Chapter 284: Chapter 274: One Million Life Span, Over Ten Thousand Tao Marks

The sun began to set, and twilight clouds lingered.

The turbulent Gale Sea Area slowly returned to calm.

At this moment, all Demons, even the Demon Saints who were tidying up the aftermath, looked up towards the sky.

They gazed at the figure that seemed capable of supporting golden beams and suppressing mountains and seas—

Hong Yuan wore a Trident Wrapped Purple Gold Crown, was clad in Clear White Robes Armor, and wielded a dark red Flood Gathering Banner.

Though he just stood there quietly, he was like the main character between heaven and earth, captivating all attention.

Could it be that in less than three months, the overlord of the Green Dragon’s Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm has already been decided?

The Demons were all profoundly shocked. It was as if they were witnessing an unparalleled Great Saint of the Demon Clan steadily growing, suppressing all directions.

Perhaps even opposing the Human Race and leading the Demon Clan to counterattack the Five Great God Continents!

The Thunder Eagle Demon Saint’s gaze was sharp, as if trying to see through Hong Yuan. However, even after the transfer of resources was complete, he still could not fully fathom Hong Yuan’s true background.

"Truly a fearsome youth!" the Thunder Eagle Demon Saint exclaimed with emotion, then vanished from this place with his beloved disciple Zhu Jiushi.

The other Demon Saints also observed Hong Yuan’s foundation for a time, but none could ascertain it.

Vaguely, they formed a conjecture: the Cold Rain Great Saint’s judgment was correct. This junior, with his invincible momentum, was almost certainly the Son of Fortune of the Demon Clan, whose coming was foretold by those undying old masters!

This little snake comes from humble origins, possessing no legacy. Unexpectedly, merely by receiving Xuan Qi’s protection, his fortune has burgeoned uncontrollably. It seems Xuan Qi has truly reaped a great advantage.

The Sons of Fortune of past generations could nearly all reach a realm of alternative Tao Achievement, becoming a major concern for the Great Emperors of the Human Race. It’s just uncertain how far he can progress on the Xuan Guangqiao.

It’s rumored that the Great Dream Emperor of the Human Race is the most powerful Great Emperor in all of history, possessing vast Divine Powers. Let’s hope our Demon Clan’s current Son of Fortune can replicate the great deeds of the Great Moon Saint, Han Jiuming...

In the Middle Ages, the Soul Killing Demon Emperor of the Human Race achieved Tao, wielding the Heaven Heart Imprint.

That was a most tragic period for the Demon Clan. The insidious nature of Soul Tao left Demon Saints and the Demon Realm with nowhere to hide. Countless Demons had their Spiritual Wisdom obliterated, degenerating into Ferocious Beasts. Even Demon Saints were used as mounts by Human Clan Powerhouses during their travels.

It was only with the momentous appearance of the Great Moon Saint that the Demon Clan’s legacy was barely preserved.

RUMBLE!

After the Demon Saints finished handing over the spoils of war—resources from the defeated—to Hong Yuan’s Zero Desolate Army, they vanished into the sky, leaving no trace.

...

「Night.」

The Star River was dazzling, illuminating the vast military encampment of the Zero Desolate Army below.

The massive encampment was bustling with noise and excitement.

The somber atmosphere from the loss of comrades was completely replaced by the joyous anticipation of imminent victory. The surviving Demon Soldiers and Demon Generals of the Zero Desolate Army eagerly awaited their rewards.

This war had been exceptionally brutal; only five of Hong Yuan’s original eighteen maritime corps remained.

If not for the reinforcement by surrendered troops, which expanded his forces to thirty-two corps, the time it would take for Hong Yuan to assume control of the Green Dragon’s Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm would have been significantly prolonged.

Hong Yuan was not stingy either.

The resources provided by dozens of Demon Saints were sufficient for him to support a grand and generous distribution.

With a grand wave of his hand, he immediately ordered the logistics department to conduct a preliminary tally of rewards. This drew cheers from the original Zero Desolate Demon Soldiers and Demon Generals and looks of envy from the surrendered troops.

Inside the royal command tent of the Zero Desolate Army.

Li Jianqiu, Zhang Fan, Ji Qingxue... Hong Yuan’s Demon Generals were gathered here, drinking together.

