"Is this the underworld?" Ning Caichen gazed upward at the oppressive gray sky that seemed to press down upon them like a heavy shroud. Everywhere he looked revealed only desolation - scattered stones and barren earth stretched to the horizon without a single trace of vegetation or life.
"Come on, stop gawking. If you want to sightsee, there'll be plenty of opportunities later!" Gustave urged impatiently as they followed the ghostly wedding procession across the wasteland.
The underworld proved vast beyond imagining. The ghost soldiers carrying Xiaoqian's sedan chair traveled for what felt like hours before their destination finally came into view.
Rising from the desolate landscape ahead stood a city as tall as a mountain, its massive walls and towers dominating the terrain for hundreds of miles in every direction. In this entire region of the underworld, it was the only sign of civilization.
"Brothers, should we wait for Xiaoqian to enter the city, or what's the plan?" Yan Chixia asked, uncertain of Gustave's specific strategy.
"Since we've found the Black Mountain Demon's lair, why bother with infiltration? Let's end this right here!" Gustave declared.
Though he didn't know the exact extent of the Black Mountain Old Demon's power, he could clearly sense that the imposing city itself was somehow the ancient demon's true body. If Xiaoqian disappeared within those walls, rescuing her would become infinitely more difficult.
Without further hesitation, Gustave struck.
Thunder roared across the underworld as lightning crashed down with devastating force. The Black Mountain Demon's ghost soldiers were instantly reduced to ash, while Xiaoqian's sedan chair flew toward Gustave's group at impossible speed, carried by crackling electrical energy.
"Who dares?!" roared a demon with the head of a tiger, the only survivor among the lesser creatures.
As the remaining monsters and demon kings recovered from the shock of the attack, they saw the bridal sedan floating safely away while several human figures stood defiantly in the distance.
"How did mortals penetrate the underworld?!" hissed a creature with a human torso but serpentine lower body.
"That attack was incredibly powerful," the tree demon grandmother muttered, studying Gustave's group with calculating eyes. "If I had been the target, there would have been no chance of survival. These four are far stronger than I anticipated."
While the other demons stared in confusion and rage, she quietly melted back into the shadows, disappearing from the battlefield entirely.
"Xiaoqian! Xiaoqian!" Ning Caichen rushed to the sedan chair and drew aside the silk curtains. Inside sat Xiaoqian in her elaborate red wedding gown, looking dazed but unharmed.
"Caichen!" She had heard the thunder and felt the sedan chair's sudden movement, but when she lifted her red veil, she found Ning Caichen gazing at her with overwhelming relief and joy.
The two embraced tightly, expressing through that desperate embrace all the longing and fear they'd endured during their separation.
"Brother Yan, please take Brother Ning and Xiaoqian far from here. A fierce battle is about to begin!" Gustave sensed an enormous aura rising from the city and immediately gave his instructions.
"But—"
"Brother Yan, don't worry about us. The three of us will be fine!"
"Very well!" Yan Chixia asked no more questions, leading Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian swiftly away from the coming confrontation.
"You steal my bride and think you can simply leave?!" A hideous man in black robes emerged from the towering city. He raised one hand, and a massive spectral palm descended from above, large enough to blot out the sky.
"Black Mountain Old Demon, you'll have to get past me first!" Gustave countered, raising his own hand as thunder roared downward, completely shattering the demon's attack.
"So you do have some skill, no wonder you dared come here to steal from me!" the Black Mountain Old Demon sneered.
"Let me test your true strength, Black Mountain Demon!" Gustave stepped forward, and a colossal thunder giant began rising from the earth. Light blue lightning coursed across its towering form, radiating an aura of pure destruction.
The Black Mountain Old Demon studied the Thunder Giant with serious eyes. He had only felt such overwhelming power from those ancient cultivators who had reached the very threshold of immortality.
The demon king had no intention of fleeing - he knew escape was impossible. Besides, this was the underworld, his domain. Here, it was far from certain who would emerge victorious!
