On the main hall.
Lin Yuan sat high on the main seat, overlooking with divine presence.
The nine Heavenly-grade demon arrays trembled incessantly.
As if meeting their master, it took a long time before they quieted down.
Xiahou Yuan was extremely special. In the world of demons, as long as one cultivated demonic techniques, they would have to kneel before him. This was a suppression stemming from the essence of life.
Even if one's strength surpassed Xiahou Yuan's, they would still be affected. At most, the influence wouldn't be as significant, but they would still have to kneel upon meeting him.
Of course, only Xiahou Yuan himself understood this matter.
As for those demon lords who had followed Xiahou Yuan, they didn't understand the mysteries behind it. They only knew that when facing Xiahou Yuan, they couldn't muster any rebellious thoughts.
Moyang and the other eight demon lords thought that with the nine Heavenly-grade demon arrays, they could make Xiahou Yuan retreat, or at least hold him off.
But unfortunately.
The ninth-grade demon arrays, although powerful, required a demon lord to control them.
As long as it involved a demon lord, Xiahou Yuan stood invincible.
This was also why Lin Yuan dared to enter the underground palace alone.
Outside the underground palace, Lin Yuan had long sensed the aura of the nine demon lords.
Moreover, the current Xiahou Yuan was not the same as before.
With the many methods Lin Yuan had mastered, he would only be stronger than the original Xiahou Yuan, and there would definitely be no accidents.
As Lin Yuan's aura converged while seated on the main throne.
The eight demon lords and Moyang felt a sense of relief.
As if they had unloaded a burden of ten thousand catties, they could at least control themselves a little, No longer like before, involuntarily kneeling on the ground.
However.
Even so.
The nine dared not stand up on their own, still kneeling respectfully on the ground.
The scene that had just occurred would be unforgettable for them.
Especially for Moyang, who clearly sensed the fear from the depths of his soul and spirit.
'Why... it has been twenty-five years!!'
Moyang's heart trembled. Twenty-five years ago, he had felt this way in front of Xiahou Yuan.
Originally, he thought that after twenty-five years had passed, his strength had advanced half a step, reaching the peak of the ninth rank.
Plus, Xiahou Yuan had been suppressed for twenty-five years, sealed with thousand-year deep-sea fine gold blocking his physical and spiritual body. Even if he could come out, he wouldn't be able to reach his peak strength.
Under these circumstances.
He thought that facing Xiahou Yuan again wouldn't be like it was twenty-five years ago, right?
However, reality slapped him hard.
Nothing changed.
No change at all.
Whether it was the nine demon lords or activating the nine Heavenly-grade demon arrays, no matter how strong they were, when they saw Xiahou Yuan, they were like mice seeing a cat, trembling and waiting for judgment.
"Greetings, Your Excellency, and congratulations for breaking the seal of the Abyss."
Moyang gathered his thoughts and immediately spoke respectfully to Lin Yuan sitting on the main throne.
He understood that it was a matter of life and death for him now. If he didn't continue to show his submission to Xiahou Yuan, with Xiahou Yuan's previous character, he would definitely not hesitate to kill him.
What a joke.
The Xiahou Yuan of the past was decisive and ruthless. Before the war between righteousness and evil twenty-five years ago, no one would have thought that Xiahou Yuan would stumble over a woman.
"Your Excellency"
The other eight demon lords took a deep breath and spoke in unison: "Greetings, Your Excellency, and congratulations for breaking the seal of the Abyss."
Lin Yuan sitting high on the main seat wasn't surprised at all.
The demon heads didn't value things like face and dignity, and the demon lords were no exception. Under the pressure of life and death, re-submitting to Xiahou Yuan was as normal as it could be.
Perhaps life after submitting to Xiahou Yuan wouldn't be easy.
But if they didn't submit, there would be no life after that.
"You may all rise."
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan spoke directly.
"For nearly twenty-five years, all intelligence about the Five Realms, especially about the Tianjian Sect, shall be handed over to me."
Lin Yuan, this time, came personally to the underground palace not only to find a suitable breakthrough point but also to integrate the scattered forces of the demonic path.
No matter which world it was, even if one was invincible, being alone was always inconvenient.
Lin Yuan had subdued the nine demon lords, and taking over the remaining forces of the demonic path didn't require any cost, nor did it need to start from scratch. With Xiahou Yuan's deterrence, no demon lord dared to have any thoughts.
It must be understood that twenty-five years ago, Xiahou Yuan's physical and spiritual bodies were sealed and suppressed in the depths of the Abyss.
Those demon lords didn't even dare to approach to take advantage of the situation.
Even if they were as strong as the ninth-grade demon lords, they would only observe from a distance outside the Abyss for a while, confirm that Xiahou Yuan couldn't come out, and then leave quickly.
It could be imagined how fearful the demon lords were of Xiahou Yuan.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Moyang rose slowly and respectfully said, "I will go get it for Your Excellency now."
In no time.
Moyang walked into the main hall again.
Behind him were several subordinates carrying a pile of jade stones.
