Chapter 181: Saints and Demons Awaken, United Front

Within the secret realm of the Sky-Bearing Palace, the bone-chilling chill of the icy truth from aeons past had yet to fully dissipate, and the air seemed to still linger with the soul-chilling rhythm of the "Void Devouring Beast." Ye Li and Qin Yixuan stood facing each other, their deep eyes meeting, a thousand words conveyed without words. They each saw the unshakable heaviness in each other's eyes, but even more so, they saw beneath that heaviness a determination, like a fire burning tenaciously beneath aeons of profound ice. Time, the most impartial and cruel judge, had become their greatest enemy, every breath as precious as a diamond among the stardust.

Without a moment's rest to calm their souls, shaken by the relentless pursuit of their origins, nor the care to heal the aching, hidden wounds within their sacred domain, the spatial laws rippled gently around them. With a single step, their figures appeared like ghosts above the weathered, sky-clearing hall of the Xuanyun Sect. At this moment, any summons, talismans, or horn bells seemed superfluous. The undisguised pressure of the sacred domain, a blend of the weight of history, the solemnity of their mission, and the resolute determination of a desperate struggle, emanated from them. It was like a mountain cast into the heart of a tranquil lake, instantly becoming an undeniable call to arms that resounded throughout the spiritual world.

Monk Muyun, the Yaoguang Palace Master, Monkey Sun, and all the core members of the alliance, regardless of the most pressing matters they were handling, felt a sense of urgency at this moment. Their expressions suddenly changed, and they transformed into streams of light and appeared in front of the Qingtian Palace. When they saw the unprecedented solemnity on Ye Li and Qin Yixuan's faces, as if carrying the weight of the entire universe, their hearts sank involuntarily, and a suffocating feeling of impending disaster strangled their breath—a world-shaking, existentially threatening event must have occurred!

"Send the message! Use all means to summon representatives of all contactable forces in the Spirit World, regardless of sect size, whether they were enemies or friends before, and regardless of where they are!" Ye Li's voice was no longer just cold and clear, but also carried a metallic clang and unquestionable penetrating power, like the collision of nine heavens of black ice, clearly echoing in every corner of the Xuanyun Sect, and even spreading through the reserved communication array to the four poles and eight wastelands of the Spirit World. "In the name of my Samsara Holy Land (Ye Li) and the Xuannv Holy Land (Qin Yixuan), I announce to the world - the ultimate truth concerning the survival of this world and even all worlds will be made public in the Xuanyun Sect!"

This sudden, earth-shattering announcement, jointly issued by the two Sacred Domains, was like a meteorite dropped from outer space onto the seemingly tranquil surface of the Spirit World! It stirred up more than ripples, but a monstrous wave! Inside and outside the Xuanyun Sect, whether it was the retreating elders, patrolling disciples, or the independent cultivators who were attached to them, all were startled and converged on the central square like a tide. Voices and discussions were clamoring, and the air was thick with tension and unease. All the forces in the spiritual world that were connected to the Xuanyun Sect through long-range water mirror techniques, large-scale communication arrays, and even some ancient bloodline inductions - whether it was the Knights Templar who were still in a tense standoff with the Demon Abyss Legion on the front line of the Falling Star Plain, or the Demon Abyss tribes who were licking their wounds in the abyss demon cave, or the neutral sects and hidden families far away in the fairy mountains overseas, the lonely cities in the desert, and the secret realms of the rainforest - all subconsciously stopped everything in their hands, held their breath, and focused all their attention and all their perceptions on the Northern Territory, on the Xuanyun Sect that seemed to have become the focus of the world at this moment.

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan stood side by side on the white marble platform in front of the Qingtian Hall, symbolizing the sect's supreme authority, their sleeves fluttering in the breeze. Below them, a dark, endless crowd stretched out, countless faces, familiar and unfamiliar, etched with anticipation, doubt, and fear. Farther out, in the void, countless magically projected gazes woven like physical objects, forming an invisible, oppressive web.

