Chapter 732

Chapter 732: Yang Jiuzhen’s Folly

A vast expanse of land appeared in the sea ahead, revealing ancient ruins from afar.

This land had been submerged for countless years, and now it had unexpectedly re-emerged. No one knew the reason behind this until Li Hui came to the sea to investigate.

"Boom…" Xie Xuan felt his head swelling as if a demon soul had crashed into a mountain; he was dizzy and felt an urge to vomit blood.

At that moment, Li Hui said, "This doesn’t look good!"

"I’m not watching anymore, not even if you beat me!" Xie Xuan declared, fearing that if he continued watching, he might die on the spot after witnessing something so terrifying.

Li Hui used the cloud talisman demon array set by the Blue Crab, which ignited with a "whoosh," and the chubby little cloud demons let out wails as they bore the terrifying impact in place of their master.

“Bang…” Xie Xuan’s true form ignited, tracing an arc in the air before crashing into the sea. It took half an hour for him to resurface.

Li Hui’s expression darkened significantly; he initially thought the celestial river’s emergence was assistance from practitioners of other worlds. He believed this because there were sects that had teamed up to break through passages to seek help. Even if that practitioner had escaped with family and disciples, some should have felt a sense of responsibility to do something.

The truth proved otherwise!

"Father, I’m burned inside; I had to swallow a large amount of alchemy to relieve the pain. What did you see at the end of the celestial river?"

"Thank you for your hard work!" Li Hui sighed lightly and explained, "It’s indeed a troublesome time! Do you know about cricket fighting? Two crickets are placed in a jar to fight, and sometimes bets are made."

"Huh? I know, to make them fight faster, people usually tease them with grass roots. Are you saying the celestial river here is like that grass root? Is there someone outside betting on the conflict between the Dharma Demon world and the Demonic Essence World?" Xie Xuan was quite clever, but with greater insight came greater worry, making him shiver.

"Exactly. The Canglang River’s emergence is not for help. I traced a terrifying demon shadow and, merely by glancing from afar, the arrangement we set up was destroyed! This shows they don’t want anyone to track their movements. It is a matter of limited perspective; not understanding the pattern of the outside world leads to confusion about who is friend or foe."

Xie Xuan listened attentively. Despite his tall and robust appearance, he possessed a careful heart! Sometimes, he even questioned himself about whether he was male or female.

"Let’s go back!" Li Hui commanded.

"We’re going back already? Aren’t we going to look anymore?" Xie Xuan felt disheartened; after all this time, he felt he should enjoy the sights for a few months before returning.

"If you don’t want to go back, explore other continents! You should have a heaven-sent treasure with you; be sure to protect yourself." After Li Hui spoke, he guided his Yang God away.

It had taken three days of recovery to arrive at this place, and the Yang God was now restored. Even if there were ambushes from practitioners on their way back, as long as they reached the sea near the Celestial Tree, the enemy would have no chance of returning. As for Xie Xuan, it was better for him to be out training than to be confined within the Heavenly Talisman Sect; hopefully, he could make a name for himself.

"Roar, roar, roar, freedom! More outings, Father!" The big crab plunged into the sea, disappearing from sight.

In truth, Li Hui did not reveal his real concerns; when he exerted his full strength, he saw an even more terrifying scenario, faintly tied to the peculiar dual caves of Yin and Yang in the Heavenly Realm.

It was these dual caves that threw the balance of Yin and Yang off, continuously draining life force, resulting in the Heavenly Realm’s current state. The appearance of the celestial river seemed to be preparing for the construction of new dual caves of Yin and Yang. If such a layout succeeded, it would mean calamity would befall the lower realm, and the future could become a bleak wasteland.

Li Hui’s expression turned resolute: "No, I must hurry to cultivate the Tai Shang Tong Xuan Ben Zhen Jing to gather star energy and draw the Star Escape Dao talisman. With this talisman’s power, I can send my spiritual sense to the heavens; only by stepping outside this situation can I understand the states of the Dharma Demon and the Demonic Essence worlds!"

The Yang God still had some distance to cover to reach the Wutu Continent when suddenly the sky darkened, and a wave of demonic intent descended.

"Let me guess, I had a premonition that those Reversed Demons who entered the Heavenly Talisman Sect were merely pawns, while the true assassins came from a big-shot Reversed Demon." Li Hui swiftly ascended through the air; he let Xie Xuan depart for convenience, unencumbered by his true body, enabling the Yang God to escape in an instant.

The darkness thickened, and a distant voice suddenly shouted, “Go back! Why descend to the lower realm? Isn’t the essence of the Reversed Demons the struggle for freedom and ease? I have already pursued freedom; why must I still be forced?”

“This is bad! Why is Jiuzhen returning at this time?” Li Hui was shocked. Yang Jiuzhen went back to the Extreme Huan Continent to visit family, only to unexpectedly return at this critical moment and chosen this particular sea route.

An echo rang through the sky: “Ouyang Xiao Yi, the one rebelling against the Dao, the essence of the Reversed Demons is control—manipulating all things in the world, aiming to break through all constraints to attain great freedom. Before the final moment arrives, we must adhere to the path of the Reversed Demons as one; the freedom you speak of is actually selfishness. The Reversed Demons are demonic yet not demonic, forced down this path to prolong life. When the day of success arrives, we will all return to the right path!”

Li Hui called out, “Can we really return to the right path? I fear only a few will escape calamity. Ouyang Xiao Yi may have opened a hole, but surely some Reversed Demons do not wish to take this path. However, you high-level Reversed Demons find yourselves in a dilemma; you cannot let your juniors escape, so on this day of calamity, you still expend great effort to capture the reincarnated Ouyang Xiao Yi!"

“Husband!” Yang Jiuzhen suddenly appeared closer, confidently looking up at the sky as she declared, “This powerful big-shot Reversed Demon is Ouyang Xiao Yi’s ancestor. He indeed wants to capture me, but I encountered an opportunity on the Extreme Huan Continent. If we confront him, it won’t be an issue for us to retreat back to the Wutu!”

“Oh?” Li Hui carefully examined Yang Jiuzhen and suddenly noticed something abnormal, gasping in shock, “Is this the opportunity you mentioned?”

“Hehe!” Yang Jiuzhen chuckled, gripping her husband’s hand as she surged forward, shifting positions while saying, “How could it not be an opportunity? Entangled in billions of causes and effects, I struck a deal with an Extreme Huan cultivator! We relocated millions of people to the Wutu.”

Li Hui slapped his forehead, feeling quite frustrated: “You brought over a creation branch and suppressed the celestial projections from Extreme Huan that were about to break free. Surely that can’t come without any benefits?”

"How could there be no benefits? At the very least, I can now protect my husband," Yang Jiuzhen replied, unyieldingly staring at the sky.

A cold voice echoed from above: “I see, you truly have gone to great lengths for this Li Hui, taking on the immense karma of the Extreme Huan Continent! It is hard to say whether you are the dumbest fool among the Reversed Demons or the smartest fool. In any case, you are foolish—extraordinarily foolish…”