Great Demon Sun Wukong

Originally, when Mo Wu saw Wan Jun take the lead and rush out, he signaled the rest of the Annihilation Demon Nation to temporarily stop their charge. After all, Dao Zhun was once a powerhouse of that era, and although now he seemed to be just at the Domain Lord Level in cultivation, nearly indistinguishable from himself, Mo Wu dared not take him lightly. He was acutely aware of just how formidable the people of that era were; hence, it was his intention to let Wan Jun test Dao Zhun's strength. As one of the top figures of the Annihilation Demon Nation, Mo Wu's status was truly second only to one, and above tens of thousands, which was evident from his name.

Mo Wu belonged to that lineage of the Annihilation Demon Nation whose names began with "Mo," indicating those who stood at the absolute pinnacle of power within the nation. Even when the Domain Lord of the Annihilation Demon Nation had changed, the status of their lineage never wavered by the slightest bit. And the "Wu" in his name was also symbolic. It is known that the Guardian of the Annihilation Demon Nation is called Han Wu.

In the Annihilation Demon Nation, only those who had made absolute contributions or achieved major feats could have the character "Wu" added to their names, and a "Wu" character inscribed with Demon Dragon Blood would be etched onto the right shoulder. This indicated just how esteemed Mo Wu's position was. Therefore, he was also privy to many ancient secrets and even those histories that were deliberately concealed. It was for this reason that he had deep respect and wariness for Dao Zhun.

To have slain the Underworld Venerate with his own strength during that war which had involved all the racial worlds across the entire universe, his power was already beyond the imagination of people from the current era. If the universe of that time was akin to the current Divine Kingdoms, the present universe would merely be a small world. One could imagine how severe the damage that war inflicted upon the universe was. He knew that neither the Underworld Venerate nor the Pioneers could be borne by the current universe, and that was also the reason he had no regrets about his past actions.

However, looking at it now, although Dao Zhun's cultivation was only at the Domain Lord Level, his combat power must have far surpassed what the cultivation could possess. Compared to Wan Jun, who exerted all his strength in every attack, Dao Zhun appeared much more composed, even his seemingly unintentional movements deeply moved Mo Wu. Indeed, a starved camel was still larger than a horse; despite the decrease in Dao Zhun's cultivation, his battle experience and the application of his abilities far exceeded Wan Jun, and even the current era.

"Everyone, attack together! Demon Weasel, try to seal him off," Mo Wu ordered, having already transformed into a billow of black mist that swept toward Dao Zhun. Mo Wu's plan was simple: although they could not match Dao Zhun's combat awareness, they would forsake that aspect and create an advantage with numbers. Furthermore, he could transform directly into a demon mist; even if Dao Zhun's dodging skills were remarkable, if he enveloped that entire space, Dao Zhun would have no choice but to endure the onslaught.

Although Wan Jun was reluctant, he knew that he stood no chance on his own. After his battle with Rogue Heart Sword Hero, his strength had greatly increased, but facing Dao Zhun, he still had no confidence. He did not boast and quickly retreated, and as the others charged in, Wan Jun moved to the back, his right hand holding a sword and stars swirling around him, seemingly preparing some powerful ultimate move.

As for Demon Weasel, he had already slipped into the void at the first opportunity, and red flames appeared on each of the other nine individuals. Dao Zhun, observing the group charging at him once again, revealed a brilliant gleam in his eyes. It seemed he hadn't taken action in a long time. He had always lived reclusively, hiding his presence in the mountains and rivers of the Fangcun Spirit Realm, never getting involved in worldly matters. And by adopting a hermit's mindset, he had completely concealed his cultivation and strength. If he hadn't deliberately released his aura just then, even Mo Wu might have thought he was just an ordinary old man.

Without further ado, Dao Zhun merely nodded lightly as the tide of dark mist, dense like ink, approached him. Raising his right hand, he transformed it into a palm and gently pushed forward. The moment that palm struck out, Mo Wu suddenly felt bewildered because, to his eyes, Dao Zhun's entire aura vanished into thin air, and he could no longer sense anything on him that seemed related to a strong cultivator's presence. And that palm seemed exceedingly ordinary, beyond his Domain Lord Level ability to discern any mystique.

But he knew who this person was: the exceptional figure who had once slain the Underworld Venerate. Mo Wu could not perceive the power in that palm, yet his instinct was not that Dao Zhun lacked power, but that his own Realm was insufficient. Almost instantly, his black mist scattered and he dodged in all directions with the fastest speed he had ever mustered.

