56: Even ants can be greedy for survival.

Shen Lian naturally noticed Old Ancestor Tianyu's abnormality with keen perception.

As long as her cultivation dropped to the Tribulation Crossing Realm, she could be sent into the human emperor cauldron to be refined into a human pill.

Simply killing Old Ancestor Tianyu would not satisfy Shen Lian; he wanted double the torment.

Slowly torturing and killing the Heavenly Feather Sect Disciples over these past few days was partly to enjoy the pleasure of the siege, and partly to wait—to wait for Old Ancestor Tianyu's cultivation to drop to the same Realm as his own, so she could be sent into the human emperor cauldron.

"Have you decided who is going to die today?"

Shen Lian's words were like a devil's whisper, circling in the minds of the Disciples, unable to be shaken off.

Finally, someone who could no longer endure such pressure instinctively stepped out and knelt before Shen Lian.

"Senior Brother Shen! I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have followed Ye Fan and the others to harm you. Please, for the sake of our past fellowship as fellow Disciples, can you forgive me just this once? I beg you, as long as you are willing to let me go, I am willing to do anything!"

The one begging for mercy was a female Disciple of average appearance, currently teary-eyed, desperately kowtowing to Shen Lian to admit her mistake.

"Bastard! You are actually begging this Little Beast for mercy?"

Seeing this scene, Old Ancestor Tianyu was so angry that Spiritual Qi leaked from her entire body.

"Do not kneel! Stand up! In my Heavenly Feather Sect, there are only Disciples who die in battle, not jokes who beg to live. Stand up! Did you hear me?"

However, the female Disciple could no longer hear a single word from Old Ancestor Tianyu; she just kept begging Shen Lian to let her go.

Shen Lian curled his lips, looked at the female Disciple's dishevelled appearance, and suddenly asked, "Are you truly willing to do anything to survive?"

"I am willing! Senior Brother Shen, as long as you are willing to spare me, even if you use me as a Cauldron, I am perfectly willing!"

Seeing that there was hope for survival, the female Disciple's face became extremely fawning.

"A Cauldron? Are you worthy?!"

Shen Lian shouted explosively, immediately causing the female Disciple's heart and mind to tremble.

"Since you are so sincere, I can let bygones be bygones regarding past matters."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, the female Disciple's eyes immediately flashed with a glimmer of hope.

When the other Heavenly Feather Sect Disciples heard this, they also rekindled their hope for survival.

"However, you must agree to one thing for me."

"Never mind one thing, even if it were ten or a hundred, as long as I can do it, I will definitely do it! I only beg Senior Brother Shen to spare my life!"

"The thing you need to do is very simple."

Shen Lian closed the Folding Fan in his hand, his gaze becoming increasingly cold.

"Just destroy your own dantian sea, and forever withdraw from the Heavenly Feather Sect, and from now on be content with being a Mortal, then I naturally will not hold it against you."

"What?!"

The female Disciple was shocked upon hearing this.

Shen Lian turned his back: "After all, I have no interest in taking revenge on a mere Mortal ant. Do you think a tiger would be enraged by a bite from an ant? Seize the opportunity; this is the only mercy I have for you. Of course, you can also continue to choose to maintain the pride of a Cultivator, and then be smashed to pieces by a single palm strike from me. The path has already been given to you; how you choose is up to you. You only have three breaths of time; hurry up and make your decision."

Bang—

As soon as Shen Lian finished speaking, the female Disciple did not hesitate, directly gathering all her Spiritual Qi into her palm, and smashed her own dantian sea. It was so fast that Old Ancestor Tianyu did not even have time to call out to stop her.

"Pfft..."

The moment the dantian sea shattered, the female Disciple immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood.

Once a Cultivator's dantian sea is shattered, if not treated in time, they actually don't have many days left to live. But when true death approaches, even if it is only to live one more day, they will strive for it with all their might.

She forced her tottering body to stand, squeezed a smile at Shen Lian: "Senior Brother... Shen... I... have done as you instructed... can... can you spare me now?"

"Hahaha..."

Responding to her was Shen Lian's arrogant laughter.

