Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

Jiang Hong felt the tense atmosphere and looked nervously at Jiang Yun's back. Although he knew that Jiang Yun's strength had greatly improved, he still instinctively felt nervous when facing the long-feared Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor.

After the two stared at each other for a long moment, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor suddenly smiled and said, "It's normal to miss someone after being away from home for days. Moreover, you've been wandering outside for decades, so I understand your deep yearning. It's a good opportunity for us to gather since your cultivation has progressed."

Hearing the words of the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, Jiang Yun deeply looked at him, nodded, and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Holy Emperor."

Then he turned around, tore open a spatial rift, and stepped through it with the still-dazed Jiang Hong.

Seeing the spatial rift, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor's pupils contracted sharply, and deep fear flashed in his eyes.

After Jiang Yun left, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor's expression turned cold, and terrifying holy demon flames appeared around him, the intense heat causing the surrounding space to distort.

"Why did you let him go just now? He's just broken through to Heavenly Demon Emperor and got arrogant. If we let this continue, I fear he won't be useable in the future. We should have attacked together earlier and killed him to eliminate future troubles."

At this moment, a cold voice sounded behind the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor. Four figures, exuding terrifying demon power, slowly emerged from the darkness, and it was the Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor who spoke.

The other three were no ordinary beings either: the Severing Heavenly Demon Emperor, the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor, and the Cursing Heavenly Demon Emperor, all top-level Heavenly Demon Emperors.

They had been hiding in the dark, watching Jiang Yun's every move.

"Impossible!"

Hearing the Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor's words, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor calmed down, the holy demon flames quietly dissipating. He shook his head at the four of them, saying something that puzzled them.

"Are you saying..." Only the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor, who had had profound "contact" with him, seemed to think of a certain possibility and looked at the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor in horror.

Seeing this, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor nodded at the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor, saying in a deep voice, "When I first came out, I didn't feel any aura from him, but he gave me a heart-palpitating feeling. His strength after this breakthrough likely exceeds my expectations."

"I thought it was just an ordinary training session, but his transformation exceeded my expectations."

"Now, no one in the two realms can restrain him!"

"Even if we five join forces, it's still no good?" The Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor still didn't quite believe it, his tone cold.

"No, unless we can break through his bizarre divine power, we'll only be on the receiving end." The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor did not answer. Instead, the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor, his face ugly, said, apparently recalling some unpleasant memory.

"Truly, no one can restrain him?" The Severing Heavenly Demon Emperor also spoke with a grim expression.

"Unless we gather the entire clan to hunt him down!" The Cursing Heavenly Demon Emperor spoke solemnly.

"No need for that. Using the entire clan's strength to kill him would result in heavy losses for our clan. If we can't recover within a hundred years, it will delay the rescue of the Evil God. Besides..."

"His path has reached its end." At this moment, the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, having calmed down, sneered.

"Reached its end?" The four looked at him in confusion.

"He's already nearing the limit of the Holy Grade. Beyond that is triggering the Heaven List, carving his true name, and breaking through to the Dominator realm."

"But, is that step so easily achieved?"

"In the Great Thousand World, countless have reached the peak of the Holy Grade over endless epochs, but why hasn't a single one triggered the Heaven List? Instead, an Immortal Emperor suddenly emerged during our invasion of the Great Thousand?"

The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor slowly explained to the four puzzled Heavenly Demon Emperors. Such secrets of heaven and earth were rarely recorded by other races apart from the Holy Demon Tribe, which inherited them from the Evil God.

"Is there a problem with the Heaven List?" The four, not being fools, naturally speculated upon his explanation.

"Fifty thousand years ago, in response to our invasion, the consciousness of the Great Thousand World gathered ten original avatars with its fundamental power. These avatars are the medium for breaking through to the Dominator realm. Only by cultivating one of them to the peak can someone trigger the Heaven List."

"Among the ten at that time, only the Immortal Emperor succeeded, not merely because his cultivation reached that level, but also because the Great Thousand World was in imminent danger, on the brink of being devoured by us."

