Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 534 - 517: Cleansing

Great Battlefield, not far from where the long remains lie.

The Celestial Calamity Envoy, having transformed into a giant body, slowly advanced.

With each step he took, his body grew slightly taller, and the power within him increased a bit more.

His giant body had initially just entered Innate, but within a few days, it had advanced to Great Innate.

His power continued to grow.

He walked for a while without encountering trial takers from various realms, guessing that most were influenced by the Celestial Ladder and had entered the Trial Ground.

He had come not only to acquire the body of a young giant but also for three other matters.

To search for the "Mountain Slaying Battle Body," to find an inheritor for an old friend.

To complete White Lake and engage in trades with others.

To lead all demons to slaughter the Humanoid Alliance, capturing all the best Great Innate members of the alliance in one go, cutting off a generation of elites.

As the Divine Spirit of the Celestial Calamity God, he had some pride and rarely took action personally, being accustomed to letting his subordinates handle tasks.

It had been many years since his true form had fought personally.

He was about to use divine edict to attract demons close, but after pondering for a moment, he decided to wait a little longer.

Currently, a large number of demons were engaged in various trials, and apart from being potentially disrupted by other divine powers, interrupting trials would also affect the growth of the demons.

He had high hopes for some demons, such as Ripclaw Rock, Song of Insects, Undying Knight, Blood Axe Hoof, and especially the Spine-headed Demon Dragon, Deep Dark Fury.

He even once considered possessing Deep Dark Fury, but knowing that his life form was human, not a demon dragon, he realized that doing so would limit his power, thus choosing the young giant with a faint Starry Sky Bloodline.

"Let’s wait a bit longer..."

He continued moving forward expressionlessly.

Though alone, he projected the momentum of an entire army, as if it would not be long before countless demons would rush in from all directions under his leadership to annihilate all enemies.

Near the Faux Burial Star Monument.

Zhou Leng scanned the crowd from various races, and a few Ancient River Sect disciples averted their gaze.

"Our Ancient River Sect and Dragon Country embrace all and accommodate all nations. We have already given you a chance."

As Zhou Leng spoke, he pointed towards the Tiger Talisman projection only he could see, choosing to eliminate the traitors.

Altogether, twenty-seven heavenly fires descended.

Nineteen fell instantly, burning nineteen individuals from various races.

The remaining eight entered the void, disappearing without a trace.

The crowd was surprised and puzzled, but soon considered a possibility.

Zhou Leng looked at the nineteen piles of ashes on the ground and said, "The traitors have been cleared. Now, everyone has a basic level of trust."

"As for the second matter, it’s about clearing out external enemies."

"Upcoming matters may differ from your expectations, but it is war now."

"From now until the end of the battle, my words are orders, military orders."

"If you’re encountering moral pressure, I’ll bear it."

"If you’re afraid of infamy, I’ll bear it."

"If you’re worried about decision-making mistakes, I’ll bear the responsibility."

"Given that we’ve already signed a contract with the giant dragons, direct fighting and killing isn’t what everyone wants."

"However, the hatred between the Humanoid Alliance and the demons cannot simply end like this."

"So, I’m giving the demons two options. Let’s go."

Without asking if others agreed, Zhou Leng turned and walked towards the Demon Camp.

Most people immediately followed, strictly speaking, the giants, not belonging to the Humanoid Alliance, reacted the fastest and followed most closely.

To them, the command of the Frost Giant Duke was not much different from their chieftain’s.

Members of other races hesitated but seeing the majority following, reluctantly fell in line.

The crowd moved forward in a grand and mighty fashion, immediately alerting the giant dragons, demons, beastmen, and sea sirens, although only one sea turtle remained among the sea sirens.

The giant dragons led the demons in gathering, looking towards the front.

Zhou Leng straightforwardly said, "We have signed a contract with the giant dragons, agreeing to minimize conflict. However, we haven’t reached a consensus with the demons and beastmen. Theoretically, we should join forces to kill demons, but to honor the giant dragons, I offer the demons two choices."

"Accept our goodwill and face us in a battle of life and death, a competition where victory is the only goal, with no friendship involved."

"Or, reject our goodwill, and we continue fighting with both sides rushing in."

The demons and beastmen protested, looking towards the giant dragons.

Some giant dragons subtly expressed that the contract should be honored.

They had already realized that Zhou Leng’s party, having comprehended the monuments, strengthened their power, and had the odds of victory increasing by at least thirty percent compared to before.

Zhou Leng said, "I’m not asking for your opinions but providing you with choices. I’ll count down from ten. If you giant dragons wish to go to war for the demons against the collaborator of the Queen of Red Eyes, I can make it happen."

"Ten, nine..."

Zhou Leng slowly counted down as the giant dragons rapidly discussed.

Relatively rational dragons inherently wanted less conflict and more time to comprehend the Star Monument.

And the more impulsive ones were even less likely to risk themselves for unrelated demons.

When Zhou Leng finished counting, the dragons reached a consensus.

"We allow the demons and beastmen to accept your goodwill."

The giant dragons looked towards the demons.

The demons cursed inwardly, but too few powerful demons had arrived here. None needed the Celestial Calamity Envoy; a single top-tier power like Ripclaw Rock, Song of Insects, or Undying Knight could dare make a stand against the Humanoid Alliance.

