Dashing Student Chapter 1400 1400: The Final Moment

With a finality that defied its large eyes, the Horse Demon's head was severed and flew skyward, its disbelief a silent testament to its demise.

Chen Nan, his movements fluid and practiced, sheathed the Sword Chenyuan. He skillfully extracted the Demon Core from the fallen beast, claiming it for himself, before consigning the Horse Demon's carcass to the Blood Gourd.

It was then that he noticed, near where the Horse Demon had met its end, a crimson flame burning with an intensity distinct from the surrounding embers.

"What is this..."

"That is the Liaoyuan Fire, holding the thirty-second position among the Heaven and Earth Spirit Fires. It appears this Horse Demon managed to subdue it through its Innate Divine Ability, only for it to now fall into your possession."

The Divine Calculator materialized before Chen Nan, his gaze fixed on the crimson flame with an air of recognition.

"Thirty-second rank? Well, it'll have to suffice."

A flicker of interest stirred within Chen Nan, but his thoughts quickly turned to augmenting his fused Spiritual Fire. He decided to keep the flame, employing the Devouring Spirit Technique to instantly refine it and merge it into his Fire Spirit Root.

He could sense a slight expansion in his Golden Core and a modest advancement in his cultivation. However, refining a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object of this caliber now yielded diminishing returns for his cultivation progress.

The same held true for the Taotie Technique; vanquishing a Seventh Level Golden Core Realm Horse Demon provided less cultivation than his regular training.

It was clear that to make significant gains, he needed to hunt cultivators of a higher cultivation base. The Taotie Technique's hunger was growing insatiable.

Apart from the Demon Core and the Spiritual Fire, the Horse Demon offered nothing else. It seemed even within the Demon Clan, it was a pauper, lacking even a storage bag.

Witnessing Chen Nan casually dismiss the Liaoyuan Fire, the Divine Calculator's eyes widened in disbelief. "If you have no use for it, why not bestow it upon me? I wouldn't object!"

"Save your breath!"

Chen Nan scoffed coldly, then urged, "Make haste, more of the Demon Clan could be converging. We should press onward."

"Heh, leave the pathfinding to this Daoist!"

This time, the Divine Calculator wasted no moments. After all, there were higher-level Demon Clan corpses awaiting discovery ahead. Having scoured the remains in their current vicinity, the duo swiftly advanced.

...

Dragon Fall Island, a vast landmass adrift upon the open sea, had been designated by both the Righteous Alliance and the Demon Sect as a clandestine burial ground for the Demon Clan, who remained blissfully unaware of this arrangement.

At this precise moment, a formidable contingent of the Demon Clan, comprising over a hundred Nascent Soul Realm Demon Kings and thousands of Golden Core Realm Great Demons, descended upon Dragon Fall Island. Their sheer numbers blotted out the sky, and a suffocating wave of demon qi surged ominously.

They systematically drove the scattered human cultivators from the island, herding them into a central location, their overwhelming presence alone instilling a chilling dread.

The human cultivators who had managed to seek refuge on Dragon Fall Island, aside from a handful of Nascent Soul Realm Masters, were formidable Golden Core Realm experts. Yet, confronted with the approaching horde, even they felt a prickling unease.

A palpable tremor ran through many cultivators; their Nascent Soul Realm experts numbered barely ten, a stark disadvantage compared to the invading Demon Clan forces.

The most critical factor was the Demon Clan's incredibly timed assault, coinciding perfectly with the ongoing internecine conflict between the Righteous Alliance and the Demon Sect.

The Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from both human factions had largely been decimated during their internal strife. Furthermore, a significant number of remaining Nascent Soul Realm cultivators had opted for seclusion rather than engaging in the conflicts of the Righteous Alliance and Demon Sect, inadvertently creating a vulnerability that the Demon Clan astutely exploited.

For the very first time, cultivators of the Demon Sect and the Righteous Alliance found themselves united against a common foe.

An extraordinary spectacle unfolded in the East Sea: Righteous Cultivators and Demon Cultivators joining forces, an event without precedent. Though they temporarily set aside their animosity, they were still woefully outmatched by the might of the Demon Clan.