There was no lengthy opening remarks, no soothing pleasantries. Ye Li simply raised her right hand, her slender fingertips seemingly imbued with the power to create the universe. The Samsara Mirror mark between her brows shone brighter than ever before, no longer a restrained brilliance, but like the awakened Eye of Chaos, bursting forth with the primordial light that illuminated the soul!

"Look, everyone! This is the bloody truth revealed by the Samsara Mirror, which traces back through eternity and space, reaching the very origin of the universe!"

Amidst a clear shout, a thick, hazy, and chaotic beam of light erupted from her palm, soaring straight into the sky. It then unfolded with a bang in the azure sky above the Xuanyun Sect, transforming into a curtain of light so vast that it could be clearly seen by all beings thousands of miles away. Across this curtain of light, chaotic air currents flowed like a waterfall, and at an astonishing speed, a series of carefully selected images, each frame enough to subvert cognition and shake the soul, began to flash.

It was a scene of unimaginable splendor: laws weaved inextricably, spiritual energy condensed into liquid, towering sacred mountains and inverted celestial rivers, powerful gods coexisting harmoniously with living beings... This was the primordial divine realm, long lost in legend! Then, the scene focused on a towering being emanating an aura of boundless light and order—the God King of Light! He led his followers, tearing through the barriers at the edge of the universe, intent on exploring the ultimate "Realm of Nothingness." However, what greeted him was not mystery, but nightmare! A tragic entanglement and collision of boundless light and absolute darkness. The God King's majestic body crumbled under the darkness's erosion, his clear godhead permeated and distorted by tainted will... Ultimately, the line between light and darkness blurred, and a terrifying being, emanating extreme contradiction and despair, twisting light and darkness—the "Lord of Annihilation"—was born, like the deepest nightmare, from the fusion of the God King's remains and the consciousness of "Nothingness"!

The image rapidly shifted, revealing key moments from the ten-thousand-year bloody war in the Spirit Realm. Behind seemingly random clashes lay the invisible forces that steered the situation towards ever-more intense confrontations. The deeply hidden encounters between the Temple and the Demonic Abyss's leaders, yet the light of the Samsara Mirror revealed a wisp of distorted aura deep within the source of their power... Finally, the image suddenly darted toward the depths of the endless void. Within that absolute darkness, devouring even light, a hazy silhouette, vast beyond all time and space, pulsed slowly like a dormant heart, emanating the aura of pure "nothingness"—the true form of the "Void Devouring Beast"! With a suffocating, oppressive aura, it filled the entire screen of light!

Finally, all the images froze and dissipated, replaced by a passage of ancient, time-worn divine text, as if inscribed by the laws of the universe itself, clearly imprinted in the center of the light curtain. Ye Li, using her own divine consciousness as a medium, simultaneously and unreservedly conveyed its meaning to the deep consciousness of all the beings watching this scene:

"The Lord of Annihilation is a distorted entity formed after the fall of the God of Light and the union of his consciousness with the Void. He is the gateway and executor of the arrival of the Void Devourer. His eternal plot, stirring up conflict between saints and demons, aims to consume all living things, gathering despair for his ultimate devour. Now, as his awakening looms, the countdown to the survival of the spirit world and all surrounding realms begins...!"

The entire spiritual world seemed to be strangled by an invisible, cold giant hand at this moment, pressing the absolute silence button.

Dead silence.

An horrifying absolute silence, in which even the sounds of wind and breathing seemed to be swallowed up, enveloped all living beings who witnessed this scene.

In the Xuanyun Sect square, countless cultivators gaped with their mouths agape, their pupils constricted, the blood draining from their faces, leaving only utter shock and bewilderment. The titans of various factions, watching remotely through magic, from the high-ranking cardinals of the Holy Temple to the formidable Demon Lords of the Demonic Abyss, stood frozen in place, as if petrified. The foundations of their faith were crumbling, their world of perception was shattering. An instinctive fear of the unknown, emanating from the depths of their souls, washed over them like icy water.

