Chapter 666:  Suppressing the Demon Sword, The Eve of the War

　　“I’m not worthy enough?” asked Xiao Chengfeng with wide-opened eyes. He was so angry that every hair on his body was standing on end. “Do you wish to die? I can help you with that!”

　　“This punk’s full of it!”

　　“Who does he think he is?”

　　“Can I punch him?”

　　“Everyone, don’t hold back. Let’s all punch him.”

　　Even the usual peace-loving Cultivator Junjun was pissed at Xing Ya. This man was definitely more full of it than Xiao Chengfeng.

　　Immediately, the group surrounded him. However, Xing Ya did not think he was at fault. He shook his head and said, “I was right to think you’re uncivilized people. You might look cultivated but the truth is, your level’s too low. It’s sad to think how shallow you all are.”

　　Juling Shen was rubbing his two axes together. “Old Xiao, looks like you’re not the King of Smack anymore.”

　　Xiao Chengfeng pulled out his sword. “Not if I can help it. Everyone, beat him up!”

　　“You shouldn’t act cool! Those who do will get struck by lightning!” Juling Shen’s lightning attack rushed toward Xing Ya with a roar.

　　“Hit him!” shouted the others as they attacked him as well.

　　“The people of this world are truly stupid. Each of them is a sinner. It’s so lonely at the top. Oh well, it’s not like I want to team up with you all anyways.” With that, Xing Ya immediately shot out into the distance in a trail of light.

　　The crowd went crazy and chased after him. They had never been humiliated like this before.

　　“We should tear off his lips once we catch him!”

　　“Make him cry!”

　　“I’m going to stab him in the throat.”

　　The whole sky echoed with their threats.

　　Meanwhile, back at the four-part architecture, it was as peaceful as ever. Dragin, Nanan, Qin Manyun, and Shi Tuqin entered the yard and found that Li Nianfan, Daji, and Fire Phoenix were at the tail-end of the spring cleaning.

　　“We’re back, Brother Li,” said Dragin happily.

　　“I hope you didn’t get hurt,” said Li Nianfan in a concerned voice. He had been monitoring the black gas and felt relieved when it disappeared from the sky.

　　“We’re fine. It was an easy-peasy task,” said Dragin.

　　Finally, Li Nianfan noticed the black katana in her hand. The design of the katana was weird but nonetheless very eye-catching. It was imbued with a domineering aura as it shined brightly.

　　Li Nianfan raised an eyebrow and asked, “What loot have you brought back home?”

　　“Brother Li, this is a demon sword which has killed countless souls. It’s stained with an ocean of blood and filled with boundless resentment. We brought it back to prevent it from taking anyone’s life again,” said Nanan.

　　Li Nianfan furrowed his brow. ‘That means this is an extremely ferocious weapon filled with the unknown,’ he thought. Initially, he was considering using this katana to chop wood or vegetables but he now knew it would be a bad idea.

　　He shook his head and said, “You should’ve asked the Buddhist monks to purify it instead of bringing it back.”

　　Seeing Li Nianfan’s unhappy face, Qin Manyun bit her lips and asked, “Should I bring it over to them now then?”

　　“Forget it. Let’s just keep it in the corner now that you’ve already brought it back. I’ll go look for something to suppress it with.” With that, he entered the storage room.

　　“Sister Manyun, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Brother Li will be able to find something to suppress the sword,” said Dragin excitedly.

　　Qin Manyun smiled and said, “You’re right. I bet Guhe will be speechless once he sees what we’ve done with his sword. However, we should not waste any more time and train harder. He’s a Wisdom Elite after all.”

　　“Dragin, where did the sword come from?” asked Daji.

　　“Sister Daji, that sword belongs to a Wisdom Elite and is imbued with a terrifying murderous aura,” said Dragin.

　　“Yeah! It’s a written challenge for war! Its master sent it over first to cause some upheaval and its master will come to the Area of the Gods in a month,” said Nanan.

　　Fire Phoenix laughed coldly. “A written challenge? How arrogant. Don’t worry, I and Sister Daji will fight the Wisdom Elite off when the time comes.”

　　“Goddess Daji, Goddess Fire Phoenix, we learned a secret of the expert, too,” said Shi Tuqin.

　　“What secret?” asked Daji and Fire Phoenix hurriedly. Li Nianfan was the only person they cared about in this world. Their whole world revolved around him and thus, they needed to know everything about him.

　　Shi Tuqin took a deep breath and started to explain, “The Master’s in a state of the ultimate existence in all of the dimensions…” Her voice was filled with admiration and respect.

