Half a Second Rank

Zhu Fengdan was even more despicable than anyone imagined.

Of course, this is also very much in line with his persona. If you want to make a move, then just make a move. I'm not going to play any gentlemanly duel with you.

The kind of fight where people bow to each other and say "please" before fighting would never happen to Zhu Fengdan.

If you want to fight, he'll definitely be there for you.

Moreover... there is absolutely no such thing as a gentleman.

Zhu Fengdan's fighting style is very purposeful, and the sequence of her actions is very clear.

If they can launch a sneak attack, they will never attack head-on; if they can use a trap, they will never run up to the enemy to engage in conflict.

He would never use Law Treasure if he could just use a world-wide attack to ram you.

If they can use Law Treasure, they definitely won't just use Technique Method.

If Technique Method can be used, then I will never use my bare hands.

In other words, it's a very simple principle:

If you can kill someone, don't maim them; if you can behead someone, don't cut off their hand.

So, in the next instant, Zhu Fengdan's body suddenly vanished, and then, four constellations appeared in the sky above the underworld.

This is something every Shaman must know.

That is, the Four Symbols.

Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise.

This is not some kind of 'phantom' or illusion, but the real starry sky!

In the Avici Hell, countless stars truly appeared, and these stars formed the Four Symbols!

This is something every Shaman knows before they reach a certain level; it's the source of the Four Symbols of energy they use to build their foundation.

For example, Li Qi, Li Qi had to perform sacrifices to the Four Symbols for a whole year before he was finally promoted to the ninth rank.

However, once they are promoted to the ninth rank, lower-ranking Shaman rarely come into contact with the Four Symbols anymore, and at this point, they will basically not receive a response when they offer sacrifices to the Four Symbols.

Because... their rank is too high. Even an eighth-rank Shaman doesn't have the qualifications to worship the Four Symbols. As the Four Symbols who govern the stars, they are terrifying beings who span all the heavens.

The reason why such low-ranking beings, who are not of high rank, can be sacrificed to the Four Symbols is actually quite simple.

The sorcerers personally intervened and negotiated with the Four Symbols. It is unknown what price they paid, but in exchange, they ensured that all Shaman, even those who were not yet of a certain rank, would receive a response from the Four Symbols.

In this way, all Shaman will have an incredibly solid foundation, since the microcosm of the human body constructed by the Four Symbols energies is far more resilient than ordinary mixed energies.

After failing to attain a certain rank, what level is qualified to communicate with the Four Symbols through sacrificial rituals?

The answer is—second rank.

The constellations of the Four Symbols appeared in the sky, and both the Dragon King's Third Prince and the demonic cultivator felt a jolt in their hearts.

"If Zhi pays homage to all the gods, it will surely bring about a change in wind and thunder. The Wind God will clear away the dust, and the Rain Master will sprinkle the Dao. The work will be accomplished, benefiting heaven and earth. If heaven and earth are even higher and thicker, they can match the Dao with high virtue... This is Ranked Shaman's method... Second rank?! Didn't he cut off his own Dao Path?!" The demonic cultivator couldn't help but shout loudly!

The Third Prince didn't even utter a sound, he just let out a soft "uh"—

Because the battle is over.

Then, the starry sky in the heavens flickered and turned back into the dark sky of hell.

With the arrival of the Four Symbols and the display of Ranked Shaman's abilities, in just a moment, a head had already been removed by Zhu Fengdan.

"Alright, I'm tired of staying here too. I'm going to deliver some takeout to my apprentice and then I'll leave. Remember, just keep an eye on things, but don't overstep your bounds and bully the weak, or I'll be knocking on your door." Zhu Fengdan held a severed head in her hand and smiled easily.

After speaking, his body vanished in an instant, under the stiff gazes of the two men.

Only the demonic cultivator and the Dragon King's Third Prince remained, staring at each other in bewilderment.

"He... didn't he shatter his inner world? The Demon King told me that himself." The demonic cultivator's voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Yes, but it seems... the impact isn't that big. No wonder they're favored by the Witch God; they have the confidence. Luckily, this fool here helped us scout the way. After that, things will be clear. Hmm, things here are settled, right? After that, we just need to wait for the battle to end and then say goodbye to the Ghost Emperor." The Third Prince took a few deep breaths and quickly returned to normal. He stretched his large belly and continued to observe the distance.

