9: Why have you been mocking me until now?!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Above the ancient temple, massive slashing sounds echoed. With every strike of the Sparrow Demon's blade, intense tremors were unleashed, causing surrounding ancient trees to collapse in swathes. The young girls in the iron cages could only stare at this scene in a daze, their faces pale.

Yet, whenever a falling ancient tree was about to crush the iron cells, it would be deflected by an invisible force...

A clever young girl immediately looked up at the White-robed Figure in mid-air.

Facing the Sparrow Demon's frenzied assault, Shen Nian remained composed. His Late Golden Core Stage spiritual energy formed a barrier, blocking the Sparrow Demon's attacks with calm indifference.

This was not his first battle against the Yao Race. Over his many years at the Ninth Mountain, he hadn't actually left the mountain often to kill Yao, and this was his first time dueling a Golden Core Yao. The reason he hadn't taken the opponent down in one blow, besides wanting to test the level of a Golden Core Yao, was also to test a specific technique.

However, what surprised Shen Nian was that the opponent's black long blade actually had the effect of corroding spiritual energy. Coupled with the opponent's eerie speed and the methods it occasionally pulled out...

It was obvious that this Sparrow Demon was not a local Yao!

Mainly because it ran too fast.

Forget it, no more dragging this out. Let's test it.

Thinking of this, a great sun slowly rose in his eyes.

"Hehe, the Heavenly Sword Sect's Heavenly Profound Sword Art may be strong, but isn't it frustrating that you can't hit me?" The Sparrow Demon mocked with a smile while swinging its long blade. At the same time, it felt a hint of excitement, already beginning to weigh the pros and cons of whether to fully utilize its trump card to execute the opponent.

"This kid is so young yet has already reached the Late Golden Core Stage, and can even master a Golden Core Divine Ability. He is also a Sword Cultivator; he must be a top Prodigy of the Heavenly Sword Sect. If I kill him, the reward will be enough to boost my strength by a large margin!"

"But I only have one drop of Origin essence blood. If it's gone, any possibility of ancestral reversion in the future will be completely severed. Should I notify my uncle now?"

Suddenly!

The temperature in the space began to rise sharply, and the Sparrow Demon stopped its attack. It stared in terror at the white-robed youth now covered in flames, as well as the great sun rising behind him, and actually forgot to think.

"Slash!" A soft shout rang out.

The great sun slashed out suddenly. Although the speed was very slow, the pressure it emitted made it impossible for the Sparrow Demon to move; it was completely suppressed.

"Damn you!"

"How could a top Prodigy of the Human Race appear in a small place like Yunzhou!!!"

The Sparrow Demon only wanted to curse at this moment. It looked up and also saw a trace of surprise in Shen Nian's eyes.

Damn!

So what are you surprised about? Why didn't you fight back earlier? Is it fun?

You clearly could have killed me with one sword, why have you been toying with me until now!!

The next second, the Sparrow Demon's body was swallowed by the great sun, and it ceased to exist in an instant...

After the air gradually calmed down, Shen Nian revealed a hint of joy. The reason he was shocked just now was because of the "Domain!" brought about by the Great Sun Demon Slaying Sword Art, and this was even while he hadn't fully unleashed the power of the sword art.

Although the range was very, very small, only a few meters, it was indeed a Domain!

"No wonder this Great Sun Demon Slaying Sword Art has the word 'rare' in it; it actually carries the ability of a Domain!" Shen Nian thought to himself. According to his memories from when he was young, this was something only those at the Return to Void existence could master.

Suddenly, Shen Nian felt his head grow heavy, nearly losing his footing. He immediately took out a Pei Yuan Pill and swallowed it.

"One sword drained me dry. This thing really can't be used casually..." Shen Nian's face turned pale, his spiritual energy depleted, and he felt a lingering fear in his heart.

He was very satisfied with the power.

But the consumption was too great!

It was better to use it sparingly in the future. This one sword was already enough to annihilate a Yao Beast at the Early Nascent Soul Stage. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut was truly a waste...

But then again, if he really unleashed his ultimate move and then encountered a few more Yao... then he would be in danger! No!

To be safe, Great Sun Body Refining must be put on the agenda. This battle changed Shen Nian's thinking; only when his Physical Body was strong enough to be fearless could he find some sense of security.

Following that, Shen Nian moved, standing on a slightly larger ruin. He reached down and grabbed, pulling a black Storage Pouch out from deep within the ruins.

Before reaching the Soul Transformation stage, the Yao Race could not open their own Divine Soul cave heaven. Just like Human Race Cultivators, they used Storage Pouches, though their source, well, wasn't from refining.

Shen Nian had noticed this thing when the opponent took out its blade.

