The shattering of the demon realm's barrier would lead to the fusion of its heavenly laws with those of the human realm years later, with one of the lesser heavenly laws disappearing.
If this fusion were the end of it, it might have been acceptable. However, human cultivators would later extensively exploit the demon realm. Decades after that, the demon realm too would face resource depletion, be utterly mined out, and head towards destruction. The fused new heavenly laws and the new world would also perish. Human cultivators would then begin to use technology and magic to search for the next world with abundant resources capable of sustaining life and development.
We now arrive at the day when the Demon King Bai Li's ascension failed, leaving him severely injured, and the day the human realm broke the demon realm's barrier."
Luo Yunshi pondered for a moment. "According to your words, the demon realm is currently heading towards an apocalypse, and the human realm has already fallen into one. Am I understanding this correctly?"
"Yes, that's right," System Xiao Qi nodded.
"Then, if we had arrived in the human realm's apocalypse earlier and resolved it, perhaps the demon realm's apocalypse would not have happened," Luo Yunshi analyzed.
"Yes, Host, you are correct. However, perhaps for some reason, that apocalypse was not assigned to us."
Luo Yunshi nodded. "For now, we can only let nature take its course. As long as we open our shop in the demon realm, allow the Demon King to heal in the medical clinic, and have our subordinates diligently cultivate, we might be able to reinforce the demon realm's barrier. Merit should be obtained. However, plans are subject to change, so we'll act as circumstances dictate. By the way, at what time did the human realm break the barrier?"
System Xiao Qi carefully reviewed the plot again before replying. "It was past 8 PM."
"Alright, let's rest for the night and initiate the demon realm's apocalypse. We'll close the shop temporarily and reopen tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Host. The demon realm's apocalypse has been initiated."
Luo Yunshi glanced around. The Lucky Come Shop in the demon realm had not yet been established, so she felt at ease. Before sleeping, she inquired about her parents.
"How are my parents doing?"
System Xiao Qi paused for a moment before replying.
"The flow of time is different there compared to here. Number 0520 has already taken your parents to their second world to complete a mission.
They are not long into their second mission, currently posing as a young couple in the 1970s, with a host of difficult relatives. Although life is a bit hard, fortunately, you provided them with a lot of food, so for now, things are manageable. Mother Luo excels at putting down troublesome relatives, and Father Luo cooperates with her. Their relationship is very good.
They told you not to worry about them, to focus on your cultivation. When your system reaches its maximum level and you can travel to various worlds, you can find them in the worlds where they are completing their missions."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yunshi's heart was put at ease, and she slept soundly.
...
The Demon Realm.
"When I ascend, whether successful or not, the next Demon King will be Bai Qian," a male voice declared.
All the demons lowered their heads upon hearing this.
"Bai Li! Are you truly going to ascend? Our demon race's tribulation by lightning is already a matter of nine deaths out of ten. Have you not considered it further? In severe cases, you could be utterly annihilated. The previous Demon King died because he could not overcome the lightning tribulation," a white tiger walked over and asked with some agitation.
Bai Li nodded faintly, his gaze resolute, and answered word by word, "That's right! My strength has reached the point where I must ascend. I don't want to suppress my cultivation like other demons until my lifespan is exhausted and I perish. I wish to ascend and become an immortal. Even if I fail, I accept it. My good brother, I hope you will not stop me."
After hearing Bai Li's words, all the demons fell silent for a while.
Bai Li did not wait for their reaction and vanished directly.
Seeing this, the demons sighed collectively.
"Let's go, we'll go together to witness the Demon King's ascension tribulation. Perhaps the Demon King will succeed," a tiger demon said.
Everyone agreed.
They left the Demon King's cave dwelling and gathered at the site of the Demon King's ascension.
At this spot, on an extremely vast and open mountain plain, a handsome man transformed from human form into his beast form. He became a white cat, two meters large, lying on the ground, awaiting the arrival of the ascension lightning tribulation.
This cat was none other than the Demon King Bai Li.
Within Bai Li's purple, glazed cat pupils was an unprecedented seriousness. A dense aura of power emanated from him, as if he were the only one in the entire world. He harbored a single conviction: to ascend to immortality.
Bai Li looked up at the sky.
The sky was covered in dark clouds, the wind raged, and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
The scale of this lightning tribulation was vastly different from that of human cultivators. Perhaps because demonic beasts had stronger defenses than human cultivators, the power of the lightning tribulation was even more terrifying, and ascension more difficult.
With a deafening "boom."
The lightning tribulation struck suddenly. Before the demons could react, they saw Bai Li, engulfed in flames, floating in the air before instantly crashing to the ground. A large crater was formed on the earth. Bai Li's white fur was scorched, and his flesh was mangled. Yet, Bai Li maintained an unyielding, upright posture, his claws clenched tightly, refusing to let his subordinates witness the immense pain he was enduring.
Boom!
The lightning tribulation came wave after wave, continuously bombarding Bai Li's body. As each attack landed on Bai Li, he uttered no sound, gritting his teeth and enduring the tearing pain that coursed through him, constantly resisting the lightning with his own spiritual power.
There were a total of eighty-one bolts of lightning. By the time the seventy-fifth bolt struck, after half an hour, Bai Li could no longer hold on. His entire body was blackened and without a single intact spot; his aura was weak.
Was he going to die? Had he ultimately failed to overcome the lightning tribulation? No, he had to persevere.
Boom! Boom! After four more bolts, only the last two remained.
"Demon King..."
The demons were stunned by the sight of their Demon King.
"Save him! The Demon King is about to perish..."
"We can't. The lightning tribulation isn't over yet. We can't go over there; it will only intensify the Demon King's tribulation and bring no benefit. There are only two more bolts left. We can only hope he holds on."
The demons anxiously milled about, but they were powerless. The range of the lightning tribulation was too vast. They could only watch helplessly as the lightning continuously struck Bai Li's body.
The lightning tribulation grew stronger, and the oppressive pressure intensified. The demons felt that no matter how high their cultivation, they were merely ants in this world, insignificant. Under the pressure, they felt an inability to break through their limits and ascend to the upper realm. The feeling was so overwhelming it nearly suffocated them.
However, as another bolt struck, leaving only the final one, Bai Li still could not endure. He fainted, his aura extremely weak, and his cultivation regressed by a major stage.
"Quick, save the Demon King!"
"Bai Li, don't fall asleep. I'll take you to Uncle Crane," a tiger gently picked up the Demon King, who had shrunk to the size of a palm and was now a blackened little cat, and sped away into the distance.