Chapter 565: All Settled

Gulu, gulu.

A low growl mixed with blood, trembling slightly, venting the fury of this Heaven Realm great demon.

An Tingfeng had once been on par with this young cultivator in realm, yet before the Heaven Realm Lady Yushan, he had no resistance at all—merely had his throat crushed effortlessly, life and death resting solely in that woman's whim.

Now he had ascended to the Heaven Realm, and faced the same cultivator of Earth Realm.

It should have been a cat playing with a mouse—indifferently watching the cultivator scramble in panic between his palms, then cruelly harvesting his life after toying with him, chewing him and An Yi into pulp and swallowing them.

Yet An Tingfeng had even unleashed his primordial divine art, yet failed to so much as brush the boy's sleeve, and instead had his own throat pierced through by a single blade.

This scene deviated too far from his expectations, to the point of being utterly unacceptable.

"Last time, that filthy beast protected you… this time, you protect that filthy beast…"

An Tingfeng clutched his throat, emitting a muffled laugh—then suddenly whirled around, his face twisted into a monstrous snarl, both eyes flooded with crimson: "Can you protect him?!"

With the motion, his towering figure instantly transformed into a muscular demon body covered in fur; his terrifying tiger arms bulged with muscle, sharp claws tearing through the black clouds, slamming violently onto Shen Yi's body!

Among the five Dao weapons, due to the Lord's realm disparity, Xuanjia and Fengyuan were the two weakest.

Xuanjia was slightly better, since there was still a Earth-Ming Dark Python reinforcing the Northern Demon Hall—but still could not fully escape the level of Hongmeng Heaven Weapons.

Even now, with the blessing of the Southern Yang Sacred Land, this gleaming Xuanjia armor still shattered like dry grass before the blow of a Heaven Realm great demon.

The dark-gold hairpin shattered like brittle jade with a crack.

Shen Yi's hair was disheveled.

The entire sky trembled violently, as if that palm had not struck him—but sought to collapse this blue heavens entirely!

The effect of Divine Peak Pressing the Blue Sky reached its peak at this moment.

And the nameless mountain within Shen Yi's body seemed to stir slightly awake, its vast aura instantly flooding into his limbs and bones.

Beneath the shattered Xuanjia, within his ink-black sleeves, his palms had long released the sword hilt; two sturdy arms shot out like Bai Yu spears, carrying the power of the blue sky, and with a wet *puchī*, plunged into the body of this peerless monstrous demon.

After revealing his true form, An Tingfeng's single fingertip was larger than Shen Yi's entire body; how much less could these two arms' minor wounds compare to the terrifying Xuan-gold radiance spilling from his neck wound?

Yet as Shen Yi's gaze turned icy, his ten fingers clenched An Tingfeng's sinew and muscle.

He stood upon the ethereal white clouds of the heavens, yet seemed like an invincible mountain towering between heaven and earth; the next instant, boundless force surged from his arms, forcibly yanking up this demon tiger that obscured the sky and sun!

"Roar!"

An Tingfeng had never imagined such a reversal—he roared, struggling to break free, yet as he writhed, an indescribable agony surged from his chest.

The glossy, slick fur tore apart like thick cloth with a *chīchī* sound; beneath it, flesh and muscle ripped apart chaotically under immense force.

Boom—

Shen Yi violently slammed An Tingfeng down toward the clouds below!

The monstrous tiger raised its head, its Xuan-gold brilliance preventing it from lowering its neck; it fell like a falling star, plummeting through the clouds in this grotesque posture.

It stared fixedly at that slender figure, and finally caught on Shen Yi's face a clear sign of exhaustion.

Under the agony, An Tingfeng let out a dull, manic laugh: "Hah! Hah!"

Even now, wounded as he was, he still had strength left to fight to the death.

"My turn! Finally it's my turn! When my family reunites, I'll make sure to leave you a seat!"

"Hu."

Shen Yi's breathing was erratic; the dark, night-like sky reflected his current state.

He crouched slightly, his crimson arms resting on his knees, his dangling fingers trembling faintly.

Beneath his hair, his dark eyes calmly met the gaze of the monstrous tiger, drawing all its attention.

An Tingfeng's words meant nothing to him.

Because in the direction where the monstrous tiger had fallen, a stone of killing intent—long suppressed by Shen Yi—had finally been released at the perfect moment, to its rightful position.

