Futile Devices Scans

The demon palace guards held a near-blind reverence and trust toward Wenren Li. If it meant dying for Wenren Li and Chen Yixin, they would not hesitate in the slightest—this had already been established as their lifelong conviction even before they became guards.

“Chirp!” The little blue bird in Wenren Li’s arms gave a soft call. Wenren Li tilted his head and conveyed its meaning to Nan Ke and the others: “A-Rong says for all of you to stay sharp.”

Bringing them out to sea, their original intention had always been to bring them back safely as well. They could not control Ze Fang’s people or the Roc Demon Emperor’s forces, but as for Nan Ke and the others, Chen Yixin did not wish for them to suffer any losses.

“Yes,” Nan Ke and the others acknowledged the order. They had just taken formation when a massive surge of water-element spiritual power slammed into the ship. The vessel was flung into the air, spun twice, and only then crashed back onto the water. The cultivators and objects inside, unable to react in time, were thrown into complete disarray.

“Protect A-Rong, and protect yourselves.” Battles at the Soul Transformation level were beyond what Nan Ke and the others could assist with. After saying this, Wenren Li released the little tree sapling from his brow. It was immediately scooped up and hugged by the little blue bird, forming another protective barrier.

Holding the little tree, the blue bird flew into a basket that had been knocked aside. Nan Ke bent down and lifted both it and Chen Yixin together.

Wenren Li cast them one last glance before turning away. In the next instant, he had already left the treasure ship. The force that had flung the ship earlier came from a massive tail of spiritual power. No sooner had he stepped out than another tail swept toward him. The Merfolk Clan sought to shatter the ship’s defenses by force—and to force him out.

Wenren Li raised his palm, slow and graceful, and that enormous spiritual tail was halted just a few feet from the ship.

“Disperse.” At his word, the innate spiritual ability of the Merfolk Clan instantly dissipated.

Two breaths later, the strange winds surged again, condensing spiritual power into yet another forming tail. Wenren Li’s gaze swept over it, his tone even more casual than before: “Disperse.”

But this time, he did not stop there. “Extinguish.”

With that single word, everything within the radius around Wenren Li—including the ship—fell silent. The raging winds and waves vanished completely.

The violently rocking ship suddenly stabilized. The people aboard, still shaken from the earlier chaos, now felt an inexplicable sense of calm—especially as Nan Ke carried the basket holding Chen Yixin closer, and they all watched Wenren Li face four Soul Transformation demon cultivators.

Wenren Li did not look back again. His figure descended, one step touching the water’s surface, and in the next moment he reappeared atop the ship. At the same time, four Soul Transformation experts leapt out from beneath the sea, their bodies crackling as they broke free from the binding force of Wenren Li’s spoken techniques.

The power of that single word “Extinguish” had given them the terrifying sense that they themselves might be erased.

As Ze Fang had predicted, seven Soul Transformation demon cultivators had come in total—four from the Merfolk Clan, and three leaders from other sea races. Their initial plan had been to pick the weakest target, using four Soul Transformation experts to eliminate one ship first, then move on to besiege Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor. But they had not expected to encounter such a formidable opponent from the outset.

Still, to speak of victory or defeat at this point was premature. Forced out of the sea, the demon cultivators wasted no time—four of them immediately engaged Wenren Li, while Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor, separated by the sea, were likewise surrounded by Soul Transformation opponents.

The other two ships were far less stable than Chen Yixin’s. Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor were fully occupied dealing with their opponents, and only occasionally managed to free their ships from the strange dangers of the Abysswind Territory.

The violent winds and towering waves were only the beginning. More terrifying were the waters of the Abysswind Territory themselves, which often generated immense suction forces. There had once been a Nascent Soul cultivator who was pulled in—his sect’s Soul Transformation expert searched for him, but no trace was ever found.

Some claimed that the Abysswind Territory contained entrances to the Ghost Domain and Demon Domain, and that those suction forces were actually spatial rifts leading to other realms—once taken, there was no return.

If Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor failed to shield the ships, they could easily be dragged into those rifts. Whether they lived or died would be unknown—and even if alive, they would likely never return to Taixuan.

“Ze Fang, let’s find a way to move the ships to Lord Li’s side,” the Roc Demon Emperor said. They had underestimated the dangers of the Abysswind Territory. He and Ze Fang could survive, but if this continued, his Azure Feather Palace successors would all perish here.

“Alright!” Ze Fang agreed. Without waiting to inform Wenren Li, the two coordinated. Seizing an opening, the Roc Demon Emperor held off three Soul Transformation opponents while Ze Fang shifted the ships into the stabilized region under Wenren Li’s control.

“Boom! Boom!” The two ships landed, causing even Chen Yixin’s ship to rock slightly. Yet his gaze never left Wenren Li—or the Soul Transformation demon cultivators fighting him.

A cluster of blue flames ignited in his eyes. Beyond watching Wenren Li, he focused intently on one of the Merfolk Clan demon cultivators battling him—a woman who could freely switch between human form and a half-human, half-fish form. The aura of her human form was markedly different from that of ordinary demon transformations.

In the midst of battle, Wenren Li glanced back at Chen Yixin, thinking he had gained some insight from observing the fight. Deciding to create more opportunities for him, Wenren Li shifted his combat style—from overwhelming dominance to deliberately prolonging the fight, continuously forcing his opponents to reveal techniques and change forms.

Chen Yixin slowly closed his eyes. His consciousness sank inward—into his dantian, his qi sea, and the flowing currents of his blood.

In this life, he had been born human—and that was not a mistake. Human blood still flowed within him. Even suppressed, it had never disappeared.

He recalled what had happened outside the forbidden ground of the Spirit Sea Sect. The compression and heat he felt back then had not been caused by the strange water pit—it had been caused by himself.

