Decisive Battle I

Looking at the rapidly disintegrating body of the Saint Dance before him.

Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly and turned to look at Yue Dewen.

"Master, he doesn't seem to be dead."

"Nonsense! Of course he's not dead! That was just a projection of the Saint Patrol, possessing the body of the Saint Dance!" Yue Dewen sat cross-legged in the blood.

A vast Blood River surged and swirled around him, the thick blood rising and bulging like living things, extending tentacles to defend against the Blue-Eyed Stone Men attacking from all sides.

At this moment, with the death of the Saint Dance, all the Blue-Eyed Stone Men froze, stopped moving, and became completely still.

The thousands of stone figures inside the cave fell completely silent in an instant, returning to their previous tranquility.

"Master, are you alright? Are you going to die?" Zhang Rongfang flapped his wings and flew to Yue Dewen's side, asking with some concern.

"Bullshit! Can't you say anything nice with your dog mouth?!" Yue Dewen was furious. He had never seen a disciple like this before.

They only talk about the bad, not the good.

"Quick, help me up! I can still walk a few steps!" He tried to get up, but found that his body was in excruciating pain and he couldn't muster any strength.

With a wave of Zhang Rongfang hand, lines of blood climbed up Yue Dewen's body, quickly forming a rope of blood that tightened around him and lifted him into the air.

However, the blood-lined binding was a bit too tight, which caused Lao Yue's entire body curves to be fully exposed.

"What kind of behavior is this?!" Yue Dewen's face flushed red, and he immediately flew into a rage. His entire body tensed, shattering the bloodline into pieces.

"Isn't this still working?" Zhang Rongfang laughed.

Yue Dewen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that his body, which had been weak just moments before, now felt much better.

Clearly, his apprentice had used some method he didn't know to heal part of his injuries.

But there was no time to think about that.

"Let's go check on Kosiwo and Qingyi. They've both been petrified by the Heavenly Blood of the Holy Dance, and so has your grandmaster uncle, Jin Yuyan!"

"Can someone who's petrified still be saved?" Zhang Rongfang asked in astonishment.

"Nonsense!" Yue Dewen turned and strode towards the platform. "Saint Dance can be saved if she dies. Otherwise, why do you think they didn't kill her but just petrified her? They're waiting to transform her into the Spirit Flight Heaven 'Spirit General husk later!"

He pointed to the stiff, Blue-Eyed Stone Men around him.

"These stone figures all came about this way. However, this petrification process takes a long time, but once it's complete, it can never be reversed."

The two quickly returned to the high platform, but could not find the bodies of Kexiwo and Daoist Qing Yi anywhere.

Then, they suddenly realized something, quickly stepped off the stage, and found two stone statues in a pool of blood at the edge.

Tragically, both of them had their arms and legs broken, with only their torsos, necks, and heads remaining intact.

"It's alright, they're both Spirit General, this injury is nothing, as long as their heads are still intact." Yue Dewen recalled that it seemed he had accidentally knocked these two down during his duel with Saint Dance.

He chuckled twice and quickly picked up the two men's severed hands and feet.

Zhang Rongfang watched from the side, shaking his head. Judging from Lao Yue's guilty tone, he knew it must have been him who did it.

"The Saint Dance was busy starting the ceremony, so there wasn't time for a complete transformation. Luckily we arrived quickly. Otherwise..." Yue Dewen put the two's hands and feet back together before standing up.

Then, he looked at Zhang Rongfang.

His earlier awkward expression vanished quickly, and his gaze fell on the pair of enormous bat wings behind his apprentice.

"This thing... really?"

He reached out and pinched it. It was fleshy and a little cool. Its surface was covered with a lot of fine, dark red fuzz.

Zhang Rongfang was speechless, so he took the initiative to fan himself twice to show him.

"Old man, why are you worrying about such a trivial matter instead of healing your injuries first? Your disciple is perfectly fine now."

"Of course I know you're incredibly good. I just want to ask, how did you train?" Yue Dewen said seriously. "You didn't practice some unorthodox martial arts, which is why you've turned yourself into this inhuman and grotesque state, did you?"

"This is the genuine, authentic Human Immortal Martial Path!" Zhang Rongfang argued. "Didn't you see how easily I killed that old man? If I hadn't arrived in time, you would definitely be finished, Lao Yue."

"Hehehe." Yue Dewen sneered three times, "Your master could kill that guy with one slap. A mere possessing phantom combined with the power of the Saint Dance Final Form, plus the influence of the Great Array that prevents the Divine Descent, and the Saint Dance that consumed a lot of my power, is why I'm in such a sorry state."

Otherwise, with him? Heh heh heh!

He sneered again.

Zhang Rongfang was speechless. Then he heard White Scale's voice.

'Xiao Fang, your master's got a tough tongue.'

'Old people are all the same. That old man was spouting threats even as he was dying. People from different generations can't understand their stubborn spirit,' Zhang Rongfang thought to himself.

"Tell me the truth, how did you develop this martial arts skill?" Yue Dewen came to his senses and realized that something was wrong.

How many years Zhang Rongfang been practicing martial arts?

Even the most talented, like him, like Chen Junchen back then, or even Saint Emperor Meng Qian on the Black List, all of them had to cultivate for decades to acquire unparalleled martial arts skills that allowed them to dominate the world.

But Zhang Rongfang is too young!

Yue Dewen could see the stubble on his chin that hadn't fully grown yet.

"Tell me the truth, although the Saint Dance that the Saint Patrol possessed had already consumed most of its power, it's still not something an ordinary Spirit General can handle. Even if your Grandmaster Uncle at his peak came, he would be dead."

Yue Dewen frowned, becoming increasingly suspicious.

