Nine days had passed since the Spirit Domain’s army of a million demons first invaded the Immortal Realm.
The flames of war had filled the forty-nine provinces’ skies ever since. Countless innocents died, and the armies were in chaos. Human life was as worthless as grass.
The million demons had divided into nine groups to attack different parts of the Immortal Realm. Along the way, they seized every fortress and city they encountered. None could stand in their way.
Blood flowed like a river, and the ground was strewn with mountains of corpses. The masses were beset by disaster.
During these nine days, many of the Immortal Realm’s large factions couldn’t withstand the demons’ threats. They submitted to the demons, aiding and abetting their conquest. Even some of the most prominent factions caved.
But many other factions were simply flattened by the demonic hordes. The fallen were too many to count!
The entire Immortal Realm was beset by storms, and the landscape was stained red.
……
“Where is Su Yi? Why hasn’t he stepped forth? Don’t tell me the demons of the Beyond really scared him out of his wits?”
The demons had ransacked the Immortal Realm for nine days straight, devastating its territories. Throughout these nine days, Su Yi appeared but once at the Seventh Gate of Heaven. There’d been no word of him since.
“Didn’t he announce his ‘grand ambition’ of bringing lasting peace to the Immortal Realm and removing the threat of the demons of the Beyond once and for all? Well, where is he?”
Right. Where
Su Yi?
Many of the Immortal Realm’s experts were wondering the same thing.
At first, most people placed their hopes in Su Yi. They thought that he’d step up in the face of this storm, rally the Immortal Realm’s elites, and wage war against the demons. Yet nothing of the sort occurred. The populace’s hopes were extinguished, replaced by deep disappointment.
“It hasn’t been long at all since the Academy of Eternal Night used Su Yi’s name to command everyone to go bravely into battle, but there’s been no sign of him. Why?”
“He’s the one who caused this disaster! If not for him, how could this crisis have befallen the Immortal Realm?”
Some immortals even went so far as to blame Su Yi for this, and they criticized him harshly to vent their resentment and displeasure.
"What 'Sovereign Venerate?' He fled from battle and went into hiding. He's just watching as the flames of war ravage the Immortal Realm and bring devastation to the masses!"
That’s how most of the Immortal Realm saw it, but many others spoke up on Su Yi’s behalf.
“Idiots! Do you really think the demons wouldn’t have attacked anyway? It has nothing to do with Sovereign Venerate Su!”
“Why blame the Sovereign Venerate and not the demons themselves? It’s ridiculous!”
“Don’t let your anger blind you. The demons are deliberately trying to stir up hatred for Sovereign Venerate Su. They’re trying to destroy his reputation and make him our common enemy!”
“Ridiculous! It’s not like Sovereign Venerate Su is your grandfather. Why should he protect you?”
There was no small number of such voices… at first. As time passed without Su Yi stepping up, and as the invasion intensified, fewer and fewer people spoke up on Su Yi’s behalf. Many of those who’d initially supported him completely lost faith in him.
No one knew.
And amidst all this chaos and uncertainty, both the demons and the factions that had submitted to them fanned the flames, spreading rumors that Su Yi was too scared to show his face and that he’d abandoned the populace to their fate.
The rumors stirred the masses’ anger and resentment. All of it was directed at Su Yi.
It was to the point that, throughout the Immortal Realm, you could hear people rebuking him and cursing his name!
“The demons announced that if Su Yi kills himself in penance, they’ll withdraw immediately. Why can’t he die to save the Immortal Realm?”
is the famous Sovereign Venerate Su? Feh!”
……
“Hahaha! To think you’d fall this far, Wang Ye!”
To the far west of the Immortal Realm, in a palace built beneath countless years of ice, Jiang Tai’e threw back his head and laughed with unconcealed delight.
Su Yi had won a complete victory at the Immortal Peach Assembly. When Jiang Tai’e first learned the news, he was overcome with hatred and fury, and he felt incomparably frustrated. But now that Su Yi was reviled by the masses, Jiang Tai’e couldn’t help but feel gleeful. He was incomparably delighted.
“Just wait until the Path of Divinity appears. If you’re still alive, I’ll show you what I, Jiang Tai’e, am capable of!”
Jiang Tai’e’s heart filled with eagerness.
As for the crisis facing the general populace? Jiang Tai’e didn’t care in the slightest.
……
“You were once like the ruler of the Immortal Realm, and you waged war at the Nine Gates of Heaven year-round to protect the people.
“Yet now, the populace condemns you as the sinner behind this invasion, and they long for you to kill yourself in penance. How pitiful! How tragic!” The Blood Firmament Immortal Sovereign laughed coldly. This development was incomparably gratifying.
......
Nan Pingtian sighed when he heard the news. “The masses have turned on you, and those close to you have distanced themselves. There’s no one left by your side. Could you ever have anticipated this, Wang Ye?”
......
“Wang Ye, oh, Wang Ye, no matter where you’re hiding or what you’re planning, this crisis has left your reputation in tatters. The masses will curse your name for generations to come!” Immortal Sovereign Sky-Killer, Chu Shentong, took a big gulp of wine. “This crisis won’t end anytime soon, because… you’re already alone in this world!”
