“This is the perfect chance to put the formation patterns I learned from the Nine Dragons Devouring Heaven Array back in Tianluo State to good use.”
With that thought, Chen Changsheng vanished, his form hidden as he began meticulously scouting the territory of the Stone Demon Race.
He examined the nodes of the existing array one by one. To his surprise, the Stone Demon Race’s Protective Clan Array bore a striking resemblance to the Nine Dragons Devouring Heaven Array. It was a severely weakened version, only drawing power from four local Heaven and Earth Veins. This saved him considerable time. Instead of building from scratch, he could simply modify their existing formation.
Chen Changsheng moved like a phantom through the Stone Demon territory, completely undetected. In the western sector, he used a formation plate to invert the properties of the defensive array patterns, instantly turning them into lethal offensive formations. Furthermore, he began scattering a cocktail of specialized powders across the territory: Netherfall Heartbreak Powder, Nine Revolutions Soul Dispersion Powder, and Sleeping Incense.
The dosage was meticulously calculated—just enough to induce a subtle, disorienting mental fog in the Stone Demon Race’s powerful cultivators, yet not enough for them to consciously detect the poison. Being thick-skinned and naturally obtuse, they rarely paid attention to minor spiritual fluctuations. Compounding this, their terror of the White Robe Great Emperor was so profound that they simply mistook the mental unease for fear, leading no one to investigate the cause.
A Grey-robed Elder frowned. “Why do I feel so restless? My spirit seems unstable.”
Another elder chimed in, “Me too. The White Robe Great Emperor is a blade hanging over our heads. Until he appears, we can’t eat or sleep in peace.”
All the gathered Emperor Realm Experts nodded solemnly. The sheer terror of imminent life or death was unbearable, even for them. They felt increasingly agitated but dared not step outside the Protective Clan Array.
In reality, this was the combined effect of the Netherfall Heartbreak Powder, Nine Revolutions Soul Dispersion Powder, and eleven other specialized concoctions taking hold. It didn't affect their cultivation directly, only their minds.
A day passed, and the White Robe Great Emperor did not appear. Two days. Several days later, still no sign. Some Stone Demon members started to grow lax. “Is the White Robe Great Emperor not coming after all?” they wondered. “We must remain vigilant,” the Old Ancestors cautioned. “Do not let down your guard.” The Stone Demon Race was essentially sleeping on their weapons, but it was all for naught.
Chen Changsheng’s plan proceeded smoothly; he had already completed half of the array modifications. When he lacked specific materials, he simply helped himself. He entered the Stone Demon Race’s treasury as if walking into an empty room, taking any Emperor-tier materials he required. No one noticed, because Chen Changsheng had already silently assassinated the Emperor Realm Experts guarding the vault. The two ‘elders’ now standing guard were his Wooden Puppet Clones. They were diligently robbing the treasury blind, slowly emptying the Stone Demon Race’s millennia of accumulated wealth.
When some of the real Old Ancestors tried to enter the treasury to retrieve items, the ‘guards’ ruthlessly refused them. The Stone Demon Old Ancestors were baffled. “Are you rebelling?!” Chen Changsheng sighed internally. Why solve the problem when you can just solve the person who raised the problem? Any elder who subsequently tried to access the treasury quietly met their end. Furthermore, Chen Changsheng deployed over a dozen additional Wooden Puppet Clones to monitor the entire Stone Demon Race.
One day, he noticed a Six-star Emperor Realm Expert pacing anxiously in his cave dwelling. This man was a direct descendant of the Stone Demon Race’s Nine-star Great Emperor Old Ancestor. He muttered, frowning, “Has the White Robe Great Emperor already infiltrated us? I keep feeling a strange, subtle power circulating through our territory.”
He immediately sent a spiritual message to the Patriarch, asking if there was any anomaly. The Patriarch replied after a moment’s thought, “Nothing unusual. We haven’t detected the White Robe Great Emperor’s aura. However, it’s true that for days now, everyone from the Old Ancestors to the disciples has felt restless and unable to cultivate in peace.”
