Chapter 702

Chapter 702: Is There a Possibility of True Spirit Existence?

“Completely dismantling the demons… is that so?”

Shui Changdong looked up, his Rainbow Eyes calm. He said, “You come from the future, don’t you? I have only just begun practicing the Heavenly Stem Cave Techniques, yet you have already reached the level of the Twelve Earthly Branches.”

Tiankai glanced at the Earthly Branch Cave, which was still pulsating and moving towards forming a ‘circle,’ and replied, “You could say that. I come from your era, twenty thousand years in the future, when the Celestial Empire you established has ruled over the Red Heaven realm and even started stepping into the multiverse, occupying every world within sight.”

“The True Spirit Clan appears to have equal rights, but in reality, they are still second-class citizens, rejected by the order of the entire Red Heaven realm. As you can see, I have come to become a True Immortal, so I must defeat you. Only by defeating you can I gain the possibility of becoming a True Immortal.”

Tiankai spoke frankly; she did not believe she could deceive the Divine Monarch. As a practitioner of the Twelve Earthly Branches techniques, she knew well the strengths of the Ten Heavenly Arts, which included reading memories, judging truths, and predicting fates. The Divine Monarch had countless methods to ensure she would not tell lies.

As for why she said so much, it was naturally to wait for her cave to fully grow. Since the Divine Monarch had offered her the opportunity, why not accept it eagerly?

“The Heavenly Path may allow me to defeat you, but what state I defeat you in is up to me. You are free to adjust yourself to your peak state; I will not ambush you,” Shui Changdong said.

“I won’t refuse an increase in chances of winning. Although this may sound arrogant, if the Earthly Branch Cave reaches its complete form, you will have no chance of winning,” Tiankai replied, flicking her pink hair, which faintly revealed traces of her pink Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. As the Earthly Branch Cave rapidly formed, the bloodline of the World God within her kept activating.

Her pink hair and pupils began to spread with hues of black and gray, mixed in a striking manner, but what was even more dazzling was her aura.

She was rising in strength at an unimaginable speed, at a level that far surpassed Shui Changdong, who possessed the Red Heaven True Immortal Law.

Incredible!

That was the only thought shared among the gods watching this battle.

Although they had heard of the terrifying powers of the Twelve Earthly Branches techniques, far exceeding normal cave techniques, they had not known the specific direction of research that the emperor of the True Spirit Clan had taken, and they never expected it to take this form.

If such a form of cave was not powerful, there wouldn’t be any strong ones in the world; this truly was an unprecedented one-time cave!

“Corresponding to the twelve hours, the Earthly Branch Cave can theoretically only last an entire day, not even one second more…”

“Right?”

Shui Changdong was not moved by Tiankai’s words. He simply pointed out the secret of the Earthly Branch Cave calmly.

Yes.

This was the greatest secret of the Earthly Branch Cave.

Surrounding the time scale rules of the twelve hours, the entire cave’s operation time could only be multiples of twelve—twelve hours or…

Twelve seconds!

“…”

Tiankai fell silent.

She had been seen through.

It was no wonder that Shui Changdong, the first practitioner of the Infinite Circle Complete Law, might understand the essence of the technique even better than Ming Waiyang, who proposed the theory!

The Twelve Earthly Branches technique was specifically created to counter the Heavenly Stem Cave, and its duration could only last for one day at most. Choosing to maintain it for a day meant that the power would not only not weaken but would reach an unprecedented height at the last second of that day.

Conversely, the shorter the time maintained, the lower the final power would be, though the Growth Speed would be significantly faster.

For example, maintaining for twelve hours, the minimum power is 1, and the maximum is 1 million.

Maintaining for twelve seconds, then the minimum power is 10, but the maximum is only 1000.

In other words, this technique allows one to sacrifice growth time for earlier power acquisition. Facing the historically unprecedented strongest god, she could not choose to maintain it for a day and engage in a prolonged battle with the Divine Monarch. Doing so would likely exhaust the cave’s power before reaching its complete form.

Thus, she chose “twelve seconds,” deciding the outcome within a brief period of “twelve seconds,” and even if she could hold on until the sixth second, that would give her a chance to turn defeat into victory. If she could endure to the twelfth second, she would surely deliver a decisive blow to the young Divine Monarch.

Tiankai was confident that no matter how strong the Divine Monarch had been in his youth, he could not match the power of the Earthly Branch Cave!

—At least, theoretically.

“Heh, weren’t you just asking if I had plans to dismantle the demons?” Shui Changdong chuckled softly in response to her question. “You asked a good question. That is precisely my plan. Even though I do not know how the future will unfold, at least I have always had a clear goal.”

“To unite the Red Heaven, revise the rules, and then clear away all internal obstacles to challenge the True Immortals. The demons are undoubtedly part of the Red Heaven, and they may have existed far longer than humans, hiding who knows what. Even though I believe that the Heavenly Stem Cave, when perfected, is enough to suppress all, it ultimately involves altering the rules. Once I am gone, will my successors have the time to reach the height of the Master of Heaven’s Cavern?”

“So, I chose to enlist the demons. Any demon with intelligence that can be communicated with can join the Celestial Empire and become part of it, enjoying the protection and developmental benefits. This is a strategy of division, but wisdom is universal; they will accept it willingly…”

Tiankai interrupted, “But what significance does this have? If a demon emperor as powerful as you emerges, they too can sweep away everything and toss all the rules into the garbage, just as I did. Can you not recreate your former glory?”

“In the past era, the ruling Dao was arrogant and did not know who the opponents were, which is why I emerged!”

“But unfortunately, I am clearly not a ruling Dao practitioner. I have always believed that the hopes of the weaker opponents are slim and require risking their lives to grasp, only to be easily snuffed out by the stronger opponents.”

Shui Changdong shook his head. “If I were to be emperor, I would not overlook any factor that could lead to the Celestial Empire’s downfall; I would remove it ahead of time. Everything in the world leaves traces and must interact with the outside. Even if a demon emperor has the qualification, it is impossible for them to hide in some forbidden area, training for countless years, then emerge with unmatched power, sweeping across the entire Red Heaven realm in one go.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Tiankai felt that Shui Changdong was specifically naming her and referring to the many kings and monarchs behind her.

“How foolish. I am reducing the possibility of both sides suffering losses. As a king, you should understand very well that no matter what, the human race will win…”

“It is not up to our will to change this. Therefore, I do what I can to enhance the human race’s fortune, allowing them to suffer less, and the demons can ride the coattails.”

“If my plan goes smoothly, and the demons completely submit and integrate into the Celestial Empire system, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Shui Changdong shrugged.

“Wonderful? To become slaves of the human race?”

Tiankai voiced the thoughts of many True Spirits.

“Hmm…”

Shui Changdong was silent for a moment, then said, “At least it is good that they will not be destroyed along with the True Immortals.”

Even if the world is reshaped, the seeds of the human race will be preserved, but the same cannot be said for the demons; direct extermination of their entire clan is not a rare occurrence.