Chapter 137: I Was Originally For Good

High in the vast expanse of the sky, a massive dome of dark energy hovered above the clouds. Inside, rolling billows of black mist surged with an ocean-like, boundless ferocity. Had anyone been able to peer inside, they would have discovered ten thousand glowing silhouettes with piercing red eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully! With the Four Great Sects gathered together today, we do not expect you to rack up a high body count. All you need to do is buy as much time as possible. The elite demon guards have already set out for the Huahan Sect, which has the weakest defenses. You are all elite demonic cultivators chosen from among the best; you should know what to do."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! We will strictly obey the Protector's commands!"

Beneath the robed youth, swarming like ants, countless black shadows flashed with ten thousand crimson lights. The thunderous, heaven-shaking roar echoed continuously within the dark dome like a cataclysmic upheaval.

"Very well. Neither I nor the Dark Immortal shall treat you unfairly. Anyone who manages to kill a disciple of the Four Great Sects in this battle will be rewarded with a piece of dark crystal. Those who fall in battle will receive posthumous compensation and have their names entered onto the honor roll. The one who ranks first will even have the chance to become a being like myself!"

"Fight! The Abyss of the Dead Roll shall forever engrave your names!"

...

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Long live Lord Protector!"

The robed youth shouted loudly toward the ten thousand dark shadows below. The responding roar surged like a tidal wave, burning with fervor. Ten thousand weapons rang out in unison, and an atmosphere of stern, murderous intent hung in the air, waiting for the right moment to strike.

With a single wave of the robed youth's hand, thousands of elite demonic cultivators would be unleashed!

"Heh heh... Protector Xie, how much longer are you going to wait?"

At that moment, a sinister voice echoed from above the ten thousand dark shadows, and the coalesced black mist materialized into a solid form.

"Xuan Li? Why are you here? Where are the other three fiends? Weren't you sent to gather intelligence?" Looking at the dark figure before him, Xie Xie's expression darkened with displeasure and surprise.

"Heh, Xuan Jian sent me to ask you: that person wearing a black robe and wielding a silver sword, do you recognize him? According to our four fiends' estimation, that person is also from the Southern Wasteland Continent. Don't blame us later if we refuse to come to your rescue."

"A silver sword! Hiss... Could it be him? Yet... although the Central God Continent is not too far from the Southern Wasteland Continent, traveling at the flight speed of the Void Empyrean Realm, it shouldn't be possible to arrive this quickly. Truly bizarre." Xie Xie glanced at Xuan Li, muttered to himself in deep thought for a moment.

"Humph! I don't care what you're thinking. Just give me a straight answer—yes or no? I'm still waiting to report back!" Xuan Li let out a cold snort and urged impatiently.

"Fine. You should save him first. After all, you're all from the Southern Wasteland Continent; we can hardly stand by and watch him die."

Decisive as ever, Xie Xie nodded quickly. Upon hearing this reply, Xuan Li instantly dissolved back into black mist and vanished on the spot. Watching Xuan Li depart, Xie Xie cast his gaze toward a blurry mass of shadows in the distance and lowered his head.

"Lord Spirit Master, the time is ripe. Shall we initiate the feint attack plan?"

"Proceed."

Heh heh! Xun Tianxiao, it's a pity you didn't come this time, otherwise I would have forced you to witness my true power.

In a dark corner, a hunchbacked elder rose from the ground. As if perfectly attuned to the laws of heaven and earth, boundless and infinite dark energy surged forth, its vast aura transforming the entire realm into a world of darkness.

---

After years of accumulation and with the assistance of the Demon Lord, he had finally broken through the Golden Core bottleneck, reaching the pinnacle of mortality at the tenth rank of the Golden Core realm. He was now merely a single chance away from ascending to immortality.

"Lord Spirit Master, Lord Protector, is the battle about to begin?"

Whether by coincidence or at the sound of the voices, two dark figures flew in from the horizon. Had Tian Ming been watching, he undoubtedly would have recognized them as old acquaintances: Sect Master Li Xuansu of the Li Estate, and Suo Xiufu, the elder brother of Suo Yangcan.

"Heh heh, all demonic cultivators listen up: set out immediately! Strike straight into the heart of the Heavenly Sword Sect and capture Wang Fan alive!" The indistinct elder did not even glance at Xie Xie and the others before flashing into the air and waving his hand downward.

"Lord Spirit Master, mighty and peerless!"

When the ten thousand elite demonic cultivators below heard this, their roaring cheers shook the heavens once again. In mere moments, they streamed out of the dome like a meteor shower, creating a breathtaking and terrifying spectacle.

---

After receiving explanations from the system spirit, Tian Ming finally understood the cause and effect of the entire event. It had been orchestrated by Shi Zhan, the guardian under the seat of the Primordial God. When Shi Ling had brought him into the flying vessel, Shi Zhan had erased all memories related to him from this entire planet.

