Chapter 684: Remembering the Lesson

"Plop!"

Li Yi tossed the injured, unconscious former Sky Demon onto the ground of the frontline he was responsible for; the sound immediately drew attention, for the Sky Demon's aura was especially conspicuous, impossible to ignore.

"Someone, go notify Xiao Jianguo. Tell him my mission is complete—he should come and take custody of this Sky Demon."

At this moment.

Zhang Tianfan, Lin Qi, Xu Zhangke, and others stationed along the frontline stared at the Sky Demon on the ground, stunned.

"This… is a Sky Demon?"

The Sky Demon's form was roughly human, but taller and more muscular, with traces of beastly features—scales on the skin, fur on the face—not due to incomplete transformation, but because Sky Demons of the Demon God Realm naturally retain these beastly traits.

"I'll go notify Xiao Jianguo." One of the evolvers immediately shot into the sky.

After all, Li Yi was still the commander of this stretch of the frontline, and his strength spoke for itself—his words were naturally obeyed.

"His aura doesn't seem strong. If it were me, handling him wouldn't be hard. I couldn't capture him so casually, but in a life-or-death fight, it'd be fifty-fifty." Zhang Tianfan commented on the unconscious Sky Demon.

"Don't underestimate him. This Sky Demon is wounded—can't you see the wound piercing his waist? The residual energy is preventing healing. His aura seems weak precisely because he's been so badly injured." Xu Zhangke glanced over and spoke.

Lin Qi walked over and said: "But he's not as terrifying as imagined. If I'd encountered him, I wouldn't have turned and fled."

"Sky Demons have incredible vitality—even like this, he's still alive. Indeed, this race's advantage is nearly impossible to compensate for through evolution." Others marveled at the terrifying resilience of the Sky Demon.

Li Yi watched as these people commented on the Sky Demon, ignoring them—he only waited for Xiao Jianguo to arrive, to hand over this frontline, then leave.

After this, he planned to travel to the Wildlands.

To repay the debt owed to the Merchant Lord for the Xiang cultivation, and to use the ancient land of the Wildlands to nourish his body, cultivate his divine blood, and absorb the Five Qi, bringing his physical and spiritual realms into balance.

Only then could he lay a solid foundation for the future Five Qi Convergence.

This time, Li Yi had sufficient strength to venture into the Wildlands—he wouldn't be captured and nearly sold as a slave, as he had been the first time.

And even if he encountered danger beyond his control, he could open the interdimensional gate and pull Xuan Yuezi from the world of incense-based godhood to aid him.

Yet just as he thought this—

Suddenly—

The Sky Demon, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the several human evolvers surrounding him, he erupted in fury.

How dare these weak humans treat a Sky Demon like merchandise, staring at him like this? He had never suffered such humiliation.

Since he was already doomed, he might as well take a few of them with him.

With this thought—

The Sky Demon's eyes turned blood-red, his demonic energy surged violently, muscles bulged, the Dao marks within his bloodlines ignited and converged into a single blade—a sharp, brilliant saber that instantly shattered the magical energy binding his limbs and body.

"Hmm?" Li Yi immediately sensed this.

He had stayed here, not leaving, precisely because he distrusted this severely wounded Sky Demon.

He was about to strike and crush the Sky Demon, but saw several nearby figures standing still, eager to act—he paused.

Since these people had never fought a Sky Demon, he might as well let them experience the demon's power firsthand—so they wouldn't die needlessly on the battlefield due to overconfidence.

Li Yi halted, watching, intending to use this chance to temper them.

"A wounded Sky Demon dares to fight like a cornered beast? Foolish." Zhang Tianfan roared, drawing his battle blade from his back; cosmic energy gathered in the air, condensing into a terrifying blade slash.

But suddenly, the Sky Demon was already before him.

"What?" Zhang Tianfan's pupils shrank sharply.

That speed—too fast.

Fast enough to leave no time to react.

"Die!" the Sky Demon roared, eyes crimson, demonic energy surging—he simply lifted his foot and kicked toward Zhang Tianfan.

Boom—

The air exploded midair, deafening, the earth trembled.

Though severely wounded, the Sky Demon still unleashed tremendous power.

"Watch out!" Lin Qi, seeing this, gasped in horror—her flying sword shot from its sheath, aiming to save Zhang Tianfan.

But it was too slow.

Boom!