"No--!!! This is absolutely impossible! This is the most vicious slander! The most shameless blasphemy against the great God of Light! It is a heretical illusion!" In the Temple camp, some of the most fanatical believers were the first to let out hysterical roars, trying to deny everything. Their faces flushed red, and the holy light around them fluctuated violently due to their emotional excitement.

“This is ridiculous! The Demon Abyss was born from the will of chaos and is free and unrestrained. How could it be a puppet in the hands of others? This must be the conspiracy of those so-called balancers!” Inside the Demon Abyss, there was also a Demon Lord who advocated pure destruction and let out a furious roar. The demonic energy soared into the sky, stirring up the wind and clouds.

However, what was more common was the heavy silence that was like aphasia.

It's the kind of silence that comes when the naked truth, which contains the vicissitudes of the origin of the universe and cannot be simulated by any illusion, hits you in the face in the most brutal way. The cognitive impact is so great that you temporarily lose the ability to react.

Within the solemn and awe-inspiring Holy Light Hall at the Temple headquarters, bathed in eternal light, several ascetic elders, who had long harbored doubts about the Temple's increasingly extreme and exclusive "purification" policies of recent years and who had once exchanged complex glances with Qin Yixuan in the Falling Star Plain, suddenly seemed to have aged a thousand years. Their faces were as pale as paper, their wrinkled hands tightly gripping their rosaries or staffs, their knuckles white from the strain, and their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They could clearly "feel" the images flowing through the light curtain, carrying a weight and reality emanating from the source of time. Especially the elder, the Ascetic Alvin, who held a seemingly ordinary wooden staff and possessed the gentlest aura, slowly and with great difficulty closed his eyes, eyes that had seen through countless years. A single, turbid tear, imbued with endless sadness and relief, silently slid down the deep wrinkles of his eyes, dripping onto the cold temple floor with an inaudible sound. He cried silently from the depths of his soul, "So... this is the ultimate shadow hidden behind the eternal glory...? Ten thousand years of conquest, countless sacrifices... What are we... what are we fighting for? To become... the final sacrifice?"

Within a deep demonic palace of the Abyss, shrouded in blood, chaos, and whispers of madness, the Dark Lord Mephisto, always reserved for pure desire for destruction, preferring cunning, calculation, and the manipulation of power, his face, ever shrouded in shifting shadows, now violently twisted and undulated, revealing his deep inner turmoil. He stared intently at the vast, blurry outline of the "Void Devourer" within the veil of light. As a Demon Lord, he possessed a far more acute perception of that devouring will, a will that shared the same origin, yet was more fundamental, colder, and more voracious. An unprecedented, soul-chilling chill coiled around his spine like a venomous snake. "Devour everything... heh... heh... what a voracious appetite, what a sophisticated calculation. He toyed with both the Temple and the Abyss, treating the struggles and bloody battles of billions as sacrifices and pre-dinner drama to awaken Him? In His eyes, we... are no different from ants."

Panic, the rage of being deceived, the bewilderment of a crumbling faith, a profound sense of betrayal, and a profound powerlessness in the face of an ultimate being beyond comprehension... these extreme negative emotions, like an uncontrolled plague, spread and fermented at an unprecedented rate within the temple and the Abyss. The pillars of faith and the principles of survival that had been maintained for thousands of years, taken for granted, were now completely shaken to their very foundations and began to crumble, shattered, by the chaotic light emanating from the Mirror of Samsara.