"…."

An Yi wanted to gasp urgently, yet her entire body was as dead silent as a true stone.

She suppressed all emotion, solely to hide herself better.

"Family reunion"? It didn't necessarily have to happen inside this man's belly.

She might have a better way.

In an instant, her pitch-black horse-face skirt fluttered wildly.

An Yi's eyes turned into vertical pupils; her tiny figure shot skyward, slamming violently into the tumbling demon tiger, piercing precisely into its torn chest.

Like a bolt fired from a crossbow, it drove deep into An Tingfeng's heart!

Instantly, the monstrous tiger's expression froze into blankness.

The body of a Heaven Realm great demon was immensely resilient, let alone within its own body, where surging demonic power and scorching flesh could crush anything.

An Yi was already at Earth Realm peak.

Yet before the ocean-like rampage of demonic power, her stone body continued to crack and crumble—even her delicate little face was covered in fissures.

But in her vertical pupils, there remained only that heart, so close, so full of life.

"Filthy beast! Get out of there, you wretch!"

An Tingfeng roared, thrusting both front paws into his own chest, trying to grasp the tiny, lethal figure.

He didn't understand—where had he wronged this heartless thing, that it would risk mutual destruction to show such ferocity, seeking to trade lives with him?

"Hu—"

An Yi finally exhaled, then raised both palms; sharp claws extended from her fingertips, driving them brutally into that heart, unleashing all her demonic power at once!

Boom!

With a muffled sound of bursting flesh, vast demonic power surged through the heart into An Tingfeng's five viscera and six bowels; blood gushed like a downpour, and his muscular demon body collapsed lifelessly onto the floating island.

His eyes bulged, staring blankly into nothingness; his front paws twitched a few times, as if even at the moment of death, he still tried to grasp something.

After a long while, a tiny figure, drenched in blood, staggered to her feet from the shattered flesh.

An Yi stared blankly at the corpse beneath her feet, confirming the warmth on it was rapidly fading. She stumbled away from the corpse, then raised that small, blood-red face covered in cracks, gazing dully toward the horizon. Her vertical pupils became dewy and round once more, carrying a trace of bewilderment.

"……"

Shen Yi had no mood to discuss the meaning of life with a little girl who had just avenged a great grudge, only to find the enemy was her own father, nor to point out the direction of her future.

The Zhen Stone only needed to follow him, pointing wherever and striking wherever—no use for these fancy tricks.

He withdrew his arm, slowly stood up, and said with slight weariness: "We're even."

Hearing this, An Yi was silent for a long while, then bent at the waist in a bow and said softly: "Thank you, Mr."

"It's time to change how you address me."

Since they were even, Shen Yi no longer needed to be polite with her. He stepped onto the floating island and began examining his harvest.

Before the massive tiger corpse, two figures—one tall, one short—both in identical ink-black robes and horse-face skirts, soaked in blood plasma, inspired dread at a glance.

"Huu."

Shen Yi sat cross-legged and turned his gaze toward An Yi.

He had originally worried that even offering the full strength of his clan might not allow his West Hall Master to break through to the Heavenly realm, but now it seemed that worry was unfounded.

This harvest might be the most useful thing from this trip to the West Flood so far.

A single Heavenly realm Zhen Stone—perhaps its ceiling couldn't compare to immortal arts, but it could tangibly affect the situation in the South Flood.

【Slain Heavenly realm Haoyue Shuanghu, total lifespan 670,000 years, remaining lifespan 460,000 years, absorption complete】

【Remaining demon lifespan: 920,000 years】

Watching the prompt that popped up on the panel, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.

Tch, judging by the demons he'd slain before, this Shuanghu clan leader could actually be considered part of the younger generation.

Demon lifespan was naturally the more the better.

Divine Mountain Suppressing the Blue Sky was barely at the entry level, and the immortal art obtained from Yue Tianji last time had also not yet begun to be practiced. These techniques were all big spenders of lifespan—not to mention himself, even those proper Unity realm titans weren't all able to learn them.

Apart from the techniques, the shrouding of the South Long Gong by the Wan Yao Dian during the previous breakthrough to Unity also required massive amounts of demon lifespan to sustain.

