AUOF - 97

Shen Zheyou’s grip clamped down on her jaw, forcibly prying her mouth open. Sang Li’s palms, pressed firmly against the ground, trembled as sweat drenched the stray strands of hair clinging to her temples.

She didn’t know what kind of pill it was, but she understood it wasn’t something she could swallow. Once ingested, the consequences would be dire. As the glowing pellet neared her lips, her heart leapt into her throat.

Whoosh—!

A dark red blade sliced through the mist. Shen Zheyou’s eyes flickered as he endured the strike, crimson blood staining his left arm. Without hesitation, he swiftly pushed the pill toward Sang Li’s throat and forcefully struck her chest, compelling her to swallow it.

The entire process lasted only a fleeting moment. By the time the newcomer arrived behind them, the pill had already slid down her esophagus and settled in her stomach.

Sang Li collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently. She tried to use her inner energy to expel the drug, but the instant the pill entered her abdomen, it locked onto her dantian like an impenetrable net. Her breathing grew erratic, her vision clouded over, and her mind felt heavy and sluggish.

Through the haze, she thought she saw Ji Hengyu.

He wore a crimson robe, burning like smoldering embers as he advanced toward Shen Zheyou.

Sang Li’s lips moved soundlessly, unable to utter a word. In her heart, she silently called out his name.

Shen Zheyou completely ignored Ji Hengyu, lifting Sang Li with one hand as if intending to take her back to the Divine Realm.

Suddenly, a vast spiritual array enveloped him, forcing him to halt.

The two stood facing each other, their expressions equally cold.

‘Does Lord Tianheng intend to shield her?’

Ji Xun glanced silently at Sang Li, who was tucked under Shen Zheyou’s arm. ‘This is Gui Xu. You will not act recklessly here.’

‘Do you know who she is?’

‘I don’t care.’

A blade materialized in Ji Xun’s palm, its momentum swift as thunder and fire.

With his shoulder wounded and only one hand free to restrain Sang Li, Shen Zheyou couldn’t spare the energy to counterattack. After barely dodging a few strikes, it became clear that ‘Ji Hengyu’ was not holding back—

—He intended to ensure Shen Zheyou wouldn’t leave alive.

Realizing this, Shen Zheyou saw no reason to show mercy either.

Gazing at the murderous intent radiating from Ji Hengyu, Shen Zheyou remained expressionless, yanking Sang Li in front of him as a shield. Ji Xun’s pupils contracted, hastily retracting his spiritual technique. In that instant, the backlash of his unleashed power surged back, half of it turning against him.

As though struck by a heavy blow, Ji Xun staggered backward two steps, his qi surging chaotically, his face shifting through shades of pain.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Zheyou formed a mudra with his fingertips. The Zheyun Sword broke free from its confines, unleashing a torrent of swordlight that resembled snow-laden blossoms. Each blade pierced Ji Xun’s body—shoulders, chest, arms, cheeks—all riddled with dark punctures.

Yet he stood tall, his gaze as piercing as the winter sun—intense yet not scorching.

Sang Li’s lips parted, but her sealed meridians rendered her voiceless. All her anguish and frustration welled up in her chest, choking her throat, leaving her unable to even attempt resistance.

She wanted to cry.

Her eyes reddened with long-suppressed grievances, her trembling lips betraying her emotions.

It was a mix of heartache and sorrow.

For him.

Strangely, Ji Xun found himself oddly pleased.

Even knowing her feelings were for Ji Hengyu, as long as this expression was directed at him, it didn’t matter.

He smiled faintly, his warm gaze melting like twilight.

Ji Xun caught a familiar scent and immediately sobered, staring intently at Shen Zheyou. His figure flashed like a streak of light, appearing before Shen Zheyou in the blink of an eye. Shen Zheyou’s heart tightened, raising his fingers defensively—but too late. A muffled sound of flesh tearing echoed as a cold blade pierced through his back and emerged from his chest.

