Cultivating with Bragging System

Chapter 729 369: Yaoguang's Great Chaos_1

Between heaven and earth, there was only slaughter. The entirety of Cold Mountain City was enveloped in Demonic Qi, and with every passing moment, more people died.

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, the great protective array of Cold Mountain City was shattered by a Demon Treasure. The ground shook and the mountains swayed as countless members of the Demon Race swarmed down.

Streaks of light burst from the ground as Human Race Cultivators fought back with all their might, clashing with the invaders. But the Demon Race clearly held the advantage in both power and numbers, and the battle was almost entirely one-sided.

What was even more despairing was the sight in the sky above. The Demon Tower rumbled, its massive sound tearing a hole in the void and opening a portal to some distant, endless land. Figures streamed out one after another, each exuding a powerful aura that blotted out the sun, a chilling, heart-shattering sight.

"Sky Demon Emperors, all of them are Sky Demon Emperors..."

"Twelve of them! There are actually twelve!"

"Oh my heavens, is the Demon Race launching a full-scale invasion?"

Despair filled the eyes of the Human Race Cultivators.

Twelve powerhouses of the Demon Race, each comparable to a Heavenly Immortal, had appeared at once. Even if all the young lords of Little Cold Mountain joined forces, they would have a hard time opposing such a force.

"Great Form Like a God!"

High above, a man dressed in a wild, unrestrained style, a wine gourd hanging from his waist, lifted a large brush and painted a scroll in mid-air.

In the blink of an eye, the very stars seemed to shift. Thunderclouds rolled across the Firmament, manifesting illusory divine beings. They were like the legendary giants who guarded the Heavenly Gates, and they charged into the Demon Race's army. For a time, they rampaged unopposed; wherever they passed, demons were sent flying, their bodies dissipating into Demonic Qi.

"Mountains and Rivers Map!"

Elsewhere, a woman of graceful bearing danced in fluttering robes. With a flick of her jade-like wrist, she unfurled a painted scroll. The mountains and rivers depicted within blazed with light, casting their reflection across the world. Instantly, a spectral Mount Sumeru materialized high in the heavens and came crashing down. A great river that pierced the void surged forth, its terrifying waves blotting out the sun as it washed over the endless demonic horde.

The scene was invigorating. The eyes of countless Human Race Cultivators lit up as if they had seen a glimmer of hope. But that hope was short-lived.

Bolts of purple-black Demon Lightning, exuding an extreme, chilling evil that made one's hair stand on end, descended from the sky and struck the painted scrolls. In an instant, the mountains and rivers crumbled and the world withered. Across the sky, the Painting Dao Runes dimmed one by one, vanishing at an astonishing speed as if the river of stars itself was being devoured.

The expressions of the powerhouses from Little Cold Mountain changed drastically as they coughed up blood.

"The Profound Yin Baleful Tribulation... They truly came prepared!" the man with the wine gourd said, his face grim as he wiped a trace of blood from his mouth.

They were disciples of the Painting Immortal, some of the most skilled practitioners of the Dao of Painting in the world. Normally, they wouldn't be caught off guard in a fight like common Painting Dao Cultivators. However, their Painting Dao Runes were incomplete, the principles behind them flawed. This made them susceptible to losing their effectiveness when eroded by something of an intensely malevolent nature. The Profound Yin Baleful Tribulation wielded by their opponents was just such a thing. It was created in the fifteenth layer of the Demon Race's Abyss by slaughtering countless demons and condensing their accumulated resentment and Demonic Qi for over a thousand years. It was one of the most sinister and vile things in existence, and it was the ultimate counter to the Dao of Painting.

In the distance, the Shadow Fiends were innumerable. The auras of the twelve Sky Demon Emperors merged into one, cold and terrifying. A voice boomed, "The Painting Immortal Lineage is nothing special after all!"

