Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

The Extraterrestrial Evil Clan's domain was their territory that had been corrupted. Countless evil clans proliferated within the Demon Domain where thirty-two major clans ruled supreme, with numerous branch clans each occupying their own land within the Demon Domain.

At the center of the Demon Domain was its most thriving and elite region. The thirty-two major clans, along with the many powerful clans hosting Heavenly Demon Emperors, occupied vast lands here. The continent suppressed by a Heavenly Demon Emperor was the most terrifying region, known as the Heavenly Demon Domain.

At the heart of all these continents, at the very center of gathered demonic power, was an immense land called the Holy Demon Continent. This place was the Holy Demons' breeding ground, akin to a sacred land in the hearts of all evil clans.

Situated in the core essence of the Demon Domain, the Heavenly Demon Domain received tributes from innumerable small and medium evil clans, basking in prosperity and an abundance of resources.

In the Great Thousand World, even regions like the Five Ancient Clans, the Tian Luo Continent, and the Divine Beast Continent could not compare in prosperity to this place.

In the Great Thousand World, countless races were at constant war over resources. Such phenomena did not exist within the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan. The strong ruled the weak, and this brutal law of the jungle was vividly reflected here. The thirty-two major clans ruled over everything within the Demon Domain.

The moment Jiang Yun set foot in the territory of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, he was sensed by the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor. This was the tacit signal left after their last encounter.

"Buzz!"

The void ahead of Jiang Yun suddenly formed demonic patterns, and a massive spatial transfer portal opened. The end of this portal was the true core stronghold of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, the homeland of the Holy Demon Clan! It's also the location of the Ten Thousand Demon Hall!

According to what Jiang Yun knew, even the clan leader of the Evil Spirit Clan, Jiang Ya, could not go there without the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor's summons. In theory, Jiang Ya, being a mid-stage Heavenly Demon Emperor, was a considerable power within the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, enough to enter the Ten Thousand Demon Hall. However, due to the Evil Spirit Clan's lowly status, they were nothing more than cultivated tools.

However, Jiang Yun would change all of this sooner or later. With thoughts surging, Jiang Yun's gaze remained calm as he took his step into the portal towards the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

If those in the Great Thousand World knew that Jiang Yun had gone to the Ten Thousand Demon Hall, it would likely cause a storm that rivaled the emergence of another Immortal Great Emperor, for even Immortal Great Emperors had never set foot in that place. And yet, Jiang Yun walked into this forbidden ground so calmly.

As Jiang Yun stepped out of the portal, what greeted him first was a vast, dark hall. The interiors were shrouded in darkness with black vapor rising, seemingly capable of devouring all vitality, making the place appear ominous and cold.

The Ten Thousand Demon Hall, although the core of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, was akin to the Great Thousand Palace. Usually, the Heavenly Demon Emperors were not present in the hall but, like Qin Tian and the Azure-Robed Sword Saint, they guarded the borders.

The Saintly Heavenly Supreme must keep an eye on the Heavenly Demon Emperor, and likewise, the Heavenly Demon Emperor must watch the Saintly Heavenly Supreme. If such a figure appeared on the battlefield, it could bring terrifying destruction. Thus, unless a massive war broke out, both sides would monitor each other's top experts.

However, since the southern part of the Great Thousand World had not yet seen the rise of Lin Dong, the Great Thousand Palace continued to send people to monitor. Yet, sending a Saintly Heavenly Supreme was no trivial task; they were treasures of their respective families, and monitoring the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan was dangerous work fraught with risks of justice-fueled ambushes.

Thus, both the north and south of the Great Thousand World had been under the watch of subsidiaries of the Great Thousand Palace, presided over by Immortal Heavenly Supremes, and had long been at a disadvantage.

"The grade of this Ten Thousand Demon Hall is appalling, likely a saintly supreme artifact of the Great Thousand World. Moreover, since it was created by the Heavenly Evil God, the power it can unleash is terrifying, surpassing the peak saintly level."

