Chapter 150: The Collapse and Annihilation of the Demonic Path

Without a moment's pause, Lin Feng teleported out of the immortal dwelling. Just as he rushed out of the Chilling Abyss, a vast ocean lay beneath his feet. Glacial boulders shattered amidst the raging waves, and the Demonic Cult's prison was completely destroyed.

The battlefield in the sky cleared up in the blink of an eye. The fifteen ancient demonic ghosts were jointly annihilated by Shang Rong, Zhi Shang, and the others, leaving only Emperor Huangming hiding inside the Ancient Demonic Fierce Qi Bell. Demonic Cult disciples were fleeing in all directions, including various cavern lords, presenting a scene of a collapsing tree scattering its monkeys.

"You destroyed my sacred cult and executed the demonic ancestor. You shall surely face generations of hunting down by our cult. Though your power is formidable today, do not dream of peace in the days to come. I shall reclaim every single grievance!" Emperor Huangming shouted successive curses. With a series of rumbling explosions, the Ancient Demonic Fierce Qi Bell turned into a puff of smoke, plunged into the surging waves below, and vanished without a trace.

"Amitabha, many thanks to the benefactor for stepping forth with assistance. This old monk expresses his utmost gratitude on behalf of all living beings under heaven." Zhi Shang hurriedly offered a slight bow to Shang Rong.

"What is there to thank? I merely acted upon another's commission. Hmph!" Shang Rong glanced coldly at the monk, instantly teleported to Lin Feng's side, and retreated directly into the immortal dwelling.

Master Zhi Shang's eyes lit up as he looked toward Lin Feng. Disregarding the injuries of the many sect masters present, he made a deeply astonishing move.

The elderly monk drifted before Lin Feng, pressed his palms together, and said, "Junior Brother, you have truly attained the Great Dao. Would you be willing to return to the temple with me?"

Confused, Lin Feng asked, "Master, what are you talking about?"

With an unfathomable brilliance shining in his eyes, Zhi Shang smiled and said, "My junior brother possesses profound understanding of the Buddhadharma. For him to choose you, young benefactor, is an acknowledgment of your cultivation path and innate talent. Are you willing to return with me to attain thousands of Buddhist fruits?"

"This... May I be allowed a moment to consider?" Lin Feng asked, grasping for a clever response.

"Very well. The benefactor may proceed to Fuduo at any time, and our gates shall always be thrown wide open to welcome you." Zhi Shang smiled, nodded, and drifted away.

Jun Wuqi looked over at Lin Feng and transmitted his voice: "You may accept Master Zhi Shang's offer. This is a magnificent blessing."

A tremor ran through Lin Feng's heart, and he gratefully said, "Thank you, Sect Master."

Being granted personal permission by the sect master to cultivate at another sect was truly rare. One must understand that sects across the world maintained unified disciplinary decrees prohibiting disciples from arbitrarily learning other sects' techniques—a protective measure for home-grown talent.

Of the thirteen sect masters, only nine now remained, and every single one of them suffered from internal injuries with ashen complexions. After a brief consultation among themselves, they bid farewell here. Zhi Shang and Jun Wuqi closely observed the torrent below until Zuimo and five white-robed monks had flooded the Demonic Wilderness Mountains back and forth, before finally parting ways.

"Lin Feng, starting from today, you may temper yourself in the outside world, acting as expedience dictates without being bound by sect rules." Before leaving, Jun Wuqi left him with these words.

No one knew that the righteous cultivators imprisoned at Daishan had already been rescued by Lin Feng, nor did anyone care to pursue the suddenly emerged super expert Shang Rong or the fleeing Emperor Huangming. Since the predetermined objectives had been achieved, lingering any longer would be unwise. The world inherently held many unfathomable mysteries; the more one knew, the more perilous it became. Every sect master was a seasoned veteran of over a hundred years, exceedingly worldly and smooth.

The King of Flower Crows, Zuimo, having completed the entrusted task, similarly drifted away, though she cast one last curious glance back at Lin Feng before leaving.

In less than an hour, the capital of the demonic path collapsed overnight. Emperor Huangming had vanished into unknown hibernation, various cavern lords fled to seek their own futures, the fates of several demonic monarchs and envoys remained unknown, nearly a thousand elite disciples died without intact corpses, and countless treasures were destroyed in the ocean waves. Truly, a moment of prosperity was washed away into oblivion.

The tumultuous and grand battle of the Demonic Wilderness finally came to an end. The gloomy sky was chillingly quiet, and everyone cleared out completely in an instant.

