On the third level of the Demon God Palace, thirteen thrones stood tall. These thirteen thrones were the seats of the thirteen Innate Demon Gods of Eternal Night. Each one was an existence of the Ancient level.
At this moment, only one of the thrones was occupied, where a figure sat, representing the supreme Ancestral Demon of the Blood Moon of the Eye—the Sovereign of the Evil Eye.
Within the mysterious demonic radiance, all that could be seen was a cold, sinister eye faintly flickering within, as though staring straight into one's soul.
Below, on the countless seats, many Demon Gods had already manifested, their bodies shrouded in demonic mist.
Their presence made the entire Demon God Palace terrifying to the extreme. Yi Tianxie was also among them and could naturally feel the formless pressure radiating from the Sovereign of the Evil Eye. It was a suppression born of absolute strength.
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye's position at the peak of Eternal Night was not undeserved.
Yi Tianxie dared not make any move here. If he were noticed, revealing the slightest flaw, the consequences would be unimaginable. That would be a loss outweighing any gain. To quietly lurk here was the greatest success.
"Fellow demons, the Demon Calamity has lasted for decades. The fusion of laws between the Eternal Night and the Eternal World grows faster and more intimate by the day. The trend of the two realms merging is now irreversible. According to information, the Eternal World is about to open a trial for its prodigies—the Chaos Ladder. Once one climbs to the peak of the Ladder, one can surely prove the Dao of Hunyuan and become a top-tier powerhouse. This trial is bound to be vast in scale, containing even the legacy of Pangu. What are your thoughts?"
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye spoke slowly.
When the name "Pangu" was mentioned, his voice paused slightly. Clearly, even in his heart, that name carried immense weight.
"The Eternal World is attempting to cultivate a new generation of prodigies in the shortest possible time, to ensure their heritage remains unbroken, even to seize the initiative during the fusion of the two realms. But if they have prodigies, do we of Eternal Night not also? This seat proposes that Eternal Night also holds a trial. Has the Abyss Trial not been unopened for too long? Why not directly open it now, and give our young demon spawn a chance at fortune and creation? Whether they emerge victorious will depend on their own abilities."
The Lord of Darkness, Dormammu, sneered as he spoke.
"No. In my opinion, it would be better to place the trial directly in the Eternal World—on their Chaos Ladder itself. With Pangu's legacy present, let our young demons fight for it. If we seize a portion, that means they lose one. The key is ensuring that our Eternal Night prodigies enjoy equal treatment on the Chaos Ladder, without suffering deliberate suppression."
A great sage of the Wisdom Clan laughed.
Rather than training behind closed doors, it was better to clash directly with their rivals in a true prodigy-level confrontation—victors live, losers perish, no other choice. If Eternal Night triumphed, it would slaughter ninety percent of the Eternal World's prodigies, causing a generational collapse, breaking their continuity. That would be the best way to cripple the Eternal World's vitality. And one had to believe—Eternal Night's prodigies outnumbered theirs and possessed stronger cultivation and combat power.
If they clashed, Eternal Night would surely hold the advantage.
With equal conditions, bathing the Eternal World in rivers of blood would be no problem.
The question was how to create such conditions—how to make the Eternal World accept such a prodigy war.
That was obviously no easy task.
"To achieve this is not difficult. So long as the Eternal Heavenly Dao acknowledges it, everything is possible. The premise is convincing the Eternal Heavenly Dao."
A Demon God of the Succubus Clan laughed lightly.
There was nothing that could not be negotiated. If it failed, it only meant the price offered was insufficient. As long as enough benefits were laid on the table, even the Eternal Heavenly Dao could not refuse. Moreover, it would be a fair contest.
Soon, other Demon Gods spoke one after another, clearly supporting this idea. What fun was there in a closed trial? The true excitement lay in fighting evenly matched opponents. Only in bloodshed could one grow, only in slaughter could one shine.
"Very well. Since this is the case, let us add fuel to the fire. This trial shall be considered a confrontation between Eternal Night and the Eternal World, a contest between the two realms. No matter the outcome, Eternal Night must not lose face. After you depart, inform the young prodigies of your clans—they will either bring glory to Eternal Night, or die upon the Chaos Ladder."
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye declared decisively.
Such was the cruelty of Eternal Night.
Slaughter and death were ever-present companions.
Even death was not necessarily the end.
"According to the message from the Demon Mother, the mighty ones of the previous epoch, who were banished together with many great powers of the Eternal World into the Endless Time and Space, are about to begin returning. Within the next hundred years, they will reappear. Once they return, a great war will inevitably erupt. It will be the continuation of the two realms' war. Preparations must be made to welcome the return of our Eternal Night powerhouses, and also to block the return of Eternal powerhouses."
