Chapter 2019: Heavenly Abyss Great Battle (Part 2)

Chapter Ten: War in the Demon Realm

Upon witnessing this, Han Li was startled and silently gazed in the indicated direction. Blue light flickered in his eyes, allowing him to clearly see the demon army dozens of miles away.

Among the densely packed demon battleships, a group of high-ranking demons in blood-red armor stood conspicuously atop a massive triangular structure. They were vaguely clustered around a massive beast carriage pulled by several demon beasts. The demon beasts pulling the carriage had five lion-like heads, massive bodies covered in deep blue scales, and long, scorpion-hooked tails dragging behind them.

The beast carriage itself was exquisitely crafted. Inside, a pitch-black banner stood upright, displaying several large, blood-red demon characters that glowed with a faint, crystalline, blood-like radiance. Below the banner, amidst swirling masses of demonic energy, a youth in a blood-red robe stood motionless, flanked by seven or eight respectfully standing Demon Venerables. The youth's face was identical to that of the three Bloodlight Holy Ancestor avatars who had once pursued him. Upon seeing this, Han Li's gaze turned cold, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

The blood-robed youth immediately sensed something. He turned his head slightly, and his eyes met Han Li's spiritual gaze from afar. His pupils swirled, instantly turning pitch-black, transmitting a powerful, bone-chilling, vortex-like suction, as if intent on forcibly pulling Han Li's sight into them. Han Li's heart tensed, and with a stir of his powerful divine sense, he immediately broke off his gaze. This time, the blood-robed youth in the distant demon army showed a slight change in expression.

"What, did Fellow Daoist Bloodlight discover something?" a boisterous voice suddenly emanated from the other side of the beast carriage. The speaker was a brawny man with a bare, bronze-colored torso, wearing a beast-hide apron. It was none other than the burly man surnamed Xiong, whom the Bloodlight Holy Ancestor referred to as the 'Foremost Demon Venerable below the Holy Ancestor.' At that moment, he was leaning against the carriage's side railing, arms crossed, looking thoroughly relaxed.

"Nothing," the youth said slowly, glancing at the burly man. "It was just a human cultivator peeking at us; I startled him away. But he doesn't seem ordinary; he easily escaped my Blacklight Demonic Eye."

"Oh, he could retreat unscathed from your Demonic Eye? He must not be an ordinary cultivator, then. Could he be the target you want me to handle, or is it that person who just advanced to the late stage?" the burly man asked, his spirits lifting with a hint of excitement.

"That's hard to say," the blood-robed youth said with a slight frown, cautioning him. "But whichever one it is, they'll be a troublesome opponent. Fellow Daoist Xiong, you'll need to be extra careful once you engage them."

"Haha, don't you worry!" the burly man burst out, laughing wildly. "I, Xiong, am more concerned that this opponent's divine abilities won't be enough for a truly satisfying fight!"

The blood-robed youth gave a wry smile and refrained from saying anything further.

At the same time, back in Tianyuan City, Han Li's eyes were tightly shut. It took him a while to completely dispel the lingering dizziness in his head. He then opened his eyes, a hint of surprise in their depths.

"Fellow Daoist Han, are you alright? Was that just now..." The silver-haired elder, witnessing Han Li's strange behavior, couldn't help but grow worried.

"It's nothing," Han Li replied lightly, shaking his head. "The opponent just used a secret technique to launch a sneak attack, but I'm unharmed."

"It's good you're alright. Fellow Han, have you confirmed that person is indeed the Bloodlight Holy Ancestor's avatar?" The silver-haired elder was somewhat surprised by Han Li's casual tone but immediately asked his most pressing question.

"Yes, it's almost certain," Han Li affirmed, stroking his chin. "That person's appearance and aura are identical to the Bloodlight Holy Ancestor's avatar I encountered previously. There should be no mistake."

"It's good that it's this demon," Zen Master Jinyue said solemnly from the side. "Since the Bloodlight Holy Ancestor has personally appeared in the demon army, it seems he intends to decide the outcome in a single battle. Soon, this Holy Ancestor avatar will be yours to handle, Fellow Daoist Han. You don't need to rush for victory; simply holding him off will be a tremendous contribution to this fight!"

"Hehe, both of you Fellow Daoists can rest assured," Han Li said calmly, with a slight smile. "As long as no other demons interfere, this demon's avatar will absolutely not appear before any other Fellow Daoists."

"Then we'll leave it to you, Fellow Daoist," the silver-haired elder promised, overjoyed. "We will do our best to intercept other Demon Venerables and prevent them from interfering with Fellow Han."

Han Li nodded and said nothing more. Other Elder Council members, whom he had met on various occasions, now stepped forward one by one to greet him. Facing Han Li in his current state, they were all noticeably more polite than before. Evidently, his reputation as a late-stage Integration cultivator inspired a degree of awe in these Integration elders, making them no longer dare to act as freely as before. Han Li did not have deep ties with these Elder Council members, so he merely exchanged a few polite words and then fell silent.

