It began to miss its master.
Back then, the entire Three Realms had been intimidated by its master. Even the Divine Realm had been filled with fear and unease. How magnificent it had been.
If its main body were here, it would not have been this frightened. But now it only had a strand of sword soul. It would be crushed with a single squeeze!
“A good sword? An ancient demonic sword saying those two words is truly laughable.” Xi Yu sneered. “You attached yourself to Jiang Yunzheng’s body and used him as a vessel for three years, sucking his vital blood essence dry. And you call that ‘good’?”
Chenyu protested aggrievedly, “He was expelled from Wutong Stockade and almost fell off a cliff. I was the one who saved him! If it weren’t for me, he would have died long ago!”
Xi Yu thought that Jiang Yunzheng’s opportunity really had been Chenyu.
When Chenyu appeared in the world, he saved Jiang Yunzheng, then broke free with a strand of his sword soul and attached itself to his body.
He had saved Jiang Yunzheng, but he had also harmed him.
“You used Jiang Yunzheng in order to come out and find Lu Zhixing?”
Chenyu fell silent for a moment, writhing about in Xi Yu’s palm while making whining sounds, unwilling to answer directly.
Last night, the person who had summoned him had used telepathy to tell him that if someone came looking for him, he absolutely must not reveal anything about him being a demon. He could only say that the Demon Venerable had not yet taken shape and that he was an innocent vessel. Otherwise, both of them would die.
Chenyu suddenly understood.
He guessed that Lu Zhixing had used the Soul Separation Technique precisely to conceal this from the eyes and ears of this god.
As expected of his new master. He must have had his reasons for doing this.
Moreover, his new master had said that this person would not kill him.
But he didn’t believe that!!!
Chenyu cautiously observed Xi Yu. Intimidated by Xi Yu’s sharp gaze, he felt that he was about to die the very next second.
Xi Yu’s palm tightened.
“Not going to tell me?”
“Ah, ah, don’t squeeze so hard! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you~” Chenyu trembled. “I just sensed demonic aura and wanted to get a little closer, get a little closer, that’s all~”
Get closer?
It had merely sensed the new Demon Venerable’s power and wanted to betray its former master.
Chenyu could actually connect to Lu Zhixing. That meant the Demon Venerable’s arrival in the world was not far away.
As the offerings dedicated to Lu Zhixing decreased, the demonic aura would overpower his spiritual power and take control of Lu Zhixing’s body.
They could not wait any longer.
Xi Yu asked, “I’m giving you two choices now. The first is death…”
Chenyu hurriedly interrupted him.
“The second one! I choose the second one!”
Death was way too terrifying!
Even though he only had a strand of sword soul, damage to the sword soul would also damage his main body, making it even harder to break the seal!
“If you don’t want to die, take me to Wutong Stockade.”
Zhuohua was in Wutong Stockade, and Chenyu was there too.
This was truly unexpected.
There had to be something unusual about that Wutong Stockade.
He had originally thought that finding that stockade would take some time, but now it seemed he would not need to.
Chenyu trembled and did not want to agree.
Its main body was still there. Who knew whether this evil god would strengthen its seal?
Destroying it was impossible. No one in the Three Realms could destroy it. Even its master could only seal it.
After tens of thousands of years, the seal had finally loosened. It did not want to return to the days when it could only remain dormant.
But if it refused…
Clearly, this strand of sword soul was about to die right now.
Forget it. One who understands the times is a wise man.
Chenyu gritted his teeth.
“Fine. I’ll take you there!”
It was merely a Wutong Stockade. It might be difficult for mortals to find, but for a god, it was only a matter of expending a little more effort. If this god wanted to go, it would only be a matter of time. By agreeing now, he could at least preserve himself.
Once they entered the stockade, it would return to its main body. Its new master had said that he would go and undo its seal. At that time…
Hehehehe…
He would kill this god!
Kill them all!
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Xi Yu’s expression remained cold. He clenched his hand hard.
Chenyu let out a scream, and the black mist immediately burrowed into the ring, leaving behind not the slightest trace of demonic aura.
He was going to take this strand of sword soul with him, and Lu Zhixing would definitely have to go with him as well.
He had to put this strand of sword soul away. He could not let it affect Lu Zhixing.
But with Chenyu appearing in the world, chaos was about to descend upon the world.
Xi Yu’s gaze darkened.
Zhi Yue had said that there was a traitor in the Divine Realm who had summoned a new Demon Venerable.
He had not thought too deeply about it before, because demons were products of desire and greed. To create a new Demon Venerable, there had to be an extraordinary obsession.
But that was not right.
An ordinary god could use greed to create demonic aura, but it was impossible for that demonic aura to become powerful enough to reach the level of a Demon Venerable.
And now…
It was powerful enough that even Chenyu, despite being sealed, could sense it.
It was not surprising that a god had summoned it. Humans had greed, and gods were no exception.
But for a power strong enough to make Chenyu want to acknowledge someone as its master, only a divine soul comparable to the power of the First Demon Venerable could accomplish that.
There were only a handful of people in the Three Realms.
Familiar names kept circling through Xi Yu’s mind.
The Heavenly Emperor, Huai Xi, and… Zhi Yue.
It could not be the Heavenly Emperor. For the Heavenly Emperor to summon a Demon Venerable would be no different from seeking his own death.
And Huai Xi was the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Clan, the future Heavenly Emperor. He could not be the one either.
Zhi Yue…
Xi Yu immediately rejected the thought. Zhi Yue’s spiritual power was still suppressing the demonic aura. It could not be him.
