The Ancestor of All Demons

Shi Feiyang led the celestial beings and myriad demons from the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain to battle against the divine generals of Heaven. This time, Heaven deployed over forty thousand troops from the Dan Lei Department alone, and with the addition of other departments, the total count approached one hundred and twenty thousand.

The fierce battle raged on, continuing for three days and nights, with both sides suffering numerous casualties.

Whether divine generals or heavenly soldiers, all had their names inscribed on the Investiture of the Gods by the Heavenly God. Even if they were destroyed body and soul, their remnant spirits would return to the Investiture of the Gods to resurrect and be reborn.

On the side of the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, all beings, gods, demons, and ghosts were recorded within the Heavenly Treasure Mirror and the Heavenly Secret Demon God Lamp.

Years ago, when the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain fell from the Spiritual Space Immortal Realm, it carried a treasure mirror. It was acquired by the Myriad Cold Centipede and ultimately ended in Shi Feiyang's hands. After multiple sacrificial refinements, the mirror and the lamp eventually merged to evolve into the Red Lotus Hell. All citizens of the Yu Country, after death, even if their souls were scattered, would be resurrected in the Red Lotus Hell.

Those who perished, returned to the Investiture of the Gods and the Secret Demon Lamp respectively.

Three days later, the entire Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, along with every blade of grass and tree and every creature on it, had been cleansed of dull energy, thoroughly purified by thunder fire, and transformed into a translucent, pure spiritual body.

The natural Heavenly Tribulation initially triggered by the ascension of dull energy had been completely weakened and dissipated, leaving only the thunder fire emitted by the heavenly soldiers and generals.

These beings, undoubtedly heavenly gods, had fought so long yet remained vigorous as dragons and tigers, unleashing their fierce thunder and anger without pause.

Shi Feiyang had now completely ascended to the realm of immortality through countless tribulations, his body gleaming with golden light, exhaling radiance. The five lotus platforms had all evolved into the thirteenth rank, each lotus pod containing thirteen holes, all nurturing small lotus seeds, flourishing like five lotus mountain peaks.

He spat out the Chaos Dragon Ball.

In this Heavenly Tribulation, Shi Feiyang used the Cosmic Void as a tripod furnace, using natural thunder fire as energy, matching the Circulation Fire to perform alchemy.

If the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain was his "outer dan," then this Dragon Ball was his "inner core." At this moment, with both internal and external completed, he also attained the Golden Immortal Position.

The Chaos Dragon Ball had fused with the Chaos Core inside the Nine Suspicions Tripod and the Yuanyun Ball, achieving yet another qualitative enhancement. It was currently Shi Feiyang's most formidable treasure, filled with infinite wonders.

He consecrated the Dragon Ball, first knocking back Wang Lingguan, then suspended it in midair, where it revolved several times, absorbing the thunder and lightning, gusts, water and fire, hail, and even all cloud shadows and light into the Dragon Ball.

The world suddenly darkened, as the Chaos Dragon Ball seemed to become the Cosmic Core, causing all gods to feel as if they were being forcibly drawn in. Hastily casting stabilization spells, they steadied their forms, as their divine artifacts and magical treasures were being sucked away. Shi Feiyang exhaled golden light, from which billions of red threads and golden stars shot out from the Chaos Dragon Ball, reaching every corner around.

The suction power suddenly intensified, and aside from those of high Dao level with strong mana, the vast majority of heavenly soldiers and generals were irresistibly drawn toward the Dragon Ball by the powerful force.

All beings engaged in fierce battle across the corners of the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain were drawn away, from mountaintops, river gaps, seabeds, city centers, and even those hiding in the Red Lotus Hell were forcibly extracted.

Heavenly gods engaged in duels with celestial beings and myriad demons, whether Thunder Generals, Fire Clan, Water Soldiers, Plague Gods, Heavenly Gang, Earth Evil, Six Ding and Six Jia... all had their duels interrupted and were rapidly pulled into the sky!

Despite their efforts to resist, they were nonetheless captured by the Red Star Golden Immortals. Over one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers circled the Chaos Dragon Ball, forming a "Star Ring" that slowly revolved.

Wang Lingguan was furious upon witnessing this, exclaiming: "How dare these demon immortals act so impudently!"