And that great seal that had temporarily vanished without a trace might also be related to this thing.

However, as his strength rose, Shen Yi discovered that killing these Unity realm great demons yielded lifespan far faster than before.

"Come on."

Shen Yi tilted his chin slightly, gesturing toward An Yi.

Apart from Wu Jun, who wasn't present, the remaining three Hall Masters all looked outward with their own private thoughts.

Among them, Yue Tianji, as the newly joined one, listened to the conversation between Ke Shisan and Yu Lan and fell into bewilderment……What does this mean? Breaking from Earth realm to Heaven realm—can such a thing be done with just a few casual words?

He had stayed in the North Flood for so many years, and the pills and immortal brews bestowed by immortals weren't things he hadn't tasted, yet he had never heard of anything so bizarre.

How did it feel that, in front of these colleagues from the West Flood and South Flood, he was the country bumpkin instead?

The next moment, Shen Yi's mind stirred slightly, and the massive tiger corpse swiftly transformed into a sea of blood that wrapped An Yi within it.

The cracks on her body were instantly repaired, her skin grew increasingly delicate, and her previously colorless lips gradually became a vivid red.

It was as if the blood energy had thickened to a degree she couldn't digest.

Only when the sea of blood had thoroughly seeped into her stone body did these changes quietly cease.

An Yi stood quietly in place, her rosy face returning to Bai Xi once more. Compared to before, there wasn't much obvious change—only her jet-black hair had grown a bit longer.

But the aura emanating from her was actually far more stable than that of the previous An Tingfeng.

"Hiss." Yue Tianji had occasionally considered before whether he might be the strongest among the branch Hall Masters, but the instant he sensed this aura, he instantly withdrew his gaze and sat atop his throne with some shocked uncertainty.

"No—"

He digested the shock in his heart for a while, then looked toward the other two Hall Masters: "Why is it always her who gets to eat?"

Hearing this, Ke Shisan raised an eyebrow and consoled him: "Relax, your Yue clan is also a great clan, and you've offended my lord. There'll be plenty of chances in the future—no need to rush."

"Sounds a bit off somehow." The expectation that had just risen on Yue Tianji's face was immediately followed by a feeling that something wasn't quite right, and he fell into thought sitting on his throne.

As the branch Hall Masters conversed.

Shen Yi briefly observed An Yi's current strength and was about to condense the demon origin, when he suddenly noticed the little girl blink.

He was silent for a moment: "How does it feel?"

"Just a little unaccustomed……but it's alright." An Yi closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then replied earnestly.

"……"

Hearing these familiar words, Shen Yi closed the panel without hesitation.

He understood now—the "unaccustomed" from this West Hall Master's mouth meant something entirely different from the other Hall Masters. Most likely it was just being unused to this unfamiliar power, not that the demon soul couldn't bear the Zhen Stone's realm.

One had to say, the East Long Gong was truly generous in its intervention, able to forcibly nurture a remnant soul to such a degree.

Presumably it also harbored the intention of winning over An Tingfeng.

"Go, slaughter those few Green Phoenixes, and while you're at it, find out exactly what's going on."

Shen Yi hadn't forgotten how An Tingfeng had found them and the others. Since they were already here, they might as well not leave.

"As you command."

An Yi familiarized herself slightly with her body, then her figure slowly dissipated on the spot.

Shen Yi, meanwhile, sat in place and began regulating his breath. Taking the opportunity of dispelling his fatigue, he also further deduced the two immortal arts.

……

West Flood border.

A man whose attire was neat and tidy—even the creases on both sleeves kept consistent—arrived riding a cloud.

It was precisely that unrivaled Shen Zongzhu who, after the Seven Sons Assembly ended, had arranged numerous pebbles neatly under the great tree.

Deng Xiangjun headed toward the agreed-upon place.

Suddenly, he slightly raised his eyes and keenly caught a trace of a familiar aura.

His expression immediately grew solemn; he raised his palm, and the white clouds beneath his feet surged violently. Within a few breaths, he descended onto a dilapidated treasure ship.

"Did I not tell you to wait for me at West Hong? Why have you come on your own?"

Deng Xiangjun frowned, glanced at the ship's hull, and saw his own group of Dao Disciples all looking restless. Even Wei Yuanzhou and Zhong Xiu had lost their usual composure, their breathing chaotic and rapid.