Ji Xun opened his arms, embracing the stunned Sang Li. His blood-soaked, warm palms gently stroked her back, his low voice brushing past her ear: ‘Run. Leave Gui Xu with that mirror demon.’

He gave her a gentle push, and Sang Li drifted lightly into the distance.

The dappled light framed Ji Xun’s features, his smile softer than ever. Even drenched in blood, he seemed to stand amidst a drizzling spring rain, exuding purity.

For some inexplicable reason, she felt an overwhelming sadness, tears spilling silently in that fleeting moment.

The binding spell on Sang Li dissipated without a sound. Her limbs loosened, her meridians relaxed, and her bones regained mobility.

Her internal organs burned painfully. Before fleeing, she cast one last deep glance behind her. Whether it was an illusion or not, she thought she glimpsed a silver-white figure darting past, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Ji Hengyu. Shaking her dazed head, she turned and fled into Moon Forest without looking back.

Shen Zheyou had already detected the eerie green glow unique to the Spirit Clan. Unwilling to let her escape, he turned and pursued her relentlessly.

In an instant, a fierce windstorm erupted, layer upon layer of wind walls obstructing his path. The force toppled nearby trees, creating a deafening crash and stirring up clouds of black dust, forcing Shen Zheyou to halt his pursuit.

As the dust settled, a pale figure emerged from the ashes.

The man stood tall and elegant, his black hair contrasting with his cold skin. His gaze was tranquil, and the fan in his hand spun idly, instantly calming the storm.

Even Shen Zheyou, for all his composure, couldn’t maintain his calm in the face of this abrupt change. He stared incredulously at the unscathed Ji Hengyu before him, then turned to look at the blood-soaked man standing behind him—an exact replica. The shock was indescribable.

Among countless magical arts, puppetry was considered the most trivial traditional technique.

But a puppet was just a puppet—controlled entirely by its master, devoid of emotion, life force, or the ability to wield spiritual energy independently, let alone bleed or suffer injury!

From the start, Shen Zheyou hadn’t realized Ji Xun was a puppet!

No wonder he’d felt something amiss during their battle but couldn’t pinpoint the anomaly.

Ji Hengyu drifted calmly toward Ji Xun.

Shen Zheyou’s earlier strike had wounded the heart within Ji Xun, destabilizing his puppet form and making it seem as though his soul might depart.

Ji Hengyu didn’t command him to return, nor did he ask what had transpired. Only when Ji Xun swayed unsteadily, on the verge of collapse, did he finally speak: ‘Ji Xun.’

Ji Xun sluggishly lifted his eyelids.

If he wished to survive, he now had no choice but to retreat into Ji Hengyu’s consciousness, relying on his essence to recuperate. Though reluctant, the thought of the little fox made him close his eyes and dissolve into a wisp of malevolent energy, merging back into Ji Hengyu’s body.

As his heart returned to his chest, Ji Hengyu instinctively raised a hand to touch it, then slowly lowered it. ‘Ji Wu,’ he murmured.

Right before Shen Zheyou’s eyes, Ji Hengyu unapologetically released the evil soul.

The three figures shared both differing and identical auras, leaving Shen Zheyou’s forehead throbbing with tension. A vague hypothesis began to form in his mind, but it was so absurd and terrifying that his throat tightened involuntarily.

When Ji Wu unsheathed his claws and lunged at him, Shen Zheyou finally snapped out of his stupor, losing the composure he’d maintained for so long. Enraged, he growled, ‘Ji Hengyu, have you gone mad?!’

Ji Hengyu stood still, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

‘Are you saying I seek to cultivate the Path of Binding Calamity, dragging all sentient beings into ruin with me?!!’

The Path of Binding Calamity was an evil path.

Practitioners first had to experience death without perishing, then summon their three souls to forge a new body. One soul would gather the malice of the three realms, another would condense the ferocity of heaven and earth. Upon completion, they would sacrifice themselves, unleashing calamity to obliterate the six realms, returning the world to primordial unity.

