The air was thick with the scent of blood.
Corpses littered the ground, belonging to both demon and human.
Chen Jiuyang had never witnessed such a brutal scene.
Even in his state of celestial-human unity, his spirit felt shaken.
Chen Jiuyang had no idea how many millennia ago the battlefield re-enacted within these twelve cities of the Human King's Path had taken place.
Looking at the fallen bodies, a question arose in Chen Jiuyang's heart.
What was the point of internal strife and conflict among humans?
This was an era where demons ran rampant, devouring humans, where the immortal path was in decline, and martial arts had yet to produce a human emperor.
It was an era where even mortals had to don armor and wield weapons to fight demons.
The demons… seemed endless.
This was already the eighth wave of demons Chen Jiuyang had slain since entering the twelve cities of the Human King's Path, an unending tide, impossible to eradicate.
Humans were as insignificant as blades of grass. Where were Qi Degui and Ming Chengdao? Were they at the front lines, fighting even stronger demons?
The countless human predecessors struggled desperately in this dark age.
Chen Jiuyang slowly stood up, casting a glance behind him. Holding the tiger tally token, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the vast wilderness.
Within this small immortal realm, a cultivator at the Venerable Realm could traverse a continent in a lifetime, but that was all. Below the Venerable Realm, one could not even leave a single continent.
Warfare raged everywhere, and the cries and screams of humans continuously assailed Chen Jiuyang's senses.
The sheer number of sky-obscuring demonic beasts was overwhelming; humans were like crabs and stones on a beach, while the demons were the tide.
Chen Jiuyang's mind reminded him that this was an illusion, a scene from countless years ago, yet every detail—the plants, the trees, the people—seemed real, impossible to ignore.
The tiger tally in Chen Jiuyang's hand glowed white, and a weak, husky voice echoed from within: "Is anyone there… requesting reinforcements… behind me is a city of a million humans, the demon tide is upon us, and I am the only martial artist left who can kill demons…"
"If anyone can hear me, please come and save them, I can't hold on much longer…"
It was Qi Degui's voice, that spirited, stout young man, his voice choked with emotion, as if he were weeping, his arrogance as a prodigy gone, crying out for help.
"Brother, may you rest in peace. We are also about to fall. We have the will to fight the enemy, but not the strength to turn the tide." Other human voices echoed from the tiger tally:
"You go on ahead, we will follow soon."
How tragic.
Chen Jiuyang's heart wavered, his eyes reddening. There were human cities in every direction, all needing support. To help one side meant watching others perish.
This was a difficult choice, and even Chen Jiuyang felt a sense of dark despair, his state of celestial-human unity beginning to falter.
He remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Qi Degui, reveal the coordinates of your city, I am coming."
"B-Big Brother?" Qi Degui's weak voice responded, and then he revealed the coordinates.
Chen Jiuyang once again transformed into a streak of light, flying eastward.
An hour later, he saw mountains of demon corpses. An ancient city was covered in battle scars, and a faint array of light protected the humans within.
Innumerable demons were gnawing at the city's array. In the sky, Qi Degui was locked in combat with a colossal demon.
Chen Jiuyang knew that demons, too, had their ranks. Some demons could ignore spells and arrays, which was the weakness of immortal cultivators. Facing such demons, they had no effective means of fighting.
Chen Jiuyang drew his saber, and his powerful personal martial will erupted, manifesting in the heavens and earth. A five-colored stream of light burst forth, a saber intent that seemed to shatter space, cleaving all demons within his sight.
Then, more and more demons lunged at Chen Jiuyang. With each swing of his saber, he killed them faster than they could attack.
Soon, he unleashed his five divine abilities, and the majestic shadows of gods and demons appeared, giving Chen Jiuyang a moment's respite to rescue Qi Degui.
In less than half a month, this stout prodigy of the Qitian Sect, who had journeyed with him, had become gaunt. What had happened was unknown, and his body was covered in wounds, but his entire demeanor and aura had undergone a drastic transformation.
Only the most brutal battlefields could bring about such a change in a person in such a short time.
It was a demon beast with a human head and a snake's body.
Chen Jiuyang brought his saber down.
"Clang—"
The demon beast actually resisted Chen Jiuyang's saber attack with its physical body, astonishing Chen Jiuyang.
He was shocked by the terrifying resilience of the demon beast's physique.
He tightened his grip on his saber, exerting force with his arm, and managed to hack the blade into the demon beast's flesh, cutting it in half. Foul-smelling blood and viscera splattered down.
Chen Jiuyang looked at the nearly exhausted Qi Degui and, grabbing him, flew towards the human city.
"Clang!!!"
His five divine and demonic phantom abilities moved with him.
With one hand holding Qi Degui, the other suddenly reached out: "Origin Dao—Covering Penglai!"
"Puff puff puff!!!"
A sky-obscuring giant hand suddenly appeared, crushing all the demons clinging to the city's array into bloody mist. Then, his five divine abilities—Zhurong, Gonggong, Fuxi, and Shennong—each took their positions at the four corners of the city, while the phantom of Chi You, holding a great bow, appeared directly above the city. He drew the great bow taut, and under Chen Jiuyang's control, unleashed the perfected Heavenly Will Four Symbols Arrow, shooting forth an arrow domain and an arrow formation, shredding the demons.
Then, he descended into the human city with Qi Degui.
"A powerful one!!!"
"Never have we seen such a formidable martial arts expert!!!"
"It seems we are saved!!!"
Witnessing these four divine and demonic phantom figures effortlessly annihilating the demons, countless humans within the city cheered with joy.
Chen Jiuyang took a look. The city was primarily populated by immortal cultivators, with very few mortals and a small number of low-level martial artists.
A cultivator wearing ancient, unrecognizable Daoist robes approached Chen Jiuyang. "Brave warrior, thank you!"
Chen Jiuyang observed the pure immortal cultivation energy emanating from him. "A peerless expert at the Dao Integration stage, hiding within the city…"
He spoke, "It's nothing. This is my brother. He looks like he hasn't rested in a long time. Do you have enough medicinal herbs and elixirs?"
"Certainly," the Dao Integration stage expert replied. "Qi Degui is the torch of our human race. He fought for half a month to defend Sui City and protect us. How could we not provide him with the best resources to recover?"
Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly.
"What is your name, brave warrior? I am Sui Lan, the lord of this city," Sui Lan said.
"Chen Jiuyang," Chen Jiuyang replied.
"Can you, Warrior Chen, use elixirs to maintain your Dharma manifestations to fight enemies?" Sui Lan gestured towards the five divine phantom figures outside Sui City. His heart trembled; this human cultivator was truly gifted, possessing five Dharma manifestations, and their power was boundless.
Chen Jiuyang remained silent. Had martial arts not yet risen? Did even the Venerable Realm lack such divine abilities?