Chapter 651: Feeding the Demon with One's Body

The night was deep.

A crescent moon hung high in the firmament.

Yu Liancheng stepped into the small courtyard.

Starlight and moonlight spilled down, shrouding his black robes and instantly draping him in a layer of mystery.

Those deep eyes seemed to have absorbed the starlight and moonlight themselves, radiating a soul-stirring demonic power, like a whirlpool capable of pulling one's spirit in, unable to break free.

Xiao Yicai and Lu Xueqi immediately showed signs of caution.

Faxiang's expression tightened slightly; he pressed his palms together and smiled, "Faxiang greets Uncle-Master Puzhen."

"I have returned to secular life and resumed my original name, 'Yu Liancheng.' I now hold the position of Sect Leader of the Demon Sect; you may call me Sect Leader Yu." Yu Liancheng wore a smile. Although his tone was indifferent, it caused the faces of Faxiang and the others to turn instantly pale. Their hearts felt as if they had been filled with cold lead and dropped into an ice cellar, and they even felt an indescribable terror.

They understood the meaning of these words.

It meant that the Divine Monk Puzhen had fallen into the path of the Demon.

And since he had fallen into the path of the Demon, his appearance here today was certainly not just to greet them or exchange a few words.

"Yu Liancheng, for what purpose have you come here?"

Lu Xueqi's eyes shifted.

Her voice was melodious and cold, seemingly carrying a chilling, murderous aura; it felt as if the temperature had suddenly dropped.

Although the Tianya Divine Sword in her hand remained sheathed, it seemed to sense its master's intent, humming as if it had a spirit of its own and emitting a faint blue light.

"I remember you; you must be a disciple of Xiaozhu Peak of the Qingyun Sect. I never imagined that after a few years, you would have grown into such a stunning beauty." Yu Liancheng looked over the beautiful young girl in white, with her slender and elegant figure. She was truly worthy of being called celestial in appearance and peerless in grace. In particular, her temperament—drifting like clouds and cold as black ice—made one feel that she could only be admired from afar and not approached with profanity.

Based on this peerless appearance and the divine weapon emitting blue light, Yu Liancheng had guessed that the other party was Lu Xueqi of Xiaozhu Peak.

"The reason I am looking for you is also very simple: my identity cannot be leaked, so I would like to ask you to keep it a secret." Yu Liancheng said leisurely, "In this world, there is only one kind of person who can truly keep a secret, and that is... a dead person..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Xueqi's Tianya Divine Sword suddenly rang out like a wild dragon roaring, its sound shaking the nine heavens. In an instant, blue light burst forth; the immortal sword left its sheath like a wild dragon breaking through the sky, ten thousand rays of blue light dyeing the night sky blue. Tianya flew as if from beyond the heavens, swift as lightning, stabbing toward Yu Liancheng with a momentum that was truly unparalleled.

Lu Xueqi's bright eyes shone like stars, her three thousand strands of dark hair fluttering in the wind, her bearing peerless. She recited incantations silently, her cold face devoid of any expression.

Faxiang chanted a Buddhist name in a low voice, and a bead flickering with solemnity was offered up from his hands.

Golden light surged from the bead like a tide in all directions, turning the ten-zhang radius into a golden ocean, carrying a solemnity that made one think they had arrived at a sacred Buddhist realm.

At the same time, a golden phantom three zhang tall appeared behind Faxiang. One could see this phantom wearing a phoenix-winged purple gold crown, clad in chain-linked golden armor, and wearing cloud-stepping boots of lotus silk. Its entire body was covered in monkey fur that looked as if it had been dyed gold, a pair of crimson-gold pupils burned with fierce battle intent, and the Ruyi golden hoop in its hand seemed to weigh ten thousand jun; swinging it could shatter mountains and rivers. It was the 'Battle Aspect,' the most combat-proficient of the Thirty-Two Appearances.

Fashan's monk robes billowed, and a thick "Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle" appeared in his hand. A Vajra Dharma Image also appeared behind him, though it looked much more ethereal, and its textures were not as clear as the 'Battle Aspect.'

Xiao Yicai, with a solemn expression, offered up a bright and dazzling immortal sword.

Most eye-catching was that on the sword body, which was as bright as autumn water, there were seven bright stars embedded upon it; it was the famous sword of the Tongtian Peak lineage—the Seven Star Sword.

In fact, as Daoxuan's most outstanding disciple and a talent highly likely to inherit the position of Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sect, Xiao Yicai was very decisive.

If sacrificing one of them could allow the other three to escape, then sacrificing any one of them would be worth it, even if it were himself.

It was just that he understood the height of Yu Liancheng's cultivation and the strength of his magic power; if only one person were left behind, it would be no different from leaving no one, so it was better to take a gamble.

"Good methods, truly the younger generation is to be feared! Compared to those old demons of the Demon Sect, you are not much worse." Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back and sighed softly, "Unfortunately, you have encountered me, this Demon Sect Leader."

Facing the combined attack of the four strongest members of the younger generation from Tianyin Temple and the Qingyun Sect, his expression remained indifferent. A wisp of divine soul Mind Power suddenly soared, and as his gaze swept across, it immediately rolled toward the four of them.

Boom!

The four felt a majestic will, capable of shattering the firmament and trampling the earth, impact their spirits.

Even though they desperately urged their magic power, their spirits could not help but sink into boundless darkness, falling and falling without end.

"Pfft!"

