Please Step into the Vat

Return to Antiquity Corridor.

Thousands of streams of light surged into it, revealing the true appearances of various cultivators. They stood in groups of three or five, or by the dozens, waiting quietly on the starlit path, exuding an unprecedented will to fight.

Even though they were all human cultivators, they were clearly divided into different factions based on personal relationships and backgrounds. They had gathered here for the great cause of slaughtering demons, everyone wearing solemn expressions and displaying extraordinary righteousness.

After waiting quietly for a few breaths, a spatial ripple spread out.

Long Tian, holding a longsword, stepped out steadily. He looked around at the crowd and spoke in a deep voice.

"Everyone."

"Thank you for coming to assist. Today, we will start from the nearest stronghold and eradicate this hateful and brutal alien race. To protect the peace of the entire galaxy, we will not hesitate to pay any price!"

"Shortly, as the Star Master, I will lead you all to set out and attack the nearest Water Cold Star stronghold first..."

After some grand words, the entire audience raised their arms and shouted.

Most of the cultivators did not know the truth. They had recently heard of the Star Master's prestige and already had some respect for him. Hearing that they were going to attack the demon race now, their blood boiled with excitement and their eyes were filled with reverence.

In the middle of the crowd.

The people from the Shadow Island also cooperated with the atmosphere, occasionally shouting a few words, their acting skills quite commendable.

They already knew the truth, so naturally, they wouldn't be too invested, nor would they care about what Long Tian said or did. At most, they were just playing along, taking advantage of the current leisure to secretly transmit messages to each other.

Among them, Xiong Fen and his son were particularly skilled in their acting.

Their faces bore a resolute expression of going to a heroic death for a righteous cause, but their voice transmissions were blooming with laughter.

"Tsk tsk, this demon kid has a good way with words. He really is full of tricks, one after another."

"Yeah, he does have some potential to be a leader, but he's still a bit green."

"Father is absolutely right. He's just spouting nonsense and hasn't completely mobilized everyone's emotions. At first glance, you can tell he doesn't understand the Great Dao of Involuted Competition. Compared to us wearing white hats, he still has a long way to go!"

"Hehe, he's already considered not bad. The people who come out of our Shadow Island are not something the outside world can compare to!"

The voice transmissions spread within a radius of about ten feet, and the people of the Shadow Island all wore calm smiles.

Listening to the various remarks and feeling the passionate shouts echoing in the Return to Antiquity Corridor, Jiang Yuan and the others were also deeply moved, a hint of sighing flashing in their eyes.

Over the past few days.

They had completely recovered their cultivation. Coming here this time was not only to complete the mission but also to fulfill their own wish of slaying demons.

After resting on the Shadow Island for a few days, the bodies, minds, and perceptions of these older seniors had undergone tremendous changes.

They quietly echoed in voice transmissions, their expressions peaceful.

"Indeed, everything is just as Manager Xiong said."

"Yes, even if the personal disciples don't make a move this time, as long as this Long Tian proceeds steadily and strikes surely, destroying the demon strongholds one by one will definitely be as easy as pie."

"That's natural. With Master Lu and everyone holding the line, there shouldn't be any major problems. Let that demon kid be smug for a few breaths; we just need to play our parts well in this play."

"We will definitely do our utmost and do everything within our power!"

The more the few old men spoke, the more composed they became. Their attitudes became extremely humble, no longer thinking as highly of themselves as before.

Jiang Yuan was even more low-key and humble, nodding continuously and sighing in his voice transmission.

"What you fellow Daoists say is true."

"It wasn't until today that this old man realized how shallow we were before. If not for experiencing it personally, it would be truly hard to imagine that the demon race is nothing more than a chess piece in the grand scheme."

"The Shadow Island is truly a supreme place, profound and unfathomable. With our cultivation, we can only come to assist and do our meager part."

Just as everyone was sighing with emotion.

Long Tian had also finished his passionate mobilization speech. He waved his large hand, his eyes full of domineering aura!

"Everyone!"

"Shortly, we will act according to my plan and set off to catch the demon race off guard! Eradicating the demons is imperative!"

Saying that, Long Tian proudly waved his sleeve and led the crowd to tear through the void.

As the Star Master, he naturally was the first to step into it. His steadily advancing back exuded the full aura of a superior, making many cultivators revere him even more from afar.