But currently, there was no leading demon.

Although among them, the Great Innate Desecration Demon Scripture was scheming, its power was insufficient.

"How will the match be conducted?" the Desecration Demon Scripture asked helplessly, stepping out to inquire.

"It’s simple. Each side sends out one person at a time for a one-on-one battle. However, to maintain peace, if one side surrenders and manages to escape the plains and reach the surrounding mountains, they can survive."

Zhou People looked around; it was about 20 kilometers to the surrounding mountains.

In other words, this was a large arena with a diameter of approximately 20 kilometers.

The demons continued to curse inwardly but outwardly cheered.

"Isn’t it just a one-on-one fight to the death? We demons have no fear of humans!"

"Since it’s a battle between humans and demons, don’t involve the giants! If giants get involved, don’t blame us for calling the giant dragons."

A Red Dragon quickly said, "Don’t drag us into your disputes."

In one-on-one battles, the demons were not worried. It was the human martial artists who exchanged glances, showing hesitation.

Although humans were not weaker than demons at the Great Innate stage, the previous encounters with same-level demons had left a deep shadow.

Except for a few top geniuses, most martial artists were still psychologically intimidated when facing demons.

Both sides quickly agreed on the basic rules.

It was almost like having no rules at all. Calling it a match was misleading; it was essentially a fight to the death, with survival guaranteed only if one could escape the 20 kilometers.

If you couldn’t escape, you died.

Zhou Leng stepped forward and said, "I’ll go first in the first round."

People from various races looked on, confused, not understanding why he would do this.

Only Zhang Xinglie, Mountain and River Origin, and a few others realized the reason.

He was using the demons as a whetstone.

"Me!" an Innate Rusted Iron General held back a fit of anger, as his brother, who had learned to trade with Fierce Beasts like Zhou Leng, was stomped to death.

His entire body fused with flesh and steel. His round body connected to thick limbs and head, somewhat resembling a puppet.

He was one of the Innate Demons with the strongest physical durability.

After he spoke, he suddenly charged forward, throwing a punch at Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng stepped forward, his left foot landing.

A loud explosion echoed as his shoe burst, and as his left foot stepped into the ground, the ground slightly collapsed, and his right palm struck out.

Like a vast sea before him, the strike penetrated the air and collided with the Rusted Iron General’s fist.

This strike included Martial Arts Will.

It was Zhou Leng’s first time using the Mountain River Guardian Technique in actual combat, albeit a more advanced version, the Mountains and Rivers.

At the moment of the palm strike, everyone suddenly had an illusion in their eyes.

Zhou Leng seemed like a towering mountain, standing beneath the starry sky, majestic, vast, mysterious, and even projecting a faint aura of authority, looking down upon all beings.

Boom!

The Rusted Iron General’s body flew backward, entirely intact.

The demons took a look, some relaxed, while others almost burst out laughing.

Despite the intense momentum just now, the Rusted Iron General merely flew backward, seemingly unharmed.

The martial artists were also puzzled. The palm power, True Qi, and Martial Arts Will seemed so strong. Why did the power seem a bit weak?

But upon second thought, they realized the Rusted Iron General was known for his formidable physical strength, and they understood.

"Something’s wrong..."

Someone shouted, and everyone turned to look at the Rusted Iron General.

They saw the Rusted Iron General transform, as if melting into mud, disintegrating from his right hand downward with a series of plops.

His hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow...

His right arm was decomposing down to the ground.

He looked at his body in horror, retreating in panic, swallowing nervously.

His shoulder decayed, collapsing, turning into a slurry, and flowed away. Then his right chest decomposed, lungs rotted, chest bone decayed, ribcage fell apart, and the right abdomen collapsed...

Finally, his right arm, shoulder, and right side of his chest and abdomen all turned into sludge.

"You... I..." he stammered in fear.

Everyone else’s scalp tingled.

They were used to direct destructive power, even accepting bizarre destruction from spells, but found it hard to accept a warrior’s brutish strength creating such strange devastation.

The martial artists speculated on Zhou Leng’s method of True Qi and power.

"Senior Brother Zhou Leng not only infuses True Qi into his strikes but also forms multiple forces like shock, twist, pierce, and entangle."

"Before the True Qi causes destruction, his immense power permeates the wounds, paving the way for Qi. His force completely suppressed the Rusted Iron General—it’s not ordinarily strong."

"He likely utilized the Mountain River Guardian Technique to suppress the power within the Rusted Iron General, instantly shattering numerous parts with his strength, then activated the True Qi grinder."

Mountain and River Origin, Zhang Xinglie, and a few other geniuses nodded lightly. They could do similar things but not as precisely.

"I concede," said the Rusted Iron General, turning to flee into the distance.

Zhou Leng didn’t give chase, only calmly watched.

Everyone’s gaze followed the Rusted Iron General, cold and indifferent.

One step, two steps, three steps...

When he reached the seventh step, his right leg suddenly fell off from the pelvis, then his spine snapped, and his upper body collapsed to the ground.

His body broke into segments, rolling across the ground.

He was still alive, babbling incoherently, flailing all around, becoming weaker and weaker.

Finally, he closed his eyes, motionless.