As Jiang Yun observed the massive Ten Thousand Demon Hall, feeling the aura it emitted, he was inwardly cautious. This hall was indeed a supreme treasure, surpassing all other world-shaking saintly artifacts he had come across.

In Jiang Yun's estimation, probably only the Eternal Tower, crafted by the Immortal Great Emperor, could rival it.

"Since you're here, come on in."

At that moment, a gentle voice echoed in Jiang Yun's ear, and simultaneously, the enormous gate of the Ten Thousand Demon Hall slowly opened.

Hearing these words, Jiang Yun didn't hesitate and leisurely walked towards this supreme ground of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan.

As Jiang Yun entered the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Hall, he could faintly feel a formidable aura emanating from this colossal dark hall, much fiercer than the pressure from many saintly supreme beings or Heavenly Demon Emperors.

This aura was steeped in ancientness, laden with the marks of the ages.

Jiang Yun soon arrived at a great hall with thirty-two black thrones. Upon stepping inside, three terrifying auras immediately pressed towards him. The surrounding demonic energy stirred, forming three enormous demonic shadows, descended upon him with immeasurable demonic might.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Jiang Yun let out a cold snort, with a purple glow emerging in his eyes. The next moment, his boundless soul power surged like a storm, erupting suddenly.

His brow began to ripple, and a noble purple-golden vertical mark emerged.

"Buzz!!!"

Once the mark fully formed, the already vast soul power within Jiang Yun expanded at an astonishing rate, seemingly endless.

"Boom!"

When the terrifying soul storm collided with the three demonic shadows, a muffled thud echoed, causing the walls of the Ten Thousand Demon Hall to reveal patterns, as if they were about to be activated at any moment.

"Humph!"

A muffled groan sounded as three pairs of astonished eyes fell on Jiang Yun, with threads of incredulity.

"What powerful soul power..." a faint exclamation echoed in every corner of the hall.

"Is this your way of hospitality?" Unlike the three who had suffered a setback, Jiang Yun collected his soul power with a placid face, standing with hands behind his back, eyes calmly looking towards the four figures on the ebony thrones ahead. He had not seen three of them, but sensing the late-stage Heavenly Demon Emperor aura within them, they were evidently high-ranking Heavenly Demon Emperors within the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan.

It was these three who had just attacked Jiang Yun.

As for the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, he sat there with an amused look, watching the scene unfold.

"Hmph!"

Upon hearing this, one of the three coldly snorted, his pale and sinister eyes scrutinizing Jiang Yun, "Besides that ability, I do not see any extraordinary traits in him."

Naturally, he was not resigned. The strange power of Jiang Yun's ability had neutralized their attack. They were well aware of Jiang Yun, and the ability was practically a cheat.

"That is his skill. If you can, nurture such an ability yourself!" The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor scolded with a laugh. He then looked at Jiang Yun, pointed at the three, and explained, "You may not know them. They are Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor, Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor, and Curse Heavenly Demon Emperor. Hearing of your arrival, they insisted on meeting you."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun's heart tensed. These three were among the top Heavenly Demon Emperors within the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan, their strength on par with the True Dragon Emperor and others. Plus, they were the core of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan's core members.

The fact that the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor had let them know of his existence spoke volumes. As for their claimed curiosity to see him, Jiang Yun did not believe a single punctuation mark of it. It was all about intimidation, making him cognizant of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan's strength and to deter any errant thoughts.

"May I go to the Ten Thousand Demon Hall's scripture library?"

Jiang Yun disregarded whatever the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor had in mind. Right now, he just wanted to quickly cultivate the Evil Clan's arts and convert the spiritual power within his clone to evil energy.

"Go ahead, there's even a surprise waiting for you," the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor pointed, and a door in the corner slowly opened.

Jiang Yun raised his brows, remained silent, and stepped inside.

Meanwhile, as Jiang Yun left, Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor looked at the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor and asked, "Can he really be trusted?"

