Chapter 564: Fighting the Great Demon of the Heaven Realm

Outside the pillar that holds up the sky.

The Banshan Sect Master, accompanied by Yan Chongzhang and a host of elders, personally came to see them off.

"To be honest, I thought they were quite similar before, but now I think they are not."

Luo Changchun, standing on a magnificent treasure ship, stared at the dark robe fluttering slightly at the very front and said softly to Lin You.

Although this Shen Zongzhu in front of him shared many similarities with the mysterious young cultivator who suddenly attacked at the Dragon Consort's birthday banquet, their most important trait—personality—was worlds apart.

That person at the banquet was clearly violent by nature, far less restrained and gentle than this young sect master, lacking the air of a modest gentleman.

No wonder these Dao Sons are all so close to him.

"If there is anything that requires the Banshan Sect's help, a single message will suffice."

Huang Zongzhu clasped his hands, a hint of complexity imperceptible to others hidden in his smiling face.

Even the sect's founding ancestor probably never imagined that their own sect would one day face the Liangdaohuang Sect; they have truly made something of themselves.

Now there is no other way; they can only place their hopes on this Shen Zongzhu.

"Farewell."

Shen Yi nodded, waved his hand, and rode the Qingyue Treasure Ship soaring toward the agreed direction.

As they began their return journey, the many Dao Sons fell silent, filled with emotion; this trip to West Hong had opened their eyes, whether to the various factions of all kinds or the so-called Dao Soldier Record, things the cultivators of South Hong could never access.

However, the time was too short; in the end, they could only be bystanders, unable to participate personally, which was somewhat regrettable.

The cultivators of Yunhe Sect looked forward with considerable curiosity.

For them, South Hong was more of an existence that existed only in rumors; everyone knew of it, but few had truly been there.

It was also hard for them to imagine that an Xian Sect faction could, on its own, stand against a Long Gong, and that the South Long Gong even had to come to the West Long Gong to ask for help just to suppress the Seven Sons of South Hong.

Everyone's thoughts were different, while the Qingyue Treasure Ship hung in the sky, steadily sailing toward the border between the two Hongs.

Screech—

Suddenly, two long phoenix cries echoed from the surroundings, then quickly faded away.

Several Dao Sons of South Hong looked around in confusion, while Luo Changchun and others' faces changed slightly: "Glazed Green Phoenixes? What are they doing here?"

It must be known that although these Green Phoenixes were powerful, because the West Long Gong disliked them, they resided on remote high peaks far from water for years and rarely involved themselves in the affairs of West Hong.

"Could it be that the South Long Gong invited them as well?"

Several elders of Yunhe Sect exchanged glances; their greatest fear was exactly this. Originally, it was a confrontation between the two major powers of the south, with each side displaying their forces to compare strength, and that should be enough to know where they stood.

But as more and more factions joined in, many of whom already held deep blood feuds, the situation would only become more chaotic; perhaps what was originally not going to happen would be forced into a life-and-death struggle, even escalating into a calamity of slaughter affecting the waters of both South Hong and West Hong.

Therefore, the Yunhe Sect Master wanted to invite the Purple-Bearded White Dragon clan to mediate peace.

"It seems they were just passing by."

As the phoenix cries faded, Luo Changchun slowly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled at Lin You: "It shouldn't be; the Dragon Palaces naturally dislike these Green Phoenixes. They are lucky if they don't cause them trouble, let alone ask for their help."

Lin You forced a smile, but her expression gradually grew solemn.

It was not because she sensed any aura.

Rather, she had been staring blankly at Shen Zongzhu's back, comparing him in her mind with the person she saw at the previous birthday banquet.

And at the moment the phoenix cries vanished, she noticed the Bai Xi hand that had emerged from the dark robe's sleeve slowly clenching into a fist.

In the next instant, the entire treasure ship froze in the sky, as if trapped in some invisible mud, unable to move an inch.

A faint scent of blood spread, dyeing the surrounding white clouds a dark red.

Although it was precisely noon, the blinding sunlight was blocked by the gradually piling red clouds; moonlight fell through the gaps in the cloud layers, sprinkling onto the water where dark tides surged, looking like scattered pieces of shimmering silver.

"..."

Shen Yi lowered his gaze to a floating island below; all these changes were because a huge, lazy figure had suddenly appeared on that island, its snow-white fur sleek and shiny, with black patterns twisting as its muscles shifted.

A fierce tiger in its prime, full of explosive power, slowly opened its eyes, its vertical pupils sweeping toward the sky.

