Because the stars are so incredibly far away, no matter where one stands in this world and looks up at the night sky, the scene they see is essentially the same.
For the Mirror Demon King to calculate that the Ghost King’s place of death was the Calamity Sea was already an extraordinary achievement.
Therefore, the final visual scene recorded by the Ghost King’s Eye and the current night sky were almost exactly the same, apart from the position of the moon.
“Master, the Blood Star!” Gou Li said.
Lan Ling nodded. The Blood Star had appeared once again, just as it did once every hundred years.
Every appearance of the Blood Star meant that a terrible blood calamity would occur. But what about this time?
Lan Ling had almost wiped out the Silver Alliance and killed hundreds of thousands of troops led by Nai Shu. Could that be considered a blood calamity?
Of course it could, but it was nowhere near enough to warrant the appearance of the Blood Star!
Every time the Blood Star appeared, it meant that at least tens of millions of people would die.
That’s right, tens of millions!
……
Raksasa City, the Little Raksasa King’s residence.
The Little Raksasa King, whose body was like a jade sculpture, raised his head and stared at the Blood Star in the sky.
“Husband, do you sense anything?” Mengtuo Luo asked softly.
The Little Raksasa King said, “I’m waiting.”
Then he said nothing more.
He was waiting to see how bright and intense the Blood Star’s final flashes would be, and how frequently it would flash.
That would determine how severe this blood calamity would be.
If it was the same as usual, around ten million people would die. Whether in the eight great demon territories or the human kingdom, such a loss could still be endured.
The Motuo Empire alone had swept across the Northern Wilderness in recent decades, killing far more than ten million barbarians.
……
At the top of the Calamity Cave’s tower.
The Black Demon Flag Lord also raised his head and stared at the Blood Star.
His wife was not by his side. She had gone to Raksasa City to collect their son Nai Shu’s body.
“Father, do you think the blood calamity could have been brought about by Lan Ling?” the Black Demon Flag Lord’s eldest son asked.
The Black Demon Flag Lord shook his head.
“No. He isn’t qualified.”
……
From the Eastern Departure Kingdom in the north, to the Flame Empire, the Raging Tide Kingdom, the Western Liang Kingdom, the Motuo Empire, the Divine Dragon Temple, and the eight great Demon Kings of the Southern Wilderness, everyone was looking up at the stars.
Everyone was waiting to see how many times the Blood Star would flash red before finally disappearing.
That was the revelation from the heavens!
The Blood Star appeared once every hundred years.
When it first appeared, one out of every hundred flashes would be red.
But the most important moment was when it was about to disappear. How many consecutive times would it flash red?
The more times it flashed red, the greater the blood calamity would be, the larger the scale of the war, and the greater the number of deaths.
……
Raging Tide Kingdom, Divine Dragon Temple, the top of the Divine Dragon Tower.
The Great Judge Fu Lingxi of the Zhi Capital Temple Tribunal, Queen Zhi Yan of the Raging Tide Kingdom, stood at the top of the tower, looking up at the sky.
The Young Lord of Hidden Continent, Fang Qingshu, Duke Zhi Ao, formerly Ling Ao, and others accompanied them.
The appearance of the Blood Star was an extremely important event. Observing the stars was also a sacred and solemn occasion.
Therefore, as the nation’s queen, Zhi Yan had come to the highest point of Zhi Capital, the Divine Dragon Tower of the Temple, to observe the stars.
“According to historical records, how many times did the Blood Star flash red at most before disappearing?” Queen Zhi Yan asked.
Duke Zhi Ao bowed and said, “Your Majesty, it should have been three thousand three hundred years ago. The Blood Star flashed red four consecutive times before disappearing.”
Zhi Yan asked, “Was that precisely when Emperor Long united the human kingdoms?”
