Chapter 65: Yan Jin

"Father, have you also kept your breakthrough as a Godfiend a secret from Great-aunt?" Meng Chuan asked. "She so desperately wants a Godfiend to emerge in our family."

"Chuan'er, I became a Godfiend under some unusual circumstances," Meng Dajiang confided to his son. "For one, this must be kept secret, so I can't openly assist the family. For another, this Godfiend path I've chosen is simply too weak. In fact, the entire Body-Refining Godfiend lineage is quite feeble."

"All of them are weak?" Meng Chuan asked, puzzled.

"Eight hundred years ago, the demon race began their invasion," Meng Dajiang explained via mental transmission. "As human Godfiends and demon kings clashed in countless battles, the Godfiends discovered that some exceptionally gifted demons possessed terrifyingly powerful bodies. This prompted the top human Godfiends to research methods for strengthening their own physiques, leading to the establishment of the Body-Refining lineage."

"With no prior examples and limited experience, the 'Great Sun Realm' — the third cultivation level of the Body-Refining Godfiend lineage — became its theoretical limit," Meng Dajiang explained. "Furthermore, reaching this peak requires integrating a massive amount of rare natural treasures into one's body, which is incredibly wasteful and extravagant."

"It's too wasteful, offers limited prospects, and the incomplete cultivation methods make it very difficult to practice," Meng Dajiang continued. "This path has essentially been a failure. Perhaps in thousands or even tens of thousands of years, it might be perfected, but for now, it's far from complete."

Meng Chuan nodded slightly. No wonder he had never heard of it.

"Anyone capable of entering Yuanchu Mountain is a genius. Their most fundamental goal is to achieve the 'Great Sun Realm' as a Godfiend," Meng Dajiang explained. "The fact that their basic aspiration is the theoretical peak of the Body-Refining Godfiend lineage illustrates just how weak that lineage is. Take 'King Anhai,' for instance, whom you know; he's a Godfiend renowned throughout the world. He could probably extinguish a Great Sun Realm Godfiend with just a glance. Becoming a powerful figure like King Anhai is the aspiration of every Yuanchu Mountain Godfiend, and it's what you should strive for too."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded. King Anhai... He constantly guards Anhai Pass! Great-aunt was previously under his command, and even she mentioned that King Anhai's power was comparable to that of the historically famous Godfiend 'Deng Feng.' His father even said he could kill a Great Sun Realm Godfiend with a mere glance?

"Father, can Yuyang Palace prevail?" Meng Chuan asked via mental transmission.

"I don't know," Meng Dajiang shook his head. "If Yuyang Palace wins, it means all of humanity in Dongning Prefecture wins. But if they lose, the entire Dongning Prefecture will be reduced to scorched earth. Your Uncle Liu and I... we wouldn't be able to stop it."

"I hope they win," Meng Chuan said, unable to accept the possibility of defeat.

Meng Dajiang looked at his son. There was one thing he left unsaid: the fact that the demon race had dispatched 'Demon King Duton' to sweep through the region clearly indicated they had the upper hand. And indeed, that was the truth.

At Yuyang Palace. The black-furred ape, staff raised, transformed into a streak of black light and struck towards Immortal Meng. Behind Immortal Meng lay Yun Wanhai, his bones broken and utterly weakened, completely out of the fight.

"Get out of my way!" Immortal Meng snapped, and immediately, a series of illusory giant palms slammed towards the black-furred ape. However, with a single swing of its staff, the ape shattered them all.

"Bang." Immortal Meng's staff clashed with the ape's. The ape's staff, having already cleaved through numerous illusory giant palms, had its power significantly reduced. Upon impact with Immortal Meng's staff, the black-furred ape was sent stumbling backward, flying through the air.

"Cough," Immortal Meng coughed, her face flushing as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The enraged Yuyang Palace Master unleashed dozens of consecutive, blindingly powerful punches, finally repelling the imposing Demon King Bahou and the troublesome Demon King Baichen. He swiftly retreated to Immortal Meng's side.

"Immortal Meng, how are you holding up?" the Yuyang Palace Master asked, a hint of worry in his voice. "That ape is too fast; I still couldn't stop it."

Among the demon kings present, Demon King Bahou excelled in strength, while Demon King Yuanchong was unmatched in speed and agility. However, just as with Meng Chuan's impressive speed, true combat effectiveness hinges on comprehensive strength. It was clear that the third-heaven Demon King Baichen was the strongest, being the only one capable of directly engaging the Yuyang Palace Master.

"I can withstand two or three more strikes," Immortal Meng transmitted mentally. "But only two or three; any more than that and I'll fall."

"If you fall, I won't be able to hold them off either," the Yuyang Palace Master said with a bitter expression.

With Immortal Meng's domain assisting him, he felt greatly empowered, his strength boosted significantly. Conversely, the opponents were suppressed and weakened by the domain. This allowed him to continuously withstand their combined assault. Without Immortal Meng... he would be forced to flee for his life, and even then, escape would be far from certain!

"Demon King Yuanchong, stick to this plan! Kill Immortal Meng, and victory will be ours," Demon King Baichen ordered via mental transmission. "Attack!"

