126 Chu Kui

Pang Yue said in a deep voice, "Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect do not slaughter the innocent or bully the weak... but if someone lacks eyes and provokes me, then they have only themselves to blame."

He pressed his hand downward. The ethereal sea of clouds suddenly expanded. More than a dozen cultivators failed to dodge in time and fell into the mist. As the clouds swept past, a dozen flashes of spiritual light erupted, only to be extinguished instantly. Finally, Pang Yue pointed downward, and a sharp sword light plunged into the sea. After a few flickers, the clear water turned blood-red.

Only then did he retract his sword art, cast a profound glance at the distant cultivators watching the battle, and return to Flower Island.

"Was that Elder Zhai Wei of the Zhai family? Isn't he known as the strongest under the Golden Core stage within a radius of one hundred thousand miles?"

"How could he not even block a single move from that man..."

"And that colorful silk in the sea—it seemed to be the first-grade dharma treasure of the rogue cultivator Kan Yuezhen... yet it couldn't touch him either. Who is this person?"

"Whoever he is, we must never provoke him in the future! Tell the juniors when we return: this island must not be treated lightly."

"Indeed. That man is likely an outstanding figure among the top ten true disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. If he weren't waiting for the appearance of a rare treasure, he probably wouldn't have appeared in such a desolate and remote place."

The crowd murmured, then departed with regret. Only the two from the Gu family remained where they were. Gu Zhengping dared not ask questions or speak; he simply waited patiently by his third uncle's side.

High in the sky.

A beam of mirror light pinned the Bull Demon King for less than a breath. In that split second, a gray divine light descended, causing the Bull Demon King's demonic power to plummet. Instantly, a searing sword light rose! The Bull Demon King felt a chill at his waist and was sliced in two by that frigid, peerless sword light!

This sword light was several times faster than during the earlier duel. Coupled with the two strange dharma artifacts that had suddenly appeared to restrain him and sap his strength, he was caught off guard immediately! The sword light was incredibly swift; after severing the Bull Demon King at the waist, it struck again from above his crown, extinguishing all vitality and obliterating his fundamental consciousness.

"Third-grade... dharma treasure..."

Before he died, the Bull Demon King let out one last, unwilling cry.

The sword puppet’s expression was cold. It retrieved the flying sword, the dharma artifacts, and the Bull Demon King’s corpse, before transforming into an ethereal streak of sword light and vanishing instantly.

...

Above Flower Island, Gu Yunfei stepped out, his form like smoke, and materialized before the sword puppet.

"Gu Yunfei of the Gu family greets you, Fellow Daoist. Congratulations on slaying such a formidable enemy!" He said with a smile, bowing to the puppet.

The sword puppet emitted a buzzing, gravelly voice: "Does Fellow Daoist Gu have something to say?"

Gu Yunfei replied solemnly, "The bull demon you just killed was one of the four great demon kings of the Yunqing Sea, under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Demon Island. I fear it won't be long before the other three demon kings come knocking."

"Thank you for the warning," the sword puppet nodded.

Gu Yunfei continued, "This is a topographical map of the Yunqing Sea. It may prove useful to you." He produced a jade slip and presented it to the puppet. The puppet thanked him again.

"In that case, I shall not disturb you further. Farewell!" Gu Yunfei cupped his hands and departed with Gu Zhengping. The sword puppet watched them for a moment before turning back to Flower Island.

...

"Third Uncle, just now... forgive my ignorance, but I could not fathom your intentions." On the road, Gu Zhengping asked in confusion.

Gu Yunfei said calmly, "You will understand in a moment."

Instead of returning to White Sand Island, the two used an incredibly fast escape technique to arrive at a vast island covered in ancient trees. It was the lair of the Bull Demon King. The island was filled with Qi-consuming demons, with very few Foundation Establishment demon cultivators to be found. Gu Yunfei used a secret technique to slip onto the island, avoiding all eyes, and reached the cave dwelling at the center.

He flicked his sleeve, and a flash of light revealed an object on the ground: a three-zhang-long, blood-stained cyan bird!

"Let's go!" Gu Yunfei left the corpse of the cyan bird and immediately took Gu Zhengping away.

Half a day later, they returned to White Sand Island. In the small courtyard, Gu Yunfei sat on a stone stool and asked, "Do you understand now?"

Gu Zhengping guessed, "Third Uncle, are you trying to shift the disaster onto others?"

Gu Yunfei nodded. "Correct."

Gu Zhengping remained puzzled. "Will that person from the Heavenly Sword Sect actually go there?"

Gu Yunfei replied in a low voice, "It is highly probable." His eyes gleamed as he smiled faintly. "I noticed he grows many spiritual flowers and fruits on his island; he must be quite fond of them. There is a rare flower on Bull Demon Island that he will recognize if he looks at the map I gave him."

"In the process of searching for that rare flower, he will certainly encounter the corpse of the Thunder Roc. He surely won't pass up such a primordial beast."

Gu Zhengping asked, "But will he not fear the Myriad Demon Island and ignore the corpse?"

Gu Yunfei shook his head. "You underestimate the Heavenly Sword Sect. When have they ever feared the Myriad Demon Island? Even if the Primordial Spirit Demon Emperor of the Myriad Demon Island intervenes, there are Primordial Spirit sword cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect to block them. Both sides' Primordial Spirit experts keep a close watch on each other; it is almost impossible for an Primordial Spirit expert to fight a Golden Core cultivator."

Gu Zhengping looked relieved. "I see. If the Myriad Demon Island tracks us down through blood-tracking arts, they will only find the Thunder Roc's corpse first. Regardless of who wins or loses, we will have temporarily escaped this crisis."

"Indeed. Heaven's will is unpredictable, and Heaven has not forsaken our Gu family!" Gu Yunfei sighed with relief.

...

On Flower Island, Pang Yue continued to brew his spiritual wine. Pei Luanjing was patiently training two newly hatched Cold Serpents. One was male and unruly, the other female and cunning. After placing soul restrictions on them, both became obedient.

The sword puppet returned to Pang Yue and handed over the jade slip. Pang Yue swept his divine sense over it, a look of intrigue appearing on his face.

The Yunqing Sea was part of the Eastern Sea. Between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Myriad Demon Island, there were seven or eight such sea regions. The Yunqing Sea had two major factions: the Gu family, a human cultivation clan that served as the de facto leaders of the human cultivators in the region, and the four great demon kings of the demon race. The Gu family, along with a rogue Golden Core cultivator, stood against the four demon kings, leading to frequent wars.

The topographical map was detailed, noting the specialties of various islands, including White Sand Island, Bull Demon Island, and Kaiyun Island. White Sand Island was the largest market for humans in the Yunqing Sea, famous for trading anything and everything. Bull Demon Island, the lair of the demon he had just slain, was noted for a rare flower: the Chu Sunflower.