Volume 7: The Demon Emperor's Prideful Journey Chapter 10: Blood Fills the Sky
Dugu Baitian stood quietly atop countless bones, letting the bloody mist swirl before him. Blood dripped drop by drop from his long hair and clothes. His face was expressionless, his eyes utterly vacant, as if connected to the endless void. A colossal demonic statue stood behind him, gazing up at the heavens, its expression full of sorrow. A faint sense of melancholy, an endless feeling of grief, brushed gently through the Eternal Life Valley like a desolate autumn wind…
Dugu Baitian's eyes remained profoundly empty. Staring at the countless corpses lying in pools of blood, he murmured to himself, "Must I truly… defeat the Heavens? Can the Heavens… truly be defeated? The Path of No Return… Dugu Baitian…"
An endless sorrow spread throughout the entire Eternal Life Valley. A mournful wind rippled within the valley. Dugu Baitian stood there motionless, like a stone statue. The enormous demonic apparition behind him was extremely fierce and terrifying, yet it emanated the same grief as he did…
"Invincible in the mortal realm, one can go to the Other Shore. Can one still be invincible there?"
Dugu Baitian turned his head to look at the huge demonic statue behind him and murmured, "Form arises from the mind, demons arise from the heart. The true origin is demon, the demon is the true origin…" In the instant his eyes met the demonic apparition's, Dugu Baitian seemed to traverse the course of millions of years—all that had vanished, all that was eternal…
Boundless sorrow, overwhelming rage… like a great river rushing forth from time immemorial… flowed into his heart, into his very marrow…
Dugu Baitian raised his head to the sky and roared, "The Heavens deserve execution… Kill!" The ferocious demonic statue transformed into a purple-black demonic aura and drilled into his body. At that moment, he lost his original nature.
Bloody mist filled the Eternal Life Valley, a great wind sprang up. All the corpses floated up, and even the blood that had seeped into the ground reversed its flow, ascending towards the sky.
Five hundred mangled corpses eerily floated into the air, densely arranged above the Eternal Life Valley. The blood flowing upwards dyed the entire sky above the valley a shocking red—blood filled the sky…
At this moment, Dugu Baitian seemed to have transformed into a devil. He soared into the air, arriving above the five hundred floating corpses, while above his head was the horrifying, blood-red sky.
"I will have tens of thousands of bones piled beneath my feet! I will have blood waves surge to the skies in this Eternal Life Valley!" Although his voice was icy cold and his demonic aura soared to the heavens, a few glistening teardrops fell from the corners of his eyes.
An unforgettable scene appeared before the nature-lost Dugu Baitian.
Situ Mingyue's faint figure seemed to drift over the Eternal Life Valley, her words from the past seeming to echo in the valley.
"If… after my soul scatters… I can still preserve even a trace, a fragment… of my spiritual imprint, I will definitely… wander this world… I will wait for you. If you can ascend to heaven, I will… follow you. If you descend into hell, I will… stay by your side… I truly… truly… love you…"
The image gradually faded… Helplessness, heartache… Tears slid down Dugu Baitian's cheeks…
"The bones are not yet tens of thousands, the blood waves have not yet surged to the skies. It's not enough… not enough…" Dugu Baitian roared madly, "The Eternal Life Valley needs demon blood, needs holy blood, also needs heavenly blood… Explode!"
The five hundred corpses all exploded violently. Shattered bones, minced flesh, and the blood filling the sky mixed together—flesh and blood filled the air.
Dugu Baitian shouted loudly, "Do not blame me for extinguishing your spiritual consciousness completely. Blame yourselves for not understanding true goodness and true evil, for overestimating your own capabilities! Gather!"
The flesh and blood of the five hundred lives emitted a faint glow. Life energy converged like a tide above the Eternal Life Valley. Finally, the flesh and blood in the sky turned into dust and scattered in the air, while that life energy coalesced into an immensely powerful energy mass.
"Soul Locking Grand Array—Activate!"
The huge energy mass transformed into streams of soft, radiant light that spread outwards through the Eternal Life Valley. The entire valley suddenly brightened. The valley floor seemed to resonate, emitting its own light. Two faint clusters of radiance gradually took shape above the valley; upon closer look, they were actually two ancient characters of extremely archaic form: "Lock Soul" (锁魂).
The entire process lasted about half an hour. All the radiance receded, disappearing into the Eternal Life Valley.