In an instant, the many cultivators on the ship all felt a heavy sense of suffocation.

"An... An Tingfeng!"

Compared to the Glazed Green Phoenix clan, this tiger clearly made the people of Yunhe Sect more fearful.

It was not because the Haoyue Shuanghu was stronger, but because they were domineering enough, and their relationship with the Dragon Palaces was also better.

Of course, the most important thing was that they had made an enemy of this great demon clan at the previous birthday banquet!

It shouldn't be that bad, right? A mere verbal dispute, worth this fearsome clan leader personally showing up?

"Senior An..."

Several elders of Yunhe Sect, sensing the blood scent at their noses, were very clear that this fierce tiger had ill intentions.

Upon hearing the name An Tingfeng, the many Dao Sons of South Hong also reacted together; even though their time here was short, they had inevitably come across information about the Haoyue Shuanghu clan.

This was a great demon comparable to a fully realized Earth Realm!

But the other party should have no dealings with the Seven Sons of South Hong; why would he suddenly appear on the road to intercept them, as if it were a premeditated plan?

Could it be that he dares to actually attack?

It must be known that Master Deng of Wushuang Sect was on his way; even if he could not save them, sensing the residual auras and tracing the true culprit's identity would be no problem.

An Tingfeng was not a lone wolf; why would he, full of energy, risk the lives of his entire clan to exchange for a few South Hong Dao Sons who had nothing to do with him and no interest conflicts?

Don't even talk about receiving orders from the West Long Gong; a single West Long Gong could not protect his Haoyue Shuanghu clan.

It must be known what concept it is to wipe out all the Dao Sons of the Seven Sons of South Hong in one go; it is equivalent to cutting off someone's descendants, something that could drive even a giant of the Dao-Integration Realm mad.

"Shen Zongzhu."

Wei Yuanzhou stepped forward slowly, coming to Shen Yi's back: "Master Deng will arrive soon; we can first stall this fierce tiger, or reveal our identity to intimidate him."

"..."

Shen Yi and the tiger eyes below gazed silently at each other, both seeing the chilling killing intent in the other's eyes.

Intimidation is useless against a madman.

Moreover, he is a madman who has become almost a lone wolf, with no worries behind him; what does he have to intimidate with?

Furthermore, the demonic qi radiating from this tiger is not merely several times more profound than when they last met.

It even gave Shen Yi a heart-pounding guess in his mind.

A Heaven Realm great demon.

Thinking of this, he withdrew his aura, handed control of the Clear Moon Treasure Ship to Wei Yuanzhou, and said softly, "Take them away first."

Upon hearing this, not only Wei Yuanzhou who was closest, but even the few standing on the ship's deck looked over in shock.

Does Shen Zongzhu mean to block this great demon alone?

What a joke!

But since it involves matters of the Dao-Integration Realm, they, a mere group of juniors, could not offer any opinion at all.

Just then, the tiger below finally slowly rose to its feet, then transformed into a towering human form, the familiar black-and-white cloak billowing once more.

"It is truly good to see you again."

An Tingfeng adjusted his sleeves, raised his head unhurriedly, and smiled, "Where is that lowly beast? Have you hidden her? Or do you no longer need her protection and are confident enough to save your life from my hand?"

A simple title caused the petite figure on the throne of the Ten Thousand Demons Western Hall to slowly open her eyes.

Through Shen Yi's sea of consciousness, she pressed her lips and stared at An Tingfeng.

In her moist eyes, the pupils narrowed slightly; instantly, black winds rose throughout the entire Western Hall, surging with gloomy and ferocious aura.

She did not care about this man's opinion of her.

An Yi cared about the fact that the other party said she was hidden... She was not hidden; she now very much wanted to personally pierce through this man's chest!

"Stay quiet."

Shen Yi said faintly with his mind, in a tone that allowed no discussion.

When facing a life-or-death crisis, he did not hesitate for a moment to withdraw that rare favor he had shown An Yi; a stabilizing stone is a stabilizing stone, and must obey orders completely.

"Save your life?"

Wei Yuanzhou and Su Hongxiu, along with the others, keenly caught the information in An Tingfeng's words.

Immediately, their expressions changed.

That is to say, Shen Zongzhu had already dealt with this Earth Realm-perfected great demon without the Seven Disciples of Yu Nanhong knowing anything.

And he had successfully preserved his life?!

"I will do my best to contact Senior Brother Deng."

Wei Yuanzhou hesitated no longer and took over control of the Clear Moon Treasure Ship.

