After the exchange among the Nine Heavenly Dao Sovereigns, they each dispersed, returning to their respective worlds.
The Demon (Gray/Motian) Heaven Dao Sovereign returned to his own domain—the Heavenly Demon Realm—a world born with the Nine Sovereigns, a domain where he alone reigned supreme. Within it, any outsider, even those of equal cultivation, would find themselves heavily suppressed.
At the very heart of the Heavenly Demon Realm stood a towering, ancient demonic mountain. Atop it sat a vast and oppressive palace, above which massive characters shone brightly: "Ancestral Demon Hall."
This was both the Dao Sovereign's residence and Dao venue, and the core of the entire realm.
It contained a primordial ancestral vein, an endless source of heaven-and-earth energy that nourished the entire Heavenly Demon Realm. This was the source, the origin, the beating heart of everything here.
Standing before the Ancestral Demon Hall, Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign gazed into the void.
There, suspended in the sky, were countless thick, blood-vessel-like tubes descending from nothingness, each one connected to a massive black cocoon.
They looked disturbingly like umbilical cords, and together resembled a horrifying cluster of wombs.
Each cocoon was at least hundreds of meters in size, some reaching thousands or even tens of thousands. Though black, faint multicolored lights shimmered within, pulsing like a giant heartbeat, reverberating through the realm like thunder.
These cocoons contained terrifying auras. Even from afar, they exuded overwhelming waves of desire, madness, evil, and darkness—anyone who drew close could be swallowed by a pit of depravity and corruption.
"Soon… very soon, they will be born.
These will be my greatest weapons to dominate the Eternal World.
Whoever dares challenge me will pay the ultimate price.
Great Yi will be the first."
"No one can stop me. I am Demon, and the Demon shall walk the world.
Once these Heavenly Demons emerge, all races will understand who the true master is."
His eyes narrowed.
Those massive cocoons… were demonic fetuses, each gestating an ultimate Heavenly Demon.
They absorbed immense negative energies from across the Eternal World—desires, hatred, envy, lust, fear—and converted them into nourishment.
Once born, these Heavenly Demons would possess terrifying abilities: during tribulations, they could induce Heart Demons, tempt cultivators into collapse, and drastically reduce breakthrough rates. Deaths would skyrocket.
This was Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign's way of spreading his influence and authority—seeding despair into the very fabric of cultivation itself.
But he wasn't the only one.
Other Sovereigns were cultivating their own core forces too.
Sovereign (white/Huangtian) Heaven Dao Sovereign was raising the Yellow Turban Giants.
Blood (red) Heaven Dao Sovereign was nurturing Blood Asuras.
Evil (Blue) Heaven Dao Sovereign was birthing the terrifying Evil-Eyed Demons.
Each force was a direct projection of their Dao will.
As Dao Sovereigns, they couldn't afford to act directly—doing so would tarnish their prestige. Having loyal and terrifying forces under their command was crucial to maintaining their power and face.
And not only the sky was strange—the ground of the Heavenly Demon Realm was also terrifying.
It wasn't a lack of energy—the realm's demonic qi was thicker and more potent than any blessed land—but the climate and terrain were harsh to the extreme.
There were lava flows, continuous natural disasters, and other phenomena that made the land unlivable. Even approaching it without protection would result in certain death.
No ordinary life forms existed here.
Only one thing: insects. Millions, perhaps billions of them.
They were grotesque, crawling like insects from a filthy cesspit—but different.
They were pitch-black, with some sprouting eyes, mouths, noses, or ears, some bearing all five senses, others shaped like beasts or birds. Each emitted a demonic aura nearly indistinguishable from true Heavenly Demons.
These were the Heavenly Demon Worms.
They constantly devoured nearby kin and absorbed negative emotions, growing rapidly, undergoing strange mutations.
Their evolution could be tracked by their features:
Eyes gave them vision-related abilities—some could see hidden truths, others gaze into one's soul.
Those who developed complete bodies could transform into true demons—whether Eye Demons, Soul-Eaters, or something worse was left to fate and intent.
The Heavenly Demon Worms were the primordial root of all demon kinds.
It wouldn't be strange if any monstrous species had originally evolved from them.
They were continuously born from the void, their source being the negative forces of the Eternal World.
And only the Heavenly Demon Realm, with its unique rules, could foster such entities.
There was no doubt—given time, these worms would evolve into the most terrifying demonic army ever seen.
They would sweep the world.
"Soon… they'll be born,"murmured Demon Heaven Dao Sovereign, staring deep into the void.
The demonic fetuses and demon worms—these were his two foundational pillars.
Once matured, they would become the embodiment of his will.
Meanwhile…
Outside the Iron-Blood Great Wall, a seven-colored rainbow beam tore across the skies.
A massive army materialized.
A fleet of skyships hovered behind them—specifically, red-colored warships, belonging to the Red Legion of the Seven-Colored Army.
A full one million soldiers had arrived, accompanied by one hundred crimson skyships.
At the forefront stood their commander—Gan Ning—atop the flagship.
Two flags fluttered on his warship:
One was the Mountain-River Ten-Thousand-Dragon Flag, the national flag of Great Yi. It showed countless unique dragons soaring among vast rivers and mountains—each exuding imperial might. Wherever the dragons flew, it marked the land of Great Yi.
The second was the Crimson Cloud Banner of the Red Legion, derived from the Iron-Blood Battle Flag, capable of forging battle souls and morale.
"So this is the Caribbean Sea Region," Gan Ning muttered as he surveyed the fog-covered waters ahead.
Behind him, the Iron-Blood Great Wall towered; before him stretched endless waters shrouded in mist.
This mist didn't block vision completely, but it significantly reduced visibility—especially for ordinary creatures.
This unique geography made it a perfect breeding ground for pirates.
"Commander, our luck's been great! All those legions drawing lots—and we're the ones who got picked to lead the Caribbean campaign!"
"This is our big chance! Crush pirates, earn merit, and exchange it for resources. We'll come out of this far stronger!"
The excited speaker was Zhou Dahai, Gan Ning's vice-commander—a talented warrior from the civilian ranks, well-decorated in past battles. The mention of war always set him alight with excitement.
In Great Yi, war meant merit. And merit meant future advancement.
The Red Legion had drawn the lot over many other jealous legions—so they had no intention of wasting the opportunity.
"Indeed. Our mission is not just pirate extermination, but to plant the banner of Great Yi across the entire Caribbean Sea."
"Before we left, the Lord of War personally gave me instructions: destroy the pirate threat, map the entire region, and plant seeds of influence on every island."
"In time, the Caribbean Sea shall become Great Yi territory."
Gan Ning's gaze burned with passion.
Great Yi was never content with just Hanhai Domain. It was currently consolidating, but once it finished, expansion would resume—swiftly and unstoppably.
The Caribbean was merely the next target.
Their expedition was the vanguard of this campaign.
The responsibility on their shoulders was immense.
"Advance!"
With that single command, the hundred crimson warships began sailing out onto the waters.
They didn't fly—they skimmed the ocean surface, cutting through waves at astonishing speed.
The flagship led the way, forming a triangular wedge formation—ready to respond to any surprise attack.
Their vigilance remained razor-sharp.
This was unfamiliar territory, swarming with pirates and sea monsters—creatures born from the corrupted essence of the sea and fed by strange energy, making them dangerous and unpredictable.
This was not Great Yi's territory—not yet.
But it would be.
Soon.