The sudden halt in Elder Nujian's movements finally gave Hong Lei a moment of respite.
He took a few steps back, adjusting his breathing, his hand gripping the sword numb from the sword's energy.
Whoosh—
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen chains wrapped around the limbs and waist of the silver-haired old man.
The Golden Eagle Captains seized this hard-won opportunity, finally restraining him in place.
The elder, however, remained indifferent.
He merely lowered his head, gazing deeply at the sword in his hand.
Facing this old companion that had been with him for three hundred years, a trace of hatred suddenly flickered in his turbid eyes.
The characters "Qingfeng" engraved on the sword seemed to pierce his heart like a nightmare.
"I regret ever taking you from the Sword Pool," he murmured, his voice hoarse and faint, carrying a heavy tone of self-mockery.
At the mention of the Sword Pool, the captains' expressions shifted.
This treasured place had helped Qingfeng Mountain nurture numerous Core Formation experts, sustaining its prosperity for thousands of years, making it a renowned sect in Qingzhou.
Even they had heard of it.
Hong Lei seemed to guess something, his gaze turning complicated as he looked over.
The elder had colluded with demons, was on the verge of exhausting his life force, and had nearly caused heavy losses to their group.
There was no need to waste words on a dying man, yet he couldn't help but speak.
"The Demon Suppression Bureau is tough, with lives hanging by a thread, but at least this cultivation..."
His words abruptly stopped.
The elder suddenly thrust the sword into the ground, then decisively raised his palm and struck it.
His formidable aura concentrated in his palm.
Crack!
The five-foot-long sword snapped in half.
Sparse silver strands of hair fluttered as the old man's face withered to an extreme, his turbid eyes covered by a white film, clearly devoid of life.
At the foot of the cliff, a group of disciples holding torches, who had been rushing to escape, gradually came to a halt, their faces filled with sorrow.
The elder had told them to run quickly once he engaged with the demons and the Demon Suppression Bureau...
But they had just descended the cliff when they witnessed the old man's self-destruction.
They looked into the distance at the surging energy in the air, the eerie crimson making them uneasy.
The old man had used this method to warn them to stop.
The young man in black robes, wielding a sword, was so powerful that he could fight demons while suppressing the elder from such a distance, still holding back strength.
He wouldn't mind summoning another wave of energy to crush them.
At that moment, a wail echoed through the cliffs!
A chilling figure burst out from the strange flames.
It was less a figure with deep injuries and more a skeleton with a few pieces of flesh hanging on.
The armor of the Alligator Dragon was almost completely gone, its flat head missing a large chunk, as if burned away by flames.
Its eyes were fixed solely on that tall figure.
"Die!!!"
It charged forward on all fours.
Just a bit closer, and it could tightly grip the opponent's body, turning its overwhelming rage into a powerful force, tearing him apart completely.
Shen Yi's breathing remained steady as he watched the charging Alligator Dragon.
His feet suddenly spread apart.
His fingers clenched tightly, the tattered sleeves of his robe fluttering.
With a punch, he aimed directly at the veins bulging on the Alligator Dragon's body!
Boom! The demon staggered, the area struck by the punch instantly losing sensation.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The punches came like a storm, forcing the Alligator Dragon to retreat repeatedly until, with a squelch, Shen Yi's fingers pierced its abdomen.
When he pulled them out, his fingertips held a bloody demon core.
The demon's body collapsed with a thud, lifeless.
The remaining bloodthirsty demon flames licked at its bones, emitting a sizzling sound.
[Slaughtered a Jade Liquid Realm Alligator Dragon.
Lifespan: 1,820 years.
Remaining lifespan: 763 years.
Fully absorbed.]
Since exterminating the river demon, Shen Yi hadn't seen such a prompt in a long time, and it felt somewhat familiar.
He then glanced helplessly at his arm, where several gashes revealed glimpses of bone.
Not all demons charged head-on recklessly.
The hidden tail of this one could have easily killed a martial artist of the same level if they weren't careful.
Fortunately, he had the Heavenly Bloodthirsty Flame, a deadly weapon.
Compared to when he first used it, its lethality had increased more than tenfold...
But the limit of Jade Liquid Realm martial arts was right here.
Shen Yi's desire for new martial arts grew stronger.
Once he returned, he would definitely pick out some good ones.
With that thought, he retracted his gaze and looked at the group of captains approaching him.
"Brother Shen... you truly astound me," Hong Lei said, his expression complex, trying to find words of praise but ultimately unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
What was there to praise? Even if Lin Baiwei had come in person, she could have done no better.
That girl was the personal disciple of the General, the undisputed top talent among the younger generation in Qingzhou.
But in Hong Lei's eyes, that position now seemed somewhat undeserved.
Because, up to this point, Shen Yi showed no signs of exhaustion...
Slaying a thousand-year-old demon and suppressing Elder Nujian with a wave of his hand—either feat alone was terrifying, let alone both happening simultaneously.
"I have some medicinal ointment here. Use it for now," Hong Lei said, his expression odd.
He had thought it was a hopeless situation, but the only one injured turned out to be the strongest among them.
As soon as he finished speaking, a thud sounded behind him.
The Golden Eagle Captains knelt on one knee, their fists raised above their heads in salute.
Without a word, they stood up in unison after a moment.
Those who entered the inner camp all came from prominent families in Qingzhou.
They were more arrogant than the ordinary outer camp captains, but this mission, led by Zhao Kanglin, had almost completely stripped them of their pride.
Hong Lei let out a bitter laugh.
"These brats, they can really disgust you when they want to... But when they're grateful, they don't hide it either."
"We're all comrades. No need to dwell on it," Shen Yi said, applying the ointment to his wounds without much concern.
The habits of the Qingzhou disciples could be seen in Li Muyu.
They were genuinely grateful and not stingy, but the aristocratic air in their bones was hard to change.
The things they offered often carried the flavor of their families, and one had to be careful not to get entangled.
"Old Hong is a rough man. If you need anything in the future, just call," Hong Lei said, nodding, then turned his gaze to the Qingfeng Mountain disciples in the distance and led the group over.
The young disciples hung their heads, their expressions lifeless.
"Hurry back. You think I'm going to invite you?" Hong Lei waved his hand irritably.
This mess was truly infuriating.
Over a dozen Golden Eagle Captains had died, but it was Zhao Kanglin who had disobeyed orders and forced his way into Sword Viewing Gorge, causing their deaths.
Then Zhao Kanglin died.
And he died after colluding with demons.
The responsibility for this could only fall on Qingfeng Mountain, as Elder Nujian, who should have been accountable, had already exhausted his life force.
"Sir, save me..."
A timid disciple collapsed to the ground, clutching Hong Lei's leg and refusing to let go.
"You poured your own blood essence into the Sword Pool, you nurtured the sword yourself, and you reaped the benefits. Now you want me to save you?" Hong Lei gritted his teeth, pulling the disciple up, his voice lowering slightly.
"General Chen has his reasons for not letting you leave. I've served under him before. If he doesn't value your lives, would he value mine?"
"Hurry back. Don't make this harder for me."
He patted the young disciple's back, his brow furrowed.
...
(End of Chapter)