Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 970: Lost (I)

"Is that..."

Chu Liang's eyes widened as he stared at the scene before him. Is this the legendary moment when Deity Pan created this world?

"Is that… Deity Pan?"

The man looked as though he stood in a completely different time and space, completely unaware of Chu Liang's presence.

He reached behind him. There was a soft pop as he drew out a giant axe. Amid the nothingness of the space, there was no way to tell where the axe had come from.

After drawing the axe, the man didn't split the heavens and the earth apart right away. Instead, he ran his hand slowly along the axe's handle and blade, stroking them several times. Then he mustered his strength and raised the axe high.

From that series of actions, Chu Liang was certain that his man was Deity Pan.

He was the creator of this world, the one who had split the heavens and the earth. His qi was incomparably pure, profound, and formidable, and that was obvious even before he released it. With every breath he exhaled, the void trembled. Now that he was unleashing his power, the might of the deity sent a shudder through Chu Liang's very soul.

Chu Liang had encountered ninth-realm cultivators up close before, so he could tell for certain that Deity Pan's cultivation level was far beyond the ninth realm.

As for what kind of realm lay beyond the ninth, the concept of it did not even exist for the people of this world. After all, if someone had managed to figure it out, they would likely have been able to create a world of their own.

Deity Pan swung his axe down in a thunderous strike.

Crackkkk.

The boundless void was finally split open, revealing a huge egg. Light burst forth from the egg and spread in all directions as the massive deity swelled, rapidly filling the entire space.

Deity Pan sat down cross-legged. He seemed to be staring at something, or perhaps he was just deep in thought.

After a long while, Deity Pan let out a sigh. "One hundred thousand years have passed, and still the sun and moon have yet to return."

Then he suddenly lay down, stretching across the void. He slowly expanded again and transformed into the four seas and nine provinces, the mountains and the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars…

As Chu Liang watched all of this unfold, he felt as though another hundred thousand years had slipped by.

At last, the world took shape. The ancient mountains, rivers, and seas had all fallen into place, but no living beings had yet emerged. Eventually, the last of Deity Pan's vitality scattered across the world. Specks of light appeared in the seas, and tender green shoots sprouted from the land.

That last bit of vitality was like a single flame that set the fire of life ablaze all over the world.

A look of realization flashed in Chu Liang's eyes. "I understand now. Life essence is like a flame. It's not eternal, nor does it appear out of nothing. It is a single spark that can set off a wildfire."

He realized that while spiritual qi remained constant and unchanging, life essence was like a flame. It would explain why living beings had the ability to multiply and would eventually pass away.

Now, Tuntun's flame was about to go out. If he wanted to save her, he needed to make her life essence blaze again. He could use a blazing life essence to reignite hers, just like using a lit stick of incense to save one that was about to be snuffed out.

Nevertheless, knowing the method didn't mean he could execute it. He needed a high level of mastery of the Dao of Creation to manipulate life essence. To attain that, he would have to fully comprehend the true meaning of creation and break free from the Cauldron of the Great Dao.

However, when Chu Liang looked again at the world before him, he noticed that as Deity Pan withered away, the Great Dao of Creation within the world also seemed to weaken. The trees were growing on their own, the living beings were evolving on their own, and the elements and the weather were all following their own course. The world had been left to develop alone.

It's over? Chu Liang blinked. No way.

This was supposed to be his opportunity to gain enlightenment, but he had yet to succeed. If it ended now, would he be stuck in this place forever?

Who knows how long it will take for this world to evolve—perhaps over a million years?

Chu Liang switched to another train of thought. He could just wait for this world to evolve naturally, letting it follow the course of history. Then maybe, just maybe, he would eventually return to Mount Shu.

But that path would take even longer. Who could say how much time that would require?

Even if I waited until the Large-Headed Dolls retired, I still wouldn't be able to return to the era of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten!

Could this be…

He looked up at the vast, crystal clear primordial sky above, a hint of worry surfacing in his eyes.

