On a serene small lake, surrounded by a grassy area, the clear water teemed with colorful fish swimming below the surface. Water lilies and lotuses floated among the gentle ripples, while a thin mist created an ethereal atmosphere.
A wooden bridge led to a small pavilion in the middle of the lake. Bamboo curtains covered the pavilion, hinting at a vague silhouette of a person sitting cross-legged, hovering slightly above a cushion. Inside the pavilion, a middle-aged man with white hair, eyebrows, moustache, and beard, wearing luxurious robes, sat with his eyes closed. In front of him, a crystal ball surrounded by a thick black aura hovered.
"Void Sword, how is the Cultivation World reacting?" came a voice from the crystal ball.
"They are alarmed but can't figure anything out," Void Sword replied, not bothering to open his eyes. "Currently, they are deploying their forces to investigate but aren't making much progress."
"And how about your sect?" the voice, Shadowlord Krythar, asked.
"Same as the others. Don't worry about my sect; everything is under control," Void Sword assured him.
"Very good," Shadowlord Krythar responded.
"So, when will it start?" Void Sword inquired.
"Well, I am not sure of the exact time. It could be in dozens of years or thousands of years," Shadowlord Krythar admitted.
"Hmph... so unreliable," Void Sword grumbled.
"Don't worry, it will eventually happen. We just need to be patient and wait. Both our worlds have already started to connect. Initially, small World Portals will appear randomly and temporarily, allowing only low-level demons to enter your world, like what's happening now. But as time goes by, permanent World Portals will start to appear, enabling stronger demons to enter. Eventually, a permanent World Portal large enough for me to enter will open, and that is when we will launch our main invasion," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"And when is that exactly? I don't have much time to wait any longer," Void Sword said, opening his eyes, which glinted with a dangerous light.
"Like I said, I don't know. We demons don't know much about the artifact used to connect our worlds. We only know that our Demon Ancestor obtained it from the Void a long time ago. After investigating it, he concluded that it could be used to connect two worlds. Since our ancestor obtained it, it has been stored and never used, even until that ancestor ascended to the Immortal World," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"I agreed to cooperate with you demons and have activated the artifact, but if I need to wait for thousands of years, I don't have enough time. You better give me what I want now, or our cooperation ends. I will destroy the artifact, and you demons can say goodbye to your plan of invading my world," Void Sword threatened, reaching into his robe and taking out a very simple-looking pendant.
This pendant was the cause of the Qian Feng World and the Demon World connecting. Void Sword was already nearing the end of his lifespan and saw no opportunity to ascend. He was currently at the peak of the Qian Feng World, and the next step for him was to ascend to the Immortal World. However, he lacked the confidence to successfully pass the Heavenly Tribulation.
Then, one day, an irresistible offer came from an unexpected source—the demons. They offered him something that could help boost his cultivation and vitality, restoring his strength—a unique resource from the Demon World that was very rare: Infernal Blood Crystals.
Void Sword agreed to cooperate with the demons in exchange for these Infernal Blood Crystals. He didn't care about what would happen to the Qian Feng World; his only concern was how to ascend to the Immortal World. As one of the most influential and powerful cultivators in the Qian Feng World, he had vast resources, but none were very helpful for him. However, Infernal Blood Crystals from the Demon World were very beneficial and useful for him, though they only existed in the Demon World, and he had no way to obtain them. Even in the Demon World, Infernal Blood Crystals were also rare.
All he needed was Infernal Blood Crystals, and he agreed to cooperate with the demons in exchange for them.
"Very well, but we can only give you a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals for now," Shadowlord Krythar replied.
"Mmm..." Void Sword nodded, satisfied even though he would only receive a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals.
"By the way, was the big space and time fluctuation also caused by the artifact? You didn't mention anything about it before. You said that nothing out of the ordinary would happen and that our worlds would merge slowly without anyone's knowledge. But now the whole Cultivation World is alerted and has already discovered that something is going on between our two worlds," Void Sword remarked.
When he activated the artifact, a huge mysterious space and time fluctuation could be felt throughout the world.
"Hmm... maybe? Like I said, we don't know much about the artifact. Well, it doesn't matter if the Cultivation World is alerted. They can't stop our plan anyway, so there's no need to worry too much," Shadowlord Krythar responded.
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The Demon World was a barren, rocky land with a dark, cloudy sky frequently lit by lightning. The air was thick with dark, smoky miasma. Atop a massive volcano, the caldera brimmed with boiling magma.
Around the rim of the volcano, several figures were gathered, each possessing a unique and terrifying appearance. Some sat on the ground, others hovered in the air. One sat on a throne made of bones and skulls, another lay sleeping on the ground, snoring loudly, and one rode an undead dragon made solely of bones.
These were the Archdemons, the top existences in the Demon World, currently holding a meeting.
There were sixteen Archdemons present: Xylothar the Malevolent, Abyssal Sovereign Valthrok, Zarogloth Dominus, Zon Nihilus Prime, Vourghul the Unbound, Tyrantlord Zargoloth, Morchulix the Netherking, Vexaris the Dread Monarch, Abyssal Overlord Azrakar, Fa the Emperor of Shadows, Malaxhar the Demonic Sovereign, Zephryxus the Dark Emperor, Oblivionarch Zarrathul, Havocor the Abyssal Emperor, Void Monarch Xylthor, and Malevoloth the Supreme Lord of the Abyss.
