Chapter 538 - Many Arrivals

After all, the Divine Blood Lord was their forefather, their last hope.

“But as long as the green hills remain, there is always a path forward,” the Divine Blood Lord said calmly, looking at the Blood Race.

Some were angry, some resentful, and others silent.

He spoke evenly: “Your fates are yours to choose. If you wish to submit to Shi Yan, so be it. If you’d rather die than accept him, that’s your choice as well. I will respect it. But remember this: As long as the green hills remain, there is always another chance.”

After he finished speaking, several of the Elders sighed softly.

The pressure of the situation left them no room to choose, it was either death or submission.

They couldn’t allow the entire clan to be destroyed on their watch.

“We greet the Patriarch,” the Elders bent forward and saluted Shi Yan.

Seeing the Elders kneel, the rest of the clan members began dropping to their knees, one after another.

“We greet the Patriarch!” The thunderous chorus of voices echoed across Divine Blood Mountain, like waves crashing against the sky.

“Patriarch of the Blood Race…” Shi Yan let out a soft chuckle, as if amused by the title.

…

“My Lord,” the God Emperor turned to Xu Zimo and addressed him respectfully.

“Being a Grand Emperor is quite intoxicating, isn’t it?” Xu Zimo smiled.

“You don’t know what it’s worth until you’ve lost it,” the God Emperor nodded.

“In that case, come with me,” Xu Zimo stretched lazily and stood. “It’s time for us to move on.”

As Xu Zimo and the God Emperor departed, the Divine Blood Lord frowned slightly.

He had sensed that the God Emperor seemed… deferential to this youth, though logically, that made no sense.

Still, with the God Emperor’s departure, a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

A Grand Emperor’s presence alone, even doing nothing, could suppress entire realms.

The Divine Blood Lord turned to Shi Yan and said, “Now that you are the Patriarch, take care of your people. You are one of them.”

Shi Yan nodded slightly.

The Divine Blood Lord said no more. With a wave of his right hand, he tore open a portal and disappeared into his place of seclusion, a place he would not leave unless the clan faced true annihilation.

…

Winter passed. Spring winds swept across the sky, breathing new life into the land.

Skyluan Region, the Lan Clan.

At that moment, Bluesky City was in ruins.

Its people were fleeing in all directions. Explosions thundered through the skies, threatening to flatten the land itself.

Cries of panic and terror tore through the crowd, as the Lan Clan, prosperous for generations, fell into chaos.

Paimon stood before the Chaos Stone, his massive body trembling.

This was the prophesied Day of Demontide. He was about to break the seal of the Primordial Demon Cave, heralding the rebirth of the Ancient Demon Race, just like in the old days.

Step by step, he approached the Chaos Stone. Around him, the seven ancestral elders of the Lan Clan tried desperately to stop him, but their efforts were in vain.

As Paimon reached the Chaos Stone, he extended his hand toward it.

The moment his palm touched the blue barrier around the stone, a resonant buzz sounded, and a mighty force blasted him away.

Then...

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Eight massive explosions rang out.

The Chaos Stone vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by space itself.

The eight surrounding pillars lit up with dazzling white light.

A barrier formed, trapping Paimon inside.

As the light touched him, it burned like fire. Paimon screamed in agony from the searing pain.

“Why wait any longer? Show yourselves!” Lan Jiulin called out.

At his command, multiple auras erupted from the surroundings of Bluesky City.

These powers shot into the sky, splitting the heavens, illuminating all realms.

“Beyond Heaven Sword Mountain has arrived, to slay demons and protect the realm!”

“Invincible Domain has arrived, to defend Skyluan Region!”

Several booming voices echoed as a flood of immortal energy surged from the east, filling the entire sky.

Three figures emerged, shattering the heavens, stepping out from the void.

Majestic immortal energy radiated from their bodies.

“One lineage, two Grand Emperors, Beyond Heaven Sword Mountain. And the famous Invincible Domain of Skyluan Region. We’re saved!” cheered the people of Bluesky City.

Beyond Heaven Sword Mountain once gave rise to the Heaven-Slaughter Emperor, who led the lineage into glory. It thrived through many eras, including the time of Grand Emperor Tian Ming, becoming one of the most revered forces in the domain.

As for the Invincible Domain, though it only had one Grand Emperor, the legend of the Invincible Emperor was widely known.

It was said that the sect’s cultivation method was unique, extremely difficult, but once mastered, rendered the user peerless within their realm.

The Invincible Emperor had never been defeated. He had carried the Heaven’s Will while remaining unbeaten all the way to his rise.

People across the continent revered the Invincible Domain’s techniques and sought them desperately. Its disciples were, as a result, far stronger than average.

Now, with these two imperial lineages' Sacred Lords personally arriving, together with the Lan Clan’s seven ancestral elders, this was an event the region hadn’t witnessed in ages.

“Look! That’s Absolute Sword Ancestor, war general of Heaven-Slaughter Emperor!” someone shouted, pointing to the old man on the left.

The elder held a longsword. Though he looked frail, his posture was straight, like a drawn blade.

Dressed in a simple green robe, the sharp glint of his sword aura made it hard to look directly at him, it stung the eyes.

“And beside him, isn’t that Dugu Wenchang, the Sword Demon and war general under Grand Emperor Tianming?”

All eyes turned. The man wore white robes, and his sword aura had both form and substance.

Dark sword energy swirled around him, and the moment it surged…

All the sword-wielders in Bluesky City felt their blades hum uncontrollably, as if paying homage to something divine.

“That last one must be the Sacred Lord of the Invincible Domain, Invincible Jiang, right?”

Someone nearby whispered, “Rumor has it she once fought a hundred moves against the Invincible Emperor and didn’t lose.”

“Just rumors. The Invincible Emperor was only testing her, not fighting seriously. Still, she’s impressive.”

As people talked, Invincible Jiang stood high above in the sky.

Anyone seeing her for the first time would be stunned, for she was a beautiful woman.

An elegant, graceful fairy who seemed to have descended from the heavens.

She wore a flowing robe of blue and white cloud-patterned silk that fluttered gently in the breeze.

Her long, snowy-white legs peeked out now and then beneath the robe, graceful and alluring.

Her long hair draped over her back, tied with a sky-blue ribbon.