Chapter 726

Chapter 726: Spatial Restrictions

"Sigh, these remnants of demon creatures aren’t enough. Just a simple absorption drained most of their soul power, leaving only dissipating wisps," the Ancestor of the Sword Path sighed, observing his partially restored soul. After fully absorbing the collected demon remnants, his expression showed clear disappointment at their scarcity.

"When we reach the Demon Abyss, I’ll need your help. If there truly are Remnant Souls of the Demon God there, none of us could escape," Ye Yun said worriedly, eyeing the Ancestor’s condition. "Are you certain you can confront the demon god’s soul in your current state?"

"Naturally. As long as it’s not fully intact, this Ancestor can crush and absorb it," the Ancestor boasted, grinning at Ye Yun. "Don’t underestimate my two extremes of the Sword Path. Even without using my original Sword Path techniques, I’ve plenty of methods to suppress that puny demon god."

"Let’s hope no complications arise. Otherwise, even if I value my life, escaping would be impossible," Ye Yun sighed resignedly. Since the Ancestor insisted and the Shui sisters sought the Heavenly Immortal inheritance, he’d accompany them while investigating this so-called celestial legacy.

"But what if the demon god’s already been destroyed by the Heavenly Immortal? Wouldn’t our efforts be wasted?" Ye Yun suddenly questioned. "How should we handle that scenario?"

"We’d curse our luck and blame the demon god’s weakness," the Ancestor retorted, though secretly hoping the demon god survived. His weakened soul needed either the superb heavenly materials in Ye Yun’s Storage Treasure or the demon god’s essence to recover fully.

"Ling’er felt something vile under this hill earlier, but the discomfort vanished after leaving the snowy city. Was it just my imagination?" Shui Lingling wondered aloud before spotting a dark mass nearby. "Ye Yun! Yingying! Look at that thing!"

"Don’t act rashly. Observe first," Shui Yingying cautioned, eyeing the pulsating black lump.

Ye Yun turned to the Ancestor for answers.

"Just a minor creature condensed from the dead air of the Celestial-Demon battlefield. Harmless but durable. An old friend used these as training dummies – nearly indestructible and requiring minimal spiritual power to regenerate. Quite practical."

"A stress-relief sandbag?" Ye Yun remarked dryly.

"Precisely! Though I prefer calling them demon spirits. The strongest rival Earth Immortal realm cultivators, but this body refinement stage specimen is weakest. Their attacks can’t even drain your true qi." The Ancestor’s eyes twinkled with nostalgia.

"You tested them yourself back then, didn’t you?" Ye Yun accused, noting the Ancestor’s amused expression.

"Guilty. I got carried away during practice and destroyed several. My friend lectured me for hours," the Ancestor admitted before warning, "But don’t underestimate them – their beak-like protrusions can latch onto and drain spiritual energy."

"Expected as much." Ye Yun watched the lumbering demon spirit approach. He launched a weak air current that the creature absorbed, glowing faintly. Smirking, Ye Yun released wisps of Thunder Spirit Qi into the surroundings.

Sensing danger, the demon spirit tried fleeing but found itself pinned by lightning-formed needles. Blue electricity crackled around it – energy too pure for the lowly creature to assimilate.

"Ugh! Just this ugly blob?" Shui Lingling grimaced, summoning starry projections behind her as she inspected the trapped mass. When the creature screeched, she impatiently fired starlight from her fingertip.

*Crack!*

The starburst scarred the ground, silencing the demon spirit’s cries. It now stared pleadingly at Shui Yingying – its last hope against Ye Yun’s imprisonment and Shui Lingling’s threats.

"Intelligent beings born of dead air… Ancient texts mention you’re fragments of the demon god’s consciousness. Eliminating you counts as demon purification," Shui Yingying declared coldly.

The demon spirit slumped in defeat, awaiting judgment.

"What’s it doing?" Ye Yun frowned.

"Begging? How pathetic!" Shui Lingling scoffed, tilting her head.

"Wishful thinking. Mercy isn’t an option," Shui Yingying stated, a starlit blade forming at her finger. "Countless begged demons for mercy during the wars – and were slaughtered regardless."

