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On the ancient Asian continent, countless unsuspecting human sorcerers and mages were mercilessly slaughtered by demons.
After several twists and turns—and some brutal interrogations of cowardly and selfish human magic users—the high-ranking demons finally uncovered the hiding place of the human archmages: deep in a remote, forest-covered mountain range.
Last time, they failed to wipe out humanity's magic-users completely. This time, they were determined to finish the job once and for all.
They were sick of chasing down the remnants. If they didn't eliminate the human mages now, they'd just have to do it again in the future.
Meanwhile, the six Demon Lords were keeping close watch on every move across the ancient continent. When they got word that their underlings had located where the human archmages were hiding, they were instantly thrilled.
They had only one target in mind: the eight people whose names matched an old prophecy. As soon as those eight showed up, the Demon Lords would strike.
As for the archmages or great shamans? They didn't even consider them a threat.
But what the Demon Lords didn't know... was that their current actions were stirring something ancient and dangerous.
The Righteous Qi of the world—the very force of balance—was beginning to awaken.
The slaughter of righteous human mages had pushed this power over the edge. Now, it was ready to ignite a war between light and dark, to support Lü Dongbin and his allies, and to overthrow the eternal rule of the demons. A new age was about to begin.
Step by step, the Righteous Qi gathered and grew stronger.
The six Demon Lords hadn't noticed it. Even Shen Du and Daolon Wong, lost in deep cultivation, failed to sense the shift.
But soon... the Righteous Qi would fully awaken.
Somewhere in those forested mountains…
In a grand palace pulsing with powerful righteous energy, eight figures sat at the top: Lü Dongbin and his companions.
Below them, human mages and shamans had gathered, begging for help.
"Immortals!""Please, O Eight Immortals, help us strike down the Demon Lords and end their reign once and for all!""We'll do everything we can to assist you!""Immortals!""…"
The hall echoed with desperate voices.
The Eight sat in silence, their aura now bordering on the laws of heaven and earth—detached, aloof... yet still faintly human.
They had clearly reached the threshold of Demon Lord–level power, though only just. That's why people now referred to them as Immortals.
They had transcended ordinary mortal magic. After Archmage came Deity. After Deity… came Immortal.
Their power was about the same as what the Demon Lords had when they first came into being—not yet at their peak.
But right now, the demons were closing in on human mages and threatening the balance of the Righteous Qi.
The Eight hesitated. Should they act... or wait?
One-on-one, none of them were confident they could beat a Demon Lord yet.
But every mage or shaman that died weakened the Righteous side.
Even though shamans used darker, harsher magic, they hadn't submitted to the demons. They were still on the side of humanity—just walking a different path.
"Immortals, many of our students and disciples have already died! The Demon Lords aren't going to stop!"
"They must be stopped—together!"
"We have to unite and win this time, or we'll never have a voice again!"
"No—we don't just need a win. We need to wipe them out and end this era of demons!"
"…"
The room broke into argument again when the Immortals said nothing.
Then, suddenly—dark clouds rolled in, tainted with streaks of black energy. It was getting closer and closer.
The Eight all sensed it, exchanged looks, and spoke in unison: "The demons are here."
"But… no Demon Lords. Only high-ranking demons," one of them added.
The room went quiet again, all eyes on the Eight, waiting.
Lü Dongbin stood up and said, "Esteemed elders, we ask you to face these incoming high demons."
"If you defeat them, this whole ordeal may come to an end."
"As long as the eight of us don't appear in battle, the Demon Lords won't either."
Everyone hesitated.
One elder, whose very presence seemed heavy with time itself, finally spoke: "Immortals... do you really not have the strength to fight the Demon Lords?"
"Your power has clearly transcended the mortal realm—why won't you act?"
All eyes turned to Lü Dongbin.
He replied calmly, "The black energy is thriving... it's endless."
"Meanwhile, the Righteous Qi is still asleep—it hasn't fully awakened."
"If we fight the Demon Lords now, without the Righteous Qi behind us, we don't stand a chance."
"But..."
"Wait!"
Lü Dongbin was cut off suddenly. The other seven Immortals stirred—each of them feeling a sudden surge of ancient Righteous Qi flowing into their bodies.
"What's going on?" Lü Dongbin asked.
"The world has shifted," one of them said. "The demons have killed too many mages—the Righteous Qi is waking up early!"
"It's flooding us with energy—our power's about to reach its peak!"
"We just need to stay here and focus on absorbing the Qi. In three days, we'll be strong enough to face the Demon Lords head-on!"
It was Iron Crutch Li who explained this, while the others had already entered deep meditation, drawing in the surging power.
"Seriously?!" Lü Dongbin was stunned.
Their calculations had said it would take at least a hundred years for the Righteous Qi to recover.
Even Shen Du, with his near-divine insights, had estimated that the war between Immortals and Demons was still a century away.
But no one had predicted this: that the Demon Lords would trigger the wrath of the world itself by ordering such brutal slaughter.
"That's right," Iron Crutch Li nodded. Then he looked down at the gathered mages and shamans. "All you need to do is protect this palace for three days. After that, the eight of us will be at full strength."
"And that... will be the day we go to war with the Demon Lords."
Excitement lit up the crowd's faces—then quickly faded into worry.
One mage spoke up, "Immortals... we're only archmage-level. We can't hold off that many high demons for three whole days."
The others all agreed. That's why they looked so grim—no one thought they could last even one day.
Seeing their doubt, Lü Dongbin said, "The Righteous Qi of the world will strengthen your magic."
"It'll give you just enough power to hold the line for three days."
"This is the balance between Yin and Yang. Three days from now, if we win, the age of humanity begins."
"If we lose... the world will stay under demon rule."
Hearing that they'd be empowered by the Righteous Qi itself, the crowd turned and rushed out of the palace, ready to fight.
Back inside, the Eight Immortals closed their eyes. Faint glowing bagua symbols appeared on their foreheads as they began absorbing the pure, ancient power flowing through the heavens and earth.
"....."