Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 52: Memories of the Past

In the great river, each drop of water bore a weight as if a thousand mountains pressed upon it. When joined together, their power became unimaginable, yet Wang Chuan still strove to harness and subdue them. It seemed as though heaven and earth lent him their strength, true energy and demonic force converging ceaselessly. The river surged and roared, and within every droplet hid vast spaces; the entire river itself was an independent realm.

This river swept forth as if the world itself were overturning, bearing down with crushing force. The air within its domain was thick with water vapor, and the contained power began to erupt, suppressing Wang Chuan’s strength to the extreme. Should the river twist and crash down, it could utterly extinguish him. The torrent grew ever larger, threatening to obliterate Wang Chuan, impossible to resist.

Layer upon layer of space was casually sliced open by Wang Chuan, who flashed through the void, evading its grasp. Thunderous crashes resounded as the river struck, shaking heaven and earth to their foundations, as if everything teetered on the brink of collapse.

At last, the demon god behind the river crossed the barrier of space and emerged. His skin was covered in scales, twin horns crowned his brow, his body bathed in crimson, and raging black flames burned all about him. His hands and feet ended in razor-sharp talons, resembling the claws of a fierce raptor, and a pair of black wings unfurled from his back.

This second demon god revealed the true form of the demon race, his entire being suffused with overwhelming demonic might, his nature fierce and terrifying beyond compare—even the Sage of the Void could not have anticipated such a presence. Never before had anything like this appeared.

Around him, the breath of heaven and earth recoiled, refusing to approach; his demonic essence corrupted all, stripping nearby spiritual beings of their power, even shattering them. No living thing dared draw near.

Wang Chuan moved freely through the fractured layers of space, navigating the storms of time and dimension with ease, untouched by the formidable forces threatening to slice him apart. He merely avoided the demon god’s ancestral domain and the Divine Continent, the unstable passage between them not yet fully formed.

With two leaps, he returned. Amidst the treacherous, violent tempest, no force could lock onto his position or launch an attack. Wang Chuan had mastered his art, reaching a realm where skill and power were perfected.

Emerging again, vast quantities of primal energy flowed into his body. Not only did it not drain his true energy, it invigorated him further, making his spirit boundless and inexhaustible. His body swayed, and the eight limbs within him, all his meridians, began to pulse with life. His ability to absorb surrounding demonic and primal energy had reached a terrifying degree, and it happened naturally, automatically drawing in power.

When he summoned his divine abilities, energy surged ceaselessly, never running dry. The moment he appeared, the demon god once more wielded the great river, which in his hands became a colossal, immense ribbon, smashing down upon Wang Chuan with relentless force.

Yet behind Wang Chuan, mighty mountains manifested. They exuded the heavy scent of yellow earth, their peaks majestic, entwined with dragon patterns, and primal energy surged like crashing waves. When the mountains appeared, they shook the earth and heavens alike.

Dark clouds gathered, further compressing the space between heaven and earth. The demon god shifted the river, attacking Wang Chuan, striking the mountains with such force that the world trembled.

“The Great Cataclysm is nigh, dragons and serpents rise together—Wang Chuan, you are truly extraordinary,” the Sage of the Void exclaimed in awe. He then briefly explained to Wang Chuan that if the first demon god was only equivalent to the divine rank of humans, wounded in the great battle of ages past and unable to recover after thousands of years, then a mere avatar could only possess limited strength. But now, this second demon god’s avatar wielded true peak power, terrifying beyond measure. Wang Chuan must have experienced this in their clash.

Meanwhile, Daoqi and the other prodigies felt despair, struck down time and again by Wang Chuan.

It seemed ever more unattainable—the realm of that man, like a deity or the high moon, lofty and distant, could only be admired from afar. He fought the demon gods, one against two. Between them, mountains and rivers were shifted at will—such feats were beyond their comprehension.

Wang Chuan’s demeanor was calm and refined, like a scholar, his wide sleeves and flowing robe marking his elegance. The demon god, on the other hand, radiated evil and demonic aura; merely standing there, he made the world tremble in fear. His presence inspired terror.

One moved rivers, the other mountains. The river rolled and surged but never overflowed, perfectly controlled. The mountains hovered in midair, seemingly propping up the sky and earth, suspended quietly without need to descend.

The strength of these two was beyond imagining, their divine powers reaching through heaven and earth. After revealing all their cards, the world’s demonic and primal energy seemed drained away. The surviving warriors found it hard to breathe, longing to flee, but the exits had been sealed tight. Caught in a divine conflict, they suffered collateral damage.

Around Wang Chuan, an ancient, majestic aura began to rise, vast chaos energy surging forth. The river grew larger, and the mountains expanded, reaching without bottom or top. At this moment, the two men wandered within this world.

