Outside the Black Prison Swamp.
Surging and boiling demonic energy rushed forth from the edge of the horizon, like an overturned sea of ink, swallowing half the sky in an instant.
It was a pitch-black tide that stretched as far as the eye could see.
They came to a halt just outside the Heaven-Sealing Grand Array.
At the very front, over a dozen figures floated silently in the air.
Their auras were violent, sinister, or bizarre. Like over a dozen erupting demonic volcanoes, their murderous intent pierced the heavens.
Every single one of them exuded the oppressive pressure of the Nascent Soul stage.
Following closely behind them was a horde of over a hundred Golden Core demonic cultivators.
They rode various colored streaks of light, some bringing foul winds, others manipulating miasma or magic treasures, coming together to form a terrifying, multicolored demonic cloud.
There were those at the early, mid, and late stages of Golden Core, all the way up to Golden Core Perfection.
And behind them was a dense, disorganized swarm of tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
Among them were men and women, the elderly and the young.
Without exception, every pair of eyes gleamed with raw excitement.
"All Foundation Establishment cultivators are to enter. Those at the Golden Core stage and above may choose based on their own will. In this War of Two Domains, there will be a tide of demonic beasts. If you value your life, you are more than welcome to stay outside the Heaven-Sealing Formation.
You can wait until the Ancient Battlefield reveals itself before going in."
The one speaking was a middle-aged man with black hair. He had a burly build, standing over two meters tall, dressed in black tight-fitting martial attire, and carried a blood-colored long saber on his back.
Murderous aura constantly swirled around him.
The aura was so thick and tangible that just looking at it sent chills down the spine.
As his words fell.
All the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators let out hideous cackles, bypassing the group of Nascent Soul cultivators as they charged into the Heaven-Sealing Grand Array.
More than twenty Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances with one another.
"This old man's blood corpse is in dire need of a massive amount of fresh blood, keh-keh-keh~"
Amidst a string of eerie laughter, an old man in blood-red robes transformed into a streak of bloody light and dashed straight in.
Immediately following him.
Demonic cultivators skilled in the ghost path, the path of slaughter, and those focused on murderous aura all stormed into the Land of Imprisonment.
In the blink of an eye, the crowd of over a hundred Golden Core cultivators was reduced by more than thirty.
To them, venturing into this place was no different from stepping into a garden to harvest precious herbs.
The remaining Golden Core cultivators stayed perfectly still.
Seeing this, the black-haired middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator suddenly spoke up again, "Fellow Daoists, this is a grand spectacle that only happens once every five hundred years. Aren't you going in to have some fun?"
"Hmph, it's nothing but a land of cages. What's there to see?"
"In that case, let's go rendezvous with the other Daoists. I just wonder when Lord Badao and the rest will arrive?"
Hundreds of miles away.
On the other side of the Black Prison Swamp.
Another army of demonic cultivators was also making its approach.
And on this side, their numbers were even more massive, nearly double the amount of demonic cultivators currently at the Black Prison Swamp.
After the Foundation Establishment cultivators and a portion of the Golden Core cultivators entered the Land of Imprisonment, this army also marched toward the Black Prison Swamp, meeting up with the black-haired middle-aged man's group halfway.
As of right now.
Up to thirty thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators had entered, along with over a hundred Golden Core cultivators.
They weren't merely going in to slaughter mortals and low-level cultivators for the sake of cultivating their demonic methods or refining demonic artifacts. They also intended to lie in wait for the Golden Core cultivators from Heavenly South to enter, so they could engage them in bloody combat.
Their true goal was to plunder their resources and wealth.
And to hunt Tier 3 demonic beasts to harvest their materials.
As for the natural resources found within the Land of Imprisonment, practically none of it caught their eye.
"I didn't expect Daoist Jue Qing to be leading the team on that side," the black-haired middle-aged man said with a faint smile.
"Daoist Zhang Dao, we haven't seen each other in over two hundred years, and you've actually broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. It truly makes this old man envious."
"I'm still quite a bit lacking compared to you, Daoist Jue Qing. You must not be far from the Grand Cultivator realm, right?"
"How could becoming a Grand Cultivator be that easy? Within the past century, I've heard that two more mid-stage Nascent Soul Daoists passed away in meditation. Only Daoist Tyrant Blade, with his peerless innate talent, managed to successfully step into the Grand Cultivator realm.
As for this old man, my journey will likely end here for the rest of my life."
The vast majority of them had come for the Ancient Battlefield. As for the fraction who simply wished to revel in slaughter, they had already charged into the Land of Imprisonment.
