Chapter 567 - 545: Eve of the Great Battle (Two in One)_2
"If I successfully overcome two major tribulations, coupled with my own accumulation, it may lead to divine intent perfection, granting me a one in ten chance to attain the Dao Refining Void. Such is the case for me, and it is the same for the Golden Crow Great Venerable. If he succeeds in killing me and destroying Chu Country, he can also seize the opportunity to overcome the Human Tribulation and Life Tribulation, thus obtaining infinite creation!"
Lu Xuanji asked, "Fellow Daoist, what are the chances of success?"
The East Pole Celestial Venerable looked at Lu Xuanji with a complex expression and said, "If I were to say the chances are very high, you certainly wouldn’t believe it. I can only say there are some chances, but they aren’t great. However, if we continue to delay, the chances for the Human Race will keep decreasing. I can’t wait any longer. I don’t have much time left!"
"Of course, fellow Daoist, you can take the many cultivators of the Lu Family and leave directly. But the outside world is not easy either!"
Lu Xuanji was speechless, "Well, I guess we have to fight. But what are the chances of success for the Human Race? How many have reached Divinity Transformation now?"
The East Pole Celestial Venerable said, "Over these years, the Spiritual Qi has been reviving, making the difficulty of achieving Divinity Transformation much lower, and Chu Country has birthed quite a few incarnations. You’ll find out soon! Fellow Daoist, let us proceed inside!"
Lu Xuanji nodded and looked at Jin Xi, who also nodded.
The two followed behind, heading deeper into the Grotto Heaven.
After walking twenty miles, an extravagant ancient hall appeared ahead, ancient and grand, surrounded by fluctuating Profound Yellow Qi, with walls of White Jade and a roof of golden tiles, a green gate, and a huge Spirit Tree settled in front.
Upon the East Pole Celestial Venerable’s signal, the two entered.
In the void, a throne appeared.
Swish!
With footsteps shuffling, Lu Xuanji sat on a throne, and Jin Xi also took a seat on a throne.
At this moment, in the grand hall, eight cultivators were already seated, most were unfamiliar faces.
The East Pole Celestial Venerable sat silently on the central throne.
The one who greeted them earlier was only one of his incarnations.
Gradually, more Divinity Transformation cultivators descended, each taking a seat as a throne appeared.
Soon, eighteen Divinity Transformation cultivators were seated within.
Lu Xuanji glanced around, recognizing some familiar people, including seasoned Divinity Transformation cultivators like Dan Yang Celestial Venerable, Life Celestial Venerable, Earth Celestial Venerable, as well as True Monarch Mo Yu, True Monarch Feiyu, True Monarch Ming Yue, all of whom had stepped into Divinity Transformation, becoming powerful in that realm. The remaining cultivators were extremely unfamiliar.
Among the group, he found Cyan Lotus Celestial Venerable.
Cyan Lotus Celestial Venerable nodded in acknowledgement.
"The meeting is underway!"
The East Pole Celestial Venerable stated, "Well done; now we have eighteen Divinity Transformation cultivators gathering here. Three Divinity Transformation fellow Daoists declined to join the battle, as the price they will move away, leaving Chu Country. So won’t discuss them! Now let’s talk about the war between the Human Race and Demon Race!"
"How do the fellow Daoists see it?"
Everyone exchanged glances and remained silent.
After a long while, Dan Yang Celestial Venerable stood up. As a seasoned Divinity Transformation cultivator of the seventh-layer realm, he ranks just below the East Pole Celestial Venerable in strength and status. At this moment, he spoke up, "East Pole fellow Daoist, how should we fight? Do speak directly! Humans don’t walk without a head, and birds don’t fly without a head; we all are willing to follow your lead!"
"If we each fight our own battle, we’ll only be picked off by the Demon Race, dying due to tribulations. Ordinary human cultivators who surrender might become slaves of the Demon Race, but for us, even the chance of being slaves is absent. There’s no option left but to battle unto death!"
Earth Celestial Venerable also spoke up, "Only battle unto death, there’s nothing else!"
"Fight to the death, how can the Human Race fear life and death!"
Other Divinity Transformation cultivators also chimed in.
Lu Xuanji stood up as well, showing full support.
While minor matters might allow for discussion, in the face of such a big decisive battle, unwavering support for the East Pole Celestial Venerable is crucial; any thought of democratic consultation is unrealistic, and won’t happen.
