103: The demons have temporarily vanished, but the torch has been passed on.
Destructive energy erupted out of control before the blood-colored vortex, like a bomb detonating on a wound. Pitch-black devilish flames and blood-colored lightning raged wildly. Most of the backlash was absorbed by the vortex itself, while a small portion followed the invisible connection and struck hard against the giant claw extended by the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable and his true body behind it.
“Roar—!!!”
A roar far more shrill and painful than any before came from the depths of the vortex, filled with unbelievable shock, fury, and towering hatred. The giant claw covered in scales trembled violently in the energy storm; scales curled back, and devilish blood sprayed, only to be immediately submerged by more Devilish Qi and spatial turbulence.
The originally stable blood-colored vortex now flickered uncertainly and distorted violently, as if it would collapse at any moment. The terrifying pressure that had shrouded heaven and earth receded rapidly like a tide.
“Ant... ruining my great plans... this grudge... this Venerable shall remember it!”
The Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable's intent was intermittent, filled with weakness and extreme coldness. The severely damaged demon claw, carrying endless resentment, struggled to suddenly retract into the depths of the violently fluctuating vortex.
Immediately after, having lost its core power support and suffered heavy damage, the blood-colored vortex let out an overburdened wail after a burst of intense spatial distortion, then crashed, collapsed, and dissipated!
Blood light across the sky and the soaring Devilish Qi were swiftly wiped away as if by an invisible giant hand. Although the energy over Liuyun City remained turbulent and the sky was still covered with dark clouds from the previous fierce battle, the suffocating and hopeless pressure of the Demon Venerable had vanished without a trace.
The Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable had failed his cross-realm descent!
As the vortex disappeared, the hundreds of Blood Sacrifice Formations in the city districts below, which had been operating frantically, seemed to lose their energy source. Their light dimmed rapidly until they were completely extinguished. The remaining Dark Hall Cultists and demonic creatures, seeing their greatest reliance disappear, immediately suffered a collapse in morale and fell into a state of panic.
Sunlight struggled to penetrate the thin clouds, scattering over this devastated land.
It was over... for now.
“Splurt—”
Forcing the use of "Guixu Backflow" to interfere with the Demon Venerable's fatal strike and guide its power to backlash, Ye Chen bore an immense burden. Now that the powerful enemy had temporarily retreated and his mind relaxed, he could no longer suppress his churning blood and Qi, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. His face was as pale as paper, and his figure was teetering.
“Ye Chen!” Yun Canghai supported him immediately, once again infusing pure Protective Aura to help him stabilize his breath, which was on the verge of dissipating.
Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master and his Disciple Ling Feng also landed back on the ground. Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master looked at Ye Chen, a hint of undisguisable admiration and amazement flashing in his weathered eyes: “Little friend, that reversal power just now actually contained a trace of the Reincarnation True Intent of heaven and earth. It was extremely ingenious! If you hadn't perceived its weakness and forcibly interfered with the energy core, my strike might not have succeeded.”
These words were not humility. The strike condensed by the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable was too terrifying; if he had taken it head-on, even if he survived, he would have been severely injured, and Liuyun City would certainly not have been saved. Ye Chen's seemingly weak but precise intervention at the critical node with "Guixu Backflow" had achieved the miraculous effect of deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces.
The gaze Ling Feng directed at Ye Chen also lost some of its initial coldness, replaced by a sense of recognition and respect. As a fellow Prodigy of the younger generation, he knew that under those circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to make such a precise and daring response.
“Senior overpraises me, it was just luck.” Ye Chen shook his head weakly, swallowed several Medicinal Pills, and quickly regulated his breathing. There was little joy in his heart, only heaviness. Although the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable had retreated, the threat had not been rooted out, and the Dark Hall had not been destroyed. Of the millions of souls in Liuyun City, not even one in ten remained, and the city was full of scars; it was a pyrrhic victory.
Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master's gaze swept over the city turned to ruins, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes before turning incredibly sharp: “The Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable has suffered such heavy damage that he should not be able to attempt a large-scale descent again for a short time. However, the Dark Hall's Foundation remains. Although this blood sacrifice was not fully successful, I fear it has still accumulated power for them. The Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion will investigate this matter to the end.”
