Lin Tang spent a day with Ning Yuexi, then went to find Lee Encai. Afterward ca Wei Zichu, with Shatana included as a bonus.
Given Lin Tang's current abilities, he no longer feared the traps laid by the Eye of Truth through Shatana. In other words, he could consummate his relationship with her if he so chose, without any concern of becoming a follower of the Eye of Truth. It was simply that his true body was not present, and besides, he held little interest in her.
When Lee Encai and Wei Zichu learned of the ordeal Lin Tang had endured after being captured by Daoist Zhen Yan, they were both shocked and saddened. They never imagined their man was the disciple of a mighty Immortal and felt they had failed to show him proper respect.
After spending a few days with them, Lin Tang planned to revert to his original form and return to Jiangbei for a reunion with Shen Youling. However, plans are no match for the unexpected.
The third Underworld invasion had once again begun with a bang!
He and Xuan Nu had initially assud the Underworld's Earth Immortals would lay low for so ti. After all, with the assistance of the Seven-Colored Auspicious Cloud, their incarnations were powerless against Lin Tang. As for the Underworld monsters, they were nothing more than cannon fodder, unable to withstand even a few swings of his sword. Under these circumstances, invading the human world again seed utterly aningless—nothing short of suicide.
But one must not forget that the Underworld possessed a major trump card of its own: the Ming River.
The projection of the Ming River had once been taken away by Zhen Yan, who studied it for a short while out of curiosity. Afterward, he returned to the Immortal Realm without taking the river's true body with him.
The Ming River, left behind in the Underworld, was indeed inferior in grade to Immortal Artifacts like the Seven-Colored Auspicious Cloud. However, the Cloud specialized in speed, not slaughter. Furthermore, its own power was nearly depleted, and with no way to replenish it from the outside, it could not exert its full strength. The Ming River, in contrast, was at its peak. Brimming with power, it could kill enemies, trap them, and continuously empower the creatures of the Underworld, even helping them resurrect.
Thus, when nurous incarnations of the Underworld's Earth Immortals joined forces to activate the true body of the Ming River, they forcibly tore through space and descended upon the human realm. Instantly, the Sakura Nation directly beneath the river suffered a devastating blow, its people and its very land ravaged.
Imdiately after, the Ming River began its mighty flow toward Central Earth, its waters teeming with countless Underworld monsters. They lurked cunningly within the river, refusing to erge. The godly incarnations also took up positions at various key nodes within the Ming River, holding array flags to form the great Shura Array.
In an instant, the entire East Sea was agitated, giving rise to a monstrous torrent that surged toward Central Earth.
"Beasts!"
Lin Tang, Xuan Nu, the Lord of Luo Fu, and other mbers of the human faction appeared simultaneously.
Wielding his holy sword, Lin Tang swung it with imnse force. The light of his sword chilled nineteen provinces as it powerfully repelled the massive, kiloter-wide waves, forcing them back. This was a true display of power capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas! The next mont, the Ming River, suspended in the sky, unfurled itself like a colossal battle arena.
Countless Underworld creatures roared in unison, "Co and fight!"
"Co and fight!"
"Co and fight!"
Lin Tang's face was cold and impassive. "Bring it on!"
With a stamp of his foot, the Seven-Colored Auspicious Cloud lifted him toward the Ming River. Although the Cloud could not shatter the river, it could shield Lin Tang, protecting him from being frozen or corroded by its waters. As it expanded, it even managed to shield Xuan Nu and the other Earth Immortal incarnations as well.
And so, with the Ming River as their battlefield, the two sides plunged into a ferocious war. They fought with such intensity that the sky grew dark and the sun and moon were blotted out. Lin Tang and his allies were like players in a video ga, charging fearlessly through the enemy ranks. The forces of the Underworld, anwhile, were like the ga's minions and bosses, constantly respawning no matter how many tis they were slain.
The battle thus fell into a grueling stalemate. This went on for more than ten days until both sides were utterly exhausted and mutually ceased hostilities. They retreated to the coastline to recover their strength, maintaining a tense standoff before resuming the fight once more. This cycle repeated several tis.
Seeing that neither side could gain the upper hand, they had no choice but to begin negotiations.
Lin Tang's demand was simple: they were to withdraw their forces and return to whence they ca.
"Impossible!" the incarnations of the Underworld's Earth Immortals rejected the demand without hesitation.
As the saying goes, a solitary yin cannot grow, and a solitary yang cannot be born. They were not killing for sport; their actions were born of necessity. The Underworld required the flesh, blood, and souls of humanity, along with the trace of the innate spiritual chanism that all humans possess. Back in the Ancient Tis, when they were still Demon Cultivators, they had raised humans in captivity for this very purpose. Had Ning Yuexi's ancestors not perished, they would have been among those captives. Now, they needed to do the sa. This was their "Dao," and it could not be changed.
In fact, if humans were so inclined, they could consu the monsters of the Underworld as food. Doing so would similarly help them evolve and grow stronger. Their martial arts practice would advance as if divinely assisted, and the number of offspring born with physiques suitable for immortal cultivation would also increase.
Since there was no room for discussion on the core issue, they could only et halfway. After much back-and-forth debate, the two sides ca to an agreent.
The incarnations of the Underworld Earth Immortals, the human world's Earth Immortal incarnations, and Long Tianji himself were all forbidden from personally harming the weaker humans or monsters on the opposing side. The Ming River also had to be withdrawn to the Underworld and could no longer be used to amplify the Underworld monsters. Furthermore, for the next three years, any Underworld monster exceeding five ters in height was barred from the battlefield.
As for the monsters under five ters tall, they were unable to use spatial isolation or teleportation, leaving them vulnerable to modern human weaponry. Guns and missiles could kill them as long as they scored a direct hit. It was agreed that these smaller creatures would engage humanity in large-scale battles.
Lin Tang relayed the results of the negotiation to Supre Jiangshan. In turn, Jiang Shan contacted the leaders of all nations, convening and presiding over a global conference.
In the end, every nation agreed.
They had no other choice.
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