The Holy Sovereign and the three Saints turned back on the spot, heading straight for the Fengqing Sect.
Just as they were passing through a wide-open area of the countryside, the Fourth Saint’s expression suddenly darkened. He said in a low voice, “Holy Sovereign, they are here.”
Righteous cultivators appeared from every direction. It seemed as though the wind had previously masked their presence, keeping them hidden.
Now that they appeared all at once, their numbers far exceeded anything the members of the Demon Sect had imagined.
‘Heh, no matter how many ants there are, they are still just ants after all.’
The Holy Sovereign looked at the surrounding righteous cultivators and grinned cruelly. “Since you are all so intent on seeking death, then I shall begrudgingly show a bit of mercy and grant your request.”
“It is merely trampling a few ants. How could we let the Holy Sovereign act personally for such a trivial matter?” the Fourth Saint said. “Let us handle it.”
“Holy Sovereign, please bear with these small fry for a little longer. We also want to see what progress they have made over these years.”
“Haha, very well. I will take this opportunity to see your growth over the years.” The Holy Sovereign nodded with satisfaction.
‘The Divine Being who killed Shang Zhai has not yet appeared. If I were to act personally, it would be beneath my status.’
The Fourth Saint bowed to the Holy Sovereign and took the lead. He randomly chose a group of righteous cultivators from one direction and unleashed his Demonic Art, initiating the attack.
However, the moment his body took to the air —
*Whoosh!*
An invisible object tore through the air and pierced through the Fourth Saint’s body.
In the next second, he fell heavily from the mid-air like a kite with a broken string.
Before anyone could react, the Fourth Saint of the Demon Sect, whose cultivation was comparable to that of a Grandmaster, had been killed in a single blow. Blood pooled beneath him like a river, and he never rose again.
The Second Saint, Jia Lang, could not help but cry out, “Fourth — !”
The Holy Sovereign was also stunned for a moment.
In the moment the Fourth Saint was instakilled, even he had been unable to see exactly what had happened.
Without hesitation, he reached out and gripped the air. A massive hand of Demonic Qi condensed out of nothingness and snatched back the Fourth Saint’s corpse.
Jia Lang quickly examined the body and found a tiny hole, as thin as a silver needle, right in the center of his forehead. Blood was gurgling out of it.
“This… could the enemy have a Martial Expert skilled in hidden weapons?”
Jia Lang judged that the Fourth Saint had been killed instantly by a single strike through his brain and nerves.
He could not think of any other possibility besides a top-tier expert of hidden weapons who could achieve such a feat.
However, the Holy Sovereign spoke in a low voice, “No, it was not a hidden weapon that killed him.”
Jia Lang was startled. “Then what was it?”
“It was the wind.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a violent gale rose between Sky and Earth.
The members of the Demon Sect looked up to see a flying boat, surrounded by surging winds, slowly manifesting in the sky not far away.
Beneath the flying boat, two young girls stood in the air, their bodies radiating the aura of a Martial King.
However, the Holy Sovereign’s gaze did not fall upon those two young girls at all.
Their strength was not enough to catch his attention.
His sight was fixed on a point even higher up.
He was incredibly familiar with the aura he felt coming from there.
After a moment, he spoke slowly, “Yu Yi Jue, we meet again.”
A faint voice drifted down from the flying boat, “And who might you be?”
The tone was indifferent, yet it carried an undisguised mockery.
The Holy Sovereign’s mouth twitched slightly.
It was indeed outside of his expectations that Yu Yi Jue would appear here.
“Back then, I was being hunted by the Imperial Experts of Great Yan and was heavily injured. That was the only reason I died at your hands,” the Holy Sovereign said coldly.
“Now that I have returned at the peak of my power, you not only refuse to flee but actually dare to block my path. You truly do not know the meaning of death.”
He scanned the surrounding righteous cultivators, his eyes full of contempt.
“To think that the dignified Demoness would now associate with the Right Path. Are you trying to please them so they will stop hunting you in the future?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a light laugh came from the flying boat.
“Heh.”
Yu Yi Jue said indifferently, “This Grandmaster remembers now. Many years ago, a foul-smelling fly once flew into this Grandmaster’s Among the Colorful Clouds to beg for help.”
“The fly was arrogant and overbearing, claiming that as long as this Grandmaster helped, it would ensure this Grandmaster’s safety forever.”
“This Grandmaster found it too noisy and casually swatted it into pieces.”
Her tone was casual, but the mockery was so thick it was impossible to ignore.
Realizing that the “fly” she was referring to was himself, the Holy Sovereign instantly flew into a rage.
He said in a heavy voice, “Yu Yi Jue, I intended to spare your life and grant you the glory of carrying on the lineage of the shadow race. But now, I have changed my mind.”
“You must die!”
As his voice fell, the Demonic Qi inside the Holy Sovereign’s body erupted.
Sky and Earth changed color because of it.
The sky, which had been clear for 10,000 miles, suddenly plunged into darkness.
The surrounding righteous cultivators immediately fell into a panic.
They had fought against the Demonic Path for many years and had seen many powerful figures, but they had never seen such a terrifying aura.
“How can this Evil Sovereign… be so powerful?!”
“This is terrifying… even if the Sword Emperor were to come personally, he might find it difficult to suppress him, right?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! We have to believe in Senior Yu now!”
The disciples of the Fengqing Sect stood up to comfort the crowd.
“Senior Yu? Is your Fengqing Sect serious? Not only are you secretly colluding with that Demoness, but you even address her that way?”
“If she suddenly changes her mind and joins forces with that Holy Sovereign, wouldn’t we — “
Before the speaker could finish, a gaze full of killing intent suddenly landed on them.
“If you dare to speak any more nonsense, be careful or I will sew all your mouths shut!”
Lü Qi threatened coldly, her expression grim as if a sharp blade had been drawn from its sheath.
The group immediately became as quiet as cicadas in winter, not daring to make another sound.
However, the atmosphere still became strained.
Aside from the Fengqing Sect, the other Righteous Faction forces clearly showed signs of wanting to retreat.
It was not only because they knew they were no match for the Holy Sovereign, but also because they harbored deep suspicions toward their own side’s Yu Yi Jue.
Sensing this, Lü Qi turned silently and gave a deep bow toward the flying boat in the sky, her expression filled with a hint of guilt.
Yu Yi Jue naturally understood her thoughts.
‘Disciple isn’t strong enough. I wasn’t able to make more people trust Master.’
“Haha! I can already feel your fear!”
The Holy Sovereign laughed toward the sky.
This feeling of once again making the world tremble in fear gave him a long-lost sense of pleasure. The illusion of once again dominating the world made the shadow race blood within him boil.
“If you are afraid, then run with your tails between your legs! Right now, my only enemy is Yu Yi Jue. Those who do not wish to die — get out!”
However, in the very next moment —
The curtain of wind slowly dissipated.
The woman shrouded in the wind revealed her form. She looked down at the Holy Sovereign from above, her brow arching slightly as she spoke in a careless tone:
“There are countless people in this world who want this Grandmaster dead.”
“But you — “