Chapter 441: Feeding

The Red Line is a band of light stretching across the center of the spherical star. It resembles a floating Great Wall, stretching endlessly, mysterious and unfathomable.

In recent days, the Red Line's band of light has been shaking violently. Only the most powerful cultivators know that it is the legendary, unobservable Divine Realm, once known as the Hidden Realm.

The Sword Pavilion quickly drafted a message, depicting a future where the Dark Sun descends and humanity is destroyed. It also relayed the results of the Sword Saint's and the Sage's battles, along with Ye Changong's conjectures about the secret of the Ascended, sending it to the high-ranking members of the Eight Great Divine Sects.

Of course, the words on the letter alone could not truly convince people; the collapse of the Red Line Divine Realm, spanning across the world, was the truly shocking event.

That day finally came.

The wavering cultivators finally witnessed the disintegration of the Divine Realm…

Within the Red Line Divine Realm, Tianji's head rolled to the ground. The jade and agate-like ornaments on his magnificent imperial crown dimmed, there was no blood at his severed neck, and the golden mask on his head rapidly dissolved.

Ning Changjiu retracted his sword, shaking off the blood from its blade.

As the mask disappeared, Tianji's true face was revealed.

Ning Changjiu stared at his face, his brows furrowed.

It was not a perfect face at all, but a withered and hideous skull.

Beneath the crown and golden mask lay a body whose flesh had long since decayed.

Ning Changjiu incinerated it with sword-fire.

The Divine Realm was about to collapse.

Ning Changjiu gathered the warhorses that had reached the higher parts of the Divine Realm into his Golden Crow Divine Realm, while the rest of the divine horses were merely rudimentary forms of spiritual energy, their very consciousness imposed by the Divine Realm's laws, not even embryos; they would revert to spiritual energy after the Divine Realm's destruction, dispersing into the world.

"Xiwang is truly unparalleled in her sharpness," Ning Changjiu praised.

"Stop talking nonsense," Liu Xiwang snorted coldly. "I am a double-edged sword; be careful yourself."

Ning Changjiu ignored her harsh words. He released his grip and, with a light toss, said, "Alright, go back and accompany your senior sister."

Liu Xiwang retorted angrily, "Don't order me around like that... Ah!"

Soon, a white rainbow whistled away.

Beside Liu Junzhuo, the girl appeared in the blink of an eye, as if she had never disappeared.

Liu Xiwang quickly stood firm. She tidied her slightly disheveled short hair, and the blush on her face faded. Avoiding her senior sister's gaze, she feigned composure and said, "Well, as an ancient poem says, 'With sword aloft, a thousand miles I fly, bid farewell at dusk, return ere dawn!' Senior Sister, wasn't my style impressive, severing a head with a thousand-mile flying sword?"

Liu Junzhuo shook her head with a faint smile, saying, "A thousand-mile flying sword killing someone is indeed the elegant style of a Sword Immortal, but Junior Sister... you seem to be the sword that was *flown*."

Liu Xiwang tugged at her black cloak. Having no rebuttal, she could only let out a cold snort in protest.

Liu Junzhuo raised her eyes and looked up at the sky.

The Red Line Divine Realm vanished with the fall of Divine Lord Tianji.

The Divine Realm collapsed and fractured inch by inch, like snow that had accumulated for a long time and suddenly collapsed, or a waterfall cascading after ice and snow had melted. Whether it was an illusion or not, the sky itself seemed to tremble slightly. Those standing in the mortal world watched this scene of heavenly collapse, unsure how to express their fear and panic.

Liu Junzhuo gazed at the sight. Since her master had slain his external avatar and departed with his sword, she felt for the first time that the majesty of the gods was no more.

In this new world, their gilded exteriors were stripped away; they were overthrown and shattered, departing from humanity's path to freedom in the form of annihilation.

This was a scene witnessed by the entire world.