"The consciousness of the plane had no choice but to let the Immortal Emperor break through to counter our God." The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor revealed some secrets of the past, shocking the four.

"Why is that? Given the original avatars, it seems the consciousness of the Great Thousand World is not keen on letting them break through?" The Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor, his eyes flickering, asked curiously.

"You've all invaded lower planes and know what plane spirits are like, right? They're cheap, unwilling to give up until the last moment, to be refined by someone. The consciousness of the Great Thousand World is no different." The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor's face bore a disdainful smile.

Any being with consciousness would crave freedom, and while breaking into the Dominator realm wasn't being completely refined, it would grant those who carved their names on the Heaven List a part of the world's power, giving them some of the plane's authority.

Who would willingly share their power unless absolutely necessary?

Fifty thousand years ago, with the threat of the Evil God looming, the plane consciousness had no choice but to lift the restrictions, allowing the Immortal Emperor to succeed.

Now, with the Evil God sealed, once another Great Thousand Demon Transformation Array is activated, the Evil God will die. At that time, without the Evil God's threat, there's no way the plane consciousness would allow another breakthrough to the Dominator realm.

This was why the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor was not in a hurry even though Jiang Yun's strength surpassed his own.

Because if Jiang Yun wanted to break through, he had to release the Evil God, forcing the plane consciousness of the Great Thousand World. Once the Evil God was freed, Jiang Yun would no longer be a threat.

As long as there were no threats, over the next century, no matter how close Jiang Yun got to that realm, as long as the plane consciousness of the Great Thousand World didn't allow it, he could not complete the breakthrough.

"Truly despicable..." After hearing the explanation, the Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor looked up at the sky and sneered.

"And Jiang Yun..." The Cursing Heavenly Demon Emperor looked towards the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, hesitantly speaking.

"Leave him be. We still have a century. He will realize his predicament." The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor looked towards the direction of the Evil Spirit Tribe and sneered.

Not wanting the extraterrestrial evil tribe to suffer heavy losses internally, compromise was the only way, waiting for the right moment a century later.

"This region is still the same as I remember, unchanged!"

"Yes, though our tribe has gained a few more demon emperors over the years, it hasn't changed our situation."

"Grandpa, I promise you, this will soon improve!"

Ahead of them stood two figures on a mountain, looking off into the distance.

"Jiang Hong, why have you returned?" At this moment, the space before them rippled, and a gray-haired man emerged, first noticing Jiang Hong's familiar figure and appearing puzzled.

Some time ago, Jiang Hong had been taken away by the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor. Although he had some guesses, he dared not ask. Unexpectedly, Jiang Hong returned today, bringing with him a young man with a somewhat familiar brow.

At this moment, inspiration struck Jiang Ya, his eyes widening as he looked at Jiang Yun and exclaimed, "Are you that child from before?"

Jiang Yun's name was well-known in both realms. Jiang Ya had naturally heard of him. When it came to this powerful figure who shared the same name as that child, his first thought was suspicion, though he found it hard to believe.

He knew Jiang Yun had immense talent, born with the rare Nine Divine Veins, but he dared not connect him with the recently risen Demon Slayer King Jiang Yun, as it seemed too incredible.

He never denied Jiang Yun's talent, nor doubted he could grow, but...

It was too fast, unbelievably fast, making it seem like a tall tale to anyone who heard it.

"Chief, Jiang Yun has returned!" Jiang Yun looked at the man who had once helped him escape the control of the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, a light smile appearing on his face.

"Good, good, good!" Upon hearing this, Jiang Ya excitedly stepped forward, grasping Jiang Yun's hand, his body slightly trembling, tiger eyes glistening with tears. Jiang Yun's return brought hope to the Evil Spirit Tribe, fulfilling a life-long ambition.

"Let's go home!" After a moment of excitement, Jiang Ya laughed heartily, holding Jiang Yun in one hand and Jiang Hong in the other, leading them towards the Evil Spirit Tribe.