The demon didn't say anything, just shook his head, seemingly not thinking that the death of someone had affected anything.

On the other side.

Li Qi was fully immersed in the battle, desperately analyzing his opponent's Dao veins in an effort to find the perfect way to break through.

True Knowledge Dao Charm fully activated, countless pieces of information flowed through Li Qi's mind. He then disassembled, combined, and integrated them with the current situation to create a series of applicable tactics.

This was an extremely mentally taxing time, and Li Qi focused all his attention on it.

Completely focused and extremely attentive.

But at that moment, someone suddenly patted Xia Li Qi on the shoulder.

Li Qi almost jumped up!

Just like someone who is concentrating and is startled, Li Qi suddenly turned around and raised his hand to unleash a Technique Method!

But it was gently patted by a hand, and all the Technique Method was dispelled, leaving no trace.

Li Qi looked up suddenly and saw Zhu Fengdan's smiling face.

He laughed arrogantly, holding a severed head that Li Qi didn't recognize.

"Here, disciple, this is for you. Now your master doesn't owe you anything." Zhu Fengdan shoved the severed head into Li Qi and said this.

"Owe...?" Li Qi was taken aback, but immediately remembered what had happened.

Back then, when Zhu Fengdan faced the Human Dao Sage, she chopped off two heads on the spot and gave them to Li Qi. Li Qi then threw those two heads into the Three Lives Ancient Mirror when he first encountered the Heavenly Demon, which accelerated the overload of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.

However, at that time, Zhu Fengdan said she was avenging Li Qi, but three Perfected Person came, and one of them was rescued by a celestial being.

So Zhu Fengdan said at the time that she owed Li Qi a head, and they would talk about it later. (See Chapter 222)

Now, is this... a way of making up for it?

That means...?

Li Qi reacted, shuddered, his hair stood on end, he gasped, and his hands began to tremble, almost dropping the catch!

The head in my hand... is it the head of a third-rank official?!

He immediately looked at Zhu Fengdan, only to find that she had already disappeared.

Li Qi felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Damn it, this is like putting a grenade that's going to explode in your hand!

While Li Qi was shocked and terrified, Zhu Fengdan had already arrived in the deserted outer realm.

This place is unknown, but there is no starlight to be seen around it, and it seems to be a desolate area in the universe.

Zhu Fengdan had lost all her carefree spirit.

His body shattered, and a large amount of blood splattered out. His entire body was almost broken into pieces. All the bones turned into small pieces, all the muscles turned into shreds, the internal organs were split into pieces, and even his soul was cracked.

It looked exactly like a dead person, with fragments of its body scattered across the endless outer realms, spreading over a range of tens of thousands of miles.

A person's flesh and bones, diffused to this extent, are almost only visible as a thin mist.

What kind of impact would it take to shatter the body of a third-rank cultivator into such a state?

Even so, his mouth still didn't stop. His body, which had been completely shattered, was still vibrating and making sounds. "Pfft... forcing me to take action for this disciple, tsk, old man, is this also 'Heaven's Will'? You really want to force me to my death. I am not a puppet of you people. I am... free."

But at this moment, an old man unknowingly descended upon this place. With a pinch of his two fingers, the flesh and blood that had spread for tens of thousands of miles were forcibly gathered together and reshaped into the likeness of Zhu Fengdan.

Then, the seemingly ordinary old man looked at Zhu Fengdan and asked, "Really? Free? In this world, who can be called free?"

"Follow your own heart and walk your own Dao Path, that is freedom, cough cough cough..." Zhu Fengdan coughed a few times, but still gave her answer.

"What use are your intentions? I can easily change them," the old man said.

"Is what you've modified still what I truly feel? Old man, you can mold me however you want, but you can't control my heart. Because once it's under your control, it's no longer mine." Zhu Fengdan said, taking out two pills and popping them into her mouth, her breathing becoming more stable.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. You have your own ideas, and I won't interfere. But this time, you've wasted the power of the Four Symbols again. You don't have many contracts left with the Four Symbols, do you? Moreover, with your current cultivation level of the third rank, triggering the Four Symbols always results in huge losses. This time... it will take you tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation to make up for it, right?"

