In his homeworld, Cangzhou, above the Hundred Thousand Mountains, a hundred li away from Jiuli Village, a figure wreathed in demonic qi stood atop the clouds. His face twisted in cruelty as he fixed his gaze upon Jiuli Village.
“That village… so this is the hometown of that little wench?”
“Who would have thought that such a beauty of ice and jade was born in a backwater place like this?”
“Perfect. I’m short on fresh blood and souls to refine my Blood Soul Banner. You will make up the deficit nicely.”
“I wonder what expression that little wench will wear when she sees her own kin turned into tormented blood souls?”
The Eagle Demon’s eyes gleamed with malevolent light as he stared at the mist-wreathed Jiuli Village.
Back in the Sacred City, Xiao Yan had gravely wounded him with a flying sword, channeling a formation’s power. Though more than a year had passed and his injuries had healed, the memory still burned him with hatred.
Once, he had been a mighty Nascent Soul demonic cultivator, a terror of the cultivation world. Never had he suffered such humiliation—brought low by a mere Golden Core junior, nearly slain in one strike. It was an indelible shame.
He had believed he would only have his chance for revenge once his Blood Soul Banner was complete and the Sacred Mountain’s formation was broken. But then, while gathering souls, he stumbled upon startling news.
That remote village ahead was none other than the birthplace of Lu Xiaoyan.
Overjoyed at the discovery, the Eagle Demon envisioned countless ways to exact vengeance and immediately rushed over.
“Ants, blame your fate. You shouldn’t have been connected to that little wench.”
With a surge of demonic qi, his body turned into a streak of black light, diving toward the village below.
Meanwhile, in the Half-Mountain Courtyard, Doctor Chen was playing chess with Wei Shanhai.
“You’re saying demons have been rampaging lately, seizing mortals to fuel their cultivation?” Doctor Chen frowned, rolling a chess piece between his fingers.
“That’s right. Word is, the culprits are the same four fiendish demons who attacked the Sacred Mountain last year. Their power is overwhelming. None can resist them. Wherever they pass, life is extinguished—it’s unspeakably tragic.” Wei Shanhai shook his head and sighed.
Doctor Chen fell silent. He already knew something of the Sacred Mountain incident. Afterward, Zhi Yue had sent word, explaining that Xiao Yan had borrowed Lu Qing’s formations to force the demons into retreat. From that, he also learned those four demons were all terrifying Golden Core experts, at least seventh transformation and above—stronger than him by far. They were likely Nascent Soul devils surviving from a previous cultivation era.
Though his heart yearned to vanquish evil, he lacked the strength to contend with such beings.
“Doctor Chen—” Wei Shanhai began, but then stopped. For Doctor Chen’s expression had suddenly changed. His head snapped upward, eyes fixed on the sky.
He pressed two fingers together into a sword, pointing sharply upward.
A blazing sword qi split the clouds, soaring into the heavens, slashing toward a figure wreathed in demonic miasma.
“Oh?” The Eagle Demon was surprised at the sword qi’s force. With a sneer, he raised a massive hand clad in demonic energy and smote it down.
Boom!
The clash resounded. Doctor Chen’s sword qi was shattered, but the Eagle Demon’s hand of qi was also cut apart, halting his descent.
“Interesting.” The Eagle Demon narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected a hidden master in such a backwater village. He had heard Lu Xiaoyan’s teacher dwelled here, but dismissed him as nothing more than a decrepit mortal—at most Foundation Establishment, perhaps Golden Core at best, hardly worth notice. But the sword qi he had just faced proved otherwise. Not only Golden Core, but mid-stage.
“Doctor Chen, beware! That’s one of the four demons we spoke of!” Wei Shanhai recognized him, trembling in shock.
“I know. Old Wei, withdraw for now. This foe is too dangerous—I can’t safeguard you during battle.” Doctor Chen’s voice was grave.
Wei Shanhai didn’t hesitate. He knew his presence would only burden the fight. Activating his Foundation Establishment footwork, he fled swiftly down the mountain and into the Wei family’s other courtyard.
“What’s happening, Grandfather?” Wei Xinghe, Wei Zian, and others rushed up, alarmed by the earlier clash.
“A demon has come. Don’t ask more—watch and wait.” Wei Shanhai’s face was drawn tight with worry. To think the very demon they had just spoken of appeared moments later—it was ominous indeed.