Since Shen Zongzhu knew the strength of this ferocious tiger and still made such arrangements, he must have his reasons.

The other Dao-Children stood silently in place, while Luo Changchun and the other cultivators of the Yunhe Sect swallowed hard; what they feared most was that this group would stage some drama of sharing life and death, and having a dozen more Lady Baiyu Jing cultivators stay behind would, for a Earth Realm-perfected great demon, make no difference other than adding a few extra snacks.

Spreading the news is the most important thing!

"Leave?"

"Did you let my people leave back then?"

An Tingfeng seemed to hear a joke, chuckling twice; for any of his clan members he had sent out who had contact with this young cultivator, not a single survivor remained.

In terms of ruthlessness, he, An Tingfeng, was no match for anyone.

In an instant, the black-and-white cloak flared violently, and this ferocious tiger vanished from the spot.

The sky full of red clouds instantly scattered as a tiger paw, blocking out the sun and moon, pressed down from above; its claws resembled five sharp mountain peaks, attempting to completely engulf that tiny Clear Moon Treasure Ship.

A surging wave of demonic qi crashed down, causing the entire expanse of water to strangely sink inward!

Under this paw, the Lady Baiyu Jing cultivators could not even complete such a simple action as raising an arm to place a fingertip on their brow; their breaths stagnated, their eyes froze, and their entire bodies were suppressed as if they were stiff wood.

The moment An Tingfeng struck, Shen Yi finally confirmed the guess in his heart.

As the tiger paw pressed down, he took a step, leaving the Clear Moon Treasure Ship; though the distance was less than two feet, the figure beneath the black robe seemed to have become a different person.

The previous gentleness and composure vanished, replaced by intense ferocity!

Black flowing light shot toward the sky like stars.

Shen Yi did not dodge or yield, rushing straight toward that massive palm; the instant he raised his arm, it seemed as if the entire blue sky responded in unison!

His sleeves rolled up, and his right arm, as smooth as jade, carried the momentum of suppressing the heavens; his knuckles slammed hard onto that tiger paw!

Boom—

A thunderous explosion suddenly reverberated; under the collision of demonic qi and the aura of heaven and earth, the many cultivators on the Clear Moon Treasure Ship felt their souls and bodies about to crack apart.

Under their horrified gaze, two figures on the blue sky above touched and then retreated.

The towering An Tingfeng stumbled back over a hundred zhang, while Shen Zongzhu was knocked flying backward, crashing onto the edge of the Clear Moon Treasure Ship with a boom; under that immense force, the entire treasure ship shot outward, stopping only when that floating island had become an insignificant speck.

Once out of the control range of this ferocious tiger, the multitude of cultivators seemed to come back to life.

"He... he caught it?!"

Bai Wu jumped up from the ship's deck and instinctively cried out in shock.

Wei Yuanzhou reacted instantly, steering the Clear Moon Treasure Ship toward Yu Nanhong, while taking out a jade slip and anxiously beginning to contact Senior Brother Deng.

Yet the mind still echoed with the shocking scene just witnessed.

Without borrowing any external objects, Shen Zongzhu simply rushed out and then, with a solid punch, knocked back a Earth Realm-perfected great demon!

For this group of Dao-Children who knew Shen Yi, it was simply like a tale from the Arabian Nights.

"Heh! Heh!"

Su Hongxiu propped herself up, staring fixedly at the direction of the bow, looking at the empty bow, and suddenly murmured, "He is not here..."

As she spoke, she suddenly turned and grabbed Bai Wu's collar: "Report to Junior Uncle Ji immediately! Hurry!"

Although Su Hongxiu's realm was equally insignificant before the Dao-Integration Realm, her perception of aura was more keen than others.

For some reason, she even felt that even Senior Brother Deng could not defeat that great demon.

You must know that although Senior Brother Deng, hindered by his aptitude, never entered the Heavenly Realm in his life and fell far behind the sect masters of the Heavenly Sword, Clear Moon, and Spirit Mountain sects, having been left so far behind he was invisible, he had spent these years in the Earth Realm and once cultivated in Hongze, so he had already pushed every possible means of improvement to their absolute limit.

By all rights, within the scope of the Earth Realm, even if one could not achieve a crushing victory, at the very least one could exchange blows.

"Very well, I shall inform my Master immediately." Bai Wu, fully aware of the gravity of the situation, hurriedly retrieved the magical treasure used solely for contacting her Master.

