People always think that the most terrifying thing about sailing at sea is a storm.

But in reality, the most terrifying thing is not being able to tell the sea from the sky.

The Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm of Xuanwu is just like this. Its internal environment is mostly a deep-sea world, yet curiously, both the water and the sky look the same; they are the same color. Upon entering, one feels a severe sense of imbalance, as if a person from a three-dimensional world has walked into a two-dimensional one, making one’s head dizzy.

CRACK—

A blue light suddenly flashed, and Hong Yuan arrived inside the Xuanwu Holy Palace.

Before the Xuanwu Token could even float into his hands, it completely shattered and dispersed into the water. It was Hong Yuan who had used the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power to destroy it.

Hong Yuan’s face remained calm as he casually released the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power, allowing the hidden white light to envelop the Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm of Xuanwu. As before, aided by the incomplete Fortune True Dragon, a collection of scarce and precious natural treasures piled up before him. The Holy Artifact he obtained this time was a Heart Protection Mirror engraved with the Divine Appearance of Xuanwu.

Xuanwu Heart Protecting Mirror? I really am somewhat reluctant to consume you like this...

Hong Yuan sighed softly in his heart. But in the next moment, Refining Tao Marks floated out, revealing the secret refinement method of the Xuanwu Heart Protecting Mirror.

「...」

Heaven and earth as the furnace, the ocean as the foundation.

At this moment, Hong Yuan stood in the most central area of the Xuanwu Holy Palace, with the vast ocean keeping him company. However, he was frantically spinning the Holy Artifact, the Purple-Gold Furnace, extracting more fresh Food Tao Marks and continuously pushing his body to its limits.

The thoughts in his heart spread rapidly, and the Fortune True Dragon above his head roared ceaselessly.

Indeed, cultivating Divine Powers is not as good as cultivating one’s Taoism, for the Way of Longevity is the foundation after all. But the dilemma Hong Yuan faced now was not the hopelessness of longevity, but insufficient power in Divine Power combat!

Therefore, he urgently needed to increase his combat strength.

The combat strength that makes up a Saint primarily consists of several parts: "First is the faction Divine Powers, second is the quality of the Immortal Nuance within the body, third is the might of the Holy Artifacts, and the fourth is the quantity of Tao Marks..."

Among these, the quantity of Tao Marks becomes more crucial in the later stages, as this relates to the secrets of becoming an emperor!

The quantity of Food Tao Marks has broken through the 160,000 mark!

Hong Yuan slightly closed his eyes. An immense will drifted out from him, sweeping across the entire Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm of Xuanwu. With him at the center, violent Essence Qi gathered into a great wind tornado. It roared towards him, howling around his form. All kinds of Essence Qi converged, extremely conspicuous in this oceanic world.

Many Demons, who were either accepting inheritances or searching for them, looked up towards the Xuanwu Holy Palace, their eyes filled with shock. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"The authority of Guangqiao is impressive! This aura is even more formidable than Sister’s!?"

Ji Qingxue trembled slightly, her eyes showing astonishment. Her sister was the Snow Moon Demon Saint, whereas Hong Yuan at this moment was merely at the Demon realm.

"Damn, the heavens are truly unfair, to favor him so greatly..."

Zhang Fan’s face was gloomy as he looked unwillingly at the various colored Essence Qi storms.

"Xuan Guangqiao is strong, too strong! Truly worthy of being recognized as the formidable Demon rival of my lifetime!!!"

Li Jianqiu calmed his uneasy Desolate Beast companion, his heart igniting with fierce battle intent.

RUMBLE—

Amidst the turbulence of the Essence Qi tornado, Hong Yuan used the Myriad Silence Divine Power to capture several more Water Tao Marks and then transformed them into Food Tao Marks.

The Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm of Xuanwu was itself a watery world. Under Hong Yuan’s manipulation, the number of Food Tao Marks within him grew swiftly, even giving him the false impression that his body had become "saturated." The Food Tao Marks were like a black hole, greedily absorbing everything. If it weren’t for the Food Tao Holy Artifact, the Purple-Gold Furnace, suppressing it, Hong Yuan would have wondered whether his physical body would burst.