A flash of realization struck the younger man. Perhaps the White Robe Great Emperor is already here? “Patriarch, quickly go check our Protective Clan Array!” he urged.
Before he could finish his sentence, the world spun. An identical Grey-robed man suddenly appeared behind him, sealing the Six-star Emperor in place. The Stone Demon Emperor turned, seeing the clone created by Chen Changsheng, and was utterly horrified. “Who are you?” The clone’s aura and spiritual fluctuations were perfectly identical to his own! Panic seized him.
Chen Changsheng smiled faintly. “You know too much. You are indeed the son of the Stone Demon Old Ancestor; quite alert.”
The Stone Demon Emperor’s eyes were wide with terror. “You are the White Robe Great Emperor!”
Chen Changsheng remained silent, tossing out an eerie formation plate that instantly enveloped the Emperor. “Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui!” Dark, swirling array patterns rose, sucking the Stone Demon Emperor into a pocket dimension. There, strange, corrosive toxins immediately began to erode his body. Even a Six-star Emperor Realm Expert of the Stone Demon Race couldn't resist. Chen Changsheng extracted the man's memories and examined them thoroughly.
Moments later, he emerged, perfectly disguised as the deceased Emperor, ready to meet the other Emperor Realm Experts.
“Ancestor Shisheng, I’ve come to discuss the Dao,” Chen Changsheng said, wearing an utterly harmless smile.
The other elder looked slightly confused. “I’ve been too restless to cultivate lately. A discussion might help.”
Chen Changsheng lit a stick of incense. “This incense will aid our enlightenment!”
The elder inhaled deeply, feeling an immediate coolness clear his mind, sweeping away days of exhaustion. “What a treasure! Light a few more!”
Chen Changsheng’s lips curled into a slight smile. “As you wish.”
Before long, the elder across from him grew drowsy, falling into a deep illusion woven by Chen Changsheng. He burst into maniacal laughter. “Hahahaha! The White Robe Great Emperor has spared us! But we must still avenge the death of our Nine-star Great Emperor...” Before he could finish, strange array patterns surged around him, and he lost consciousness completely. A few hundred breaths later, the elder was dead. Like a small pebble dropped into a vast river, his passing made no ripple.
Chen Changsheng repeated the process. Every Stone Demon Old Ancestor he encountered was killed and replaced with one of his Wooden Puppet Clones. Even the Patriarch was swapped out for a substitute.
Several days later, Chen Changsheng completed the array modifications. He named the result: the Four Dragons Devouring Heaven Array.
This array utilized the four Heaven and Earth Veins of the Stone Demon territory, seizing the fortune of the land to summon a deadly, yet invisible, killing intent, all interwoven with a powerful illusion formation. Unlike the brutal lethality of the Nine Dragons Devouring Heaven Array, this method was designed for a ‘gentle’ annihilation.
Once activated, combined with the powders Chen Changsheng had spread, the Stone Demon Race would die laughing, wrapped in a blissful hallucination. Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, offering a self-satisfied assessment. “I truly am too thoughtful.” He pictured the scene: the Stone Demon Race, dying with smiles on their faces, passing away in perfect happiness. It was, in his professional opinion, flawless.
That day arrived swiftly. On a night thick with ominous clouds, Chen Changsheng quietly activated the Four Dragons Devouring Heaven Array.
In the profoundly dark world, the Stone Demon Race instantly fell into the illusion. Some Emperor Realm Experts roared with laughter: “I am Supreme! I am invincible, you may all relax!” Other elders chuckled foolishly: “How lonely it is to be unrivaled!” Disciples smiled serenely: “It was only a little hardship.” All the Stone Demon members were experiencing their greatest joys.
At that moment, the power of the Four Dragons Devouring Heaven Array surged violently! The killing intent from the four Heaven and Earth Veins silently flooded the Stone Demon territory. It did not damage the mountains or the land; it merely stripped away their life force. It was the gentle, simplified version of the Nine Dragons Devouring Heaven Array.
Death came swiftly, and silently, like the wind. Within a single night, the entire Stone Demon Race was annihilated.
...