Fu Lingxi said, “Not only the human kingdoms. It was also the time when the Ghost King Empire was established in the Wilderness, unifying one third of the Southern Wilderness. During that period, countless people across the world died. According to the Divine Dragon Temple’s classified records, the Ghost King Empire killed more than one hundred million demons over those decades. As for Emperor Long, everyone knows about that… hehe!”
Under normal circumstances, whenever Emperor Long was mentioned, one had to speak with the utmost respect. After all, he was the founder and saviour of human civilisation.
However, the upper echelons of the Divine Dragon Temple had already stopped concealing their hostility towards Emperor Long.
……
Southern Wilderness!
The Sky Demon Clan, the Supreme Demon Peak!
This was the highest mountain of the Sky Demon Clan. The Sky Demon King had built the highest Sky Demon Tower here, a tower that stood 999 metres tall.
The Sky Demon Tower had been built from crystal and various secret metals, taking the Sky Demon Clan thirty-three years to complete.
The Sky Demon King believed that this would allow him to draw a little closer to the gods and demons in the heavens.
At this moment, the Sky Demon King sat cross-legged at the top of the Sky Demon Tower, gazing at the stars and waiting for the Blood Star to flash.
“Where is my most beautiful, strongest, and purest princess?” the Sky Demon King asked.
“She went travelling,” the Sky Demon Prince replied. “She said there was nothing worth watching about the Blood Star, and that she would simply do whatever needed to be done.”
The Sky Demon King smiled faintly.
The Sky Demon Prince said, “Father, the Raksasa King has been contacting the other six Demon Kings. They are negotiating in the Sea of Clouds, trying to establish an offensive and defensive alliance to restrain us.”
“A bunch of fools,” the Sky Demon King said. “They really think their treaty with the Divine Dragon Temple can protect them. The Divine Dragon Temple not taking action does not mean the Motuo Empire will not act. Over these decades, the Motuo Empire has infiltrated the entire Southern Wilderness until it is riddled with holes, yet they pretend not to know. If I don’t unify the entire Southern Wilderness and turn the eight great demon clans into one fist, what will we use to resist the Motuo Empire?”
The Sky Demon King had been preparing for this war for decades. If the efforts of his ancestors were included, preparations had been under way for hundreds of years.
But preparations for something like this could never be truly complete.
The Blood Star was regarded by the demons as the Eye of the Gods and Demons. The number of times it flashed red at the end was also regarded as the gods’ and demons’ warning to the demon race.
If it flashed once, it meant that everything was normal and that it was not suitable to launch a major war.
If it flashed twice, it meant a territorial war.
If it flashed three times, it meant a war that would destroy territories.
If it flashed four times, it meant a great war involving the demons of the entire Wilderness.
If it flashed five times, it meant a war between continents.
If it flashed six times, it meant a world war between humans and demons.
Of course, the highest number ever recorded was six flashes.
And the recorded example was more than three thousand years ago, when the Blood Star flashed four times.
At that time, the Ghost King Empire rose to power and occupied one third of the Southern Wilderness.
Therefore, the final flashes of the Blood Star were regarded as sacred and solemn. They were considered the will of the gods and demons of Heaven and Earth and absolutely could not be defied.
The final moment was approaching!
The Sky Demon King knelt down and prayed towards the Blood Star in the sky.
“Great Creator, great ruler of Heaven and Earth, great Eye of the Gods and Demons, please guide your people out of their path of confusion.”
If the Blood Star flashed more than three times at the end, the Sky Demon King had decided to immediately launch the war to unify the Southern Wilderness.
Even if the other seven great demon clans had already established an offensive and defensive alliance, even if the Sky Demon Clan were to be annihilated, he would not retreat.
……
The sacred land of the Cloud Clan, the Sea of Clouds!
This was the most beautiful place in the entire Southern Wilderness. It was like an immortal realm and was known as the Sea of Clouds.
The entire Sea of Clouds was located more than ten thousand metres above sea level.
In the Floating Cloud Pavilion of the Sea of Clouds, six Demon Kings had already been discussing matters for a long time.
