Zheng Fa and Xie Qingxue, both of them were far removed from the days of the Tianhe Zunzhang.
But what Zheng Fa awaited was not just Xie Qingxue!
There was also Chen Ting!
As the talisman around the Qingping Sword swayed, a faint, mournful cry echoed, and the central talisman suddenly began to shatter!
Joy surged in his heart as he swung his sword, channeling the remaining strength of Xie Qingxue for another thrust!
With this thrust, everything vanished into thin air!
The talisman in the sky disappeared.
The aura of the Great Freedom Demon Emperor vanished completely.
The sea gradually receded, and the mortals on the ground regained their senses.
Zheng Fa's arm drooped, as if he had lost all strength, the Qingping Sword pointing askew at the ground.
Xie Qingxue's figure emerged, her complexion a mix of gold and purple, looking even more disheveled than he was.
Sister Zhang stepped out from the Jiushan Realm, holding the Qingjing Bamboo, her gaze warily fixed on the Luo Shangxian of Haori Mountain.
At this moment, Luo Shangxian of Haori Mountain was indeed restless.
His expression was a mix of shock and disbelief, clearly never having imagined that Zheng Fa could truly win...
But Zheng Fa appeared weak, and Xie Qingxue looked like she was on the verge of falling apart—regardless of how they had defeated the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, this was now his golden opportunity to seize the Fusang Wood.
A jewel rose above his head, seemingly to intimidate, as if waiting for Zheng Fa to submit.
But the next moment, blood rain began to fall from above.
Blood rain?
Luo Shangxian looked up, and the sky was a strange shade of white—not clouds, not mist, but like a dense, impenetrable white cloth, obscuring everything above, starkly white, enough to make one uneasy.
Crimson raindrops seeped from this "white cloth," one by one, landing on his head.
The wind swept through the mountains like a lament.
"This is..."
As a Dao Fruit, his voice trembled despite himself.
"When the Dao Fruit falls, heaven and earth mourn."
The words of the Mingde Headmaster confirmed the unspoken fears he had.
"The Dao Fruit is dead? How could that be…"
Mingde Headmaster nodded vigorously in agreement.
Yet ancient texts recorded such phenomena, a rumor passed down from the very few records of the first three epochs...
Since the Demon Ancestor attained the Dao Fruit, there had been no true death of a Dao Fruit.
Even the Tianhe Zunzhang had never truly killed a Dao Fruit—Dao Fruits do not die; this had become an ironclad rule of the Xuanwei Realm!
But now...
He turned his gaze to Zheng Fa, who was looking up at the sky.
He knew Luo Shangxian would not act.
Everyone fears death, and the Dao Fruit fears it even more.
Before understanding what had truly happened with the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, Luo Shangxian dared not gamble!
To confront a Dao Fruit with mere Golden Core cultivation was unprecedented!
To kill a Dao Fruit with Golden Core cultivation...
At this moment, Mingde Headmaster was bold enough to assert—after countless ages, it was unlikely to happen again!
Zheng Fa glanced at Luo Shangxian, saying nothing.
Luo Shangxian met Zheng Fa's gaze, forcing a stiff smile on his rigid face.
Mingde Headmaster watched this scene with a hint of mockery in his heart:
At this moment, everyone knew that the Fusang Wood was in Zheng Fa's hands.
Who would dare to speak against it?
...
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 382: The New Master of the Hundred Immortals, Time to Dine**
Zheng Fa eyed the Dao Fruit of Haori Mountain with caution.
Sister Zhang had not spoken, and they hadn’t even exchanged glances, but how could Zheng Fa not understand her concerns?
This Dao Fruit, who had been watching from the sidelines, likely harbored ill intentions.
Fortunately, he now appeared much friendlier—his smile reminiscent of a long-lost friend.
This sweetness made Zheng Fa's heart flutter: limited by his knowledge, he didn’t quite grasp what this blood rain phenomenon signified.
Fortunately, the Dao Fruit of Haori Mountain provided him with an answer.
"The Great Freedom Demon Emperor, whom even the Tianhe Zunzhang could not kill, has fallen at your hands..." He still wore a smile, but his voice trembled slightly, "Zheng Zhangmen..."
"This is the first Dao Fruit to die since this epoch, and even since the last."
It felt like he was praising Zheng Fa, yet also testing him.
But Zheng Fa was equally bewildered—I'm not the one to thank!
Objectively speaking, the battle in the Jiushan Realm had utilized the Qingjing Bamboo, the Fusang Wood, and the Qingping Sword—three powers at the Dao Fruit level, which was quite impressive.
