When the last demon fell from the city walls, a mountain-high mass of black mist finally revealed itself on the opposite shore. At the same time, the demonic qi that belonged uniquely to Liu Ruyi drifted across the Nine Rivers with the wind, blowing straight into the courtyard where Shen Qiyuan was located.
Shen Qiyuan fixed his gaze on the Demon King’s location, wanting to tear open a crack in the dome above, but as if hesitating about something, his movements came to an abrupt halt.
This change overhead couldn’t escape the Demon King’s eyes. He chuckled lowly: “You were willing to scatter her three souls and six spirits, yet now with only this last spirit remaining, you hesitate.”
Supreme Lord descended into the formation where Shen Qiyuan was located, and without a word, also helped maintain the formation. Then several Divine Lords followed, descending to share his burden.
Shen Qiyuan could finally spare attention to speak: “I’m just afraid of mistakenly injuring others. There’s nothing I can’t bear to part with.”
The heavenly thunder descending through cracks didn’t distinguish between gods and demons. With so many immortals below, naturally, this method couldn’t be chosen again.
The Demon King sneered: “No wonder she always said you were stubborn.”
“Countless heavenly gods are arriving. If you still insist on staying, today might be the day of your demon race’s extinction,” Shen Qiyuan said seriously. “Better to stop here. You take your people and retreat—there will be fewer casualties.”
“Countless heavenly gods?” The Demon King glanced at the seven or eight divine lights in that formation dismissively. “I bet not one more immortal will come after this.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“If the demon race is to be exterminated, could she alone be spared?” The black mist surged upward, and Liu Ruyi’s corpse, with only one remaining spirit, appeared floating above the Nine Rivers.
Shen Qiyuan’s pupils contracted, then he forced himself to turn his head away: “Since I’ve already acted to kill her, there’s no reason for me to show her consideration again.”
“Then let’s wait.” The Demon King was confident. “I want to see what it looks like when all the gods and Buddhas gather in the sky.”
Shen Qiyuan fell silent.
Two hours passed. Great Qian’s soldiers indeed gradually retreated in defeat, beginning to rely on the city walls for defense. Song Zhenshan, seeing the situation was dire, formed hand seals to shorten the distance for reinforcement troops to reach the Nine Rivers Commandery.
Thus, Great Qian’s morale quickly rose again, once more driving Great Xia back across the Nine Rivers.
Now it was Great Xia’s turn for low morale, but the Demon King laughed: “I’ve won.”
After two full hours with no other immortals coming for support, Shen Qiyuan was indeed bluffing. He still cared about Liu Ruyi and couldn’t bear for her to completely disappear from this world.
As long as he grasped his weakness, he would never lose.
Taking out a divine bone, the Demon King placed it on Liu Ruyi’s corpse.
The scattered spirit gathered slightly, emitting a ghostly blue light in mid-air.
The Demon King secretly observed Shen Qiyuan.
His divine consciousness was firmly fixed on Liu Ruyi nearby. Seeing that this spirit still existed, he seemed to silently breathe a sigh of relief.
The Demon King smiled and spoke cheerfully: “Let’s make a deal, Lord Shen. I’ll give you her spirit, and you give me your divine bones.”
“Absurd.” Shen Qiyuan sneered coldly. “You’re a demon—what use would you have for divine bones?”
“Just say whether you agree or not,” he said. “If you agree, you do it yourself. If you don’t agree, I’ll do it.”
Black mist brushed against that spirit as if about to scatter it.
“Don’t.” Shen Qiyuan’s expression immediately changed, sweat beads at his temples sliding down and splashing onto his pure white robes.
The Demon King suddenly burst into loud laughter: “I knew it—she’ll be a curse you can never escape for your entire life.”
“Azure God, you mustn’t!” Supreme Lord said urgently. “If you give your divine bones to a demon, you can never be an immortal again.”
Three thousand years of bitter cultivation, countless days and nights—how could all this be given up so lightly?