Establishing an alliance to restrain the ambitions of the Sky Demon King had already become a consensus.
However, many details had yet to be settled.
The most important issue was how many troops each clan should contribute to the demon army, and who would become the alliance leader.
Moreover, only six Demon Kings had come. The King of the Demoness Nation had not arrived.
Although the Demoness Nation was the smallest, it was also the most special. They had the closest relationship with the Demon Emperor.
Therefore, an alliance of the demon clans without the Demoness Nation could only exist in name.
At this moment, the six Demon Kings had stopped their discussions. They quietly knelt on the ground and prayed, waiting for the Blood Star, the Eye of the Gods and Demons, to deliver its message.
“Great Creator, great ruler of Heaven and Earth, great gods and demons, please pity your people and grant peace to the demon lands!”
They prayed that the Blood Star would flash no more than three times at the end.
Because once it exceeded three times, the Sky Demon King would launch his war to unify the Southern Wilderness.
At that point, the entire Southern Wilderness, covering more than one hundred million square kilometres and containing more than a billion demons, would be plunged into war.
The nearly three thousand years of peace among the eight great demon clans would be completely destroyed.
Although the Sky Demon Clan was overwhelmingly powerful, the six Demon Kings believed that no matter how powerful the Sky Demon Clan was, it would find it difficult to defeat seven clans at once. Its defeat was inevitable.
But the six Demon Kings truly did not want to fight among themselves.
……
Ji Xiuning led an extremely powerful group of Temple Knights, constantly advancing towards the Calamity Sea.
How powerful was the Divine Dragon Temple?
People in the human kingdom could sense its immense strength. But once they left the human kingdom and entered the Wilderness, they might feel that the Divine Dragon Temple was nothing special.
However, once someone entered the upper echelons of the demon world, they would discover that the Divine Dragon Temple was so powerful that it was suffocating.
The power displayed by the Divine Dragon Temple in the human kingdom was truly only the tip of the iceberg.
Were the eight great Demon Kings of the Southern Wilderness powerful?
They were unimaginably powerful, powerful enough to inspire awe.
But…
The six Demon Kings were completely intoxicated by their non-aggression treaty with the Divine Dragon Temple, living in a state of wilful blindness. They had never considered marching north into the human kingdom.
Was the Motuo Empire powerful?
Extremely powerful. It had already unified the entire Northern Wilderness.
But it also had an undisclosed treaty with the Divine Dragon Temple. After unifying the Northern Wilderness, it had not taken a single step beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains.
There was an even more extreme example.
That was His Majesty the Ghost King and the former Ghost King Empire, which had defeated the demon coalition army and unified one third of the Southern Wilderness.
That kind of strength was already suffocating.
To put it somewhat inappropriately, even if he was inferior to Emperor Long, he was not far behind.
But…
Because the Ghost King had seen something he should never have seen and discovered the secret of the moon, he knew that his death was inevitable.
Therefore, he went to the Calamity Sea to die, and his incomparably powerful Ghost King Empire subsequently vanished.
Therefore, although this was the Southern Wilderness and the territory of the demons, Ji Xiuning still led a hundred Temple Knights straight through without hesitation.
Destroying the Ghost King’s Eye and completely erasing everything it had seen was one of the missions of the Divine Dragon Temple.
Everything on the moon was the highest secret of the Divine Dragon Temple, as well as the greatest secret in this world.
Anyone who learned about it had to be completely destroyed.
The day the Ghost King died happened to be the day the Blood Star appeared.
Therefore, whenever the Blood Star’s cycle arrived, the Divine Dragon Temple would send out a powerful force and keep it on standby.
Once someone recreated the visual scene recorded by the Ghost King’s Eye, they would immediately be detected by the Divine Dragon Temple.
This powerful capture force would immediately appear, no matter where that person was, no matter how far away, whether in demon territory or the Motuo Empire.
The Divine Dragon Temple’s forces would arrive and completely destroy that person.
