They had assumed that with the Heavenly Demon Emperor bound, they could do as they pleased — yet who could have anticipated that at the most critical moment, the enemy would break free?
In particular, the Universe Ring that had been flung away was now wrapped in a sinister demonic aura on its surface, severing its connection to its master, leaving it to be thrown far, far away — like a homeless child with nowhere to return.
As for Jun Changxiao, his luck was even worse.
The moment the Heavenly Demon Emperor broke free, he first struck the Xuanyuan Divine Sword away with his indestructible right palm, then raised his left fist and brought it straight down onto Jun Changxiao’s face.
In a fraction of a second — mere hundredths of a second — Gou Sheng was struck over a hundred times. Because the speed was so overwhelming, only a single thunderous boom was heard before the entire person went flying.
“Puh, puh, puh!”
Jun Changxiao went tumbling backward through the air, spitting blood as he flew, the scene utterly ridiculous.
By the time he struggled to stabilize himself, his eyes had narrowed to slits, and his face was so swollen that even Gongsun Ruoli might not have recognized him.
People always said that Gou Sheng’s face was the most defensively fortified part of his entire body — but in truth, he simply had never encountered absolute force before. And now, in front of the Heavenly Demon Emperor, that myth had been shattered completely.
Alas.
His face had been broken through. His youth had come to an end.
“Die!”
At that very moment, the Heavenly Demon Emperor swept one massive hand forward, a sinister demonic aura surging as he closed in for the kill.
He did not intend to target Nezha first — his priority was to eliminate Jun Changxiao.
It was, in fact, a remarkably shrewd decision. For once a contract holder perished, the heroic spirit bound to them would cease to exist as well.
“Damn it!”
Seeing this, Jun Changxiao first raised the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and launched a blast toward the encroaching Heavenly Demon Emperor — then turned and fled in the opposite direction.
He had not even managed to land a successful ambush. He certainly had no courage to face this enemy head-on.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor was utterly domineering. As he flew forward, he effortlessly shattered the obstructing Celestial Gang Sword Qi with both hands, his voice cold and cutting: “Jun Changxiao — this Emperor has said it before. Today’s date next year shall be your death anniversary!”
“Whoosh!”
Before his words had even faded, the Universe Sash came streaking in from behind at tremendous speed, coiling around him once more.
“Seeking death!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor erupted with demonic energy, shattering the Universe Sash into pieces.
Yet at precisely that critical juncture, the heroic spirit Nezha came charging forward, treading his Wind Fire Wheels, the four arms on his back simultaneously gripping the Fire-Tipped Spear, all power converging into that single point. The flames trailing behind him blazed as though they could incinerate the heavens and the earth themselves!
Third Brother was furious!
Third Brother was going all out!
“Aaargh!”
Nezha, burning with full force, came hurtling forward, his expression growing increasingly fierce. He let out a thunderous battle cry: “Five Heavenly Demons and Ghosts — destroy the body, extinguish the form — swift as the law commands!”
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
The spearhead of the Fire-Tipped Spear instantly condensed a searing torrent of flame, as though transforming into a roaring fire dragon, crashing down upon the Heavenly Demon Emperor first. That momentum, that ferocity — truly earth-shaking, sky-splitting!
Such pinnacle-level combat was extraordinarily rare even in the upper universe. A pity, then, that there was no audience.
No — even if there had been an audience, no one could have witnessed it.
For within a hundred thousand li of the battlefield, the entire space had long been shrouded in dark demonic energy and scorching flames. Even a powerhouse of Sword Return Void’s caliber would have been unable to track the movements with the naked eye or with their will.
“Crack, crack!”
The fire dragon roared, its momentum immense and overwhelming!
The heroic spirit Nezha poured every last drop of his remaining power into the Fire-Tipped Spear — a truly wholehearted, final push!
“Futile struggle!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor abandoned his pursuit of Jun Changxiao and instead came to a halt where he stood. With effortless ease, he condensed a barrier of surging demonic energy before himself, and allowed the roaring fire dragon, carrying its terrifying force, to crash into it.
“Third Brother……”
Watching this, Jun Changxiao felt a grief surge through his heart.
He seemed to sense it — that something terrible was about to happen.
“BOOM!”
In an instant, the roaring fire dragon slammed ferociously into the barrier of condensed demonic energy. Though it produced a deafening thunderclap, it failed to break through — not even a single crack was formed.
Crack.
The Wind Fire Wheels beneath Nezha’s feet abruptly ground to a halt. He stood motionless, shoulders drooping, head bowed, his flowing hair falling listlessly down.
“Third Brother……” Jun Changxiao called out.
“Huu……”
“Huu, huu……”
Nezha breathed in rapid, labored gasps, head down — then slowly lifted his face to gaze up at the dark heavens above. His voice was low: “My time has come.”
As he spoke those words, his body began to fade.
Just as he was dissolving into a sky full of starlight, he looked toward Jun Changxiao and said: “This outcome — I had considered it from the very beginning. We gave everything we had. I wish you good fortune.”
“No!”
Jun Changxiao let out a grief-stricken cry.
Deep within his heart, though, what he was truly thinking was: Now that you’re gone — what am I supposed to do?
