In the air, there seemed to float a nauseating and foul stench, an all-pervasive suffocating terror that had transformed into that extremely oppressive, gloomy, and dark cloud.
The sky had completely darkened.
Only a pair of red eyes, shrouded in an ominous crimson glow, hung in the dark firmament like two full moons, watching the living beings of this land with an evil and silent gaze, as if immeasurable misfortune were about to descend at any moment.
The biting wind suddenly halted.
All scenes and objects slowed down, freezing before their eyes as their gazes shifted, as if still.
At this moment, everyone's heart felt as if it were soaked in cold water, devoid of any warmth. They couldn't help but think that Gu Junshi was indeed powerful; they admitted that.
But she was too arrogant. The Demon God had existed between heaven and earth for tens of thousands of years. Who did she think she was? After a moment of triumph, she had become heedless of the vastness of the heavens and the depth of the earth. She had underestimated the Demon God too much, ultimately resulting in her complete annihilation.
However… Gu Junshi's series of actions were incomprehensible, but her final act of betrayal was perfectly clear to them.
Coupled with the previous events, it was evident that there were hidden circumstances.
"Sister—"
Gu Er cried out hoarsely, no longer acting as a giant to protect these unrelated cultivators. He threw the crowd aside, his body rapidly shrinking back to his normal human form.
He charged into the chaotic, sand-like miasma as if driven mad, tearing apart and swatting away the demonic beasts devouring Gu Junshi's ashes.
Tan Ya followed closely behind, her eyes red, desperately trying with Gu Er to snatch back the remnants of Gu Junshi's powder, refusing to allow these inhumane demonic beasts to defile and insult her.
"Give her back to me, give my sister back to me..."
Gu Er saw that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't match the feeding speed of the massive horde of demonic beasts. More died, but even more swarmed forward to snatch them. They were like a swarm of flies unafraid of death, as if Gu Junshi's ashes held an unparalleled attraction for them.
They cast aside their lives, even killing each other for the remains.
"This is the consequence of betraying me!"
The Demon God's sinister and delighted voice reached Gu Er's ears, like a taut nerve suddenly snapping. The capillaries beneath his skin clearly crawled onto his skin, his pupils turning golden with a red outer ring.
"What Demon God, True Demon, I don't know, nor do I care what you intend to do..." Gu Er glared up at Him, gritting his teeth and saying fiercely, "But you shouldn't have touched my sister!"
The red pupils looked down with icy disdain.
"Gu Junshi is not even considered a person in my eyes, what are you?"
A mere Jiangshi, even if possessing some special power, was not even worth the effort of a casual flick of His wrist in His eyes.
"What are you yourself?" Gu Er suddenly grew larger again.
His body gradually transformed from human to demonic, two golden horns sprouting from his head, his golden-red eyes devoid of whites, his entire body腥红 and his muscles bulging. With one colossal stomp, he flattened the city of Fengdu and leveled the towering, uneven structures.
"Ah—"
A piercing roar echoed through the sky, and the gathered energy swept in like a gale from all directions.
He slammed one hand towards the location of the red eyes, pulverizing all the demonic beasts that obstructed his path into bloody mist.
The cultivators below watched with wide eyes, their hearts pounding uncontrollably, looking on with disbelief and anticipation, waiting for the result of his outburst.
"A mere trick."
These two simple words stirred up a world-destroying, fierce gale that instantly devoured and swept away the impact Gu Er had caused, repelling it with a backlash of tens or hundreds of times the force.
Gu Er clenched his five fingers against the pressure, letting the pain of the impact scorch and corrupt his skin. He pushed upwards with all his might, needing no sorcery, relying solely on this powerful body transcending the six realms to withstand all force impacts.
Sinister dark energy howled around Gu Er as he moved, constantly closing the distance, disregarding everything, determined to land a punch on the Demon God's manifestation.
"Ugh—"
As he closed the distance with a desperate and astonishing proximity, everything was so dazzling and astringent.
Tan Ya couldn't even get close to their battle range. At this level of combat, even approaching caused him to feel a tearing pain in his soul.
Yet, to just watch without doing anything filled him with extreme unwillingness.
He wanted to avenge Gu Junshi!
Having been selfish for most of his life, it was the first time he didn't consider gains or losses, fighting so hard for someone else.
"If you no longer have the resolve to fight the Demon God to the death, then leave now while you can. No one is obliged to keep propping up the collapsing Mount Tian to protect you!"
Tan Ya said to the apprehensive, even terrified, disciples of the Dayan Sect behind him.
"What are you doing?"
The Mountain Master of the Dayan Sect, seeing Tan Ya's unusual expression, quickly surrounded him, showing an intent to obstruct.
Tan Ya raised his soft eyelashes, which transformed into firm, straight black lines. Instantly, a beam of light shot past them.
"If I can see clearly, what is there to fear?"
As these eight words were spoken, they possessed a heroic spirit comparable to the heavens. In an instant, the demonic energy that had been suppressed by the Maha Zen Temple behind Tan Ya surged out like a broken restraint, rushing out frantically and eagerly. Simultaneously, his cultivation base also climbed at an astonishing speed.
Tan Ya soared upwards, wielding the Cloud Thunder Sword, with rolling chaotic clouds clearing his path, and lightning intertwining to pave a way with an aura that killed buddhas and demons alike.
Seeing Tan Ya preparing to sacrifice himself, others began to falter.
They knew they would only be throwing their lives away if they joined, but to simply watch was also a form of torment.
"Heh~ commendable courage... but alas, too foolish. Neither of you are even immortals, what will you use to fight a god?"
The Demon God's sinister red eyes suddenly blazed brightly, and as the two "red suns" unfurled, they cast a blood-red hue over everything in the world.
Under the shroud of this endless demonic light, everything on the ground began to crack and shatter. The sky twisted and folded, chaotic and terrifying. The tangible things on the ground, such as forests, trees, and stones, were lifted by an invisible force, then crushed into powder. Everything seemed to be gradually collapsing…
Everything that happened before their eyes was so sudden and astonishing. As both living and inanimate things became sacrifices to the Demon God, all that remained before them was a hollow, desolate land. Soon, even this would disappear, and by then…
Would the Thirty-Second Heaven still exist?
Would the Six Realms still exist?
Would they themselves still exist?
Thinking this, they shivered profoundly.
At this moment, those who wished to fight the Demon God profoundly understood that the gap between gods and humans could not be bridged or eliminated simply by courage and desperate struggle.
They truly became fearful, and wished to retreat.
But if they retreated, where could they go?
The despair that surged in their hearts at this moment made them clearly understand.
They had no way back.
All that remained before them was a dead end, and then another dead end.