masters stood as three major systems was completely established.
And with the Cheng Ying Mecha reappearing less than twenty days later, the Demon Demon Kings, still harboring fantasies and unwilling to leave, dared not linger on the border of Southern Mu State any longer, fleeing back to the Three Thousand Marshes at the fastest speed.
Gu Jinlai, Zhang Lihuo, and Zhou Yi, the three Great Heavenly Monarchs piloting War Spiritual Artifacts, along with Hong Ye, Lu Zhanxian, Fang Linghai, Leng Ningshuang, Monarch You Quan, and other Devas and Monarchs, led the pursuit, chasing for over ten days, completely driving out hundreds of thousands of devils from Southern Mu State, and even pursuing them for over a hundred miles into the Three Thousand Marshes.
Only when the surrounding environment gradually turned into a marshland which was about to affect the combat power of the Demon God Guards did the group finally cease their pursuit.
During these ten-plus days, Gu Jinlai’s sword claimed the souls of an additional three Demon King-level beings.
As for the Great Demons, they did not even qualify to face his sword.
Thanks to this magnificent victory, a massive amount of devil corpses continuously transported into Mu State, and the enormous amount of Demon Blood Essence collected from this great war was enough to cultivate ten thousand Demon God Guards!
This number would surely elevate the military power south of Tianhe to an unprecedented peak.
...
On the way back from Southern Mu State,
Gu Jinlai had already stored the Cheng Ying Mecha in the Qiankun Ring and, maintaining a normal state, was slowly heading toward East Wood State on top of a Mechanical Tyrannosaurus.
Around him were Heavenly Monarch Zhou Yi, Primordial Spirit Monarch Liu Jingtiao and Cheng Lixue, along with Demon God Guards Gu Luochen and Gu Qingmei.
"The battle in Mu State lasted for four months, and even later involved the Three Thousand Marshes too. Now that it’s over, we have finally reclaimed all four Great Mu States."
Liu Jingtiao remarked somewhat emotionally.
This great war saw every hall under Lingxiao Palace’s jurisdiction deploy fully.
Like Purgatory Hall, Leng Ningshuang, Zhang Liefeng, and Liu Jingtiao all participated in the battle.
It was just that sometimes, when someone’s Primordial Spirit was excessively depleted or sustained injuries, they had to return for recuperation.
"This great war not only reclaimed the Four Great Mu States but also severely damaged the devils of the Three Thousand Marshes. The fall of three Demon Demon Emperors not only deterred the Three Thousand Marshes from acting rashly for some time but also demonstrated our Lingxiao Palace’s strength to those powers north of Tianhe. This kind of strength, I fear, cannot even be matched by the Daqian Dynasty, The Three Pure Ones Hall, or the True Immortal Palace,"
Cheng Lixue agreed.
Gu Luochen and Gu Qingmei vehemently nodded in agreement.
Gu Luochen even cautiously asked, "Patriarch, now that Mu State has been recovered and Tian Nan is completely stable, what is our next target..."
As he spoke, his gaze turned toward the north.
