425: Chapter 424 Command of the Heavenly Dao Entry

Shen Guhong lowered his eyes to look at the panicked Rat Demon King. He nodded slowly and spoke with feigned composure: "Very well. Hand over all your treasures, and I will let you leave today. When we meet again, I will take your life."

He emphasized the four words "when we meet again" very heavily.

However, the Rat Demon King did not seem to grasp the hidden meaning in Shen Guhong's words.

It was overjoyed, believing it had saved its own life. Not daring to hesitate in the slightest, it immediately urged its last shred of demonic power to take out all the treasures from its demonic storage bag, piling them onto the ground in front of it with a clatter.

Various demon cores, Artifact Refining Ores, and low-grade demon artifacts were strewn across the floor. In the very center of the pile of treasures, a fragment emitting an ancient golden light and circulating with mysterious Dao rhythms stood out prominently.

Shen Guhong took only a single glance before recognizing that this fragment was a heavenly dao fragment.

The Rat Demon King looked up uneasily at Shen Guhong, asking hurriedly with a fearful voice: "Senior, I have already handed over all my treasures. May I leave now?"

Shen Guhong did not answer. He merely waved one hand casually, and a strong wind swept up all the treasures on the ground. Taking advantage of the moment the Rat Demon King's gaze shifted, he precisely collected the core heavenly dao fragment into his own storage ring, leaving all the other miscellaneous treasures where they were.

After doing all this, Shen Guhong's figure flickered. The spiritual power around him dissipated, and his figure vanished into thin air within the cave hall, leaving not a trace of aura behind.

Feeling the terrifying Pressure that had been suppressing its entire body completely dissipate, the Rat Demon King went limp all over, slumping heavily onto its throne. It let out a long sigh of relief, relaxing like someone who had just survived a disaster.

At the same time, it turned to look at the trembling, terrified Rat Demon minion beside it, gritting its teeth as it prepared to stand up and severely punish this subordinate who had caused such a great disaster.

If it weren't for this blind thing bringing that Senior here, it wouldn't have had to surrender all its treasures.

But at this very moment, the space rippled slightly, and Shen Guhong's indifferent figure appeared once again in the center of the hall without any warning.

Watching the Rat Demon King's complexion change drastically, he curled the corners of his mouth into a faint arc and spoke slowly: "Sorry, we meet again."

"You... you...!" The Rat Demon King's body went rigid, its pupils constricted to the limit, and every hair on its body stood on end. Extreme fear instantly swept through its entire being. It pointed a trembling finger at Shen Guhong, unable to complete a single sentence.

It never expected that a dignified, top-tier Human Race powerhouse at the Late Stage of the Golden Core would actually play word games with it.

It thought it had escaped death, but in the end, it still could not avoid dying.

Looking at the terrified, speechless, and violently trembling Rat Demon King, Shen Guhong's expression remained as indifferent as water from beginning to end. He gave no extra response and couldn't be bothered to say another word of nonsense.

He simply raised his right hand and waved it gently downward.

Boom! Dozens of thick, scorching red fire dragons instantly burst forth from his palm. The dragon roars shook the entire underground cave, flames towered into the sky, and the intense heat instantly dried the damp and cold air within the cave.

Each fire dragon was condensed with spiritual power, possessed terrifying Pressure, and carried a tyrannical power capable of burning everything to ashes.

The next second, the sky full of fire dragons, trailing long fiery tails, swept straight toward the rats covering the ground and the panicked Rat Demon King in front of the throne without any order of precedence.

The Rat Demon King's eyes split open in rage. It exhausted its last ounce of strength to urge its full demonic power to resist, but in front of a lethal Spell from a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator, its defense was fragile and vulnerable.

Piercing and shrill screams exploded one after another in the hall, only to be quickly swallowed up completely by the raging flames.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all the Rat Demon soldiers and generals in the cave, along with the Rat Demon King whose Cultivation had reached the third level of the golden core, were all swallowed by the flames. Not even a shred of a remnant soul remained; they were completely turned into cold black ash, scattered across the rocky ground.

