Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Ao Hai and the others had long been taken away from the core, their whereabouts unknown.

The vast Starfall Platform was left with only the remnants of energy currents moaning mournfully.

Entering the cave corridor, the temperature plummeted, giving a sense not of cold, but of a penetrating bone-chilling deathly silence.

The rocks beneath were no longer the coarse star remains, but some kind of polished giant black slabs, etched with ancient intricate patterns, which were not static but like blood vessels, faint energy subtly flowing within.

The corridor wound its way downward, bottomless.

On the surrounding rock walls were embedded various giant, glowing treasures.

Each treasure emitted a Dao aura.

"Golden Horn Young Master."

Huang Ya’s voice echoed in the confined corridor, hollow and with a peculiar resonance.

"Earlier that baptism drew upon Earth Vein Power, smelted Ancient Star Remains, and further gathered part of the spirituality stored in the array, thereby achieving your transformation."

"Do you know how much fuel was poured into this single act?"

Huang Ya’s words were not to remind Jiang Shu of his favor but more to let him know the Demon Race’s collective nurturing of him.

Jiang Shu’s eyelids drooped slightly, his golden vertical pupils devoid of ripples, he did not reply.

The Dragon Clan’s pride made him disdain to care about the specific numbers of this fuel, even though he was fully aware of what this so-called spirituality symbolized.

Yet, Huang Ya continued speaking to himself, his voice low and indifferent, as if stating an iron law.

"The Imperial Palace oversees the Ten Thousand Clans in the Demon Domain, operates the Ten Thousand Spirits Casting Venerable Array. Starfall Abyss is one of the key hubs in the northwest."

"Each activation, even if just a node baptism, requires spirituality by tens of thousands."

"You should know, these are constructed by weak Transformation Realm demons, Human Clan captives captured on battlefields, even some Demon Monarchs whose lifespan is near end."

He paused, turning his bark-like face to glance at Jiang Shu.

"You need not be concerned, this is what Great Dao demands, just as a tiger devours a sheep, the law of heaven and earth dictates that the weak are destined to pave the way for the strong."

"What you absorb is the pure origin from the aggregation of Ten Thousand Spirits, far beyond ordinary cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu couldn’t help but let out a cold sneer in his heart, like an undercurrent beneath a winter ice lake.

The outside world says Human Clan Jiang Taixuan is the killing star of the Demon Race, his hands stained with Demon Blood.

But compared to the price paid by the Imperial Palace to support the rise of geniuses like Golden Horn, for that ultimate goal, what he slays is merely a drop in the ocean.

The most ruthless characters within the Demon Race have never been someone like Jiang Taixuan.

But the Demon Lords and Demon Venerables within.

Which Demon Lord or Demon Venerable hasn’t annihilated tens of thousands of clans?

Jiang Shu’s face remained unruffled, only a barely audible, dragon-like arrogant snort escaped his nostrils.

This reaction just maintained Golden Horn Young Master’s persona of seeing everything as beneath him, respecting only power.

"Almost there."

Huang Ya seemed quite pleased with Jiang Shu’s indifference and continued leading the way.

"Ahead, where I will take you to meet, is a creator who is about to ascend to the pinnacle, one who has enjoyed the ultimate glory of the array, someone our race has forged into a Half-step Demon Lord."

"He will personally guide you across that chasm, assisting you in ascending to the position of Demon Venerable!"

Half-step Demon Lord!

Jiang Shu’s heart suddenly tightened, sinking heavily.

The Demon Lord Realm is far beyond the ordinary Demon Venerable, it is mastery over the Time Dao among the strongest.

Half-step Demon Lord, even though it hasn’t comprehended the Time Dao, it has basic involvement with it.

Most importantly, they are nearly at the pinnacle of the Space Dao.

Unexpectedly, the Demon Race Imperial Palace succeeded in forcibly creating a Half-step Demon Lord, right in the depths of Starfall Abyss.

Huang Ya had no reason to deceive him.

But Jiang Shu immediately steadied his mind.

Based on his understanding of the Ten Thousand Spirits Casting Venerable Array, forcibly creating a Half-step Demon Lord implies that internally, the Demon Race has long elevated the array through various means.

