madnovel Chapter 168 Liberation of the Five Domains
Chapter 168 Liberation of the Five Domains
A month later.
In the desolate region, at the council hall of the Heavenly Demon City.
Li Xiaoyao sat cross-legged, his spiritual energy flowing smoothly within him, and the last trace of his hidden injury was finally completely healed today.
The fatigue and damage left by the battle a month ago have now been fully recovered, and there has even been a slight improvement.
The first divine power, [Royal Cloud Heaven], became increasingly refined, and the second divine power, [Visiting the Cloud Curtain], became even more readily available.
He opened his eyes and looked outside the hall.
This month has seen earth-shattering changes.
The fifty Purple Mansion cultivators and one hundred thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators brought by True Lord Zhaoming and True Lord Xuangui were like fresh blood injected into the battlefield of the Five Domains.
The previously deadlocked battle in the other four domains—the Profound Domain, the Spirit Domain, the Heavenly Domain, and the Azure Domain—was instantly broken.
Those demigods and demon kings who were still putting up a stubborn resistance perished one after another under the overwhelming advantage.
The five regions were finally all liberated.
"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan."
A sound came from the doorway. Li Xiaoyao looked up and saw Jinpan Zhenren walk in.
The True Person of the Duijin Daoist lineage has recovered from his injuries, and his aura is sharp, clearly indicating that he has not been idle for the past month.
"Fellow Daoist Jinpan," Li Xiaoyao stood up, "how is the situation?"
Master Jinpan handed over a jade slip: "This was just compiled."
Li Xiaoyao took it and probed it with his divine sense—
Across the five regions, a total of 42.3 billion humans have been liberated. Among them, approximately 630 million possess spiritual roots, and the new teachings have been fully implemented.
Casualty statistics: Nine cultivators died in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and two died in the middle stage. More than 36,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than 1.7 million Qi Refining cultivators died.
Li Xiaoyao remained silent for a moment before handing the jade slip back.
"Those who survived will remember them."
Jinpan Zhenren nodded and said, "Zhaoming Zhenjun and Xuangui Zhenjun have summoned all Zhenren for a meeting. They will meet in the main hall in one hour."
Li Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat: "Are they going to fight the Nine Heavens?"
"Yes." A glint flashed in Jinpan Zhenren's eyes. "Now that the Five Domains are settled, it's time for the Nine Heavens."
An hour later, in the main hall.
More than 120 Purple Mansion True Persons gathered together.
Li Xiaoyao's gaze swept over them—forty-three people in the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm, fifty-eight people in the middle stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and more than twenty people in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm.
Those fellow cultivators who returned to the Immortal Sect with serious injuries have already left; those who remain are either fully recovered or have minor injuries but are still fighting on the front lines.
Zhaoming Zhenjun and Xuangui Zhenjun sat in the main seats.
"My dear friends," True Lord Zhaoming spoke, his voice as bright as the sun, "the Five Regions have been pacified, and over four hundred billion humans have regained their freedom. This is all thanks to you all."
Everyone bowed in unison.
"But the war is not over yet." Zhaoming Zhenjun changed the subject, "Above the Nine Heavens, there are three more heavens."
"The lower three heavens are occupied by demigods, the middle three heavens by gods, and although the three Golden Core cultivators in the upper three heavens are entangled with us, they still have a large number of Purple Mansion and Foundation Establishment demons under their command."
"According to the latest intelligence, there are still more than twenty late-stage Purple Mansion demigods, more than two hundred mid-stage and early-stage Purple Mansion demigods, and countless Foundation Establishment demon soldiers in the Nine Heavens."
Everyone looked solemn.
True Monarch Xuan Gui continued, "Zhao Ming and I are about to head to the outer realms to assist True Monarchs Tai Yao, Yuan Su, and Ling Guang in besieging and killing those three Golden Core cultivators. The battle of the Nine Heavens will be fought by you yourselves."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "But you are not fighting alone."
He raised his hand and waved it, and a screen of light appeared—
Foundation Establishment cultivators: 370,000. Qi Refining cultivators: 86 million.
Li Xiaoyao was slightly taken aback.
370,000 foundation building?
A month ago, they only had 60,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators and 10 million Qi Refining cultivators. Where did these 300,000+ Foundation Establishment cultivators come from?