For a time, shouts full of fighting spirit echoed in the sea of stars!

"Eradicating the demons is imperative!"

However.

The high-spiritedness Long Tian displayed at this moment fell into the eyes of the Shadow Island crowd, but it seemed somewhat comical and ignorant, like a child being flattered, blindly confident without knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.

Fortunately, this guy was finally going to lead the way to attack the demon race, and the heaven-concealing net was about to tighten. Everyone just played along with the atmosphere and shouted a few phrases, then stepped into the void one after another.

This operation was as swift as rushing thunder, completely catching the various demon strongholds off guard.

Coupled with the strong reinforcements from the Shadow Island mixing in to help, wherever they passed was naturally crushed like dry weeds and rotten wood. Not only did Long Tian watch with burning eyes, but even the uninformed Cloud Star cultivators continuously gasped in astonishment.

In less than a day.

Over ten demon strongholds, large and small, had been annihilated, and tens of thousands of various demons were slain!

Such casualties could be considered unprecedented.

Soon.

This terrifying battle had already spread to the Demon Capital. In the Black Tower Demon Palace, the demons gathered, constantly whispering to each other.

The high and mighty Demon Venerable, after a few breaths of silence, also praised continuously.

"Good, very good."

"Long Tian truly has good methods to actually incite so many human experts to make a move. For him to be able to do this is enough to show that he has completely gained the trust of the humans. He is now the veritable Cloud Star Master!"

"If it does not exceed my expectations, the cultivator army making a move this time is definitely the humans' strongest foundation. As long as we beat them at their own game and wipe out these human cultivators in one fell swoop, from now on, the entire galaxy will no longer have the strength to resist."

"Complete success is right before our eyes!"

As soon as these words came out, the demons successively stepped forward, cupping their fists in admiration, and the sounds of flattery and sycophancy were endless!

"Your Excellency is wise!"

"I didn't expect the humans to actually hide a bit of decent combat power. Looking back now, Young Master Long Tian's grand plan was indeed very necessary. If he hadn't endured humiliation to gain the humans' trust, we might not have been able to easily wipe out the humans in one fell swoop."

"Yes, who would have thought that Cloud Star actually had something to it! If we had led our forces to attack without knowing the situation, I'm afraid there really would have been no small amount of casualties. Young Master Long Tian is truly far-sighted!"

"Young Master Long Tian's resourcefulness is truly not something we can compare to. It's still Your Excellency who teaches well!"

"That's right, Your Excellency's wisdom is truly rare in all ages. Not to mention that we absolutely cannot match it, even compared to Young Master Long Tian, he is but the light of a firefly. All plans are within Your Excellency's expectations!"

"For our race to be led by Your Excellency and have a rising star like Young Master Long Tian, dominating the universe is just around the corner!"

The demons excitedly paid their respects, their eyes filled with admiration!

The high-seated Demon Venerable received unprecedented reverence. His dark facial contours also rarely revealed a look of enjoyment.

Hearing the heaven-shaking shouts in the main hall, he couldn't help but enjoy the faint joy of impending victory.

A few breaths later.

The Demon Venerable finally slowly waved his hand, putting away his smile and giving an order in a deep voice.

"Everyone, there is no need for such formalities."

"Long Tian performed well this time, and the various races cooperated extremely cleverly. I will absolutely not forget your respective contributions."

"We are now at a crucial stage. None of you must let your guard down. Later, dispatch the elites of your respective clans to wait for those ignorant humans to come, and make sure to catch them all in one fell swoop! As for the vicinity of the Demon Capital, there is no need to deploy heavy troops today. We will simply wait for Long Tian to lead his followers right into our net!"

"This is a common tactic used by humans: inviting the target into the urn. Today, we shall give them a taste of their own medicine!"

"In the upcoming battle, our clan's elites will wait for them to deliver themselves to our door. Whether in terms of individual strength or sheer numbers, we far surpass those mere humans. We already hold the absolute advantage. Our domination of this galaxy begins today!"

The gathered demons cupped their fists upon hearing this, their eyes shining with absolute confidence!

"Brilliant, My Lord!"

At this moment.

Whether it was the leaders harboring their own ulterior motives or the gloomy and shrewd High Priest, all were thoroughly convinced by the profound wisdom of the Demon Lord. As they solemnly agreed to prepare for battle, they already began to envision a beautiful future of ruling the universe.

