Chapter 19: Defeat

The Ten Thousand Demon Realm.

Atop Solitary Mountain.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, in red robes with blue hair, sat cross-legged, watching through the endless void the war unfolding in the Zhulu Great World.

“Ji Ning?” the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons murmured softly. This insignificant figure he had never paid attention to before now commanded his respect for the first time.

“Defeated.”

“This crucial war, lost, and we also lost a Myriad Being Emissary.” The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons shook his head.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him—it was the anxiously frantic Master Wuxiao.

“Master,” Wuxiao said urgently, “we must retrieve the Myriad Being Emissary! We worked so hard to refine them, and now one has been taken. We’re short one, while the Nüwa camp gains one. The balance of power is greatly affected.”

“How do we retrieve it?” The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons looked at Wuxiao.

Wuxiao was taken aback.

“There’s no way to retrieve it. We lost this battle in the realm war ourselves. Besides, throughout the Three Realms, whether on our side or Nüwa’s, which great power isn’t watching this battle? If I make a move, I’m afraid many great powers will intervene. The Nüwa camp won’t give us the slightest chance.” The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was very calm.

“But, but…” Wuxiao was frantic.

“A loss is a loss, and I accept defeat wholeheartedly,” the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons shook his head. “In the Nüwa camp, there was Houyi in ancient times, and now there’s Beiming. It’s fate.”

“Doesn’t the God King have the soul of Ji Ning’s Dao companion, Yu Wei? Could we have Ji Ning trade the Myriad Being Emissary for it?” Wuxiao asked hastily.

“Impossible,” the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons shook his head. “The ownership of the Myriad Being Emissary… involves the war between the two camps. It’s no longer something Ji Ning can decide alone. Even if Ji Ning were willing to give us the Myriad Being Emissary, his master, Patriarch Bodhi, as well as Suirenshi, Shennongshi, Lord Sanqing, and the others, would absolutely not allow it. One Myriad Being Emissary, gained or lost, has a tremendous impact.”

“Hmm.” Wuxiao nodded helplessly.

He had to admit it.

In the face of the camp war, all personal feelings must be set aside. The Nüwa camp indeed would not allow Ji Ning to do that.

“Wind Demon…” Suddenly, an ethereal voice sounded.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was startled.

The mist beside him coalesced, gradually forming a blurry figure, simply draped in a gray robe.

“You still have that aloof, non-contending nature,” the gray-robed figure said, his voice ethereal. “In war, what matters is contention—contending for every chance of victory, only then can there be a final opportunity to win.”

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons looked at this being, the former king who once ruled the entire Chaosworld of Wujian, whose strength was once on par with Nüwa herself, only one step away from the World God realm.

“Long time no see, Heart Demon,” the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons said.

…

The Zhulu Great World.

When Ji Ning took out the gourd and captured the Myriad Being Emissary, the entire battlefield fell into dead silence. The armies of the Wujian Gate had lost all will to fight.

“We lost.” Demonhand Dao Ancestor’s eyes held a trace of regret.

“How could this happen? How? This Ji Ning…” The black-robed God King gritted his teeth. “A crucial war, and it ends up lost because of Ji Ning.”

The black-robed God King was truly unwilling. He had orchestrated all the war strategies and was the nominal leader. Ji Ning was just a pawn; he had never truly cared about him.

“Retreat.”

“Retreat quickly.”

“Do not linger in battle.”

Demonhand Dao Ancestor immediately sent a telepathic message to all sides, ordering the remnants of his forces to retreat swiftly.

The battle situation was already very clear.

Now that the Myriad Being Emissary had been captured by Ji Ning, even if Ji Ning did not participate, the two Pangu Gods and the other armies of the Nüwa camp alone had the strength to sweep away the remnants of the Wujian Gate army.

“We lost.” The black-robed God King closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

His gaze was icy cold as he looked down at the demon god Ji Ning below, who was at that moment looking up at him.

“Hmph.” The black-robed God King sneered. With a wave of his hand, a translucent figure appeared in his palm—it was the soul of Yu Wei, the black-clad girl looking around in confusion.

…

Ji Ning’s body trembled. He stared blankly at the translucent figure on the city wall of Wujian City—the figure he had longed for day and night.

“Senior apprentice-sister.” The majestic, towering demon god stood there, murmuring to himself.

Yu Wei also saw Ji Ning. Her mouth moved as if speaking, though there was no sound, Ji Ning could read her lips.

“Junior apprentice-brother.” Yu Wei was looking at Ji Ning.

