Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

"This great dream has lasted for three thousand years…

"The tides of time turn oceans into fields..."

The violent quake tore through the land, shattering mountains and rivers, causing the heavens and earth to collapse. The once-tranquil Kingdom of the Dream Immortal could not escape the calamity. People scattered in terror, like startled birds and beasts, rushing toward the Holy Mountain, the only place that might offer refuge in this catastrophe.

Amidst the violent shaking, the demon mountain erupted in the distance, unleashing a dense black mist that engulfed half of the Kingdom of the Dream Immortal in the blink of an eye.

Within the dense mist, a crimson shadow appeared to be taking shape.

In that ancient era three thousand years ago, none had ever seen the Nightmare Demon King's true form. Some legends claimed that its divine power spawned every Nightmare Demon, making the entire clan its mere puppets. Others believed that the true form of the Nightmare Demon King existed in the illusory realm with just a projection appearing in the real world.

During the past three thousand years, it had lived as a parasite in the dream world. The Kingdom of the Dream Immortal had sent countless warriors to search for the source of the Nightmare Beasts, yet they never located the Nightmare Demon King within that Demon Mountain.

It seemed to exist without any true form or substance.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a blood-red glow lit up within the crimson silhouette! Was it the blood moon? No... it was the eye of the Nightmare Demon King!

This demon had at last awakened, and the blood moon that had tormented this world for a few thousand years turned out to be its eye!

In the collapsed dream realm at the highest level, a large block of ice was discovered under the debris of the palace.

Inside the block of ice, Gu Qingyuan's silhouette was faintly visible, his hands pushing down with all his might. His palms were pressing on yet another blood moon.

As the blood moon in the dream realm at the second highest level glowed, the blood moon here also emitted a brilliant glow. The seal could no longer hold back its radiance!

Boom—

As the black mist surged forth, two blood moons shone with brilliant intensity. The three dream realms shattered and fused together instantly. A giant figure rose from the dark mist, stretching high into the sky!

The nine-tailed celestial fox looked up at the massive silhouette and cried out, "Awaken!"

Whoosh, whoosh—

Two rays of light shot straight into the sky, tearing through the clouds and disturbing the serenity of the Heavenly Palace!

The murderous aura, built up over three thousand years, surged forth like a sharp blade, lighting up the world. Almost every eighth-realm Eminent One across the nine provinces sensed this ferocious energy.

As the shattering came to an end, all that remained above the swirling sea of clouds of the Deep Pool of Dreams was a dense mass of black mist. The crimson silhouette within the mist and the two blood moon arcs began to merge, forming a giant and terrifying shadow.

Even the nine-tailed celestial fox seemed somewhat small in comparison. While the fox existed in one dream realm, the black mist came into existence through the fusion of the three dream realms.

Gu Qingyuan's body was far too close to the blood moon, causing it to disintegrate in an instant.

Even though he was an Eminent One at the seventh realm, there was no chance he could resist this.

As his body disintegrated, his primordial spirit quickly weakened. Ji Lianhua held his hand tightly, seemingly unwilling to ever part from her beloved one in the midst of this disaster..

It had been thirty years since they last saw each other, but nothing could separate them anymore.

The others stood in disbelief as they watched the chaos unfold. It happened in the blink of an eye, leaving them no opportunity to flee. All they could do was observe, their hearts heavy with shock. How many times in one's life does one get to witness such a rare natural phenomenon?

In the midst of the chaos, Yan Qihu stood oblivious to everything happening around him.

Enveloped in the glow that Caiyi had cast upon him, he tirelessly swung his fists and feet. It was uncertain what visions the illusion presented to him, but he fought with great passion.

He was the only one present who did not fear the awakening of the Nightmare Demon King.

…

The message that Wei Lang sent earlier now seemed rather pointless.

However, the earlier message gave them a bit of a head start. At least the first to arrive was an Eminent One from the Confucian school.

"What demon are you—" A powerful voice echoed, and golden light filled the sky. A figure, much like a distant projection, gradually appeared.

Even though the Noblemen's Hall did not have an actual eighth-realm expert, it ranked all the renowned Confucian masters of the world. Clearly, they kept close connections. The first to arrive at this moment was Shentu Yang, Vice Headmaster of Ascending Dragon Academy.

Within Ascending Dragon Academy, there was a well-known saying: the Headmaster was the most knowledgeable, while the Vice Headmaster was the most capable in combat.

As a distinguished Confucian master, Shentu Yang was renowned for his deeds, all of which had something to do with fighting. For instance, when he was young, he engaged in a debate and ended up beating up his opponent in a fit of anger; in his middle age, he engaged in a debate and ended up beating up his opponent in a fit of anger; in his old age, he engaged in a debate and ended up beating up his opponent in a fit of anger…[1] In his life of debates, he had never been defeated.