“Hmmm, hmmm……”
The heroic spirit Nezha’s body gradually faded and fractured into countless strands, finally dispersing and scattering across the starry sky. His treasured artifacts — including the Universe Ring that had been flung away — dissolved in the very same manner.
“Whoosh!” — and at the same moment, a stream of light resembling a soul came shooting over, plunging directly into the space between Jun Changxiao’s brows, concealing itself deep within his soul.
That was right.
It was Nezha.
Due to catastrophic overexertion, he had become a dim and faded heroic spirit.
He would not die — but he would require an immense span of time to recover. Perhaps several thousand years. Perhaps tens of thousands.
The SSS-ranked heroic spirits from the Heavenly Might Secret Realm were not invincible. Their energy was finite — each use diminished what remained. Without sufficient time to restore themselves, if they were entirely drained, they would fall into deep slumber.
What a lamentable fate for the Third Prince Nezha — summoned twice in succession by Jun Changxiao, and ultimately defeated at the hands of the Heavenly Demon Emperor, leaving in readers’ hearts the lasting impression of: “That’s all he’s got?”
“Keh keh keh!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor turned, a cold sneer curling his lips. “Who is left to save you now?”
“……”
Jun Changxiao’s fists clenched tight, his gaze burning with fury.
“Retreat!” the System urged.
Even the heroic spirit Nezha had been unable to handle this enemy — the System did not believe the host could resolve the situation either. The immediate priority was to withdraw as swiftly as possible. At least then there was a chance of surviving.
“Retreat?”
“How could I be content with that!”
Jun Changxiao spoke inwardly, while a peculiar smile rose to his face.
“Could it be……” The System was startled.
“Jun Changxiao!”
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon Emperor came charging forward without hesitation. Surging demonic energy erupted from both palms — like a swarm of demons and monsters descending in a frenzied onslaught. He declared: “I shall use your blood to proclaim the arrival of a new era!”
Energy. Killing intent.
Unprecedented. Absolute.
Jun Changxiao had no way to evade. Setting aside the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s sheer speed, the demonic energy already converging from all directions was closing in steadily, sealing off every possible route of escape.
An unsolvable situation. A certain-death situation.
Jun Changxiao himself sensed the overwhelming threat, yet there was no panic on his face, no desperate flailing — and if anything, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
“Sect Master Jun.”
“Will you sacrifice yourself for the greater good — or will you look only to preserve yourself?”
The words Qixuan Holy Venerable had once asked him echoed through his ears once more, as though calling upon him to make the choice again.
Jun Changxiao closed his eyes. He let his entire body relax, then reached his consciousness into his spatial ring and withdrew that main-storyline-quest-grade Soul Bomb.
This thing.
He had once planned to use it to obliterate the Star Spirit Realm — yet it had never found an occasion to be used.
Gou Sheng had even felt a touch of disappointment then, having never witnessed what true art born of explosion looked like.
Now.
The moment had arrived.
The instant he grasped the Soul Bomb, Jun Changxiao recalled the scene from years ago in the upper realm — Gu Chaoxi boldly charging to blow up the Star Fleet — and thought inwardly: Brother, today it’s my turn.
“……”
The System utterly broke down: “He is actually going to sacrifice himself for the greater good!”
“Whoosh, whoosh!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor continued to press forward step by step, the demonic energy amassing from all sides taking the shape of demons and monsters — and Jun Changxiao, surrounded and trapped, was like a lamb waiting for slaughter. So pitiful. So wretched.
……
Time rewound to the special space within the Abyss of Despair.
After Jun Changxiao made his choice, he asked: “Senior Qixuan, if I sacrifice myself for the greater good — what benefit do I gain?”
“Peace across the universe.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
“Can you throw in a little more?”
“What kind of ‘more’?”
“In exchange for my death, let Ten Thousand Ancient Sect flourish without decline forever, and grant my people entry into the Land of Eternal Life.”
“You’re dreaming.”
“……”
“However — if Sect Master Jun chooses to sacrifice himself for the greater good and succeeds in eliminating the Heavenly Demon Emperor, saving the upper universe, you will inevitably accumulate immeasurable merit. Your sect and your disciples would benefit greatly from this, granting them a far greater probability of one day entering the Land of Eternal Life.”
“That seems… not too bad, actually.”
And so it was revealed — Jun Changxiao truly never took a single step without gain!
This time, the gain was this: his own death, in exchange for the chance to bring every member of his sect into the Land of Eternal Life.
……
“Die!”
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Back in reality, the Heavenly Demon Emperor came charging with a ferocious expression, going in for the kill.
He had to eliminate Jun Changxiao — not merely for vengeance, but to clear away every last obstacle standing between him and the dawn of the new era he sought to build!
“Hm?”
Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon Emperor noticed something: the man who had seemingly been waiting for death had abruptly summoned an object into his hand, and upon his face — an expression of one who had made peace with death, wearing a calm and tranquil smile.
It lasted only an instant.
An intense premonition of dread surged into his consciousness.
“This is bad!”
The Heavenly Demon Emperor’s expression changed drastically. He turned and scrambled backward in full retreat, and the terror that flashed through his eyes was unmistakably profound!
“Auspicious fortune be upon us.”
Jun Changxiao cradled the Soul Bomb in his hands, smiling brilliantly: “Tonight — we feast on chicken.”
Remember this face.
Remember this smile.
Because……
“BOOM——”