The collapsing Divine Realm did not fall upon the mortal world. It was originally merely a phantom projected by the Dark Lord using a star. Now, after its collapse, it naturally returned to illusion, dissipating completely in mid-air and leaving behind only pure and dense spiritual energy.

Ning Changjiu, clad in white, flew out on his sword.

Although slaying Tianji took some effort, it went more smoothly than he had imagined.

The foundation of the Divine Realm had been completely shaken…

"Why are we keeping so many horses in our Divine Realm?" Siming asked, looking at the divine horses gathered at the bottom of the Golden Crow Divine Realm.

Ning Changjiu stated matter-of-factly, "We cannot let go of any power that can be used against the Divine Realm."

Lu Jiajia frowned, saying, "If we collect a batch every time we destroy one, won't our Divine Realm be full of animals? You truly are as benevolent as ever."

Hearing the word 'benevolent,' Siming also remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, why was Baizang allowed to surrender, but Tianji wasn't?"

From within the Golden Crow Divine Realm, Siming's voice echoed faintly, "What's so special about Baizang?"

Ning Changjiu calmly shifted the topic: "That was Master's decision; what does it have to do with me?"

Lu Jiajia didn't let him off either, saying, "Then will you kill the Vermilion Bird and Quanlin as well?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Next, what we need to do is kill the Six-Eared Macaque of the Jufu Divine Realm. As for the other rulers, we'll discuss them later."

Siming snorted lightly, saying, "Will the Dark Lord really light up the Divine Realms one by one, allowing us to kill them consecutively?"

Ning Changjiu said, "The Dark Lord's top priority now is to buy time. It wants to crush the Sage's stone Buddha and influence the world again. The Twelve Divine Realms are merely its puppets for maintaining order; they have already become pawns discarded to help the Dark Lord stall, their lives and deaths are insignificant."

Siming said, "So, for a high-and-mighty ruler, once they become a discarded pawn, this is their fate?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Relying on external things cannot last forever. We must become our own divine masters."

A faint, charming smile played on Siming's lips. She sat on the throne, legs crossed, leaning on an elbow, and asked with a smile, "Are you suggesting that Jiajia and I should leave you and start our own ventures?"

Ning Changjiu made a dismissive gesture, chuckling, "We are partners on the same path; how can we be compared to them? Besides, if you dare to run away, I can catch you anywhere in the world."

Siming smiled faintly, saying, "I would never leave Jiajia and run off. Hey, Jiajia, he's being so verbally abusive. Shouldn't you, as his master, give him a lecture?"

Lu Jiajia calmly replied, "It's fine. Once we reach the Western Realm, someone will deal with him."

Ning Changjiu said confidently, "Xiang'er only looks imposing. She couldn't defeat me during our three-year pact back then. After this trip to the Western Realm, I will definitely curb her arrogance."

Listening to him speak like this, Siming could pretty much foresee the outcome.

The long sword sliced through the high sky, faster than ever before. This was the true feeling of freedom, soaring through heaven and earth. The myriad peaks of the vast Middle-earth were thus left behind, one after another.

Ning Changjiu crossed the Red Line and arrived at the Heavenly Ranking.

The Evil, in the form of a youth, sat cross-legged on the tall building. He wore black robes, and beside him were two 'guests.'

Ning Changjiu ascended the Heavenly Ranking.

He looked at the two people beside the Evil, his brows furrowed.

To the Evil's right stood a delicate, jade-like little girl draped in colorful ribbons. She looked around at everything with a hint of confusion. After Ning Changjiu arrived, the little girl shrank behind the Evil, looking at him fearfully.

She was indeed Shi (Poem), and seemed to have lost her memory.

Seated in front of the Evil was Yuanjun.

Yuanjun had reverted to his elderly appearance. He still had ancient spiraling horns on his head, and his hanging beard resembled an inverted forest.

The Evil looked at Ning Changjiu and said, "You've arrived."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

The Evil replied, "Yes and no. But I believe you must have many questions. The Dark Lord's influence has temporarily receded, and although I cannot leave this Heavenly Ranking, I can tell you what concerns you."

