Chapter 434: The Crisis of the Demon Race

“So that’s the Outer Heavens?”

No wonder Daoist Ling Xi had never shown up—so she had truly taken the next step…

If the Outer Heavens really existed, then doesn’t that mean what Mr. Gu once said—that there was a gray line above my head, making me a mere puppet on strings—was true?

Intense pain swept through his entire body and even his soul, yet at this moment, the Flood Dragon Emperor’s mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.

The scene of Daoist Ling Xi crossing realms and suppressing him with an unstoppable aura made him realize many things in an instant.

Boom!

It wasn’t until a clap of thunder exploded in his ears that the Flood Dragon Emperor came back to his senses.

However, this time, the heavenly thunder did not strike him!

Following the direction Daoist Ling Xi pointed, he saw—it was the Demon Capital’s Demon Emperor Palace!

When the thunder struck, the entire Demon Emperor Palace crumbled like fragile porcelain. Stone pillars broke apart, glazed tiles shattered and flew in all directions, turning to dust.

The once resplendent palace vanished in a flash of lightning and thunder, leaving only ruins and rising clouds of smoke.

Those demon soldiers stationed around the palace, clad in various types of demon armor, were unable to resist even a little before they were consumed by the terrifying energy contained in the heavenly thunder.

Their forms evaporated like dew under the scorching sun, turning into wisps of green smoke that vanished without a trace. Only a series of mournful wails echoed through the broken halls—yet even these were quickly drowned out by the rumble of thunder.

The dreadful thunder gave rise to countless arcs of electricity, spreading out from the palace in all directions. Wherever they passed—be it sturdy city walls or dense buildings—all were mercilessly torn apart and destroyed.

The ordinary demons living near the palace, those who hadn’t fled in time, were caught off guard. Even the slightest brush with an arc of lightning resulted in their complete annihilation—body and soul.

At this moment, the Flood Dragon Emperor’s face twisted grotesquely. His eyes widened, pupils flashing with a strange light, as if flames were leaping within!

“Come at me!”

With this furious roar, his body began to undergo a dramatic transformation.

Under his skin, it was as if countless blood vessels surged madly. Muscles and bones rapidly restructured themselves, emitting a dazzling light.

His garments tore apart like paper, the fragments flying in all directions. The middle-aged man’s figure expanded and stretched at an astonishing speed—until he transformed into a massive dragon ten thousand zhang long, soaring into the sky!

Now fully transformed, the Flood Dragon Emperor was covered in jet-black scales, each one gleaming with a cold, profound luster, like the brightest stars in the night sky.

His eyes burned like twin flames, exuding overwhelming majesty and dominance.

Gone was the weakened figure who had been struck by lightning—replaced now by an aura that looked down upon the world!

“ROAR~~~”

With a thunderous dragon roar, the Flood Dragon Emperor surged toward Daoist Ling Xi within the arc of light, carrying boundless power. As his massive body soared, the friction between his scales and the air erupted with bursts of sonic booms!

Seeing this, Daoist Ling Xi’s eyes, as cold as eternal ice, flashed with a trace of contempt.

With a gentle motion of her jade-like finger, another divine thunder of world-ending might manifested—this time as a thunder dragon, filled with destructive energy, slamming head-on into the Flood Dragon Emperor!

Amid this terrifying clash, an almost imperceptible stream of light split off from the Flood Dragon Emperor and shot toward the direction of Northern Huangtian.

That was precisely where the Void Emperor resided—in Eternal Slumber City.

It was clear: the Flood Dragon Emperor, realizing he was no match for Daoist Ling Xi, had created a soul fragment during the battle and sent it to seek help from the Void Emperor.

Naturally, Daoist Ling Xi noticed this as well—but she made no move to stop it. It seemed the Void Emperor’s appearance mattered little to her. If he came, all the better—she wouldn’t have to seek him out.

…

In the Void Emperor Temple, deep within an underground cavern, 9,999 statues of the Void Emperor stood silently.

Before an inconspicuous rock wall, where an image of the Void Emperor was carved, a small jade basin had been placed.

Inside the palm-sized basin, a single mountain lotus swayed gently with the tremors coming from Northern Huangtian.

“It has nothing to do with me… nothing to do with me…”

“I’m just a mural… just a mural…”

Endless murmurs echoed through the cave. The speaker sounded like someone intent on “detaching from the mundane world”…

Above the cavern, within the Void Emperor Temple, a stream of light landed before a phantom statue and transformed into a middle-aged man in plain robes.

The Flood Dragon Emperor urgently cried out, “Void Emperor! Come out quickly! Daoist Ling Xi has taken another step forward—I can’t defeat her!”

“She intends to exterminate the entire demon race! If you don’t come, once we’re all dead, you won’t escape either!”

Inside the cavern, the mural softly whispered, “I can’t hear anything… can’t hear…”

“I’m deaf… I’m deaf…”

Of course, the Flood Dragon Emperor couldn’t hear these whispers. But he believed—with such a commotion, the Void Emperor definitely knew what was going on.

He just didn’t want to come out—playing the turtle hiding in its shell.

Thus, the Flood Dragon Emperor hurriedly continued, “I have a plan that can preserve the demon race. Just hear me out. If it’s worth listening to—then come.”

“Daoist Ling Xi has taken a step, but not a full one. More precisely, only half a step. Otherwise, my soul fragment wouldn’t still be here talking to you!”

“So as long as we stall for time, the demon race won’t be wiped out!”

“Now that I’ve returned to my original form, I’ll do everything I can to delay her. Before my soul is extinguished, I will transform my body into a dragon city stretching ten thousand li, dividing Northern Huangtian from Great Wu!”

“At that point, all you need to do is strike three times at most—just enough to stop Ling Xi from exterminating the demon race. If she can’t wipe us out, she won’t make a move on you either!”

After a brief pause, the Flood Dragon Emperor continued, “If this plan works, the demon race will retain some fertile land, enough to restore our strength. When that day comes, I ask only that the Void Emperor watch over the demon race as the True Immortal watches over the human race.”

“As for whether to fight, or what to fight for—that’s for the demon race of the future to decide. It has nothing to do with you or me.”

With that said, the Flood Dragon Emperor placed down a clay jar and sneered, “When you have time, please help torment the demon souls in here. These beasts are responsible for the deaths of countless demons.”

“Don’t let them die too quickly. Make it last…”

Once the soul fragment of the Flood Dragon Emperor turned back into a stream of light and vanished, the vast Void Emperor Temple fell silent once more.

Within the cave, the Void Emperor emerged from the mural. Holding the jade basin in his arms, he asked, “Liu Ying, should I go?”

“My ancient and unchanging Dao heart… why does it waver now, after listening to that flood dragon brat’s words?”

“It feels like—if I don’t go, something will be missing… that I might regret it…”

As he spoke, the Void Emperor once more looked down at the mountain lotus in the jade basin—only to see that it had actually bloomed!

Staring at the sight, the Void Emperor swallowed and muttered, “It’s blooming… does that mean I should go… or not…”