He looked at Yun Canghai and Ye Chen: “Dean Yun, Little Friend Ye, you will need to put in more effort regarding the subsequent cleanup and pacification of this place. The Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion has a special status and should not intervene too much in secular affairs.”
Yun Canghai nodded solemnly: “Rest assured, Old Senior Feng, this is the duty of my Tianfeng Academy.” He knew that the Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion existed to deal with even greater crises; it was already a great fortune that they could take action now.
Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master nodded slightly, then looked at Ye Chen. After a moment of silence, he said: “Little Friend Ye, you carry the Chaos Origin and have comprehended the Guixu True Intent; your future is limitless. But the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable and the forces behind him will never let you go. When traveling the continent in the future, you must be careful.”
With a flick of his finger, a silver Talisman flew toward Ye Chen: “This is a ‘Heaven-Patrolling Token’ of my Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion. It is not a symbol of status, but if you encounter a life-or-death crisis, you can crush it. As long as it is within the monitoring range of the Heaven-Patrolling Mirror, fellow members of the Pavilion might be able to sense it and provide a slim chance of survival.”
Ye Chen took the Talisman. It felt warm in his hand, and he could feel a trace of pure Saber Intent and a peculiar fluctuation within it. He accepted it solemnly: “Thank you, Senior.”
“Take care.” Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master said no more. He signaled to Ling Feng, and their figures gradually became illusory, finally vanishing as if merging into the Void Realm.
The experts of the Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion came quickly and left just as fast.
After Mountain-Severing Blade Honored Master and his Disciple departed, Yun Canghai immediately organized the remaining forces of the academy and contacted the garrison and Cultivators in Liuyun City who had not completely collapsed. They began to clear out the remaining Dark Hall Cultists and demonic creatures in the city while treating the injured and pacifying the survivors.
After recovering slightly, Ye Chen also joined the cleanup team. He held the guixu sword, and wherever he went, the remaining demonic creatures and the Dark Hall Cultists putting up a desperate struggle were all turned to nothingness by his Nirvana Sword Intent, greatly accelerating the speed of the cleanup.
Looking at the once prosperous city turned to scorched earth and hearing the mournful cries of the survivors, the killing intent and determination to become stronger in Ye Chen's heart grew even firmer.
Three days later, Liuyun City initially restored order. Although reconstruction was a long way off, at least the demon threat had been removed.
Tianfeng Academy, entrance to the Sword Heart Secret Realm.
With the help of the Secret Realm and Medicinal Pills, Ye Chen's injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent. He was preparing to take his leave of Yun Canghai to continue his path of becoming stronger and to investigate more traces of the Dark Hall.
“You are leaving?” Yun Canghai looked at Ye Chen, not surprised.
“Yes.” Ye Chen's gaze was firm. “The academy's crisis is resolved, and Liuyun City is temporarily at peace. But I cannot stop. The Dark Hall's desire to destroy me does not die, and the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable is an even greater threat. I need stronger power, and I also need to find out exactly what they are trying to do.”
Yun Canghai was silent for a moment and sighed: “With your current strength, you are no longer beneath me. The academy is indeed no longer your sanctuary, but a part of what you need to protect. When you go out to train, you must be careful in all things.”
He took out an ancient Jade Slip and handed it to Ye Chen: “This contains scattered information recorded by previous generations of Seniors from the academy while traveling the continent, concerning some ancient ruins, Secret Realms, and rumors about the powers of ‘Chaos’ and ‘Guixu’. It may be of help to you. Additionally, the Empire's capital, ‘Tianfeng City’, will soon host the ‘Heavenly Prodigy Sword Debate’, gathering heroes from all directions. Perhaps there you will find the Opportunity you need and gain a clearer understanding of the continent's current landscape.”
Ye Chen took the Jade Slip. With a brief sweep of his Divine Sense, he felt the vastness and preciousness of the information within: “Thank you, Dean.”
“Go then.” Yun Canghai patted his shoulder, his eyes full of expectation. “Remember, no matter where you go, Tianfeng Academy will always be your backer.”
Ye Chen gave a deep bow and, without further hesitation, stepped out. His figure turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the horizon.
His journey had not ended; instead, he had entered a broader world. The shadow of the Dark Hall, the threat of the Demon Venerable, and the Peak of his own sword path were all waiting for him ahead.
A new storm was already brewing.