Shen Guhong's gaze swept calmly over the chaotic cave that had completely turned into ruins, his expression devoid of the slightest ripple.

The mastermind, the Rat Demon King, was dead, and the core Rat Demon combat force had been wiped out. The hidden Rat Plague crisis in Port County had already been eradicated by him at the root.

As for the remaining ordinary Rat Demons scattering and fleeing outside the city without a leader, they were not worth mentioning at all.

With Jiang Hui and two other Foundation Establishment Cultivators leading the way, and over a hundred Qi Refining Disciples under their Command, the scattered rat groups that had lost their Demon King leader posed no threat. This group of Sect Disciples could easily clear out the remnants and successfully quell the Rat Plague in Port County.

After glancing at the cave and seeing no Rat Demons left, Shen Guhong transformed into a traceless afterimage, completely vanishing into the smoke-filled cave and departing silently.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hui had also been investigating in Port County for a few days.

After several days of investigation, Jiang Hui felt that this mission was somewhat troublesome.

He suspected that someone was controlling these Rat Demons from behind the scenes.

"Junior Martial Uncle Jiang, those Rat Demons in Port County have gone mad!"

"They are killing each other!" It was at this moment that a Qi Refining Cultivator rushed over.

"Killing each other?" Jiang Hui was a bit confused.

However, Jiang Hui soon realized that this was a rare opportunity.

As long as they took the opportunity to slay those mad Rat Demons, they could quickly quell this Rat Demon rebellion.

"Everyone gather, follow me to slay the Rat Demons!" Jiang Hui issued the order.

"Understood!" The many Disciples picked up their Magical Artifacts one after another and followed Jiang Hui out.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect. Inside the Sect Main Hall.

Fairy Qingling looked at Jiang Hui and the others standing below, feeling a bit confused.

According to Fairy Qingling's calculations, it was impossible for these people to return from Port County.

Yet now, not only had the three of them returned, but it seemed they had even resolved the Rat Plague in Port County.

"Did you really clear out the Rat Plague in Port County?" Fairy Qingling asked, taking a deep breath.

Fairy Qingling was very clear about it. In order to gather the blood needed for the Sealing Tower, she had sent the Rat Demon King there.

Given the strength of the Rat Demon King, it was impossible for Jiang Hui and the others to return alive.

Jiang Hui bowed and saluted: "Reporting to Junior Martial Uncle Qingling, all the rampaging Rat Demons in Port County have been slain by us, and the Rat Plague has been completely quelled."

Subsequently, he recounted the matter of the Rat Demon internal strife and their killing of one another.

They had also taken the opportunity to strike, clearing them out along the way, and successfully quelled the entire Rat Plague.

After listening to this reply, Fairy Qingling was completely stunned. Her eyes were dazed, her heart felt increasingly confused, and she was filled with unsolvable doubts.

The Rat Demon clan had strict discipline and had always obeyed the orders of the Rat Demon King. How could they have internal strife and kill each other for no reason?

Where exactly was that powerful Rat Demon King at the third level of the golden core?

Why did it not come forward to restrain its Rat Demons, allowing the clan to fall apart?

A terrifying thought quietly surfaced in her mind: Could it be that the Rat Demon King had already been killed by someone in advance?

But upon second thought, she immediately dismissed this speculation.

As a Golden Core Cultivator, the Rat Demon King's Cultivation was far higher than all the Disciples who had gone out. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators simply had no ability to kill it at all, and there were very few people in the entire Southern Region who could kill a third level of the golden core Yao Race member without making a sound.

The Sect Head, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi, who was on the side, did not think much of it, assuming it was just an ordinary Rat Plague. He nodded repeatedly at Jiang Hui and his group, praising them greatly in public.

"Well done."

"You may withdraw and rest for a few days. The Sect will prepare generous Cultivation resources later and reward you according to your merits."