Even the dark demonic cultivators were no exception!

"...Very well, I will remember you."

Clenching his fists tightly, Tian Ming opened his eyes, a raging fire burning within his heart as an unprecedented aura instantly erupted from his surroundings!

"Subdue him!"

At that very moment, accompanied by an aged voice falling from the sky, the thousands of sharp, sword-like intents filling the upper air instantly pressed downward toward the black-robed figure below. This power was supreme and pure, whipping up golden heaven-and-earth energy like a hurricane.

"Understood, Elder Yue!"

Eleven purple-robed figures who had been waiting for some time heard the voice from above. Ten of them instantly transformed their footsteps into phantoms, holding long swords as they tightly surrounded Tian Ming at the center of the arena, while Leng Dezhi and Chu Qingchen had already flown back to the spectator stands.

"Wait, Senior Elders! I still have something to say!"

Seeing this, Tian Ming hurriedly reined in his energy and aura, looking up at the sixteen majestic figures above. He recognized or had met several of them.

There were Wang Fan, Qingyang Yu, Xun Changsheng, and Elder Ruoyu of the Heavenly Sword Sect, as well as Yue Zhengsheng and Senior Tianhao. Although he had only crossed paths with some of them briefly, they had left a deep impression on him.

"What more do you have to say? Out of respect for your advanced age, if you wish to retain a shred of dignity in your final moments, surrendering obediently and submitting to justice is the only thing you should be doing."

From a section marked with the banner of the Huahan Sect, among the four figures standing there, a middle-aged man in Taoist robes let out a cold snort. He released an even more tyrannical pressure, instantly crushing Tian Ming's momentum to the absolute limit.

Puff!

Tian Ming, who had just withdrawn his aura, coughed up a mouthful of blood. His bones and meridians felt as though they were about to snap. Never had he expected that the Huahan Sect, one of the Four Great Sects, would suddenly strike. At that moment, his face was filled with utter disbelief.

---

"Gongzhong Ruixin? May I ask if you are declaring war on me? I do not know how I have offended you. I did not come here to fight you or to argue; I simply came to see old friends. Is that wrong?"

"..."

The moment his voice fell, apart from Tian Ming's own profound grief and indignation, the fifteen high-ranking elders of the Four Great Sects, including Yue Zhengsheng, all looked on with cold indifference, and some even wore expressions of scorn and hatred.

"I came with good intentions, yet you fail to appreciate kindness and judge without distinguishing right from wrong. Can such a righteous path truly be called justice?"

Slowly standing up, the friendliness in Tian Ming's eyes vanished, replaced by an icy coldness. His dark, sinister eyes stared fixedly at the small golden badge on the collar of that man's lapel, and the lightning-imbued treasured sword in his hand immediately pointed straight at him.

"Shut your mouth! Cease your wild ramblings! How dare an unclean thing like you insult the Four Great Sects?!" Hearing this, a white-haired middle-aged man standing beside the Taoist-robed middle-aged man—holding a writing brush and painting ink in mid-air—furrowed his brows and rebuked angrily.

"Tsk tsk, I could tell long ago that this old man was no good. Let's see how he continues to talk his way out of this now!"

"Talk? Based on this old man's strength? Humph, truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to come and cause trouble at the Heavenly Sword Sect without even looking at how many Golden Immortals are here. Just now, the elders were merely discussing important matters."

"Precisely, exactly! These demonic cultivators should have been exterminated long ago!"

"This person... why does he recognize me? Could it really be that I know him? Demonic cultivator, are you truly a demonic cultivator?" Chu Qingchen in the spectator stands wore a deeply complicated expression, as if split into two different people, in excruciating pain.

...

Just as the spectator stands were buzzing with discussion!

Suddenly, one of the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect, standing opposite the Huahan Sect, also stepped forward. He was clad in purple robes radiating an aura of vast righteousness, with a red sword circling around him that distorted and etherealized the entire space.

"This old man doesn't care who you are! But do you still hope to quibble in front of the Four Great Sects? We could tell long ago that you are no human. How much longer do you intend to conceal your identity? You might as well confess your true colors now!"

"Explain why you didn't stay obediently in the Southern Wasteland Continent instead of running here! Furthermore, what are your plans and what are you trying to do? Otherwise, don't blame us for ganging up on you."

Luan Tianfeng, ninth-rank Golden Core?!

As these words fell into his ears, Tian Ming's expression grew even more gloomy, and earth-shaking, devouring Qi churned within his hands.

"Fine, very well! Since none of you recognize me, I have no need to hold back either. Just don't regret your impulsive actions later! Tianhao, Xun Tianxiao, Yue Zhengsheng, Senior Elder Yu—don't blame me, I am forced into this."