Though he managed to dodge immediately, the two individuals behind him were not as quick to react. Similarly, they did not perceive anything formidable about that palm and decided to block it. To their astonishment, they found that the palm's phantom image was nothing more than that—a phantom. Their defences encountered no attack as the palm's image split in two before their eyes and entered their bodies.

The unknown is the most terrifying. If Dao Zhun's palm had been some earth-shattering move, then being blown away or seriously injured would not have caused them fear or alarm, as they understood from Mo Wu's gesture that the person before them was a formidable enemy. However, even after the palm entered their bodies, they felt nothing amiss.

Mo Wu had already transformed back into human form at this time, carefully watching the two men as he asked, "How is it? Are you injured?" The two men looked at each other and shook their heads. A surge of confusion filled Mo Wu's heart. What's going on? Could it be that Dao Zhun is playing with them? It was at this moment that Dao Zhun's aged and extended voice rang out, "The struggles and killings in this world all arise from greed. The stronger the power, the greater the greed. But if one loses their might, that greed becomes nothing more than mere thoughts."

As Dao Zhun's voice faded, the faces of the two men who had been struck by Dao Zhun's palm suddenly exhibited an extremely terrified expression. Mo Wu had been closely observing the two men; in fact, all the members of the Annihilation Demon Nation, except for Wan Jun who was politically accumulating strength in the rear, also stopped their actions at once and watched the two men, whose complexions had drastically changed, which startled everyone. "You, what did you do to us? My, my cultivation, cultivation..."

Immediately afterward, an expression of disbelief appeared on Mo Wu's face, because his senses told him that the cultivation of those two men was dropping at an inconceivable speed. Nine Patterns Supreme, Eight Patterns Supreme, Seven Patterns Supreme, Six Patterns, Five Patterns... all the way down to One Pattern. Yet it did not stop, Dao Transformation, Unity Dao, Saint of the Great Dao! It only stopped after reaching the level of Saint of the Great Dao. This was simply astounding. A single palm strike had forcefully reduced the opponents' combat power from the Nine Patterns Supreme to the level of a Saint of the Great Dao. A Saint of the Great Dao was a peak figure in a small world, but here, they were less than ants!

"Without the power to match one's inner greed, persisting in delusion is self-destruction!" At this moment, Dao Zhun's old and calm voice, heard by the people of the Annihilation Demon Nation, seemed like the most horrifying sound in the world. "You, how did you manage this? How is this possible? How is this possible? Are you telling me you absorbed their cultivation?"

"That's a technique of evil demons and deviants, which I, Dao Zhun, disdain to employ. This palm strike merely dissipated their own cultivation and will not take their lives! I do not wish to engage in further killing, and I hope from now on you will behave and live well." With Dao Zhun's voice, two rifts suddenly split open in the space behind the two men, and powerful forces of suction immediately pulled them toward those spatial cracks. "Master, save me, master, save me! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

But Mo Wu did not attempt to save them, knowing that even a million of himself could not compete with Dao Zhun in spatial abilities, let alone the fact that even if he were to save them, what was the use? The strength of a Saint of the Great Dao was at the bottom even in an Intermediate World, let alone in the Patrolling Celestial World, which was even higher level than the Divine Kingdom. And since Dao Zhun had said so, he must not be intending to harm their lives! However, Dao Zhun's method was too shocking; how could they continue to fight? A single palm strike was all it took to completely strip away their cultivation; no one could withstand that.

Everyone simply stood there, stunned, watching as the two men were devoured by the spatial fissures and then disappeared from view. Just like that, they were gone. Two peak Nine Patterns Supremes, just vanished without a trace. From start to finish, they hadn't had the chance to utilize their full strength and were obliterated.

"Let's see who is next. Actually, I am rescuing you. Although your strength may decline a little, I always leave you a path to life, which is much better than dying in this world. Life is precious, after all, and you are still young!" Yet as Dao Zhun's gaze swept back and forth, everyone was pale-faced. The situation was no longer about not being able to defeat a powerful enemy, because there was simply no way to fight at all.

They had cultivated arduously for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years to achieve their current strength. Who was willing to have it all swatted away by Dao Zhun's hand? A Saint of the Great Dao, that level of power could only dominate in small worlds, but for them, all high-profile figures who had reigned over their domains, being sent to small worlds was less favorable than death itself.

At this moment, Mo Wu's heart was also filled with shock and horror; he had not imagined Dao Zhun would be this terrifying. Finally, when Dao Zhun's benevolent face looked upon him, Mo Wu finally lost his composure.

"Are you not going to take action? What are you waiting for? Do you really want to watch us all perish?"

With Mo Wu's outcry, another whole twenty people, all with shaven heads, rose into the air from within the Annihilation Palace. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation vote and Monthly Pass. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)