"It's gone, so be it. Anyway, it was your arrangement, wanting me to use the power of the Four Symbols to advance to the second rank. Now that I've abandoned that path, what does it matter if I've used it all up? It doesn't affect anything. As for cultivation, a few hundred thousand years is nothing." Zhu Fengdan chewed on the pill and said nonchalantly.

"If you're gone, with your current reputation, I'm afraid you won't live to see the next day," the old man said with a smile.

"They don't know I've used it all up. Look at these bumpkins, they don't even know I still have the Four Symbols Contract. The others are about the same. Do they really dare to risk their lives to test it?" Zhu Fengdan pouted.

"They wouldn't dare risk their lives, but they'd be quite willing to risk the lives of a few other bumpkins. Do you really think that person's death was an accident?" the old man said.

"Of course it's not an accident. I know there won't be any accidents involving me. Even though I've been running around all over the world, nothing has ever happened to me. The things I've stolen and the people I've provoked are all part of the plan. After all, this is 'Heaven's Will.' I'm just an ignorant child who wants to escape my predicament, but no matter how much I jump around, I'll just end up staying at home. So it's better to accept your suggestion sooner rather than later. That way, I can inherit your Dao Lineage in the future, and becoming a second-rank cultivator is just around the corner, and becoming a first-rank cultivator is within reach, right?" Zhu Fengdan revealed a mocking expression.

"That wasn't my arrangement. Ever since you shattered your inner world, I haven't arranged anything for you. But as you know, once you reach this position, you can no longer be free to do anything. There will always be someone watching you. This is the power of the web of cause and effect, which even Buddha cannot escape. The freedom you want simply does not exist," the old man said.

"What I've never hated is 'Heaven's Will,' old man, you should understand that." Zhu Fengdan straightened her neck, her tone changing from playful to serious.

"Then do as you please. The Dao Path is one you must walk yourself. But let's not talk about this. These are minor matters, things that were decided long ago. I didn't stop you from rebuilding your cultivation on your own. But... I'm really curious, why are you so concerned about that disciple? You've barely exchanged a few words, have you?" the old man asked.

"Refusing the protector the sect sent him and deliberately ignoring him, letting him fend for himself, are not good things. Don't ruin him because of your own obsession," the old man warned.

"He shouldn't have come into contact with 'Heaven's Will' in the first place. As for the favor, just consider it love at first sight." Zhu Fengdan rolled her eyes and made up a reason.

"There is no love without a reason in this world. You dote on him so much, but you are unwilling to get close to him. I am really curious about what you are thinking. Tell me, maybe you can gain something from it, right?" The old man still had that gentle appearance and a gentle voice.

Seeing that the old man in front of her had said so, Zhu Fengdan seemed unable to back down, so she continued the conversation, saying, "Well, you should know that he is very special."

"He is indeed special, Outer Dao, but so far away, which is quite rare. I don't know how he drifted here. Moreover, I heard that he has been targeted by the Heavenly Demon, but I don't know much about this matter. After all, you know... it's best not to know about the Heavenly Demon. The more you know about the Heavenly Demon, the more the Heavenly Demon will know about you," the old man said.

Zhu Fengdan nodded; of course he knew that.

This is the most terrifying aspect of the Heavenly Demon.

Everyone has their own mind, and within that mind, there are bound to be demonic thoughts.

Apart from Buddha, no one in the world dares to say that they are free from demonic thoughts; it's just a matter of whether they can control them or not.

Therefore, even those in high positions will deliberately avoid contact with demons. They are unlikely to be influenced by demonic thoughts, but demonic thoughts are, after all, a part of themselves.

So... what the Heavenly Demon said—that the entire world, all things and people, are projections of 'his' will—is no joke.

The Heavenly Demon exists within all things.

When you get to know the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon is also getting to know you.

"It seems that the Heavenly Demon thinks that someone so far away should be able to escape this situation, so he pays a lot of attention to him. The one who fought Li Qi this time was also one of the Heavenly Demon's people, I think he's some kind of Demon Prince, but I don't know exactly who it is, and I don't dare to find out too much." Zhu Fengdan decisively admitted that she had chickened out.

He could act like a superior person to those third-rank officials, but he dared not say much in front of the Heavenly Demon.

"So, he's special, so what? Is that why you dote on him?" the old man pressed.

But Zhu Fengdan's expression was conflicted, as if she didn't really want to talk.