Chapter 638 - 631: The Journey
Time slowly trickled by, never stopping, as Zhou Yuanjue underwent his gradual transformation.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the situation had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
On June 15th, World Calendar 2031, Dong Wanming of the Holy Heart Sect made the ultimate sacrifice. His death served as an example, reawakening humanity’s fading passion and dimming hope. Martial Artists across the world began desperately searching for ways to improve themselves and resist the Celestial Demons.
On the twenty-eighth of the same month, Ji Yunzhou of the Seven Spirits Sect and Zhang Zhizhen of the Celestial Heart Sect joined forces and successfully returned from the "Birth" secret realm, the counterpart to the "Death" secret realm known as the Three Rivers Return Path. The "Birth" secret realm governed the initial shaping of a sentient being’s willpower-field. After the willpower-field of a deceased being was shattered and broken down by the Three Rivers Return Path, it was reshaped here, forming a complete cycle of Reincarnation.
Within this "Birth" secret realm, one could harness nature’s shaping effect on willpower-fields to rapidly increase their strength. However, the realm was filled with fragmented, unformed willpower-fields. To achieve rapid growth, one had to absorb these fragments. If one’s mind was not resolute enough, it was extremely easy to become lost. It was a place where risk and reward went hand in hand.
Aided by the "Birth" secret realm, the pair’s power rapidly approached King Level. Two months later, they successfully broke through during battles with other gradually recovering King Level Celestial Demons. The opening of the "Birth" secret realm, despite its immense risks, enabled humanity’s strength to take another great leap forward. A great number of Martial Artists benefited from this realm, their power advancing by leaps and bounds.
Meanwhile, Gleb of the Beisha Country successfully attempted the "Sacred Lotus" Atlas. He completed the first great leap for his life imprint, advancing it toward the "Sacred Lotus," and became the second human after Zhou Yuanjue to reach King Level via an Atlas. With the guidance of the "Sacred Lotus" Atlas, his power reached a considerable height in a short amount of time.
From then on, even though the "Sacred Lotus" Atlas possessed great potential dangers, it was still seen as the simplest path for humanity’s evolution when compared to the "Birth" secret realm. Spurred on by the disaster, its hidden risks were set aside, and this system began to spread among the nations of the world.
That August, compelled by the disaster, the human factions were forced to unite. Led by the Far East Alliance, they established the World Human Alliance. Donghua was appointed the chief member state, and the Chief Commissioner became the head of the council. By extending the tendrils of his Divine Dao into the destiny of humanity, he successfully broke through to King Level.
That same month, Venerable Brahma Kekao of the Bosha Country spoke with the Chief Commissioner within the endless void of magnetic fields, seeking guidance on the path of the Divine Dao. He then raised his "Brahma World" high, shouldered the National Fortune of the Bosha Country, and broke through the limits of King Level, using the Brahma World to shelter his lands.
That same month, the leader of the Black Continent’s Hunting Mark Organization awakened and successfully broke through to King Level.
That same month, Tu Junshan, the Guardian of the Kunlun Immortal Palace, immersed his will into the continent’s ley lines and broke through to King Level. He now possessed power akin to the Divine Dao, standing guard over the vast, desolate lands north of Donghua.
In the time bought by the Spirit Guardian forces, who fought with all their might to delay the advance of the Celestial Demons, the flames of human evolution ignited across the globe amidst the crisis.
But finally, the power of the Ancestral Incarnations and the Celestial Demons expanded to a point that the Spirit Guardian forces could no longer fully suppress.
Three months later, the Celestial Demon forces launched a fierce assault on the entire world.
Although a new generation of powerhouses had emerged among humanity, they were still in constant retreat under the pressure of the Celestial Demons. If not for the countless new King Level experts walking the Path of True Self who had appeared during this time, humanity would have been utterly defeated and instantly annihilated under the fierce onslaught.
From then on, human territory continuously shrank. The various continents and regions formed defensive perimeters centered around the Sealing Realm Images. Despite their desperate resistance, the situation grew ever more dire.
In the spring of World Calendar 2032, a time for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, Daoist Bailong transformed his very body into a grand formation and traveled the world. The top-tier King Level expert from the Guardian Spirit Race, the same people who had once sealed the Primordial Ancestors, sacrificed his life. He refined his own Ancestral Power and infused it into the Ancestral Artifacts of the various clans, forging the Twelve Holy Artifacts. With this act, he passed the formidable authority over nature wielded by the Spirit Guardians into the hands of humanity’s King Level Martial Artists.
Daoist Bailong, his power exhausted, passed away with a smile atop Mount Tai. His name, along with those of the other powerful Spirit Guardians, was branded onto the Holy Artifacts, forever remembered by all of humanity.
Afterward, the top Martial Artists, wielding the Twelve Holy Artifacts, unleashed the artifacts’ magnetic field power, which was capable of suppressing the abilities of the Celestial Demon Ancestors. Combining this power with their own strength, they clashed with the Celestial Demon forces repeatedly. It was a back-and-forth struggle, resulting in a stalemate.
「In the blink of an eye, three years passed.」
The Celestial Demons could never have imagined that the global conflict, which they had expected to resolve in less than half a year, would be dragged out by humanity for three long years.
As time went on, the Celestial Demons grew increasingly anxious. The longer the delay, the closer their pursuers drew. They feared that if they didn’t have enough time to prepare, their enemies might find their trail and hunt them down, even after they escaped Earth.
By World Calendar 2034, human civilization had gradually stabilized. Communication between nations and various factions improved, while the Martial Dao, individual Cultivation Systems, and related technologies developed even further.
In the face of immense pressure, humanity had shown incredible resilience and willpower.
Even without Zhou Yuanjue, this race would not simply collapse.
However, just as things seemed to be settling, an even greater disaster was quietly approaching.
After suffering grievous injuries, the Master of Nightmares, who was entrenched in the skies above the Starry Sky Country, had quietly awakened and recovered. He was now plotting a secret operation.
The Black Continent, the weakest in terms of individual power, became his primary target.
An Ancestral Level power took action personally. The leader of the Black Continent’s Hunting Mark Organization, its strongest expert, was dragged into Nightmare City and his main body was killed on the spot. Though he had relied on the unique properties of the Path of True Self to prepare a method of regeneration at a secret base, he lacked Zhou Yuanjue’s terrifying Recovery Ability, so his recovery time was unknown. Most importantly, the Holy Artifact he wielded was lost.
And so, the Black Continent became the first continent on Earth after the Northern India Continent to be completely conquered by the Celestial Demons.
The Master of Desolation, who had been sealed on the Black Continent, completely reclaimed his power and returned to his Ancestral Level strength.
The second fully recovered Primordial Ancestor had appeared.
The global situation was once again turned upside down.
Under the terrifying pressure of Ancestral Level power, every continent except for the exceptionally powerful Far East Continent began to fall. Their powerhouses and populace retreated, gathering on the Far East Continent.
The Far East Continent had seemingly become a lone island.
Besieged on all sides.
After three years that had seen them go from crisis to stalemate, the greatest crisis of all had now descended upon the land.
This time, they faced a truly, fully recovered Primordial Ancestor!!
And at this very moment, within the endless, dark turbulence of the True Realm....