In the Primordial Era, the demon sovereign and immortal emperor had fought to a stalemate that the latter ultimately broke by shattering the demon sovereign’s dao heart.

Upon his fall, the demon sovereign’s obsession had transformed into an enduring true spirit. From this process, it could be seen that he was an exceedingly proud and opinionated individual.

Only one who valued the weight of their words in gold could form an enduring true spirit. If the demon sovereign were to break his word after being reborn, he would be breaking his dao heart again and truly meet his end.

……

“Additionally, the Green Firmament isn't the only party you should be wary of. If my speculations are right, the demon god will also visit the central world," remarked Lu Yun, who then raised his eyebrows when a sudden realization dawned on him. “The demon god is searching for a new body, and currently in the entire world, there is none more suitable than yours!”

"The demon god?" The demon sovereign trembled involuntarily and the Hadal Bonefire in his head flickered uneasily.

The demon god had gained his strength by merging with the true spirit of the Exalted Divine emperor. As long as he could find a fitting body and soul to possess, he would become a great emperor in no time at all.

When that happened, the entire world of immortals would become demonic soil.

Fortunately, there were only a few bodies and souls in the world that could withstand the demon god’s true spirit. Unfortunately for one of them, the demon sovereign happened to be a prime specimen.

Previously, the demon god had attempted to make use of a stone spirit. However, since a stone spirit was only the empty shell of a body and lacking in spirit, flaws abounded without the anchoring force of a soul. Unleashing his true strength proved impossible, and it was little better than having no body at all.

Just like Lu Yun said, the demon sovereign’s strongest opponent may not be the Green Firmament, but the demon god. In the prolonged silence, Hadal Bonefire once more flickered anxiously, betraying his current state of mind.

He’d been pinned down by the demon god once, but was able to escape by utilizing a hidden ace. Escaping possession a second time wouldn’t be so easy.

“Rest assured, Demon Sovereign. After the fusion of the Sugato Sword and its crowning jewel, its weapon spirit has greatly increased in strength. As long as you possess sufficient immortal crystals, you’ll be able to deploy the Sugato Sword to its fullest potential.

“Moreover, I can see that your nascent spirit is refining the Hadal Bonefire. Not even the spirit of an emperor will be able to possess you once you fully integrate the fire with your nascent spirit.”

As he spoke, Lu Yun was suddenly struck by a stray thought that caused his heart to skip a beat. Merge Hadal Bonefire with the nascent spirit?!

A nascent spirit method?

He immediately sat down cross-legged and called upon the formula dao. Following that flash of inspiration to further conclusions, he began deducing a nascent spirit method.

Meanwhile, the demon sovereign’s body rapidly shrank to the size of a regular person, and his appearance also changed from white bones to human flesh and blood. He was a slender, middle-aged man with black hair, a beard, and a dark glint twinkling ominously in his eyes. Since his true body was formed from the coalescence of a thousand and eighty real immortals, he wasn’t affected by the immortal restriction.

He gaped at Lu Yun, confused by what the young man was doing. Why had he suddenly started... cultivating?

……

“No, that’s wrong! It’s impossible for an ordinary nascent spirit or a true spirit to withstand a real flame, and the possibility of failure is even greater when the two are merged! That path cannot be pursued!” Lu Yun muttered to himself.

“The nascent spirit of the demon sovereign is formed by the combination of his nascent spirit and enduring true spirit, so it can resist a real flame… so near, yet so far…

“A real flame, a real flame! A nascent spirit can’t refine a real flame, nor can it refine another source of real force… but if that force is false… if it’s intangible… if it doesn’t exist…!”

When Lu Yun’s eyes shot open, two rays of black light beamed sixty meters ahead into the darkness.

……

“Scram!!” Situated at the core of the central world, Xing Chen bellowed fiercely. The Sword Atlas flew out from behind him, split into a hundred and eight sword dragons, and slashed through space. In a quick instant, the immortals besieging them were wiped out by the terrifying sword energy.

“Feinie, Xuanxi, Xiaoxiao, Xingzi, do everything within your power and kill whoever dares to draw close!” Lu Yun’s voice rang out coldly.

His six nascent spirits were inside hell, and since he was one with his replica, Xing Chen could also call upon the realms of yin and yang.

“Understood!” Four Yama Kings walked out of the void. They quickly began setting up formations, drawing talismans, and creating poisons, while Yuying and Zhaoqing remained hidden in the void as concealed weapons for times of need.

Xing Chen sat down beside Qing Yu and sent his consciousness into Yuying’s Scroll of Shepherding Immortals.

……

“You’re deducing a cultivation method!” Sensing the fluctuations from Lu Yun's body, the demon sovereign’s expression changed drastically.

Deducing a cultivation method!

To think this young man would leave himself in such a vulnerable state and try to theorize a method right in front of an enemy! More importantly, the way he was going about his hypotheses was entirely visible to the demon sovereign!

“He’s not deducing an ordinary cultivation method, but a complete method that may even qualify as a dao!” The revelation shocked the demon sovereign. “A nascent spirit method… he’s deducing a nascent spirit method! The nascent spirits of immortals are fragile and completely lack protection without a physical body. Certain death in battle is inevitable if they lack defensive support, but the method he’s deducing is intended to temper the nascent spirit itself and utilize combat arts in conjunction with it!

“...Hmm? He’s using my method of fusing Hadal Bonefire with my nascent spirit...”

Hum!

Upon realization of this, the demon sovereign activated the Sugato Sword and sealed off the premises with a curtain of blue light. He greatly understood the significance represented by the advent of such a nascent spirit method. Not only for him, but for the rest of the world at large!

“This will change the immortal dao! So his ambitions extend as far as a revolution of the immortal dao… no, not only that, but of the entire world! This nascent spirit method will change the world of immortals!” The demon sovereign felt his throat go dry.

“The successor of the ancient primordial emperor? Qi Hai underestimates Lu Yun far too much! It was only by luck that the immortal emperor was able to obtain… obtain… that item and become the sovereign of the world of immortals! He isn't qualified to have Lu Yun as his heir!”

Two white flames flared up within the demon sovereign’s pitch-black eyes, flickering with a mixture of killing intent and anticipation.

“No, I can’t kill him! If I break my word and kill him here, my newly recovered dao heart will shatter again! I will be erased from existence!

“Moreover, the nascent spirit art he’s creating will actually... greatly benefit me.” As he spoke, the demon sovereign sat down and looked at Lu Yun with an expectant gaze. “It will enable me to completely merge the Hadal Bonefire with my nascent spirit, thus protecting it, my soul, and my true spirit! I will have a complete soul again!”