"Eh?"

"What is this?" Before Shen Nian could check his spoils, he noticed a drop of golden-red liquid floating in mid-air, clearly left behind after the Sparrow Demon was incinerated.

Meanwhile.

"Huhu hu..." Heavy panting sounded. Xiao Qinger's chest rose and fell. Her left hand supported a tree, and her right hand held a corpse. Her white dress was stained with blood, yet a smile hung on her face, possessing a kind of eerie beauty.

"Senior Brother, I did it!"

At this moment, Xiao Qinger had broken through her realm. Under the influence of the Pei Yuan Pill and the life-and-death crisis, she had successfully stepped into the eighth level of Qi Condensation, subsequently reversing the battle and killing Huang Li...

The danger involved in this process went without saying. If her luck had been slightly worse, she would have been the one dead.

After all, even if this young master of the Huang Family, Huang Li, was a piece of trash piled up by Spirit Medicine, he was still a solid ninth level of Qi Condensation...

"This place..." Xiao Qinger tossed the corpse aside and looked at the scene before her in shock. Trees within a hundred-meter radius were all shattered beyond recognition, and the previous ancient temple was now a ruin...

"This is nothing. Battles after the Golden Core stage cause great destruction to the environment, especially starting from the Soul Transformation stage, where mountains collapse and the earth splits at every turn..." The Female Yan Emperor's voice rang out, her golden eyes sweeping across.

"Hmm!"

"That is...!!"

"The essence blood of a descendant of the Phoenix Clan!!"

Xiao Qinger had already walked up to Shen Nian. Hearing the voice in her mind, she paused slightly, looking at the essence blood that Shen Nian was holding casually.

"Is that the thing that can awaken my Divine Body..."

[Ding, because of your command, Destiny Junior Sister Xiao Qinger counter-killed Huang Li, broke through two levels in a life-and-death situation, and successfully stepped into the eighth level of Qi Condensation. Reward: 20 points of preaching value]

At this time, Shen Nian naturally noticed Xiao Qinger's return. Seeing her expression, he guessed something, held the essence blood, and asked: "Do you recognize this object?"

"Yes." Xiao Qinger nodded. Following the Female Yan Emperor's explanation, she said: "The ancestors of that Sparrow Demon should have had a blood relationship with the Phoenix Clan, and it was extremely lucky to have its Bloodline undergo ancestral reversion, condensing this drop of essence blood."

"What is this used for?" Shen Nian continued to ask. It seemed that the Sparrow Demon really wasn't local. Anything connected to the Phoenix Clan, the overlords of the Yao Race, must be a behemoth-like existence.

Ignoring the Female Yan Emperor's intentions, Xiao Qinger still truthfully said: "Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and condensing fire-type Divine Abilities all have very great help. If one is lucky, it might even be possible to condense a Phoenix Spirit..."

"Its preciousness is not inferior to a Nascent Soul-Rank Medicinal Pill, and for some people, it is even far beyond that..."

After she finished speaking, Xiao Qinger heard the Female Yan Emperor's helpless voice.

"Sigh, if you say that, will he still give it to you? This thing is rare and hard to find~"

"It doesn't matter. Senior Brother treats me well; how can I deceive him?" Xiao Qinger said in her mind, not feeling that there was anything wrong with it.

The Female Yan Emperor didn't say anything more. She was actually just saying it casually; it was only a drop of essence blood, not worth her scheming over.

After listening to Xiao Qinger's explanation, Shen Nian pondered for a moment and asked: "Is this object useful to you?"

"This..." Xiao Qinger was hesitant, extremely embarrassed.

"Tell the truth." Shen Nian said again, his tone brooking no doubt. How could he not see Xiao Qinger's previous expression? It was obvious that this thing was prepared for her, although he didn't know how Destiny would arrange for Xiao Qinger to obtain it.

"Yes!"

The next second, swish.

Xiao Qinger took the drop of essence blood, looking blankly at the white-robed back that turned away, and Shen Nian's voice rang in her ears.

"It's yours."

After Shen Nian turned around, his gaze fell on the iron cages, and he pointed his finger in the air.

Creak~ The doors of the iron cages opened. The young girls inside looked at Shen Nian with extreme fear. They were unsure if this person who had suddenly killed his way in would be like the person who had been waving a wooden fan earlier...

However, very quickly, the young girl who had been curled up in the corner from the beginning was the first to crawl out. She then held onto the cage door and stood up, then carefully walked to Shen Nian. Looking up and seeing that indifferent face, she tentatively tugged on his sleeve.

"Immortal brother... please, can you take me home..." The young girl mustered up her courage and said, her voice choked with sobs.

"Hmm."