Xue Sha outlined his plan.
Soon, the group cast their votes of approval.
The demon realm was internally harmonious, and their attempts to infiltrate it had repeatedly failed.
The demon realm's summons were their only chance.
Just then, good news arrived from the Crimson Serpent Sword.
Excellent.
"Crimson Serpent, you handle this," Xue Sha decreed, setting the tone. "Crimson Serpent, you must gauge the situation carefully."
"I understand."
The figures slowly dispersed.
The next day, the Sword Master, left with no other choice, headed to the Hell Yang Realm.
"Sword Master, why are we..." The Seventh-Tier Great Emperors, traveling through the chaos, were puzzled.
Their objective was to thwart the demon realm's plan.
They absolutely could not let the demon realm breach the Thunder Domain.
However... they couldn't understand why the Sword Master would follow another's command.
"I know what you're thinking," the Sword Master said with a smile. "Isn't this exciting?"
"I've been a Realm Master for too long, suppressing my own desires for too long. I feel... it's not bad to be assigned tasks by others."
This was his truest sentiment.
As the Sword Master, he was accustomed to giving orders.
But who knew that the Sword Master's greatest dream was to be a free and unfettered swordsman, unbound by any constraints?
To roam the chaos, no longer making decisions.
That path was now within reach.
As long as he resolved the demon realm's threat and secured a path for the Sword Realm's survival, he could leave freely.
From then on, he would wander the chaos at his leisure.
"The demon realm, haha..." The Sword Master burst into laughter, already envisioning his free future.
Though the three following him were bewildered, they could only comply.
Whatever the Sword Master did, they would willingly follow.
...
Ten days later, Chen Fan and the Sword Master met in the Hell Yang Realm.
Chen Fan: "..."
Sword Master: "..."
They met each other's gaze, both rendered speechless.
That fellow, the Dragon King, disregarding the life and death of the Thunder Domain, had rushed north to join the war.
They were left, the two factions, to toil for the Thunder Domain's survival.
"Want to curse someone?" Seeing the Sword Master, Chen Fan could hold back no longer.
He almost burst out laughing.
After going in circles, the two groups had met again.
"That bastard Dragon King," the Sword Master truly cursed. He was furious. Utterly enraged.
"Alas." Chen Fan also sighed helplessly. "It's good that you're here. I don't have many helpers, and I'm stretched thin trying to accomplish things."
"What do you want to do?" the Sword Master asked.
"Of course, to pull a fast one on the demon realm," Chen Fan replied, as if it were obvious. "But we can't cripple the demon realm too badly. The Five Realms Alliance isn't exactly benevolent. If they become the dominant force in the east, the Thunder Domain will certainly be their next target."
The Thunder Domain *must* be attacked. The question was, would it be by the Five Realms Alliance or the demon realm?
There was a delicate balance to be struck. Mutual destruction was the best outcome.
"By the way," Chen Fan asked from the back of the Great Demon, "how many Eighth-Tier existences does the Five Realms Alliance have?"
"I don't know," the Sword Master shook his head. "I'm only on good terms with the Crimson Serpent Sword Master."
"The Crimson Serpent Realm has four Eighth-Tier existences, all powerful Sword Emperors."
That was formidable. Chen Fan nodded. "If we divide the number of Eighth-Tier existences in the Five Realms Alliance equally, each realm would have at least four, totaling twenty. And the demon realm alone has over ten Eighth-Tier existences."
"Alas..." The numbers were despairing. Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh, "This is the strength of the Outer Realms."
It was truly a cause for reflection. The Thunder Domain, in its years of self-imposed isolation, had only produced four Eighth-Tier existences. Of course, it wasn't always like this a million years ago.
"What do we do?" The Sword Master no longer wanted to make the decisions.
Chen Fan: "..." I don't know either. He wanted to say it, but he couldn't.
After a moment's thought, he said, "We can only push the trouble onto the Five Realms Alliance, but we are surely under surveillance now." This was inevitable.
"So..." Chen Fan pondered for a moment, then said, "We'll find an opportunity."