"Going by the usual tendencies of those folks from Heavenly South, it should take them another two or three days to arrive here."
"They've always been like that. They don't want to carry the burden of sinful karma from killing, but they also can't bear to let go of the fortunes within the Ancient Battlefield. Such hypocrisy. Still, it plays right into the hands of many on our side."
"I wonder who among them will be the greatest beneficiary of this massacre."
Dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators engaged in casual chatter.
Someone speculated, "This old man believes it will be Old Demon Wu. He possesses two Peak Third-Tier blood corpses and three at the late Third-Tier. Couple that with his Golden Core Perfection cultivation base.
Even though his divine abilities haven't reached Great Accomplishment, even those who have achieved Divine Ability Perfection would have to retreat to avoid conflict with him.
In this War of Two Domains, all of his blood corpses should be able to reach their peak."
"Rong Yang isn't half-bad either. At the late-stage Golden Core, he practices the Ghost Dao and has brought his divine abilities to Great Accomplishment. He's raised an army of thousands upon thousands of yin souls. All he lacks is cultivating a Peak Third-Tier ghostly creature.
If he can slay two or three late-stage Golden Core cultivators this time and devour their divine souls, it should be enough to let the main soul in his Soul Banner undergo a complete transformation."
"Those two indeed possess fearsome reputations in the Golden Core stage. If they return safely to the Blackwater Region, they might just have a sliver of hope to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."
"I've heard Daoist Qiao is not inferior to those two either."
Azure Dragon Prefecture.
Grand Harmony Lake.
The factions from the eight prefectures of the Northwest Region had gathered.
Magic Skiffs hovered across the sky one after another.
Members of the various prefectural factions clustered together, forming clear, distinct groups.
The contingent from Profound Moon Prefecture stood at the very front, with all three of its Nascent Soul powers participating. Within the Sun Family's ranks stood a red-haired young man.
This was one of the Sun Family's prodigies, Sun Zhantian.
He had once challenged Xu Mingxian in the arena of Profound Moon City, only to suffer a narrow defeat.
But now, he too had stepped into the Golden Core realm, successfully forming his core using the pupil technique divine ability, Crimson Demon True Pupil. His potential could only be described as extraordinary.
Although the War of Two Domains was incredibly brutal, it was also the ultimate crucible for tempering oneself.
Almost all the top factions would dispatch their Golden Core prodigies to clash and fight to the death with the older generation of Golden Core cultivators.
Under normal circumstances, it was exceedingly rare to encounter a massive battlefield where so many Golden Core cultivators gathered to slaughter one another.
Sun Zhantian scanned his surroundings, then immediately soared into the air, leaving the Sun Family's Magic Skiff and landing on a pale azure Magic Skiff.
This vessel belonged to Azure Dragon Prefecture.
Azure Dragon Prefecture had deployed only this single Magic Skiff. Not many from their side were participating in this War of Two Domains.
Their numbers paled in comparison to the other prefectures.
A part of this was due to Xu Chuan having Moyue issue a stern warning beforehand.
"Senior," Sun Zhantian cupped his fists and bowed toward Moyue. "Are you the Grand Elder of the Xu Family?"
"Brat, what do you want with me?"
"May I ask if Brother Mingxian is present?"
"He is not," Moyue replied indifferently. "The Xu Family has already departed ahead of the rest."
Sun Zhantian's eyes widened. "They know the location of the Two Domains battlefield?"
"That's none of your business. If you want to find him, it'll depend on whether you have the luck for it." Moyue flashed a wide grin. "Perhaps you'll just stumble upon his mangled corpse.
Or perhaps he'll be the one to find your corpse."
Sun Zhantian froze for a moment, frowning as he thought to himself, 'This Shapeshifting Great Demon is incredibly rude.'
Immediately after, without saying another word, he returned to his family's Magic Skiff.
"Zhantian, what did you go do?" asked the elderly leader of the Sun Family, a cultivator at Golden Core Perfection.
His name was Sun Haichao. Not only was he at Golden Core Perfection, but his divine abilities had also reached Perfection. He was entering the Ancient Battlefield this time to seek a serendipitous opportunity.
"I went to see if Xu Mingxian was there, but that Shapeshifting Great Demon informed me that the members of the Xu Family had already set off ahead of us."
"Is that so?"
Sun Haichao looked at the pale azure Magic Skiff of Azure Dragon Prefecture in surprise. Sweeping it with his divine sense, he smiled faintly, "They certainly lack numbers, but at least they know their own limits."
