After casting a spell to seal Feng Ying's corpse and storing it away, Song Wen flew toward Xuan Chengzi and the others. Meanwhile, Yuan Hao, besieged by four Nascent Soul cultivators, was showing signs of exhaustion. He could barely hold on, having sustained severe injuries. When he saw Feng Ying fall, a complex mix of emotions filled his eyes. There was satisfaction at the traitor's demise, yet also a sense of shared sorrow, like a fox mourning the rabbit's death. He glanced back at Fangzhudao Island and then at the vast sea beneath him. In ancient times, this had been the ancestral land of the Demon Race, a place where they thrived until the Human Race seized it. Driven by survival and continuity, the demons had repeatedly ventured into these waters, only to be driven back by the humans time and again. This time was no different. The Demon Race had controlled the Inner Sea's Eastern Region for a century, and twenty years ago, they had swiftly conquered the Northern Region. Yet their triumph proved fleeting, crumbling once more before human resistance. Yuan Hao surveyed the battlefield, his gaze sweeping across Xuan Chengzi, Yun Xu, Cui Xuanjing, Jing Yuanliang, Zi Yun, and Lan Yin before settling on the rapidly approaching Song Wen. "Humans," Yuan Hao declared, "the Demon Race will never yield nor abandon our cause." "The Demon Race's bloodline will never be extinguished! Our spirit will never yield! One day, our descendants will rise again to reclaim what was lost!" Yuan Hao roared skyward, his voice echoing across the heavens and earth, as if swearing an eternal oath that could never be broken. He slammed his trident downward with brutal force. An invisible plane seemed to materialize in mid-air. The trident's tip struck this ethereal surface as if it were solid ground, sending visible concentric ripples expanding outward in all directions. As the ripples spread, the Xuan Yin Heavy Water that had been scattered across the battlefield to repel the attackers rapidly retreated and converged into Yuan Hao's body. Yuan Hao's body began to swell violently, as if filled with an unseen force. Like an overinflated balloon, he radiated an intense deep-blue light, every inch of his skin stretched to its breaking point, emitting a chillingly dangerous aura. "Run! It's going to self-destruct!" Xuan Chengzi screamed, already retreating rapidly. As he spoke, Spiritual Power surged from his body like a tidal wave, flooding into the compass before him. The Eight Trigrams Diagram projected by the compass grew increasingly solid and substantial, almost as if it were a tangible object. Yun Xu, Cui Xuanjing, and Jing Yuanliang hastily sought refuge within its protective range. Simultaneously, the diagram shielded the entire Five Elements Reversal Formation. Without a Nascent Soul cultivator to oversee it, the formation would undoubtedly crumble under the shockwave from Yuan Hao's self-destruction. Seeing this, Song Wen swiftly activated the Blood Sea Seal, conjuring a crimson wall that stretched across the sky, blocking the blast and sheltering Daoist Lan Yin and Zi Yun behind it. A deafening explosion shook the air. Yuan Hao's body abruptly disintegrated, unleashing a chaotic and savage force that rapidly expanded outward. Xuan Chengzi and his three companions, being closest to the blast, bore the full brunt of the impact. The Eight Trigrams Diagram blazed with intense light, shuddering violently as if on the verge of shattering. Xuan Chengzi gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of his strength into maintaining the diagram's stability. The rıghtful source is 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Song Wen, positioned farther away, faced a significantly weaker shockwave. After a few violent tremors, his blood wall swiftly regained its composure. When the lingering force finally dissipated, everyone except Song Wen was left shaken by the near catastrophe. Daoist Lan Yin and Zi Yun were particularly fortunate. Had the Blood Wall not shielded them from the blast, they would have suffered severe injuries despite being over fifty miles away. The Heavenflame Condor and Double-Winged Silver Tiger, who had been battling the two women, also survived the explosion thanks to the Blood Wall's protection. Yet neither creature felt relief, only utter despair. With Feng Ying and Yuan Hao dead, these two Fourth-Tier Early Stage demons faced a horde of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Human Race, leaving them no hope of escape. Suddenly, the towering Blood Wall curled inward like a colossal wave, surging