Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 55: Saint Level

"The Saint of the Demon Clan?" Wang Chuan finally received the news and sent a message to the Void Saint.

Fortunately, the news had not come too late, or else what use would they be?

"This person is formidable. The demon clan has a branch that specializes in this path, adept at reading the fates. They can divine all things, even the future, watch over the heavens—so how could mere fortune or misfortune escape their notice?" Wang Chuan continued. "No wonder they're so cautious, hoping to profit while we clash—but if they wait any longer, they'll end up with nothing."

Moreover, this person emanated a sacred aura, a power of freedom, untouched by disaster or calamity, as if they had already transcended and reached the other shore. This was clearly a legendary figure who had shattered the void and ascended.

"These ancient demonic weapons are steeped in sin!"

As soon as this person appeared, they cast a glance. Their gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of barriers and landed upon Wang Chuan, scanning him thoroughly. Suddenly, a tremendous storm burst forth from the center.

Those who reached divinity or sainthood were, indeed, extraordinary.

Wang Chuan sneered coldly at the sight and, in an instant, slipped away, his body vanishing into the void.

"Courting death! Even the gods have perished before—what hope is there for you lot who submit and cower here?" Wang Chuan struck back.

Even divinities had fallen. These men, having cultivated to such heights yet choosing not to leave, only hid in the lower realms, playing at kings, merely evading catastrophe.

The Void Saint was taken aback. Instinctively, he sensed the terrifying might of this person—an overwhelming power he could not possibly withstand. In the face of such mythic beings, even against a single peak demon god, he would be utterly defeated, his only chance to flee. Even then, escape might be an illusion, forever trapped.

And yet, Wang Chuan dared to confront the enemy head-on. What immense courage and confidence that must require!

Wang Chuan’s hands moved swiftly; suddenly, his soul and blood essence were offered in sacrifice, and he seized the demonic banner before anyone could react.

With such blinding speed, all concealment was cast aside.

"Seeking death, are you? A mere reincarnated body dares act so arrogantly? Wang Chuan, true, I cannot divine your origin—but what of it? This day I’ll slay you and seize your fortune!"

The Saint of the Demon Clan was incensed. To all, he was as lofty as the Emperor of Heaven himself—an existence none could hope to challenge.

Cultivators stand above all beings; beneath the heavens, all else is but dust.

"This one is so arrogant—I find it most displeasing!" the Void Saint spoke then as well.

To be called Void Saint was to be a Saint.

Though void, yet ascended!

To bear such a title, one must possess myriad extraordinary abilities, able to twist yin and yang and overturn the five elements.

As the demon saint surged toward Wang Chuan, intent on killing him, the Void Saint hastened his ritual to offer up heaven and earth, suddenly pressing both hands downward.

Within this space, everything was frozen.

Even time itself seemed to halt, if only for a heartbeat.

The Saint of the Demon Clan was abruptly immobilized, unable to move, feeling a tremendous force squeezing every trace of his presence here, inch by inch, drawing it out.

"How vexing!" he roared. "You think, you petty demon, that you can oppose me? Even demon gods I have slain and subdued. You have barely scratched the surface of true demonic power—not yet a true demon god! What right has a mere mortal to defy me? I’ll show you what true power means!"

The demon saint, as if shamed, did not even glance at the two true demon gods, but turned his wrath on the Void Saint.

With a casual step, he swept forward, his hands cleaving through the air, splitting the Void Saint's aura with a force that tore through the heavens.

Furious demonic energy coiled through the sky like dragons and serpents.

The power of the great Dao condensed in the air.

A tempestuous, overwhelming scene unfolded above, with currents none could resist rolling forth, swiftly enveloping all present.

Heaven and earth united, unstoppable.

With a single hand, he could hold up the sky or bring it crashing down.

It was as though he had called upon the might of the nine heavens, pressing down on the Void Saint with merciless force.

Though the Void Saint gritted his teeth and endured, his upright figure seemed about to collapse.

"Is this all the strength you possess, to lecture us?" Wang Chuan gazed calmly, then shouted, "Void Saint, break him!"

Wang Chuan’s usually placid expression sharpened with a fierce gleam.

Beams of light shot forth from him, seeming to pierce the heavens.

The radiance stirred the very skies above, weaving through the air, causing the demon energy to explode in succession. The towering waves gradually diminished.

The demon saint roared and raged, displaying none of a saint’s composure.

"Wang Chuan, you will never understand just how vast the gulf is between you and the divine," the demon saint laughed wildly. "You will know despair!"

Once more, the demon saint’s blood flowed.

Within his sacred blood, endless energy was refined, stirring the boundless starry sky.

This small world trembled under the strain, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

Above, the sky was gradually veiled in demonic clouds.

From all sides, across ten realms, demon energy surged, and countless monstrous sky demons danced within.

Some powerful monsters had begun devouring the world’s power, contending with the Void Saint.

Good currency drove out bad; they were being expelled, stripped of all.

Devouring everything.

"If you will not submit, then die! Let me witness your courage. As for me, I care not to waste further time on such meaningless matters!" Wang Chuan gazed skyward, sneering, as if speaking to no one in particular.

