166: The Demon Lord's Heart! A gift for Ye Xingzhou!

Li Shengyuan cheerfully sealed away the Six Demon Lords’s incomplete heart.

A faint trace of the Six Demon Lords’s consciousness could still be felt within it.

Only a heart remained; if he were to escape from here, while he could still recover thanks to his powerful vitality, the time required would be far too long. Even with resources, it would be impossible to recover in less than several decades, or even a century.

Moreover, whether his cultivation could return to its peak was still an unknown…

In comparison, the value this heart could provide was far greater!

Whether used for alchemy or kept to provide a continuous supply of qi and blood, it was an absolutely top-tier treasure.

If a martial artist below the Third Grade consumed pills refined from the qi and blood of a Second Grade martial artist, the speed at which their physique would strengthen would be unimaginable!

If the heart were used directly for alchemy, it would be a great supplement even for Third Grade cultivators!

Of course, before that, useful information about the Demon Sect must first be extracted from him!

After putting away the Six Demon Lords’s heart, Li Shengyuan happily said to a somewhat dazed Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin:

“Sect Master Fang, the Six Demon Lords has been executed. Let’s return to Shanhai Pass!”

“Oh… alright!”

Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin nodded and followed Li Shengyuan, but he remained puzzled by Li Shengyuan’s remark about cockroaches being unkillable ‘little strong’ creatures…

Why call a cockroach a ‘little strong’?

Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin shook his head, unable to understand. Perhaps that’s what they were called in Li Shengyuan’s hometown.

The two arrived on the city wall, greeted by the reverent gazes of everyone in Shanhai Pass.

Li Shengyuan’s Divine Demon Dharma Body had already returned to his body. When the power of the Divine Demon Sky-Annihilating Imprint erupted earlier, the Demon-Barbarian Allied Army and the Demon Sect members had already been scared into scattering and fleeing.

And because no one helped them withstand the aftershocks of the Divine Demon Ancient Imprint, many of the allied forces died from just that one move…

As the saying goes, when immortals fight, mortals suffer.

Although the battle between Second Grade cultivators was not considered a fight between immortals, even the aftershocks of the battle were a devastating blow to cultivators below the Third Grade!

Having endured this calamity and personally witnessed the high-and-mighty Second Grade expert, the Six Demon Lords, being killed by Li Shengyuan, even if another Second Grade Demon Sect member were to lead them, they would likely not dare to invade Shanhai Pass again.

This psychological shadow wouldn't dissipate for several years!

As Li Shengyuan and Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin arrived on the Shanhai Pass city wall, the group of Third Grade cultivators also approached with excited expressions.

As his father, Li Mu’s face was beaming with a hearty smile. This was the happiest he had smiled in a year.

He smiled and patted Li Shengyuan’s shoulder, saying with a look of immense satisfaction:

“Good boy, you’ve truly brought honor to our Old Li family!”

The strategist Fan You also nodded and smiled, “Indeed, for over a year of conflict between Great Qian and the various allied armies of the Demon Sect, it’s precisely here at Shanhai Pass, where our strength is weakest, that a Second Grade Demon Lord of the Demon Sect was killed first. When news of this battle spreads, your name, Shengyuan, will be known throughout the world!”

“I’ve already sent a message to the capital to report to His Majesty. It won’t be long before it spreads throughout Great Qian!” Li Mu said with a joyful expression.

“Moreover, this will greatly boost the morale of Great Qian’s experts in resisting the Demon Sect!”

The various Third Grade experts present were also greatly invigorated upon hearing this. From now on, who would dare to look down on the cultivators of the Northern Region?

Although Li Shengyuan was not a native of the Northern Region, after several centuries, their Northern Region had also produced Sect Leader Fang Xiaolin, a Second Grade cultivator!

Who would dare to call the Northern Region a barren land now?

The Northern Region had been stained with the blood of a Second Grade Demon Lord; they had all witnessed a Second Grade being killed, hadn't they!

Looking at the reverent gazes of the crowd, Li Shengyuan smiled faintly and calmly, “These are all just empty titles.”