toward them. Before the demons could react, the crimson tide engulfed them. They fought desperately, unleashing their full power, but their efforts were futile. As the blood sea churned, they were swallowed whole, their struggles silenced beneath the crimson waves, leaving only stillness in the blood-soaked depths. Song Wen retracted the Blood Sea Seal and ordered his two Corpse Puppets to dive into the sea. Moments later, they resurfaced, dragging a hundred-zhang-tall humanoid puppet before Song Wen. With Xing Wenyao's death, the puppet had lost its controller and plummeted into the ocean. The puppet remained intact, but its immense size made it unsuitable for direct storage in a Storage Ring. After Song Wen cast several magic seals upon it, the puppet rapidly shrunk until it stood a mere ten feet tall. The method for controlling the puppet came from a jade slip stored within Xing Wenyao's Storage Ring. The technique was remarkably simple, and Song Wen mastered it at a glance. At that moment, Zi Yun and Daoist Lan Yin approached Song Wen. They had a cordial relationship with him and had been secretly instructed by Xuan Chengzi, through a telepathic message, to gauge Song Wen's attitude toward the Liangyi Sect, the Cui Clan, and the Human Race as a whole. After all, Ji Yin had slain Yin Shuo and Ye Hua on the front lines of the Human-Demon war, demonstrating that his actions were driven solely by personal will, lacking any regard for the greater good. While it now seemed that Ji Yin's killings of Yin Shuo and Ye Hua stemmed from personal grudges, precautions were still necessary. Who could guarantee that Ji Yin harbored no animosity toward the Liangyi Sect or the Cui Clan as well? "Ji Yin, we owe you our gratitude," Zi Yun said. "Without your intervention, the Human Race would have faced grave danger. We must also thank you for saving my disciple and me." Song Wen nodded slightly, a gentle smile gracing his face. "Fellow Daoists Lan Yin and Zi Yun, there's no need for thanks. If we're keeping score, you both showed me kindness in the past." Lan Yin sized Song Wen up and down, then sighed wistfully. "Fellow Daoist, I vaguely remember when you and Zhu Yin came to my Cultivation Cave, seeking entry into Illusory Spirit Valley. At the time, you were only at the Golden Core stage. Who would have thought that in just over a century, you'd reach the Late Nascent Soul realm and possess the strength to slay even Peak Nascent Soul cultivators?" After a brief pause, she asked, "By the way, how is Fellow Daoist Zhu Yin's condition?" A look of sorrow crossed Song Wen's face as he slowly replied, "She refused to undergo Body Seizing for re-cultivation and has already entered the cycle of reincarnation." Lan Yin and Zi Yun sighed softly. Daoist Yun Xu, who had been observing from afar, soared over on his flying cloud. "Fellow Daoist," he said, "Zhu Yin's death was a consequence of saving me. My heart is heavy with guilt." Instantly, Song Wen's gaze sharpened like a drawn sword—cold, piercing, and fathomless, like a frigid light emerging from the depths of an abyss. "Zhu Yin's death had nothing to do with you," Song Wen said. "She simply couldn't bear to see the Human Race fall to the Demon Race." Yun Xu suddenly felt a bone-chilling wave of murderous intent wash over him, like a frigid winter wind piercing his spine. He hastily added, "Your Excellency, please quell your anger! I spoke rashly!" Seeing the atmosphere abruptly tense, Xuan Chengzi swiftly moved to intercede. "Your Excellency is absolutely right! Fellow Daoist Zhu Yin sacrificed herself for the greater good of the Human Race. Her defection to the Demon Race was a desperate act of endurance, risking her life to gather intelligence and secure a sliver of hope for our people." "Tens of thousands of disciples from the three major factions witnessed this firsthand. Fellow Daoist Zhu Yin's noble sacrifice deserves to be celebrated by the Human Race for ten thousand generations. Upon our return to our sect, the Liangyi Sect will officially exonerate her name, proclaim her heroic deeds to the world, and erect a monument and statue in her honor, ensuring she receives the eternal reverence of humanity." As Song Wen listened, the murderous intent radiating from him gradually subsided. "As expected of Fellow Daoist Xuan Chengzi, the foremost cultivator in the Chaotic Sea—you grasp the truth of matters perfectly. This is precisely how it should be!" 📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1108. [+2] 🔑Early Access at $5. 💥Translated (6) Series, (4.1K+) Chapters, (5.8M+) Words.