Could this be what it means to be lost?

…

The demonic beast army that was about to arrive at the Western Province suddenly fell into a state of confusion.

At first, the sky was filled with flocks of birds, and the land was covered with herds of beasts. An overwhelming number of demonic beasts were trying to invade the Western Province. The General's Supreme Constellation Disc shot out countless rays of starlight, but it still couldn't kill all the demonic beasts.

Many of the demonic beasts were slaughtered, but their army continued to charge forward, trying to break into the Western Province and attack the humans.

The first wave of demonic beasts rushed past the coastline and into the open flatlands, aiming to enter the forest. However, a semicircular ring suddenly rose around them like an impenetrable wall of bronze and iron, completely blocking their path.

At the center of the constellation disc, Wenren Yue wore an icy expression. Her fingers shifted through a series of hand seals, and in an instant, a pale purple light screen enveloped a huge area from three directions.

"Heavenly Star Radiance Formation!"

The starlight-woven light screen resembled a massive sack, trapping demonic beasts with corporeal bodies. They could only watch as the General's Supreme Constellation Disc flew overhead and wait to be slaughtered. There was no way for them to escape!

This was how the Celestial King Sect had chosen to deal with the overwhelming army of demonic beasts. If the demonic beasts were allowed to roam freely, they would surely bring death and terror to the people of the Western Province.

They could have tried to prevent the demonic beasts from climbing ashore in the first place, but how could they have monitored every inch of the nine provinces' vast coastline? The demonic beasts could just switch to another breach point next time and still pose a grave threat.

That was why Wenren Yue had allowed the demonic beasts to climb ashore first. Then, once enough had gathered, she activated a grand formation to trap them all at once and began the purge.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaar!"

The General's Supreme Constellation Disc swept back and forth, its starlight tearing through flesh. The demonic beasts roared in agony, their wails filling the sky. They rammed their heads against the light screen, desperately trying to break free.

Nevertheless, this was an enchanted formation that had been established using a legendary artifact. How could the demonic beasts possibly break through it so easily? In the face of overwhelming force, their resistance was utterly futile.

The light screen could not be broken, and the General's Supreme Constellation Disc overhead was unstoppable. During the brief deadlock, the General's Supreme Constellation Disc slew over half of the demonic beast. Blood soaked the ground, dyeing the coastline red.

The massive demonic beast army was actually a huge gathering of wild demons; they were not part of the Far West demons. They were there to pledge their allegiance to the Divine Phoenix King, but not all of them were evil demons. Most had simply wanted to follow the Divine Phoenix King in hopes of a better future, only to find themselves treated as cannon fodder.

If it had been any of the other leaders of the Divine Nine or Terrestrial Ten, they likely would've just blocked the demon beasts' advance and left it at that. However, Wenren Yue had no intention of letting them go; she wanted to annihilate them all right then and there!

The Celestial King Sect always struck with ruthless decisiveness. It did not matter whether these demonic beasts had been good or evil in the past. Since they were part of the attack on the Western Province, they would not be allowed to leave.

While the demonic beasts on the ground were being slaughtered, a beam of swordlight shot in from the south. The Divine Phoenix King narrowly managed to evade it.

It turned out to be a cultivator from the Celestial Pivot Pavilion wielding the legendary Seven-Star Sword.

Seeing him, the Divine Phoenix King was not afraid. Instead, he laughed and said, "You truly dared to come?"

"Even those petty demons dare to invade the nine provinces. Why wouldn't we cultivators come to suppress them?" Enlightened Wulou replied, his voice brimming with righteous resolve.

The Divine Phoenix King surged with blazing flames as he leaped across the sky. "You brought your sect's legendary artifact to use here… Are you not worried about your sect?"

"Hm?" Enlightened Wulou's gaze sharpened. He moved the fingers on one of his hands swiftly as he made some calculations. Moments later, his expression turned dark. "Mount Reticence!"