「Wenzhou. The Heaven Dao Academy.」

Beneath a pavilion, two figures, one old and one young, stood gazing into the distance.

"Confucius, Cold Mountain City is being besieged by the Demon Race. Aren't we going to help?" Meng Ran asked, a look of anxiety in his eyes. He wore a piece of Ink Jade at his waist.

"That is a battle we cannot help with," Confucius sighed softly.

"Why not?" Meng Ran asked, puzzled.

"Distant water cannot extinguish a nearby fire." Confucius turned his head to look at the cloudless, sprawling sky. "We must first take care of the matter at hand."

Meng Ran followed his gaze and noticed a black dot that had appeared high above at some point. The dot grew larger and larger, resolving into the shape of a person clad in heavy armor.

The figure descended like a falling mountain, landing before the two of them.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently, yet for some unknown reason, not a single blade of grass in the seemingly ordinary courtyard was harmed.

Meng Ran stared at the Black Armored Person who had appeared so suddenly, his pupils shrinking. A powerful sense of danger washed over him. For the first time in his life, he felt unsafe, even standing next to Confucius.

"Confucius, long time no see," the Black Armored Person said, his voice a harsh, metallic grating.

Confucius nodded. "It has been three thousand years."

The Black Armored Person said, "Your memory is as sharp as ever, Confucius."

Confucius replied, "Yours, on the other hand, is as poor as always. Long ago, the clans agreed that all those at the Quasi-Emperor level and above must guard their designated territories. They were not to leave their posts by even half a step unless absolutely necessary. Your Black Emperor lineage has crossed the line."

The Black Emperor? Meng Ran's pupils constricted. The lineage of the legendary Black Emperor, one of the Five Emperors of antiquity? An ancient family that once produced a Great Emperor! Their foundation is unimaginably terrifying, far surpassing the likes of the Yi Clan!

The Black Armored Person said indifferently, "Times have changed. We have endured for many years, all for this day. I hope Confucius will... forgive us."

Confucius didn't speak. He simply raised his hand and whipped out an iron rod. It glowed with a dense light, radiating an inviolable righteousness and an immeasurable divine might as it tore diagonally through the air.

CLANG!

With a tremendous sound, the iron whip struck something and was deflected.

A massive black cauldron slowly materialized above the Academy.

"The Black Emperor Cauldron!" A grave expression appeared on Confucius's face.

"It is but a wisp of its true will," the Black Armored Person said indifferently, looking at Confucius.

Confucius gave a wry smile. "You truly think highly of this old man."

The Black Emperor Cauldron was a true Emperor Armament. With no Great Emperor present in the world, it was nearly impossible for anyone to wield its full power. Just borrowing a wisp of its true will was a monumental task that would exact a heavy price from the Black Emperor lineage. And yet, they had done so merely to keep an eye on him.

The Black Armored Person said calmly, "When facing Confucius, no amount of caution can be considered excessive."

As he spoke, he slowly sat on the ground and took out a stick of incense. The incense was extremely long and burned at a glacial pace; it would take at least half a month to burn down completely.

"I have no wish to disrespect you, Confucius. I only ask that you remain in the Academy until this incense has burned out."

「Xuan Tian Sect.」

Before a tightly sealed grand hall, a man holding a longsword had appeared at some unknown time. He had a weathered face, his full head of black hair streaked with strands of white like a waterfall. Between his brows was a strange marking, clearly indicating he was not of the Human Race. All around him, the powerhouses of the Xuan Tian Sect lay on the ground, all seriously injured and unable to rise.

"Devil Sword Supreme!" A booming voice, as grand and majestic as a living immortal or buddha, echoed from within the great hall. "Are you declaring war on my Xuan Tian Sect?"

The demonic-looking man twisted his wrist, driving his longsword straight into the hard flagstones. Sword Qi erupted, carving a straight line in front of the hall. He then sat down cross-legged behind it.

"As long as you stay inside and don't move, I won't kill anyone."