Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 56: The Demonic Cauldron
“I always thought Wang Chuan was an ancient sage, but within just a few days he has acquired power beyond the mortal realm. Even such a man would yearn to ascend to the summit. For him to cultivate my demonic path is unfathomable, and yet he surpasses all expectations!” the Demon God exclaimed in astonishment. “I have never encountered someone so ruthless and unrestrained! Not only has he mastered the demonic arts, but he is also versed in Buddhist teachings, able to channel the divine, and his own skills have reached their peak. I have heard that, to him, methods are neither right nor wrong, good nor evil—whatever brings him closer to the great path is best!”
After many battles and thorough investigations, they had grasped his nature completely.
Such a man must be eradicated, to wash away past humiliations.
The Demon Saint, hearing that the opponent could suppress with Buddhist teachings, recognized this as an excellent counter against their demonic powers, and frowned apprehensively.
How could one exist who mastered all the celestial paths, coexisting within a single body?
What, then, was he truly cultivating?
But it no longer mattered; as long as he was destroyed!
The longer things dragged on, the more the opponent’s fortune rebounded, and that could spell survival from the brink of death.
He could not be allowed to persist!
The Demon Saint unleashed sacred light, constantly refining the overwhelming demonic energy.
A shadow moved around, absorbing and devouring like a phantom, its form impossible for anyone to capture.
The demonic energy surged like titanic waves, shrouding the sky and earth in endless supply.
Yet the Demon Saint paid it no mind, driven by a spirit and perseverance reminiscent of moving mountains.
All essence was converted by the sacred light and fused into himself.
“Void Saint, I’ll hold them off for a quarter of an hour!” said Wang Chuan.
“Good, that’s enough!” The Void Saint nodded.
A quarter hour meant that, during this time, no one could intervene, and the Void Saint would directly refine heaven and earth in the final step.
Was it difficult?
Too difficult!
There were still two Demon Gods present, three in total, yet he meant to face them with a mortal’s body and realm.
One against three!
Even though it was Wang Chuan, uttering such words, they thought him surely possessed by madness.
Insane.
The Void Saint sighed upon hearing this.
He watched as the ancestral mansion began to collapse, the forces of heaven and earth intensifying its destruction.
In the final moment, he needed to completely absorb and refine, merging all into the law and the great path.
But he understood Wang Chuan’s way.
He sighed, “Wang Chuan, you truly embody the utmost path, supreme, godlike, and holy. The way you walk is unparalleled. But such an extreme path cannot last; you must use it with caution. Rigidity breaks easily. Isn’t there a doctrine of moderation among mortals? The ultimate realm of cultivation is to grasp the workings of creation, command the operation of heaven and earth, harmonize the seasons and the balance of yin and yang. At that point, all heaven and earth, all laws, will be yours. Every action you take will align with the laws—you will be the law. Then, you will no longer need to pursue the extreme, because you are the extreme; none can rival you.”
“My path is destined to be solitary, without predecessors or successors. As I contemplate the vastness of heaven and earth, only I walk my way!” Wang Chuan replied indifferently.
Success or failure mattered little; he had already risked everything, pouring out his all.
“The resolve in this one’s heart is unmatched. If he grows, all saints and gods will pale before him. He must be killed—he cannot be allowed to live!” declared one Demon God. “Demon Saint, let us join hands.”
It was an order from above: destroy Wang Chuan at any cost.
Such rigorous and urgent commands were unprecedented, and they had to treat it with utmost caution, even with trepidation.
It seemed some uncontrollable force had emerged, threatening their entire demon race.
Since their defeat years ago, the demon high command had been plotting their return to power.
A ten-thousand-year plan!
At that time, the demons were pitiful, scattered, their strength less than one percent of their peak.
They hid their core forces in the Demon Realm, nurturing seeds for the future.
After so many years, those seeds had taken root and sprouted, yielding new fruits.
Wang Chuan and Void Saint had guessed wrong. These two Demon Gods were not ancient figures, but newly cultivated demons after many years of preparation.
The passage of countless ages—such a tremendous price paid.
They had schemed so long, only for Wang Chuan to become an unpredictable variable.
When they learned their descent was merely to destroy one martial artist, they felt as if wild horses stampeded across their hearts.
As exalted Demon Gods, they rarely glanced at mortals.
Like ants.
Yet today, they were sent to kill an ant?
It was the ultimate humiliation!
Never before had they suffered such disgrace.
He was but a mortal, beneath the mortal realm, nothing but weeds and insects.
They had long forgotten what it was like to be mortal.
Today, they stood at the peak, with vast worlds at their command.
Mortals, to them, were those struggling in the abyss.
A variable, yes, but still a mortal.
Easily erased.
Everything proceeded smoothly, their descent intimidating heaven and earth.
They watched those ants in chaos, struggling desperately.
