Chapter 425: It’s Not Over Yet

The wind howled violently on the ground, sounding as if it wanted to destroy everything. Heavy rain poured down, and the strong winds uprooted the large trees before crushing them in the whirlwinds, causing utter destruction.
Even those who had retreated a thousand meters away were caught in the chaos. Due to their weak strength, some poor soldiers were drawn in by an inexplicable force and torn to shreds before they could even scream.
At this moment, it seemed the end of the world had arrived; the world seemed about to be destroyed. The sky was dark, the earth trembled, the wind howled, rain lashed down, thunder roared, whirlwinds ravaged everything, plants were torn apart, screams echoed everywhere, and all creatures lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to move.
In the distance, inside Wuyou City, an old man’s expression suddenly changed. He rushed out of the city lord’s mansion and stared toward Dark Moon City, his face pale as he trembled violently. “A battle between heaven and earth!” he managed to utter those four words with a strange expression on his face.
Outside Water Curtain City, the group preparing to carry out their plan also stared toward Dark Moon City. “Damn it, a battle between heaven and earth? Did that kid bring this about?” an old man said with a changing expression, sighing.
In Ice City and Water Curtain City, all the super-godly warriors felt that immense power and the might of heaven and earth, forcing them to crawl toward Dark Moon City.
“A battle between heaven and earth… The Gate of Heaven and Earth is about to open. Who has such divine powers?” Inside the Netherworld, an elderly man with complex emotions in his eyes asked those around him in shock.
“A battle between heaven and earth… The Gate of Gods has opened. Gods and demons are returning, and all things will submit! It seems a new world is coming, a new chapter is about to begin! Was our return right or wrong?” Beside him, a white-haired old man, who rarely spoke, suddenly stood up, bowed respectfully toward Dark Moon City, and spoke with deep emotion.
“Gods and demons are returning! It’s been hundreds of thousands of years. After the war between gods and demons, the continent regressed thousands of years back to the primitive era. Now, as heroes rise, it seems the glory of the past will be repeated!” The third old man was filled with emotion, recalling those memories that had been passed down for tens of thousands of years.

No one could have imagined that the troll race was even more primitive than the four great families. The four great families were merely clans that rose after the War between Gods and Demons. During the peak era before that war, they were just insignificant minor clans. It was only after the war, when those great families perished and were destroyed overnight, that they gained the space and opportunity to rise. And the troll race happened to be one of the clans left over from that war.

Decades of inheritance had allowed them to know more things, including the reasons for their decline after the War between Gods and Demons. After every glorious era, there must be a period of decline, followed by a resurgence of glory.

History always repeats itself in this cycle—extremes lead to reversals. It’s just that no one expected this prosperity to come so quickly.

Opening the Gate of Gods and Demons requires countless stringent conditions. Many powerful beings compete for supremacy, needing certain opportunities and extraordinary geniuses to grasp the chance to open it—namely, a conflict between heaven and earth. That’s what “heavenly gods and earthly demons” refers to.

“It’s him! I never thought that after hundreds of thousands of years, our troll race would still produce someone so remarkable!” The first old man spoke with deep emotion, his face trembling as he spoke incoherently.

“Well, it’s time for our troll race to regain its former glory. Let’s get ready; it’s time to go back!” he said to those around him.

“Indeed, it’s time to return. After a thousand years of hiding, those guys must have forgotten us. It’s time to show them that we still exist in this world!” added the second old man.

“The war faction? Just a bunch of insignificant minor demon clans. They were once our slaves, yet now they rule supreme. Do they really think we trolls will be afraid of them?” The third old man, with white hair but a youthful appearance, sneered disdainfully, his expression arrogant. A thousand years ago, the troll race disappeared overnight as the demon clans rose to power, with the war faction taking control. Everyone thought they had been consumed by the war faction, never realizing it was just a plan by the trolls. They had merely gone into hiding, waiting for an opportunity—a chance worthy of their return. They never imagined that a thousand years would pass so quickly, and things would develop to this extent.

……

Outside Dark Moon City, it was as if the end of the world had arrived—life was devastated, lightning flashed, and torrential rain poured down relentlessly. The dark sky pressed down, making it hard to breathe.

Boom…

Finally, another terrifying explosion occurred. The auroras flashed, and their dazzling light left everyone temporarily blind, preventing them from seeing anything outside. White light shot into the sky, connecting heaven and earth. The whirlwind was pierced countless times, emitting thin beams of light that resembled a hedgehog of rays, each one possessing astonishing destructive power.