The blow sent Zhang Tianfan flying backward like a cannonball, crashing over ten kilometers away before slamming deep into the earth—he spat blood, his body grievously wounded.

Fortunately, he did not die—because at the moment he was kicked, five-colored magical energy had reinforced his body, absorbing most of the force.

"Is that all?" Li Yi looked down, shaking his head.

Though Lin Qi's flying sword was sharp, the Sky Demon's combat prowess was too strong—he broke through her attack at the cost of tearing open his own flesh, then immediately charged toward her.

A terrifying killing intent, laced with monstrous demonic energy, flooded toward her, triggering wild warnings in Lin Qi's soul.

The scent of death filled the air.

"No good!" Lin Qi was shocked—she hadn't expected the Sky Demon to be this ruthless, willing to endure her divine weapon's strike just to land this counterattack.

She tried to recall her flying sword.

But the Sky Demon's speed was even faster.

"Damn!" Lin Qi had no time to think—she immediately channeled all her internal energy, trying to block the blow.

Boom.

The next instant—

Lin Qi was blasted skyward; her bones shattered, her organs damaged, blood spurted from her mouth and nose—she instantly lost all combat capability, her prized flying sword falling lifelessly to the ground.

"This Sky Demon is too strong—combine forces to subdue him! He's severely wounded, his power is limited, he won't last long!" Xu Zhangke cried out upon seeing this.

He finally understood just how powerful the Sky Demon truly was.

Zhang Tianfan and Lin Qi hadn't even been able to exchange a single blow—they were crushed in one strike, and the Sky Demon was still grievously wounded. It was unimaginable how Li Yi had survived and even killed three Sky Demons in a coordinated assault.

Other evolvers on the frontline didn't retreat—they rushed forward, joining Xu Zhangke to fight together.

But the Sky Demon was already at his last breath; he had only unleashed his full power out of pride, not desperation. After two strikes, he spat blood, his strength draining at an unimaginable rate.

Before Xu Zhangke and the others could act, the Sky Demon collapsed again, gasping heavily, glaring furiously at Li Yi, who sat calmly atop a cloud above him.

He knew—this man had watched everything from the start.

So the Sky Demon understood: no matter what, he couldn't escape. Too bad his strength had faded so much—he could've taken those two human evolvers with him.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

Xu Zhangke, seeing the Sky Demon collapse again, froze.

"Stop. This Sky Demon can no longer fight—he's barely clinging to life. You cannot kill him yet." Li Yi spoke slowly, his cloud descending gently.

"I told you already—you're no match for a Sky Demon. If you face one alone, run. The power he just unleashed was less than sixty percent of his peak. Even so, you couldn't defeat him. Had he not been so wounded, unable to sustain battle, you'd never have stopped him."

Hearing this, Xu Zhangke and the others felt their faces burn.

Before, they hadn't fought a Sky Demon—they were confident. Now, facing one, they understood just how ferocious the creature truly was.

"Bring back Zhang Tianfan and that woman, Lin Qi. They're alive—not dead, just wounded. They need rest." Li Yi continued.

Soon—

Two evolvers flew off and returned carrying the battered, severely injured Zhang Tianfan and Lin Qi.

As they looked again at the fallen Sky Demon, they were filled with shock and fear—their eyes now clear.

No more arrogance. No more confidence.

They had truly walked through the gates of death—and only Li Yi's intervention had saved them.

"Even a wounded Sky Demon is this terrifying—if at full strength, he'd kill me with one blow." Zhang Tianfan, barely holding up his wounded body, trembled inside.

"Next time I face a Sky Demon alone—I run."

"Thank you, Li Yi, for saving me," Lin Qi, now aware, bowed to Li Yi in gratitude.

She knew—she couldn't have blocked that attack. Someone powerful must have intervened.

The only possible person here was Li Yi.

"I just wanted to give you a lesson. You paid a price, but now you'll remember—so you won't die needlessly later." Li Yi said: "Don't thank me. Your personalities aren't likable, but you fight for Earth—you're on this frontline, so I'll lend you a hand. What happens after this? That's up to you."

"Thank you," the others murmured in unison.

Seeing a Sky Demon fight up close gave them a clear understanding of the enemy's power.

This awareness could save lives in critical moments.

Li Yi had brought them a Sky Demon to learn from—it helped them greatly.

"Xiao Jianguo is here." Li Yi sensed a familiar aura approaching.

It was time for him to leave.

(End of Chapter)