After Dugu Baitian landed from the sky, he was dazed for a while. Disjointed fragments of what had just happened flashed through his mind one by one. He seemed thoughtful. After a while, he said with firm determination, "Since it's the Path of No Return, let me advance courageously and let the demon walk the world!"
He shouldered his broadsword and strode out of the Eternal Life Valley.
Half an hour after Dugu Baitian left, three figures rushed towards the Eternal Life Valley from outside like lightning. A gentle breeze passed, and the three were already standing within the valley.
The three had white hair and beards, their snow-white clothes spotless, embodying an aura of immortal grace and wisdom.
Looking at the ground covered in broken bones and the foul-smelling minced flesh that had turned to dust, their expressions changed drastically.
One said, "Such profound skill, such ruthless methods. This youth has already stepped into the Emperor Realm. If we do not intervene, no one under heaven will be able to restrain him."
Another said, "Alas, it's a pity we were a step too late today, otherwise such a tragedy would not have occurred."
The third said, "It would be best to try and persuade him, not to resort to force hastily and drive him to desperation. Otherwise, the outcome would be mutually destructive."
"He has already killed so many people, is there still room for reconciliation? If we let him go, will the people of the world, will other Emperor Realm experts let him go as we would? One can sense the powerful demonic aura he left here. He has glimpsed the peak of the Demonic Path; there's no turning back."
"Indeed. Although I also value talent greatly, we absolutely cannot allow him to develop like this unchecked."
A gentle breeze flashed through the Eternal Life Valley, and the three vanished in the blink of an eye.
In this season of heavy snow filling the sky, the road to the Eternal Life Valley was bustling. Martial artists hurried there in small groups.
But when these people entered the Eternal Life Valley, they turned back as if they had seen a ghost. The ground covered in broken bones and the pungent, piercing stench made these belated martial artists feel their hearts and livers were about to shatter. They fled in panic and disarray.
The great battle at Eternal Life Valley shocked the martial world. Not a single one of the five hundred heroes from the Han Tang Empire who participated survived, including the Heavenly King expert, Asura Heavenly King Zhao Cheng, and several Quasi-King level experts. Of course, the assassin who had reached the Heavenly King level remained unknown.
The news of this great battle exploded like a barrel of high explosives, instantly spreading to every corner of the Tianyu Continent. Everyone believed that Dugu Baitian had already become an Emperor. The Demon Emperor's emergence shocked the world.
First, the Rage Emperor and the Blood Emperor threw the martial world into chaos. Now, the Undying Demon Emperor had appeared abruptly. The Demon Emperor seemed even more bloody and brutal than the previous two Emperors. It appeared a catastrophic turmoil was about to sweep through the martial world.
Experts who had previously participated in hunting Dugu Baitian were restless with anxiety, constantly thinking about how to find refuge. Assassins in the assassination world had an even harder time. This prime target, who had reached the top of the assassination list in just three short months, seemed to have turned into a hot potato overnight, making people hesitate and hold back. Looking at the ten million price tag, they wavered time and again, only to give up each time, perpetually indecisive.
The martial world's situation changed dramatically. Dugu Baitian, whom everyone had clamored to hunt down just three months ago, seemed to have turned the tables completely, transforming from the prey into the hunter. Every martial artist who had once chased the Undying Demon Emperor trembled with fear. If an Emperor Realm expert set their sights on you, your days were numbered.
Influential great families and major powers mobilized once again, forming another Demon Elimination Team. Unfortunately, it was all sound and fury, signifying little. The number of respondents was clearly fewer than the last time.
Veterans of the martial world lamented, "People, they are so pragmatic!"
Some impulsive youths, carried away by fervor, signed up, declaring loudly, "Eliminating demons and defending the righteous path is everyone's responsibility! I sign up! I will definitely slay this demon with my own hands…"
Unfortunately, before they could finish speaking, their elders would pinch their ears and drag them back home.
The Five Great Sacred Lands remained silent, uttering not a word.
People discussed this extensively. They did not know that the Five Great Sacred Lands had secretly dispatched their own Emperor Realm experts down the mountain. If they encountered Dugu Baitian, it would be a world-shaking battle between Emperor Realm experts.
Undercurrents surged in the martial world; winds rose and clouds scudded. This was an era of turmoil, destined to see many abandoned and many others making their names renowned throughout the world…