Free Web NovelChapter 523: Chapter 523: Saint-Slaying Demon
Duan Jiutian fell silent for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.
"Senior Brother, to help Cultivators adapt to the great turmoil between Heaven and Earth, I opened an ancient seal, allowing some of the Outer Demon Clan to invade. That place is Qianji Mountain Ancient Town."
"What? Qianji Mountain Ancient Town? Isn’t that the core region for the Ancient Teleportation Array to Sumeru Mountain? He’s bound to pass through there! Are you planning to use the Outer Demon Clan to drain Ye Tianling’s Life Force? To make him weaken and die sooner? He only has three months left! Why not just let him die from his Transformation Dao and become a Dry Corpse Demon Heart Sword Body? When that happens, he can even be refined into a Puppet for you to command!"
"Senior Brother, no one knows what can happen in three months. Besides, based on the information sent by the last disciples to die at the Celestial Overpass Holy Land, it’s clear that Ye Tianling’s Demon Heart Puppet is completely useless now. I’m also doing this to test whether he has any other trump cards."
"You... you’re too cunning. And too ruthless!"
"I have no choice either. What’s done is done; there’s no turning back. Given his temperament, if he doesn’t die—if he has some trump card—he’ll storm the Jade Pool Divine Land in no time. Besides, he’s looking to assert his dominance, to make an example of his enemies. After this, any Saint who wants to target him will have to think twice. On top of that, the Saints from the Celestial Secret Divine Land will surely come out of seclusion ahead of schedule and try to save him!
We... don’t have much time!"
In the end, Duan Jiutian relented.
Duan Jiutian couldn’t refute many of the points made by Yao Jiuyin, the Jade Pool Divine Master.
Likewise, because of the tragic deaths of one hundred thousand disciples from the Celestial Overpass Holy Land, Duan Jiutian had now completely branded Ye Tianling as a follower of the Demon Dao.
’Those not of our kind cannot be trusted. As expected, he was never worth our attention! The only one to blame is the disappointing Ye Cangqian. Wanxing, you must possess a true Dao Heart, a Strong Heart with the resolve to burn your bridges behind you!’
Duan Jiutian patted Duan Wanxing’s shoulder, placing all his hopes on him.
"I will, Master!"
Duan Wanxing was ecstatic but forcefully suppressed his excitement and replied calmly.
The Jade Pool Divine Master, Yao Jiuyin, was finally satisfied. "Senior Brother," she said, "I’ve already arranged for the three Saints—Qian Yu, Xi Mo, and Saint Tongfeng from the Celestial Travel Sacred Land—to keep an eye on Ye Tianling. If the opportunity arises, they are to kill him outright. If he can still unleash his Power of Slaughter, they are to retreat for now."
Duan Jiutian was taken aback. "It seems you’ve already prepared for everything. Why did you even bother discussing it with me?"
Yao Jiuyin sighed softly. "Because I don’t want to lose you, Senior Brother. Because I respect you."
A warmth spread through Duan Jiutian’s heart. "Alright. From now on, whatever you do, I will fully support you. We’ve started down this path. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but the only way to find out is to see it through to the end."
Yao Jiuyin broke into a charming smile, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. "Then, many thanks, Senior Brother."
Duan Jiutian gave a wry smile. "Oh, you..."
...
Qianji Mountain, outside the Ancient Teleportation Array.
Vast, desolate mountains connected to a stretch of barren land.
「Nine days later.」 After traveling across innumerable regions and flying for an endless distance, Ye Tianling finally arrived at the ancient town that housed the ancient teleportation array.
Qianji Ancient Town.
This was an exceptionally old town, dating back to an immemorial age. It was said to have risen from beneath the earth, and even now, it still bore the marks of bygone eras.
"Fairy, you’ve progressed very well. Did you have any trouble breaking through from the Sword Void Six Transformation to the Seven Transformation?"
