Chapter 404: The Righteous-Demonic War Was a Cover?
The black robed figure gradually slowed before finally stopping several hundred meters away from Tian Yongheng and Zhu Dong.
For a brief moment, none of the three spoke, suspended above the endless mountains below separating the Central Continent from the Eastern Pristine Waters.
The atmosphere became strangely quiet, rain continuously pouring down between them while the surrounding mountains disappeared beneath layers of mist.
Tian Yongheng calmly observed the newcomer.
The moment he recognized the other party’s appearance, fragments of information immediately surfaced within his mind.
Aside from the system’s information panel, he had also investigated about this person in his spare time.
Demon Lord Nine Calamities, once acknowledged as the strongest among the Three Great Demon Lords of the demonic path.
Long before the Righteous-Demonic War, before he was even born, this one had already shaken the entire Second Great Mortal World with his name.
Back then, he and Qing Yunzi had been regarded as lifelong rivals.
Both of them possessed heaven defying talent, standing at the absolute summit of their generation.
Countless people believed one would eventually surpass the other, and Qing Yunzi, the Sword God, indeed surpassed him.
However, somewhere along the way, Demon Lord Nine Calamities had entered the demonic path.
From then onward, the two gradually drifted apart, eventually becoming enemies.
Yet, strangely enough, according to the system’s information panel, during the Righteous-Demonic War, this very person had unexpectedly defected to the righteous path.
That single decision of his reduced the casualties suffered by the righteous path by a great margin.
According to what he got to know later, Demon Lord Nine Calamities provided key intelligence regarding the demonic path and the Demon Race’s various strongholds and hidden powerhouses, which ultimately led to the final confrontation at the Isle of Heavenly Demons.
Not only that, he had even assisted Lu Qingfeng.
It was also because of this that Tian Yongheng never truly regarded him as an enemy.
More importantly, this person seemed to know many secrets regarding the Upper Realm, including the true reason behind the Righteous-Demonic War, which was why he actually defected from the demonic path.
Thinking this far, Tian Yongheng’s eyes deepened slightly.
Is he here because of that...
On the other hand, Demon Lord Nine Calamities was also quietly observing the two before him.
Naturally, his attention first landed upon Tian Yongheng.
Nothing unusual, just as unfathomable as he remembered, in both the final battle at the Isle of Heavenly Demons and that sword strike which pierced the heavens two centuries ago.
Truly, the strongest being in the entire Lower Realm.
But he seems much more handsome than in my memories!
Putting aside that absurd thought, his gaze soon shifted towards Zhu Dong.
A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes as he detected the other person’s cultivation base.
Tribulation Transcendence Realm?
He carefully examined Zhu Dong once more with his Divine Sense.
Although the other party’s cultivation indeed only fluctuated around the later stages of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, for some inexplicable reason...
He instinctively felt a very faint danger emanating from him.
It was an absurd feeling.
A Half Immortal at the Grand Perfection Stage actually sensing danger from a Tribulation Transcendence junior.
Impossible...
However, cultivators of his level rarely trusted coincidence.
His gaze lingered for another moment before calmly withdrawing.
Either this person possesses an extraordinary background... or he is the reincarnation of some ancient powerhouse.
Regardless of which possibility it is, it has nothing to do with today’s purpose.
His attention returned to Tian Yongheng, a hint of appreciation and even a faintly concealed admiration appearing in his eyes.
"So, it seems this is our first true meeting."
His voice was calm and steady as he spoke.
"I believe the Eternal Lord has probably heard of me before."
Tian Yongheng nodded slightly.
"I have, the strongest among the former Three Great Demon Lords, Demon Lord Nine Calamities."
As he spoke, Tian Yongheng quietly sensed the other’s cultivation.
The aura surrounding Demon Lord Nine Calamities was quite strong actually, at the Grand Perfection Stage of Half Immortal Realm.
The last time Tian Yongheng checked through the system, the other party had only been at the Late Stage of Half Immortal Realm.
Now, he was already at the peak of mortality, only a single step away from becoming a Vagrant Immortal.
It seems this fellow had also had his fair share of opportunities since the Lower Realm’s Providence began gathering above the Second Great Mortal World.
Naturally, Tian Yongheng did not reveal any surprise. Everyone had their own opportunities.
Instead, he calmly asked, "Is there something the Demon Lord wishes to discuss?"
Before answering, Demon Lord Nine Calamities glanced at Zhu Dong once more.
His meaning was obvious; some matters were not suitable to be spoken aloud in front of everyone.
Seeing this, Tian Yongheng couldn’t help but speak before he could ask.
"No need for voice transmissions, you may speak freely. This person is trustworthy."
Hearing those words, Zhu Dong raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
Demon Lord Nine Calamities looked at Tian Yongheng for several moments before nodding slowly.
"If you say so."
He no longer paid attention to Zhu Dong, his expression gradually becoming solemn as he began.