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye threw out another topic.
"The ancient powerhouses of the previous epoch are about to return? Excellent! Once they come back, this epoch will once again see us hold absolute advantage."
"Yes! If not for those lunatics of the Eternal World, who in desperation used the method of banishing into Endless Time and Space, that war should have been ours to win. How could it have dragged on into this epoch?"
"Their old cultivators may return, but this time we will make them pay blood for blood. They will see the true terror of Eternal Night. Even if they return, they cannot alter the inevitable. The fusion of the two realms is fated. Eternal Night will reign supreme."
The eyes of many Demon Gods gleamed with intense battle intent. Some licked their lips, savoring the imagined taste of blood.
The war of the last epoch was an eternal scar in the hearts of Eternal Night. None had expected that another world would dare invade Eternal Night itself. That war had caused devastation unprecedented in scale. Entire races of Eternal Night had been annihilated. Eternal Heaven Ark swept through their lands like gods and buddhas slaying indiscriminately. If not for the Heavenly Demon God Weapons and the Demon God Battlefortresses holding the line, the casualties would have been even greater, the destruction even worse.
That battle had been unspeakably tragic.
Fortunately, Eternal Night possessed deep foundations. Once they reacted, they launched a counterattack, and the war dragged on for tens of thousands of years. Yet during the struggle, the Eternal World inexplicably went mad, suddenly unleashing a method of mutual destruction, banishing countless Eternal Night powerhouses into the Endless Time and Space. There, they lost all direction.
Were it not for that, the war would never have lasted into this epoch. It would have long since ended.
Those banished, however, were not truly lost forever. The Abyssal Demon Mother was guiding them back, and the Eternal Green(Azure) Lotus was likewise summoning its people. By calculation, their return times would nearly coincide. Whoever returned first would hold the innate advantage, perhaps even intercepting the other side.
"According to the Demon Mother, the place of return will be on the Eternal Night Battlefield and the God-Demon Battlefield. These two battlefields are connected, a buffer zone between Eternal and Eternal Night. When the return occurs, they may appear in either battlefield. Moreover, this return is only the first batch. According to the Demon Mother, there will be nine waves in total. With each wave, the intensity of the war will escalate. Preparations must be made. The Eternal Ark of the Eternal World are no easy foes."
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye spoke solemnly.
Nine waves—but how many would return in the first, and of what level, no one knew. Yet war was inevitable.
The key now was which side would return first.
"Eternal Ark ?"
Many Demon Gods' faces changed, none looking pleased.
The Eternal Ark of that era had left indelible scars in their memories.
The terrifying Mechanical God-Emperor, commanding a mechanical divine city, with endless mechanical soldiers who feared not death, clashed with the Zerg until rivers of blood flowed. The sight was so horrific that even recalling it now induced nightmares.
Every unique Eternal Ark had created immense trouble.
Who did not feel endless headaches?
To destroy even one Eternal Ark required an immense and tragic price.
Now, to face them once more naturally stirred a formless pressure within their hearts.
"They are madmen."
"Yes. You know of this matter now. When the time comes, be prepared. Welcome the return of our Eternal Night powerhouses, and if possible, intercept the return of the Eternal powerhouses. If you can destroy even one Eternal Ark , do so. The existence of even a single one is a colossal threat."
The Sovereign of the Evil Eye nodded and said.
Then, he declared the council adjourned, and his figure vanished into thin air.
The other Demon Gods also dispersed, concealing themselves once more.
Yi Tianxie witnessed everything, vanishing along with them, flowing with the tide.
…
Returning to the Hall of Myriad Demons, Yi Tianxie's eyes flickered with light, countless thoughts clashing in his mind. A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips as he muttered:
"This is interesting. The unfinished war of the last epoch, exile into Endless Time and Space, now summoning them back—this will be a continuation of that war, a renewed struggle of life and death. This epoch will be fraught with peril. The younger generation of the Eternal World will likely have little time to grow. Once the war erupts fully, there will be no time left for them."
"No wonder… No wonder this epoch has the Path of the Fate Dynasty as the mainstream Dao. No wonder the Fate Dynasty suppresses all. It is preparation for this unfinished war."
Within a Fate Dynasty, cultivation was easier.
Blessed by destiny, one's progress could be multiplied dozens or even hundreds of times. One year was like a hundred years. A hundred years like a thousand or ten thousand years of cultivation.
It was the ultimate way to allow one to grow in the shortest possible time.