……
“The Immortal Realm is in chaos, and Su Yi’s reputation is in shambles. This is a rare opportunity for us!”
An elder of the Church of the Pure One threw back his head and laughed. “The Path of Divinity will appear within three years. When the time comes, no matter where Su Yi is hiding, he’ll die beyond a doubt! And we can return to prominence under our founder’s leadership and stand at the top of this world once more!”
The elder was so happy that he wept.
After the Immortal Peach Assembly, Sect Leader Qi Nie and most of the elders had perished. Their deaths were a heavy blow to the Immortal Realm’s vitality, and its surviving members were ill at ease. They had no choice but to hide and endure.
Who’d have thought that just half a year after the Immortal Peach Assembly, the situation would change so drastically?
The demons of the Beyond had invaded, leaving the Immortal Realm in chaos. Su Yi’s reputation was in shambles, and he was now reviled as public enemy number one. Anyone at all perceptive could see that a reshuffling of power was imminent!
All the Church of the Pure One had to do was hold out until the Path of Divinity appeared. Then, they could surely rise again!
“Send our forces to spread negative rumors about Su Yi. We have to seize this opportunity to destroy his reputation. We cannot leave him any room to turn this around!” the elder ordered through gnashed teeth.
The Church of Supreme Oneness, the Church of Divine Flame, and other such top factions reacted similarly.
The factions who’d suffered heavy casualties during the Immortal Peach Assembly were like sharks in a blood frenzy. All of them seized the opportunity to fan the flames and stir up waves.
They never even considered the fact that they were only alive because Su Yi had promised not to stamp the sects’ remaining members out after killing their leaders.
……
The White Reed Province.
Outside the Academy of Eternal Night.
The sound of war horns echoed through the air, and the beating of the drums rumbled like thunder.
Dark clouds churned beneath the dome of heaven, and a tide of demon experts enveloped heaven and earth. They’d surrounded the Academy of Eternal Night completely.
Looking down from above, the demonic hordes seemed endless. They blanketed the entire landscape.
“Die!”
“Die!”
“Die!”
The demons’ shouts shook the sky as they attacked the academy’s defensive formations with all their mind. Rumbling and booming filled the air, and divine radiance swept outward.
The formation shook violently and swayed as if about to break.
Their attacks had continued for three days straight! Throughout this time, numerous Demon Sovereigns had attacked personally, and now, the formations Su Yi had placed were on the verge of collapse.
Within the Academy of Eternal Night.
The Sword-Bearing Ape frowned. “If things go on like this, the formation will break soon!”
“No need for panic. Everyone else has sought refuge in a hidden realm. Even if the formation breaks, those who remain here are no pushovers!” Lin Feng said calmly.
For the past three days, he, the Sword-Bearing Ape, and the Red Dragon Dao Monarch had stood guard here. Liu Yun, Qing Wei, Immortal Kunwu, and the others had long since sought refuge in the Underground Palace of Seeking the Profound.
“I’m more worried about where the Sovereign Venerate is,” said the Red Dragon Dao Monarch with deep concern.
“Relax. Nothing will happen to my master,” said Lin Feng. “He might not have appeared yet, but when he does, he’s sure to turn the tides and quell the world’s unrest in one fell swoop!”
His staunch conviction came from bone-deep faith in his master, and it encouraged his companions.
But as time passed, more and more cracks appeared in the formation. This in turn encouraged the demons, who attacked with ever greater ferocity.
When Lin Feng saw this, he suddenly asked, “When the formation breaks, how about we go out and fight them ourselves?”
The Sword-Bearing Ape froze, briefly stunned, then lit up. “Exactly what I had in mind. I’ve been suppressing a bellyful of fire for days!”
“Me too!” said the Red Dragon Dao Monarch, seething with murderous intent. The past three days had been incomparably aggravating, and she longed for nothing more than to charge out of the formation and rip all of the demon scum to shreds!
“Excellent. It’s settled!”
Lin Feng’s eyes shone with cold light.
But then, they heard the sound of urgent signal horns from beyond the formation.
Beneath their flabbergasted gazes, the demon army that had been attacking like mad just moments prior retreated!
“One more step, and they could have shattered the formation. Why retreat?” The Red Dragon Dao Monarch was stunned.
This was just too out of the ordinary.
“Could this be a trick?” The Sword-Bearing Ape was uncertain too.
But before long, they saw the massive demon army disappear over the horizon, leaving no trace behind. The drum beats, roars, and bugles had all faded away. Everything was empty and abandoned.
The three of them almost dared not believe their eyes.
“Something must have happened to make the demon army flee without reservation,” said Lin Feng, his eyes flashing. “I suspect… that Master’s behind this!”
His voice was full of uncharacteristic excitement.
That very day, the army of a million demons all received orders to withdraw. All of them stopped what they were doing and retreated. The invasion receded like waters at low tide!
This unexpected and strange development instantly drew attention throughout the Immortal Realm.