—This was the Path of Binding Calamity.

No wonder, no wonder Ji Hengyu, despite having his divine marrow severed, still possessed such formidable abilities.

The Supreme Dao Master had feared Ji Hengyu’s identity as the ‘God of War.’ During the Battle of the Desolate Mountain, he orchestrated a trap, severing Ji Hengyu’s divine bone and sealing off the four continents, rendering him powerless. But given Ji Hengyu’s intelligence, how could he have fallen so easily into such a scheme?

Perhaps from the very beginning, this had been his plan!

Turning the tables, he cultivated the Path of Binding Calamity.

Shen Zheyou stared, his spine crawling with waves of cold. The sheer absurdity of the revelation nearly caused him to lose his grip on the Zheyun Sword. Such a thing was unheard of—since the dawn of his cultivation, he had only glimpsed fragments of this path in ancient forbidden texts. Yet in ten thousand years, no one had dared attempt it—not even Di Qi, the so-called Sinful God, who merely stole the Stone of Heaven’s Suppression.

What was Ji Hengyu planning?

From their battle with the two souls, it was evident their cultivation had reached unfathomable depths. If Ji Hengyu truly harbored thoughts of destroying the world, what hope was there for the six realms?

‘I’m dragging all sentient beings into ruin?’ Ji Hengyu shook his head disapprovingly. ‘You’re mistaken. It’s the sentient beings who dragged me into ruin.’

Ji Hengyu leisurely fanned himself, noticing the peculiar glint in Shen Zheyou’s eyes, and chuckled. ‘For five thousand years, my clan has nourished eternity with our flesh and blood, shouldering the burdens of all creation. You say I want to drag all beings into ruin, but isn’t it the beings who have burdened my clan? Now that I wish to step down, it’s only natural. What’s wrong with that?’

‘You…’ Utter nonsense!

Before his retort could leave his lips, Ji Hengyu cut him off sharply. ‘And you of the Divine Realm and Heavenly Pavilion—always preaching about the six realms, righteousness, and morality. Perched high above, detached from the suffering of beings, how can you claim to understand their plight?’ Ji Hengyu’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, his tone icy and detached. ‘But I’ve seen it. I’ve seen patriots die for their homeland, families torn apart, the virtuous destroyed, and the wicked spared. This bitter existence—have you ever tasted it?’

Shen Zheyou’s throat tightened, a metallic tang rising in his mouth. His words, once confident, now felt utterly hollow.

Ji Wu restrained him as Ji Hengyu approached, tapping his cheek with the fan. ‘I’ve tasted it. Having endured its bitterness, why shouldn’t I wish for the heavens and earth to return to dust? What’s wrong with that?’

Shen Zheyou’s pupils quivered, momentarily speechless.

‘When the world is reborn, there will be no distinction between gods and mortals, no division of the six realms. All laws will converge, seeking fairness and equality. What’s wrong with that?’

These words shattered the beliefs Shen Zheyou had held for so long. Though he knew Ji Hengyu’s ideas were wrong, he couldn’t find the words to refute them. His throat bobbed as he muttered, ‘You’re insane. Truly insane.’ With that, Shen Zheyou seized the opportunity to use a Shadow Shift technique, circling behind Ji Hengyu. Just as the Zheyun Sword was about to pierce his neck, Ji Hengyu closed his eyes and called softly, ‘Ji Wu.’

Black vapors surged, coiling around Shen Zheyou’s wrist like chains, tightening further along his arm until he was completely immobilized.

Ji Hengyu glanced at him sidelong, his voice indifferent. ‘Take him to the Abyss Prison. Ensure no one notices.’

[Yes.]

Ji Wu whisked Shen Zheyou away, disappearing from sight moments later.

Without delay, Ji Hengyu followed Sang Li’s trail into Moon Forest.