Translator: AnubisTL
Time flowed serenely. With the Mending the Heavens project still incomplete, the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild seized the opportunity to fully repair the remaining five void rifts in the Human Realm.
For reasons unknown, the demon realm had ceased its attacks, no longer sending ancient demons through the rifts. This unprecedented lull presented an ideal window, one the guild was determined not to squander.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild mobilized its forces once more, coordinating with other immortal dao factions to complete the final phase of Mending the Heavens.
To bolster their efforts, the guild sent invitations to late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators across various domains, seeking their assistance to ensure a smoother operation.
Li Qing, residing at Lingyun Sect, naturally received an invitation as well.
As a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator, he was revered across every great domain. Combined with his illustrious and dazzling combat record, his participation would undoubtedly significantly enhance the mission's prospects.
After careful consideration, Li Qing ultimately decided to decline the invitation.
"The situation in the Human Realm has stabilized, so there's no need for me to get further involved. The demon realm's invasion has been halted, and I imagine repairing the void rifts will be much easier now."
"One more person won't make much difference, and one less won't matter either. Besides, the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild already has a powerful Divine Transformation stage expert overseeing things. Even if I went, I doubt I could contribute much."
With that, Li Qing decided not to participate further in the matter.
However, he couldn't simply reject the spirit letter with such bluntness.
"The battle at Heaven's End Island was too brutal, leaving This Li with hidden injuries and lingering ailments. I plan to remain in my cave abode for quiet recuperation and have no intention of emerging in the near future. I hope you can understand."
"Your esteemed merchant guild is brimming with talent, and the great domains are producing heroes in abundance. I doubt my contribution would be significant. I wish your guild success in this endeavor."
Li Qing then added several more flattering remarks, completely washing his hands of the matter.
He felt no guilt about this. During the demon realm's invasion, he had given his absolute best, facing mortal danger multiple times.
Li Qing had slain countless ancient demons in the nascent soul realm—at least fifty or more!
Adding the fifth-tier demonic insect he had finally defeated, Li Qing felt he had fulfilled his duty to the world and had no regrets.
In the days that followed, Li Qing focused on cultivating in his cave abode, occasionally studying divine abilities and cultivation techniques to deepen his foundation for future Law Creation.
This rare period of leisure allowed him to immerse himself in tranquility, finally relaxing his long-strained mind.
The sect's affairs were gradually returning to normal, and the cultivation world across the Azure Ridge Domain was stabilizing. The demonic cataclysm had, all things considered, ended relatively smoothly.
While Li Qing's cultivation progress during this time was minimal—almost negligible—his mind found rare peace and relaxation.
"This is what true cultivation should be," Li Qing murmured sincerely, his heart growing incomparably serene. "Watching the clouds rise and fall, forgetting worldly struggles for fame and gain, and savoring each small step forward."
He truly understood that his ability to enjoy such leisurely days stemmed from his formidable cultivation and the absence of any concern about his lifespan running out.
Yet in this world, few cultivators shared his tranquil existence. The vast majority were perpetually busy, rushing about for various reasons, unable to find a moment's respite.
Take the Great Wilderness Domain, for example. Under the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's coordination, preparations were underway to repair and seal the final Demonic Realm Rift.
To this end, numerous powerful cultivators had mobilized across the Great Wilderness Domain, including Gui Li, sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect; True Monarch Yue Xuan, palace master of Moonchase Palace; and the demon race, led by Crocodile Venerable!
With forces converging from all directions and the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's coordination, the scale of this "Mending the Heavens" operation was unprecedentedly grand.
"Is this the final Demonic Realm Rift?" True Monarch Yue Xuan asked, her elegant white robes draped with a luxurious silk shawl, radiating dignified grace.
Gui Li, bearing a massive black ghost sword, emerged solemnly. His gaze fixed on the partially repaired void rift in the sky, he remained silent.
"I heard that at the critical moment, two ancient demons with late-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivation descended from the demon realm, causing the entire formation to collapse. Even the Demon Fox King suffered severe injuries."
The speaker was Zhu Jiuyin, the ancestor of the Yin Puppet Sect. His injuries seemed to have mostly healed.
Yin corpse qi permeated his body, casting him in an aura of profound darkness. Years spent among yin corpses had gradually transformed him into something resembling an ancient, decaying corpse himself.
On the other side, arriving from the wilderness forest was a Transformed Demon King of the demon race, the powerful demon king who called himself Crocodile Venerable.
