Chapter 1390 (Raw 1381):
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Four figures descended from the sky. Ying Zongtian and the other three Primes immediately came to protect Xiao Chen.
On the other side, the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign also descended to protect Di Wuque.
The two sides faced each other. Ying Zongtian looked at the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign and said, "Qitian, it is time to end this conflict. Or do you still wish to eradicate my Supreme Sky Sect?"
The Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign smiled faintly and said, "There's no need. You already lost. The moment Xiao Chen jumped down, the end was already decided. Hand over the Martial God Medallion, and the Deity Dao Union's cultivators will immediately withdraw. Otherwise, this will not end."
The Vermilion Bird Holy Master stepped forward and said, "Ying Zongtian, it is best that you do not keep what does not belong to you. Otherwise, the disaster of today will happen again, all because of your greed!"
"Quickly hand over the Martial God Medallion. We really are ashamed for you. From the very start, you were just protecting a demonic sinner. However, what's funnier is that this demon jumped off by himself in the end, destroying his own future!"
The three Holy Masters stepped forward and mocked coldly, demanding Ying Zongtian surrender the Martial God Medallion.
A cold smile hung on Ying Zongtian's face. He said, "Funny? Me being greedy? If not for the Thunder Sovereign asking me repeatedly, I, Ying Zongtian, would not have accepted this hot potato. Let me tell you this: the Thunder Sovereign begged me to take it. Since I already agreed, I will not disappoint the Thunder Sovereign."
The Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign said, "In that case, it looks like there is no more need to talk. Ying Zongtian, the Deity Dao Union will return in half a month. At that time, I hope you will still be lucky and can mount a defense."
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
At this moment, a resonant bell tolled in the surroundings, solemn and stirring, conveying an indescribable charm as the sound spread through the place.
The moment this bell spoke, the few Primes present all showed great changes in their expressions.
The Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign looked into the distance and muttered, "Kunlun Mountain's Sky Fixing Bell has not rung for more than ten thousand years. What in the world happened?"
The Kunlun Mountain was the center of the entire Kunlun Realm. The Sky Fixing Bell hanging at the middle of the mountain originated from the Immortal Epoch. Only when special major matters happened would the bell resound throughout the Kunlun Realm.
Actually, to be more specific, the Sky Fixing Bell only rang when there were serious major matters relating to the Deep Abyss Demonic World's Demons.
Suddenly, five huge images appeared in the clouds above the sky. Every one of these images came from a different race: the Deity Race, the Fiend Race, the Ghost Race, the Corpse Race, and the human race.
If one sensed carefully, one would discover that the auras of these images were that of Ninth Heaven Sovereign Martial Emperors at the very peak, only a small step away from Prime.
These five old men lived for an unknown length of time; they all looked incredibly aged. When Ying Zongtian, the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign, and the other Primes saw these old men, they are showed respectful expressions.
Clearly, these five old men were seniors of extremely high status in the various races.
"The Deep Abyss Demonic World's Demons are attacking the Astral Battlefield in full force. Would all Primes please head quickly for Kunlun Mountain? All of you are to be present!" The five old men spoke at the same time; their voices resonated with each other, making their loud voices deafening.
However, what was more shocking was the information that these old men gave: the Deep Abyss Demonic World's Demons were attacking in full force.
All the Martial Emperors and Primes sensed the gravity of this matter. The Astral Battlefield was the frontline of the Kunlun Realm's defense against the Deep Abyss Demonic World's Demons.
Once the Demons occupied the Astral Battlefield and gained some time to stabilize themselves, they would tear through the barrier of the sky and attack in full force.
That would be an extinction-level disaster. In the past Demonic Calamities, the Demons used the spatial tears between the two realms to enter and could not send that many.
No matter what, the Astral Battlefield had to be defended.
Compared to that, the battle and conflicts here had to be put aside.
"Indeed, that group of Demon Monarchs really chose this time to make their move." The Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign snorted coldly and said, "Let's go!"
After that, the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign ordered the entire Deity Dao Union to withdraw. Then, he rushed to Kunlun Mountain together with the Heaven Punishing Corpse God and the East Mountain Ghost Monarch.
The army of the Deity Dao Union retreated like the receding tide. The three Holy Masters were dissatisfied with this, but before the greater picture, no matter how dissatisfied they were, they had no other choice.
Ying Zongtian turned his head and took a look. Xiao Chen, who suffered from the backlash of his Great Tribulation of wind and fire, had already collapsed, his fate uncertain.
