475: Crazier than a madman

Xiao Jingyan manipulated the Puppet Demon Chains wrapped around Zhuge Mo, slowly tightening them. “Zhuge Mo, don’t you like refining Puppets? Didn’t you refine my father into a Giant Spirit Puppet? Now, I want you to personally watch your own body be cut off piece by piece and replaced with Puppet Materials! I want you to personally witness the entire process of you being refined!”

“Moreover, you must obey me and follow my every command!” A flicker of madness appeared in Xiao Jingyan’s eyes. “If you dare to resist even slightly, these Puppet Demon Chains will instantly crush your internal organs, making you experience a taste ten thousand times more painful than death! Hahaha!”

Fear, like a cold viper, completely devoured Zhuge Mo’s heart.

He was finally afraid, and he finally regretted it. But what he regretted was not provoking Xiao Jingyan, but rather regretting not killing Xiao Jingyan directly back then, choosing instead to torment him as a plaything.

He never expected that his momentary twisted pleasure would cause such a huge commotion, ultimately bringing disaster upon himself and leading to such a predicament.

“Regret! I truly regret not killing you back then!” Zhuge Mo’s voice was filled with despair and unwillingness. “Xiao Jingyan, let me go! I can give you endless wealth, I can tell you all the secrets of the Ghost Valley Sect! As long as you let me go, I’m willing to give you anything!”

“Wealth? Secrets?” Xiao Jingyan sneered, his eyes full of disdain. “These things are meaningless to me! All I want now is to see you suffer, to make you pay the price for everything you’ve done!”

With that, he once again manipulated the dagger. This time, the dagger slashed towards Zhuge Mo’s thigh. The sharp blade cut through flesh, drawing out blood and shattered bone. Zhuge Mo’s screams echoed through the heavens and earth, yet they could not shake Xiao Jingyan’s resolve in the slightest.

The pleasure of revenge surged through Xiao Jingyan’s entire body like a tide, plunging him into extreme euphoria.

He watched Zhuge Mo’s painful struggles, as if seeing himself being tormented eighty years ago. The resentment in his heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a morbid satisfaction.

He wanted Zhuge Mo to be buried with his deceased family, to suffer ten thousand times more torment than he did, and to live forever in despair and pain!

Just as Xiao Jingyan was immersed in the pleasure of revenge, preparing to further torment Zhuge Mo, an unexpected change occurred!

“Whoosh—!”

A crisp sound of something breaking through the air rang out. A bamboo flute, entirely emerald green, flew from the sky like a meteor, carrying a terrifying pressure, and shot directly towards Xiao Jingyan and Zhuge Mo.

Xiao Jingyan’s brows furrowed sharply. He clearly felt that this bamboo flute contained a terrifying power far exceeding his own, causing his Nascent Soul to tremble violently.

“Not good!”

Xiao Jingyan dared not be careless. He immediately gave up tormenting Zhuge Mo, and the Puppet Fiend Qi around him circulated frantically, condensing into a thick, dark red shield in front of him and Zhuge Mo.

This shield was formed by condensing all his Nascent Soul power and Puppet Fiend Qi, and it was several times more solid than the shield that had previously blocked the Giant Spirit Puppet’s attack.

“Bang!”

With a dull thud, the bamboo flute, like an indestructible divine weapon, easily pierced through the Puppet Demon Shield condensed by Xiao Jingyan. The shield instantly shattered, transforming into countless dark red Qi currents that dissipated into the air. The bamboo flute’s speed did not decrease in the slightest, continuing to shoot towards Xiao Jingyan.

Xiao Jingyan’s expression changed drastically. His figure flickered, and he quickly retreated, barely avoiding the bamboo flute’s attack. The bamboo flute grazed his shoulder, leaving a deep bloody mark, and then was bounced back by an invisible force.

A dark figure appeared in mid-air like a ghost, steadily catching the rebounding bamboo flute.

