High Martial: I Grind Professions

Deep underground, the lingering demonic qi scattered like startled birds.

These were scattered members of the Demon Race who hadn’t managed to evacuate through the main passages, or spies hidden deep within the planet.

They were currently clinging to life, relying on their familiarity with the terrain and special concealment Secret Techniques.

However, in front of an expert whose Primordial Spirit had reached the 9th Layer, these concealment methods were like child’s play.

Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit was like the most precise scanner, easily locking onto the residual demonic qi in every corner.

HISS! HISS! HISS!

Wherever the Primordial Spirit passed, regardless of whether it was a lesser demon, a demon general, or even a Demon King who had been unlucky enough not to escape...

...their Demon Souls completely disintegrated and returned to nothingness the moment the Primordial Spirit touched them, not even stirring the faintest ripple of energy.

The efficiency was astonishing.

In just under an hour, the last wisp of demonic qi deep beneath Ice Soul Star had completely dissipated.

This planet, so ravaged by the Demon Race, had finally welcomed a long-awaited, true sense of purity, from its surface to its core.

With a wave of his hand, Li Wen sent a majestic power surging toward the dense network of Stargates spread across Ice Soul Star.

In an instant, the cores of all the Stargates were forcibly stripped out and sealed, their light completely dimming.

After doing all this, Li Wen left only a single divine message for the Human Race’s Venerable on Ice Soul Star.

Then he tore through space once more, embarking on his journey back to Blue Star.

On the three core planets—Chiyan, Cangwu, and Ice Soul Star—the Demon Race threat had been eliminated, and the Stargates were sealed.

Blue Star, his home, was awaiting his return.

...

「Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm, at the Ten Thousand Beasts Ancestral Hall.」

The heavy doors of the hall shut out the clamor of the outside world. Inside, the light was dim, filled with an oppressive air of anger and failure.

Four figures occupied the four corners of the great hall.

The majestic pressure of the Demon Emperors surged through the hall like a tangible tide, making the very void groan as if under an unbearable weight.

The Talisman Emperor was wreathed in countless dark purple runes, each one seeming like a miniature projection of a world.

At this moment, the runes flickered erratically, betraying the towering waves of turmoil in his heart.

His expression was so dark it looked like it could drip water. He had expended countless efforts and invested immense resources,

even going so far as to launch the plan to erode Blue Star with a world projection, only for it to fall apart at the last moment, right before the harvest.

The Demon Race strongholds on Blue Star had been uprooted, and even a trusted subordinate like Wujing Demon Saint had fallen without a sound.

"Hmph!" A cold snort, filled with a berserk aura, broke the silence.

The Tiger Emperor’s frame was as burly as an Ancient Demon Mountain, and he was wreathed in sharp Geng Metal Qi Flow.

His massive, bell-like eyes swept over the Talisman Emperor, making no effort to hide the mockery within:

"Fu Li, they all say your Celestial Fox clan is skilled in strategy, but it seems you’re nothing special after all!

You invested the most and lost the hardest. Tsk tsk, truly... spectacular!"

The Tiger Emperor’s voice was like grinding metal, harsh and grating.

"Golden Fiend! You’re courting death!" The runes around the Talisman Emperor’s body erupted in a blinding purple light as a terrifying pressure crashed toward the Tiger Emperor like a tsunami.

He, Fu Li, had roamed the Demon Realm for countless years. When had he ever suffered such ridicule?

Especially from a sworn enemy with whom he had a long-standing grudge!

"What? Can’t take a loss, so you want to fight?" The Tiger Emperor showed no weakness. The Geng Metal Qi on his body transformed into a myriad of golden needles.

They met the pressure head-on, slicing through the void with a HISS and sending sparks flying.

"Enough!" A cold, hoarse voice sounded, like a viper flicking its tongue.

The Shadow Claw Demon Emperor’s figure seemed to melt into the shadows of the hall, with only two crimson points of light glinting in the darkness.

"The four of us are grasshoppers on the same rope now! Infighting will only make us a laughingstock for the Human Race!"

Ghost Shadow’s words carried a bone-chilling cold, but they also pointed out the reality of their situation.

Golden Fiend and Fu Li’s auras receded slightly, but the hostility in their eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Ghost Shadow is right." A calm voice, yet one that held supreme authority, rang out, suppressing all the restless auras in the hall.

The speaker was the fourth Demon Emperor, the Bone-Eroding Demon Emperor, who was seated in the main position.

His form was the most peculiar; it was not a body of pure flesh and blood.

It was more like a giant skeleton covered in dark golden bone armor.

Within the skeleton burned a ghastly blue soul-fire, exuding an ancient, profound aura, as if it had endured countless calamities without being extinguished.

He was the most ancient of the Four Emperors, and his strength was implicitly revered as the greatest among them.

The soul-fire in Hai Yan’s eye sockets burned calmly as he swept his gaze over the other three Emperors:

"I called you here today to discuss how to deal with the Human Race, not for you to argue.

Our main task now is to figure out exactly what the situation is on the Human Race’s side.

Whether they have a new Saint Realm expert, or if they used some kind of powerful treasure."

His voice carried a strange, soothing power, forcing the irascible Golden Fiend and the furious Fu Li to suppress their emotions.

"Brother Hai Yan," Fu Li took a deep breath, quelling his churning rage, and said in a low voice,

"This matter is indeed bizarre. Although my projection has not fully formed, as long as it exists, it is a constant source of erosion and a burden on Blue Star’s origin.

If the Human Race truly has a new Saint Realm expert, with their power, why didn’t they destroy the projection immediately? Could they be leaving it for some other purpose?"

This was the biggest question haunting his mind.