"This is the scene of the Samsara Mirror tracing back through eternity. Its authenticity is perceived by your own souls; it is neither illusion nor delusion." Ye Li's voice rang out again, like the resounding sound of a mighty bell, forcibly piercing the deathly silence and chaotic mood that permeated the world. It carried an unquestionable penetrating power that stemmed from the facts themselves. "The Lord of Annihilation is about to awaken, and the icy gaze of the Void Devouring Beast has become as real as a substance, locking onto this world. If we continue to indulge in internal strife and cling to our factional views, the only way forward... is for us to collectively walk towards eternal, meaningless annihilation. This is the outcome He most desires."

Qin Yixuan took a step forward at the right moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ye Li. The pure starlight that naturally flowed around her was like a beacon in the darkness, carrying a strange soothing and cohesive power. Her voice was clear and firm, like the sound of a jade chime, resounding in the ears of every confused and fearful soul: "Past grudges, right and wrong, can all be put aside in the face of the ultimate choice between 'existence' and 'nothingness'. The order that the Temple pursues should not be an order where all things die and return to nothingness; the chaos that the Demon Abyss follows should not be a chaos of complete annihilation and everything becoming empty. There is only one enemy that we truly need to face together - the 'nothingness' that comes from the dark side of the universe and wants to completely erase all concepts of 'existence'! If the spiritual world does not exist and all things return to ruins, where is order? Where is chaos? What is the meaning of ideas?"

Their words were like two hunks of aeons-old black ice dropped precisely into a boiling cauldron of oil. They instantly triggered an even more intense and chaotic clash of energies and intellectual storms, a fierce clash of the rants of the radicals and the questioning of the more sober within the Saint Demon faction. Yet, at the same time, like a revelation, they brought a strange sense of calm and reflection, born of rationality and survival instinct, to many souls mired in despair and confusion.

The next few days were the most turbulent, chaotic, yet also the most crucial and delicate period in the entire history of the spiritual world. It was as if the entire world had been fast-forwarded, yet simultaneously held still under immense pressure.

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan knew that time was running out. They used their own credibility that transcended their factions, their ability to turn the tide, and the unquestionable truth as guarantees. Through Youge's pervasive intelligence network and Jiuxiao Tiangong's contact points across the country, they proactively and extremely cautiously sent out the highest level of secret contact and meeting invitations to those faction leaders within the Temple and the Demon Abyss who had shown obvious signs of wavering, questioning, and awakening.

This negotiation, fraught with the future of the spirit world, was far more arduous and sensitive than any gruesome war. Building trust, against the backdrop of a millennia of blood feuds, was like tracing a strand of hair across an endless abyss. Within the Temple, an unprecedentedly fierce conflict erupted between the radical faction led by Orton, the Blade of Judgment, and the more sober faction led by Alvin, the Ascetic. Words clashed like swords, and even small-scale armed clashes, stained with the blood of comrades, broke out in several holy sites. Within the Abyss, the situation was even more direct and bloody. The faction, represented by the Demon Lord, who advocated destruction at all costs and embraced ultimate chaos, and the faction, represented by the scheming Mephisto, who sought a glimmer of hope, threatened to engage in a brutal civil war for control within the Abyss before the arrival of the "Lord of Annihilation."

However, the peril of destruction hanging over all living beings, its clear imminent countdown becoming the most powerful and irrefutable catalyst. When Alvin, the ascetic of the Temple, and Mephisto, the scheming mastermind of the Demonic Abyss, each representing the clarity and will to survive within the Holy Demonic Realm, each braving immense internal pressure and risking being labeled a "traitor" and liquidated, they arrived almost simultaneously through secret channels at the Xuanyun Sect's heavily guarded secret realm, forging a formal, face-to-face meeting with Ye Li and Qin Yixuan, isolated from the outside world, the wheel of history finally began to turn in an unexpected direction, arduously overcoming the stalemate.