"His ability is tricky. Unless we all step in simultaneously, it's tough to hold him before his spiritual power is depleted," Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor remarked, equally grave.

"I sensed the Great Thousand World's fortune power in him. If he becomes as formidable as the Immortal Great Emperor in the future, another one on the celestial list, will he still help us free the Evil God?" Curse Heavenly Demon Emperor added cautiously.

"As long as the Evil God is unleashed, what is an Immortal Great Emperor?" The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor said slowly, completely dismissing the notion that anyone could engrave their name perfectly on the celestial list.

"Moreover, he made the mistake of wanting to cultivate the Evil God's system. When that happens, how could he battle the Evil God?"

"But to ensure everything, our plan must continue."

The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor looked solemnly at Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor. He had plotted for tens of thousands of years for the successful emergence of the Evil God. Heart demon seeds, the Evil Spirit Clan, the Corrosion Demon Clan—everything was ready, or in preparation.

Just waiting for the next Great Thousand Alliance's opening to unleash the Heavenly Evil God, who would have adapted to spiritual power within the seal and no longer be targeted by the Great Thousand World's will, then the thousands of years-long battle would end in victory.

Nothing could be allowed to jeopardize this. One Jiang Yun couldn't affect his grand strategy.

Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor nodded gravely at hearing this, then asked, "Who will be the candidate for the plan?"

"There are three candidates in the Great Thousand right now. One is Qin Tian, a constant thorn in our side. He's active on the St. Abyss Continent, often battling us. Talented, and a demon-slayer king in the Great Thousand Palace. In a hundred years, he'll have a high position in the Great Thousand Palace—a prime target."

"Another is the Mohe Ancient Clan's leader, whose Taoist heart was shattered by Jiang Yun. It's a good opportunity for us to infiltrate and control an ancient clan. The Eternal Immortal Body is within the Mohe Ancient Clan."

Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor stated their long-observed target, an icy glint flickering in his eyes at the mention of the Eternal Immortal Body.

"However, with his poor talent and now being crushed, his future advancements are doubtful, his strength lacking."

"The last one is the Sword Domain's Azure-Robed Sword Saint, who has recently risen to fame. I've clashed with him; he's a genius not destined to be weaker than us in the future. But his sword intent is terrifying, making it difficult to get at him."

Dark Heavenly Demon Emperor listed the prospective targets, then looked at the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor for a decision.

"Who do you think is suitable?" The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor pondered, then asked Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor.

After some silence, Heart Heavenly Demon Emperor looked at the three and said, "Qin Tian!"

"Among the three, the Azure-Robed Sword Saint is the trickiest. Qin Tian and Mohe have pros and cons, but I don't trust Jiang Yun." He explained, glancing at the Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor. Seeing no discontent, he continued.

"With Jiang Yun's talent, he'll be a top powerhouse in a hundred years. If he doesn't cooperate with us, an infiltrator's strength and position must be strong and surprising to succeed."

The Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor nodded, finalizing, "Then let it be Qin Tian. Dark Heavenly, you take care of it."

Inside the Ten Thousand Demon Hall's scripture library, the air was suffused with a chaotic aura, as if an unformed world.

In the vast space, tall demonic shadows emerged, faintly accompanied by terrifying demonic roars. These were the heritages of various Evil Clans, stored here.

Jiang Yun walked towards the interior and soon stopped upon seeing a surprising figure.

"Grandfather…"

At this moment, Jiang Yun was somewhat emotional. Even though it was just an old man's back, he recognized him immediately.

The old man trembled hearing Jiang Yun's voice, turned with disbelief, and his mustache quivered, "Is it really you, Yun?"

Tears welled up in Jiang Yun's eyes as he nodded, feeling a sourness in his chest. Compared to before, the wrinkles on his grandfather's brow had deepened.

Though his grandfather's cultivation had grown, it seemed his burden had also increased.

"Grandfather, it's me, Yun has returned."