Ning Changjiu watched them for a moment, then sat down cross-legged beside them.

He glanced at the timid Shi, and asked, "What happened to her?"

The Evil explained, "The Heart Demon Tribulation, like the Heavenly Ranking, was directly controlled by the Dark Lord in the past. Now that the Dark Lord has temporarily departed, the domain of the Heart Demon Tribulation can no longer be sustained. Yuanjun brought my younger sister back for me. However, her memories of the past are severely damaged; she has truly become a child now, and I don't know when she will recover."

"I see." Ning Changjiu nodded gently. As he spoke, he frowned and glanced at Yuanjun, asking, "Have you surrendered too?"

Yuanjun, showing the dignity of his age, chose not to acknowledge him, merely stating calmly, "This was originally my star; I am merely returning home."

Ning Changjiu looked at the Evil and asked, "Is this truly what he calls... Jupiter?"

The Evil was silent for a long time. He closed his eyes, seemingly pondering ancient events. After a sigh, the Evil finally nodded and said, "Yes. This was originally Jupiter. When the Six Primordial Deities came here, their main purpose wasn't spiritual energy, but to kill me."

Yuanjun also said, "For this star system, he is the foreign god. When I was expelled, I promised vast amounts of spiritual energy to other deities... Spiritual energy is unique to Jupiter, the foundation for creating deities. Jupiter's spiritual energy is the most abundant. Other star gods had coveted it for a long time, but apart from Zhulong, none of those gods could contend with me, so they accepted this trade."

Yuanjun paused, then continued, "Of course, the main reason is that we are all gods of this star system, tasked with protecting it. Your former civilization hollowed out the entire solar system. Fortunately, a natural disaster later struck as punishment. You were forced to abandon Earth and flee into deep space. That disaster destroyed the order of the solar system, and it took over a billion years for everything to be rebuilt."

Ning Changjiu asked, puzzled, "Why do you possess such ancient memories, while I knew nothing of this back then?"

Yuanjun replied, "The reason is simple: I have lived longer than you."

"Because even you, as Dijun, were born much later than the Six Primordial Deities," the Evil also explained. "Before humanity departed, they left the flame of civilization in various stars, using deities from myths and legends as code names. Over the past billion years, most of these stars have extinguished, forming dead star regions. Only the flame of civilization with the longest historical accumulation has survived—that is you."

Ning Changjiu nodded gently. Earlier, in the ruins of Guhuang, Yuanjun had told him that the name Dijun came from that ancient civilization.

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then said, "So, Changxi and I were born to protect the new civilization? We just weren't aware of it back then."

The Evil nodded, "That's one way to understand it. You, Changxi, Pangu, Nüwa, the Great Sage, and others are the brightest stars remaining from the dead star regions. You should also be the strongest group of humans."

"Is this a mission we were born to bear..."

Ning Changjiu murmured to himself. On the tall building of the Heavenly Ranking, white clouds drifted overhead.

"Indeed." The Evil looked up at the sky and said, "However, destiny is unpredictable. The Dark Lord was originally my guardian deity, but its intellect was eroded by time, and now it has become a demon obstructing civilization from igniting anew."

Yuanjun also glanced upward, and asked, "After the world is restored, can we truly defeat it?"

The Evil said, "There is nothing truly invincible in this world. The Dark Lord was ambushed by the Sword Saint and is now resisting the stone Buddha. Once all the Divine Realms fall, it will be unprecedentedly weak. At that time, you will kill it."

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Will I kill it like the sun was killed back then?"

"Yes, you can imagine it as a larger sun," the Evil extended a hand, drawing in the air, as if outlining the Dark Lord's attachment to the atmosphere.

Ning Changjiu remained silent. He again recalled the words of the immortal in the sky:

'A larger peach talisman and a larger peachwood sword.'

"I will draw that talisman." Ning Changjiu looked at the vast land, as if it were a blank sheet of paper.