"It is him... it is truly him..." Luo Changchun rose tremblingly and approached Lin You: "Did you see him when he struck just now? Last time..."

That identical ferocity and decisiveness, especially when the opponent was someone like An Tingfeng, he had almost never seen in any other young cultivator.

"Now is not the time to speak of this."

Lin You lay prone on the ship's edge, looking tensely toward the distance.

Right where it had been before, the entire world seemed suddenly separated out; above the red clouds, the desolate blue sky appeared to have suddenly gained consciousness!

"This should not be."

An Tingfeng stabilized his form, looked curiously at his right palm, and then tried clenching it twice.

After reconfirming that, having retrieved his precious essence blood, he had indeed stepped into a new level.

"However, your change seems even greater than mine."

An Tingfeng raised his gaze to look at the youth ahead; the instant Shen Yi acted, that aura belonging to beyond the Earth Realm's perfection finally revealed itself completely.

It was truly at the limit, perhaps the true upper limit of the Earth Realm that no cultivator in all of Hongze had ever touched...

It seemed only a single step away from the Heavenly Realm; one merely needed to lift a foot slightly to cross over easily.

"What the hell are you?"

This fierce tiger finally let out a long sigh; everything he had exhausted himself to achieve, setting up the Treasure Moon Great Tomb and forcing his clan to accompany him year-round, had yielded no substantial progress, yet the other had accomplished it with ease, even causing An Yi to ascend directly to become a great demon comparable to the Dao-Integration Realm.

Now, merely a short time apart, the other had leaped from that Bai Yujing cultivator to become a powerhouse of Earth Realm Great Perfection.

Let alone him, An Tingfeng; speaking words of great treason... even if the Immortals knew, they would likely feel puzzled.

"But fortunately, this Seat has suffered for a lifetime and was finally favored by Heaven, allowing me to catch you at such a moment."

An Tingfeng's gaze was indifferent, yet his lips curled into a sneer; the two utterly different expressions gathering on his face made him appear even more vicious.

What use is being one step away? Today, he would make the other forever lose the chance to take that step.

"..."

Shen Yi lightly waved his sleeve; dark armor surged forth, tightly wrapping his body.

As his palm descended, the golden-patterned long blade flashed with cold light.

Then came the Yin-Yang Dark Pendant.

He opened his mouth slightly, swallowing the Phoenix Yuan; his already Bai Xi face suddenly gained a few sickly hues; the heart-fire self-burning could also stimulate the ferocity within his heart.

The previous hard clash of fists, besides protecting the Clear Moon Treasure Ship, had another more important reason.

That was Shen Yi's desire to test exactly how much distance remained between himself and the Heavenly Realm after receiving the Immortal Art's support, especially with An Tingfeng, who had just broken through.

If the gap was too great, he would find a way to escape and preserve his life.

But at present...

Shen Yi exhaled a hot breath, greed and ruthlessness unrestrainedly surging in his eyes.

Divine Mountain Suppresses the Blue Sky; this Immortal Art is a method of borrowing power, transforming the body into a Divine Mountain to suppress a portion of the sky, then borrowing power from heaven and earth.

Although it was merely the entry level, far from suppression, he could already coexist with this blue sky and use part of the heaven and earth's spiritual energy to support himself.

Shen Yi raised his gaze slightly, his thin lips parting lightly, his voice carrying a hint of mockery: "You talk so much nonsense; do you wish to delay time and live a little longer?"

"Hah?"

These words entered An Tingfeng's ears, causing this towering middle-aged man to unconsciously pause.

He even began to doubt whether his ears had heard incorrectly.

Yet in that instant of daze, An Tingfeng's vision was obscured by black clouds that surged forth with a boom, as if a giant roc spread its wings, its two wings whistling as they swept toward him!

"Little thief!"

A great demon risen from slaughter, even if distracted, would not easily lose his composure; moreover, he was the one with the higher realm.

An Tingfeng was merely somewhat enraged; at this realm, he rarely encountered such shameless rogues who used such petty tricks to seize the initiative before engaging in combat.

Wait—

Moonlight surged in An Tingfeng's eyes, nearly turning bright white, yet it failed to pierce through these black clouds!

This strange thing made him inexplicably recall the signature skill of a certain great northern Hong family; could this boy be related to the Yue family's Huo Lin?!

"Die for this Seat!"

Upon realizing the situation was untenable, An Tingfeng reacted extremely quickly; judging by the boy's actions just now, the opponent would definitely ambush from behind!

Thinking thus, he turned, fiercely slapping his palm toward the back of his neck; rampant demon energy scattered the rolling black clouds, as if tearing the sky apart!