"It is time to deal with the affairs inside the Yinque Palace. Well, let us select a place first." Flying southward for several thousand miles, Lin Feng descended upon a plain and entered the immortal dwelling.

Yan Dongjue and the others were still unconscious. It was not that they could not be revived, but Lin Feng was unwilling to expose the secrets of the Yinque Palace to too many people. Now that nearly ten individuals had entered while fully conscious, how to handle the situation required Lin Feng to make the final call.

"You shall temporarily cultivate inside the Yinque Palace; future matters can be addressed when they arrive." Having spoken to the nine conscious individuals, Lin Feng turned back to look at the unconscious fellow practitioners. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Wuzhu, Xiaosongzi, let us carry Master and the others out first. Say nothing of the immortal dwelling, and I shall handle all explanations."

"Eldest Brother, the vengeance for our father is irreconcilable. Zhou Kuigang is right here, and I will use his blood to sacrifice to my father." Wuzhu's eyes were bloodshot, staring fixedly at Lin Feng as if he would resort to force should Lin Feng object.

"Deal with him however you wish once we are outside, but you must consider carefully. If Master finds out, he will certainly not show leniency..." Lin Feng glanced at Yan Dongjue, his tone flat.

Wuzhu was slightly startled, but then gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I face severe punishment, I must kill him to vent my anger!"

Lin Feng sighed and said to Dusong Song, "Make the move first."

Working together, they carried these people outside. Wuzhu whipped up a gust of wind to snatch Zhou Kuigang away, disappearing in an unknown direction, and returned empty-handed after quite a while. Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, knowing inwardly that he would likely never see this martial brother again.

"Thank you, Eldest Brother." Seeing that Lin Feng had not intervened to save the others, Wuzhu felt deeply grateful.

"You two enter the immortal dwelling first, lest Master grows suspicious," Lin Feng instructed.

Once the two of them departed, Lin Feng turned back to dissolve the internal restrictions on Yan Dongjue and the others.

"Junior Nine, what is going on? Where is the Xuanhuang Dao Ancestor?" The moment Yan Dongjue awoke, he grabbed Lin Feng's arm and shouted loudly, his memories still frozen from several days ago.

"Master, do not be anxious. Let us revive the others and recount everything one by one," Lin Feng said.

"Right, right, hurry!" Yan Dongjue urged repeatedly. Reaching out, he pulled over Cang Bailang and channeled his internal energy to break the bindings on his dantian.

Within the time it took to burn half an incense stick, the others regained consciousness one after another. Taking a brief headcount, they found a few missing, causing everyone to sink into gloomy, silent sighs.

"How is it that Senior Four is nowhere to be seen? Junior Nine, how did you manage to escape?" A cold glint flashed in Yan Dongjue's eyes as he stared intently at Lin Feng's expression.

"Master, this story is a long one. The Myriad Demonic Heavens has now been destroyed, and the whereabouts of Senior Fourth Brother remain unknown. Please listen as I recount it slowly." Lin Feng's face remained entirely expressionless. Having witnessed great winds and waves, his resolve was as firm as gold; he was no longer the timid youth who trembled merely at the sight of Yan Dongjue.

Right then, he briefly outlined how he had escaped alive and how the righteous sect masters had joined forces to slaughter the Demonic Cult, highlighting in particular a mysterious figure who had single-handedly annihilated the demonic ancestor, the fifteen ancient demons, and thousands of elite demonic disciples, turning defeat into victory in this single battle.

While the others listened with rapt attention, yearning to witness the spectacle with their own eyes, only Yuxi smiled inwardly, having already guessed the broad strokes.

"Everyone, though the Demonic Cult has suffered a heavy blow, how could our righteous sects be any different? Were it not for that mysterious senior, we likely would have perished in the torrent. Come back to the mountain with me to pay respects to the Sect Master Senior Brother before making any further decisions." Yan Dongjue cast a deep look at Lin Feng and soared into the air.

"Well done!" Eldest Senior Brother Cang Bailang walked over, patted Lin Feng's shoulder, and laughed heartily as he rode the wind away.

"Junior Brother, do you have any magical treasure you could lend your senior brother? Ah, I took a massive loss this time; everything I spent decades painstakingly collecting is gone." Qian Cai wore a bitter expression, and the others sighed in unison. Their magical treasures, flying swords, and mustard seed pouches had all been completely confiscated; recovering them was simply out of the question.

"Senior brothers, wait a moment. Let me check." The large quantity of useless weapons he had collected long ago finally came in handy. Although they were merely low-grade spiritual artifacts, they were sufficient to enable flight—a true utilization of everything according to its purpose.