But fundamentally, it was the strange force within him, or rather, the hidden hand left by the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor that had truly defeated the Great Freedom Demon Emperor—
Did the Great Freedom Demon Emperor really die by his own hand?
He gazed into the distance, toward the ocean, wondering where Chen Ting and the Yuming Xian were.
...
Half a stick of incense earlier.
On an island, a crude altar stood, made of rough black rock, adorned with totems of a hundred beasts, their patterns swirling with a dark red hue, as if real blood flowed through them.
The Abhi Sword was plunged into the altar, emitting a dim glow, as if thirsting for the blood upon it.
Chen Ting and the Yuming Xian, Qin Mu, stood before the altar.
As a cautious person just revived, despite Zheng Fa's strength being far beyond his own, the Great Freedom Demon Emperor had still left behind a contingency plan:
Well, mainly because he hadn’t figured out Zheng Fa’s true capabilities...
The myriad demons had just attached themselves, and he had yet to earn their trust.
Yet, in the eyes of the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, Chen Ting and the Yuming Xian were filled with loyalty and righteousness.
They were the last two of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, and they could still guide him!
Worthy of trust!
Chen Ting and the Yuming Xian also felt that the Great Freedom Demon Emperor had excellent judgment.
Strangely, although Chen Ting was merely at the Golden Core level, the Transformation God Yuming Xian stood behind him, almost as if he were the master.
Especially the dark pupils in Chen Ting's eyes, which made it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.
At the moment Zheng Fa struck the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, Chen Ting spoke, his voice neither male nor female, both ethereal and illusory:
"It’s time."
"Yes!"
The Yuming Xian responded respectfully, and the two knelt before the altar, softly chanting.
Their prayers began low, so quiet that even the dust beneath their knees could not hear.
Then they rose high, loud enough to shatter the clouds above.
The light on the Abhi Sword shifted from dark red to pure black, so pure that it seemed almost radiant, making it hard to look at directly.
At that moment, strands of talismans emerged from all directions, forming the phantom of the Great Freedom Demon Emperor.
He bore a wound on his chest, yet his gaze remained calm, tinged with confusion.
Upon seeing the Abhi Sword, a glimmer of joy sparked in the Great Freedom Demon Emperor's eyes as he lunged toward it, eager to unite with his fated sword.
The Abhi Sword remained motionless, appearing extremely loyal, until... that black light suddenly expanded, swallowing the Great Freedom Demon Emperor's phantom in one gulp.
"Who?"
At this moment, the Great Freedom Demon Emperor realized something was amiss, struggling against the black light, but found it hard to resist, only able to roar out two words.
He turned his head sharply, his gaze landing on Chen Ting and the Yuming Xian; if he still couldn’t see the problem with these two, he would be a fool.
The Yuming Xian dared not look up, but Chen Ting met his gaze directly.
At this moment, the Great Freedom Demon Emperor even guessed the mastermind behind it:
"Jiuyou!"
"Only you could have hidden from me..."
The shadow beneath Chen Ting flickered, and a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
No one could see this person's face, nor could anyone discern their form.
Yet those bright eyes were imprinted in the hearts of the three present—these eyes seemed to contain the most intense emotions in the world, yet were also incredibly indifferent, like ice forming on a river of lava.
"It really is you!"
The talismans on the Great Freedom Demon Emperor's body stubbornly flickered, desperately resisting the encroaching black light, but the wound on his chest became his greatest vulnerability.
The black light slithered through him like a cold, venomous snake.
"You... you brought me back to life?"
"You planted your Dao Fruit within me?"
"Why..."
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor seemed unhurried, even answering his questions, his voice neither male nor female, the same ethereal tone Chen Ting had used earlier:
"If you do not come back to life, how could you die?"
"If you do not die..."
"How could I achieve the ultimate treasure?"
He pointed a finger, and a black, ancient book flew into the air, inscribed with three archaic characters that even the Yuming Xian could not recognize.
But the Great Freedom Demon Emperor understood at a glance:
"The Book of Life and Death?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor chuckled lightly, watching his phantom grow dimmer, seemingly pleased, and nodded in praise: "Truly worthy of the Great Freedom."
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor's face was filled with realization and bitterness.
"Master of all beings' life and death, controlling the world's karma... you actually succeeded in creating this ultimate treasure?"
"Not yet," the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor replied, "If the Dao Fruit does not die, how can one speak of mastering the life and death of all beings?"
"If the Five Sects do not fall, how can one control the world's karma?"