Sheng Lingxin's Burn (Part 2)

The Seventy-Two Demon Gods Pillars shared one trait: arrogance. Sheng Lingxin had dealt with them far too often. How could he not know that?

"Haochen, I really shouldn't have brought you out here. If you'd left just now, you should have been able to escape." Strange changes began to appear in Sheng Lingxin's voice. With every word he spoke, it seemed to grow clearer and more childlike.

Long Haochen, however, remained calm. "If I hadn't stayed, I'm afraid you wouldn't have had even the slightest chance of surviving."

That was right! After unleashing such a terrifying attack, if Sheng Lingxin had been alone, there would have been only one outcome: being torn to pieces by the enraged Three Great Demon Gods. Long Haochen's presence could clearly buy him some time, even if that time was already running out.

A strange smile appeared on Sheng Lingxin's face. "Although I truly didn't want you to stay, seeing that you really did stay makes me happy for Big Brother Long. You truly are worthy of being his son, worthy of being the man Cai'er chose. If we can make it back alive this time, then I'll acknowledge you as my son-in-law."

Long Haochen's face reddened. "Cai'er and I..."

Sheng Lingxin chuckled. He seemed remarkably relaxed now, as if he had cast off every burden. "You've already slept in the same bed. What is there to explain to me?"

Long Haochen froze. Though he was only fourteen, he still knew what it meant for a man and woman to sleep in the same bed. That's right! Cai'er and I had actually reached that point already.

A trace of warmth rose in his heart. Cai'er was still waiting for him to return.

A powerful will to survive erupted from the depths of his heart. He poured his Inner Spiritual Power into Haoyue's body, hoping to help it increase its speed a little more.

From a distance, all that could be seen was a ball of cyan light racing ahead, with three enormous pillars of light pursuing it from behind.

Haoyue's speed had truly reached its limit. As it sprinted madly, its speed had even reached the level of an Eighth Rank magical beast. Though that was still far from enough, it was already performing far beyond its usual limits. Bloody foam seeped from the mouths and noses of its three heads.

"If we can make it back alive, help me tell Cai'er I'm sorry," Sheng Lingxin said softly. "I know she hates me, perhaps even everyone in the family. But that is fate. When she gained the Reincarnation Saint Daughter Physique, for the sake of all humanity's future, it became her destiny. I couldn't stop it, nor could I stop Grandfather's decision. But Yan Yu and I had only her as our daughter. We never had another child, because we both hoped to use all the love we had left in our lives to make up for the pain she had endured. Unfortunately, it seems I won't get that chance. Haochen, do you know what I want most right now? To hear her call me Dad just once."

The Three Great Demon Gods were drawing ever closer. Three hundred meters, then two hundred meters—they had entered their attack range.

The Flame Lion Demon Anluoxian let out an earthshaking roar, his beard and hair bristling. A ring of red ripples instantly spread through the air, sweeping toward Haoyue.

The moment they heard that roar, Long Haochen and Sheng Lingxin both shuddered violently. They felt as if all their strength had been completely stripped away by that roar. They collapsed limply onto Haoyue's back and instantly lost consciousness.

In the instant before he fainted, Sheng Lingxin seemed to take something from his robes and stuff it into Long Haochen's breastplate.

Strangely, Haoyue actually stopped at that moment. After its rapidly charging body slid dozens of meters forward at high speed, it planted all four limbs on the ground and turned around while still sliding.

The original brilliance returned to Little Light's and Little Fire's eyes. The three enormous heads rose together, purple gleaming in all six eyes. In that instant, every scale on its body turned an eerie violet.

Roar—

Little Fire, Little Light, and Little Green roared in unison. Facing the Ninth Rank powerhouse, the Flame Lion Demon Anluoxian, they showed not the slightest fear. Their roar actually produced a ring of pale purple light that spread outward.

Compared to the halo released by the Flame Lion Demon Anluoxian's roar, that pale purple halo was no more than a drop in the ocean. Haoyue, a Sixth Rank magical beast with strength merely equivalent to a human Fifth Rank cultivator, was facing a Ninth Rank Demon God, the Flame Lion Demon. What an utterly disproportionate clash of opponents!

Yet at the very instant Haoyue roared, the Flame Lion Demon Anluoxian, the Winged Bull Berserker Demon Saigong, and the Azure Fiend Rider Demon Xi'er all made the same movement. Their charging momentum came to an abrupt halt.

The light from the three enormous Demon God Pillars, which had been surging forward, suddenly stopped in mid-charge. What an eerie sight that was. Yet they had truly stopped.

If anyone could have seen the expressions on the faces of the Three Great Demon Gods at that moment, they would have discovered uncertainty and alarm flickering in all three pairs of eyes. They stared fixedly at the violet aura that rippled through the air before gradually dispersing.

Haoyue raised its heads high. Its three heads and six eyes swept coldly over them once before it turned around again and raced off to the side.

This time, it was not moving as quickly. Yet strangely, the Three Great Demon Gods did not pursue it again. They merely fixed their gazes on Haoyue's departing figure.