It was also the reason for his last sliver of hope—perhaps the Human Race didn’t really have a Saint Realm expert, but had used some other unknown means.

"That is indeed strange." Hai Yan nodded, his bones making a faint grinding sound.

"Logically, a Saint Realm expert would never tolerate a projection from another world continuously expanding on their home planet. Unless... they can’t break it?"

Even he himself found this speculation unlikely.

"Can’t break it?" Golden Fiend scoffed.

"Brother Hai Yan, you’re overestimating Fu Li’s unformed projection! Even if he himself were presiding over the projection’s core, a newly ascended Saint Realm expert would be enough to shake it!

Unless... that Human Race Saint Realm expert is a fake? Or their strength is inflated?"

He was more inclined toward this guess.

Ghost Shadow’s voice drifted from the shadows:

"There’s another possibility... The Human Race is deliberately showing weakness, or... the projection has some use to them that we don’t know about? Are they using the projection?"

Hai Yan fell silent for a moment, his soul-fire flickering slightly:

"There are many possibilities. But regardless, one thing is certain.

A terrifying existence has appeared in the Human Race’s camp, one capable of sweeping through the Demon Race strongholds on three planets in a very short time and killing Demon Saints like ants.

The power it displayed is, at a minimum, that of an early Saint Realm expert, or perhaps... even stronger. To rise so quickly is unbelievable, but the facts are right in front of us."

He paused, his voice turning cold. "As for the Blue Star projection... whatever the Human Race is planning,

it’s actually good for us. If they won’t destroy it, then let it continue to exist and accelerate its formation!"

Hai Yan’s gaze turned to Fu Li. "Fu Li, since you are in charge of the projection, the task of accelerating it naturally falls to you. As for resources..."

He looked at Golden Fiend and Ghost Shadow. "Golden Fiend, Ghost Shadow, and I will continue to invest more, according to our previously agreed-upon ratios. Fu Li, what do you think?"

Fu Li’s eyes flickered, but he finally nodded.

"Fine! Since Brother Hai Yan has spoken and the resources will be provided, I will do everything in my power to push the projection, striving to make it fully descend in the shortest time possible! However..."

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. "I’m also very curious. On the day the projection truly takes shape and forcibly connects with Blue Star’s origin, what will the Human Race use to stop the four of us combined!"

A malevolent fire was pent up in his heart, one that he desperately needed to vent through destruction once the projection descended.

"Exactly!" Golden Fiend also temporarily set aside his mockery of Fu Li, a ferocious light showing in his eyes.

"I don’t care what kind of monster it is. As long as the projection succeeds and the true bodies of us Four Emperors cross over, gathering the power of an entire realm, why would we fear a single Saint Realm expert? Even if it is a Saint Realm expert, we’ll make them die filled with regret right then and there!"

"I second that," came the cold reply from Ghost Shadow’s shadow.

Hai Yan’s soul-fire burned steadily:

"Then it is settled. Fu Li, accelerate the projection with all your might. Golden Fiend, Ghost Shadow, allocate the resources immediately.

Also... the Blue Star Human Race’s true attitude toward the projection! I need the most detailed intelligence."

He thought of his younger brother, who had left the Demon Realm long ago to venture into the wider universe.

If his brother were here, with his strength and insight that surpassed his own, perhaps he could see through this fog more quickly.

Unfortunately, distant water can’t quench a nearby thirst.

"Understood!" the three Emperors replied in unison.

Within the Ten Thousand Beasts Ancestral Hall, a temporary alliance re-formed under the pressure of a great failure and a common threat.

The shadow of conspiracy did not dissipate. Instead, it grew deeper and more treacherous because of the unresolved world projection over Blue Star.

A storm that concerned the fate of Blue Star, and indeed the entire Human Race, was rapidly brewing.

But at this moment, Li Wen, who was tearing through space on his way home, was still unaware of this.

His mind had already returned to that azure planet.

There, his family, his teachers, and the home he protected with his life were waiting for him.

...

The aftershocks of the discussion in the Demon Realm’s Ten Thousand Beasts Ancestral Hall had not yet subsided.

The Talisman Emperor had already returned to his own territory with lightning speed.

The Demon Saint in charge of guard duty had long since received strict orders.

Now, under the Talisman Emperor’s cold gaze,

they began pouring vast quantities of precious resources into the core Array that maintained the world projection, regardless of the cost.

The additional support provided by the two Demon Emperors, Ghost Shadow and Golden Fiend, also arrived swiftly.

The swirling, vortex-like energy at the core, which connected the two realms, was like it had been given a shot of adrenaline.

Its rotation speed suddenly accelerated, and the dim light emanating from its edges became more solid.

The efficiency of its "extension" toward Blue Star increased significantly.

...

「Blue Star, behind Enlightenment Peak at Xinhuo University.」

Venerable Ye Qin, who was meditating on the Laws in his quiet chamber, suddenly opened his eyes.

An indescribable spatial tremor pierced through the atmosphere, which he clearly perceived.

At almost the same moment, Venerable Xingxuan from the adjacent quiet chamber also pushed his door open.

Their gazes met mid-air, and both saw the gravity and a faint, hard-to-detect trace of worry in the other’s eyes.

"Did you feel that?" Venerable Xingxuan’s voice was low.

"Yes," Venerable Ye Qin nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the sky as if trying to pierce through the clouds and atmosphere to stare directly at the formless threat.

"The formation speed of the world projection... has suddenly accelerated several times over!"

In a flash, the two of them appeared at the summit of Enlightenment Peak.

Without any instruments, relying on their Venerable Level sensitivity to the Space Law,

they could both see it clearly.