Zhaoming Zhenjun seemed to see his confusion and explained, "The support from the rear has never stopped for the past month."
"Those Qi Refining Perfection cultivators who accumulated enough merit on the Five Domains Battlefield exchanged it for Foundation Establishment Pills and rare treasures of heaven and earth, and broke through on the spot."
"The successful ones are incorporated into the Foundation Establishment army. The failures..."
He paused, then said nothing more.
But everyone understands.
Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is inherently risky. Those cultivators who have reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage gamble their hard-earned merits with their lives for a chance to advance further.
If you win, you become a Foundation Establisher and continue your conquests. If you lose, you are transformed into the Dao and your soul returns to nothingness.
Li Xiaoyao silently calculated—of the 370,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators, excluding the original 60,000 and the later support of 100,000, the remaining 210,000 were those who broke through from the Qi Refining Army.
Two hundred and one thousand foundations were laid.
Behind that lies the fate of countless Qi Refining cultivators.
"They got what they wanted," Jinpan Zhenren said in a low voice beside him. "If it were you or me, we would have done the same."
Li Xiaoyao nodded without saying anything more.
Zhaoming Zhenjun continued, "From now on, you will be in charge of the Nine Heavens War yourselves."
"Climb up through the lower three heavens, the middle three heavens, and the upper three heavens, one layer at a time. Remember, proceed steadily and surely, do not be reckless."
"Those three Golden Core cultivators will be kept at bay by us and won't descend to the mortal realm to interfere. But there are still a large number of Purple Mansion demons in the Nine Heavens, so don't underestimate them."
Everyone responded in unison.
True Monarch Xuan Gui stood up: "Zhao Ming and I will now depart for the outer realms. Take care, my fellow young friends."
The two True Lords turned around, took a step, and disappeared into the main hall.
There was a moment of silence in the hall, followed by a murmur of discussion.
A late-stage Purple Mansion True Person stood up—this person, whose Daoist name was Taixu, had previously presided over the gate-blocking incident and held extremely high prestige. He looked around and said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoists, True Lord Zhaoming has entrusted us with command. I am unworthy, but I am willing to temporarily assume the responsibility of overall coordination. What do you all think?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Master Taixu was highly experienced and possessed profound cultivation; no one dared to disobey his command.
"Fellow Daoist Taixu is highly respected and capable. We are all convinced that you are in charge of the overall situation."
A burly man, surrounded by an earthy yellow aura, rose and clasped his hands in greeting.
This person's Daoist name is Chongyi (Gen Tu Daoist lineage, late stage of Zi Fu). He previously suppressed three mid-stage demon kings on the Cangyu battlefield with his own strength, and his reputation was illustrious.
Another True Person, exuding an aura of chilling coldness, rose to his feet, his voice clear and cold as frost and snow: "True Person Husong (Cold Qi Dao Lineage, Late Stage of Purple Mansion), is willing to follow Fellow Daoist Taixu in battle."
"Master Luanfeng (of the Gengjin lineage, late stage of the Zifu realm) is here."
"Master Miao Liao (of the Kan Shui lineage, late stage of the Zi Fu realm) is willing to go."
"Count me in, True Man Xuanyang (Sun Dao lineage, late stage of Purple Mansion).
……
Within moments, more than twenty late-stage Purple Mansion True Persons stood up to express their opinions. Those in the middle and early stages of the Purple Mansion Realm sat quietly, awaiting orders.
Master Taixu nodded, and after everyone was seated, he said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, I won't refuse."
The Lower Three Heavens have three realms; we must attack from three directions simultaneously to catch them off guard.
He raised his hand and waved, and a beam of spiritual light unfolded in the air, transforming into a phantom image of three layers of heaven—
The first level, Azure Heaven, is inhabited by demigods, with approximately eighty beings residing in the Purple Palace.
The second level, Crimson Flame Heaven, is the core of the demigod race, with approximately sixty beings in the Purple Mansion.
The third level, Xuanhuang Heaven, is the lair of the demigods, containing approximately forty beings in the Purple Palace.
"There are three groups of people, and each group needs a senior cultivator to oversee it."
Master Taixu's gaze swept over the assembled late-stage cultivators. "I will lead one route to attack Qingming Heaven. As for the other two routes, which fellow Daoist is willing to take command?"