The Black Mountain Old Demon merged with his city, and a Black Stone Giant rose to match Gustave's creation, slightly smaller but no less imposing.
"Brother Black Mountain, we're here to assist you!" the tiger-headed demon roared, transforming into an enormous tiger. All around the battlefield, various monsters and demons revealed their true forms in a terrifying menagerie of claws, fangs, and supernatural power.
"Thank you, brothers!" the Black Stone Giant rumbled in response.
"Haha, did you think Gustave had no allies?" Shanks laughed as he drew Griffin. A brilliant sword beam shot skyward, slashing toward the assembled demons.
"Brother Shanks, you didn't think you'd have all the fun, did you?" Fahai lifted his cassock, revealing his powerfully muscled torso adorned with an intricate golden dragon tattoo that seemed to writhe across his skin.
"Great and Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored One Ksitigarbha, Prajnaparamita Buddhas, Prajnaparamita Mamahong!"
As Fahai's incantation concluded, the golden dragon tattoo came to life, manifesting as a majestic five-clawed dragon that coiled through the air with divine authority.
The Black Mountain Old Demon and his assembled allies hadn't expected that besides Gustave, both Shanks and Fahai possessed such formidable power. Though outnumbered, the three humans matched the entire demonic horde in terms of raw combat ability.
Facing the gathered demons, Gustave said nothing more. With a thought, thunder crashed across the underworld.
Lightning was the most yang and powerful force in existence. Even with its strength somewhat suppressed in the yin-heavy underworld, it remained devastatingly effective against demonic entities.
The Black Mountain Old Demon, not wanting his allied demon kings to suffer serious injury from Gustave's assault, deliberately intercepted the lightning himself, his massive stone form absorbing the crackling energy.
"Black Mountain Old Demon, I didn't realize you were so loyal to your allies!" Gustave called out with genuine surprise before launching himself directly at his primary opponent.
The thunder giant and stone giant clashed in earth-shaking combat while Shanks and Fahai divided the remaining enemies between them, each selecting their own group of opponents.
The battlefield erupted into absolute chaos. Thunder roared continuously, the golden dragon danced through clouds of demonic energy, brilliant sword techniques carved through the air, and monstrous roars echoed from every direction as demons of all shapes and sizes threw themselves into the fray.
"How terrifying!" After Yan Chixia had led them an unknown distance from the battle, Ning Caichen turned to look back at the horrific conflict raging in the distance.
"It seems I still underestimated the strength of Brother Gustave and his companions!" Yan Chixia gripped his sword thoughtfully. A battle of this magnitude was far beyond his current abilities to influence.
"Hahaha, Xiaoqian, did you really think you could escape me?" The androgynous laughter of the tree demon grandmother suddenly rang out around them.
"Grandmother?" Xiaoqian gasped in shock - she hadn't expected the ancient demon to pursue them.
"Heaven and Earth are infinite, the universe lends me power!" Yan Chixia bit his finger, drew a Tai Chi symbol in blood on his palm, then struck out with his palm. The tree demon grandmother's true form shimmered into visibility.
"Yan Chixia, you've been pestering me for so long - a year from today will be your death anniversary!" the tree demon snarled.
"After I kill you and drain the blood from both you and that scholar, I'll wait for the Black Mountain Old Demon and those three fools to exhaust each other. Then it will be my turn to rule! Hahahaha!"
The tree demon grandmother's maniacal laughter filled the air as vines erupted from the ground in all directions, whipping toward Yan Chixia and his two companions.
"Tree demon, you're dreaming! Today I, Yan Chixia, will finally rid the world of your evil!" The demon hunter smeared blood along his sword's edge and unleashed his blade techniques, slicing through the vines threatening Ning Caichen and Xiaoqian.
"If you won't accept mercy, then face punishment! Yan Chixia, I showed restraint in the mortal world, but here in the underworld, let's see how I deal with you!"
The tree demon grandmother shrieked as she revealed her true form - a massive, gnarled tree with branches like grasping claws. The final battle between demon hunter and ancient evil had begun.