’Once we’re here, we just need to pass through this Ancient Teleportation Array, and then we can get to the one on Sumeru Mountain.’
Ye Tianling was close to fulfilling his promise, and he began to feel more at ease.
"Not at all, Master. Breaking through from the Sword Void Six Transformation to the Sword Void Seven Transformation was actually easier than before. As long as I accumulate enough Energy, the transformation happens on its own."
Ancient Fairy immediately replied.
She didn’t know the truth of Ye Tianling’s condition. She thought he hadn’t broken through to the next Realm because he was trying to further consolidate his Life Force.
But now, Ye Tianling was coughing more and more frequently, and spitting up blood more often, which made her feel deeply uneasy and worried.
"Oh, that’s good. We’re almost at Sumeru Mountain. Once you’re back, you must focus on your Cultivation, consolidate your Realm as quickly as possible, and step into the Sword Tribulation Realm. This world is changing too quickly. If you fall behind even once, it’ll be incredibly hard to catch up later."
As Ye Tianling spoke, he couldn’t stop himself from coughing again.
He coughed again, and again, he coughed up blood.
But he didn’t spit it out, forcing himself to swallow it back down.
He didn’t explain his condition.
However, he was only mid-sentence when he suddenly spun around, instantly unleashing the Xuanyuan Celestial Evil Sword in his hand.
SWOOSH—
A terrifying beam of slaughterous light tore through Heaven and Earth, stabbing deep into the distant Void.
PSHFFT—
Saint Tongfeng’s body was ripped open, spraying Holy Blood that stained Heaven and Earth red.
Countless Cultivators gasped, looking around in horror with expressions of shock and uncertainty.
"That’s... the Celestial Secret Divine Son!"
"The Saint-Slaying Demon!"
"Is another Saint tailing the Celestial Secret Divine Son?"
"A flash of blood just lit up the sky! Was a Saint just slain?"
"I don’t know... But it looks like it’s true. Weren’t they saying he only has three months left to live?"
"His Demon Heart Puppet is gone. How can he still have that much Battle Power?"
"He’s probably just a spent force..."
"Spent force or not, stay out of it. Otherwise, he might swat us dead with a single blow."
"He single-handedly massacred an entire ancient Holy Land. No matter what his current condition is, it’s best not to provoke a monster like that."
...
The surrounding discussions were quiet, but both Ye Tianling and Ancient Fairy heard every word.
Ancient Fairy’s face was deathly pale, and her eyes were filled with deep worry.
But she didn’t ask any questions. She just bit her lip, her slender frame trembling slightly.
"Looking for death?"
Ye Tianling roared, and after pouring his lifeblood into the Xuanyuan Celestial Evil Sword, he sent it flying. However, it failed to slay the Saint.
A Saint was a Saint, after all. Once they were prepared, not even the strongest strike from Ye Tianling’s Sacred Artifact could kill them.
Even so, Ye Tianling knew his warning had served its purpose.
That single strike had cost him dearly, draining away nearly ten days of his remaining life.
If he were to use his Demon Heart Sword Body, even a casual strike would cost him about a month of his Life Force, and that was factoring in the recovery from his Devouring ability.
Relatively speaking, this was a considerable saving.
Of course—at this moment, Ye Tianling could no longer use the Demon Heart Sword Body anyway.
His Demon Heart Sword Body was completely depleted, as if it had turned to stone. It lay utterly dormant within the Celestial Sacrifice Ancient City.
Ye Tianling’s voice thundered in all directions, and the world suddenly fell silent.
"Let’s go. This Ye Tianling is a monster. That sword of his is exceptionally powerful, a peerless Sacred Artifact capable of slaughtering Saints! And while his Demon Heart Sword Body is cracked, he can probably still use it one more time!"
After Saint Tongfeng restored his Sacred Body, his expression was extremely grave.
He remained hidden within the Void, completely concealing his aura as he sent a transmission to the two Saint Masters, Qian Yu and Xi Mo.