The Evil had no better advice for this, only saying, "Indeed, you are the only one in this entire world who still has a chance to accomplish this."

Yuanjun looked at the Evil indifferently and asked, "If that's the case, your death should not be far off, right?"

The Evil replied, "Yes."

"Why?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Because the Dark Lord and I flourish and perish together." After explaining, the Evil looked at Yuanjun and said, "At that time, I will return the world to you, but you will become a symbol, no longer having the power to control the world."

Yuanjun sighed, "It doesn't matter, as long as I live."

Ning Changjiu asked, "If the Black Sun descends and the Dark Lord takes you away, you will also die when you are uprooted, correct?"

"Yes," the Evil answered.

The moment it left the dead star region, the Evil was already doomed to die.

Ning Changjiu stopped dwelling on this matter. He asked about a question that concerned him more: "What exactly are the Spirit Devourers in the Sea of Ruins? What is their purpose?"

The Evil pointed a finger skyward and said, "The Dark Lord has done many things over these past few millennia. He fabricated twelve stars, and each year, he expends energy to ignite one of them. He cannot directly interfere with this world, just like a Divine Realm lord who can only project into the mortal world. Therefore, the Twelve Divine Realms are, in a sense, indirect projections of the Dark Lord. And doing these things requires a vast amount of spiritual energy."

The Evil's finger moved towards the mortal world: "Initially, during the most glorious era of human cultivators, Ascended ones were countless, and the Dark Lord had no worries about spiritual energy. Later, as the most talented immortals died in large numbers, mortal cultivators gradually withered. Suppressing the cultivators' rebellions also required a large amount of energy for the Dark Lord. Therefore, after the great chaos five hundred years ago, the Dark Lord chose to directly cut off the path to ascension."

Ning Changjiu understood a little, saying, "Are you saying that the Spirit Devourers are actually tools for the Dark Lord to store spiritual energy? They devour spiritual energy through the Sea of Ruins and then transmit it to the Dark Lord?"

The Evil nodded, "Yes. That is the purpose of the Spirit Devourers."

Ning Changjiu's heart stirred slightly: "Then if we destroy all the Spirit Devourers, wouldn't the Dark Lord's source of spiritual energy be cut off, preventing it from performing anything else?"

"If we had realized this more than three thousand years ago, perhaps history would have already changed. Unfortunately, at that time, the thrones of the Divine Realms blinded the world's eyes," the Evil's words carried an endless regret. "Later, the Dark Lord created innate spirits... If we kill all the Spirit Devourers, the Dark Lord will only be able to draw spiritual energy from the innate spirits."

Innate spirits...

The most feared outcome had still come to pass.

Innate spirits are intrinsically linked to the lives of most top cultivators in the mortal world. This lifeline is held in the Dark Lord's hand. If he were to sacrifice a large number of innocent lives in the name of saving all beings, how would he be any different from a demon?

Yuanjun stared at Ning Changjiu's face, suddenly letting out a cold scoff: "Indecisive. If I were you, I would immediately ascend to the Sea of Ruins and eradicate all the Spirit Devourers."

"I won't do that," Ning Changjiu said.

Yuanjun said indifferently, "How can a benevolent person save the world? The lineage of Sages has sacrificed countless lives, one after another. Why bother with such compassion?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "It is precisely because so many people have already died that we now have the leeway to make more choices."

"I've been thinking about this recently as well," the Evil said, staring at Ning Changjiu. "If it comes down to a dead end and you can't make up your mind, I can help you. I am willing to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives for the continuation of a civilization."

Ning Changjiu shook his head and said, "Perhaps there's a better way."

"What?" the Evil asked.

Ning Changjiu opened his eyes, stating solemnly, "To nurture the Dark Lord."

By the Luo River, Shao Xiaoli walked out of the turbulent river, her long hair completely soaked.

The Yin energy of this river had accumulated at its bottom for thousands of years, lingering densely. A significant portion of it