With the fall and death of the Great Black Dragon, the peak battle between the two worlds finally came to an end.
Qi Ping had won! The being that radiated god-like pressure had been beaten to pieces and smashed to death!
The people of the Star-Sea World couldn't suppress their cheers. They had waited too long for this moment; before this, everyone's heart had been weighed down by several massive mountains. Now, they could finally put them down.
In contrast, the demons of the Demon Realm, once arrogant and bloodthirsty, were now dumbfounded.
"The Supreme Demon God... is dead?"
"That's impossible!"
Yet they had seen it with their own eyes—beaten to death by that human! No blow could be more crushing than this. A few demons even had their bloodlines collapse on the spot. Born of blood, they died of blood. The entire demon army looked like withered grass.
But this state didn't last long.
As the black dragon's head fell, mysterious black flames rose and vanished into the battlefield. Based on the dragon's final words, Qi Ping guessed this was a method to boost the combat power of the demon army, and a terrifying one at that. Otherwise, the dragon wouldn't have sounded so confident.
Qi Ping tried to stop it but found he couldn't intercept those eerie black flames vanishing into the void. The dragon had fought Qi Ping for so long that it knew his combat power perfectly; to say it before dying meant it was certain he couldn't stop it.
In fact, that was the case. Qi Ping tried various means but could only watch as the flames vanished. A strong sense of unease rose in his heart!
Indeed, when Qi Ping looked at the other battlefields, he saw the flames appearing on every single demon! The moment the flames entered their bodies, they ignited in their eyes—even for the Unity Stage demons. Then, terrifying auras erupted from every demon!
Compared to their previous state, every demon's aura had risen by more than one tier—some even more! This made Qi Ping's expression turn grim. He knew better than anyone just how difficult the battles had been. Achieving even a partial victory had been tragic. Now, with the demons' strength surging, the pressure on the Star-Sea survivors would be unimaginable.
"Damn it!"
Qi Ping never expected that damned fellow would have such a trick up its sleeve. Even worse, the next phase would combine all ranks into their respective unified battlefields. There would be no room for loopholes; the battle wouldn't end until one side was completely annihilated.
With the demons' strength leaping, the intensity of the final showdown—which was already expected to be tragic—would inevitably escalate! Qi Ping felt a sense of helplessness. He had no power to interfere in the other ranks' battlefields; he lacked the ability to control their bloodlines.
'What should I do?'
'Try a deduction...'
Qi Ping didn't just stand there. He immediately tried a deduction to find a turning point. However, as soon as he raised his hand, he collapsed to the ground, losing all consciousness!
"Star-Emperor!"
"Boss!"
"Senior Brother... Xiao Qi!"
Cries of alarm rang out. No one knew what had happened. Wasn't the black dragon dead?
After a while, Qi Ping slowly woke up. But his consciousness was chaotic, and he felt as if he were about to explode. He quickly understood his situation. This wasn't because he had deduced anything; he had fainted before he could even start.
'The consumption and damage from the fight with the black dragon exceeded my expectations...'
During the fight, his mind and body were in an extreme state of excitement and didn't realize it. But once the dragon was dead, he couldn't hold on anymore. His consciousness, soul, and flesh were all pushed far beyond their limits. These weren't things that could be fixed with mere healing; he needed deep restoration to recover.
In other words, Qi Ping wouldn't be able to fight again in the short term. He had only woken up by force because he had to protect himself and make final arrangements.
Qi Ping first recalled the Heaven-Cleaving Demonic Blade from outside the battlefield. He injected it with the life force he had siphoned, utilizing the Life Restoration method. During the war, the blade hadn't participated in the final duel, but it had grown stronger in the Temporal Domain by devouring the black dragon's power. It now had enough foundation to support Bai Liyun's resurrection.
The strength of the True Demon Realm was recognized throughout the cultivation world. Bai Liyun had likely realized a deeper level within the extreme environment.
"I don't know what level of strength you'll have when you return, but I'm leaving the Unity Stage battlefield to you..."
As he performed the restoration, a demonic phantom surfaced on the blade—an aura he knew well.
Next, Qi Ping looked at the Master of Life and Death, Meng Tianqi, who had finally grasped the mysteries of his path and broken through to the Unity Stage. Meng Tianqi was now completely different from when Qi Ping first met him. After plunging into the laws of death and returning, he was a true Master of Life and Death!