Behind Jiang Ya, Jiang Yun and Jiang Hong exchanged helpless glances, allowing the excited Jiang Ya to guide them forward.

Beihuang Hill, located in the central region of the Great Thousand World, was once a vast and endless supercontinent known as the Northern Wilderness Continent in ancient times.

However, during that ancient era, the Northern Wilderness Continent was not barren but the most prosperous and powerful region of the Great Thousand World.

Yet, when the outer realm's evil tribe invaded the Great Thousand World, forcing it into a gradual retreat, many once-prosperous continents were destroyed then.

At a crucial moment, the Immortal Emperor stepped forward, forming the Great Thousand Covenant with countless living beings, factions, and races of the Great Thousand World, creating the Grand Palace to jointly resist the outer realm's evil tribe. Thus, the retreat was gradually halted.

Later, when the outer realm's evil tribe fought decisively with the Great Thousand World, the Immortal Emperor and Heavenly Evil God clashed on the Northern Wilderness Continent. In that battle, the supercontinent was shattered into pieces, leaving the remaining area as Beihuang Hill today.

We all know the outcome of that battle. To avoid the Great Thousand World's consciousness's suppression, the Heavenly Evil God entered the fray, sealing himself at the cost of the Immortal Emperor's fall.

And this Beihuang Hill in the center of the Great Thousand World became the seal ground.

Beihuang Hill was guarded by the Immortal Emperor's direct descendants, self-proclaimed "Grave Keepers," prohibiting any outsiders from approaching.

Of course, unless one had ulterior motives, even a Heavenly Supreme wouldn't dare to set foot in such a dangerous place sealed with the Heavenly Evil God, watched eagerly by the outer realm's evil tribe. So, no one wanted to come here.

Only during the once-in-a-millennium "Great Thousand Covenant" were invitations sent out by the Grand Palace to numerous Heavenly Supremes of the Great Thousand World.

The millennium Great Thousand Covenant was related to the Great Thousand Demon Formation left by the Immortal Emperor.

Though the Heavenly Evil God was sealed back then, he was still a hidden danger. As long as he lived, the Great Thousand World would never be truly peaceful.

Thus, the seal left by the Immortal Emperor had a contingency. Every millennium, the strong would manipulate the spiritual array to wear down the Heavenly Evil God's strength, requiring forty-nine thousand years to completely extinguish him. This was the core of the Great Thousand Covenant, gathering the Great Thousand's strong every millennium at Beihuang Hill.

This covenant had been held forty-eight times, with just over a century remaining until the final one. Yet, when there was still some time before the covenant, a figure appeared outside Beihuang Hill.

In the core region of the Great Thousand World, a stream of light tore through the chaotic flow of space, breaking through numerous layers of strong winds and clouds, arriving over a shattered continent.

Jiang Yun gazed at the broken continent in the distance, the entire land dark red, and even across such a vast distance, a faintly rising, fierce, tragic aura could be felt.

"This is the power of the Dominator realm..."

Suspended above the continent, Jiang Yun calmly observed the broken land, sensing the remnants of terrifying power in the void, and spoke faintly.

Even after fifty thousand years, this power had not recovered.

His gaze moved slightly, scanning the broken continent below. He saw a series of solitary tombs, one upon another, stretching to the horizon.

These were the graves of some ancient strong beings who died on Beihuang Hill, guarded by the Immortal Emperor's descendants, known as Grave Keepers, protecting not only the seal of the Heavenly Evil God but also these heroes' tombs.

"An array!"

Jiang Yun's gaze shifted, looking at the hidden array in the void, his eyes sparkling. The power of this array had reached the peak of the Holy Grade, the most brutal array he had ever seen.

It was hidden within the void, exuding a deterrent pressure. Anyone approaching would feel something amiss and be annihilated by boundless power.

"It's meticulously tight." Jiang Yun's eyes swept over Beihuang Hill, his tone reflecting his admiration.