Ying Zongtian quickly rushed over and checked Xiao Chen's injuries. Then, he let go. Even so, he continued frowning heavily.
"How is it? Did that little fellow survive?" the Myriad-Law Fiend Master asked in his aged voice, showing some kindness and pity in his tone.
Ying Zongtian nodded and replied, "He survived and is still breathing. However, I do not know when he will wake up. The hidden injuries he previously had are gone. However, he did not condense the Emperor's Soul. He will never advance to Martial Emperor in this life."
After the Cyclic Astral Lord heard this, he snorted coldly and left alone without saying anything.
The other three Primes found his behavior somewhat strange, but they were aware of what the Cyclic Astral Lord was like, so they did not find this overly strange.
"I hope he can take this blow. Actually, we should have thought about this long ago. Blood rain falling from the sky, a bloody road ascending to the sky, these were all ominous signs. We should not have let him step onto his Emperor's Road from the very start." The Spirit Fox King sighed. His tone was filled with worry.
Ying Zongtian relaxed his frown. He said softly, "The matters of the world are like chess, unfathomable and unpredictable. Xiao Chen might be blessed as a result of this disaster. Since ancient times, no one has ever dared to jump off their Emperor's Road. Now that I think about it, why can we not jump off? We all obediently finished walking our Emperor's Road, but which of us managed to surpass Prime?
"This is a time where the Martial Dao is in decline. We have to do the unexpected, not take the regular route. Otherwise, we will just keep extending the old path."
The Spirit Fox King exchanged glances with the Myriad-Law Fiend Master and shook his head slightly. However, he did not dare to agree or disagree with Ying Zongtian.
The Myriad-Law Fiend Master said, "It is good that he survived. This little fellow is truly loyal to his friends. We have put too much responsibility on him. Let him rest now. It's good to be just an ordinary person. It's time for us to go."
"Right, it's time to go."
The three Primes stood up one after another and headed for the Kunlun Mountain. They definitely needed to discuss the Deep Abyss Demonic World's Demons attacking the Astral Battlefield in full force.
—
On the Yellow Springs Road in the Ghost Domain, in the black-and-white sea of bitterness that Xiao Chen once visited, a head had appeared on the headless Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva at some point in time.
The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly closed his eyes and muttered, "What a pity, what a pity. He actually jumped off at the crucial step. Otherwise, after he became covered in sin and this bodhisattva refined him, I would have been able to charge out of this abandoned land."
While the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva spoke, countless aggrieved spirits in the sea of bitterness turned into beams of white light as he performed some hand motions, the beams charging to the juncture of the head and body at the neck.
There was a huge wound there with blood flowing out like a fountain. The white light flew over continuously, working to heal the wound and looking utterly inadequate.
However, no matter what, that horrifying wound still healed, albeit at a pace too slow to be visible, its edges slowly fusing together.
—
Outside of Meteor Trail City, after all the Primes left, Chu Chaoyun and Leng Yue cautiously walked out of a spatial tear.
Chu Chaoyun said, "Do you now know why I did not want you to make a move?"
However, Leng Yue appeared as if she did not hear him. She wondered softly, "If it were me, would he have jumped down without a care for anything else as well?"
When Chu Chaoyun heard this, he could not help smiling bitterly. At this moment, the Demon Monarch Leng Yue was actually thinking about this.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The various Holy Masters of the Heavenly Starry Ocean descended from the sky. When they saw the unconscious Xiao Chen, their expressions turned complicated, and they sighed. Then, they left after shaking their heads.
After the many Martial Emperors descended and took a look, they no longer showed any more care, directly leaving the place.
No matter how strong Xiao Chen was, even if he defeated Di Wuque, in the crowd's eyes, he was merely so-so. He no longer had any room for improvement. As for Di Wuque, after his cultivation stabilized and improved, he would only leave Xiao Chen far behind.
This also went for all the outstanding talents of the Kunlun Realm. After they cleared their Great Tribulations of wind and fire, their accomplishments would be cemented in place.
The number of people who surpassed Xiao Chen would continuously increase. The legend of the Azure Dragon King would disappear.
Many people came and left immediately, showing no intent to remain.
Only the thirteen Great Bandits of the Black Sea picked up the unconscious Xiao Chen without saying a word after they landed, preparing to send Xiao Chen back to Heavenly Star Island.
Just like how one learned how hot or cold the temperature of water was only when they drank it, only at this moment could one see who Xiao Chen's true friends were.