"Alright." The demon realm was too powerful. There was no other way.
And that didn't even include the demon realm's subordinate forces. Of the more than ten Great Worlds in the east, at least half had likely pledged allegiance, openly or secretly. Especially the neutral worlds.
...
Time trickled by.
The month-long deadline arrived.
The Hell Yang Realm had been bustling in recent days. Besides the two Eighth-Tier existences, the Sword Master and Lie Tian, another Eighth-Tier arrived.
"Drilling Sky Rat?" With just a glance, Chen Fan confirmed the identity of this Eighth-Tier. It wasn't a chaotic beast, but a monstrous beast. An Eighth-Tier Drilling Sky Rat, from the same race as Tian Zai.
"I never expected this," Chen Fan mused. "To actually encounter a fellow tribesman of Tian Zai, tsk tsk..." It was truly astonishing.
Beside him, Old Demon Chu chuckled, "If Tian Zai met him, wouldn't he grovel and call him ancestor?" This was purely Old Demon Chu's dark humor.
*Shua.* Perhaps sensing the jesting gazes, Emperor Drilling Sky turned his head and looked in the direction of Chen Fan and the others. A flicker of displeased killing intent appeared in his beady eyes.
"Hmph." Lie Tian snorted coldly, meeting Emperor Drilling Sky's gaze. Their eyes locked, as if generating lightning.
"Heh." The Drilling Sky Rat grinned, but the smile was filled with a chilling malice. The Drilling Sky Rat had already harbored killing intent due to a mere glance.
"Unconvinced?" Lie Tian, naturally sensing the killing intent, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, challenged, "If you're unconvinced, come out of the realm and fight. I'll crush a mere wild beast." Lie Tian's words were indeed sharp; he called the dignified Eighth-Tier Drilling Sky Rat a "wild beast."
*Boom.* Killing intent erupted from Emperor Drilling Sky's body.
"Hahaha." At this moment, a soft laughter echoed. Emperor Hao Yu arrived, standing between Lie Tian and Emperor Drilling Sky with a smile. "You two are quite early. Let's go, the demon realm's people will be here soon." He skillfully diffused the tension between them without anyone noticing.
*Qiang.* A sword's hum resounded. The Sword Master had arrived. The fact that Lie Tian and the Sword Master knew each other had not been kept secret. Emperor Hao Yu also knew they were acquainted.
"Jie jie." Emperor Drilling Sky gave a sinister chuckle and withdrew his gaze. Lie Tian remained unfazed. His earlier words were not casual; he truly thought of him as a little beast. Not calling him a rat was already being generous.
The four Eighth-Tier Great Emperors swiftly moved towards Emperor Yang's Imperial Palace. Moments later, they arrived. The area before the Imperial Palace was already teeming with people. A group of Heavenly Emperors stood casually on the plaza, conversing. At the forefront stood over ten Seventh-Tier Great Emperors. The Seventh-Tier Great Emperors were arrogant, disdaining to mingle with Heavenly Emperors. However, when Chen Fan and Emperor Hao Yu arrived with their entourage, the ten-odd Seventh-Tier Great Emperors immediately lowered their heads. In the presence of Eighth-Tier existences, Seventh-Tiers were insignificant.
*Dong.* The Imperial Palace trembled, and Emperor Yang emerged. He then boomed, "Emissaries of the demon realm, please descend." The dignified Eighth-Tier used the word "please."
*Boom.* The realm gate opened, and a monstrous demonic energy surged forth.
"Heh." Behind Lie Tian, Old Demon Chu licked his lips. The Great Dao within him stirred restlessly. Fortunately, Old Demon Chu managed to suppress it in time, preventing it from being detected.
"Hahaha." Hearty laughter echoed through heaven and earth. "Emperor Yang, long time no see." A familiar figure emerged. Emperor Yang's eyes immediately blazed with divine light. "It's Emperor Wan Mo?" The person who had arrived was none other than the demon realm's second-in-command, Emperor Wan Mo, second only to the Demon Lord.