“The greatest gain is obtaining the Six Demon Lords’s heart and causing the Demon-Barbarian Allied Army to rout and flee. After this, the Northern Region should be stable for a long time!”

Everyone nodded with smiles upon hearing this.

In a year of warfare, both sides’ Third Grade cultivators had only engaged in light skirmishes, with no deaths. After all, to kill a Third Grade cultivator, unless one possessed overwhelming strength like Li Shengyuan or involved a multi-person encirclement, it was almost impossible.

Although only disciples of lower ranks and city guards had died, the daily psychological tension and fatigue were also a torment for the Third Grade cultivators.

And before Li Shengyuan appeared, the external avatars of the Six Demon Lords and the Demon Sect High Priest had driven them to near despair…

Peace was naturally the best outcome!

A moment later, Li Mu frowned and said, “Shengyuan, how should the Six Demon Lords’s heart be handled?”

“If we keep it, will the Demon Sect not go to great lengths to retrieve it?”

Second Grade experts were few even in the Demon Sect, which had developed for over a thousand years. Each one was incredibly precious.

Li Shengyuan pondered, “The Six Demon Lords should have been abandoned by the Demon Sect. After all, the High Priest’s external avatar earlier didn’t even think of helping him… Moreover, with the world in chaos, the Demon Sect’s other Second Grade cultivators are already being closely watched. If only one were to come, they might even be left behind, which wouldn’t be worth it!”

“As for how to handle it…” Li Shengyuan looked at the taciturn Addressing Ye Xingzhou in the crowd and smiled:

“Just leave it to Addressing Ye Xingzhou. There’s still some of the Six Demon Lords’s consciousness in the heart. If Ye Hangzhou can extract useful information from it, that would be best. If not, then hand it over to Chancellor, and let him figure something out!”

“Mm…” A hint of a smile appeared on Ye Hangzhou’s cold face.

He was best at dealing with these strange things, and this was an extremely rare Second Grade heart!

Just thinking about it made him excited!

The heart of a Second Grade Demon Lord—its value must be completely squeezed out!

Afterward, Li Shengyuan looked at everyone present and thanked them solemnly:

“Shengyuan thanks all of you here for guarding Shanhai Pass, guarding the Northern Region, and guarding Great Qian. Great Qian will never forget this kindness and righteousness!”

“Lord Li, you speak too highly. As cultivators of the Northern Region, it is our duty to protect the peace of the Northern Region!”

Everyone cupped their hands in return. This trip to Shanhai Pass had also been an eye-opener; they now had something to boast about wherever they went!

Witnessing a Second Grade battle up close, until death—it was too shocking!

Few people in this world could witness such a thing firsthand.

Li Mu also stepped forward and smiled, “Everyone, please rest for a few days. I will prepare a banquet to properly entertain all of you!”

“We won’t stop until we’re drunk!”

“We won’t stop until we’re drunk!”

Everyone laughed and agreed.

Even those who usually had friction, after the racial war at Shanhai Pass, felt that their past grievances were insignificant unless it was a father-killing or wife-snatching feud. Many viewed those old grudges with much less importance; they were all comrades who had fought side by side!

A smile to wipe away grudges…

Of course, unity against an external threat can dilute internal conflicts, but once external matters are settled, new internal conflicts are bound to arise soon after. This is unchangeable.

Everyone dispersed, and with Li Shengyuan’s return, everyone felt much more relaxed.

They all knew that with Li Shengyuan present, the Demon Sect would not be able to amount to much!

Only when a few familiar faces remained, Li Shengyuan took out the Six Demon Lords’s heart and handed it to Ye Hangzhou.

“Old Ye, this thing is yours. You must take good care of it!”

“Mm…” Ye Hangzhou nodded.

The others stared curiously at the Six Demon Lords’s heart.

So this was the heart of a Second Grade Demon Lord?

It didn’t seem particularly special!

Li Shengyuan, looking at the taciturn Ye Hangzhou, suddenly slapped his head, his eyes shining as he laughed:

“Old Ye, don’t rush off yet. I have a great treasure to give you!”

Ye Hangzhou and the others all looked over curiously.

Li Shengyuan then took out a plump black bird that was sound asleep…