Only now did they realize Wang Chuan’s extraordinariness.
He was like an indestructible cockroach, always so tenacious, so resilient.
And each time, more surprising than the last!
How did he always manage to escape their hands, finally leaving this ancestral mansion—
What shocked them even more, he had returned.
Who did he think he was?
Such arrogance!
He swaggered back, and even pressed them down.
So wild.
More and more unrestrained.
Though they were but incarnations, they could annihilate any mortal.
Yet he dared to hold off three.
“Wang Chuan, so arrogant! To deal with you, one of us is enough!” the Demon Saint sneered, preparing to strike him down.
“A bunch of clowns; if I kill you, so be it—no need for concern! If I were at my peak, I would devour and refine you all, enhancing my cultivation and power,” Wang Chuan declared.
Two Demon God incarnations and one Demon Saint.
Such beings would let him advance even further.
The Demon Saint did not waste words; with a sweep of his sleeve, hundreds of golden runes appeared, breaking through the demonic energy, arranging and spinning in the air.
Space trembled, and heaven and earth swirled like a vortex.
Such power seemed poised to lock down the two.
Wang Chuan sneered; if these ancient beings had only this much skill, he was sorely disappointed.
He flipped his palm, shrinking the demonic banner to the height of a man, its form shifting and leaping.
“In realms above the divine, soul power is strong, so no matter how you restrain your strength, it’s useless. Across all worlds, they may reign, but here, we are the masters!” Void Saint sent a message to him.
He always believed Wang Chuan could create miracles.
Even if they were like gods, it didn’t matter; the realm restriction crippled them.
Here, mortals ruled, more skilled and powerful.
“How large is this area now, and how much longer can it last?” Wang Chuan glanced at the collapsing, shattering world.
“It’s still vast, about a hundred thousand miles in radius. I’m almost done,” said Void Saint.
Wang Chuan laughed quietly.
Their telepathic words were unknown to outsiders, and seeing Wang Chuan smile now, the others were puzzled.
They saw his cold, ruthless demeanor.
Something felt wrong; after divining the fate, they sensed a looming threat.
This ancestral mansion seemed prepared just for them; Wang Chuan and Void Saint thrived here.
Why were they so powerful and unwavering?
Their eyes shone, ambition burning!
The battle made them even more feverish.
Wang Chuan waved the demonic banner, spraying essence upon it; immediately, a mighty force burst forth, permeating the air.
Evil energy flooded the world.
Like a river surging, rolling and tumbling.
Like a dragon leaping, moving across the heavens.
A massive shackle, like a chasm, utterly separated the three.
One saint, two gods.
Void Saint did his part, quickening the refinement of heaven and earth.
“Ridiculous! Such petty tricks—once the ban breaks, no matter how many people there are, all will be slaughtered like chickens and dogs. Wang Chuan, if this is all you can do, prepare for your death! Only if your human saints had their formidable bans could you hope to stop us.”
The Demon Saint pressed down his sacred seal, and strange demonic energy appeared in the world, lines like divine script, beautiful as heavenly musical notation.
“Wang Chuan! Do not underestimate the methods of my demon race!”
The Demon God moved, flying into the depths of spacetime tides.
In a flash, he reopened the passage, bringing forth a sacred artifact from the Demon Realm.
“That’s the Flame Dragon Cauldron of the Demon Emperor!”
Void Saint kept watch, ready for anything.
Seeing the situation, he sent Wang Chuan a telepathic message.
The so-called Sacred River before was merely water diverted, meant to connect a branch to the Divine Continent.
He had easily suppressed it.
But this demon cauldron, though only a replica, could unleash one ten-thousandth of its peak power.
The Demon Saint’s holy weapon operated on the same principle.
This world still had its limits.
Like a wine jug—it can only hold so much; too much power cannot fit or spills over.
Wang Chuan, hearing the message, gazed into the depths of spacetime tides, his eyes seeming to pierce layers of void and barriers.
First, tongues of fire surged forth, like hundreds of fire dragons leaping, an endless sea of fire, a desert crossing the void.
Within the fire sea, many flame dragons roared, the fire boiling, power immense, heat radiating far and wide, evaporating what little moisture remained.
“The demon cauldron? Fire element?” Wang Chuan’s gaze fell there, microscopic and penetrating.
His eyes were deep as an abyss.
He could see that at the center of the fire sea stood a two-meter-tall cauldron, tripod.
Suddenly, the fire sea began to shrink, visibly contracting, flames condensing, yet the power released could burn the world, melt everything here into magma.
Void Saint saw its danger and sent a detailed message.
“Wang Chuan, do you have other means?” The Demon God, having summoned the cauldron, laughed wildly.
His demonic energy melted swiftly in the flames; even armed with a ten-thousand-year demon weapon, what use was it now?