The boundless accumulation of Food Tao Marks continued until, at a certain moment, a Purple Gold Portal appeared within him!

Have I reached the limit?

Hong Yuan realized something. By this time, he had already pushed the Food Tao Marks within his body to a colossal count of 170,000. Gazing at the Purple Gold Portal, Hong Yuan recalled the intelligence about the terrifying nature of the Human Race that he had learned from the Sword Tao Incarnation. Clenching his teeth, he directly urged the Food Tao Marks to assault it.

Successive booming sounds, like thunder from the heavens, erupted from within Hong Yuan, spreading to the outside world and causing the faces of all Demons to drastically change. At this very moment, above the Xuanwu Holy Palace, all sorts of strange and unusual phenomena began to emerge: the golden crow standing by the Fusang tree, the Azure Lotus connecting to the Nine Nether, the sea birthing a Purple Sun... The most special of all was the Immortal Cave Phenomenon that commanded everything!

Far off, Li Jianqiu and other Demons felt the Heavenly Scenic Tower Demon Realm shudder. The entire small world became unstable, and they all revealed expressions of horror.

"Great King, what kind of terrifying inheritance have you received?"

As endless Essence Qi surged in, the Food Tao Marks inside Hong Yuan rapidly multiplied. The Dragon and Phoenix Divine Appearances suddenly materialized, spontaneously circling and dancing around Hong Yuan.

"Li Jianqiu, I now appoint you as the Zero Desolate Acting Monarch. All remaining matters of the Zero Desolate Army are to be handled by you."

"If there are any who defy, execute them all!"

Hong Yuan’s voice boomed, reaching the hearts of all Demons, invigorating them.

Countless gazes turned towards Li Jianqiu’s direction, full of astonishment. What merits and abilities does this Li Jianqiu possess to be so trusted by the Great King?

Xuan Guangqiao... Li Jianqiu bit her lower lip hard.

Suddenly, her eyes shone brightly, as if invigorated by a powerful elixir. Above her head, her Fortune Carp leaped up and transformed into a red Flood Dragon.

After Hong Yuan had finished giving his directives, he wholly dedicated himself to the task of breaking through the limits of his Tao Marks.

The stars were densely scattered, the Milky Way flowed. The azure sky suddenly turned dim, and each named grand star manifested in the firmament, radiating boundless light. At this moment, the Xuanwu Holy Palace had truly become a most deadly ground.

「...」

「Half a month later.」

Apart from Hong Yuan, all the Demon Soldiers and Demon Generals were expelled from the Heavenly Scenic Tower.

Having received instructions from Hong Yuan, Li Jianqiu began arranging matters for the battle of the Ten Thousand Domains, tidying up Hong Yuan’s rear and getting to experience the might of a Demon Monarch. It wasn’t as if no great Demons wanted to feign compliance towards her; some, their nature unchanged, stubbornly sought to profit stealthily.

But Li Jianqiu was already a favored seed cultivated by many Demon Saints, suspected to be the Destiny of the Demon Clan of her generation. She handled the tasks entrusted by Hong Yuan meticulously, gradually revealing her exceptional grace.

When the sun is high in the sky, both the moon and the stars must retreat into obscurity. But when the sun briefly recedes, the moon then becomes the most dazzling existence!

Li Jianqiu was just such a moon.

At this very moment, however, Hong Yuan had come to the most critical juncture. He had already accumulated 200,000 Food Tao Marks, reaching his limit. To advance further would likely mean his body would burst, and he would die.

Two hundred thousand Food Tao Marks. Is this my current potential limit?

No, the potential limit of this body of mine is far beyond this!

Hong Yuan looked at the proficiency panel, focusing on the Cold Moon Dragon Bloodline Dream Realm. He closed his eyes, found a comfortable position to reveal his immense True Body, and then fell into a deep sleep.

The third Cold Moon Dragon Bloodline Dream Realm began!