Chapter 43: A Cycle of Demon Extermination

How many devils are there in the world?

If someone were to ask this question, they would surely be mocked.

Because the devils of the world simply cannot be counted.

As the leader of the Demonic Path forces, the Wanmo Sect governed less than ten thousand devils, even if one included those of the Eighth and Ninth Ranks.

But as for the devils causing chaos all over the world, how could there be only a hundred thousand or a million?

Because the method to become a devil was far too easy.

And the benefits were simply too great.

For an ordinary person to step into the Ninth Rank and become a Cultivator,

Not to mention training through the harshest winters and the hottest summers, they would also have to invest countless amounts of energy and time.

And in the end, success was not even guaranteed.

But you only needed to Cultivate a single Demonic Technique and then consume the essence and blood of dozens of ordinary people,

To smoothly step into the Ninth Rank Realm.

Although it was said that while entering the Demonic Path was easy, achieving Major Achievement or even eventually stepping into the Upper Three Ranks was far more difficult than with Righteous Path techniques.

However, if many people did not rely on Demonic Techniques, they wouldn't even reach the Lower Three Ranks, let alone the Upper Three Ranks, which would be pure fantasy.

Furthermore, devils acted without restraint, needing to follow no rules, and killing was as simple as eating or drinking.

This path was sought after by many.

Especially in the last few decades, the Wanmo Sect had risen, tying up much of the Righteous Path's energy.

This allowed devils across the world to proliferate even more.

In the past, those Righteous Path Experts would often descend the mountain to eliminate demons and defend the Dao.

Now, it was quite the opposite; these Righteous Path Experts had all gone to fight the Wanmo Sect.

The devils entrenched in various regions acted as if they had lost their shackles, their methods becoming even more brutal.

However, now.

The world's demons had met their doomsday.

Because that Celestial Master Zhang from Dragon Tiger Mountain had descended to exterminate the demons.

The Wanmo Sect Headquarters.

After the battle at Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Wanmo Sect Master was killed,

Eight of the nine Celestial Phenomenon Realm Deputy Sect Leaders were dead,

The one Deputy Sect Leader who escaped alive was only because he had been on a mission at the time and was quite far from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Coupled with his inherent talent for life-saving techniques, he barely managed to escape with his life.

Even so.

This Deputy Sect Leader was scared out of his wits. Although he was fleeing with all his might at the time, a chance glance showed the Wanmo Sect's side turning into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Such a terrifying scene almost shattered the demonic heart of a devil like him.

"Deputy Sect Leader, what do we do now?"

"The Sect Leader is dead, and the other Deputy Sect Leaders are dead too."

"Are we… are we still staying here?"

A devil who had stayed behind asked with a trembling voice.

"If we don't stay here, where can we flee?"

"This is the headquarters, filled with hidden mechanisms. Hiding here is the safest option."

The Deputy Sect Leader composed himself and spoke calmly.

At the beginning of the Wanmo Sect's rise, they had already considered that if they failed in a decisive battle against the Righteous Path, the headquarters would be their final retreat.

The Wanmo Sect's headquarters had been arranged by dozens of Great Masters of mechanisms. Even a group of Celestial Phenomenon Realm Experts wouldn't dare barge in; a slight mistake would result in being heavily injured by the traps.

It was precisely because of this.

The Deputy Sect Leader ultimately chose to flee back to the headquarters.

At the same time, he ordered the remaining devils to activate all mechanisms.

Suddenly.

Right at that moment.

Screams of agony came from outside…

Simultaneously, a terrifying vibration echoed through almost the entire headquarters.

"No!!"

"Who are you?"

"Why are you killing us?"

The desperate roars of the devils inside the headquarters rang out, falling into silence in the blink of an eye.

A figure wearing a Daoist robe walked in step by step.

It was none other than Lin Yuan.

"Celestial Master."

The Deputy Sect Leader smiled miserably.

He had thought that the mechanisms in the headquarters might not stop that Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

But he didn't expect it to be so fast. The many mechanisms that the Wanmo Sect once viewed as their final retreat hadn't even lasted half an incense stick's time against this Celestial Master.

"Celestial Master, if I choose to submit to you, to submit to the Celestial Masters Residence, can I still live?"

The Deputy Sect Leader did not give up and asked in a low voice.

No matter what, he was still a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert; he had to have some use, right?

"No need."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

Then he turned and left.

As for the Deputy Sect Leader sitting in the main seat, a red line suddenly appeared on his brow.

The devil beside him was no exception; his gaze quickly became stiff, and he collapsed.

The Great Yu Dynasty.

The National Capital.

A man wearing blood-red robes fled to the outside of the imperial palace, filled with terror.

"My name is Ouyang Ye, a Personal Disciple of the Wanmo Sect Master. I know the method to quickly Cultivate Celestial Phenomenon Realm Experts. The nine Celestial Phenomenon Realm Experts of the Wanmo Sect were born through this method!"

The blood-robed man, Ouyang Ye, looked toward the imperial palace ahead, circulating his True Qi to project his voice inside.

The Great Yu Dynasty was the unified Dynasty of the world today, possessing great strength. It was also Ouyang Ye's only path to survival now.

"I can inform your Great Yu Dynasty of this method. My only request is for protection to block that Celestial Master Zhang."

As Ouyang Ye said this, his expression was almost one of pleading.

He believed that the Great Yu Dynasty could not refuse the method for cultivating Celestial Phenomenon Realm Experts. After all, that was the Celestial Phenomenon Realm; even if the price was high, for a Dynasty, it was absolutely a priceless treasure.

After a long time.