The East Pole Celestial Venerable humbly exchanged a few words, talked about working together, but if taken seriously, that would be foolish.
"Alright, let’s head out now and directly strike down the Golden Crow Great Venerable!"
The East Pole Celestial Venerable said.
"Wait a moment, shouldn’t we gather many strong individuals first and launch a combined attack on the Demon Race?" Dan Yang Celestial Venerable said, sounding a bit puzzled.
"Fellow Daoist, comparing humans and demons, humans are weak; demons are strong. Given that weakness, we must achieve victory through surprise. If we opt to play safe, choosing a prolonged battle, it’s us humans who will lose. We can only gamble once; if we win, all is well; if we lose, it’s just everyone’s demise!"
East Pole Celestial Venerable spoke candidly about accepting death with clarity, "Our only chance at success is exploiting a time gap. Surprise attack the Golden Crow Race’s territory, creating local superiority. Fellow Daoists, this is the Golden Crow Race’s territory, hosting ten Divinity Transformation cultivators, making them the strongest among demons, though they still pale in comparison to humans; here’s our opportunity!"
Upon saying this, he activated his magical power, revealing an image.
In the image, there’s a map of the Golden Crow Race, including various faction parts, array layouts, etc. all clearly revealed.
"Fellow Daoists, we’ll start the surprise attack from here, then..."
East Pole Celestial Venerable proceeded explaining specific arrangements, surprise directions, etc.
Everyone nodded, all having different thoughts.
"Let’s set off now!"
The East Pole Celestial Venerable smiled, activating magical power; the palace immediately turned into a stream of light and disappeared.
Everyone returned to their original thrones, closing their eyes to rejuvenate, awaiting the final battle.
Meanwhile, golden light enveloped the palace surroundings, preventing information leaks. Any Divinity Transformation cultivators wishing to relay messages outside found it impossible.
This effectively prevents information from leaking.
...
At this moment, in the ancestral land of the Golden Crow Race.
The enormous Fusang Tree stands tall in the void, with a trunk that reaches over a hundred miles high, and numerous branch forks extending from several miles to dozens of miles. Golden leaves with intricate patterns adorn the branches, showcasing a unique beauty.
Golden flames burn atop the Fusang Tree, appearing distant with a sense of intense heat.
On the gigantic Fusang Tree, palaces are built one after another, lavishly arranged with exquisite interiors.
The numerous intersecting palaces appear as if individual array nodes, linking the massive Fusang Tree together, transforming it into a terrifying Annihilation Array.
At the central position, there stands a magnificent palace.
Inside the palace, a gigantic Golden Crow is asleep, its body surrounded by golden flames, breathing like tidal waves of heaven and earth, absorbing significant amounts of Spiritual Qi, fusing them into its body, with golden radiance fluctuating over its flesh.
After an unknown period, the Golden Crow opened its eyes.
The void instantly ignited, transforming into golden flames.
As the light in its eyes dimmed, the Golden Crow’s body transformed, taking a human shape.
It donned an outer robe of gold, crowned on its head, its figure tall and imposing, exuding a mighty and domineering aura as it stood in the palace, emitting a sense of pressure from afar.
"Not enough, I’m still a bit short of the Void Refining Realm!"
The Golden Crow Great Venerable spoke.
His words carried a faint sense of urgency.
Black Qi rose from between his brows.
Sitting atop his throne, the Golden Crow Great Venerable suppressed his restlessness after a long time, "The war between humans and demons is inevitable. Over the last three hundred years, the Demon Race has amassed fifty Divinity Transformation cultivators. Although most demons possess only early-stage Divinity Transformation combat power, they’re ultimately Divinity Transformation!"
"As for the human Divinity Transformation cultivators, there are less than twenty. Comparing top tier experts of both sides, the Demon Race holds the advantage, the time for the decisive battle with the Human Race has arrived; I can’t wait any longer!"
"My Golden Crow Race has twenty Divinity Transformation cultivators, the advantage is mine. But as demons from other races increase their Divinity Transformation numbers, it disfavors my Golden Crow Race. It’s opportune to utilize the war to eliminate other demon divinity transformations, thereby weakening the strength of other races!"
This grand battle has two intentions: one is to seize the opportunity to annihilate humans and occupy Chu Country, capturing Qi fate in preparation for reaching Dao Refining Void; the other is to leverage the war to weaken other demon races, continuing the Golden Crow Race’s dominant momentum.