If one were to pick the greatest beneficiary of this war, it was Meng Tianqi. Was there anything more suitable for comprehending the Path of Life and Death than the survival of a world and the death of its inhabitants? His persistence and benevolence had given him a unique insight, allowing him to pull himself back from the brink of being assimilated by the laws.
Qi Ping looked into Meng Tianqi's eyes—deep enough to be bottomless—and felt the vast Dao-intent on him. He suddenly felt more confident. The laws of Life and Death were no weaker than the True Demon Realm. Meng Tianqi's claim that he wouldn't fear Bai Liyun after reaching the Unity Stage wasn't just talk.
'This fellow's comprehension of laws has likely surpassed his own realm again...'
'Fine, the Unity Stage battlefield is in the hands of you two brothers!'
Finally, Qi Ping looked at the familiar faces.
Wang He, who had broken through self-doubt to realize the Heavenly Heart Asura.
Sister Nan, who cultivated the Blood Yu demon insect to seek life through extreme destruction.
Little Azure Dragon Qing He, who awakened its origin sacred beast bloodline.
The Little Stone Spirit, who became a Void-grade lifeform.
The Little Immortal Tiger, with its predictive combat.
The Golden Marrow Bees, who successfully merged Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Life attributes.
And Han Li, Zhang Daniu, Meng Yan... even Chang Qing had awakened unimaginable special power.
At this moment, Qi Ping felt more confidence. The demons were buffed, but the Star-Sea World was not weak! Through his resource integration and talent cultivation, they were no longer who they once were. These people had grown to a brilliant stage. Some were perhaps even more outstanding than he was.
Why would these geniuses, who had realized their laws through extreme will and had their potential boosted by the power of Gilded Providence, lose to creatures who only relied on bloodline? In other worlds, humans might be weaker without their potential unleashed, but these people—who had walked through blood to reach the peak—would not fear those demonic brats.
'Why should I doubt these people who walked here through blood?'
Once he realized this, he stopped worrying.
"I am fine. The consumption from the fight was just too great. I need to sleep for a while to recover. I likely won't be awake for the coming battle."
"I cannot participate in the remaining war, so I am relying on all of you."
"I hope that when I wake, I will hear news of victory and see you return in triumph."
Qi Ping left these words, looked at the worried yet reassuring eyes, and fell into a deep slumber. Before sleeping, he added layers of protection and warning; if an extreme situation occurred, he would force himself awake even if not recovered.
Soon, he lost all consciousness.
As he slept, he looked more peaceful than ever. Beside him, the Heaven-Cleaving Demonic Blade burned with demonic flames, a peerless demonic phantom sitting atop it, radiating vast power. No one doubted that any enemy approaching would be hacked to pieces.
Currently, Bai Liyun's demonic intent lacked the consciousness and memory of his life, but possessed stronger autonomous action. The demonic intent of the True Demon Realm was effectively the main body; with a single thought, all things became demonic!
As Qi Ping fell asleep, nearly every Star-Sea warrior saw his final entrustment. This was a feature of the battlefield—you could see what you wanted, testing one's Dao-heart. But for the Star-Sea cultivators, it was a rare encouragement! They had seen their Sovereign slay the supreme demon dragon, and now they saw his trust.
"The remaining battle is in your hands..."
"I await news of your victory and triumph..."
They felt that in the last moment, Qi Ping had looked at every single one of them. Now, they had only one thought: slaughter every demon brat! So what if their bloodline was buffed? They were just brats who relied on ancestors! The powers they had realized and awakened from hell would not fear them.
"In less than three days, the final battle will begin!"
This was a rule of the battlefield—three days to prepare and test one's mind. During this time, the Star-Sea side didn't just wait. Led by Ji Qingyue and the Little Immortal Tiger, those skilled in deduction began analyzing the traits of the buffed demons.
They couldn't deduce the supreme dragon's methods, but they could figure out how to fight demons of the same rank. Soon, these traits were passed to the command centers. Based on this, countermeasures were formulated and sent to every rank's battlefield.
The core countermeasure was formations! Before departing, everyone had learned universal formations. The difficulty of coordinating now was low; they could easily group up into grand arrays.
Soon, everyone—except those attempting breakthroughs—started practicing their formations. In this way, despite the demons' power surge, the Star-Sea World chose to race against time, using every possible way to increase their chances of victory!