Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword

"Huh?" Long Haixing, who seemed to be asleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes wide, emitting a sharp light that made it impossible for anyone to look directly.

He sensed a mysterious power, incredibly weak, like a candle flame in his eyes, yet it was immensely strong in essence, almost matching his own!

What is this?

"Great Elder, what's happening?" All the priests exclaimed in shock; when had they ever seen the Six Caves Expert with such a loss of composure?

Is the sky about to collapse, or is there a powerful shadow dead spirit from the Demon Sea coming out?

"It's nothing! It's nothing!" Long Haixing waved his hand dismissively, but his gaze was firmly fixed on Zhou Heng. He could sense that the destructive power originated from Zhou Heng.

The rotating flames... were like a black hole, capable of devouring everything!

Indeed, that's the feeling; hence, it gives him an equivalent sense of quality!

But this was merely a Spiritual Power-Milky Way Realm, a guy whose physique just entered the Comet Realm. How could he possess a black hole?

No! It wasn't a real black hole, but merely a rune, a law, with the same effect as a black hole. To possess such a rune at this realm, it's indeed terrifying!

"Stop!" The Old Dragon shouted, and with a terrifying force circulating, the battle instantly froze.

This was the power of the Black Hole level, and moreover, it was that of a Six Caves King!

Everyone was perplexed, looking at the Old Dragon with puzzled eyes. In history, there's never been an interruption during a match.

"In this battle, Zhou Heng is first!" The Old Dragon directly awarded Zhou Heng the first place.

Why bother fighting? Although Zhou Heng's rune was weak in power, it was already at the black hole level in essence, far beyond what those little rascals could oppose. In a real fight, they'd be severely injured in just a few moves!

Even if a peak Comet Realm Dragon Clan member fought Zhou Heng with a dragon body, they would be gradually destroyed by that rune—the difference was only in the duration.

Only a black hole can truly oppose another black hole!

Others didn't know this, so they began to clamor upon hearing the Old Dragon's words.

Corruption!

Zhou Heng couldn't be the Old Dragon's illegitimate child, right? Otherwise, why would the Old Dragon hastily award Zhou Heng first place before the fight concluded? Shameless, but none seen this shameless!

"Hmm?" The Old Dragon grunted in displeasure, with terrifying pressure circulating, silencing everyone with the true force of an expert's overpowering presence.

"That's settled, and you'll soon realize how lucky you are!" Long Haixing glanced at the ten individuals still standing in the arena, waved his sleeve, and left in grandeur.

Though he left, who dared defy the Old Dragon's words? The priests of the Four Rivers Dragon Temple announced Zhou Heng as the winner of this Gold Seventy-Four Stars baptism competition amidst public jeers.

The Old Dragon may have left it all alone, but others had to clean up the mess—rumors of favoritism toward the Old Dragon can't arise outside; hence all seventy-two participants were strictly forbidden to disclose today's match details, under penalty of severe punishment if any information leaked!

Upon receiving yet another first-place reward, Zhou Heng also got a directive: he had one month to prepare before heading to the Demon Sea for ten years of service.

The Demon Sea?

After inquiring thoroughly, he learned the entire Dragon Domain sealed a mysterious passage, like a vast ocean, constantly producing an endless stream of evil dead spirits.

The Dragon Clan's mission was to suppress this Demon Sea, preventing the dead spirits from spreading and disrupting the entire Bright Realm's order.

These dead spirits were known as shadow dead spirits, immense in number, at least Star level, even with some Black Hole level ones! Because of these spirits, all nine sons of the Old Azure Dragon perished on that battlefield.

Until the Five Great Saints emerged, joining forces with the Four Divine Beasts to create four Sea-Suppressing Golden Cudgel, subduing the Demon Sea and preventing Black Hole level shadow dead spirits from passing through, thus controlling the situation.

—There were four such Demon Seas, each suppressed by one Divine Beast; perhaps this reason why when the heavens opened, there were four, not three or five, Divine Beasts.

Yet, shadow dead spirits below the Black Hole Realm could still come through gaps, requiring someone to kill them; hence the Dragon Clan dictated all family members reaching Comet Realm must serve in the Demon Sea for at least ten years, indefinitely, if required.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Heng couldn't help but respect the Dragon Clan.

The peaceful serenity of the Bright Realm was due to the bloodshed and sacrifice of the Four Divine Beasts! Otherwise, should the dead spirits emerge, it would surely be a catastrophic disaster for the Bright Realm, with destruction akin to the collapse of the Immortal Realm during the Five Saints battle with the Great Demon!

Though the Bright Realm wouldn't collapse, no living beings would survive, leaving eternal deathly silence!

Thus, even a Great Witch like Hongyue occasionally beats the Dragon Clan, plucking some dragon scales for fun, cutting some dragon meat to taste, but never truly hurt them deeply.

Shadow dead spirits, what kind of existence is this?

Dead spirits are easy to understand; they are the unwavering souls of the departed. In a certain sense, they can be considered creations of heaven and earth, but their numbers are truly vast! As is widely known, the strength of a race depends on its numbers—the fewer there are, the stronger they are. From this perspective, dead spirits are certainly not a strong race.

