After the great battle, the entire Death Mountain Range had transformed into a vast plain and a bottomless chasm, splitting the area in half. Within a radius of ten thousand miles, all life had been extinguished, replaced by chaotic primal energy. This colossal battle had turned the region into the most forbidden of forbidden lands. It would likely take countless years for this chaotic energy to be fully assimilated by the Profound Heaven Realm before anyone could set foot here again.
However, this was no longer a concern for Xu Chuan. His presence to help the Heavenly Dao resolve the crisis was already beyond what was required. Minor destruction was insignificant!
Before departing, Xu Chuan thoroughly sealed the massive interdimensional passage beneath the ground. Now that the Profound Heaven Realm was under the control of the Taiyi Holy Land, it was impossible to leave such passages intact. One would not tolerate others sleeping soundly beneath one's own bed. All potential threats had to be eliminated!
As this interdimensional passage was sealed, it triggered a chain reaction, leading to the closure of all passages throughout the Central Domain. The ravaged Profound Heaven Realm finally began to resemble its former self. A wave of joy and elation washed over Xu Chuan – it was the joy of the world, the joy of the Heavenly Dao, which he could clearly feel. Moreover, the concentration of heavenly and earthly primal energy was gradually increasing. The entire Profound Heaven Realm displayed a scene of burgeoning prosperity.
For the demon race and their remnants, however, this was a devastating blow. Without the interdimensional passages, their source of demonic energy was cut off. Lacking demonic energy, they were like uprooted duckweed in the Profound Heaven Realm, utterly devoid of combat power! Demons below the Emperor Realm lacked an inner world and could not convert energy from chaos. They could only watch themselves grow weaker, eventually losing all fighting ability.
The more astute demon remnants had already begun to seek hiding places. Those demons, driven solely by devouring and slaughter, could only stand their ground and await death once their combat power vanished. Soon, a counter-offensive against the demon race swept across the entire Profound Heaven Realm. After enduring such prolonged oppression and slaughter, the cultivators of the Profound Heaven Realm harbored a pent-up rage, and now was the time to unleash it! Everything connected to the demon race, in any degree, was subjected to pursuit!
Naturally, these matters were of no concern to Xu Chuan, nor did he bother with them. At this moment, he had located He Chen and the others by following the connection he shared with Xuan Lie. After all, they were two potential Emperor Realm seeds, and Xu Chuan was quite concerned about their safety.
However, Xu Chuan's worries proved to be unfounded. When he found them, they had already encountered disciples of the Taiyi Holy Land and rejoined them. He learned that under the powerful offensive of Xuan Sa and the two Grand Elders, they had successfully secured the Northwest two domains. As Xu Chuan had suspected, the Hall Master of the Western Domain's Divine Temple had indeed broken through to the Emperor Realm. He had transformed the entire Western Domain into his divine kingdom, controlling all cultivators and mortals through their faith, and had achieved the first tier of the Emperor Realm via the path of belief. However, his strength was leagues behind Xuan Sa and Xue San Jian! The two of them had easily dealt with him in tandem, almost without expending any effort!
"An interesting approach," Xu Chuan remarked with slight approval after listening. To forcibly develop a path of faith-based deification without the essence of chaos was indeed commendable. The Hall Master of the Divine Temple was a talent! He was indeed the father of a destined protagonist; neither father nor son were simple. It was just unfortunate that his breakthrough was too hasty and his method not yet perfected, leading to his eventual defeat.
As for the Northern Domain, there had been a minor mishap. They had not expected any existences above the Emperor Realm. However, at the last moment, a ferocious beast comparable to a first-tier Emperor emerged from the extreme northern ice plains! Fortunately, it lacked sentience and was driven only by the instinct for survival. Elder Zhu Rufeng, possessing numerous methods and formidable strength, eventually resolved the threat. The Taiyi disciples remained unharmed, and his sister was naturally safe as well.
After dealing with the two domains, Xuan Sa ordered reinforcements to be sent to the Central Domain. Upon their arrival, they encountered Xuan Lie. They all recognized Xuan Lie as Xu Chuan's spirit beast and thus had no unexpected issues.
"Holy Master, what shall we do next?" A dark guard, who had just entered the Half-Emperor realm, approached Xu Chuan with intense killing intent. His journey to the Western Domain had yielded substantial rewards, with his cultivation skyrocketing to the Half-Emperor realm. This experience had whetted his appetite; conquering other domains was the best way to improve his cultivation!
"The great demons of the Central Domain are eliminated, leaving only scattered remnants. Take a portion of the forces and thoroughly purge the remaining demons and their vestiges."
"As for the others, go and find the local powers in the Central Domain and incorporate them under my Taiyi!"
"If anyone refuses to submit, kill them!"
"I want only one power in the Central Domain, in the Profound Heaven Realm – my Taiyi Holy Land!" Xu Chuan commanded with great spirit.
"Yes, Holy Master!" Upon hearing Xu Chuan's words, the dark guard was exceptionally excited. He had never imagined he would witness such a day. All of this was thanks to the person before him! He looked up at Xu Chuan, his heart filled with reverence.
"Go," Xu Chuan waved his hand.
After the dark guard departed, Xu Chuan gazed into the distance with profound eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
A voice interrupted his musings: "Kid Xu, what is your true strength now?"
It was Xuan Lie, who had silently appeared beside him at some point, asking with curiosity. Even he found it hard to believe. He had only been in seclusion for a while, yet it felt as if the entire world had changed. He could not fathom Xu Chuan's current strength at all! Furthermore, he had heard about Xu Chuan's recent achievements from the Taiyi disciples, which was even more astonishing! It was utterly terrifying! Thus, he could no longer suppress his curiosity and directly inquired about Xu Chuan's current power level.
"It's hard to say," Xu Chuan withdrew his gaze and replied with a smile, shaking his head. In terms of realm, he was only at the peak of the second tier. However, his comprehension of laws and his inner world had reached the third tier. And when he unleashed his various techniques, he could contend with even peak third-tier cultivators. That was why he found it difficult to give a definitive answer.
"This..." Xuan Lie was momentarily speechless. Only Xu Chuan could say something like that. His strength far surpassed his realm, and he himself couldn't explain it clearly. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, dismissed the matter from his mind, and then asked Xu Chuan with anticipation, "Kid Xu, when will you get me an opportunity to reach the Emperor Realm as well?" To be honest, seeing that the Taiyi Holy Land now had four Emperor Realm experts, he was quite envious. Moreover, he had now cultivated to the peak of the Half-Emperor realm, and it was time for him to break through to the first tier of the Emperor Realm.