"Haha, let's kill them!" Demon King Bahou roared, equally fierce.

The three demon kings attacked together once more. The Yuyang Palace Master could only defend. Although 'Demon King Duton' was absent, he was the least threatening of the four demon kings; his poisonous mist was entirely suppressed by the domain. As for close combat, Demon King Duton's abilities were merely average, significantly inferior to the incredibly fast ape demon king and the immensely strong Demon King Bahou.

Both sides engaged in a fierce struggle. Demon King Baichen and Demon King Bahou frantically entangled the Yuyang Palace Master, while Demon King Yuanchong, with a swift flash, once again darted towards Immortal Meng, intending to kill her.

"Stop right there!" The Yuyang Palace Master, however, unleashed a barrage of punches, sending streaks of light flying to intercept the ape demon king.

He desperately needed to find a way to single-handedly contain all three, preventing any of them from reaching Immortal Meng. But this was clearly too difficult.

Especially the agile and swift black-furred ape, which, transforming into a black light, flickered several times. In just two breaths, it had shaken off its impediments and reached Immortal Meng. Helpless, Immortal Meng could only defend herself. Every close-quarters engagement only compounded her injuries.

"Immortal Meng, I never imagined we'd die together," Yun Wanhai said with a weak smile.

"Shut your mouth, we're not dead yet!" Immortal Meng retorted, struggling to hold on.

But... Immortal Meng knew deep down, how much longer could they possibly hold out?

Demon King Duton was speeding towards Yuyang Palace. Along the way, he encountered battles between humans and demons, conflicts that were spread throughout many parts of the city.

Just ahead of Demon King Duton, a skirmish was underway. Three humans were coordinating exceptionally well: two were holding off the demons, while the third, an archer, repeatedly unleashed volleys of arrows. Though not a 'Divine Archer,' his considerable strength and accuracy provided a powerful deterrent. As his companions engaged the demons in close combat, he fired an arrow that pierced directly through a demon's head.

"Well done!" "Next one!" These three Manifestation Realm experts were seasoned veterans, exceptionally coordinated, and had already slain over a dozen demons.

A shadowy figure, wreathed in black mist, rapidly flew from a distance. As it swept past, a tendril of black mist detached and swept over the three veterans. Their eyes widened in unwilling disbelief, but beneath the mist, their flesh swiftly corrotted, dissolving into a pool of blood.

Demon King Duton paid them no mind; to him, it was merely an incidental act of killing a few humans on his way back to Yuyang Palace.

Moments later, as Demon King Duton zipped over a river, he spotted a battle unfolding in the distance.

A white-clad youth, wielding twin swords, was locked in combat with a group of demons, surrounded by numerous demon corpses.

"Whoosh." Frost permeated the air, significantly slowing down all the demons.

His twin swords danced, relentlessly taking the lives of demons. No matter how the demons attacked, their assaults were repelled, and they were systematically cut down.

"Thud." Even a tiger demon commander was similarly cut down.

"What a formidable human! Although he can't compare to that young man with the saber, he possesses the strength of one of our demon grand commanders," Demon King Duton thought, secretly surprised. "It's a pity that such strength isn't yet enough to warrant a bounty from the demon race."

Among humans, there were indeed geniuses capable of matching the strength of demon grand commanders. While impressive, this level of power wasn't enough to draw the attention of the entire demon race. Ancient Godfiend families in places like the capital, if their talent was exceptional and they received dedicated training, developed very deep Godfiend foundations. Even in their mortal stage, they could possess strength comparable to a demon grand commander. However, such geniuses would not serve in the mortal military. Instead, they would first enter Yuanchu Mountain to become powerful Godfiends, only then engaging in combat with the demon race.

Forcing these geniuses to serve in the military and fight desperately on a battlefield resembling a meat grinder would be an irresponsible disservice to humanity as a whole.

"Killing a genius isn't a bad outcome either," Demon King Duton muttered, then shot towards the white-clad youth.

"Hmm?" The white-clad youth was none other than Yan Jin. Before the grand battle between Godfiends and demon kings at Yuyang Palace, everyone had been evacuated. After all, ordinary mortals would only be caught in the crossfire if they remained. Yan Jin had also departed, killing many demons on his journey.

"A demon king?" Yan Jin tensed, seeing the blurred figure shrouded in black mist rapidly closing in from the distance.

After his near-fatal encounter at Leisure Stone Garden, his family had dispatched a more formidable guard, though that guard was also a Core Condensation Realm expert. Once Yan Jin himself reached the Seamless Realm, his strength became comparable to that of his protector. Consequently, the guard quietly departed, as a Core Condensation Realm master naturally had many important matters of his own to attend to.

"How could I encounter a demon king? Aren't they supposed to be fighting Godfiends at Yuyang Palace?" Yan Jin's expression changed dramatically. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled, possessing no confidence whatsoever in resisting.

"Little one, do you truly think you can escape?" Demon King Duton's speed was incredible; he rapidly closed the distance, a black mist spreading out to envelop the youth.