"Thank you, Sect Head!" Jiang Hui and the others thanked him in unison. Not daring to linger, they bowed and saluted before hurrying out of the Main Sect Hall.

"Junior Sister, judging by your expression, you seem to think there is something amiss here?" Sect Leader Xuanyangzi looked at Fairy Qingling with some confusion.

"No, no, nothing!"

"I just feel that they returned too quickly!" Fairy Qingling explained.

"With the Rat Demon internal strife, it was naturally very easy to quell!" Sect Leader Xuanyangzi did not suspect anything.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect. Inside the Cave-Heaven Blessed Land.

Shen Guhong had already used the Golden Trait Teleportation to return here.

This time, Shen Guhong was very secretive; no one had discovered him at all.

Nor did they know that the Rat Demon King had been killed by Shen Guhong.

Shen Guhong waved his hand, and a gentle, ancient golden light slowly flew out from his storage ring, hovering in mid-air before him.

This fragment was the heavenly dao fragment that Shen Guhong had obtained from the Rat Demon King.

With this fragment, Shen Guhong could upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait.

Shen Guhong's gaze also swept toward those Golden Traits.

[traits: Immortality, Substitute Death, Breath Concealment, Exchange, Sharing, Rebirth, Instant Spellcasting, Body Refining, Instant Movement, Disease, Teleportation, Poison Resistance, Alchemy, Heart Demon, Insight, Armor Break, Disguise, Disguise, Sensing, Photographic Memory, Affinity, Detection, Spirit Stone, Command]

[Heavenly Dao Traits: Cultivation, External Incarnation, Intelligence, Divine Sense, Source of Mana, Mana Absorption, Fire God, Thunder God, Innate Divine Strength, Blood Qi, Storage Space, Sword God, Enhancement, Blade God, Repair, Bleeding, Sword Domain, Copy, Slow Cultivation, Law Manifestation, Speed, Spirit Seed, Spirit-Severing Seed]

First of all, traits like Cultivation, External Incarnation, Intelligence, and Divine Sense had already been upgraded to Heavenly Dao Traits and could not be upgraded further.

Secondly, the effects of traits such as Immortality, Sharing, and Disease were limited; upgrading them to Heavenly Dao Traits would not increase combat power by much.

Finally, Shen Guhong locked his gaze onto the Golden Trait Command.

"Upgrade the Golden Trait Command to a Heavenly Dao Trait!" Shen Guhong said.

As Shen Guhong's words fell, the heavenly dao fragment in his palm suddenly erupted with vast and ancient Heavenly Dao golden light. Pure Dao Origin surged through his brow into his Sea of Consciousness, instantly wrapping around the gilded Command trait.

In just an instant, the upgrade was completely finished, and a cold System prompt resounded directly in his mind.

[Congratulations, you have obtained the Heavenly Dao Trait: Command]

The next moment, the complete attributes of the Heavenly Dao Trait appeared before Shen Guhong's eyes, the rules straightforward and tyrannical.

[Command: Heavenly Dao Trait] [Combat Power: When the number of participating Cultivators under one's Command reaches ten thousand or more, the overall combat power of all Cultivators increases by sixty percent] [Defense: When the number of participating Cultivators under one's Command reaches ten thousand or more, the defense of all Cultivators increases by sixty percent] [Speed: When the number of participating Cultivators under one's Command reaches ten thousand or more, the Speed of all Cultivators increases by sixty percent] [Recovery: When the number of participating Cultivators under one's Command reaches ten thousand or more, the recovery of all Cultivators increases by sixty percent] [Strength: When the number of participating Cultivators under one's Command reaches ten thousand or more, the physical strength of all Cultivators increases by sixty percent]

Shen Guhong slowly opened his eyes, a flash of light in his pupils.

The previous Golden Trait Command provided combat power, defense, and Speed bonuses in tiers, and only by twenty percent. Now that it had advanced to a Heavenly Dao Trait, as long as there were over ten thousand Cultivators under his Command, it could provide a sixty percent all-around boost to offense, defense, Speed, self-healing, and physical strength simultaneously.