He quickly realized something was wrong: "Where is Shen Yi?!"

Su Hongxiu's lips were cracked; she finally released Bai Wu. The worry on her face did not diminish upon seeing Deng Xiangjun: "Senior Brother Deng, we were ambushed on the road by An Tingfeng, the leader of the Haoyue Shuanghu clan. Sect Master Shen stayed behind alone to block them. We have already sent a message to Junior Brother Ji; please hurry to provide support!"

The Dao Disciples remained silent.

But anyone could see what was in their hearts.

So much time has already passed; it is less a matter of providing support and more a matter of going to...

"It is still not too late!"

Su Hongxiu roared, a rare sound: "Before we left, I saw with my own eyes that Sect Master Shen exchanged a palm strike with An Tingfeng! He did not fall behind!"

Hearing this, which sounded like a tale from the Arabian Nights.

Deng Xiangjun did not speak to ask further questions. He casually took control of the treasure ship, sent the group of Dao Disciples and the Yunhe Sect members down, and poured his entire He Dao Realm aura into the ship.

Just as the treasure ship shot away, Su Hongxiu gritted her teeth and struggled to follow, clutching something in her hand.

Deng Xiangjun sighed, pulled her onto the ship, and then vanished from the spot once more.

"This is a magical treasure Bai Wu used to contact Junior Brother Ji. It has been nourished with aura for years and works better than a Dao Token." Su Hongxiu, panting heavily, handed over the jade token.

"Is that tiger that ferocious?"

Deng Xiangjun casually put away the jade token, staring straight ahead without looking aside.

With Su Hongxiu's intelligence, she should know that the few of us are somewhat different from ordinary Earth Realm cultivators.

But even so, she still felt this matter required Senior Brother Jingxi to step in to be safe.

"My intuition... has always been accurate." Su Hongxiu insisted on her viewpoint.

"If I recall correctly, you just said Sect Master Shen exchanged a palm strike with him?" Deng Xiangjun glanced sideways. Perhaps she was too panicked, but Hongxiao did not notice the terrible thing hidden in her words.

Upon hearing this, Su Hongxiu was stunned where she stood.

In her instinctive reaction, she had already felt that Shen Yi's strength surpassed that of Senior Brother Deng.

"Let us go and see first."

Deng Xiangjun withdrew his gaze, a hint of ferocity surging in his pupils.

Shen Yi... is a loss the current Seven Sons of Yu Nanhong could never bear.

They had just, because of him, unhesitatingly offended the Northern Hong Yue family!

Under the support of the He Dao Realm giant's aura, the treasure ship erupted with unprecedented speed, to the point where the already dilapidated hull showed a faint tendency to break completely.

However, at the very moment they approached the agreed location, the entire ship suddenly stopped.

Su Hongxiu looked up in confusion.

She saw Senior Brother Deng standing at the bow with a frown, looking down, then looking at her, seemingly very puzzled.

"..."

Su Hongxiu hurriedly took a few steps to reach his side, but after she clearly saw the situation below, she stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

She saw that on the floating island, there was only one figure, sitting quietly in a cross-legged position.

His entire body was stained with blood; his black shirt swayed, emitting a terrifying aura of ferocity.

There were no living creatures around at all, nor was there a single Earth Realm Perfect Great Demon. Only the dried red-black bloodstains on the ground proved that a slaughter had occurred here not long ago.

"Are you sure you encountered An Tingfeng?" Deng Xiangjun helplessly raised an eyebrow.

Judging by the distance from this place to where they met the others earlier, and the degree of dryness of the bloodstains, this duel had not even lasted the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Calling it a one-sided massacre would not be an exaggeration.

Su Hongxiu stood dazed at the bow. As one of the first Dao Disciples to know Shen Yi, she had witnessed his changes time and time again with her own eyes.

Precisely because of this familiarity, she now felt this Sect Master Shen was so strange compared to the others... It might sound strange, but it was Su Hongxiu's most genuine thought in her heart; she was increasingly unable to understand the other person.

"It is fine; Shen Yi is very safe."

Deng Xiangjun took out that jade token and sent a message to Ji Jingxi.

It sounded somewhat perfunctory.

But he was not quite clear on what was happening, so naturally, he could not explain it more clearly.

(End of this chapter)