"You must have already noticed the abnormalities occurring throughout the Lower Realm, such as the Providence vortex being forcibly pushed forward by the Lower Realm Spirit, and it seems..."
His gaze lifted towards the endless heavens in the direction of the Heavenly Region.
"... the Sword Venerable has already fallen."
A trace of regret appeared within his eyes as he uttered those words.
Tian Yongheng remained silent, the atmosphere becoming somewhat heavy once again.
After a long moment, Demon Lord Nine Calamities slowly sighed.
"I originally intended to head towards Kunlun Divine Mountain, after all, regardless of everything else, the Sword Venerable could still be considered one of my seniors. Before I entered the demonic path, he had guided me once. There are some debts that remain debts, I wished to pay my respects."
For a brief moment, no one spoke, and even Zhu Dong looked somewhat surprised.
He had not expected such a relationship to exist...
However, Demon Lord Nine Calamities soon shook his head.
"But after encountering you... I realized another matter at hand is far more important."
His expression became incomparably serious.
Tian Yongheng’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
He calmly asked, "Is it related to the severed connection between realms, the abnormalities of the Lower Realm Spirit, and the Immortals Gods above?"
Demon Lord Nine Calamities was slightly surprised.
"It seems you’ve discussed this with the Kunlun Saint Master as well."
Then, he immediately nodded.
"Yes."
This single word caused both Tian Yongheng and Zhu Dong to become attentive.
The Demon Lord continued, "You might not know this, but throughout the Righteous-Demonic War, the so-called resurrection of the Archaic Forbidden Demon God..."
He paused briefly before dropping a bombshell.
"... was merely the surface."
Tian Yongheng’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Just the surface?
Demon Lord Nine Calamities continued.
"The Demon Saint... from the beginning, he was nothing more than a vessel prepared for the Archaic Forbidden Demon God’s resurrection."
Tian Yongheng naturally already knew this.
Although he wasn’t present at the moment the Demon God resurrected, he still knew most of the process; it was nothing more than a Demon Saint "serving his purpose".
Ultimately, that led to the Archaic Forbidden Demon God breaking free from his seal and resurrecting using Ye Ling’s body.
However, what did this have to do with today’s discussion?
Could there be a mastermind behind all this as well?
Almost as if understanding his thoughts, Demon Lord Nine Calamities slowly spoke.
"You also know about the descent of those Upper Realm Half Immortals, and Tian Yun even exchanged blows with their leader. You even personally killed the resurrected Archaic Forbidden Demon God."
Tian Yongheng nodded slightly, "I did."
Slowly, Demon Lord Nine Calamities uttered words that instantly changed the atmosphere.
"But... none of that was the true objective."
The surrounding rain suddenly felt heavier, drowning out all the noise of the world.
Neither Tian Yongheng nor Zhu Dong interrupted, both listening quietly.
"The resurrection of the Demon God, the great plans of the demonic path and the Demon Race, the Righteous-Demonic War, and even the descent of those Upper Realm Half Immortals..."
He slowly looked towards Tian Yongheng.
"Everything was deliberately arranged."
His voice became increasingly cold, a hint of killing intent in his tone.
"They all acted according to instructions handed down from the Upper Realm."
Zhu Dong’s expression changed slightly, becoming solemn as Tian Yongheng’s gaze deepened further.
Tian Yongheng had naturally guessed there were hidden hands manipulating everything long ago, however, according to Demon Lord Nine Calamities, everything had just been part of a deliberately arranged act?
The Demon Lord continued, "They were ordered to create the largest disturbance possible, the greater the commotion, the better. The war had to engulf the entire Second Great Mortal World, and only this Mortal World for some reason. The resurrection had to attract everyone’s attention, and the appearance of the Upper Realm Half Immortals had to become the center of everyone’s focus."
His eyes were extremely cold as he said this.
"Because only then would no one notice what was actually happening."
At these words, Tian Yongheng’s breathing slowed almost imperceptibly.
His intuition suddenly told him that the next sentence would reveal something extremely important.
Demon Lord Nine Calamities slowly took in a deep breath before exhaling.
"The Righteous-Demonic War... was nothing more than a smokescreen, a smokescreen intentionally created to conceal something far more terrifying."
His gaze lifted towards the endless heavens, something akin to fear and rage simultaneously flashing through his eyes.
"It was serious enough to alarm even the 33 Heavens."
Complete, utter silence descended upon the surroundings, and even the sound of rain seemed to disappear.
Zhu Dong’s expression had already become incomparably solemn.
As someone who had once been an Immortal Sovereign, he understood far better than anyone what those words represented.
Alarming the 33 Heavens?
That was no longer something involving merely the Lower Realm or the Upper Realm, but it concerned the entire structure of heaven and earth.
Tian Yongheng’s expression also turned extremely serious.
Just what exactly had been hidden beneath everyone’s noses this entire time?