CHAPTER 349: CHAPTER 322: ETERNAL NIGHT DESCENDS!

"My Buddha is compassionate. Sect Master Dongfang truly possesses a majestic presence. No wonder, with a Divine Artifact in hand, one is always a bit more spirited than other Primordial Spirits."

Just as Dongfang Qing was about to activate the Primordial Heavenly Thunder Cannon to obliterate the fifteen Spirits of Night Travel in one fell swoop, a plain Buddhist chant suddenly resonated between heaven and earth.

With hands clasped together and a string of blood-red Buddha Beads hanging before his chest, Demon Buddha Xing E walked out from the depths of the void. With each step he took, an Evil Intent Black Lotus, black as ink, bloomed beneath his feet. The black lotuses looked vividly lifelike, each Lotus Petal seemingly engraved with Supreme Dao Techniques. After seven consecutive steps, the black lotuses bloomed one after another, unexpectedly forming a sea of black lotus flowers in the void.

Standing atop the sea of lotuses, Demon Buddha Xing E’s complexion was serene. As he faced Dongfang Qing, who commanded the Nine Heavens Shenxiao Thunder City, a pair of slender eyes rippled with an unusual shimmer.

Demon Buddha Xing E’s sudden appearance gave Dongfang Qing a faint sense of unease. This monk came prepared. Sensing a strikingly different and terrifying aura, filled with boundless horror, emanating from Xing’e, Dongfang Qing’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Xing’e, by covertly summoning Outer Realm Evil Gods, are you planning to wage a full-scale war with our Human Race?"

Right off the bat, Dongfang Qing slapped a heavy accusation on Xing’e’s head. His words caused the expressions of the Dao Experts below to change subtly. If today’s events were to spread, the Human Race and the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains might indeed ignite a devastating war.

"My Buddha is compassionate. Sect Master Dongfang has a truly sharp mind. However, I cannot accept such a massive slander. You say we’ve summoned Outer Realm Evil Gods? Where’s your evidence?"

Watching Dongfang Qing calmly, Xing’e was neither hurried nor impatient. His speech was flat, as if confident that the Shenxiao Sect Master held no evidence of them petitioning the Outer Realm Evil Gods.

"The Outer Realm Evil Gods are already here. What more evidence do you need?" Dongfang Qing sneered.

"What kind of reasoning is that, Sect Master Dongfang? With no proof at all, by your logic, I could also claim that these Outer Realm Evil Gods were summoned by you." Xing’e completely disregarded Dongfang Qing’s provocative words, casually absolving himself.

"Very well. Since it’s like this, let me make it simple—I’ll send them back whence they came."

Hearing this, Dongfang Qing’s brow arched. His finger lifted slightly, and the Primordial Heavenly Thunder Cannon within the Nine Heavens Shenxiao Thunder City behind him suddenly began to awaken. An incredibly terrifying, majestic thunder converged within its barrel. The dense aura of destruction caused the void to tremble, and heaven and earth seemed to shake.

Just as Dongfang Qing was about to trigger the Primordial Heavenly Thunder Cannon to annihilate the fifteen Spirits of Night Travel, Demon Buddha Xing E slowly took something out of his robe.

At first glance, the object appeared to be a Decree. Its surface was covered with the traces of time, rough in texture and dull in color. It resembled a grain of sand from the river of time—unremarkable, ancient, and simple. However, the more inconspicuous things appear, the deeper the secrets they often hide. The patterns on the Decree were blurred and indistinct, seemingly ancient glyphs or designs, yet no one could recognize them. It was slightly curled, as if containing a force ready to be unleashed, waiting for the moment to be awakened.

However, in Dongfang Qing’s eyes, the scroll was imbued with an immense Dao pressure. It was blood-red like gore, containing the terrifying essence of annihilation where gods and Buddhas wept blood. From it, a pair of cold eyes seemed to emerge, piercing through eons and overlooking all living beings.

"Black Decree!" Dongfang Qing’s expression abruptly darkened as he recognized what Xing’e held, his eyes narrowing. "You’re quite generous, you bald donkey. Dare to use this—aren’t you afraid your death tribulation will arrive prematurely?"

"My Buddha is compassionate. A mere thousand years of Cultivation, this monk can afford to give," Demon Buddha Xing E said with a faint smile, lightly weighing the Decree in his hand. "Sect Master Dongfang may proceed."

Proceed? Proceed my ass! Dongfang Qing’s gaze was firmly fixed on the Black Decree in Demon Buddha Xing E’s hand, his expression slightly grave.

Black Decree! This was a Divine Artifact secretly stored by the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! This seemingly mundane Decree contained the imprints of the hundred strongest early clan leaders of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Once activated, it could summon the power of a hundred Primordial Spirit Demon Ancestors, reverse the sun and moon, and devastate Qiankun—terrifying beyond measure.

However, controlling any Divine Artifact required a great sacrifice. This was especially true for demonic Divine Artifacts. As far as he knew, to activate this Black Decree, the wielder would have to nourish it with their own essence blood for three hundred and sixty-five days and then exchange a thousand years of Cultivation to awaken the Divine Artifact’s power. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one would use this Divine Artifact.

And now, Xing’e had come with the Black Decree, evidently to counter his Nine Heavens Shenxiao Thunder City. Years ago, the Divine Artifact, the Purple Tint Sky Destiny Disk, from Tianji Valley had been forcibly taken away by a Demonic Evil Cultivator using the Black Decree during a great war, and it had yet to be recovered. Xing’e bringing the Black Decree here is to counter my activation of the Nine Heavens Shenxiao Thunder City.