He raised his whip to strike again when suddenly a childish voice echoed from above: "The Great Venerable's decree is here!"

A boy, looking as if crafted from fine jade, accompanied by a pink-clad maiden, rushed over, holding the True Decree of the Heavenly God. It was Shi Sheng, alongside his mother Lu Rongbo.

Shi Sheng brandished the Heavenly Decree, loudly reciting, commanding all heavenly generals to retreat and return to their respective units.

The deities were all astonished by this command, unsure why the Heavenly God had unexpectedly ordered a cessation of battle.

This operation primarily involved the North Court's divine generals from the Heavenly Court, with the Four Saints of the North Pole absent, and the South Court's divine generals, led by the Jade Mansion of Divine Xiao of the South Polar Longevity Great Emperor, still inactive. Moreover, Shi Feiyang was but a Golden Immortal, while there were countless Golden Immortals in Heaven. At present, it seemed only this Treasure Bead posed a threat, yet there must exist treasures of the various heavenly gods and emperors that could suppress him!

Why, then, was the order given to retreat and return to their respective units? Should the demon immortal not be eradicated? If left unchecked, should they continue their incursion, would they truly allow him to claim domain and rule here unopposed?

But the Heavenly God is the Supreme Deity, and even the Three Pure Ones cannot contradict his true decree. The divine generals, despite harboring suspicions, dared not disobey and began to withdraw.

Wang Lingguan shouted: "Halt, demon immortal, release the heavenly soldiers immediately!"

Shi Feiyang had suspended one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers in the air using the Chaos Dragon Ball, threatening to absorb them all into the Dragon Ball. If that happened, Wang Lingguan and others wondered whether they should continue fighting or just watch helplessly?

Shi Feiyang hadn't intended to massacre indiscriminately; he brought the heavenly soldiers up from below to divide the battlefield, disengage both parties, and end the conflict.

Pointing with his finger, the Chaos Dragon Ball gently swayed, sending one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers hurtling through the air, beyond the bounds of the Chaotic Heavenly Realm of the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain.

Wang Lingguan and the other deities, seeing Shi Feiyang releasing the heavenly soldiers, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the heavenly soldiers could also be resurrected before the Investiture of the Gods post-mortem, if Shi Feiyang had killed them all, it would have been exceedingly shameful!

He turned to Shi Sheng and asked, "How is it you who delivered the decree? Has the Great Venerable already returned to the Lingxiao Palace?"

Shi Sheng was a minor steward of the Langya Book Library, previously unknown to Wang Lingguan and the others, and such a significant task would understandably not be assigned to him.

Shi Sheng said, "The Great Venerable just sent a flying talisman command, ordering me to come and deliver the decree."

He took out the imperial edict for all the divine officials to see. Everyone recognized it, and no one could forge it.

Wang Lingguan then asked Shi Sheng to proclaim the decree.

Shi Sheng read the decree to Shi Feiyang. The content was very brief. The Heavenly God told Shi Feiyang that the Immortal Realm was not a place he should be. Now that his Dan had reached Perfection, he should quickly return from whence he came.

If someone else had said this, even if it were the Venerable Taiyin or the Great Emperor of Longevity from Antarctica, Shi Feiyang would not easily leave.

But since the Heavenly God asked him to go, he definitely had to go. He had been waiting for a word from the Heavenly God.

In the past, he had been suppressed by many parties, fleeing in disgrace, running everywhere, and scheming painstakingly. Only when he obtained the Heavenly Treasure Mirror did he gain a foothold and secure his life.

At the same time, forty percent of his Daoist Technique came from the Emperor Huang's Golden Talisman, and another forty percent from the Heavenly Treasure Mirror. These insights mainly came from these two sources, so it could be said his true teachers were the Yellow Emperor and the Heavenly God, the origins of his Daoist Technique that cannot be denied.

Moreover, his last Realm advancement was also intentionally facilitated by the Heavenly God.

He had come this far, largely owing to the grace of the Heavenly God. If the Heavenly God asked him to leave, he must leave!

Before this "Great Ascension," he had calculated the outcome and couldn't deduce the Heavenly God's stance. The divination displayed three hundred and sixty possibilities... some scenarios suggested they would be granted land to establish kingdoms, while others indicated the Heavenly God might personally intervene in anger.