"Your Excellency, these are all the intelligence about the situation in the Five Realms, and the intelligence about the Tianjian Sect and other righteous forces is at the forefront."
Moyang said respectfully.
Even if Lin Yuan hadn't said anything, Moyang paid close attention to the movements of the Tianjian Sect and other righteous forces.
"Very well."
Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
Shortly after, he picked up the jade stones and immersed his consciousness into them, quickly absorbing the information.
A moment later.
Lin Yuan put down the scrolls, his brows slightly furrowed.
Moyang, the Demon Lord, presented hundreds of jade stones, meticulously recording every detail of the intelligence from all corners of the Five Realms.
And within them, there was the information Lin Yuan was concerned about.
"Twenty years ago, auspicious signs appeared at the Tianjian Sect's mountain gate, with a large amount of heavenly and earthly qi gathering."
"Fifteen years ago, the Tianjian Sect's mountain gate once again gathered heavenly and earthly qi. In the following two years, the qi within a hundred miles of the Tianjian Sect became sparse."
"Four years ago, the Tianjian Sect once again gathered heavenly and earthly qi, causing all nearby creatures to feel as if Mount Tai was pressing down on them."
Numerous pieces of information converged in Lin Yuan's mind.
The Tianjian Sect possessed a large-scale vortex of heavenly-grade qi, with abundant qi within the sect, enough for ninth-realm practitioners to sustain their daily consumption.
Even so, there had been five occurrences of gathering heavenly and earthly qi, causing the qi within hundreds of miles to converge.
What did this matter signify? It indicated that the qi emanating from the vortex of qi was no longer sufficient for someone's cultivation.
"The Tenth Realm."
Lin Yuan put down the jade stones, speculating in his mind.
Only a legendary Tenth realm expert could cause such widespread changes in heavenly and earthly qi.
Of course, this didn't mean that Tianjianzi had already broken through to the Tenth realm. Otherwise, Xiahou Yuan wouldn't have survived these twenty-five years.
If Tianjianzi became a Tenth realm expert, he would definitely come to the Abyss first and completely resolve Xiahou Yuan, his major threat.
But from the changes in heavenly and earthly qi, one could deduce that Tianjianzi was already attempting to break through to the Tenth realm.
And it was about to succeed, as the range of the last gathering of heavenly and earthly qi had reached nearly a thousand miles.
"His cultivation speed is quite fast."
Lin Yuan stroked his chin. In Xiahou Yuan's memories, Tianjianzi twenty-five years ago was indeed at the pinnacle of the Ninth realm, but still far from the Tenth realm.
"But no matter how fast he progresses, he's not faster than me."
Lin Yuan didn't care.
Whether in the three worlds he had traversed before or the vast main world, in terms of cultivation speed alone, Lin Yuan had never seen anyone stronger than himself.
Perhaps certain special beings with high-level bloodlines started much higher than Lin Yuan, but their subsequent cultivation speed definitely couldn't match his.
"Let's break through to the Fifth Rank first."
Lin Yuan felt no pressure.
If it were the original Xiahou Yuan, the first thing he would do after breaking free would probably be to seek revenge on Tianjianzi and demand answers from 'Bai Qing'er' for betraying him.
But Lin Yuan wasn't that foolish.
With his current strength and methods.
Even if he encountered a Tenth realm expert, he could exchange blows with them, or even have a back-and-forth battle.
But there was no need for that at all.
What Lin Yuan abhorred the most was a stalemate.
Relying on his unparalleled insight, he only needed to cultivate for a few decades to surpass the opponent by one or even several major realms, sweeping away everything with an overwhelming posture.
Why rush into it now?
"Where is the core of the qi vortex beneath this underground palace?"
Lin Yuan, seated high on the main seat, suddenly spoke.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, I'm incompetent. I still haven't found the core of the qi vortex." Moyang, the Demon Lord, said apologetically.
The core of the qi vortex, also known as the source of qi, was the origin of the swirling qi.
However, the source of qi was hidden underground, surrounded by abundant heavenly and earthly qi, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location.
After discovering this qi vortex, Moyang had searched for decades without success. In the end, he simply stopped searching and built the underground palace, sealing off the qi emitted by the vortex.
Anyway, the source of qi was underground and wouldn't escape. It could be found slowly in the future.
"No matter."
"Today, I will find it for you."
Lin Yuan stood up and walked towards the depths of the underground palace.
Moyang and the other nine demon lords immediately followed suit.
"Wait for me, Your Excellency."
Nuan Shu immediately stuck close to Lin Yuan's side.
After walking for who knew how long.
"Your Excellency, can you really find it?" Moyang and the other demon lords looked at each other, somewhat puzzled.
Even a Tenth realm expert would find it challenging to pinpoint the location of the source of qi directly.
This had nothing to do with strength. The surroundings of the source of qi were filled with abundant heavenly and earthly qi, inadvertently suppressing the perception of cultivators.
Even a Tenth realm expert, without their spiritual sense, would be like a blind person searching for the source of qi underground, no better than a Ninth realm practitioner.