Then who could it be?
Who else…
Could a new High God have been born in the Heavenly Realm?
But after ascending to become a High God, what kind of obsession could make that High God absolutely determined to summon a Demon Venerable?
Even using their own life as the trigger.
Xi Yu’s heart sank further and further.
Things seemed to be even worse than he had imagined.
The demonic aura hidden inside Lu Zhixing’s body, in his view, was not enough to make Chenyu bow its head.
Then there was only one possibility.
The demonic aura hidden inside Lu Zhixing’s body was far more powerful than what he could see.
Powerful enough to deceive even him.
Xi Yu closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, there was only coldness within them.
Regardless of who had summoned the Demon Venerable, regardless of how powerful the new Demon Venerable was, every single demon would die by his hand.
There would be no exceptions to this matter.
As Chenyu’s sword soul was withdrawn, without the suppression of the sword soul, the wound on his shoulder that had never healed began to spread and rot. His soul began to leave his body.
He already bore the appearance of someone on the verge of death.
Jiang Yunzheng should originally have died. Chenyu had saved him, meaning that it had helped him overcome that calamity.
But Chenyu had remained inside his body for too long. For a mortal body to carry a sword soul and endure this long meant that his fate had not yet been exhausted.
……………………..
Xi Yu was silent for a moment before spiritual power gathered in his palm and moved toward Jiang Yunzheng’s wound.
The rotten wound, which had already spread to his chest and was emitting black mist, began to heal rapidly, turning into pale, clean flesh.
But his heartbeat and breathing had already stopped completely.
Xi Yu’s palm closed around Jiang Yunzheng’s soul, which was about to leave his body. He took out a medicinal pill from inside the ring, crushed it between his fingertips, then turned his palm and sent it into Jiang Yunzheng’s body.
With Xi Yu’s movements, the heart monitor that had remained a straight line began to rise and fall.
The piercing alarm finally stopped.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Xi Yu’s forehead, and his lips also became pale.
Unlike the injuries he had suffered when he resisted the Heavenly Dao and shielded Liu Mu, this time it was purely because he had used too much spiritual power.
Not because of saving Jiang Yunzheng, but because he had given too much to Lu Zhixing yesterday.
If not for that, it would have been impossible for him to use the Soul-Fixing Pill.
Those things were all meant for Zhi Yue.
His own spiritual power would return after resting for a while, but the things he had given Zhi Yue were things he could not bear to use.
Xi Yu’s heart ached terribly.
Only after Jiang Yunzheng’s soul had been stabilized did he lower his hand. He braced himself against the wall, his vision growing somewhat dark, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
After several deep breaths, Xi Yu finally opened his eyes.
He met a pair of bewildered, inquisitive eyes.
“You… who are you?”
Jiang Yunzheng’s voice was hoarse, as though it had been rubbed with ordinary sandpaper. He looked at Xi Yu curiously, then suddenly covered his own mouth in horror, as though unable to believe that such an unpleasant voice had come from him.
This was because Jiang Yunzheng had not spoken for too long.
If not for Xi Yu’s spiritual power, after sleeping for so long, Jiang Yunzheng would not have been able to speak at all.
Xi Yu lowered his eyes.
Jiang Yunzheng’s body was thin and weak, but his cheeks were rosy and radiant. He was no longer someone on the verge of death, but someone with the appearance of longevity, prosperity, and good fortune.
He had extracted Chenyu’s sword soul for his own use.
Jiang Yunzheng’s father had rendered meritorious service to the country.
The human realm’s fight against drug traffickers was no different from his fight against demons. Whether drug traffickers or demonic creatures, both were the sort of things that could be chopped into a thousand pieces without being enough to relieve the hatred in one’s heart.
The descendant of a hero should not die.
Jiang Yunzheng’s calamity had already passed. He would not allow Jiang Yunzheng to be dragged down by the sword soul and die.
Seeing that the man had awakened, Xi Yu said nothing more and turned to leave.
“Hey, don’t go!”
Jiang Yunzheng no longer cared about his own voice. He hurriedly got out of bed, but his legs gave way and he nearly fell. Only by grabbing onto the wall did he barely manage to stand.
Yet despite his disheveled appearance, he still shouted:
“You’re really good-looking. Can I get your contact information?”
Old Master Jiang and Jiang Xuewei, who had been anxiously waiting outside the door, heard this line the moment Xi Yu opened the door. Before they even had time to look inside, they heard the pickup line.
The two of them froze.
Xi Yu walked out of the hospital room, allowing the two of them to see the scene inside, then said concisely:
“He just woke up. He’s weak. Let him rest quietly.”
Jiang Yunzheng’s legs were still trembling. When he saw his grandfather and younger sister, his eyes lit up.
“Pretty big brother, are you Xuewei’s friend?”
The moment Jiang Yunzheng finished speaking, the look in Old Master Jiang’s eyes suddenly changed in disbelief.
Tears instantly filled his eyes.
“Yun… Yunzheng…”
Jiang Xuewei was younger after all, so her reaction was faster. She rubbed her eyes and looked again and again. She even bit her own hand to make sure she was not dreaming before rushing toward Jiang Yunzheng.
“Brother!”
Jiang Yunzheng was wrapped in a bear hug.
Old Master Jiang also walked over tremblingly and caressed Jiang Yunzheng’s warm cheek.
“You’re awake. You’re really awake. My child… my child!!!”
Surrounded by them, Jiang Yunzheng still had no idea what was happening.
Xi Yu had already left, leaving behind only his tall, straight figure as he walked away.