As murderous intent intensified, the demon spirit screeched desperately and hurled itself against Ye Yun’s lightning net. Its body disintegrated into demonic energy streams returning to the Broken Space.

"Should’ve chosen defiance from the start," Shui Yingying spat, annoyed it escaped final punishment through suicide.

"Ah, it seems we’ve lost another plaything," Shui Lingling sighed regretfully, gazing at the lifeless demon spirit. She’d originally intended to toss it into her snowy city to observe how such strange creatures reacted when trapped in the Deceptive Array – how their expressions shifted from terror to twisted joy before meeting their uniquely dreadful demise. Making these invading demons taste true fear served as modest retribution for their intrusion. Ye Yun could only watch with wry amusement as the two girls excitedly prepared for their next move, finding no words to interject.

"Haha! These lasses truly suit this Ancestor’s taste. Such fine temperament makes them excellent candidates," chuckled the Ancestor of the Sword Path, observing the girls’ antics with approval. The demon creature’s self-destruction seemed routine to him, suggesting frequent encounters with such behavior.

"Though it’s strange how these demons manifest so freely here. I thought demon spirits were rare," Ye Yun remarked, surprised. His conversations with the Ancestor had corrected several misconceptions about these creatures.

"Hard to imagine tens of millions of Nascent Soul stage demon spirits during the ancient wars. How did our ancestors counter such numbers?" Ye Yun mused, unwitting admiration coloring his voice for those who’d fought regardless of motive.

"Trivial matters for Heavenly Immortals. A mere gesture could erase millions," the Ancestor of the Sword Path said dismissively. "More demons just meant repeating techniques. Even using Divine Arts became tedious."

"Such terrifying power…" Ye Yun’s heart raced imagining those legendary battles.

"Don’t romanticize our human race. We merely struggled for survival in desperate times," the Ancestor’s self-mocking tone revealed bitter truths about the Celestial-Demon battlefield. "Most credit goes to those Heavenly Immortals from the Immortal Realm. Our human experts were ordinary at best."

"Such ancient history matters little now. Focus on strengthening yourself," Ye Yun said, watching the girls prepare to depart. "Let’s test spatial laws before my skills rust."

"But Yingying said you shouldn’t risk using spatial laws now!" Shui Lingling protested. Their destination could be reached safely through normal flight without risking Broken Space’s unstable teleportations.

"Have some faith," Ye Yun retorted, exasperated. "I need to gauge how Broken Space restricts my spatial laws."

"Didn’t last time’s failed teleportation teach you enough?" Shui Lingling countered, recalling when Ye Yun had barely transported them one li before nearly tearing them apart.

"That was controlled testing under milder conditions. Now the environment worsens – we must know the limits before true danger strikes," Ye Yun insisted. As white light surged within him, spatial laws enveloped the trio.

The crushing spatial pressure made Ye Yun’s teeth grind. His hands felt shredded as they reappeared mere hundred zhang away. "This suppression’s beyond expectations," he grimaced, noting the girls’ pale faces. "You alright? The pressure intensified significantly."

"My arms nearly ripped off! That’s not ‘slightly’ stronger!" Shui Lingling rubbed her reddened limbs, shaken by the unexpected severity.

Shui Yingying took several steadying breaths before managing a strained smile. The spatial distortion had momentarily overwhelmed even her composure.

"My apologies for subjecting you to that," Ye Yun offered contritely.

"Ling’er nearly died! Proper apologies required!" Shui Yingying chided playfully, rapping her sister’s head when the younger girl overdramatized.

"Ye Yun stopped immediately to prevent real harm," the elder sister countered. "But the discomfort warrants compensation."

"Name your requests then," Ye Yun conceded with good humor.

Shui Lingling’s starry eyes sparkled with sudden determination. "Help us secure the Demon Abyss’ inheritance! Regardless who claims it, we strive together!"

"So be it," Ye Yun chuckled, having no intention of competing for the plentiful Heavenly Immortal inheritances scattered across the Celestial-Demon battlefield.

As they conversed, the landscape shifted. Ye Yun’s eyes widened in shock at the terrain ahead. "That hill… it’s actually a corpse?!"