He was the de facto leader of the demon race's forces in the Great Wilderness Domain.
"Hmm? Where are the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild representatives? We've all arrived, yet they're nowhere to be seen," Crocodile Venerable demanded coldly.
Zhu Jiuyin sneered, "If your demon race had been even slightly useful, we wouldn't have needed to make this extra trip."
The Crocodile Venerable's transformed human face darkened slightly. "I didn't ask you old ghost to come," he retorted. "Now that the ancient demons' dimensional descent has stopped, we could easily repair the void rift without you."
Zhu Jiuyin retorted relentlessly, "Judging by your words, it seems this place no longer needs me. In that case, I'll take my leave."
With that, Zhu Jiuyin actually turned to leave.
But before he could move, a hearty laugh rang out.
"Hahahaha! While Mending the Heavens has become significantly easier this time, it's by no means a trivial task."
"Fellow Daoist from the Yin Puppet Sect, if you leave, we'll be losing a crucial asset!"
"Since everyone has set aside their past grievances to cooperate sincerely, you must all be cultivators who care deeply for the world. How can you abandon this mission over such a minor matter?"
The speaker was a young man whose cultivation aura barely reached the early Nascent Soul Realm.
Yet the moment he arrived, the surrounding Nascent Soul True Monarchs, whose cultivation levels far surpassed his, all adopted solemn expressions.
The youth wore luxurious brocade robes, his body wreathed in shimmering spiritual light, clearly indicating he possessed numerous valuable treasures.
He was the branch manager of the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild in the Great Wilderness Domain, and his daoist name, True Monarch Duobao, also contained the character for "treasure."
His arrival was clearly of paramount importance, as the demon race and demonic path cultivators, who had been on the verge of conflict, immediately calmed down.
"Fellow Daoist Duobao, what are we waiting for? Now that you're here, let's begin immediately. The sooner we repair this void rift, the sooner we can all leave," Zhu Jiuyin said calmly, no longer dwelling on the earlier incident.
True Monarch Duobao chuckled. "No need to rush, no need to rush! The appointed time hasn't arrived yet. Just a little longer!"
"These are among the last few intact formation plates in my merchant guild inscribed with the Starlight Mending Heaven Formation. We must proceed with utmost caution and ensure absolute success!"
"Moreover, there are still a considerable number of ancient demons lurking within the Great Wilderness Domain. If any foolish demonic races dare to interfere, we can join forces to eliminate them all."
Although the void rift was nearing closure, the presence of formidable ancient demons lurking within the Great Wilderness Domain remained undeniable.
No one voiced further objections. After waiting this long, a few more moments wouldn't matter.
The atmosphere grew heavy with silence. No one spoke, maintaining a tense stillness.
Faced with this solemn atmosphere, even the usually jovial True Monarch Duobao could only maintain a smile and remain silent.
After a long silence, as the blazing sun gradually shifted westward across the sky, True Monarch Duobao slowly opened his eyes and declared, "Let's begin!"
With a graceful wave of his hand, he tossed out a hexagonal formation plate.
The crowd recognized it instantly—they had seen it before. This was the formation plate for the Starlight Mending Heaven Formation.
Just as before, the plate emitted spiritual light, gathering the formation flags and base materials before transforming into an azure, profound spiritual formation.
The formation drew in starlight, and under the watchful eyes of the Nascent Soul cultivators, it began to mend the Demonic Realm Rift in the sky once more.
Similar scenes were unfolding simultaneously in four other locations across the Human Realm: the Cloud Marsh Domain, the North Sea Region, the demon realm, and the vast snow region of the far north.
From a high vantage point, one could have witnessed five dazzling pillars of starlight erupting from the great earth, piercing the heavens.
Perhaps because the demon realm had ceased sending ancient demons through dimensional descents, the repair process proceeded unexpectedly smoothly, encountering no resistance whatsoever.
By the time the rift had completely sealed, many cultivators who had remained on high alert couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment.
Was it really over so easily?
They had expected at least some resistance, perhaps a few ancient demons to obstruct them. But the operation had proceeded so smoothly that they could hardly believe it.
True Monarch Duobao chuckled, "Hahahaha, just as I predicted! The demon realm has ceased its invasion efforts, and many of the demonic races that had descended have already retreated. Those still lingering in this realm pose no significant threat."