“I told you, if you defied me, I would kill your senior apprentice-sister. I would make her soul scatter and her true spirit vanish,” the black-robed God King’s enormous hand gripped the translucent Yu Wei, his voice echoing across heaven and earth. “Didn’t you say that your senior apprentice-sister died because of you? Haha, I’ll make her truly die.”

“No—”

Ji Ning reached out as if to say something.

The black-robed God King’s hand suddenly clenched. The translucent phantom of Yu Wei looked at Ji Ning, her lips moving: “Take care of… Mingyue…”

Boom~~~

The soul dissipated, and the faintly glowing true spirit shattered into nothingness.

Ji Ning stood there dumbfounded, his hand still outstretched.

Pain.

A heart-wrenching pain instantly flooded his entire being, like endless waves engulfing him.

…

Senior apprentice-sister.

Dead, truly dead.

“You hid your daughter well, hiding her in the Xieyue Great World. If she were elsewhere, I would have killed her too. Hahaha, it’s fate—I am your heart demon, your true demon. Hahaha… This war is just the beginning! Are you ready? Your daughter will die too, she will die, hahaha…” The black-robed God King was utterly manic.

Ji Ning stood there motionless.

…

The armies of the Nüwa camp were in pursuit, but they also couldn’t help but pay attention to that figure standing there, whose aura was overwhelming yet somehow seemed fragile.

On the city wall of the Nüwa camp.

Bodhi, Shennongshi, Xuanyuan, and the other seven great powers wore grim expressions as they watched the scene before them. But they could not intervene; even if they did, they couldn’t save Yu Wei, for her fragile soul could be extinguished by the God King in an instant.

“Ji Ning,” Bodhi turned to look at the black-robed Ji Ning beside him and said softly, “This is war. In this war, many celestial immortals and true immortals, many disciples and loved ones of true gods and Dao Ancestors have died. This is just the beginning… Later, if we lose, all us great powers will be annihilated, let alone the others.”

“War is like this,” Xuanyuan also comforted him.

There was no other way.

War was an eye for an eye, blood for blood. Neither side would consider old ties. They would do whatever it took to strike at the enemy. Ji Ning was so emotional; making Yu Wei’s soul scatter and true spirit vanish would plant a thorn in his heart that could never be removed, a thorn that might even erupt with astonishing effect at some future moment.

The black-robed Ji Ning stood there, bloodshot eyes, tears of blood streaming down his face.

“Hahaha…” The black-robed Ji Ning threw back his head and laughed, his tears instantly turning to nothing.

“Hahaha…” In the distant wilderness, the towering demon god Ji Ning also threw back his head and laughed, the sound shaking heaven and earth.

The laughter made heaven and earth tremble.

It chilled people to the bone.

Anyone could hear the pain and mad hatred in that laughter, the boundless hatred and killing intent. But the black-robed God King on the distant city wall of Wujian City didn’t care at all. He sneered, “The stronger the hatred, the better. The stronger it is, the more it affects the Dao-heart. If the Dao-heart is truly deeply affected, it will be even harder to break through.”

Laughing, laughing.

The sound ceased. The demon god Ji Ning lowered his head, gripping his sword, and murmured, “Senior apprentice-sister, your junior apprentice-brother has failed you. Mingyue… I will take care of her…” The demon god Ji Ning looked up at the God King on the city wall of Wujian Gate and murmured, “I will surely slay the God King with my own hands to honor you…”

…

On the battlefield, especially the celestial immortals and true immortals of the Nüwa camp, were worried about their friend and brother, Ji Ning. Even Patriarch Bodhi was worried.

Then, after the demon god Ji Ning’s laughter ceased.

He suddenly moved.

“Kill!!!” A black bolt of lightning flashed and charged straight into the retreating armies of the Wujian Gate.

The Wujian Gate armies were retreating while fending off the two Pangu Gods. Suddenly, a black bolt of lightning flashed and burst in.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~

Sword light flashed.

Blood splattered.

Countless immortals and demons fell.

“What? He can also use the Nine-Cornered Lightning Escape Technique while commanding the Luohou God?” The black-robed God King’s expression changed drastically. Commanding the Luohou God to use the Nine-Cornered Lightning Escape Technique meant that not a shred of power leaked out, indicating that Ji Ning had absolute control over all the Luohou God’s power.

Demonhand Dao Ancestor’s expression also changed. He immediately sent a telepathic message urgently: “Retreat freely!”

Retreat freely.

That meant… disregard everything else, scatter and flee, every one for themselves, use any escape method available. Forget about coordination. Before the demon god Ji Ning, who could madly slaughter using the Nine-Cornered Lightning Escape Technique, an orderly retreat was impossible.