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere grew spirited.

GULP. GULP.

Zhang Fan heavily drank several bowls of Green Qilin Wine, his face gradually flushing with intoxication.

Bolstered by the wine, he mustered his courage, stood up, and holding a white porcelain bowl, faced Hong Yuan.

In that instant, the bustling atmosphere in the tent fell silent.

All the Demons watched Zhang Fan nervously, a thought surfacing in their minds: Has Zhang Fan lost his mind? Isn’t he afraid the King will banish him to some remote corner?

Zhang Fan took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said apologetically,

"My King, I have failed to live up to your great favor and did not fulfill my role as vanguard general. If not for General Jianqiu’s efforts in turning the tide, I fear I would have become—"

"HEY!" Hong Yuan immediately interrupted. "Victory and defeat are common in war; you are not to blame. On such a fine day, let’s not speak of such things. Drink, drink!"

With that, Hong Yuan raised the white porcelain bowl from the table and drained it in one gulp.

Seeing this, Zhang Fan’s eyes reddened slightly. Deeply moved, he quickly drank his wine as well.

"Haha, His Majesty is truly magnanimous!"

"Admirable, truly admirable! We too shall toast His Majesty!"

"..."

Gui Qu, that old turtle, grasped the situation and enlivened the mood, preventing the atmosphere from chilling.

The other generals, all Demons who had clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, laughed and joined in Gui Qu’s efforts.

The royal command tent was once again filled with a lively and bustling atmosphere.

By the dead of night, Hong Yuan returned to his own tent.

...

Inside the brightly lit tent, Hong Yuan sat on the royal chair, silently taking stock of his gains from this battle.

The first was the collection of materials. Through this battle, he had obtained various heaven-and-earth treasures from the hands of dozens of Demon Saints.

He could now prepare to upgrade the Flood Gathering War Banner to a Holy Artifact and refine the Great Moon Virtual Mirror Tao Species.

The second was the accumulation of Tao Marks. In the end, he had once again obtained a number of Blood Tao, Soul Tao, and Water Tao Marks.

The total number of Tao Marks in his Demonic Body had reached an astonishing ten thousand—a truly proud achievement!

The third was the overall improvement of his strength. He was exceptionally close to the peak of the Fifth Order, and his Life Span had reached one million years...

[Name: Hong Yuan]

[Life Span: 2,562/1,123,456]

[Aptitude: 85]

[...]

[Avatar: Ice Armor Python (Cold Moon Dragon 75%)]

[Rank: Fifth Order, Mid-Tier]

[Talents: Cold Moon Seal Divine Power, Ten Thousand Heavy Water Divine Power, Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power, Destiny Lamp High Illumination Divine Power, Cold Wind Frozen Rain Divine Power...]

The attribute panel had suddenly become quite impressive, giving Hong Yuan a profound sense of satisfaction.

And that million-year Life Span gave Hong Yuan a calm sense of assurance.

Hong Yuan lightly clenched his fist, and a creaking sound immediately emanated from his hand.

Next, my goal must be to focus on becoming a Great Saint and addressing the issue of conflicting Tao Marks.

I must display as much of my potential as possible, then enter the Dragon God Sacred Land, lie low there for ages, and become a true great demon in every sense of the word.

Hong Yuan had an extremely clear plan for the future of his Demonic Body.

For now, his plan was to participate in the Ten Thousand Domains’ Struggle—a traditional Demon Clan event—to seize Creation and firmly secure his status as the Demon Clan’s Son of Fortune!

That way, even if the Human Clan discovered something unusual about him through the Demon Slaying List, those undying old masters of the Demon Clan would intervene on his behalf. They would protect his growth, just as they had sheltered Tianli, helping him withstand assassination attempts from the Human Clan.

The future of his Demonic Body was incredibly bright, blessed by opportune timing.

That state of vibrant life and flourishing creation seemed to be unfolding right before his eyes!

Thinking of this, Hong Yuan hummed contentedly, "The qin’s melody drifts, who plays it now, as twilight descends..."

With a light tap of his right hand into the void, a Pond Wood Erhu materialized before him. He grasped it and slowly drew the bow across the strings; beautiful music began to flow forth.