The reason he had been separated from Wenren Li had not been the underwater phenomenon—but his own condition.

As he continued cultivating and studying the Burning Heaven Six Arts of the Ancient Phoenix Divine Clan, the phoenix bloodline hidden within his soul had already begun to awaken. It was only under the intense pressure of the underwater vortex that it fully erupted—catching both him and Wenren Li completely off guard.

He had described to Wenren Li the cave in the Nineteenth Cave where he had been born. That place was specifically used for the birth of avian creatures, equipped with formation arrays to stimulate growth and bloodline activation. It was his phoenix bloodline that had guided him to choose that place.

The blue light around him began to flicker again, and at the same time a faint layer of golden light started to surge. Nan Ke turned his head away, momentarily blinded, and when he looked back, he saw the little blue bird rising slowly like a dazzling blue star, even ignoring the ship’s protective barrier and the formation barrier personally set by Wenren Li, continuing to ascend.

Within the golden light was a fledgling bird flapping its wings. Its form was elongated by the light and shadow, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings. The cultivators on all three ships were stunned, and the young elites of Azure Feather Palace felt it most acutely—some unable to withstand the pressure had already fallen to their knees in reverence.

Yet they all overlooked the shadow within the golden light—the tree, lush with branches and leaves, carrying an imposing aura as if it spanned heaven and earth.

Chen Yixin’s transformation was not yet complete. He stretched his neck and let out a soft cry. The golden light flared even brighter, so much so that even Wenren Li could no longer see clearly.

He turned his head, and with a flick of his spiritual power vines, the four Soul Transformation demon cultivators were sent flying, coughing up blood. Wenren Li was eliminating any possibility of them interfering with Chen Yixin.

The golden light continued. After a full quarter of an hour, a pair of perfect bare feet stepped out first. As he was about to emerge further, Wenren Li’s expression darkened. He appeared at Chen Yixin’s side and wrapped him completely in a black cloak from head to toe.

Chen Yixin had no awareness that he had nearly been fully exposed. His eyes curved with joy, his face full of smiles. Held in Wenren Li’s arms, he reached out from within the cloak and hooked his arms around Wenren Li’s neck.

“A-Li, I’ve changed back.”

As he spoke, he rubbed his cheek against Wenren Li’s. Then noticing something, he raised his hand to touch his forehead—three feathers there had not reverted. Just as he tried to pull open the cloak to check further, Wenren Li pressed him back inside.

“Be good, don’t move yet.”

Wenren Li coaxed softly. Then he lifted his gaze toward the four Soul Transformation demon cultivators still coughing blood, his eyes narrowing slightly, his tone turning cold.

“Have you seen enough?”

Wenren Li did not get angry at Chen Yixin, but he had become increasingly skilled at venting his anger on others. Chen Yixin had already gained the insight he needed—those people were no longer of any use.

Spiritual vines spread from his feet. The four demon cultivators, who had just tried to flee, were instantly bound tightly. But it did not stop there—the vines continued spreading, binding the other three who were still fighting Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor.

Controlling seven at once placed some strain even on Wenren Li, so some had to be eliminated.

With a tightening of the vines, three were crushed to death. The remaining four were Merfolk Clan demon cultivators who might know something about the Northern Sea Water Palace.

Wenren Li pointed again, and four rune marks flew out—these were “servant marks” obtained from the Burning Heaven Nether Palace.

“If you do not resist, you will live. If you resist, they will be your example.”

He referred to the three he had just killed. The four Merfolk Clan cultivators struggled internally for a long while, but ultimately chose not to die. As the runes sank into their foreheads, they knew their last hope was gone—any thought of rebellion would be immediately sensed by Wenren Li, and would result in their death.

The battle had begun with great intensity, but ended in an abrupt and bizarre manner—especially with Chen Yixin’s transformation in between. The human cultivators were bewildered, while the demon cultivators of Azure Feather Palace were deeply shaken.

Ze Fang and the Roc Demon Emperor also flew over. Though slightly fatigued, their astonishment at the outcome was no less than that of the onlookers. Being told beforehand was one thing—witnessing it firsthand was another.

The Roc Demon Emperor’s gaze shifted from Wenren Li to the person in his arms. The others lacked the cultivation to see clearly, but he could. Ze Fang’s earlier guess had proven true—this was indeed a phoenix of the present age.

“Your servant greets the master!” The four Merfolk Clan cultivators, once released from the vines, knelt in servitude.

Wenren Li nodded, then said, “This is your Demon Consort. He is the same as me.”

“Yes.”

After their response, Wenren Li did not exchange further pleasantries with Ze Fang and the others. Holding Chen Yixin, he descended onto the deck and entered the cabin, while Nan Ke and the others stood guard outside.

After being firmly held in Wenren Li’s arms, Chen Yixin’s joy did not diminish, though his expression gradually calmed. Leaning against Wenren Li, even though he was still not tall enough, the feeling was completely different from when he had been held as a small child.

He slipped out from the cloak again. Now that they were inside the cabin, the cloak only covered the important areas. Chen Yixin twisted slightly, examining himself carefully. Fortunately, aside from the feathers on his forehead, the rest of his body had returned to human form.

“A-Li, aren’t you happy that I’ve changed back?” Chen Yixin asked knowingly.

His toes brushed lightly against Wenren Li’s pant leg. His eyes blinked softly—when he deliberately tried to entice someone, no one could resist, especially not Wenren Li, who cherished and loved him so deeply.

Under Chen Yixin’s slightly surprised gaze, Wenren Li first crouched down, then suddenly grasped Chen Yixin’s bare foot that was still brushing against him. His gaze lingered on the flawless skin before he lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Chen Yixin’s foot.

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