The figure that traversed the void had long black hair, a tall hat, and a wide belt, exuding a sense of righteousness and awe.

Facing two demon kings radiating monstrous auras, this Vice Headmaster showed no fear. He immediately attacked with a move to suppress the mountains.

With a swift turn of his hand, he pulled up two peaks surrounding the Southern Bastion Mountain and sent them crashing down toward the Fox Demon King and the Nightmare Demon King!

Clearly, the Great Dao that Shentu Yang mastered in the eighth realm had nothing to do with Confucianism. He was the Dao Master of Houtu[2] in the Great Dao of Earth.

With just a wave of his hand, he could uproot mountains and lift peaks!

While a typical mountain peak might not intimidate an eighth-realm demon, Shentu Yang's attack was exceptional. If they were trapped under the peak, it would take them at least five hundred years to break free.

Having just awakened, the Nightmare Demon King had not yet achieved its full power. Nevertheless, Caiyi was not an easy opponent.

The nine-tailed celestial fox's apparition waved its tails through the air, gathering the surrounding black mist. In an instant, it shattered into countless streams of light, bursting forth like fireworks in every direction.

She was trying to get away!

As she escaped, the two mountain peaks narrowly missed their target.

Even Shentu Yang found it challenging to identify the true Fox Demon King among the streams of light. He raised his hand, summoning sharp rocks that shot into the air like rain, attempting to block all the escaping streams of light.

Ultimately, he couldn't keep up with their speed.

Just as everyone expected the two demon kings to escape without consequence, a sword aura exuding suffocating power suddenly descended from the distant sky.

Boom—

A massive sword light, imbued with the overwhelming weight of heaven and earth, plummeted from above!

It struck right at the very end of one of the seemingly insignificant streams of light.

Sizzle—

In an instant, blood splattered, and a white fox tail fell from the heavens, crashing heavily on the fractured ground.

"Imperial Supervisory Commissioner!" Caiyi shouted from afar, her voice resonating in the sky. "I will never forget what you did to my tail!"

"This old man will be here waiting," an old-sounding voice drifted through the air as the swordlight slowly vanished.

Throughout the nine provinces, aside from the eighth-realm Confucian master who got the message from Wei Lang, the next to arrive was the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner of the Yu Dynasty. After all, his cultivation and responsibility far exceeded those of others.

The source of the sword light witnessed earlier obviously came from the Great Dao under the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner's control. It was the Tai'a Great Dao!

While a thousand li apart, he was able to cut off a portion of the nine-tailed celestial fox's tail.

If an eighth-realm Eminent One intended to escape, they would be nearly impossible to capture, even with a legendary artifact. The fact that they could cause such injury was already an impressive achievement, especially considering how hastily they arrived.

Suddenly, Imperial Supervisory Commissioner Qi Yingxuan appeared in midair. He nodded toward Shentu Yang ahead, saying, "I didn't expect the Vice Headmaster to arrive before me."

"Hmph," Shentu Yang retorted coldly. "I only regret not being able to capture these two demons."

He didn't even bother looking at the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner.

Within the capital of Yu, there had long been open and hidden rivalries between the main factions that were closely connected to the imperial court. These factions were the Ascending Dragon Academy, Monastery Tower, and the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

After all, in any gathering of people, power struggles were inevitable, especially in the center of the nine provinces.

In recent times, the rise of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau's power led the Ascending Dragon Academy and Monastery Tower to ally against it, which resulted in strained relations between the groups.

While others may have upheld a façade of harmony, Shentu Yang did not care at all.

This Vice Headmaster had devoted his entire life to study and never felt the need to engage in social pleasantries.

…

While the great battle in the dream realm came to an abrupt and anticlimactic stop, Chu Liang found himself in an unknown location.

Venerable Wen Yuan could easily have programmed the talisman with the immortal art of Shattering the Void to transport him to Mount Shu. However, this would allow others to discern the teleportation patterns, which could work against weaker foes but would be pointless against an eighth-realm enemy like Caiyi.

If the teleportation patterns were predictable, the enemy could swiftly intercept and locate them. Therefore, a randomly teleporting jade talisman was the safest option.

As soon as he landed, Chu Liang didn't take the time to observe his surroundings. His gaze was immediately drawn to his palm, where a tiny golden butterfly nestled snugly.

1. Author was using the same Chinese words to describe this incident in his youth, middle-age, and old-age. 与某人论道怒而殴之. It's just 9 characters but becomes such a long sentence in English. ☜

2. Houtu is the deity of all land and earth in Chinese religion and mythology. Similar to the Mother of Earth, Gaia, in Greek Mythology. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT