Chapter 1108: Certain Defeat
The monks of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga stood on the top of the mountain, gazing into the distance. Within the gushing demon qi, they could only make out a blurry outline of Great Buddha mountain. It was enveloped in a much deeper and larger shadow, which was the shadow of the demonfolk army. They roared out as they surged towards the Green Province cauldron in the sky. At the very front was the three-thousand-meter-tall battle demon that looked down on all of them, leading the demon army a million strong. Even from here, they could clearly make out the war cries.
An ink dragon swam around the surroundings of the demonfolk army, maneuvering between the Demon Kings. Its body was slashed apart, ripped apart, and even pulverised countless times, but it would rea.s.semble every single time. It just seemed much more feeble.
He was already using his full strength to keep the Demon Kings busy, but there were far too many of them. They supported one another, making it difficult to kill any single one of them. If it were not for the fact that he could not be killed, he probably would have died here a long time ago.
The only hope resided in the sky.
The Fierce King of Chu controlled the Green Province cauldron, trying his best to keep the gushing demon qi at bay. He sucked Xiao An into the illusion of the Green province as well. Xiao An shook the Soul Stirring Bell, forcing the colossal battle demon to use its war cries to fend off the ringing, preventing it from wreaking havoc as it wished. Li Qingshan swung the Frenzy Flower Blade of Path’s End, constantly attacking Battle Demon Hun and stopping his advance.
As for the four Monk Kings, even with the Unraging monk’s Battle Demon Statuary, they were chased all over the place by the Demon Kings, facing constant danger. Even protecting themselves became an issue.
With the decline of the Dragon King of Ink Sea’s strength, more and more Demon Kings were freed up, and they provided support to Battle Demon Hun in a hurry. They did not attack Li Qingshan, instead looping around him and directly attacking the Fierce King of Chu.
If the illusion of the Green province shattered, then the power of the demon cavern would no longer be suppressed. Both the demonfolk army and them, the Demon Kings, would be able to unleash their full strength. No one would be able to stop them anymore.
Li Qingshan’s heart sank. No matter how powerful he was, his arms were full. He was in no shape to support the Fierce King of Chu.
The Fierce King of Chu was stern. As he stood in the centre of the landscape, the obscure illusions suddenly seemed to solidify, turning into mountains, rivers, and vegetation. As soon as the Demon Kings stepped in there, they were immediately met with the rumbles of thunder, the collapse of mountains, and various natural phenomena.
A Demon King suddenly halted. His expression twisted and distorted as if he was suffering from some sort of disease or something had gone wrong during cultivation. A string of lightning just happened to crash down on him, blasting him to pieces with a rumble!
The other Demon Kings lost the courage to advance any further. They lingered around the outskirts of the illusion, pushing in slowly.
As invaders from a foreign world, they faced the restraint from the laws of the World of the Nine Provinces. The illusion produced by the Green Province cauldron was a condensation of the power of laws. As a result, it demonstrated alarming power right now, holding off the Demon Kings’ attacks like an impregnable fortress.
However, this was one of the largest demon caverns in the world. The demon qi that gushed into the air could easily contaminate thousands of kilometers. As the bridge tower for the Demon domain’s invasion, how could it be suppressed so easily?
Boom!
The blade and sword clashed again. Battle Demon Hun let out a furious roar and suddenly swung down with his huge sword.
Li Qingshan drifted backwards in retreat, and a few strands of scarlet hair floated down.
After gaining the power of the entire army, Battle Demon Hun’s strength had reached an unbelievable level. Even more terrifyingly, he could wield this power as he pleased. He was flawless in terms of both battle technique and battle spirit.
Li Qingshan tried his various innate abilities and techniques, but he struggled to kill him. Even if it led to some damage, it would just…
Battle Demon Hun glanced at the sword in his hand. It was covered in nicks and slashes. A dim, demonic glow flowed into the sword from his arm, and the damage vanished in the blink of an eye, like it had gone back to being brand-new.