Just then.
Lin Yuan in front suddenly stopped.
"Your Excellency."
Moyang was about to speak.
But he saw Lin Yuan raise his hand and gently press it towards the front right.
Boom!
A large piece of soil collapsed.
Revealing a dim space.
Only to see a milky-white spring continuously gushing out.
The spring water was several meters square, with no bottom in sight. Surging heavenly and earthly qi pressed within the spring water. If observed closely, one would notice that all the spring water was composed of substantial heavenly and earthly qi.
Additionally, several strange flowers and exotic plants were blooming around the spring water.
"The Spring of Qi?"
Moyang, the Demon Lord, widened his eyes, subconsciously swallowing saliva.
Whether it was cultivators of the righteous path or practitioners of the demonic path, they could both cultivate by inhaling and exhaling heavenly and earthly qi.
However, for practitioners of the demonic path, this method was too inefficient. Why bother with such slow methods when one could directly kill and plunder?
But the current spring of qi was filled with a large amount of substantial heavenly and earthly qi. Even for a Ninth realm Demon Lord, it was a great tonic.
"It's probably a medium-grade heavenly-grade spring of qi. Not bad, not bad. With this spring of qi, breaking through to the Fifth Rank shouldn't be a problem."
A delighted smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
The spring of qi at the Tianjian Sect was at least large-scale, surpassing the spring of qi in front of Lin Yuan.
However, Tianjianzi definitely wouldn't dare to fully absorb that spring of qi while attempting to break through to the Tenth realm. After all, the disciples of Tianjian Sect in the future would rely on that spring of qi for cultivation.
Therefore, for over twenty years, Tianjianzi had attempted to break through to the Tenth realm several times, all while absorbing the qi within a hundred or even hundreds of miles.
This method was slow but unavoidable.
However, Lin Yuan was different. He had no qualms about using this spring of qi.
"Moreover, there are over a dozen spirit herbs around the spring of qi, all treasures no less valuable than four-rank or five-rank cosmic treasures."
Lin Yuan's eyes gleamed slightly.
"I'll breakthrough to the Fifth Rank right here."
Lin Yuan immediately made a decision. With such an excellent breakthrough location, it would be a waste not to seize it.
Just as Lin Yuan was about to break through to the Fifth Rank.
Across the Five Realms, the influence of the Demon Lord Xiahou Yuan's emergence became increasingly profound.
"Xiahou Yuan has come out. The days ahead are probably not going to be peaceful."
"That's for sure. If I were Xiahou Yuan, after being suppressed for decades, I would definitely seek ruthless revenge upon my release."
"Ah, I wonder when the conflicts in this world will stop."
"Stop? As long as there are people, it won't stop. Twenty-five years ago, the forces of righteousness launched the War of Righteousness and Demonhood, claiming to suppress Xiahou Yuan and bring peace to the world."
"But what happened afterwards? Xiahou Yuan was indeed suppressed, but the world wasn't peaceful. Those demon lords seemed to have gone crazy as soon as their shackles were removed."
Practitioners from various forces and realms quickly exchanged information.
Especially those who had participated in the suppression of Xiahou Yuan, they suddenly panicked, fearing that Xiahou Yuan might target them first upon his release to settle scores for their actions years ago.
"No, I have to go to the Tianjian Sect to discuss how to proceed from here."
"Right, if it weren't for Tianjianzi, we wouldn't have offended Xiahou Yuan so severely."
"Let's go find Tianjianzi and demand an explanation."
Practitioners from various forces, including many Ninth realm experts, headed towards the Tianjian Sect.
Meanwhile.
At the Tianjian Sect.
Amidst the misty clouds.
Like a fairyland.
Suddenly.
Boom!
A terrifying aura continuously permeated the surroundings, under this aura,
Even high-ranking Ninth realm experts would feel uneasy.
"Master."
"The Master has emerged from seclusion."
Seeing this, some elders of the Tianjian Sect were excited and respectfully bowed towards the palace on the highest peak.
Half a month later.
The terrifying aura shrouding the entire palace gradually dissipated, and an old man with white hair slowly walked out of the palace.
"Tianjianzi."
"Pay respects to the Master."
"Master, you've finally come out."
Many disciples of the Tianjian Sect heaved a sigh of relief. During this time, powerful figures from all over the Five Realms came every day, seeking to meet Tianjianzi and inquire about how to deal with Xiahou Yuan.
If it were just one or two people, it wouldn't matter.
As the number one power in the Five Realms, the Tianjian Sect, with Tianjianzi as the number one expert, could handle it.
But it wasn't just one or two people coming.
There were hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands.
And they were all leaders of major forces or outright Ninth realm experts.
As a result, the Tianjian Sect was somewhat overwhelmed.
Especially with Tianjianzi, the core figure of the Tianjian Sect, still in seclusion and unable to appear.
Only heaven knew how much pressure the Tianjian Sect had been under during this time.
But now, everything was finally over.
...
I need POWAAAA :D
15 chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
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