CHAPTER 429: I WILL DEFINITELY RETURN

Chapter 429: I Will Definitely Return

"What Nezha?!"

Xiao Feng clenched his fists, his face darkening.

He didn't understand what Chen Huaian was talking about, but he could sense the mockery in his tone.

But it was understandable.

Newborn calves aren't afraid of tigers - the ignorant fear nothing.

Just wait until he revealed his identity, and they'd be scared shitless!

"Listen well! I am Xiao Feng! The Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect!"

Xiao Feng lifted his chin arrogantly:

"I wrote the Great Lamentation Ode and contributed to the creation of the Heavenly Demon Art! And I'm not at the Unity Stage - I'm at the Great Ascension Second Tribulation Perfection! What you see now is merely a wisp of my remnant soul!"

After speaking, Xiao Feng stared intently at Chen Huaian and the others,

fully expecting to see looks of terror on their faces.

Creator of top-tier demonic techniques, Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Great Ascension cultivator...

Any one of these titles alone was enough to scare the shit out of ordinary cultivators.

Yet the three Golden Core cultivators before him remained completely calm, as if everything he'd just said was utter nonsense.

"What's wrong with you? Shouldn't you be shocked? Shouldn't you be screaming and running away?!"

Xiao Feng was going mad with frustration.

Had the world changed so much during his seclusion? Did Golden Core cultivators no longer fear Great Ascension experts?!

"Die!"

Xiao Feng's eighteen phantom clones leaped up simultaneously, striking at Chen Huaian with full force.

The eighteen phantoms merged mid-air, appearing instantly before them. The entire soul space trembled under this strike, and Mo Shumei - as the owner of this soul space - paled instantly, feeling as if her soul was being torn apart.

Seeing this, Chen Huaian took two steps forward, caught Xiao Feng's hand amidst the sea of demonic flames, and executed a perfect shoulder throw.

BOOM—!

The soul space shook violently.

Xiao Feng stared at Chen Huaian upside down, his face alternating between green and white.

"Why! How can you—"

Before he could finish, Chen Huaian threw him again.

BOOM—!

Xiao Feng: "I—"

BOOM—!

Xiao Feng: "You—"

BOOM—!

With each throw, Xiao Feng's soul became more translucent,

until it was as thin as scrambled egg yolk.

"Who... who exactly are you..." Xiao Feng's remnant soul lay weakly on the ground.

"I am Chen Huaian of the Sword Pavilion. Feel free to seek revenge later." Chen Huaian stepped on Xiao Feng's face while smiling cheerfully: "But let me make this clear - no matter how much you cultivate or how many volumes you master, you'd better not appear during this child's Demonic Backlash again. Otherwise, I'll beat you like this every single time! Now scram!"

With that, he crushed Xiao Feng's remnant soul underfoot.

As the soul scattered, only Xiao Feng's furious roar remained:

"Sword Pavilion Ancestor! Chen Huaian?! Just you wait! I'll remember this!"

"I... will definitely... return!!!"

After this final threat, Xiao Feng's remnant soul completely vanished,

leaving the world peaceful once more.

Chen Huaian didn't linger either - with his soul cultivation at only the Golden Core stage, it was easy to reveal flaws. So with the demeanor of a true expert, he nodded to Li Qingran and Mo Shumei before withdrawing from Mo Shumei's body through Li Qingran.

"My Void Fusion Realm cultivation has returned!"

Back in his avatar body, Chen Huaian sighed in relief, enveloped by a strong sense of security.

Li Qingran and Mo Shumei gradually regained consciousness.

Mo Shumei's injuries had already mostly recovered thanks to the Celestial-grade Great Recovery Pill.

Now that the Demonic Backlash had ended, aside from looking somewhat haggard, she was basically fine.

"Ancestor's great kindness, this junior will never forget!"

The moment she woke up, Mo Shumei kowtowed to Chen Huaian. She stood up and bowed again, speaking sincerely:

"This junior has no way to repay you except to swear to protect Li Qingran's safety from now on. If anyone tries to harm Sister Qingran in the future, they'll have to step over my dead body first!"

