At the remote border of the foreign land, black snow drifted through the air.

A weathered fortress stood tall on this alien soil, its once-magnificent grandeur still faintly discernible.

In the beginning, the Celestial Phoenix Domain was not limited to just Celestial City, nor was the outside world always a foreign land.

This place was originally the rear, but now the city walls were riddled with scars, corpses littered the land beyond, and the stench of blood hung heavy in the air.

Everything bore witness to the brutal battle that had taken place here the day before.

Inside a stronghold within the city, $2iang Yu stood at the forefront, flanked by the Celestial Clan—including Pojun—and representatives of the martial families from Earth City, all gathered before a defensive map.

"We have no retreat left. Our only option now is to burn our bridges and fight to the death."

Jiang Yu rested his hand on the Celestial Divine Sword at his waist, opening the meeting with these words.

The gazes of those present were complex—filled with sighs, resentment, and regret—yet they had no choice but to suppress their emotions.

The situation truly left them no way out.

Their retreat had been cut off. None had expected Tan Lang, the Celestial Clan’s most valiant warrior, to have long defected to the foreign land.

"Without supplies or reinforcements, the longer we drag this out, the slimmer our chances of victory."

"If we’re going to gamble with our lives, we need a plan."

"We can’t just eat demon flesh—that madness-inducing poison will kill us..."

"Even if we barely win against a pincer attack, how will we return to Celestial City?"

The murmurs among the Earth City martial artists grew louder, their unease swelling.

Jiang Yu listened quietly until the clamor subsided, then swept his gaze across the group.

"You don’t need to overthink this. Your task is to hold off the majority of the high-level demons here."

"I will take the strongest Celestial warriors and leave. At the very least, you must hold out for three days."

"Three days?"

The martial artists exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

They didn’t voice it, but the same question burned in their minds—

Was Jiang Yu using them as a rearguard while he fled?

"I plan to strike at the heart of the enemy—cut off the head of the snake," Jiang Yu added, his confidence unwavering.

A middle-aged Earth City martial artist chuckled bitterly. "It seems we have no choice in the matter."

Indeed, even if Jiang Yu truly intended to abandon them, they couldn’t stop him.

Now, they could only hope his words were true—and that he would succeed.

But even then, the rear was still...

Thud—

A round object rolled into the room, tumbling twice before coming to a stop.

It was a severed head—eyes wide open, golden blood dried on its face.

Tan Lang.

The figure who had thrown the head strode in through the black snow, rubbing his hands before settling by the brazier. He picked up a fire poker, still stained with blood, and poked at the embers.

To the onlookers, this ordinary-looking old farmer seemed absurdly out of place.

A Celestial warrior, born under the glow of violet auroras, had been slain—by a mere mortal.

Jiang Yu studied him for a long moment before bowing slightly.

"Elder Dong, I ask that you accompany us to the Abyssal Vale."

"This old man will go, but not with you."

Dong Changtian didn’t even glance at him.

To him, Jiang Yu—the emperor who wielded the divine sword—was not dazzling.

Because he had already seen the true sun.

......

Outside the city.

"Lao Luo, how did you win again?"

"One tile, eight bamboos—your luck’s too good!"

"Hahaha, I’m keeping track! Don’t forget to pay up once we leave Celestial City!"

The crisp clatter of bone-carved mahjong tiles filled the air as the Demon Sect members reveled—some playing games, others drinking, the atmosphere lively.

Luo Yexian had been riding a wave of success lately.

The demons could be controlled using the Beast Hall’s secret techniques—they seemed intrinsically linked to the Beast God worshipped by the sect.

Celestial City’s counterattack against the foreign land had been crushed under the weight of natural adversities, barely making a ripple.

Just the demons organized by the Beast Hall alone had forced the enemy to hole up in their city.

With Tan Lang’s betrayal, that fortress wouldn’t hold much longer.

The credit undoubtedly belonged to him.

The Blood Refining Hall Master snorted. "The next Celestial Disaster hasn’t even arrived yet. The Ancestral God is still recuperating—who knew this trial would end so soon? I didn’t even get to use my preparations."

"I feel the same. Jiang Yu probably thought to strike while the Ancestral God was weak, but he was too foolish and arrogant," the burly Yin-Yang Hall Master said in a delicate voice.

Jiang Yu’s blunders weren’t just embarrassing to his own side—even his enemies found them cringe-worthy.

Ahem. "The trial isn’t necessarily over. There will still be chances to earn merit."

Luo Yexian shook his head.

These two were getting too full of themselves—had they already forgotten about Ying Bing?

But even she might struggle to turn the tide now. Jiang Yu had pushed the situation past the point of no return.

Just then, a towering bull-headed demon entered to report.

"By the Ancestral God’s decree, all hall masters are to return to the Abyssal Vale at once!"

"What happened?"

"Jiang Yu has led a group of Celestials to the outskirts of the Abyssal Vale!"

What?

Hall Master Lu, Luo Yexian, and the Yin-Yang Hall Master’s expressions shifted instantly.

A sneak attack?

This kid had no honor—and what a ruthless heart! Without the Celestials, the city would fall in no time.

Those left behind would have no choice but to fight to the death.

He was trading their lives for a single shot at the enemy’s heart.

Had this been Jiang Yu’s plan from the very beginning?

"Time is of the essence. The hall masters must depart immediately."

"Let’s move!"

After a quick discussion, Luo Yexian and the other two decided to leave the weaker demons behind to maintain the siege while they took the strongest ones back to reinforce the Abyssal Vale.

"Go!"

With the bull-headed demon leading the way, they set off toward the Abyssal Vale.

......

The Abyssal Vale.

Malevolent winds howled through this place—the origin of Celestial City’s calamity, the most corrupted and twisted region of this world. Thick black moss, like compressed black snow, covered the ground, alongside grotesquely shaped stone carvings.

The creatures that thrived here were as vile as the land itself.

At the peak of the highest mountain stood a temple.

Within it, the power of the second Celestial Disaster was brewing.

Here lay the source of the disaster, countless powerful demons, Demon Sect members who had undergone the baptism, and that transcendent being from beyond.

Now, figures stood in the skies above the Abyssal Vale, their eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

There, a golden dragon coiled around the illusory form of a divine city, tearing through the layers of black snow as it advanced.

"More Celestials have come to the Abyssal Vale... just like we once did."

"Let’s keep them here."

"After this battle, He will take us to the true world... He will grant us rebirth..."