Just then, a great rumbling sound arose from the distant demon army, accompanied by the faint, simultaneous beating of countless war drums. Then, from a sea of demonic energy formed by swirling demon qi, groups of ferocious demon beasts surged forth. These demon beasts numbered in the millions, their sheer variety overwhelming the senses. Among them were ferocious ox-headed, human-bodied beasts, four-winged, six-legged human-faced monstrous birds, and even colossal stone demons hundreds of feet tall.

After the demon beasts surged forth like a tide, hundreds of black lights suddenly flew out from the horde. Each black light contained a half-beast, half-human transformed demon beast. Under the urging of these intelligent transformed beings, the previously somewhat chaotic beast horde instantly became orderly, with no sound other than low beastly roars. Besides these ordinary demon beasts, thousands of super demon beasts, as large as small mountains, were mixed within the horde, appearing exceptionally conspicuous.

The demon beast army, as far as the eye could see, was endless, continuously pouring out from the sea of demonic energy as if it would never cease. In a short time, tens of millions of demon beasts appeared before the eyes of the various elders of Tianyuan City's Elder Council. The faces of most Elder Council members instantly turned grim.

"How can there be so many demon beasts?" asked the elder surnamed Gu, his face slightly pale. "Didn't they say there would be at most five or six million?"

"According to the original intelligence, there were indeed only a few million demon beasts," Zen Master Jinyue explained calmly after softly chanting a Buddhist mantra. "The additional demon beasts must be recent reinforcements for this demon army."

"With such a large reinforcement of demon beasts, this battle will likely be difficult to manage," another black-robed man from the monster race muttered gloomily.

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to panic," the silver-haired elder said slowly. "Low-tier demon beasts are, after all, low-tier beings. Even if their numbers increase by nearly half, it won't decisively affect the entire battle. As a precaution, I had already considered this possibility and prepared countermeasures."

"So, Brother Gu had other arrangements," the other Integration elders said, their expressions relaxing slightly. "In that case, we can rest assured."

The silver-haired elder smiled faintly, and with a flip of his hand, a shimmering white formation disk appeared in his palm. He then whispered a few words to it. Moments later, an astonishing fluctuation suddenly emanated from the city wall ahead, and several giant magic formations appeared one after another. In the center of these formations, gleaming white, jade-like altars were conspicuously suspended. On these altars, several seemingly ordinary artifacts were enshrined. These included a deep blue alms bowl, a pitch-black gourd, a light silver longsword, and a shimmering white screen-like object.

"The Four Heavenly River Treasures!" an Integration-stage monster cultivator exclaimed, his face a complex mix of surprise and delight upon recognizing the artifacts on the city wall. "Brother Gu, you've finally refined these treasures! But aren't we using a sledgehammer to crack a nut by employing them here?"

"While these treasures are indeed incredibly powerful, their main advantage lies in their vast attack range, making them most suitable for large-scale destruction," the silver-haired elder calmly explained. "If used later in the battle, although they could still produce miraculous effects, their actual utility would be greatly diminished. Master Jinyue and I discussed this, and we ultimately decided to use them against these low-tier demon beasts. Firstly, this allows us to eliminate a large number of them, and secondly, it boosts everyone's morale. If we suffer heavy casualties right from the start, it would be a fatal blow to our morale. It seems the demon side also had this in mind by deploying all their demon beasts from the beginning."

The other Integration elders, acknowledging the wisdom in the elder's words, nodded and asked no further questions.

"Although there are many demon beasts, the most troublesome are the elite demons," Han Li suddenly remarked. "They seem to have moved out all at once as well."

The cultivators were startled by his words and hurriedly looked into the distance. They saw that behind the distant beast horde, conspicuous lines of armored demons had appeared. These demons either rode various demonic beasts or transformed into gusts of black wind. Each possessed a ferocious countenance, wielded weapons, and exuded a bloodthirsty, brutal aura as they silently followed behind the beast horde. Had Han Li not warned them, some of the Integration elders might not have noticed their movement.

Amidst the war drums, colossal, bell-like booms suddenly erupted from the sea of demonic energy. Pitch-black giant boats, triangular demon flying towers, and other massive constructs slowly emerged from the demonic qi, surrounded by an uncountable swarm of densely packed demon war chariots.

"How can this be?" everyone exclaimed, dumbfounded, upon seeing the distant demon army's actions. The silver-haired elder also cried out, his expression shifting. "Is this Demon Holy Ancestor a madman? He intends to commit all his forces from the start? Doesn't he plan to keep any reserves?"

Han Li also fell into gloomy contemplation.

"At this point, whatever the demons' plans, we can only accept the full challenge," Zen Master Jinyue declared with a solemn shout. "Brother Gu, we cannot be thrown into disarray by the enemy. Let's proceed according to the original plan. Fellow Daoists, prepare yourselves. It may well be that today's battle will determine the very survival of our Tianyuan City."