Sovereign of the Three Realms

Lightford noticed that the violet mist concealing him was dispersing, revealing his demonic appearance to his enemies.

Anxiety overtook him. He knew his true form would incite an attitude change in the human cultivators. Hatred and wariness of demons was deeply rooted in their very being.

"Open your eyes and take a good look at what a fiend Lightford is, everyone!" exclaimed Eternal's forefather. "You must do your best to kill him, or this demon will gather his kind and return to destroy us!"

A demon!

The word invoked an instinctual fear and concern in the assembled gods.

Demons had ravaged the world in the ancient times, and that fear plagued the human race even now. If Lightford was a demon, did that mean the long-lasting peace of the Divine Abyss Continent would soon be shattered by a demonic invasion?

Cultivators who'd been nursing various schemes underwent significant attitude changes. If they kept playing passive and allowed the demon to get away, the continent would never be truly safe. Myriad Abyss would fall into demons' grasp sooner or later!

"Are you sure he's a demon, Daoist Eternal?" someone couldn't help asked.

"Of course! Why would I say anything if I wasn't?" In truth, the forefather didn't know for sure, but it didn't matter. He knew Jiang Chen was certain, which was good enough for him.

The young man was always right.

Jiang Chen roared with the dragon howl again. "Lightford is not only a demon, but of the monster bloodline! His kind is adept at changing forms. They use their energy to disguise themselves as human cultivators. It's very difficult to spot them. Only powerful demon detection treasures can expose them for what they are. If Lightford hadn't tapped into his bloodline to defend against our attacks, we would've never discovered his true nature."

That was enough to convince most divine cultivators. They had no reasons to doubt Jiang Chen.

The series of events that had happened in Myriad Abyss had more than proven the young man's competence.

For the first time in his life, Lightford felt afraid. Jiang Chen exposing his true identity and background wasn't the only reason. His fear was more attributed to the golden bell, which reminded him of events in the ancient times.

He still remembered sneaking into Myriad Abyss back in the day and being trapped by the owner of the golden bell. That was how he'd been shipped off to the Boundless Prison.

The owner might not have even been aware that Lightford was a demon sovereign, the supreme leader of the monster demons invading the continent.

Fate had a funny sense of humor sometimes.

And so, the golden bell was Lightford's worst nightmare. He'd seen Jiang Chen use the bell back in Eternal, but at the time, the young man didn't fight him, so the golden bell's true power hadn't been activated. That was why Lightford had overlooked the treasure.

Now, the familiar energy and might radiating from the bell brought up his worst memories.

"I didn't know there are so many types of demons, Jiang Chen. What's the difference between monster demons and the other ones?"

Even back in the ancient times, inhabitants of the Divine Abyss Continent didn't know much about the demons. Despite a long history of fighting against these invaders, they'd managed to identify only a few traits and habits. Their knowledge was very limited.

Not even the ancient cultivators knew about the ten demonic tribes, thus the later generations had never inherited such knowledge.

"Demons can be divided into ten different categories. Monster demons are one of the ten, but they aren't the strongest tribe. That's the celestial demons. Celestial demons are considered demonic royalty. Their bloodline is the most superior, and their power the strongest. They command the other nine! Remember, Lightford mustn't be allowed to escape. I believe he's the sovereign of the monster demons. Once we kill him, it's possible that his tribe won't be able to cause trouble in the continent!"

Lightford's heart sank. The young man had peeled away his disguises layer by layer, rendering all pretense obsolete.

"Tsk, Jiang Chen… I've underestimated you. Even the ancient sects know nothing about our secrets, yet you speak of them like you're one of us. Tell me, young man, are you a demon as well?"

He knew it was next to impossible for him to flee.

He'd planned to make one last attempt, giving it his all to break out. However, the golden bell firmly quashed his last hopes.

The bell was his natural bane. It'd continue to weaken him and suppress his monster bloodline until he reverted to his regular self.

Without the battle frenzy that boosted his power, he would never be able to fight so many cultivators on his own. Not even an advanced divine cultivator could be able to do so.

That was why he opted to disseminate doubt amongst his enemies, trying to create a divide. Only when his enemies were separated by paranoia would he have a chance to escape.

Unfortunately, his trick had some effect.

Some of the forefathers turned to Jiang Chen questioningly. It was curious that the young man would be so familiar with the demonic race.

Very little about demons had been passed down from the ancient times. Why would a young genius be so knowledgeable about them?

Jiang Chen scoffed. "It's laughable of you to resort to such crude trickery, Lightford. Everyone knows that demons forbid infighting. If I were one, why would I try so hard to kill you?"

"Haha, are you worried that I'll expose you for what you are?" countered Lightford.

It wasn't the first time Jiang Chen had encountered such slander. Back when he was a member of Regal Pill Palace, the six sects had accused him of being a demon in Mount Rippling Mirage.

At the time, Jiang Chen had allowed his blood to be tested in order to prove his innocence.