Seeing Ye Li and Qin Yixuan with my own eyes, and feeling the holy power in them, which seemed exhausted from the continuous battles and tracing back to the origin, but was still as pure and vast as the ocean, I also felt their incomparably pure sincerity and determination that transcended all personal grudges and camp barriers for the sake of "existence" itself. These two have experienced countless storms in their respective camps and have seen through the vicissitudes of life. Finally, after a long period of silence and scrutiny, they made a decision concerning the survival of the race.

"For... the spark of life, for... the traces of existence, to continue." The ascetic Alvin's voice was as hoarse as an old bellows, but it carried a strangely firm light as if he had been freed from the burden of eternity. The wooden staff in his hand gently touched the ground, making a dull thud.

"Cooperation... is fine. But we need to sign a soul contract. If we are lucky enough to win this battle, there must be a place for us in the spiritual world, and the past... will be wiped out." The voice of the conspiracy mastermind Mephisto was still cold and ethereal, as if it came from the underworld, but the calculation and balance in it had been replaced by a deeper desire for survival.

"If we win this battle, the Spirit World will establish a new order, embracing all rivers and seas. Tolerance is the essence of greatness. Whether it's holy light or demonic energy, whether it's order or chaos, all those willing to protect this world will be members of the new Spirit World. Past blood debts will be repaid in this battle! If we lose..." Ye Li's gaze was like the coldest star, sweeping across the two representatives. His voice was firm and unwavering, with an unquestionable determination, "...then all things will be silent, everything will return to nothingness. How can there be any talk of reckoning and establishing a foothold?"

With the initial defection of these two key figures within the Holy Temple and their soul-swearing pledge, the once-sturdy will to resist within the Holy Temple and the Demonic Abyss began to resemble a fortress imploding from within, a vast, unbridgeable crack appearing at its core. As more and more mid- and lower-level monks and demons learned through various channels the irrefutable truth and the shocking actions of the upper echelons, the balance of power began to shift. The desire for survival ultimately overwhelmed their indoctrinated faith and their frenzied desire for destruction. Mutinies, defections, and passive resistance unfolded across the Holy Demonic camp. While still accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice, the tide of change was already turning.

Seven days later, a moment that was destined to be engraved on the history of the spiritual world (if there was still a future) arrived.

The location chosen was the edge of the scarred Starfall Field, a symbol of millennia of conflict. Here, the earth still bore the marks of horrific collapses and energy burns, and the air was filled with a faint scorching sensation and the distortion of spatial instability. Representatives of the three factions gathered here once again. But unlike any previous occasions, there was no soaring murderous aura, no clear-cut hostility. Instead, there was a heavy solemnity blending tragedy, confusion, determination, and a hint of... an eerie shared fate.

Ye Li and Qin Yixuan, with their core at the center, stood like a stabilizing force. To the left, led by the ascetic Alvin, stood a small but determined group of representatives from the Temple's Awakening Faction. Their white robes seemed stained by the dust of battle, less dazzling. To the right, led by the assassin Mephisto, were representatives of the Abyss Survival Faction, whose demonic aura was chilling yet their ferocity was restrained. They stood silently in the shadows, like dormant beasts. Behind them stood core members of the original "Balanced Symbiosis" alliance, including Mu Yun Jushi, Yaoguang Palace Master, and Sun Xiaohou. Their expressions were complex, yet more so, a solemn witness to history. Further in the distance, a dense, endless swarm of monks and demons from various factions, clad in a variety of armor and robes, even in a myriad of forms. Their faces, for the most part, bore the hesitancy of surviving a catastrophe, the fear of the future, and a forced, tragic determination.

There was no grand ceremony, no lengthy declarations, and not even enough time to produce a unified flag.