“Pfft…” The ancient sword inside the eye of the storm spat out more blood, its strength waning as it finally could no longer withstand the pressure. The whirlwind, unable to defend itself against such immense energy, had its defenses broken. Instantly, the power of heaven surged in, causing the already precarious whirlwind to collapse. The earth, seemingly unwilling to yield, desperately tried to withhold its energy, but to no avail.

“No… no… I refuse to accept this… Why? Why is this happening?” The ancient sword screamed in panic, feeling its life force rapidly draining away, yet powerless to do anything. In this battle between heaven and earth, it was at a disadvantage, paying the price with its life force.

It refused to give up. Fighting on the ground, relying on the earth—why should it fail? Why, despite having all the advantages, was it still inferior to Rod? It was as if all those plans laid out over decades, with its side being stronger and more prepared, had been ruined by Rod’s appearance, pushing it into a desperate situation. Now, everything had failed! It couldn’t understand where it had gone wrong. It refused to accept that it was always just a little worse than that guy, Rod. Why had its previous advantages vanished in an instant? Why had it ended up like this?

Why could Rod always find a way to cope in the most critical moments, while it lost countless opportunities and advantages? Heaven paid no attention to these matters, nor did it care about the ancient sword’s thoughts. This was what “seize the opportunity while the enemy is weak” meant—once in advantage, it exerted all its strength, instantly crushing the earth’s power so that it could no longer resist.

With a loud explosion that shook heaven and earth, the whirlwind was completely destroyed, turning into dust that fell to the ground, vanishing along with the ancient sword inside the eye of the storm, leaving only a desperate cry of despair.

The wind grew stronger, sand filled the air, thunder roared, and lightning danced in the sky like dragons, with purple flashes that were terrifying to behold.

However, after the explosion, everything began to slowly return to normal—the lightning gradually disappeared, the rain lessened, and the wind ceased. It seemed as though the Earth had given up and stopped resisting.
“It’s over!” The Wolf King said in a low voice, his expression complex. It was unclear what he was thinking at that moment.
The Dragon Clan’s Elder lowered his head in thought, his gaze and expression unreadable.
“Did the eldest brother win?” Lucy asked excitedly. It seemed that the Power of Heaven had triumphed and the Earth had lost.
“Probably!” Melon sighed deeply. The achievements of the young disciple he had once guided were unimaginable. So much had changed in just two years.
The dark clouds began to disperse, and everything returned to calm, leaving behind a horrifying battlefield—ruined and in disarray, full of craters and devastation.
“The eldest brother is over there!” At the edge of the battlefield, Rod sat collapsed on the ground, exhausted. The moment he broke free from the whirlwind, he ran hundreds of meters before running out of strength. He could only endure everything there. Fortunately, it seemed that the Power of Heaven was protecting him, so he wasn’t badly injured.
“Go check on him quickly!” Sognar and Lilith exclaimed at the same time. It was clear that Rod’s condition was very poor. It was easy to imagine that even if they had won such a fierce battle, it would have been a costly victory.
Contrastingly to the cheers on Lucy’s side, complete silence reigned among the pro-battle faction. The Third Prince had failed, and with his last hope gone, they were utterly despondent. In an instant, everyone dropped their weapons and surrendered. The opposition began to clean up the aftermath.
“Wait!” A few people had only taken a few steps when they were stopped by the Wolf King’s angry shout.
“It’s not over yet!” The Wolf King said to Sognar and the others, his expression complex as he stared at Rod in the distance.
“It’s not over?” Sognar exclaimed, looking quickly but failing to see the Ancient Sword. “Weren’t the Ancient Sword dead?” He didn’t dare be too bold with the Wolf King.
“The Battle of Heaven and Earth—the Gate of Gods and Demons opens, and gods and demons return; all things bow before them! It’s been hundreds of thousands of years—never thought we’d be lucky enough to witness this! This great battle is merely a prelude. In the Battle of Heaven and Earth, whether one wins or loses, it’s just an opportunity, a beginning. Everything has just started now!” Seeing their confusion, the Dragon Clan’s Elder added.

“The battle between heaven and earth, the gates of gods and demons open, gods and demons return, and all things bow in worship!” They repeated these words in confusion, unable to understand what was happening. Sognar and the others widened their eyes in shock; it was the first time they had heard of such a thing, and they were somewhat bewildered. They looked at the Wolf King and the Grand Elder with questioning eyes, as if waiting for them to give them an answer.