“Li Qingshan, I admit that your strength is extraordinary. Unfortunately, you’re far too foolish.”
“Foolish! What do you mean by that?” Li Qingshan said. The battle in the Clear River prefecture had just ended, so he was more than happy to buy some time.
“You chose the wrong side. Don’t forget, you’re a demon as well. Your battle is completely pointless. If this world becomes a part of the Demon domain, it’ll only be to your benefit, not detriment. With your talent and strength, it’s completely possible for you to join the Battle Demon clan and become a true battle demon! This world is far too weak. It even struggles to express its will. If you join my side and fight for the Demon domain, you’ll learn what the ‘will of the heavens’ means. It comes with endless benefits!”
Battle Demon Hun tried to tempt him. He knew that even if he defeated Li Qingshan, he would struggle to kill him here, and he would become a huge problem in the future. However, if he recruited him into the ranks of the Demon domain, then he would become a great ally. At the same time, it would provide him with even more opportunities to kill him.
“That does sound very reasonable. Allow me to consider it.” Li Qingshan stroked his chin as if he was actually considering changing sides.
“d.a.m.n it! This kid is going to change his allegiance!” a Monk King said, but with further thought, what “allegiance” did a wretched daemon have to speak of in the first place?
“He won’t…” The Unraging monk said with absolute confidence.
Before he could say anything more than that, there was a great rumble, and the furious guardian king collapsed under the combined efforts of several Demon Kings.
“In that past, there was a foolish battle demon that had been deluded by bald a.s.ses here, setting off on a wicked path of opposing the Demon domain. If you can realise his errors and join the Battle Demon clan, that would form quite a story!” Battle Demon Hun added.
He was certain that Li Qingshan would make the correct decision. With each invasion launched by the Demon domain in the past, they had never lacked any traitors that defected to their side.
“Then what kind of position would I get if I join you?” Li Qingshan asked.
“Only second to me in the vanguard army!” Battle Demon Hun said. However, he was the only one who controlled the army in the first place, so it made no actual difference.
“That doesn’t sound very tempting!” Li Qingshan shook his head. Qiongqi had also offered up a position of being “second to him” in the past, but who knew how many times greater his status was compared to Battle Demon Hun. As a result, he smiled. “What if I want to replace you?”
“You!” Killing intent flashed across Battle Demon Hun’s face. “Alright, very well. Even now, you’re still trying to buy time? Though, I’m not different. You will face certain defeat in this battle. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to take a look up there.”
In that instant, the illusion of the Green province was gradually corrupted by the demon qi. An oriole in the illusion currently perched on a branch and sang when its feathers suddenly became pitch-black. Its body twisted and swelled, and it let out a miserable cry that was no longer pleasant even in the slightest. The other vegetation and creatures all began to demonify too. The Demon Kings pressed closer and closer towards the Green Province cauldron.
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The black splotch on the Green Province cauldron that represented the demon cavern grew in size, spreading out like veins.
The demonfolk army was like an army carrying out a sieve. Even though they moved much more slowly due to the disturbance from the Soul Stirring Bell, they still pressed up close to the Green province illusion. They only needed to surge forth, and Li Qingshan definitely would not be able to keep them at bay. The Green province illusion would not be able to keep them suppressed either, and they would have basically lost this battle!
The Dauntless monk and the Unraging monk flew several hundred kilometers away from Great Buddha mountain before finally escaping the Demon Kings’ pursuit. They were both utterly exhausted and covered in wounds. The two other Monk Kings had already fallen, blowing up their śarīra to stop the demon army’s advance and to earn them a chance at surviving. However, within the gushing demon qi, even the glow from their self-destruction seemed so feeble.
They gazed at Great Buddha mountain, refusing to accept this result. “Have we really just been defeated?”
Li Qingshan was completely unworried. He stretched and let out a yawn. “You will face certain defeat in this battle. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to listen closely!”
In that instant, everyone heard the cries of cicadas!