Ye Li's gaze, like cold lightning, slowly swept across the vast force below, its complex composition and divergent motives, yet forced together by a common fate. She took a deep breath, and a voice that seemed to carry the cycle of reincarnation echoed clearly and solemnly throughout every corner of the Falling Star Plains. Through magic, it also reached every corner of the spirit world that was paying attention to this place:

"The survival of the spirit world, the fate of billions of lives, hangs in this one move! Millions of years of grudges, countless blood debts, are put aside from this day forward! From this moment on, all spirit beings, regardless of origin, whether human, demon, or spirit, regardless of whether they once believed in the Holy Light or the Chaos, are members of the Overwatch Alliance! Our single and ultimate goal is to unite against the Lord of Annihilation and the Void Devourer, to protect the world we stand on, and to protect Existence itself!"

"Overwatch Alliance! Protect the spirit world!"

The initial responses seemed sparse and disjointed, filled with hesitation and tentativeness. But soon, the instinct for survival, the fear of the ultimate darkness, and the faint hope forced to gather together drove more and more people to speak. The voices began to converge, from a trickle to a stream, then to a river, and finally, to a tsunami-like, tragic and unified torrent, dispersing the dark clouds of despair that hung over the Falling Star Plains and bringing a sense of cohesion, albeit fragile, yet real!

The most extensive, incredible and complex resistance alliance in the history of the spiritual world - the "Watch Alliance", was established under the absolute pressure of the shadow of world destruction, with the two saints "Li Xuan" as the core. It was hastily, fragilely, but with a determination to fight to the death!

The first decision after the establishment of the alliance was not to defend the spirit world by relying on the home field advantage as most people expected.

"According to the warnings of the Samsara Mirror, and the clear perceptions of Xuan Nu and I, the 'Lord of Annihilation' will finally awaken not within the Spirit Realm, but outside it, in the vast, boundless, and perilous 'Endless Sea of ​​Stars.'" Qin Yixuan stepped forward, her beautiful face filled with solemnity, her voice clear but with unquestionable determination. "If we wait for it to fully awaken and attack the city in perfect condition, with its displayed status and power, the barriers of the Spirit Realm may not be able to hold out for a moment. By then, we will have no room to maneuver or fight back! Therefore, passive defense is tantamount to waiting for death!"

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the countless faces below whose expressions suddenly changed, before decisively announcing the alliance's first and most important strategic decision:

"The Overwatch Alliance has resolved to take the initiative! Extend the final line of defense beyond the Spirit Realm! Target - the endless sea of ​​stars! We will search for a suitable location within the sea of ​​stars to construct the final line of defense and keep the enemy outside the gate! Fight for the last bit of time and hope for the Spirit Realm!"

"Goal - the endless sea of ​​stars! Build the final line of defense and keep the enemy outside the gate!"

This decision, like a thunderbolt from the heavens, struck down fiercely on the heads of all the newly joined, yet mentally unstable, members of the alliance! Leaving the spiritual world that had nurtured them, they embarked on a completely unfamiliar, utterly alien, boundless sea of ​​stars, filled with unknown dangers, and home to the lurking "Lord of Annihilation"? Building a defensive line right under the enemy's nose, near their home turf? This was more than just a risk; it was a sheer gamble, a gamble that staked the fate of the entire spiritual world!

Exclamations, questions, and even fearful protests instantly echoed throughout the vast coalition. The terror of the starry sea had long been a common understanding within the spirit world; it was an instinctive fear of the unknown.

However, when they looked up and saw the unwavering and calm eyes of Ye Li and Qin Yixuan on the high platform, as if they had already put life and death and victory and defeat aside, and when they once again felt the cold gaze that was getting closer and closer from the darkness, like a maggot on the tarsal bone, all the noise and opposition gradually and powerlessly subsided.

Looking at the burning flames in those holy eyes, representing the last stubborn flames of the entire "existence" camp, and feeling the imminent crisis where the end could already be smelled, everyone understood that behind this seemingly crazy choice was the only glimmer of hope... or perhaps it didn't exist at all.

The dark clouds of war officially shifted from the bloody mire within the spirit world to the cold, vast expanse of the Endless Starry Sea, where countless stars and hopes were buried. Within that eternal darkness, the final stage of fate had already been silently set.