The fellow disciples expressed their gratitude one by one. Lastly came Yuxi, who now possessed only her Tiangang Subduing Tiger Spear. Lin Feng smiled helplessly; by this time, his senior brothers had already followed Yan Dongjue away. Feng Yiyuan's figure paused slightly before also soaring into the air, leaving only the two of them behind.

"Lin Feng, the person who made a move was Shang Rong, right?" Yuxi smiled.

"Senior Sister is perceptive; indeed it was," Lin Feng replied.

"Let's go. This spear of yours can easily accommodate four or five people," Yuxi said, glancing at the large spear and gently waving her hand.

"Senior Sister is riding with me?" A strange, unnatural feeling arose in Lin Feng's heart for the very first time.

Yuxi gave him a sidelong glance and said, "What? Are you unwilling? If so, forget it. I shall slowly walk back by myself."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Lin Feng hurriedly defended himself, urged the Tiangang Subduing Tiger Spear forward, and stepped onto it.

Yuxi let out a soft huff, shifted her light steps, and landed directly onto the shaft of the spear.

"Senior Sister, please mind your footing. Let's go!"

The long spear pierced the sky, heading toward Qiyun Mountain. Amidst the biting gale, a pair of warm hands gently wrapped around Lin Feng's waist from behind.

"Whew! We've finally arrived. Senior Sister, should we head to Gentleman Peak first?" By late dusk, after over half a day of travel, the two stopped above Tianmen Peak, gazing out at the snow-capped mountain ranges.

"Yes, didn't Senior Uncle just say so?" Yuxi's hands had remained tightly wrapped around his waist the entire time. The two of them looked precisely like an immortal couple; if anyone were to lay eyes upon them, they would die of envy.

"Right." Deep inside, however, Lin Feng's emotions were a swirling mixture of flavors. He could sense Yuxi's cloud-and-mist-like affection, yet in his subconscious, he fiercely resisted it all. It stemmed entirely from that look of disdain cast upon him upon Tianmen Peak two years ago—a gaze that lingered stubbornly, impossible to shake off.

At that time, Caiyi had been pure and innocent, without a shred of contempt in her heart, alongside Uncle Liang. Where in the world were those two now? The conditions set by King Yu still awaited fulfillment; he had to find them as soon as possible.

"Hey, you've gone past it! What are you thinking about?" Yuxi chided him with a hint of annoyance.

Jarred out of his thoughts, Lin Feng looked around and realized the two of them had overshot Gentleman Peak by several hundred miles, reaching the edge of the wilderness. He hastily turned the spear around.

The two descended upon the cloud platform of Gentleman Peak, where fellow disciples who had been waiting for a long time immediately rushed forward to guide them swiftly to Langhuan Hall to see the Sect Master.

"They have arrived." Inside Langhuan Hall, many disciples of the Hundred Flower Sect stood in solemn rows. Three branch masters stood to the left and right, while Jun Wuqi sat high upon the main hall seat. Everyone cast their gazes toward the entrance.

"This disciple pays respects to the Sect Master." Lin Feng and Yuxi stepped into the hall and bowed respectfully.

"Rise. Everyone, in this battle of the Myriad Demonic Heavens, we suffered heavy casualties. Uncle Ji Wuqiu sacrificed himself for the Dao, the disciples lost their magical treasures, and virtuous nephew Zhou Kuigang's whereabouts are unknown—he is feared to have met an untimely end. Today, this sect issues a decree: all disciples must redouble their cultivation to prevent the demonic path from staging a comeback. In a few days, after I report to Senior Uncle, the Xuanfang Pavilion will be opened as an exception. Do not let this rare opportunity slip away." Jun Wuqi cast a deliberate glance at Lin Feng and announced in a resonant voice.

"That's wonderful! I wonder if this exception will waive the contribution points."

"What a timely rain."

The disciples rejoiced inwardly.

"Sect Master Senior Brother, might we be able to open the seventh and eighth floors of the Xuanfang Pavilion?" Yan Dongjue suddenly asked.

"This..." Jun Wuqi pondered for a brief moment before nodding. "This matter is of great consequence and requires seeking instructions from Senior Uncle before a final decision can be made. I will certainly strive for this on everyone's behalf."

"The seventh and eighth floors?" A stir arose in Lin Feng's heart. It was rumored that no one had ever set foot upon those two upper floors. What kind of treasures could possibly lie within? Truly, it was worth anticipating.