At that time, he and the Heavenly God seemed to have a subtle intuitive connection, and he could vaguely sense how the Heavenly God felt about him with his instinct.

He took out the Heavenly Treasure Mirror and presented it with both hands: "Originally, I thought there would be a chance to meet the Great Venerable in person to express my gratitude. This treasure was originally from the Lower Realm, and now it has been refined through the Circulation Fire of Heaven, becoming even more extraordinary, cleansing the dull energy accumulated over thousands of years in the Lower Realm, and returning to its origin."

The edict in Shi Sheng's hand had actually been read through, but at this moment, new words appeared. Shi Sheng was momentarily stunned and continued to read them out loud.

In this section, the Heavenly God explained the origin of himself and the Heavenly Treasure Mirror.

Since Pangu opened up the world, the Pure Qi ascended to form Heaven, and the Dull Energy descended to form Earth. The Heavenly God and the Earth Emperor Houtu were born within the two energies of Pure and Dull. The energies of Qian Heaven and Kun Earth intermingled, giving birth to Infinite Stars, from which the Heavenly and Myriad Worlds emerged...

The Heavenly God is the common "Heaven" of the Heavenly and Myriad Worlds, holding the Heavenly Dao and ruling over all worlds.

He gained the Heavenly Dao, and this Heavenly Treasure Mirror was a treasure he derived and formed from the Heavenly Dao...

Yes, it is a treasure he refined with the Heavenly Dao as the foundation, and if needed, he could effortlessly create thousands, tens of thousands, or even billions of them.

He told Shi Feiyang that the Heavenly Treasure Mirror is ultimately an external object and not a precious treasure. The true treasure is the Heavenly Dao contained within the Heavenly Mirror.

It is also because Shi Feiyang had early access to the Heavenly Dao that he could exert the power of this treasure to its fullest extent. Now that he has obtained the Heavenly Dao, it is equivalent to having taken the Treasure Bead inside, making the outer box insignificant.

Of course, the Heavenly God could not have spoken so verbosely; he merely touched on the essentials in a few words. The surrounding Heavenly Divine Generals did not understand his meaning, but Shi Feiyang deeply appreciated the Heavenly God's broad mind and grand vision. This truly reflects the appearance of the father god of all worlds.

He put away the Heavenly Treasure Mirror and bowed three times in the direction of the Taixu Immortal Mansion, preparing to return to his abode: "Esteemed Divine Generals, I have offended in many ways this time. In the future, there will surely be compensation. Until we meet again!"

Shi Sheng descended with Lu Rongbo, excitedly shouting, "Master!"

Shi Feiyang saw his strange demeanor and asked in surprise, "Why have you come down, and why bring Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Shi Sheng said, "The Great Venerable specially instructed me, saying that ever since I ascended, I have been thinking about you, and told me I could choose for myself, either to go back with you or to continue staying in Heaven. After discussing with my mother, we decided to go with you!"

Shi Feiyang quickly said to Lu Rongbo: "I am returning to the Lower Realm this time, and there are still many difficulties. It is soon to be the Dharma Destruction Era, when Spiritual Energy dries up. That's why Shi Sheng ascended early. Why would you still want to follow me back?"

Lu Rongbo said from the side, "He keeps thinking about you, is not happy in Heaven, and does not make new friends daily. He holds a divine office, and the rules are very strict. Since he wants to leave, let us all follow the True Monarch back to the Lower Realm together."

Shi Sheng knelt down and held onto Shi Feiyang's thigh: "Wherever Master is, I will go too. Even if Master's Mana is lost, I am willing to lose mine too."

Shi Feiyang stroked his forehead with a smile: "I am now a true Golden Immortal, even if I lose some Mana, it won't matter, but you!"

"Master... even if I lose my Mana, I want to stay with you! Please don't send me away."

Seeing that both mother and son were determined, Shi Feiyang let them follow him.

He then sent messages everywhere, preparing for the return journey!

The group of immortals was puzzled: Why return now? Did the ascension fail? The battle isn't over yet; they can continue fighting...

Especially Divine Camel Yi Xiu, feared neither heaven nor earth, felt invigorated even after being struck by Heavenly Thunder, and his Dao Level greatly advanced, yet he hadn't had enough of the fight!