"Ah, no need for such solemn words." Chen Huaian waved his hand casually: "With me around, such situations won't occur... I've already disciplined your Demonic Blade - it won't trigger Demonic Backlash on its own anymore. I know you can't turn back from cultivating demonic arts now, but do be more careful in the future."

At this point, Chen Huaian's expression turned serious:

"That Heavenly Demon Sect ancestor Xiao Feng isn't someone to be trifled with. Try not to give him opportunities to invade your soul again. Next time he succeeds, Qingran and I might not be able to save you in time."

"Yes, Ancestor. This junior will remember."

Mo Shumei nodded obediently,

though internally she resolved that if any truly dangerous situation arose - especially one threatening Li Qingran - she would still use forbidden power without hesitation,

even if it meant facing Xiao Feng's demonic soul again during Demonic Backlash.

But most importantly, she needed to grow stronger.

The power granted by the Demonic Blade was ultimately external.

To truly protect those she cared about, she needed her own strength.

...

Void Abyss.

Within a gloomy mountain range ten thousand miles from Peach Blossom Island,

a desolate cliff suddenly trembled as a shrill roar erupted:

"Damn it all! Sword Pavilion! Chen Huaian! I swear eternal enmity with you!"

A black-robed old man emerged from a cave beneath the cliff, his robes flapping amidst swirling Demonic Energy. The air around him grew viscous under the pressure of his Great Ascension Second Tribulation Perfection cultivation.

Xiao Feng took a deep breath.

For a thousand years, he'd harvested countless cultivators through the Great Lamentation Ode.

This was the first time he'd suffered such humiliating defeat!

"I won't be able to make further breakthroughs in the short term - I can't find any opportunities... It's time to travel the world in search of tribulation opportunities. I wonder how the Heavenly Demon Sect has been developing?"

He calculated with his fingers, but being within the Void Abyss - this subspace that could even obscure heavenly secrets - yielded no results. He muttered to himself:

"Still, given the power of the Heavenly Demon Art, they should have conquered at least half of the Cangyun Realm by now..."

Having decided to reenter the world, he needed to make thorough preparations.

His lifespan was nearing its end, and his cultivation was stuck at Great Ascension Second Tribulation Perfection. He could face the Third Minor Heavenly Tribulation at any moment. Tribulations couldn't be undergone within the Void Abyss - he needed to enter the Cangyun Realm to be locked onto by the heavenly tribulation.

This return had two main purposes: checking on the Heavenly Demon Sect and undergoing his tribulation.

Failure meant death and Dao dissipation.

Success meant a chance to strive for the immortal gate.

When Xiao Feng emerged again, he'd changed his outfit - most noticeably the eight storage rings on his fingers containing all his accumulated treasures over the years, including over a dozen magical artifacts - all crucial for surviving the tribulation, treasures he guarded jealously and kept close.

He glanced toward Peach Blossom Island's direction.

Even though this mountain was extremely far from the island, he still shuddered involuntarily.

The Void Abyss housed nine dying individuals,

who also happened to be the world's most powerful existences.

Any one of them could unleash a storm of bloodshed if released, potentially overturning the entire Cangyun Realm's cultivation world, even if only briefly.

And within the Void Abyss, there was a hierarchy.

Among them, two were absolutely not to be provoked:

A white-clothed swordsman, and a nine-tailed fox demon.

These two resided at Peach Blossom Island - the most coveted location in the entire Void Abyss.

When he'd first entered the Void Abyss, he'd considered seizing that prime location for himself,

but ultimately ended up in this godforsaken gloomy mountain.

The lesson learned at Peach Blossom Island was one he'd remember for life.

"Perhaps... after successfully undergoing the Minor Heavenly Tribulation and reaching Third Tribulation Realm, I can finally compete with those two?"

The old demon Xiao Feng stroked his beard, a glint of fighting spirit appearing in his eyes.

He, Xiao the Demon, was invincible.

"Void Abyss..."

Taking one last look at this isolated place,

he turned resolutely and left.

"I... will return!"

...