The next stage has been entered.

Of course, a Half-step Demon Lord created by the array is certainly inferior to a real Demon Lord.

It may even fall short of the Supreme Sect Leaders of the Eight Great Sects.

However, as for specifics, only by meeting will he know.

The end of the corridor suddenly broadened.

Instead of a more grand underground palace as imagined, there was rather an exceptionally tidy, even somewhat concise and cold, immense cave.

At the center of the cave, there was a flat stone platform spanning a hundred feet, with large neatly placed cushions on the edge.

In the very center of the platform, sat a silhouette.

The presence of that person instantly captured all of Jiang Shu’s attention.

He was wearing a pure white robe incongruous with the abyss environment, the texture resembling some kind of extremely expensive snow silkworm silk, weak and warm luster flowing under the dim bone lamp.

The robe’s style was ancient and simple, with wide sleeves, giving off an air somewhat immortal-like.

His long red hair wasn’t wild and untamed like the Heaven-Burning Ancestor Jiang Shu had seen before, but instead tied in a neat Dao bun with a simple dark jade hairpin at the back of his head, exposing a smooth and full forehead.

His face also seemed very peaceful, brows and eyes lowered, only his high nose bridge and slightly firm chin were visible.

The overall demeanor indeed had a touch of ethereal immortality, incompatible with the foreboding Evil Qi-filled core of Starfall Abyss.

However, when Huang Ya led Jiang Shu to the edge of the platform, still several dozen steps from the silhouette, the unexpected happened!

"Humph!"

A sound like muffled thunder rolling through the abdomen, also accompanied by riotous magma seething noises, abruptly emitted from the seemingly tranquil white-robed silhouette.

He jerked his head up!

In an instant, all the ethereal Dao Bone vanished!

Crimson pupils were instantly invaded by a violent molten gold, it was not the light of rationality, but pure madness of flames.

Those eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Shu, filled with brutality, greed, and a desire to burn everything before them to ashes.

The previously peaceful face now twisted beyond recognition, facial muscles spasming wildly, dark red glow seeming like magma beneath the skin fluctuated intensely.

More terrifying still, a pressure indescribably horrific, like an ancient mountain, carrying searing heat enough to burn divine souls, thunderously crushed down on Jiang Shu.

Boom!

The air emitted a sound of unbearable explosion, the temperature of the entire cave skyrocketed, the surrounding rock walls turned charred and cracked rapidly.

Jiang Shu felt as if a live volcano was pressing down, the Dragon Clan’s incredibly tough sinews and bones creaked painfully, his Dragon Blood within surged madly, almost bursting forth!

At this moment, he recognized the true identity of the person based on the aura.

Heaven-Burning Ancestor?!

Even Jiang Shu’s Dao Heart, rock-steady, now nearly faltered.

Although his appearance and aura drastically changed, especially that core aura of violence, heat, filled with undying hatred, Jiang Shu was all too familiar with it.

In that Desolate Sand Sea, he had personally torn apart such power, nearly being entirely consumed by it!

It was unexpectedly him!

In a mere month since his disappearance, the Heaven-Burning Ancestor, at Demon Venerable Late Stage, had been forcibly forged into a Half-step Demon Lord.

That core aura capable of incinerating heavens and annihilating everything, now even more terrifying!

The Imperial Palace of the Demon Race.

What exactly is it plotting?

How could someone like Heaven-Burning Ancestor be willing to sacrifice and forcibly be elevated to the Half-step Demon Lord Realm?

My identity must not be revealed; the Heaven-Burning Ancestor is now at the Half-step Demon Lord realm.

If he realizes my identity.

Unless I use Two Realms Shuttle.

I will surely perish!

Jiang Shu’s heart alarm bells rang like a furious great bell, he forcibly stabilized all Qi Mechanism within his body with just a slight tremor.

This tremor, against the pressure of a Half-step Demon Lord for a Demon Race at Demon Monarch Peak, seemed very reasonable instead.

In his golden vertical pupils, quickly surfaced shock, respect, an appropriate bewilderment, and submission crushed by powerful strength.