Shen Qiyuan’s face was pale, his lowered eyelashes constantly trembling. How could he not know this decision was difficult to make? If he had thoroughly killed Liu Ruyi from the beginning, it would have been fine, but he had left her one spirit remaining. Just this one spirit could evoke countless regrets and attachments he couldn’t let go of.
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade him, the Supreme Lord quickly separated a strand of divine power and charged straight at Liu Ruyi.
The Demon King was feeling triumphant and unprepared. By the time he reacted and dodged with Liu Ruyi’s corpse, that soul that had been gathered with such difficulty was already half-shattered.
His expression changed drastically. He quickly dropped a barrier, then reached for divine bones to help her regather her soul. When one or two weren’t enough, he pulled out half a set. When half a set still wasn’t enough, he hesitated somewhat.
These were things he had obtained with great difficulty. Once he gave them all back to her, his divine power would be weakened by more than half.
“Has it scattered?” Shen Qiyuan asked at this moment, his voice carrying some despair yet also faintly some relief.
If Liu Ruyi’s last spirit had also scattered, he would have nothing left to worry about. Today would be the demon race’s day of death.
The Demon King made his decision in an instant, taking out divine bones while saying: “It hasn’t scattered yet. Bring your divine bones—otherwise next time it really might be uncertain.”
Shen Qiyuan was suspicious: “If it hasn’t scattered, why are you dropping barriers? Trying to trick me into removing my bones?”
The last piece of divine bone was fitted in place. Borrowing that mortal flesh body, Liu Ruyi’s originally destroyed physical form was thus remodeled in a flash of light, and that spirit also firmly returned to her original body.
The Demon King lowered the barrier and confidently placed this perfect living corpse in the air: “How about that?”
Shen Qiyuan’s divine consciousness was greatly delighted, yet also had a kind of uncontrollable sorrow overflowing all around.
“Fine.” He agreed.
Below, mortals from the two countries clashed with flashing blades and swords. In the distance, demons and gods also went back and forth. In the pure white radiance, Shen Qiyuan suddenly gave himself a slash.
Sweet divine blood splattered out, transforming into countless sharp blades that flew out to pierce through even more demons. Screams rose and fell continuously, but the Demon King paid no attention whatsoever.
He stared greedily at the divine bones exposed on Shen Qiyuan’s shoulder.
Liu Ruyi’s divine bones had only been cultivated for a thousand years, without divine position and having never tasted the spiritual qi of the Nine Heavens, they appeared somewhat yellowed. But Shen Qiyuan’s set of divine bones was pure white as snow, carrying immortal qi and talent that was about to overflow, making his eyes shine.
He couldn’t help but take a step forward.
Wind mixed with yellow sand blew over a small demon that crashed into his side with an “aiya” sound. The Demon King didn’t even turn his head as he brushed it away. That small demon fell like a swatted fly into the rolling demon horde below, splashing up a thick, bloody stench.
He stretched out his hand toward Shen Qiyuan: “Quickly, more quickly.”
“You give her back to me first.” Shen Qiyuan said, covered in cold sweat.
The Demon King snorted with laughter: “Without getting your complete divine bones, I won’t hand her over.”
In the white light, that Shen Qiyuan whose fate was determined from birth, that Shen Qiyuan whom the Celestial Emperor regarded as the future of all gods, was as insignificant as a speck of dust before him—struggling and suffering, yet still having to scrape off his own divine bones knife cut by knife cut.
The Demon King revealed an extremely satisfied smile, not only for the divine bones he was about to obtain, but also for himself, who had struggled up from the dust.
Over ten thousand years ago, an immortal had declared that his natural foundation was mediocre—even if he exhausted millions of years, he could never be listed in the divine registry. But what about now?
Within the black mist, Puhua couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
Not only would he be listed in the divine registry, but he was about to become an Emperor Lord above the Divine Lords. No one would ever be able to look down on him again!