The Demon King wished to torment the souls of humans, favored by the Heavenly Dao, before their deaths.
Seeing them utterly dejected, he felt his objective was met, a smile curling his lips. "Demon Sword!"
"Ah!!!"
A sudden scream shifted everyone's attention.
Following the sound, they saw a figure of exquisite build emerge from the void.
The woman's expression was contorted with horror, her eyes blood-red. She clutched her distended abdomen tightly, "No, don't..."
"It's Wan Yanxue!"
The Demon King watched the struggling Wan Yanxue and lamented, "You are the most perfect vessel I have ever seen. You should be proud of this."
"Vessel... How can I be a vessel? I clearly subdued the Demon Sword?"
Wan Yanxue spat out a large chunk of internal organ fragments, shaking her head as if denying what she had just heard.
She was not a vessel; she was the master of the Demon Sword.
The Demon Sword had willingly recognized her as its master, which was why she used her flesh and blood to nourish it.
Therefore, everything else was a lie...
"Pfft!"
Wan Yanxue looked down at the bloody hole in her abdomen, laughing maniacally. In the end, just like Nalan Yan that day, she plummeted from a great height.
"Nalan... Yan... I didn't... lose... didn't..."
Wan Yanxue's death did not draw much attention. All eyes were on the blood-stained Demon Sword in the Demon King's hand.
This was the Demon King's most renowned demonic artifact.
The Demon King, from the Upper Realm, wielding the most potent demonic artifact; could they win this battle?
The same doubt flickered in the hearts of many cultivators, a sliver of despair appearing in the depths of their eyes.
"You can die by my sword and have no regrets," the Demon King declared.
"Demon King, you are too confident."
Ancestor Jingzhi let out a long sigh, his expression calm, though his heart was filled with lingering fear.
If they had not seen through the demon race's scheme beforehand, they would have been powerless to resist by now.
However, recalling the painting he had just seen, Ancestor Jingzhi felt that he might be rejoicing too soon. Unforeseen changes might still occur later that he could not even imagine.
But matters had reached this point; he could not intervene and could only let nature take its course, acting as opportunities arose.
The Demon King was startled, then actually retracted the Demon Sword, a playful look on his face. "Oh, you have a backup plan? Then I am truly eager to witness it."
"Form the array!"
With a command, all the cultivators sprang into action. The formation they had practiced countless times was finally displayed in its entirety.
The Demon King was initially dismissive, but after a few breaths, his lips tightened, and he stared at the completed formation diagram with disbelief, exclaiming, "Impossible!"
As his words fell, immense spiritual energy surged skyward, instantly scattering the painting in the air.
Rosy clouds filled the sky, and immortal melodies echoed as a stairway to heaven abruptly unfurled before everyone's eyes.
"Ascension Heavenly Ladder!"
"What is happening! We've actually summoned the Ascension Heavenly Ladder!"
"The passage between the Upper and Lower Realms has opened!"
At this moment, both humans and the demon and beast races erupted in excitement.
All sentient beings on the Nine Provinces Continent knew that the Ascension Heavenly Ladder only opened after surviving the Heavenly Tribulation of Ascension.
Yet, with the combined strength of all cultivators, they had forcibly opened the Heavenly Ladder. What an incredible feat this was.
As everyone stood in stunned bewilderment, several figures suddenly soared upwards.
They were two demonic beasts and a demon. They intended to seize this opportunity to ascend to the Upper Realm and achieve instant power.
Some wished to stop them, but others held them back.
Thus, everyone watched as they approached the Heavenly Ladder, only to be disintegrated into dust amidst the violent lightning.
"Ah."
A sigh was heard.
The Demon King could no longer hear any sounds. The turn of events had spiraled beyond his control, plunging him into a daze.
The Heavenly Ladder had opened; would *those people* appear?
The answer was yes.
When Liu Jinghong's figure appeared at the end of the Heavenly Ladder, all the cultivators were stunned.
Her portrait was still widely circulated; no one did not recognize this Fairy Jinghong, who had received so much acclaim.
However, Fairy Jinghong's state seemed somewhat different from what they had imagined.
What was happening?
Liu Jinghong looked at the two distinct teams below the Heavenly Ladder, equally surprised.
She subconsciously tidied her slightly disheveled dress and put on her most appropriate smile. "Esteemed sirs..."
"Scram!"
Before Liu Jinghong could finish speaking, a swift wind assaulted her from behind.
A flicker of killing intent flashed in Liu Jinghong's eyes as she was forced to dodge.
The sharp sword qi nearly split the Heavenly Ladder in two.
"Ji Xiu!"
Liu Jinghong gritted her teeth, staring at the man who had appeared behind her, her hatred boundless.
She should have dealt with Ji Xiu and the others when she was in the Lower Realm!
"Liu Jinghong, is this your doing?"
Following Ji Xiu, several more figures appeared at the end of the Heavenly Ladder.
With each arrival, a wave of gasps erupted from below.
One, two, three...
Xu Yi counted silently. Excluding the Demon King, all five who had ascended with Liu Jinghong were present.
The show was about to begin.
The figures on the Heavenly Ladder finally realized something was amiss. Their gazes swept around, finally resting on the Demon King.
"Demon King, why are you here?" Zhu Rong of the Great Artifact Sect asked.
"We welcome the Ancestor!"
In response to Zhu Rong, an overwhelming roar from below echoed.
The Demon King's expression was stiff; he remained silent.
"Ancestor, I am the current Sect Master of the Great Artifact Sect / Beast Taming Sect / Xuan Qing Sect... It was we who summoned you to the Lower Realm..."
The sect leaders took this opportunity to transmit their voices to their respective ancestors. Ji Xiu and the others' expressions shifted continuously.
Liu Jinghong's slender fingers dug into her palm, her gaze cold as she looked towards the direction of the Xuan Ji Sect.
She had not received any transmissions, which was undoubtedly a bad omen.
But how could these people know what she had done back then?
Only one person could have betrayed her: the Demon King, who had descended earlier than them.
As Liu Jinghong understood everything, her hatred turned towards the Demon King.
With new and old grievances intertwined, she wished she could draw her sword and kill the Demon King right now.
"So, that's how it is." Ji Xiu closed his eyes, concealing the swirling thoughts within them. After a moment, he opened them and bowed respectfully to the cultivators' ranks below.
"Esteemed fellow cultivators, thank you for your efforts. The source of today's calamity began with us, and now it shall end with us. It is time to settle everything from the past."
The remorse in Ji Xiu's eyes was so stark that the crowd became speechless, unsure how to respond.
"Ji Xiu, what do you mean by that!"
Liu Jinghong shrieked, furiously kneading her magnificent skirt.
How dare he!
How dare he!
Had he forgotten how tenderly he had courted her, how he had braved fire and water for her? How could he treat her like this now!
Liu Jinghong's loss of composure created a strong sense of disconnect among the onlookers.
Liu Jinghong was not supposed to be like this.
She should have possessed the composure to remain unfazed even as Mount Tai collapsed before her, the gentleness of a soft breeze, not this hysterical, frivolous, and restless state.
Ji Xiu completely ignored Liu Jinghong, instead looking apologetically at those below. "Everyone, today I will expose a colossal deception, and the mastermind behind this deception is Liu Jinghong!"