“Haha! Wang Chuan, you are indeed worthy. If I can seize your fate, I will achieve accomplishments never before seen!” The demon god watched him for a moment, then let out a long howl that shook the heavens and earth. Demonic energy shuddered and condensed into myriad forms—blades, swords, arrows—shooting toward Wang Chuan, but all were dissolved by him.

The immense power pressed down, threatening to obliterate the mountains at any moment.

“Who would have thought, you, a newcomer, would dare challenge me. Since the twilight of the gods, the saints returned to the void! In the demon realm, I have endured loneliness for ages,” the demon god laughed again. “What, Sage of the Void, do you wish to join in? With your current strength, do you really have the audacity to oppose me?”

“A demon of ten thousand years, and still unchanged,” Wang Chuan sneered, his face showing a hint of cruelty and malice, as if the reincarnation of a primordial fiend. “In those days, you failed to return to the void, shamelessly fled—cowardly and weak, your abilities remain limited!”

“So what? No matter what you say, I am still the strongest in all the realms!” The demon god replied coldly. Power alone mattered, regardless of means. Others’ opinions were of no concern to him.

“The old era has passed—I will soon unite the demon path. If you submit today, I will spare your lives and grant you high positions among the demons,” the Sage of the Void declared, for the first time revealing his ambitions. He was brimming with resolve!

“Wang Chuan, if you become the Human Sovereign, our two races can be allies! We can share a common enemy!” he continued. The temptation was immense—together, what could they not achieve? Though many enemies would arise in the future, they could lead their two races united, invincible. When the epoch’s calamity arrived, and after the cycle of ages, they would occupy a favorable position.

United, both would benefit.

“I will consider it,” Wang Chuan replied, shaking his head. He was well aware of the pros and cons, but he still wished to pursue cultivation, devoting more time to transcend to heights never before reached.

That would be an achievement unrivaled through the ages.

“Is that so? Are you dreaming, or have you trained yourself into madness?” the demon god laughed, his robes flapping loudly. “I am still here!”

“Sage of the Void, who do you think you are? A mere demon slave, raised by us, how dare you challenge your betters! Do you think you can defy all order, who gave you the courage to betray the demon race? Ridiculous! An ant, overestimating itself!”

“And you, Wang Chuan—though I cannot divine your origin, I am certain you are closely connected to the ancient leaders of humanity, perhaps even one of the Human Sovereigns reborn! Maybe you are their successor, or their spirit returned, but all that is now a passing shadow. As you said, an era has ended—you cannot oppose me. Besides, this ancient demon god’s domain is ours! Trapped here, you still seek to stir up trouble! You had a chance to leave, but now you shall witness the might of the demon race!”

As he spoke, the sun and moon rose, tides surged. All things were refined, the furnace leapt. Looking back, one saw hundreds of blazing energies rushing and swirling, revolving around this world.

Before Wang Chuan lay a misty gray fog, permeating all directions, traversing time and the ancient past, saturating boundless realms. It engulfed his body and the mountains.

Wang Chuan’s eyes seemed to pierce countless parallel spaces, but now he could not penetrate the gray fog that enfolded the universe. He sensed the power of the primordial Dao moving within it.

Before this power, even sacred beings seemed as ants.

Wang Chuan reached out with five fingers, swiftly shifting the fog, moving it without resistance back toward the demon god, tracing it to him. The demon god was caught off guard, momentarily helpless.

Between the demon realm and the Divine Continent, the void passage raged, the forces within distorting space with dangerous unpredictability. The demon god drew upon its power—should he cross from the ancestral domain and strike the Divine Continent, he might break the barrier, opening a path between the two worlds.

Yet within the tides of time and space, mighty beings lurked, hidden in the flow. These tides were truly boundless, their vastness unknown.

The demon god poured all the power of the demon realm into this, yet could only move a portion—immense peril.

At this moment, Wang Chuan leapt and shifted, guarded by mountains. He reached out, grasping at the tides of time and space—using the Dragon-Seizing Claw to snatch at them!

The path of the Dao is ever forward, never retreating.

They would never turn back.

With this grasp, Wang Chuan reversed yin and yang, disrupting the celestial order. The chaotic primal energy shattered instantly. Heaven and earth trembled and shook.

Such power seemed to reach its limit.

With several deft movements, he opened a long passage through the void, as scenes flashed by in rapid succession. All the surrounding fog was swept away, the glorious years flowing past.

The demon god, witnessing his divine powers, showed a grave expression, which gradually transformed into a smile. “Truly, you are a saint of ancient renown. But it is a pity you cannot return to your peak. A dragon stranded in shallows—I cannot let you soar.”

With these words, the demon god raised his hand, and sun and moon shifted, shattering the void and all illusion.