As for the mere cultivators of the Cloud Star, they were nothing more than a bunch of ants walking right into a trap.

Even before the battle began, the demons already had victory in their grasp!

Following the Demon Lord's orders, the entire Demon Capital became busy. Various auras concealed themselves deep within the darkness, creating a calm that resembled the silence before a storm.

Meanwhile.

In the outer space of a certain subsidiary star, the cultivators had achieved another great victory. As they cleared the battlefield, their hearty, amazed laughter echoed through the starry sky scattered with drifting flesh and blood.

Amidst the crowd, the people of the Shadow Isle felt no ripples in their hearts. They skillfully and silently collected the demon corpses, already completely accustomed to this sight.

Occasionally, just to match the atmosphere, they would utter a few words of amazement, their acting skills becoming increasingly perfected.

Not far away.

Long Tian stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the battlefield. He appeared to have a calm expression, but in reality, his blood was boiling with excitement, and he was constantly marveling in his heart.

Too strong.

His current subordinates were unexpectedly powerful.

They had swept through nearly twenty demon strongholds in one breath. With such formidable combat power, even if they faced the core elites of the demon race, they might not be without a chance of winning.

Perhaps, they could actually breach the Demon Capital!

The more he thought about it, the hotter his heart grew. Long Tian was already itching for action. After consecutive major victories, his confidence had begun to inflate.

Behind him, the Star God Guards had been accompanying him the whole time and naturally saw his subtle expressions clearly. In terms of cultivation, they might be lacking, but when it came to reading people's moods and expressions, these brothers were incredibly adept.

That little look in Long Tian's eyes made it obvious that it had gone to his head.

The few of them exchanged quiet glances and promptly stepped forward to bow.

"The army has remained undefeated thus far, all thanks to Your Excellency's excellent leadership!"

"With Your Excellency strategizing, wiping out the demon race will surely be a piece of cake!"

"To be able to follow Your Excellency in this life is truly our honor!"

After a few words of flattery, the corners of Long Tian's mouth curled up. He slightly turned his head, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

"You flatter me, you flatter me."

"Everyone has fought bravely as well. How could the credit go to me alone?"

Though he was tactically humble with his words, his face was already flushed red with smiles.

Seeing many cultivators turning their attention over upon hearing the voices, Long Tian felt even more elated. He straightened his back and issued an order in a domineering, deep voice!

"Everyone!"

"Today, our battle intent surges to the heavens! We shall press our advantage and strike directly at the Demon Capital in one vigorous effort! With me leading you in a surprise attack, the demons will surely be caught off guard. We are bound to win this battle!"

With that said, Long Tian unhesitatingly tore open the void.

The cultivators, shouting in excitement with surging adrenaline, let their roars echo across the sea of stars. Everyone was already seeing red from the killing and, without the slightest hesitation, swarmed in after him!

By the time the army of cultivators stepped out of the void.

Before them was a land of chaotic darkness. A pitch-black walled city, hundreds of feet tall, came into view. Cold, dark clouds shrouded the sky above, completely blocking out the sunlight. It looked hazy and gloomy, exuding an indescribable, eerie coldness.

Faced with such a scene, even though most of the cultivators possessed extraordinary battle intent, they were still shaken. They stared blankly, their expressions turning hesitant.

Only Long Tian gazed out with his hands behind his back, a look of deep emotion on his face, his battle intent burning even fiercer.

The Demon Capital.

I, Long Tian, have returned!

Today, I will lead the masses to wash this land of sin in blood, using the blood of the entire demon race to quell the fury in my heart, and taking this opportunity to ascend to the throne of supreme glory!

Just as he secretly clenched his fists, preparing to issue his orders in all his glory.

Suddenly!

Master Lu and the others, who had been hiding in the crowd, stepped forward steadily, preemptively smiling and cupping their fists.

"Thank you for leading the way, Lord Star Master."

"We will take it from here. You may step down now!"

As the soft words fell, Long Tian was stunned in shock.

Pondering the deep meaning behind those words and turning back to see Master Lu's faint smile, he couldn't even care about the awkwardness of having his thunder stolen. An ominous premonition welled up in his heart, and his expression slightly changed.

"You..."

"What is the meaning of this!"