A moment later, the four of them spat out blood almost simultaneously. Although their vision had cleared, the true energy within their bodies was rampaging and out of control. The four of them, along with their magic treasures, fell to the ground, their faces pale as paper, their hearts filled with extreme horror.

Although they had anticipated defeat at the hands of the opponent when they attacked.

They had never expected that the opponent would merely glance at them.

Just one glance...

"Alright, it is time to send you on your way."

Yu Liancheng slowly extended a hand and pressed it downward from afar toward the three of them.

In mid-air, a Vajra Dharma Image ten zhang tall appeared, its movements identical to Yu Liancheng's, and the shadow of a giant palm descended to shroud the four of them.

Before the palm even arrived, the intense and violent palm force caused the bones of the four to rattle.

From this, one could imagine that if this palm truly landed on the four of them, it would likely grind them into meat paste in an instant.

Faxiang and the others felt as if they had fallen into an abyss; they desperately drove their magic power, but were still pinned to the ground by the strong palm wind, unable to move.

The golden palm print before their eyes grew larger and larger, filling their entire field of vision.

"Amitabha, Uncle-Master, the sea of suffering is boundless, turn back and you will reach the shore."

"Unfortunately, I cannot complete the task Master entrusted to me, and I won't be able to become the Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sect."

"No, I still have to slay demons and eliminate devils, how can I die here!?"

"..."

In this instant, countless thoughts arose in the hearts of the four.

Yet in this situation, they could only close their eyes and wait for death.

However, when that golden palm landed on them, they only felt as if a spring breeze were brushing their faces, filled with warmth. Furthermore, this warmth merged into their bodies, rapidly healing their injuries.

"Hahaha." Yu Liancheng clutched his stomach, laughing until he bent over on the side: "Fashan, look at your cowardly appearance, you were almost scared enough to wet your pants. Faxiang, you fellow are a bit better, though it would be even better if your legs weren't shaking. That kid from the Qingyun Sect, stop pretending to be so calm and collected; if you clench your hand any tighter, your nails will draw blood from your palms. The woman is just a bit boring, not worth mentioning..."

The injuries of Faxiang and the others had recovered by seven or eight parts, and that gentle, warm power even had the effect of improving their constitutions; their bodies felt as if they had inexhaustible strength, as if they could kill a cow with one punch. For cultivators who relied entirely on magic treasures for combat, this could sometimes even save their lives.

In other words, after taking this palm, they had actually gained a blessing in disguise?

But hearing Yu Liancheng's laughter, Faxiang and the others felt their faces burning; they hurriedly patted their backsides and stood up.

Faxiang frowned and hesitated: "Un... Uncle-Master, you are not killing us."

"Just a joke, I am still a Lay Disciple of Tianyin Temple." Yu Liancheng still wore a smile on his face and said indifferently: "If I really slapped you and Fashan to death, Senior Brother Puhong would definitely grab a Vajra Pestle and chase me down to beat me. As for the female Sword Immortal of the Qingyun Sect, she is peerless in beauty, how could I bear to destroy such a flower..."

Xiao Yicai's mouth twitched; so if I were the only one here, that palm would have landed solidly?

Faxiang let out a long breath and smiled, "Uncle-Master, now that you have unified the Demon Sect, what do you plan to do next? Do you intend to grant them all salvation, or make them turn over a new leaf?"

Yu Liancheng rubbed his chin and said, "Me? I plan to first conquer and merge all the large and small sects under heaven, then strike at Tianyin Temple, then march upon Qingyun Sect, and finally unify all the major cultivation sects. From then on, there will only be Changsheng Tower in the world; there will be no more distinctions between sects, no more mutual slaughter, and we shall all seek longevity together."

The eyes of the four widened; just as they had let out a sigh of relief, their minds tightened once more.

After a long while, Faxiang stammered, "Un-Uncle-Master, you aren't, you aren't joking, are you?"

Yu Liancheng's expression turned solemn: "Do I look like I'm joking to you?"

Faxiang was stunned.

Xiao Yicai cupped his hands and said, "If Uncle-Master Puzhen truly intends this, it would be no different from making enemies of all the sects in the world. I hope you will reconsider."

"Those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish. In the face of this rolling great trend, even your Qingyun Sect will have no choice but to bow and submit." Yu Liancheng chuckled, waved his sleeves, and said, "Go now. Tell your elders everything that happened here, and everything I just said. Let them prepare early so that this game of mine does not become too dull."

Faxiang and the other three looked at one another, hesitated for a moment, then cupped their hands in a salute to Yu Liancheng and departed on their magic treasures.

Before leaving, Lu Xueqi looked at Yu Liancheng with her beautiful eyes and said coldly, "I will stop you."

"With your cultivation, wanting to stop me is likely harder than ascending to heaven, though I can offer you one clear path."

A malicious smile curled the corners of Yu Liancheng's mouth, and then he slowly spat out four words.

"Feed. The. Demon. With. Your. Body."

Lu Xueqi steered Tianya and left, transforming into a blue streak of light.

Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed as she continued to ponder the meaning of 'feeding the demon with one's body.'

Just at this moment, a burst of zither music suddenly rang out.

Lu Xueqi turned her head to look and could vaguely see a figure in black playing the zither under the moonlight, just as it was before.

Only the zither music was eerie; it was no longer the supreme, marvelous melody in harmony with heaven and earth, but was instead filled with a clashing, militant intent.

It was like a thousand armies and ten thousand horses trampling over mountains and rivers, or like a vast ocean surging and crashing; anyone or anything that stood in its way would be swept into it and ground to dust.

……