"I didn't expect that in order to survive, you would really be willing to give up the dignity of being a Cultivator. Fine, since you have fulfilled your promise, I shall also keep my word. Get lost."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, thank you, Senior Brother..."

The female Disciple's face immediately revealed the joy of surviving a disaster. After repeatedly thanking Shen Lian, she forced her exhausted and weak body to stagger down the Lingyun Sect Mountain Gate.

The remaining Heavenly Feather Sect Disciples saw this scene, and a glimmer of hope for survival appeared in all of their eyes.

Old Ancestor Tianyu raised her eyebrows and kept calling out to stop them: "You must not be deceived by Shen Lian! He just wants the Heavenly Feather Sect to be completely wiped out! Think about it, if your cultivation is ruined, you will be mere Mortals from now on, and you will never have hope of entering the world of cultivation again. Are you willing to accept that?"

Shen Lian heard this and turned back to say: "The Old Bastard is right. Once you become a cripple, your entire life will only last a few short decades, and you will never be able to experience the magnificence of this world of cultivation again. Rather than living a muddled life like that, it is better to die gloriously. Do not kneel to me; maintain the dignity of a Cultivator and prefer death to submission!"

Shen Lian's words directly shattered the last bit of fighting spirit in these Disciples, and they all knelt down in a group.

"Senior Brother Shen, I am willing to destroy my cultivation and become a Mortal from now on. I beg you, be the bigger person and let me off this one time."

"Senior Brother Shen, I really know I was wrong. I am willing to take responsibility for what I did to you back then. I will destroy my dantian sea right now and completely sever my ties with the Heavenly Feather Sect."

"Senior Brother Shen, for the sake of us being fellow Disciples, please give us a chance."

Old Ancestor Tianyu watched this scene and felt a wave of dizziness before her eyes.

In less than a short month, the Heavenly Feather Sect had actually fallen to this state. What was this all for? Was her act of nurturing Ye Fan and suppressing Shen Lian really wrong?

"Hahaha, since you are all so sincere, I will show great mercy and spare your lowly lives. All of you, destroy your cultivation and go live!"

As soon as Shen Lian's words fell, the sound of dantian seas shattering immediately rang out from the crowd.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Heavenly Feather Sect Disciples in the Qi Gathering Realm, who were once high and mighty Cultivators, all turned into ordinary Mortals.

"Hahaha, a bunch of pathetic ants! You are so lowly that I don't even have the desire to kill you. Get lost!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Shen! Thank you, Senior Brother Shen!"

Hearing that Shen Lian was truly willing to let them leave, these Heavenly Feather Sect Disciples, who had become cripples, left the Lingyun Sect Mountain Gate with gratitude.

Old Ancestor Tianyu, seeing this scene, was completely shocked and unable to speak.

Now, remaining by her side were only Tang Bao and the unconscious Ye Fan.

The Heavenly Feather Sect was already in name only.

Tang Bao carefully glanced at Old Ancestor Tianyu, and taking advantage of her distraction, he immediately hurried over to Shen Lian and knelt down.

"Senior Brother Shen, I also know I was wrong. All of this was instigated by Ye Fan. I am also willing to destroy my dantian sea and become a mere Mortal to atone for my sins!"

Saying this, he was about to destroy his own cultivation.

But the next moment, he felt as if his whole body was bound by a powerful air pressure, and he could not move at all.

"Tang Bao, others can live, but you and that Old Wall Lamp shall not think of surviving. I have not forgotten how you and that trash Ye Fan tortured and humiliated me."

"Senior Brother, I... was wrong... I am... sorry..."

"You want to clear away everything you did to me with one 'I'm sorry'? Tang Bao, you are truly so naive that it makes one unable to help but laugh..."

"No, Senior Brother, I... Ah~"

Tang Bao still wanted to say something, but he directly closed his open five fingers.

Accompanied by a shrill groan, Tang Bao's body instantly turned into pieces of blood rain.

After dealing with Tang Bao, Shen Lian set his gaze directly on Old Ancestor Tianyu.

"Old Wall Lamp, now, let us have a final showdown!"

Shen Lian slowly raised his left hand.

"Come, let me see what qualifications you have to be the Old Ancestor of the Heavenly Feather Sect. All the grievances between you and me will end after this battle."