No force or nation was allowed to interfere, not even the demon territories or the Motuo Empire.
This time, Ji Xiuning was leading the Heavenly Guardian Knights. They rode extremely fast Phantom mounts.
Starting from the Southern Desert, they could reach the Calamity Sea in no more than three hours.
……
From its appearance until its disappearance, the Blood Star lasted a total of three hours.
Now, it was almost at the end!
Gou Li asked, “Master, how many times do you think the Blood Star will flash red when it disappears?”
Lan Ling shook his head.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
Gou Li said, “But if it exceeds three times, a great war will break out. According to the records, the highest number was more than three thousand years ago, when the Blood Star flashed red four consecutive times before disappearing. Not long afterwards, the Ghost King Empire rose to power, defeated the demon coalition army, killed more than a hundred million demons, and ruled almost one third of the Southern Wilderness.”
Then Gou Li smiled and said, “If it flashes four times, that means Master’s Flame Demon Empire will be able to sweep across the entire Southern Wilderness.”
The final moment had arrived!
The Blood Star suddenly exploded with brilliant light.
At this moment, the Blood Star became brighter and brighter, completely covering all the surrounding stars, even overpowering the moonlight.
However, this time, its light was ordinary white light.
Lan Ling and Gou Li said nothing.
Gou Li knelt on the back of the Three-Headed Chimera and prayed that the Blood Star would flash more than three times at the end.
The Blood Star in the sky continued to shine brilliantly.
From the Eastern Departure Kingdom, to the Flame Empire, the Raging Tide Kingdom, the Western Liang Kingdom, and the Northern Court Kingdom, all the rulers of the human kingdom knelt on the ground, waiting for Heaven’s revelation.
In the Northern Wilderness, the Motuo Empire knelt upon the mountain peaks, waiting for Heaven’s will.
In the Southern Wilderness, the Sky Demon King held his breath and knelt at the top of the Sky Demon Tower, waiting for Heaven’s will.
In the Sea of Clouds, the six Demon Kings held their breath, waiting for Heaven’s will.
Across the endless desert, Ji Xiuning and the Heavenly Guardian Knights stopped and looked up at the sky, holding their breath and waiting for Heaven’s revelation.
The rulers of the entire world looked towards the heavens.
They waited for the moment of revelation.
The brilliant Blood Star dimmed.
Then it suddenly flashed with a red light.
An incomparably dazzling crimson radiance, red as blood.
Once!
Twice!
Three times!
The Sky Demon King was overjoyed and said in a trembling voice, “Prepare for war!”
At the same time, the hearts of the six Demon Kings sank.
War could no longer be avoided.
However, the Blood Star’s flashes continued.
Four times!
Everyone trembled, almost unable to believe their eyes.
Five times!
Everyone’s souls trembled.
Six times!
Even the Sky Demon King felt ice-cold all over and found it difficult to breathe.
Six flashes.
What did this mean?
It meant that a war between humans and demons would erupt, a true world war.
Just at this moment, a huge group of comets passed through space and blocked the Blood Star!
The Blood Star disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Everyone believed that the Blood Star had flashed six times, meaning that another world war between humans and demons was about to erupt.
However, no one knew that!
The Blood Star, hidden behind the comet group, was still flashing red.
Seven times!
Eight times!
Nine times!
A total of nine flashes!
Six flashes represented a world war between humans and demons.
Then what did nine flashes represent?
No one knew.
Perhaps it represented the complete destruction of the entire world, the complete destruction of everything that existed?
……
Ji Xiuning felt ice-cold all over and trembled violently.
A world war between humans and demons was actually about to erupt?
It had been tens of thousands of years since the last great war between humans and demons, had it not? That belonged to ancient times.
Suppressing the trembling in her heart, Ji Xiuning said, “Continue towards the Calamity Sea.”
Half an hour later!
Ji Xiuning’s Divine Dragon Temple Heavenly Guardian Knights flew into the Calamity Sea.