He wore a black robe and a black bamboo hat, the shadow of which obscured his face, revealing only a pale chin. He held the bamboo flute and gently waved it, an invisible Qi blast erupted, instantly severing the hundreds of Puppet Demon Chains wrapped around Zhuge Mo.

“Crack, crack, crack—!”

Hundreds of Puppet Demon Chains were severed like fragile threads. Zhuge Mo, freed from his restraints, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He looked up at the shadowy figure before him, his eyes filled with shock and ecstasy. “Who are you? Why did you save me?”

He didn’t recognize the shadowy figure at all, but at this moment, the shadowy figure was his lifesaver. No matter who the other party was, as long as they could save him from here, he would have a chance to rise again!

“Haha! Heaven does not wish for my demise!” Zhuge Mo was ecstatic in his heart. He struggled to stand up, but due to his severe injuries, he fell to the ground again.

Xiao Jingyan was completely stunned by the scene before him. He never expected that just as he was about to get his revenge and refine Zhuge Mo into a Puppet, someone would suddenly appear and ruin his revenge plan!

Endless anger and madness instantly surged into Xiao Jingyan’s heart. The Puppet Fiend Qi around him exploded, the dark red Puppet Fiend Qi ignited, forming strange black flames—Puppet Demon Black Flames! This was the manifestation of Puppet Fiend Qi burning to its extreme, possessing infinite power, capable of incinerating everything, including Divine Souls!

“Who are you! Why did you save him!” Xiao Jingyan’s voice was like a beast’s roar. His eyes were bloodshot, his blood-red long hair danced wildly, and the Puppet Demon Black Flames distorted the surrounding air, emitting a terrifying aura of destruction.

He carefully sensed the shadowy figure’s aura; the other party was actually a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator! This filled his heart with apprehension.

One must know that throughout the entire continent, Nascent Soul Cultivators were legendary existences. He had never heard of any force possessing a Nascent Soul Middle Stage expert.

The shadowy figure did not answer immediately, but instead coughed lightly twice, “Cough, cough…” The cough carried a trace of weakness, and he actually coughed up a mouthful of black blood, which dripped onto the ground, making sizzling sounds and corroding a small, deep pit. Clearly, his injuries were not light.

This shadowy figure was none other than Liu Yan, who had fought fiercely with Kong Mingyuan and Li Wangji a year ago, almost suffering the annihilation of his Divine Soul.

A year ago, Liu Yan was severely wounded by the combined efforts of Kong Mingyuan and Li Wangji during their battle, his Primordial Spirit almost shattered. He spent an entire year hiding in a secluded place to repair his Primordial Spirit, barely recovering to the strength of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator.

However, his injuries were too severe, and his Primordial Spirit was badly damaged. To recover further, or even to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

To recover from his injuries, Liu Yan had tried countless methods.

He slaughtered the people of several villages, absorbing their negative emotions to nourish his damaged Primordial Spirit, but found that the negative emotions of ordinary people were too weak to meet his needs.

The Black Lotus World Annihilation Art he Cultivated required absorbing extreme negative emotions, especially the anger, despair, and madness generated by Nascent Soul Cultivators in extreme situations, in order to quickly repair his damaged Primordial Spirit and even elevate his cultivation to a higher level.

Liu Yan had been searching the continent for such targets until he sensed the powerful aura generated by Xiao Jingyan when he broke through to Nascent Soul, as well as the extremely dense resentment and madness emanating from him. He tracked him all the way here and personally witnessed Xiao Jingyan’s entire process of tormenting Zhuge Mo.

Xiao Jingyan had endured for eighty years, finally waiting for the opportunity for revenge. This extreme pleasure of impending revenge, as well as the extreme anger and despair that might arise after being interrupted, was exactly what Liu Yan needed! To him, these emotions were like the most delicious delicacy in the world, capable of rapidly restoring his Primordial Spirit.