Shadowlord Krythar arrived, flying slowly towards the volcano before descending. Now there were seventeen Archdemons, all part of the Volcanic Alliance.
"Sorry I'm late," Shadowlord Krythar said, standing on the rim of the caldera.
"Now that Shadowlord Krythar has arrived, we can begin. Can you tell us how the plan is progressing?" Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, asked, looking towards Shadowlord Krythar.
Shadowlord Krythar was regarded as the smartest among the Archdemons in the Volcanic Alliance, thus tasked with handling the plan regarding the invasion of the Qian Feng World. None of the other Archdemons complained or disagreed with the decision to put Shadowlord Krythar in charge, acknowledging his superior intellect.
However, if the title at stake was "the strongest", a battle would have erupted immediately as each Archdemon claimed that title for themselves. None of them cared about being the smartest; their focus was on being the strongest.
"As everyone knows, the plan has started and temporary World Portals are already appearing randomly, connecting our Demon World to the Qian Feng World. Our accomplice in the Qian Feng World is Void Sword. My trusted subordinate delivered the Ancient Pendant artifact to him through the Mystic Realm that connects our two worlds, and he has activated the pendant," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"Huahahahha, good, and when can I go to Qian Feng World?" one of the Archdemons, Zarogloth Dominus, asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. Currently, only small, temporary World Portals exist, and only low-level demons can pass through. But over time, as long as the artifact with Void Sword remains activated, the World Portals will grow. Eventually, there will be permanent World Portals that will last a long time. Based on my estimates, a World Portal that will allow Archdemons to enter will take thousands of years. We need to wait," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"Sigh, that long?" Zarogloth Dominus's enthusiasm was doused.
"Is there any problems?" Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, the one in charge of the meeting, asked. He had a good relationship with the majority of the Archdemons present, which is why he was chosen for this role.
"Nothing significant, but currently the Cultivation World is already alarmed and has begun investigating the World Portals, though they haven't discovered anything significant," Shadowlord Krythar replied.
"Hmph, how could this happen? I thought that if you were the one to handle this matter, it would go smoothly," Fa, Emperor of Shadows, said. Its real form was indiscernible, appearing as a lump of shadow with a pair of red eyes.
"There was an unexpected event when Void Sword activated the artifact. A massive space-time fluctuation occurred, and the effect was felt throughout Qian Feng World, thus alerting the Cultivation World. According to the Ancient Tomes of our demon heritage, the artifact should not produce such a phenomenon. To this day, I've been looking into it, but I still don't know the cause. The Cultivation World of Qian Feng doesn't know either," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"Well, it's still fine. Are there any other problems?" Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, asked.
"I just talked with Void Sword, and he wants us to give him the Infernal Blood Crystals now. Otherwise, he will destroy the artifact," Shadowlord Krythar reported.
"How dare a puny human threaten us? When the time comes, I will enter the Qian Feng World and personally kill this cockroach!" Abyssal Overlord Azrakar roared in a threatening tone.
"I have told him that for now we will only give him a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals. Does everyone agree?" Shadowlord Krythar inquired.
"Hmph, why should we?" Abyssal Overlord Azrakar retorted.
"If not, our plan will be ruined," Shadowlord Krythar pointed out.
"Tch..." Abyssal Overlord Azrakar grumbled.
"Void Sword is the best candidate for an accomplice that I chose. He is currently nearing the end of his lifespan. We will give him a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals to extend his lifespan a little. If he wants to live longer, he must follow our orders. We will give him a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals in exchange for doing something for us. Slowly, he will fall deeper into our clutches," Shadowlord Krythar explained.
"Splendid. You did well in choosing Void Sword. I think it's okay to give him just a small amount of Infernal Blood Crystals. How about it, everyone? Agree? Let's consider it an investment," Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, looked at the other Archdemons. Seeing no disagreement, he continued, "Very well, then we will give Void Sword the Infernal Blood Crystals, but just a tiny amount of them. Shadowlord Krythar will be the one to handle it."
Shadowlord Krythar nodded.
"Okay, now for another topic," Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, continued. "It's about the Dark Tower. I have invited them to join our invasion of the Qian Feng World, but they remain as stubborn as ever and refuse."
"Well, just let them be. As long as they don't hinder our plan," Zephryxus the Dark Emperor suggested.
The other Archdemons voiced their agreement. Currently, there were two major factions ruling the Demon World: the Volcanic Alliance and the Dark Tower. There were also Archdemons who were not involved with either faction.
The Volcanic Alliance was currently planning to invade the Qian Feng World and devour the resources there, while the Dark Tower opposed the idea. The Volcanic Alliance comprised more than 20 Archdemons, while the Dark Tower had fewer than 10. However, the Volcanic Alliance did not underestimate the Dark Tower, as all the Archdemons in the Dark Tower were very strong and, more importantly, they were battle maniacs and kind of crazy in their own way.
"Very well then, on to the next topic," Malevoloth, Supreme Lord of the Abyss, concluded. The archdemons continued their discussion.
As the other archdemons talked and discussed, one of them remained silent. Malaxhar the Demonic Sovereign sat cross-legged, hovering in mid-air. "Lin Xue... Snow Rose... soon..." he murmured, his right hand gently tracing the scars on his face. There was also a huge scar on his chest.