"It is hopeless, we are truly finished this time!"

"Our fate is sealed, we are destined to become the Demon Clan's blood sacrifice..."

"Someone, please save us..."

Certain cultivators, their resolve crumbling, immediately dropped to their knees. Others, clinging to their principles, despite the crushing pressure exerted by the Demon Clan's imposing presence, refused to yield, defiance burning in their eyes.

Just then, a rupture appeared in the dark expanse above, and from it emerged dozens of mountain-sized demons, lifting into the air. Astride them rested a throne fashioned from bone and gold.

Upon this throne, amidst swirling clouds and ethereal mist, sat a solitary figure. His mere arrival prompted every member of the Demon Clan to bow their heads in solemn reverence.

The supreme leader of the Demon Clan was known as the 'Great Saint,' an entity that commanded absolute authority over all demons. The criteria for the Demon Clan's Great Saint were simple and brutal: strength reigned supreme.

More than any other race, the Demon Clan venerated the mightiest among them.

Upon the resplendent throne sat the chosen sovereign of the Demon Race, the Great Saint Ao Hao, a figure of immense power within the Jiao Long Clan and the entirety of the Demon Clan.

Though his hair was white, Ao Hao emanated a profound majesty. He opened his eyes with an indifferent air, casting a cold glance upon the human cultivators gathered below.

His piercing gaze soon settled upon Jiang Wuyue and Tu Wanshan.

"Old acquaintances, it has been an age!"

Tu Wanshan and Jiang Wuyue ascended into the skies, their appearances betraying signs of a struggle.

"Ao Hao, you truly have gone to extraordinary lengths for this grand spectacle today," Tu Wanshan uttered with a frosty snort, his eyes like chips of ice.

He recalled his acquaintance with Ao Hao from ten millennia prior, when Ao Hao was merely a rising prodigy of the Jiao Long Clan, and Tu Wanshan had not yet attained the position of Master of the Ten Thousand Demon Sect.

At that distant time, they likely never envisioned that one would ascend to the esteemed role of Great Saint of the Demon Clan, while the other would become the Master of a Demon Sect in the far future.

Jiang Wuyue scoffed, "Ao Hao, have you truly committed all of the Demon Clan's hidden forces to this conflict? It appears you are seeking a fight to the bitter end with us."

Ao Hao's brows lifted as he slowly rose, an intimidating aura surging forth, his gaze sharp as lightning. Wherever his eyes swept, the surrounding demons would bow their heads, a testament to his absolute command over them.

Finally, he directed his attention to the two old acquaintances before him, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"A fight to the bitter end? You are no longer worthy of uttering such words in my presence. You are now nothing more than stray dogs, and the East Sea is on the precipice of falling into our Demon Clan's grasp!"

"To achieve this very day, our Demon Clan has secretly amassed its power for a thousand years, and its fruition is finally at hand!"

Even Tu Wanshan felt a reluctance to interrupt the defiant pronouncements of the old Jiao Long, managing only a cold snort, "Do you truly believe you can simply devour us at your whim?"

"A mere collection of vanquished soldiers!" Ao Hao jeered, "Do you intend to claim this was all part of your grand design? Nothing could be more preposterous than such a jest!"

The Demon Kings surrounding them erupted in laughter. However, upon observing the unruffled composure of Jiang Wuyue and Tu Wanshan, Ao Hao's heart grew colder, and his expression became increasingly grave.

"A jest?" Jiang Wuyue regarded Ao Hao with a gaze bordering on pity, "Have you not yet comprehended that your entire Demon Clan has shown itself, yet you have managed to eliminate but a handful of our Nascent Soul Realm experts?"

"That is because your Nascent Soul Realm experts are all but eradicated!" Ao Hao roared back, desperately clinging to denial against the terrifying suspicion dawning in his heart.

If his fear proved true, he was leading the entire Demon Clan toward ruin.

Tu Wanshan gently shook his head, "No, they have merely concealed themselves."

"Concealed, awaiting the opportune moment to deliver a fatal blow to your Demon Clan!"

As his words resonated, a magnificent formation suddenly unfurled across Dragon Fall Island!