　　The more Daji and Fire Phoenix listened, the more solemn they became when finally, tears appeared in their beautiful eyes. Daji’s eyes were completely red and she was shaking like a leaf. A chilly aura began to flow out of her body as a giant ice lotus bloomed behind her. Even the sky had to bow before such a strong aura. The powerful aura, accompanied by a murderous intent, spread across the area. Anyone within the vicinity could feel it, just like the might of heaven.

　　Anyone and everyone, even the fighters of the Heavenly Realm, in the Area of the Gods shuddered involuntarily as a shiver ran down their spine. The people who were chasing after Xing Ya stopped where they were immediately and looked toward the four-part architecture fearfully.

　　“This aura seems to have come from Goddess Daji,” said the Jade Emperor in a trembling voice.

　　“What could incite Goddess Daji to unleash such an aura? They might be in danger! We should go check it out,” said Yang Jing.

　　“There’s no need for that,” said Cultivator Junjun. His eyes were filled with mixed feelings. “This is a warning from her.”

　　“Warning? Who’s she warning?” asked Juling Shen quizzically.

　　“Everyone!” Goddess Nuwa exhaled gently before continuing. “Goddess Daji must’ve heard about the state the expert is in. That’s why she unleashed her aura as a warning. I’m afraid she might’ve killed us if it wasn’t for the sake of our friendship.”

　　“I can understand if she’s doing this to protect the expert’s secret,” said Jade Emperor in a low voice.

　　The Empress nodded as well. “The expert will be in danger if the Eldritchs know about his secret, or if someone purposely leaked it to them. I don’t blame Daji for doing this at all.”

　　“Yes, I understand her sentiment. She’s willing to do anything to ensure the safety of the expert,” said Cultivator Junjun sombrely. “However, she couldn’t bear to kill us so this is her warning to us to make sure we don’t do anything stupid. If not, I fear a fate worse than death awaits us.”

　　“In any case, we only have the expert’s safety in our minds. I’ll use my sword to protect him at all costs. This is where my Dao Heart lies,” said Xiao Chengfeng in a determined tone.

　　The powerhouses had the same sentiment.

　　“The expert’s risking his life for the good of this dimension. I won’t allow anything to happen to him.”

　　“Me, too!”

　　“Me, too!”

　　Meanwhile, back at the four-part architecture, Nanan and the rest of them were looking fearfully at Daji. “Sister Daji, are you okay?” she asked in a trembling voice. Daji’s aura nearly froze them to death. At the same time, both of her pupils had turned icy blue.

　　“Yes, I’m fine,” said Daji and she deactivated her aura. Then, she muttered to herself, “No matter what happens, even in death, I will protect the Master.”

　　Tears were flowing down Fire Phoenix’s face. “The Master must’ve been an unassailable existence before this for him to willingly sacrifice himself for the countless beings in this dimension. To think he was willing to give up his mana for us. I can’t even comprehend his compassionate heart.” She could not comprehend it because it brought a stabbing pain to her heart whenever she thought of the heavy burden on the expert’s shoulders.

　　“It’s fate that brought us together. I won’t disappoint him!” said Daji determinedly. “The Master has created endless opportunities for our transformation with his state and he’s entrusted his safety to us so he can focus on eliminating the Eldritchs.” She spat out the last word vehemently.

　　Nanan nodded her head and was filled with a fighting spirit. “Yes! I’ll carry some of Brother Li’s burden!”

　　Suddenly, Li Nianfan walked out of the storage room with a piece of yellowed paper in his hand. On the yellowed paper, there was a picture of a bald monk sitting cross-legged. On both sides of the monk were the words ‘put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha standing on the ground’, and on the top was the horizontal script ‘Amitabha’. Daji and the others quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of their eyes, composed themself and walked toward him.

　　“What’s this, master?” asked Daji.

　　“It’s a piece of Rune Paper to ward off evil spirits. It doesn’t matter whether it works or not since the key benefit of it is to provide psychological comfort to the user,” said Li Nianfan as he was sticking the Rune Paper on the Extermination Demon Sword.

　　In just a moment, Daji and others could clearly feel that the resentment and killing aura on the Extermination Demon Sword had completely disappeared. Its demonic nature was completely suppressed.

　　“I remember I had a black sword for chopping wood. This would make it a pair,” said Li Nianfan in amusement. Then, he put the Demon Extermination Sword and the Fallen Demon Sword together.

　　A golden light flashed on the Fallen Demon Sword and a skeleton dressed in a robe slowly emerged. It looked at the Extermination Demon Sword with kind eyes, and said, “Amitabha, the newcomer’s here. Let this old-timer tell you the true meaning of life…”

　　The following days became especially peaceful in the four-part architecture.

