Chapter 401: The Origin of the Outer Realm Demons
Immortal Elder Changcun remained secluded in his cave abode for dozens of days. When he finally emerged, though his appearance had aged from youthful to elderly, his complexion glowed with vitality and his spirit seemed invigorated.
The gathered Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately surrounded the immortal elder. They desperately sought answers from him, hoping for some solace.
“Elder Immortal, who was behind that giant hand? Does the Celestial Ladder still exist? When will the immortal realm come to our aid?” they pressed.
As Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, they could only sense the Celestial Ladder’s presence and maintain the faintest connection to the immortal realm through it. After the giant hand reached toward the Celestial Ladder, they lost all perception of both the ladder and their connection to the immortal realm. Each passing moment filled them with unbearable anxiety.
Just as Immortal Elder Changcun was about to speak, the sky suddenly cracked open. A terrifying Earthly Immortal aura swept across the Nine Provinces as a bizarre creature never seen before tore through space to arrive.
The monster appeared stitched together from parts of different creatures – a human torso covered in snake scales, boar’s hooves, and bat wings. It spoke in an incomprehensible language unknown to any present.
Immortal Elder Changcun barely managed to conceal his emotions when he recognized traces of an old friend within the monstrosity.
“What kind of abomination is this? It clearly emits Earthly Immortal-level energy fluctuations, yet it’s neither human nor demon. No known creature across all realms matches this!”
How had the immortal realm found the Nine Provinces so quickly after the Celestial Ladder’s destruction? The answer came to Immortal Elder Changcun immediately. Unlike other worlds, the Nine Provinces were too famous. Even without the Celestial Ladder, the immortal realm could roughly locate them from memory. Dozens of days had provided ample time for the immortal realm to pinpoint their world’s location.
“Follow me into battle!”
Though terrified of facing an Earthly Immortal-level foe, the Tribulation Transcendence cultivators rallied behind Immortal Elder Changcun’s leadership.
“Kill it!”
Pain flashed in the elder’s eyes as he unleashed his full power against the monster, conserving none of his immortal energy.
The first exchange went disastrously wrong. The mindless creature attacked with no discernible pattern, overwhelming the theoretically skilled but combat-inexperienced elder. The monster closed distance instantly and sent him flying.
The Tribulation Transcendence cultivators swarmed the creature. Its formidable physique allowed it to charge straight through their ranks.
Lacking coordination, each cultivator fought independently, struggling terribly against the monster. Many suffered grave injuries, forced to repeatedly use their Blood Drop Rebirth technique. The creature sought to completely consume their flesh and blood, its malevolent gaze chilling the cultivators to their cores.
The battle raged spectacularly across the heavens, visible to all Nine Provinces cultivators below. Though none could identify the monster, they all sensed its malice and madness toward their world.
“If twenty Tribulation Transcendence experts can’t gain the upper hand, is there any hope for our Nine Provinces?” This terrifying thought occurred to both cultivators and mortals alike, though none dared dwell on it.
In truth, even an Earthly Immortal should have fallen quickly against twenty coordinated Tribulation Transcendence attackers. But divided by faction, their attacks often counteracted each other before reaching the monster.
“Can’t you coordinate with me?”
“Damn it, didn’t you see I struck first?”
Their bickering created openings the monster exploited, grievously wounding both. Fortunately, Immortal Elder Changcun soon recovered and resumed leading the assault.
Though the elder modestly claimed limited talent that only brought him to Earthly Immortal realm, his mastery as Dao Ancestor’s personal disciple made him peerless among his peers.
Abandoning brute force, the cultivators employed immortal arts and Daoist techniques to gradually encircle and finally slay the monster. Upon death, it disintegrated into dust that vanished without trace.
“Elder Immortal, what was that thing?”
Despite their hard-won victory, no joy lightened the cultivators’ hearts. The Celestial Ladder’s disappearance followed immediately by this inexplicably powerful monster, combined with their severe injuries that would take considerable time to heal, left them deeply unsettled.
Only the immortal realm should contain Earthly Immortal-level beings. Did this monster originate there…?
“Elder Immortal, what’s happening? As one from the immortal realm, surely you know something?” Golden Daoist bowed as he voiced their collective plea for answers.
Immortal Elder Changcun’s gaze swept across Golden Daoist, Longbrow Buddha, Yuan Shang, Li Wu and others before speaking gravely: “The Celestial Ladder has indeed vanished – destroyed by that giant hand.”
The cultivators’ fists clenched instinctively before slackening in helplessness. None took the news harder than Golden Daoist, who had delayed his ascension to solidify his foundations, only to find the eternal Celestial Ladder gone on the eve of his ascent.
“When can the Celestial Ladder be restored?”
The elder shook his head slightly. “Restoration will be difficult. As you know, the ladder required collaboration from numerous immortals using complex methods. Since the immortal realm connected to all worlds, no new ladders have been built. The time and immortal energy required now are incalculable.”
“But take heart – this matter concerns the immortal realm too greatly for them to ignore. We need only wait patiently for resolution. However, your masters, ancestors and traditions may not descend to the Nine Provinces anytime soon.”
“Without the Celestial Ladder, the immortal realm must simultaneously rebuild it and relocate our world’s coordinates.”
Silence fell as they absorbed his meaning – the ladder would be rebuilt, but the timeframe remained uncertain. A century? Ten millennia? None present would live so long.
Still, hope remained.
“Did that monster come from the immortal realm?” Golden Daoist’s heavy question reflected their dread – if enemies originated there, the ladder’s reconstruction might never occur. Worse, such foes could keep coming endlessly. Facing inevitable defeat, some might choose to indulge their darkest impulses before the end.
Reading their despair, Immortal Elder Changcun quickly masked his own concern and scoffed dismissively: “Impossible! The immortal realm would never harbor such abominations. That was an Outer Realm Demon.”
“Outer Realm Demons?”
The unfamiliar term drew blank stares. None had encountered it in ascension records or immortal manuscripts.
“Naturally you wouldn’t know. They’re pests plaguing the immortal realm – insignificant threats, merely numerous and annoying.”
“Just Earthly Immortal-level vermin that Celestial Immortals obliterate with a wave. Why would immortals bother mentioning such trifles?”
Their expressions softened slightly. Indeed, the mindless brute relying solely on physical power resembled nothing more than a bothersome insect. As future immortals themselves, they’d surely handle these so-called Outer Realm Demons with ease.