Just then, a piercing howl rang out from the direction of Demon Expelling Pass. Dozens of streaks of light could clearly be seen leaping down from the city walls. Different lights shone from their bodies. The foremost figure emanated a dense gray aura, and as he ran, his afterimages stretched more than a hundred meters behind him, like a gray dragon pouncing toward the Three Great Demon Gods.

Behind him, the ten silver figures were the most eye-catching. If Long Haochen had been conscious, he would have recognized them as the ten Temple Knights led by Gao Yingjie.

They all wore Mithril Base Battle Armor, with silver halos shining beneath their feet. They did not even have time to summon their mounts before charging out after the gray figure ahead of them.

Three more figures floated in the sky. They were too high up to be seen clearly, but after they appeared, the glow of the three Demon God Pillars led by the Flame Lion Demon Anluoxian was visibly suppressed.

The Winged Bull Berserker Demon Saigong and the Azure Fiend Rider Demon Xi'er both turned their gazes toward Anluoxian. Anluoxian's lion-like brows were tightly furrowed. "Let's go back first. I hope everything we saw just now was only an illusion."

That faint trace of purple had filled them with a bone-deep chill. Though the figure radiating that purple aura had been so small, the terror embedded in their bloodline had been instantly awakened.

The three Demon God Pillars gathered together. The Three Great Demon Gods took a single step each and merged into their respective pillars. As their bodies rose, the light of the Demon God Pillars quietly dimmed. Just as the powerhouses of Demon Expelling Pass charged near, the Three Great Demon Gods and their Demon God Pillars vanished together. Only the more than one hundred Flame Demon Puppets remained behind for the powerhouses of Demon Expelling Pass to vent their fury upon.

As these human powerhouses appeared, no one knew how the demon army received its orders, but the black mass of demons retreated like a receding tide. The pressure on the Radiant Angels Knight Order immediately lessened. Without orders from their commanding officer, they did not give chase. They maintained their circular formation and slowly withdrew, guarding against another demon attack.

Most of those hundred-plus Flame Demon Puppets died at the hands of the gray figure who had arrived first. Not a single one of those Sixth Rank demons could block him in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, they became a field of corpses, with only the flames burning upon their bodies continuing to rise slowly.

The gray figure finally slowed, revealing his true appearance. Was he not Saint Moon, the Vice-Chairman of the Temple Alliance, the Head of the Assassin Temple, and a Ninth Rank Gallant?

Saint Moon's slender face was filled with chilling killing intent, but buried beneath that murderous aura was deep concern.

His gaze swept across the area before turning into the distance. Haoyue, which had run off earlier, was now slowly making its way back. It seemed to have exhausted much of its strength. It was not moving quickly, and the light around its body had dimmed considerably. In particular, that heart-palpitating purple had long since vanished without a trace.

Naturally, Saint Moon remembered Haoyue. Upon seeing it, even this Heroic One, the Head of the Assassin Temple who had witnessed countless grand events, changed expression.

The traits of Long Haochen's magical beast companion were simply too distinctive. There could be no mistake. Why was it here?

The Three Great Demon Gods had appeared on the battlefield. To unleash their greatest combat power, they had drawn upon the might of their respective Demon God Pillars, and the people atop Demon Expelling Pass's walls had naturally seen it clearly.

Just as Sheng Lingxin had said, they only needed to buy time for the army before reinforcements would arrive. The demons were calculating against humanity, but humanity was also calculating against the demons. The strongest person in Demon Expelling Pass was not Sheng Lingxin at the peak of the Eighth Rank. This was also the headquarters of the Assassin Temple. True powerhouses only acted at the most critical moments. Thus, Saint Moon the Gallant received the news immediately and rushed out without hesitation. They had also been waiting for the Demon Gods to appear on the battlefield. Individual strength might find it difficult to change the course of a war, but assassinating the enemy's commanders was the specialty of assassins.

The gray figure stepped into the void. In the next instant, he reappeared beside Haoyue.

Seeing the two unconscious people on Haoyue's back, Saint Moon felt his heart tighten instantly. One was his own grandson, the Military Head of Demon Expelling Pass. The other was even more important—the treasured darling of the Knight Temple.

He stretched out both hands at once, grasping each of their wrists. Gentle spiritual energy slowly flowed into their bodies, nourishing them.

He did not check on his own grandson first. Instead, he focused his attention on Long Haochen. After frowning slightly for a moment, his brows gradually relaxed, and he secretly let out a breath of relief. At least the boy was all right.

The figures in the sky did not descend, but the Mithril Base Knights on the ground quickly caught up. Gao Yingjie also recognized Haoyue. He rushed over immediately and blurted out, "How is Haochen here?" He even forgot that he was questioning a Ninth Rank powerhouse.

Saint Moon gave him a cold glance and said in a deep voice, "We'll talk after we return."

Guess what the side effect of the Rejuvenation Spiritual Stove is. Hehe.