　　However, all the powerhouses in the Area of the Gods were filled with anxiety, fearing the strength of Guhe. After all, he was a terrible existence that had spanned several calamities, and no one could imagine how powerful he truly was. They all felt as if a great calamity was about to be wrought upon Heaven and Earth.

　　Daji and others seized the time to improve their strength. Every morning they woke up early to exercise before practicing yoga, not daring to relax at all.

　　In the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor was sitting in the Lingxiao Palace. “Yang Jing, have you found the Soul Master and the Elite King?” he asked in a serious tone. There was undisguised anticipation in his eyes.

　　They were last seen in the River of Time and the Jade Emperor had no doubt they would come to their aid once they received news of Guhe’s impending arrival. Although they had not recovered to the peak of their power, they were still valuable fighters in the battle against the Eldritchs.

　　Yang Jing sighed and said, “I regret to tell you that I have not. I’ve walked along the River of Time for a long time and still, there are no signs of them.” There was no end to the River of Time, and he was afraid of being stuck in it, so he could only return without success.

　　The Jade Emperor shook his head. “I don’t blame you. Everything has its time and place. The Soul Master and the Elite King must have their own plan. It looks like we can only do what we can.”

　　“We’ve already joined forces with the major sects in the Area of the Gods. We can learn from each other’s strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses. Thus, I’m sure we’ll be able to create a joint attack formation that greatly enhances our combat power,” said Yang Jing.

　　“Well done. We shouldn’t be too reliant on Goddess Daji and Goddess Fire Phoenix. We should also demonstrate the value of our existence,” said the Jade Emperor.

　　“After the sun and the moon dies, sitting and watching the years pass, I’ll be eternal,” said a young man with a mask mysteriously as he walked to the throne gracefully with his hands behind his back.

　　Everyone in the Lingxiao Palace was rendered speechless. They were tired of this poser’s tired old line.

　　“Do you have any advice to give us?” asked the Jade Emperor with a frown.

　　“I’ve seen your Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation. It’s a good formation, but there’s a limit to it. My Palm Star Pavilion’s known to be in charge of the stars. There’s a Chaos Star Formation that complements the Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation. Together, they’ll create the strongest combat power in the world,” said Xing Ya arrogantly.

　　The Jade Emperor was overjoyed. “That’s great!”

　　“It’s nothing,” said Xing ya with a smile. “Guhe’s one of the seven great Lords of the ancient clan. They’re called Lords because their strength is far above the average Wisdom Elite! These seven Lords arbitrarily crossed the seven dimensions and killed countless beings. Guhe, especially, fought against the Soul Master who was at the peak of her power at that time. However, he was no match for her and was forced to retreat. Now, I’m afraid they’re much stronger than they were in the past. All of you need to be careful, work harder, and don’t let me down.”

　　“Don’t let you down? Can’t you talk like a normal person? Do you have to act cool all the time?” shouted Yang Jing angrily.

　　Once again, Xing Ya arrogantly waved his questions away. “What do you know? This is called class. Someone like you will never understand it in a million years.”

　　“Class? More like asking for a beating!” said Xiao Chengfeng. “Beat him up!”

　　On a planet in the Chaos lay the Empath Sect. A bamboo raft was drifting in the Suffering Sea. On it, Taishang Elder of the Empath Sect was fishing quietly.

　　His voice was hoarse as he muttered to himself, “Is the Eldritch Wisdom Elite coming? O Suffering Sea, what do you think the catastrophe this time will be like, and can the Chaos stop it? I’ve been fishing here for ten thousand years and it seems like I’m running out of leisure time.”

　　At the White Cloud Sect, a group of elders gathered together to look up at the sky, as if they could penetrate the starry sky and see the entire Chaos.

　　One of the elders sighed and said, “Unless there’s a really strong person with great perseverance, there will be no chance of victory in this catastrophe. I’m afraid that the seventh dimension will be completely destroyed then.” His tone was filled with fear.

　　Since the last catastrophe, the foundation of the seventh dimension had been weakened so much when the aura was absorbed by the Eldritchs. There was even a power ban. There would not have been new Wisdom Elites and consequently the power to fight back if it was not for the expert.

　　Another elder nodded and said, “I agree. The Eldritchs have planned this for countless years. They must’ve planned this to be the last catastrophe to wipe everything out. It’s a good thing we have the expert on our side.”

　　“Are you talking about Guhe? So what if he’s a Wisdom Elite? We just need to hit him with everything we have!” said someone full of battle spirit. “Besides, it’s not as if we’ll lose for sure when we have Goddess Daji and Goddess Fire Phoenix.”