Setting aside the Xu Family.
There were only three Golden Core stage cultivators from Azure Dragon Prefecture participating this time: the Ancestor of the Lei Family, Bingqian, and Yang Qi.
Aside from them, not a single other person from any faction had joined.
All three of them were heading straight in search of a Nascent Soul Formation opportunity.
Qi Tianxiong was also keeping an eye on Azure Dragon Prefecture. Seeing their lineup, he fell deep into thought.
In contrast to them, Greedy Wolf Prefecture had over a dozen Golden Core cultivators present, with True Lord Heavenly Wolf among their ranks.
At this moment, with Qi Tianxiong's assistance, True Lord Heavenly Wolf had also comprehended his divine abilities to Perfection. Among the multitude of Golden Core cultivators participating in the War of Two Domains, his strength ranked near the very top.
About fifteen minutes later.
Following a command from Zhang Daoran, the Sect Master of Profound Moon Sect: "Move out!"
The runes upon the hull of the Profound Moon Sect's Magic Skiff lit up layer by layer. It transformed into a streak of white light and took the lead, shooting into the distance.
Over a dozen Magic Skiffs of various colors closely followed suit.
The silhouettes of the vessels formed an endless line, their spiritual light weaving together into a radiant rainbow bridge.
They carried a massive congregation of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators gathered from the numerous factions across the prefectures of the Northwest Region.
It wasn't just the Northwest.
The forces from the central, southern, eastern, and western regions of Heavenly South had also departed under the leadership of their respective hegemonic powers.
The demonic cultivators invading from the Black Prison Swamp would first set foot into the lands of Great Jin.
Those who took the path through the Azure Sea Forest would emerge at the borders of Great Liang and Great Wei.
As for the other directions.
They were obstructed either by the Hundred Thousand Mountains or by a bizarre, impenetrable fog.
Once one wandered into the fog-shrouded lands, it was nearly impossible to escape without divine sense at the Nascent Soul level.
"So this is the rumored battlefield of the Two Domains? The spiritual energy here is truly pathetic," a Golden Core cultivator complained with a deep frown.
"Why let it bother you, Daoist? It's not like you're going to stay here forever. Every living creature in this land is nothing but food for us. Those fools from Heavenly South likely won't arrive for several more days.
As long as you have the strength, no one will care how many you butcher."
"Daoist Zhong certainly knows the details well. Truly worthy of a scion of a Nascent Soul Noble Family, you are far beyond the likes of us rogue cultivators."
"You are far too polite, Daoist Xue."
"Keh-keh-keh, fellow Daoists, I can smell fresh blood food. I shall take my leave first."
With that, Old Demon Wu morphed into a streak of bloody light and sped off into the distance.
A flash of apprehension crossed the eyes of the numerous Golden Core cultivators. Hardly anyone dared to head in the same direction as him.
Notorious figures like Rong Yang and Qiao Chunshan also moved out on their own.
The vast majority of the Golden Core demonic cultivators operated entirely alone.
At most, they formed small groups of two or three.
As for those at the Foundation Establishment stage, they banded together in packs of dozens.
They were like a ravenous pack of wolves tearing into an unguarded pen of docile sheep.
Over two hours later.
Old Demon Wu discovered a populated settlement.
Old Demon Wu's emaciated figure floated high in the sky. With crimson eyes like a vulture hunting for prey, he scanned the tranquil village nestled below amidst rolling hills and curling chimney smoke.
Paths crisscrossed the fields, the sounds of dogs and chickens filled the air. Young children played merrily in the farmlands, while the elderly lounged peacefully in front of their homes.
They were completely oblivious to the apocalyptic disaster hovering right above their heads.
"Hehe... What a vibrant pasture of blood food."
He licked his cracked lips, emitting a low, raspy chuckle that sounded like grinding gravel.
For someone who walked the path of the Blood Demon Dao, the flesh, blood, and vital souls of mortals could never compare to those of cultivators.
Even so, they were still top-tier nourishment.
He raised a withered hand and slapped his storage pouch at his waist.
A dark red streak of light flew out, rapidly unfolding in midair to form an array disk covered in bizarre runes.
The array disk spun furiously.
Though it was only a mediocre Tier 2 Low Grade item, it was more than sufficient to envelop a village spanning just a few miles in radius.
"Buzz..."
A thin yet resilient blood-red light screen descended from the edges of the array disk, instantly trapping the entire village underneath it like an overturned bowl.
The light screen wasn't particularly thick, but it flawlessly completely sealed the inside off from the outside world.