Yet, dead spirits are natural destroyers; they have no emotions, knowing only slaughter!

Comet-level dead spirits are born with mastery over death runes, capable of terrifying destruction! And upon reaching the Black Cave Realm, they have grasped the Path of Death! Just consider the White Bone Skeleton on the Hundred Dragons Star, which effortlessly sliced through the Great Demon Dragon Emperor and eleven other Black Cave Kings.

Shadow Dead Spirits are termed as such because their forms are too peculiar; they possess no physical bodies, resembling mist or shadows, vulnerable only to runes, while their attacks can penetrate most defenses!

This is also why only Dragon Clan members of Comet Realm are permitted to guard the Demon Sea, and why the presence of the Four Divine Beasts and the Five Great Saints hasn't been enough to flatten the Demon Sea!

—Delving deep into the Demon Sea, even a Saint would be overwhelmed by the endless Black Cave-level Shadow Dead Spirits!

This is a world Zhou Heng knows nothing about!

The Demon Sea exists alongside the Four Divine Beasts; or perhaps it's more accurate to say the Four Divine Beasts have been transmitted alongside the Demon Sea, and both have existed since the dawn of heaven and earth, ancient to an astounding degree!

Why is there a Demon Sea? What lies at its end?

No one knows!

Even Saints dare not venture deep into the Demon Sea—the only outcome is death!

Could the mysterious Great Demon have been nurtured by the Demon Sea?

Hiss!

If that is indeed the case, could the four Demon Seas each breed a Great Demon? Might it shatter the Immortal Realm again, causing another collective demise of the five Great Saints of the new generation?

If that Great Demon truly came from the Demon Sea, it would explain why it remained obscure before suddenly emerging.

Of course, this is merely Zhou Heng's speculation.

Regardless, Zhou Heng not only does not resist the idea of serving in the Demon Sea, but he is rather filled with anticipation.

He is also willing to do something for this world because his family and friends live here. There is no reason that only the Four Divine Beasts should make sacrifices! And since Shadow Dead Spirits are so formidable, perhaps he could achieve a breakthrough during fierce battles!

Zhou Heng returned to Lidong Village; he needs to settle the Black Donkey and Little Fire first.

Upon learning of such a dangerous destination, the Black Donkey's face turned white immediately, shaking its head vigorously, refusing to go no matter what. Although there are many poor people on Gold Seventy-Four Stars, it is still better than risking one's life in the Demon Sea—Donkey Master is no fool.

Since the Black Donkey will not go, Little Fire need not go either. Although it is a Divine Beast, it has yet to mature and is currently only at the Milky Way Realm. Going to the Demon Sea would not help at all and would be a death sentence!

"Then you and Little Fire stay here... don't cause trouble!" Zhou Heng instructed.

"Tch, how could I possibly cause trouble! I'm an Auspicious Omen of Heaven and Earth!" The Black Donkey's skin has always been so thick.

Zhou Heng handed fifty Dragon Crystals to the Black Donkey: "Use them sparingly!"

He recently obtained a hundred Dragon Crystals, among which ninety are One Star Dragon Crystals, but ten have reached Two Stars in quality. Yet, this still hasn't stirred his bloodline's abnormality, indicating his bloodline surpasses this level.

After preparations were complete, Zhou Heng joined others and headed to the Eternal Dragon Star, for the Demon Sea is located there.

At Long Haixing, Zhou Heng had a special meeting, but only heard "don't die" before the person left, affirming the rumors of Zhou Heng's connection with this Great Elder—rumors persist precisely because they cannot be stopped.

Among the traveling party are many people Zhou Heng knows, such as Tou Lan, the brothers Zhu Gu and Zhu Li, Shui Yuqi, and Yan Lindong, all of whom were opponents in the baptism tournament. Naturally, there are many he hasn't met before, considering Gold Fourteen Stars boasts seventy-two main cities and seventy-two Dragon Temples.

No Star Gates were established between planets; they traveled to the Eternal Dragon Star aboard a star-class battleship, taking seven days to reach the very core, the Holy Land, of the Dragon Domain.

Sure enough, Old Azure Dragon exhibited great grandeur, personally overseeing the Demon Sea, guaranteeing absolute safety.

The magnitude of the Eternal Dragon Star is entirely beyond Zhou Heng's imagination; it would take at least a hundred Hundred Dragons Stars combined to reach such a scale, and the Demon Sea shockingly occupies one-third of its size!

Though called a sea, it actually boils with gray mist, entirely devoid of water.

Even from afar, Zhou Heng could already sense the chilling Yin Qi, penetrating his bones and blood, instinctively making him uncomfortable, inspiring a compulsion to either evade or charge in to shatter everything.

Dead spirits, the enemy of all living beings, hold deeper hostility than in the conflicts between Demon Beasts and humans—the two can absolutely never coexist.

This will be his battlefield from now on.

"Newcomers, get yourselves in line, stand up straight!" As they reached the edge of the Demon Sea, they saw a long formation built here, guarded by a massive army, segmented into numerous camps spread behind the formation.

They currently stand outside one camp, greeted by a stocky and agile middle-aged man, exuding bloodthirsty killing intent. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)