BANG!
The one-horned demon—a Soul Formation expert—vaporized under Chen Ye's palm. Dead before it could even react.
The crowd gasped. The monks Huikong and Huiyun stared, jaws slack.
"Incredible! He must be at least Void Shattering Realm!"
"So young… a true genius!"
"And that girl—a Holy Body! Only the heirs of the three holy lands possess those. Could she be from one?"
Chen Ye stepped forward. "Are you injured?"
They bowed hastily. "We owe you our lives, friend. May we know your name?"
"Chen Ye of the Azure Cloud Sect! This is my junior sister, Xiao Qingluan. We've come to aid the Luo Dynasty."
The survivors' eyes lit up with desperate hope.
"With geniuses like you, our dynasty will soon end this Demonic Disaster!"
"We can finally return to peace… I'm so tired of living in fear."
"Thank you… thank you both!"
Chen Ye helped them up gently, one by one. "No need for thanks."
His ethereal aura—like moonlight given human form—made them whisper in awe: "An immortal descended to save us…"
Even the seasoned monks exchanged reverent glances: "The Azure Cloud Sect has birthed a true prodigy!"
Huikong leaned closer, voice grave. "The demonic rift lies beneath the royal capital. Every major sect's elites converge there now. Only by destroying it can we end this nightmare."
Chen Ye nodded. "After cleansing this town, my junior sister and I will rush to the capital."
"Brother Chen," Huikong clasped his hands, "might we journey together?"
"Gladly."
Cleansing the Town
Xiao Qingluan took the vanguard, annihilating demonic stragglers with her Phoenix Blood Sword. Scarlet flames roared as her blade carved arcs of destruction—phantom phoenix cries echoing with each swing. This was the Supreme Phoenix Sword Technique, the inheritance sealed within the sword itself!
As a reincarnated empress, she knew countless supreme arts. Yet this one perfectly complemented her Phoenix Holy Body. Other techniques might raise suspicion, but this? The entire Azure Cloud Sect knew she'd won it at Soaring Sword Peak's Famous Sword Pavilion.
Chen Ye watched from a crumbling rooftop, nursing his wine gourd. "Perfection-level mastery in mere weeks… Empress reincarnate indeed." He understood the sword's progression intimately:
Novice → Minor Achievement → Major Achievement → Perfection → Supreme
For warriors below Transcendent Realm, achieving Minor Achievement in a supreme art was exceptional. Perfection defied all reason.
Only my junior sister could do this.
Thunderclap of Doom
At dusk, thunder cracked like splitting mountains. Moonlight vanished under swirling pitch-black demonic miasma.
Huikong's face turned ashen. "This aura… at least Void Shattering Realm!" Despair thickened in his chest. Against such power, they stood no chance.
Lightning coalesced into a towering demon wreathed in crackling energy. His voice shook the ruins: "You slaughtered my kin? Then PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD!"
As he lunged, a blur intercepted him—Chen Ye's palm, blazing with Pure Yang Fire, slammed down!
BOOM!
The demon disintegrated mid-air—incinerated so completely not even ash remained.
Huikong stumbled back. Another one-shot kill?!
He's not Void Shattering… He's Divine Sea!
"Brother Chen…" Huikong swallowed hard. "That flame… was it Pure Yang Fire?"
"Yes."
"Pure Yang Holy Body?!" Huikong inhaled sharply.
Two Holy Bodies in one sect? Even the holy lands rarely nurtured one! A fourth holy land is rising in Dongzhou…
Nightfall: The Trial Approaches
At the inn, Xiao Qingluan paced her room, moonlight silvering her determined face. Tonight marked her second trial against Chen Ye—martial arts proficiency!
"My Phoenix Sword Art nears Peak Perfection! Senior Brother barely lifts a blade… This victory is mine!"