In the future, if a large-scale army war breaks out between the Human Race and the Yao Race, he only needs to be stationed in the army to rely on this Heavenly Dao Trait to raise the comprehensive strength of the entire army in all aspects, remaining invincible in group battles.

...

The days of Cultivation passed very quickly. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

Over the past year, Shen Guhong had discarded all external disturbances and devoted himself to bitter Cultivation with undivided attention.

Every day, he absorbed pure Spiritual Qi to polish his Golden Core and stabilize his Cultivation Foundation. In his spare time, he would also familiarize himself with the power of all his Heavenly Dao Traits and heaven-grade magical tools, achieving a state where he could activate them at will with a single thought.

Day after day of bitter Cultivation had never ceased. Over time, his Cultivation had also welcomed a small, steady increase.

And many major events had occurred in the Southern Region.

Ever since the Rat Demon King died miserably in Port County and its entire force was wiped out, Demon King Shen Guhong was furious. He successively sent out several waves of elite Yao Race members to secretly infiltrate Port County and the surrounding areas to thoroughly investigate the full truth behind the fall of the Rat Demon King.

But Shen Guhong's actions that day were clean and efficient. He used fire dragons to burn away all traces, leaving behind not a shred of spiritual power aura or the aftermath of a fight, concealing his tracks flawlessly.

Even though the Yao Race spent an entire year searching and investigating everywhere, they still gained nothing in the end and were never able to find out who had killed the third level of the golden core Rat Demon King.

Apart from the mystery of the Rat Demon's death, a huge crisis had also emerged within the Yao Race.

The Spirit-Severing Seeds buried deep in the three major important areas of the Yao Race continued to harvest the Yao Race's Luck day after day, sealing the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, and the effects were becoming increasingly terrifying.

After a full year, among the newborn generation of young Yao born throughout the Yao Race territory, only one-tenth of those who possessed Spiritual Roots remained. It had become the norm for nine out of ten Yao to be useless.

What was even more fatal was that in the past, several Heavenly Spiritual Root Prodigies would be born every year, but this year, for the entire year, zero Heavenly Spiritual Root descendants were born within the Yao Race territory.

The younger generation of the Yao Race was completely cut off, and the future of the clan was bleak.

Shen Guhong was deeply worried. He joined forces with the Demon Empress to investigate the changes in the Yao Race's dragon veins, the Ten Thousand Demon Altar, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. They exhausted the means of the two supreme powerhouses but still could not find the root cause, and could only watch helplessly as the clan continued to decline, unable to do anything about it.

The effectiveness of this layout that severely damaged the Foundation of the Yao Race, along with the result that the Yao Race could never find any clues, although very pleasing, was still not the thing that Shen Guhong cared about the most in his heart.

What made Shen Guhong the happiest was that today was the start of a new year.

Shen Guhong could extract a new Golden Trait again.

If he could extract a powerful Golden Trait, then Shen Guhong's strength would receive a significant boost.

[Lifespan: + ∞] [Cultivation: sixth level of the Golden Core (1210000 / 1600000)] [Golden Core Grade: Golden] [Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Returning Origin Art (Perfection)] [Vajra Body Refining Art: Perfection] [Spell: Fire Snake Technique (Perfection), Fire Shield Technique (Perfection)] [Sword Flight Technique: Perfection] [Mountain Splitting Blade: Perfection] [Movement Technique: Wind Chasing Lightning Technique, Perfection] [Lifebound Treasure: Dragon Abyss Sword * 10] [Golden Core Divine Ability: Law Manifestation Heaven and Earth] [Treasure: Spirit Jade Prayer Mat, dongtian pearl, spirit suppressing pearl, Golden Light Spirit Stone, Golden Silk Inner Armor, bixia pendant, King's Bracers] [Spiritual Root: Top-grade Five Spirit Roots] [trait Extraction Count: 1]