"I felt something was off last time because of all those miscellaneous Remnant God auras on you."

"Could it be that you're no longer my disciple?! And have you been possessed by some Old Undying Remnant God?!"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, and his gaze toward Zhang Rongfang gradually became tense.

"Lao Yue, you've definitely never heard of what the true Three Flowers Gather on Crown and Five Energies Merge to Origin!" Zhang Rongfang's expression turned serious, and he immediately began to explain the basics of the Human Immortal Martial Path he had created to his master.

After hearing these words, Yue Dewen's expression gradually wavered, and he became somewhat skeptical.

"You really have that ability?" he asked skeptically. "I, Lao Yue, have read through countless Daoist scriptures Daoist Scripture, yet I haven't created any Three Flowers Gather on Crown martial art. How did you manage to whip it up in just a few years? Do you think you're more capable than me?!"

"Hehehe." Zhang Rongfang smiled without saying a word.

"You brat!" Yue Dewen reached out to pat his head, but at this moment his body size returned to normal, and his height was obviously not enough to reach the forehead of the three-meter-tall Zhang Rongfang.

"However, although you have established a completely new martial art and your strength has undergone earth-shattering changes, you must not underestimate the Saint Patrol." He said solemnly.

"The Saint Patrol is the strongest among the three giants, and there is a huge gap between him and the other two."

This wasn't the first time Heaven and Earth Convergence; on the previous two occasions, powerful beings had defied the heavens and nearly succeeded. However, they were ultimately suppressed by the Saint Patrol as the final test.

"Is he that strong?" Zhang Rongfang frowned. Thinking back carefully, the old Saint Patrol from before didn't seem to have shown any reaction to his strength until he was defeated and dissipated.

"You certainly have a lot of confidence. No one remembers the original name of the Saint Patrol. But the martial art he practiced was known as the Nine Phoenix Holy Spirit Skill, the number one martial art in the Number One Under Heaven before the Great Ling Kingdom was established!" Yue Dewen said in a deep voice.

"Nine Phoenix Holy Spirit Skill? No matter how powerful a martial art is, it all depends on how the person practicing it is," Zhang Rongfang retorted.

"You're right. Saint Patrol's talent is terrifying. He not only mastered the Nine Phoenix Holy Spirit Skill to perfection, but also improved it further, transforming it into the Great Circulation Nine Phoenix Holy Spirit Skill, which is more suitable for him."

This skill combines both literary and martial arts; practicing one aspect is equivalent to simultaneously cultivating Civilian Skill. The levels of skill are also marked by Civilian Skill.

Hundreds of years ago, before even Worship God, he had already broken through to the peak of the Return to Emptiness realm, becoming the only supreme being to step into a new realm. Now, so many years have passed, it's impossible to know what realm he has reached.

"Isn't he Worship God?" Zhang Rongfang asked, puzzled. "Can he continue to improve by worshipping gods?"

"He Worship God, but he is of the Azure Heaven Blood! He is a special case granted by Spirit Flight Heaven. And this special case is possessed only by the three of them," Yue Dewen replied.

"The three giants of Spirit Flight Heaven have many special cases that you cannot imagine, and you will soon understand."

"Then I'll have to take a good look." Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes slightly, and a red crystal between his eyebrows, resembling a vertical pupil, flashed with a red light.

"Although you are strong, you are definitely no match for the Saint Patrol. You'll still have to rely on your master then," Yue Dewen shook his head. "Don't let my current appearance fool you; someone sabotaged my preparations before. Otherwise..."

"Master, your nose is bleeding," Zhang Rongfang said speechlessly.

Yue Dewen wiped his nose; his hands were covered in blood.

He quickly rummaged through his body for his medicine, but the pouch on his waist had long since been destroyed in the fierce fight.

"You brat!! You're getting more and more disrespectful!!" He was immediately enraged and slapped Zhang Rongfang.

Unfortunately, the latter easily dodged it.

"Stop fooling around, Lao Yue, why don't you come back to my Human Immortal Temple with me to recuperate?" Zhang Rongfang said seriously.

"There's no going back." Yue Dewen shook his head. "Heaven and Earth Convergence, all the recorded Manifest God will be harvested and their memories wiped away."

Those not included in the list will be completely defeated and devoured. The idea that Gods and Buddhas are immortal only applies to mortals.

For the lofty and unattainable Spirit Flight Heaven, both gods and humans are merely resources to make it ever stronger.

He glanced at Zhang Rongfang.

"You seem to be getting along quite well with the Remnant God within you. But do you know that if Heaven and Earth Convergence, they would soon perish as well?"

Even if you don't resist, they will come after you. This is the fate you must accept.

Zhang Rongfang frowned. He heard White Scale's incessant chatter, suggesting ways to get out to sea and hide, such as digging a deep hole to hide in or going to Great Abyss to hide for a while.

He looked straight at his Master Yue.

"No exceptions?"

"For you now, there is no," Yue Dewen shook his head. "You are my apprentice. If you hadn't gotten involved before, you might have been able to find a secluded place to hide. Cutting off all external contact might have allowed you to escape this calamity."

But now, you're already in the game. You killed the Saint Dance once, shattered the Saint Patrol's projection, and you still think you can stay out of it? You've already entered Spirit Flight Heaven's field of vision.

"So, from the moment you saved me, everything was already destined?" Zhang Rongfang still wanted to take the old man back to live in seclusion and avoid all trouble to recover from his injuries.

But if everything is really as Yue Dewen said, then recuperating from the injury is probably not an option.

"The only way is to fight. Break through this Heaven and Earth Convergence, defeat the three Saint Patrol! Don't give Spirit Flight Heaven a chance to descend, only in this way can we buy ourselves another hundred years!"