"What a pity. Though you have cultivated to the level of the gods, it is but a meager existence, clinging to life for ten thousand years, demon weapon! With long cultivation, seeking opportunity and gathering strength, you could have become a sacred artifact. Yet even at that level, true immortality is far beyond your reach! How could it be so easy? For us, living between heaven and earth, cultivating against the heavens means courting great fortune and calamity alike. Only through repeated trials can we gain more, shattering all obstacles and ascending the great Dao!"

Perhaps others would never understand, until today, upon meeting someone like the Void Saint.

Wang Chuan felt they were of a kind.

My path is not solitary!

That was enough—let it be earth-shattering.

He summoned the demonic banner, caring nothing for the enemy’s struggles, and let his momentum surge, swinging it down!

The demon saint sneered, "Wang Chuan, you grow ever more foolish! This mere demonic banner you cannot subdue—still you must divide your focus to control it, unable to unleash its true power, yet you use it against me!"

Indeed, it was so.

All along, Wang Chuan had pressed forward without hesitation.

The demonic banner trembled and tried to escape, yet could not move, carried along as if to its doom.

Earth-shattering.

Truly earth-shattering.

If you will not yield, then perish!

Let us die together, then!

From gaining sentience, refining demonic energy, to reaching this point—it had been ten thousand years, an epoch of change.

What of refusing to bow? Who could have guessed its first emergence would end here?

It had always sought the great Dao, never knowing how many more years of cultivation lay ahead. The endless passage of time...

Even as a demonic weapon, it had lived longer than most cultivators, yet knew its lifespan too would end, uncertain if, by then, it could reach eternal life and grasp its own fate. Such was the dream of every cultivator, and of countless demonic weapons and artifacts.

Wang Chuan, oh Wang Chuan—how could I simply let you be?

It had been astounded time and again—how could such monsters exist in this world, so unrestrained and reckless?

And the Void Saint as well.

Two mere mortals...

Could there truly be so many natural-born saints?

Wang Chuan moved with such speed that, in a flash, he was locked in combat with the demon saint, yet with his current power it was like striking a stone with an egg.

But he meant to be earth-shattering.

Then let me be earth-shattering as well—what does it matter?

Even in death, let this final moment be earth-shattering.

In that instant, Wang Chuan gained control of the demonic banner and won its submission.

Their minds connected, as if fused into one.

Wang Chuan’s strength surged, wielding the full power of the banner.

Holding the demonic banner, it was as if it were his own arm—effortless, as a fish in water.

With each swing,

He stirred the very heavens!

Demonic energy soared skyward; wherever it passed, if any living being remained, they would be reduced to a mire of blood and flesh.

The engulfing demonic energy wrapped around the demon saint, turning this place into a veritable stronghold of demons.

"You, a mere human, possess such overwhelming demonic power? Have you also fallen to the demonic path, you wretch?" the demon saint exclaimed in horror.

He had thought subduing Wang Chuan would be effortless, a trivial matter, as if swatting a fly.

Now, however, the other had subdued the ancient demonic weapon so swiftly that he was caught unprepared.

His previously unleashed power was rendered meaningless, and all his efforts seemed laughable.

Instead, the tables had turned; in the eyes of others, it seemed Wang Chuan could destroy him at any moment.

Intolerable!

"Suppress!"

The demon saint flipped his hand and pressed down.

A holy light washed over, a colossal seal descended.

A mere mortal—did Wang Chuan truly believe he could contend with the divine?

So many years of cultivation, such fortune upon him, everything had gone his way—perhaps it had made him too arrogant.

"And you, Wang Chuan, just a fool cultivating the demonic path!"

As for the likes of the Void Saint, born as demons—what right had they to be rebuked?

Such was decreed by the great Dao.

Seeing him so powerful, so dazzling, outsiders might even admire him.

But for the likes of Wang Chuan, whose power was so demonic, it meant he had cultivated the demonic path to a high level.

But he was human!

The demon race was not noble, but their strength had always made other races wary.

Their methods were ruthless, without bottom line, instilling fear—best not provoked.

But the great clans regarded those who turned to the demonic path halfway as the utterest disgrace!

Why had he not continued with his original cultivation? Clearly, such a person was a failure!

And having fallen to the demonic path, his nature would have been corrupted, becoming savage and cruel.

Why would anyone extol such a path?

Impossible.

Such people must be killed, erased utterly!

To uphold the great Dao!

They were more loathsome than even pure-blooded demons.

Boundless demonic energy engulfed the ten realms, immeasurable, densely packed, spreading everywhere, draining all life and essence.

This could become a nightmare for all cultivators in the world.

Wang Chuan, through this, gained ever greater mastery over this world.

As the holy light pressed down on him, Wang Chuan scoffed.

Instead, he swung the demonic banner again and again, overturning seas and rivers, growing more adept with each motion.

Elsewhere, no cultivator would dare approach, let alone enter—and without Wang Chuan to control it, the demonic energy would wreak apocalyptic havoc.

But now, as the demon saint's holy light descended—a clear sacred artifact—such means showed just how seriously Wang Chuan was being regarded, how deeply he was despised, how intent they were on eradicating him at any cost.

In their era, such a one would have been reviled as a degenerate!

"No, demon saint, you have misjudged him," a demon god observed in puzzlement.