Yet this palm struck empty air.

Under the cover of the remaining black clouds, a pair of deep eyes flashed with cold light.

Sharp dark armor boots stomped viciously on An Tingfeng's calves, causing him to instinctively bend forward; then, golden patterns on the long blade rippled like flowing water, extending over a hundred zhang of dark-gold sharpness, carrying invisible yet roaring heart-flames, and struck viciously at the joint between his calf and thigh.

Sss—

Dark-gold flowing light penetrated An Tingfeng's body, then transformed into a line of blood, bursting open with a puchi sound.

Shen Yi did not have absolute confidence to slay this fierce tiger, so he intended to first cripple the opponent's legs to facilitate escape if the fight went poorly.

However, even so, the effect was not very good.

That line of blood became a deep gash, yet the blade was halted by bone.

This Dao Soldier, surpassing the Hongmeng Heavenly Soldiers and entirely condensed from Jin Guang, was actually blocked by a demon's innate body.

This was probably why they could be called comparable to the Heavenly Realm.

"Hah!"

An Tingfeng had never imagined he would suffer a hidden loss first.

He stumbled forward a few steps, bent down, and pressed his hand over the wound, feeling the damp crimson stick to his fingertips, while a heart-flame scorched his bones, sending a piercing pain through him.

Stimulated by this intense agony, a surge of rage shot straight up from his chest.

An Tingfeng suddenly turned back, only to see Shen Yi had slipped back into the black clouds at some point, like a ghost, his whereabouts impossible to trace.

Within the heavy black clouds, danger seemed to lurk everywhere.

"A trick to deceive the eyes and ears—come out for this Seat!"

An Tingfeng opened his mouth wide, and a thick tiger roar rolled out fiercely, sweeping into the black clouds.

This was the innate divine ability of the Haoyue Shuanghu clan.

Back then, An Yi had used this very move to easily crush the Shen Zongzhu of the Wanxiang Pavilion.

"Mr.!"

Inside the Western Hall, An Yi knew the power of this technique all too well; moreover, An Tingfeng had been lucky, guessing Shen Yi's position correctly, yet she stared blankly at Shen Yi, finding his expression calm, with no intention of dodging at all.

"Let... let An Yi out..."

In the next instant, the figure covered in black armor was enveloped by the mighty tiger roar.

The Yin-Yang Jade Pendant instantly underwent a change; Lady Baiyu spread out, covering the entire surface of the pendant.

Crack! Crack!

Amidst the tiger roar, the jade pendant quietly split open, turning into Jin Guang and returning to the Nanyang Sacred Land.

Yet even the residual power caused Shen Yi's pupils to dilate slightly, but he had long since fully activated the heart-flame, burning the five viscera of his Dao Infant, using this method to stay conscious.

"Be silent."

Beneath the golden-patterned hair crown, strands of hair were slightly disheveled.

Shen Yi's originally handsome face now faintly showed a hint of ferocity; he clenched his teeth, blood seeping from between his neat, white teeth, yet the palm gripping the long blade was steadier than at any other time.

On matters of slaying demons, he trusted only his own judgment.

"Hah—"

An Tingfeng, in his rage, exerted his full strength to unleash the divine ability, yet still gained nothing.

He glared resentfully at the churning black clouds ahead, daring not to be careless again, and finally turned to guard other directions, sneering, "Where is your composure from last time? Or do you intend to drag this out until Yu Nanhong cultivators arrive to reinforce you? Comparing your cultivation with this Seat's reserves, are you sure?"

Though his words were mocking, his eyes were filled with moonlight, refusing to miss any change within the black clouds.

Before the words had even finished.

A figure in black armor stepped out from the clouds behind the ferocious tiger.

The youth moved silently, arriving in an instant.

In his indifferent pupils, only An Tingfeng's completely unguarded back of the neck remained.

In that instant, the entire blue sky seemed to dim considerably.

Those rays of light all converged upon the blade's edge.

Shen Yi held the blade with both palms; the remaining black clouds on his body seemed like a great cloak, like dark mist suspended in the air, as he thrust the long blade forward with decisive precision!

Pfft—

Harnessing the power of this blue sky, the straight blade deliberately bypassed the vertebrae, fiercely piercing through An Tingfeng's neck, the sharp blade tip protruding from his throat.

In that instant, blood splattered everywhere, soaking An Tingfeng's clothes and the two palms he had raised in sudden surprise.

(End of this chapter)