The imperial palace gates were pushed open.

A hunched old man walked out.

This hunched old man had a profound aura; he was clearly also a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert.

"You should leave."

"Celestial Master Zhang is invincible under heaven. The people he wants to kill, the demons he wants to exterminate—we cannot help."

The hunched old man shook his head slightly.

Then, as if perceiving something, he immediately turned and walked back inside the gates.

In the next moment, the imperial palace gates were tightly shut.

"Can't help?"

"They don't even want the method to Cultivate Celestial Phenomenon Realm Experts?"

The blood-robed man Ouyang Ye fell silent.

"Could it be that there truly is no one in the world who can save me?"

Ouyang Ye was utterly despondent.

Immediately after, a flash of sword light passed from behind him.

Ouyang Ye collapsed directly, losing all signs of life.

"At least they were sensible."

Lin Yuan looked up at the Great Yu Imperial Palace and turned to leave.

The Far North Ice Field.

In front of a palace forged from ice crystals.

A figure in a black robe knelt there.

"My Original Demon Sect lineage, six thousand years ago, once shared the same path as your Northern Plains lineage."

"I am willing to reveal many secrets of the Original Demon Sect, only seeking to survive."

The black-robed figure said in a low voice; he knew the Lord of the Northern Plains inside the ice palace could hear him.

In all the world, only this Lord of the Northern Plains could slightly restrain that Celestial Master Zhang.

"You want to survive?"

Deep within the ice palace sat a majestic man with eyes gleaming gold.

At this moment, his expression was somber, revealing nothing.

"I also want to survive…"

The majestic man sighed.

"Lord of the Northern Plains, will you really just watch as my Original Demon Sect lineage is severed once again?"

Receiving no response, the black-robed figure kneeling on the ground looked up in despair.

At the same time.

The black-robed figure collapsed with a thud.

Lin Yuan's voice emerged from nearby.

"Lord of the Northern Plains?"

Lin Yuan looked at the palace before him with slight surprise.

From the records of the Celestial Masters Residence, he also knew of the Northern Plains lineage; its history was long, no less than that of the Celestial Master lineage.

However, this lineage had always stayed far from the power of the Central Plains, living peacefully in the Far North Ice Field, so the people of the world knew very little about them.

"Celestial Master Zhang, this devil has nothing to do with my Northern Plains; he came to my door on his own."

Sensing Lin Yuan's gaze, the majestic man deep within the ice palace immediately spoke up to explain, somewhat nervously.

"I know."

Lin Yuan nodded.

His figure vanished silently.

Only after Lin Yuan had completely left,

Did the Lord of the Northern Plains breathe a sigh of relief.

"The pressure this generation's Celestial Master gives me is too great; he seems to be far stronger than the other Celestial Masters of past generations?"

The majestic man could not help but think to himself.

The Northern Plains lineage knew far more about the Celestial Masters than other Righteous Path forces.

It was precisely because of this that the Lord of the Northern Plains felt the pressure Lin Yuan exerted on him was almost unbearable.

In a desert.

Dozens of figures were fleeing frantically.

"Celestial Master Zhang, we few dozen brothers, though we call ourselves devils, have no connection to that Wanmo Sect!"

"When the Wanmo Sect besieged Dragon Tiger Mountain back then, we brothers were unaware and did not participate!"

The leading man shouted hoarsely, looking at the figure walking toward them step by step with eyes full of fear.

"As long as you are a devil, you should be killed."

Lin Yuan raised his right hand and pressed down lightly; the dozens of people sprinting ahead all collapsed together.

On a busy street.

A fortune-telling Daoist was shouting by the roadside.

At this time, a man with ordinary features stepped forward.

"Calculate for me, how long can I live."

This ordinary-looking man's eyes were bloodshot; he was clearly in an abnormally tense state recently.

"Seeing as you are so young…"

The fortune-telling Daoist took just one look, and his expression immediately changed slightly.

He then packed up his abacus and table, turning to leave without a second thought.

"Master, Master, are you so afraid of that person that you don't even dare to tell his fortune?"

A child nearby jogged to keep up behind him.

"What do you know?"

The fortune-teller glared at him.

"That person just now doesn't have much longer to live. If we get too close to him, we might even be implicated."

The fortune-telling Daoist said quickly.

"Ah?"

"Implicated?"

The child blinked; he knew his master was one of the few top Experts in the world, so why would he be afraid of being implicated?

"Because that man is a devil."

The fortune-telling Daoist said directly.

"A devil?"

Hearing this, the child immediately shrank his head.

Nowadays, who didn't know that the catastrophe for the world's devils had arrived?

That Celestial Master Zhang who walked down from Dragon Tiger Mountain was hunting down devils everywhere.

As long as one was a devil, they basically couldn't escape death; no one could stop him.

"Celestial Master Zhang…"

The fortune-telling Daoist suddenly stopped.

His heart suddenly began to tremble.

Because a young man wearing a Daoist robe was walking toward them,

Heading toward the spot where the ordinary-featured man had just been.

"Celestial Master Zhang has come."

The fortune-telling Daoist murmured to himself.

Later records state that the 37th generation Celestial Master of the Celestial Masters Residence, Zhang Shanfeng, descended the mountain to exterminate the demons.

For the sixty years following, the Demonic Path of the Jianghu vanished, the world was at peace, and no one dared to call themselves a devil.

Later generations called this—

The Cycle of Demon Extermination.

The ending part was quite difficult to write, so it was posted a bit late.

This traversal is basically over; the rest is just wrap-up plot, and he'll return in about a day or two.

How do you all feel about this traversal? Please give some feedback!