Gui Li's expression remained calm. "It seems this trip was for naught. Still, the outcome is favorable. With these rifts sealed, each ancient demon we eliminate truly reduces their numbers."
True Monarch Yue Xuan nodded in agreement, acknowledging Gui Li's words.
"I wonder how the sealing efforts are progressing at the other four void rifts," she mused. "Are they proceeding as smoothly as they did here in the Great Wilderness Domain?"
In truth, the sealing efforts at the other Demonic Realm Rifts were also progressing smoothly. Only the Northern Ice Plains in the far north lands seemed to be experiencing some unusual activity.
The cultivators in this region were generally rough and rugged, having lived their entire lives in the snow-covered lands. Their personalities were equally straightforward and unrefined.
In the frozen wasteland, a Nascent Soul cultivator who had attained enlightenment in the snow region frowned and asked, "Just as the void rift closed, did you notice a distortion? It seemed like something else descended as well."
"Distortion? I didn't see anything. Probably just the aftereffects of the rift sealing itself."
"True. Now that the task is complete, let's return the formation plate to the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild. That spirit formation was truly extraordinary!"
The other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Northern Ice Plains chimed in, dismissing the strange phenomenon that had occurred as the void rift closed.
"Wait a minute... I still feel like something's watching me. Is this just my imagination?" The cultivator who had sensed the anomaly earlier frowned deeply, glancing back repeatedly as he retreated.
Behind them, on the snow-covered ground, a faceless demonic race tilted its head, observing the snow region cultivators' departure.
Yet no matter how hard they looked, the cultivators couldn't detect its presence, as if the faceless demonic race simply didn't exist.
"You're probably just too tense. Your mind's unsettled."
"Agreed. Now that the rift is sealed and we haven't been attacked by ancient demons, let's return and rest."
"..."
After hearing the others' persuasions, the Nascent Soul cultivator, who still felt something was off, finally withdrew his gaze.
"Perhaps it was just my imagination," he muttered.
As soon as the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Northern Ice Plains had departed, the Faceless Ancient Demon chuckled to himself. "To sense my presence with mere nascent soul realm cultivation? Such remarkably sharp spiritual perception... Interesting. Could this be the person I've been searching for?"
With that, the faceless demon slowly melted into the icy landscape and followed after them.
Had a high-ranking ancient demon witnessed this scene, they would have immediately fallen to their knees in awe.
For this Faceless Ancient Demon was none other than the dao body of a saint ancestor—the most enigmatic of them all, the Formless Saint Ancestor!
Meanwhile, along the Azure Ridge Domain's coastline, two figures flew swiftly toward the shore.
One was an old daoist clad in tattered robes, his chin adorned with a goatee.
Trailing behind him was a cultivator at the perfected core formation realm.
If Li Qing had been present, he would have instantly recognized them: Qiu Zhen and the old man who had auctioned off the Thunder Sound Bamboo at the Ten Thousand Treasures Grand Gathering!
"Master," Qiu Zhen finally blurted out after enduring their long sea voyage, "the spiritual energy in this Azure Ridge Domain isn't particularly dense. Why did we come here?"
The Goatee-Bearded Old Daoist snapped, "Hmph, what does an unworthy disciple like you know? I've already investigated thoroughly. A Divine Transformation stage cultivator in this domain perished in battle against an ancient demon!"
"Moreover, the Demonic Realm Rift above that cultivator's former residence has been sealed. If we don't seize this opportunity to occupy the nest now, when will we ever get another chance?!"
Qiu Zhen's eyes lit up at these words.
The residence of a Divine Transformation stage cultivator might indeed contain some world-shaking treasures!
"Let this old one perform another divination!"
With that, the Goatee-Bearded Old Daoist produced a tortoise shell and spun it rapidly.
In the next instant, the old daoist's expression twisted dramatically. Staring at the divination pattern on the shell, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Ominous! A great omen of calamity! An extremely ominous omen!"
"The Human Realm faces an impending catastrophe of unimaginable scale!"
Qiu Zhen's face froze at these words.
Though his master was often unreliable, his divination, fortune-telling, and physiognomy skills were remarkably accurate, rarely making mistakes!
"Master, are you sure you haven't miscalculated? The Demonic Realm Rifts in the Human Realm have all been sealed, haven't they? How could there still be a catastrophe of such magnitude?"
The Goatee-Bearded Old Daoist murmured, "Unreadable... impossible to calculate... The source of this omen is terrifying beyond measure!"
(End of the Chapter)
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