The Eagle Demon, however, didn’t spare a glance at Wei Shanhai’s retreat. These mortals would all die soon enough. His gaze lingered on Doctor Chen with cruel amusement.
“So, a hidden Golden Core mid-stage cultivator. You must be Lu Xiaoyan’s teacher—and Lu Qing’s as well?”
“That’s right. But tell me, Demon, why have you come to our humble village?” Doctor Chen’s voice was calm, but his mind had already fused with Jiuli Village’s formation. Against such a foe, he dared not be careless.
“Old man, don’t feign ignorance. If you know who I am, then you know why I’m here.” The Eagle Demon sneered. “Since I can’t yet touch Lu Xiaoyan herself, I’ll vent my wrath on her kin. And you, her master—die first!”
A colossal hand of demonic qi materialized above the village, descending to crush Doctor Chen and the mountain in one strike.
Doctor Chen’s face hardened. Escape was impossible.
He drew in a deep breath. The great formation of Jiuli Village flared to life, its power converging into his body. A flying sword appeared in his hand, bursting with dazzling radiance.
He swung.
The sword light shot skyward, infused with the Dao of Water and Fire. Water and fire intertwined, cycling nine times in an endless loop, amplifying its power to the peak.
So sharp was the strike that a fine rift tore silently across space itself.
The sword light flashed faster than thought, cleaving the Eagle Demon’s massive hand apart in less than a heartbeat—and still it soared on.
Before the stunned eyes of the Eagle Demon, the sword light cut straight through his body.
“Sword that shatters the void… impossible—” His words choked. His body split cleanly into two halves.
A shriek tore from his throat. Both halves exploded into blood mist, reforming as twin streaks of black light that vanished into the distance before Doctor Chen could react.
Doctor Chen remained motionless, sword in hand, still linked to the formation, wary of deception. Could it be a ruse?
“G-Grandfather… did I see right? Doctor Chen just split that demon in half?” Wei Zian stammered, dumbfounded.
Even Wei Shanhai was frozen. Moments ago, he had feared for Doctor Chen’s life. Yet with a single stroke, the demon was shattered and fleeing for his life. Was that truly one of the four dreaded fiends?
“You stay here. I’ll go up the mountain.” Wei Shanhai finally regained his senses, racing back to the courtyard.
Doctor Chen still stood solemnly, sword raised, scanning the skies. “Old Wei, why did you come back?”
“I saw the demon flee and came to check.” Wei Shanhai’s voice trembled with awe. “Doctor Chen, how… how did you do it? That demon was so powerful, yet you cut him apart with one strike!”
“I don’t know.” Doctor Chen shook his head. “His cultivation realm was indeed above mine. Yet his strength felt weaker than I expected. My sword only carried such force because I drew upon the formation Lu Qing left behind. Perhaps the demon underestimated me and was careless—that’s why he was struck down.”
Wei Shanhai stared, dazed. His instincts told him there was more to it than mere carelessness, but Doctor Chen’s grim face left him without words.
…
In the vast starry sky, a silver flying boat streaked forward like a bolt of light, so fast that even Nascent Soul cultivators would be astonished.
It was none other than Lu Qing’s Void Flying Boat.
A month had passed since leaving the Great World of Tianyuan. Retracing his original path without pause, his speed now far surpassed that of years ago. Back then, he and his companions had taken five or six years to reach Tianyuan. Now, in only one month, he had already crossed more than half the distance.
But such speed came at a price. Though the boat drew energy from the void itself, maintaining extreme velocity consumed vast numbers of spirit stones. Fortunately, Lu Qing’s wealth was immense; otherwise, even he would not dare keep up this pace. Still, constant vigilance was required—at such speeds, even a minor collision with an astral body or minor world could be catastrophic.
As he neared a region of chaotic spatial currents, he slowed the boat to rest and regain his focus. Xiao Li, Wuxing, and the others had long since tired of gazing at the void, choosing seclusion for cultivation. Even the White Flood Dragon, once wide-eyed with wonder, had retreated into meditation after a few days.
Half a day later, the Void Flying Boat suddenly shuddered.
Lu Qing’s eyes snapped open.
A gigantic black hand of demonic qi had seized the boat, trying to seal it in place.
And then a booming voice rang out:
“Hahaha! Boy, you slipped away from me once, but you dare return? This time, you won’t escape—stay here!”
“That voice…” Lu Qing froze, then recognition dawned.
He remembered exactly who it belonged to.
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