The previously bright sunshine filtering through this bloody veil was stained a sinister, suffocating dark crimson.
The blazing sun in the sky seemed to transform into a bleeding, red orb.
"The sky... what happened to the sky?"
"What is that red thing?!"
"Mother! I'm scared!"
The villagers looked up in bewilderment, only to have their souls scared out of them by the terrifying sight they had never witnessed before.
Screams, wails, and the shattering of dropped pots violently shattered the tranquility.
Old Demon Wu was extremely pleased with the chaos erupting below.
The stench of terror caused the blood-soaked murderous aura around his body to pulse with heightened excitement.
Wasting no more time, he flicked his sleeve robe. Five hair-raising figures shot out in an instant, crashing down into the village.
The leading two were hulking behemoths standing nearly three meters tall. Their skin was a dark brown, shriveled like tough leather wrapped tightly around grotesquely exaggerated skeletons.
Their fingernails hooked like sickles, their jagged teeth were bared, and two clusters of ghastly green ghost-fire danced within their eye sockets, radiating a suffocating aura of vicious malice.
These were exactly his Peak Third-Tier blood corpses!
The three behind them were slightly smaller in build, but their murderous aura was just as thick. They were late Third-Tier blood corpses.
"Go, my darlings... Feast to your hearts' content!"
Old Demon Wu's voice dripped with sadistic elation.
Slaughter descended in an instant!
The blood corpses unleashed ungodly roars, morphing into five blood-colored hurricanes as they ripped into the crowd.
They possessed boundless strength, their claws and fangs sharp enough to rival magic treasures. Ordinary mud walls and wooden huts shattered the moment they touched them.
An old man trying to shield his grandson was casually grabbed by a peak-stage blood corpse. He was effortlessly ripped in half like a piece of ragged cloth, his blood and organs spilling all over the dirt.
Weeping women and children frantically trying to flee were overtaken by another blood corpse, its razor-sharp claws effortlessly piercing straight through their chests.
The able-bodied men who tried to fight back swung hoes and wood-chopping knives at the blood corpses, but their weapons only sparked uselessly against the leathery skin. In return, a single backhand slap was all it took to smash their skulls and scatter their brains.
"You monsters! I'll take you down with me!"
A few men in the village who practiced martial arts roared, their eyes wide with rage.
Possessing the meager cultivation of the first or second level of the Mortal-Shedding Realm, they charged forward, howling in hysterical madness.
However, their fists, kicks, and blades were no better than mayflies trying to topple a giant tree when matched against Tier 3 blood corpses.
One martial artist threw a full-force punch directly into a blood corpse's chest. The sickening crunch of his own arm breaking echoed loudly, yet the blood corpse didn't even flinch.
Instead, it parted its jaws into a ghastly grin and reached out, crushing his head like a melon.
"Why... what did we do wrong?!"
"Heavens above! Open your eyes! Please save us!"
"You damned evil ghosts! You'll die a horrible death!"
Despairing curses, agonizing shrieks, and helpless pleas to the heavens mingled with the sound of splintering bones, tearing flesh, and the monstrous roars of the blood corpses.
A dirge of the apocalypse was currently playing out.
The entire village had transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse!
Severed limbs and broken arms littered the ground. Rivers of blood formed small streams, soaking deep into the earth.
Floating above the blood-red light screen, Old Demon Wu closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The impossibly dense stench of blood and the soul ripples of terror and despair in the air brought a sickly flush to his pale face, as though he were savoring the finest wine in the world.
"Magnificent... truly magnificent... The struggles and wails of ants are always so moving. Keh-keh-keh..."
He chuckled darkly, admiring the masterpiece he had personally orchestrated below.
Barely five minutes!
In just barely five minutes of time!
The crying and screaming completely faded away.
Of the village of several hundred people, not a single soul was left alive.
An overwhelmingly thick blood mist, trapped by the formation, rose and permeated the air, shrouding the ruined walls and debris as if draping this land of death in a veil of scarlet gossamer.
Old Demon Wu withdrew the array disk.
The five blood corpses floated beside him, acting as a guard detail.
He took one last look at this dead silent feeding ground, licking the corners of his mouth, his appetite still unsatisfied.
"What a pity, they were far too weak. With such frail mortals, I'm afraid it will take tens of millions of them to push all my darlings into the Peak Third-Tier."
Pausing for a moment, a tangible bloody light erupted from his eyes.
Then, turning into a gloomy streak of bloody light, he led his blood corpses as he swept toward other villages, county towns, and eventually, the commandery cities.