Chen Nan's appearance was like a powerful stimulant.
It made everyone see hope.
However.
His current state sent shivers down their spines.
His eyes were bloodshot.
As if he had gone mad.
His entire body exuded a ferocious divine power.
Especially the dark red staff, which emitted a scarlet glow in his hand.
Chen Nan looked at the Monkey King battling the humanoid creature in the sky, grinning. "Brother Monkey, stand down. It's time for me to show off!"
Upon hearing this, the Monkey King steered the Somersault Cloud to land on the island.
It appeared somewhat fatigued.
Even as an innate spiritual entity, it couldn't withstand seven days and nights of fighting.
After all.
It had not yet attained the fortune of its past life as Sun Wukong.
It had not consumed the peaches from the Queen Mother's garden.
Nor had it stolen elixirs from the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord.
And it had not ingested the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.
Whoosh!
Chen Nan drifted into the air like a gentle breeze.
The humanoid creature sensed the power within Chen Nan and showed a trace of apprehension. Before it could speak, Chen Nan transformed into a streak of rainbow light and appeared before it.
The next moment.
The dark red staff tore through the void, silently appearing before the humanoid creature.
The humanoid creature dared not face it head-on, instantly flying thousands of meters away, roaring in anger, "You, a mere human, have refined my clan's sacred artifact? I shall kill you today!"
Chen Nan’s face was full of arrogance. "This staff is your clan's sacred artifact, but do you know its divine power?"
As he spoke.
The dark red staff floated in mid-air.
Buzz!
Accompanied by a humming sound.
A scarlet light erupted from the staff.
Like moonlight illuminating the heavens and earth, it enveloped the foreign demons.
Screams of agony and horror rang out from the foreign demons.
The energy within their bodies was being uncontrollably absorbed by the dark red staff.
Their physical bodies also vanished into thin air like a fleeting dream.
Even the humanoid creature was filled with dread.
It felt its energy being devoured by the dark red staff.
This was beyond its expectations.
It wanted to escape.
But found its body frozen in the void.
"Chen Nan, even if you kill me, my clan will not let you go," the humanoid creature roared in fury. "My entire Heavenly Realm has been occupied by my clan, you can never overthrow our rule..."
As soon as it finished speaking.
It transformed into a mist of blood, all its energy entering the red staff.
In just a blink of an eye.
Countless foreign demons disappeared.
Even the bloodstains they left on the ground were absorbed by the dark red staff.
And the previously dark red staff now turned blood red.
It looked exceptionally striking.
"Father, Grandfather, the foreign demons have been eliminated!"
"Your sacrifices were not in vain!"
Xia Lan, weeping uncontrollably, knelt before her father and grandfather, relaying this momentous news to them.
Meanwhile, Chen Nan, suspended in mid-air, was filled with a malevolent aura.
Terrifying surges of energy poured into his body through the red staff.
Like an endless volcanic eruption of magma, it instilled a sense of unease.
"I clearly separated a secondary soul, so why is it trying to possess me?"
Chen Nan was consumed by anxiety, veins bulging on his face like coiled centipedes.
Souls have primary and secondary divisions.
He had split into two souls precisely to prevent being counter-devoured by the sacred artifact of the foreign demon clan.
Who would have thought that even after splitting into two souls.
Now.
The secondary soul was as powerful as the primary soul.
And was even attempting to possess the primary soul.
Just as he was at a loss.
A faint golden light descended from the nine heavens.
This golden light entered Chen Nan's head, like a clear spring, bringing him immense relief.
The strength of his primary soul increased significantly.
It also allowed him to suppress the secondary soul.
He no longer feared the secondary soul possessing him.
"Who exactly is this guy?"
"He actually triggered the power of merit?"
The Monkey King watched Chen Nan with great interest.
Although it had not fully recovered its past life's memories.
It still knew of some little-known things.
For instance, that golden light just now.
It was a fortune that countless deities and Buddhas yearned for.
By accumulating this golden light to a certain extent, one could transcend the five elements and become a sage not bound by the three realms.
However.
Becoming a sage was incredibly difficult.
Chen Nan descended from the sky. His eyes regained their clarity and depth, making him a completely different person from before.
He looked at Xia Lan, who was overcome with grief, and said softly, "Young Lady Xia Lan, although this place is not a paradise."
"It is a quiet spot. Bury your father and grandfather here!"
Xia Lan softly replied with a hum.
Chen Nan then helped the Xia family father and son with the burial.
In fact, he was deeply grateful for the sacrifices of the Xia family father and son, and the macaque troop.
Had they not helped delay the time.
He would not only have been unable to split his soul but would have likely gone mad.
"The sun, the sun is out!"
Nong Nian gazed at the sun in the sky, shouting with excitement.
Others also looked up with incredulous eyes.
The thick clouds that had been floating in the sky had vanished.
Revealing a clear blue sky.
The warm sunlight fell upon them, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.
This scene was nothing unusual for Chen Nan.
But for the people living in the second heaven, it felt like a dream.
No!
It was more than a dream, for they had never witnessed such a sight even in their dreams.
After all, since the Heavenly Realm was shattered and occupied by foreign demons.
The sky of the second heaven had completely changed.
The world was filled with endless ice and snow, frost and wind.
"The biting cold of the second heaven must have been caused by the appearance of that humanoid creature. Now that the humanoid creature is dead, the second heaven will surely return to its former state!" Nong Nian became more and more excited as he spoke.
If one could live on the ground.
Who would choose to live hidden underground?
Quinn: "If nothing unexpected happens, Brother Chen Nan has probably killed all the foreign demons in the second heaven, right?" He wore a faint smile as he said this.
He longed to live freely in this world.
The Monkey King suddenly said, "I need to go to the Nine Netherworlds."
The Nine Netherworlds.
Located beneath the nine heavens.
It was a place that instilled fear in all who heard its name.
"I can sense that an old friend of mine is imprisoned there. I need to find him," the Monkey King's eyes flickered with both pain and anticipation.
"You go to the ninth heaven first. After I find my old friend, I will meet you there."
Chen Nan did not say much.
Although the Heavenly Stairway was destroyed.
He believed the Monkey King would find a way to reach the ninth heaven directly.
The Monkey King looked at the old monkey. "From now on, I will trouble you to manage these monkeys and their descendants. If I have time, I will come to visit you!"
With that said.
The Somersault Cloud appeared beneath its feet, carrying the Monkey King and vanishing into the world.
Chen Nan then turned to Quinn and the others. "The foreign demons are gone, we can go to the Southern Abyss Tribe!"
He needed to go to the Southern Abyss Tribe to find the fragmented painting of the Heavenly Stairway.
Only by collecting all four fragmented paintings could he open the Heavenly Stairway and reach the third heaven.
And take another step closer to his ultimate goal!