Looking deeply at the ancient and simple Demon Ancestor Divine Artifact, Dongfang Qing’s gaze was profound, like an Ancient Pool, its depths inscrutable.

"In this humble monk’s opinion, Sect Master Dongfang, you might as well leave. After all, this matter is not solely the concern of your Shenxiao Sect." Chanting a Buddhist phrase, Xing’e timely offered Dongfang Qing a way out, which also served as his own escape route. The strength of the Black Decree lay in the wielder’s sacrifice, magnified manifold—several times, even more than ten times. Thus, unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to use this Divine Artifact of the Demon Ancestors. At least for now, if this Divine Artifact were used, it would mean his journey here had been in vain.

"But if I do not..."

Just as Dongfang Qing’s eyes were growing colder, unwilling to retreat, a transmission from the void suddenly reached his ears. A fleeting shock flashed through the Shenxiao Sect Master’s eyes.

In the next second, Dongfang Qing’s stern and icy face underwent a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree transformation. He smiled warmly and gently, "Master Xing’e speaks wisely. Indeed, this matter is not the concern of my Shenxiao Sect alone. I bid farewell for now, until we meet again."

Before his words even finished, Dongfang Qing swept up the dumbfounded Dao Experts below with a wave of his wide sleeves. He then immediately controlled the Nine Heavens Shenxiao Thunder City, transforming it into a ten-thousand-li stretch of black clouds and retreating into the distance.

Xing’e frowned as he watched Dongfang Qing turn and leave without the slightest hesitation. His gaze shifted, a trace of suspicion in his eyes. What’s going on? Why has Dongfang Qing’s attitude changed so drastically all of a sudden?

He didn’t believe that this cunning, almost demonic Shenxiao Sect Master would leave because of a single sentence. Yet, Xing’e couldn’t immediately understand what had caused such an abrupt change.

"Let it be. We will set this matter aside for the moment." Dismissing the suspicions in his heart, Xing’e turned to look at the fifteen Spirits of Night Travel poised in the void. "One is missing? What happened?"

When he saw that only fifteen of the sixteen Spirits of Night Travel were present, Xing’e couldn’t help but frown.

The tall and majestic Spirit of Night Travel, draped in the aura of eternal darkness, slowly began to speak, uttering deep, abstruse syllables—sounds that transcended the mortal world.

"What?" Hearing the Spirit of Night Travel recount everything that had occurred within Ten Thousand Caves Mountain, Xing’e’s frown deepened. One Spirit of Night Travel had been forcibly expelled, and a mysterious person had rescued those juniors right under the noses of the fifteen Spirits!

More and more unexpected events were occurring, making this Primordial Spirit Realm Demon Buddha Xing E sense a trace of unease that was beyond his control. But the current situation was like an arrow on the bowstring: it had to be released. Even with many unusual aspects, the plan still needed to proceed as intended.

Watching the gradually dissipating thundercloud, Xing’e slowly rotated his Buddha Beads. His contemplation did not dissipate with Dongfang Qing’s complete departure. Instead, it grew more profound.

「In the year 1756 of the Great Xuan Calendar, the winter solstice.」

In Dianchuan Province, fifteen Outer Realm Evil Gods suddenly descended. Such a drastic change shocked Great Xuan. Nobody had expected that Dianchuan, already plunged into the abyss of a great war, would face such a calamity!

And at that moment, those fifteen Spirits of Night Travel began to move. Joining forces, they raised their hands high. With every push of their palms, an invisible force converged in the air, like heavy clouds obscuring the sky of Dianchuan Province. The once bright stars and moon were devoured, and the last glimmer of twilight on the Sky Dome was ruthlessly crushed to nothing.

An irresistible darkness began to converge from all directions towards the center. It was much like a colossal black hand slowly pressing down on the land, blurring the borders of Dianchuan Province with its dark encroachment. Each Spirit of Night Travel performed their motions with a dignified sense of ritual, their powers intertwining to form dark chains that bound the sun, moon, and stars, imprisoning the light between heaven and earth.

The earth trembled under their influence; mountains and rivers lost their color, and rivers ceased to flow. The boundless darkness, like ink, flowed, saturating the rice paddies and seeping into the city streets and alleys. Every inch of soil, every leaf, and every person’s heart was enveloped by this oppressive darkness.

People gazed at the sky in terror, their eyes filled with despair, for they knew this was not an ordinary night but an eternal one—a night that would swallow all things. The common folk’s lights went out, their sounds of joy and laughter vanished, leaving only fearful whispers and restless prayers behind. Life struggled in these dark waters, trying to find a glimmer of hope, but the darkness was ubiquitous and pervasive, as if to erase all traces of life, to plunge the entire Dianchuan Province into an endless night of deathly silence.

Eternal Night!

Had descended!

「Atop the white jade tower.」

Yu Xiu and Elder Wu of the Wu Family exchanged glances. The several chairs before them were empty.

"Yu, the True Venerables refused to come, this..." Elder Wu, looking at the empty chairs, turned his head to look at Yu Xiu, whose complexion was solemn. "Should we send a message to the Crown Prince..."

"Do you think the Crown Prince is your housekeeper, to handle every matter for you?" Slightly annoyed, Yu Xiu retorted to Elder Wu. He then stood up and approached the white jade balustrade, his eyes sparkling like starlight, reflecting the distant horizon where the Eternal Night continued to spread. Then he glanced back at the empty chairs, his heart sinking slightly. What on earth are you all up to?