118119: People Have Bonds and Many Friends; The Earth's Virtue Leaves No Dead Ends

As the comb's spiritual light surged, the air turbulented, like countless rivers flowing into the sea, like a torrent cascading down, rushing towards Li Yue with astonishing force, or like three thousand strands of black hair being pulled down by the comb.

Li Yue's momentum was halted, and he let out a long, unwilling roar. With a flick of his sleeves, a disc of swirling crimson fire Spiritual Qi appeared on his robe.

In an instant, his entire body burst into flames along with the disc, like a sun towering in the sky, its poisonous flames reaching ten thousand feet high. The violent firelight transformed into a blazing pillar of light, shooting straight upwards.

Boom!!

The two Technique Method clashed together, creating a tremendous sound, and large swirls of mist rose and rolled, scattering and rushing in all directions like bubbles.

The air instantly became incredibly hot.

A gust of wind whipped up a wave of heat, so intense it felt suffocating.

Li Yue coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body jolted as if struck by lightning, and he plummeted downwards, his face covered in sweat. Clearly, the fight had aggravated his injuries.

The comb was also blasted into the air and bounced back to He Yingyu, who was engaged in fierce fighting.

In just a short time, one of the four Devil Cultivators had died tragically, and two others were severely injured, their situations hanging by a thread.

If we don't leave now, we will have no chance of escaping.

Just as Li Yue was about to soar into the sky again, he suddenly felt something strange in the air around him.

His expression immediately changed, and the instant he made a hand seal and raised his eyebrows, many trees in the mountain stream suddenly burst into flames.

Just as the flames began to ignite, Li Yue's figure vanished in a burst of fire.

Fire Release Technique!

"Bang bang bang--"

Clusters of flames raced across the landscape in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, fires lit up every direction, like wildfire raging across the mountain. After circling the mountain, it was impossible to discern where Li Yue had gone.

Upon seeing this, Chen Dengming suddenly floated into the air.

The moment he spread his arms, his superior, mid-grade Spirit Root's extraordinary sensory abilities were brought to their fullest potential, and the vegetation and trees burning in the surrounding raging flames were all within his sensory range.

Suddenly, his eyes shone brightly, his long hair danced in the wind, and his surging spiritual energy was fully mobilized.

The Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique!

Whew--Whew--Whew--

The already dwindling Life Energy of the surrounding trees and vegetation, which were sensed and detected, vanished instantly, and they withered rapidly.

The flames dimmed instantly, and the plants and trees were burned to ashes. These plants, having lost much of their Wood Spiritual Energy and Life Force, could not withstand the flames for long.

"Pfft--" Li Yue's figure was forced out of a cluster of flames again, almost outside the mountain stream, spitting out a mouthful of blood, looking very disheveled.

But the moment its figure appeared, a dazzling blade of light flashed past like a blue rainbow.

"Gao Hu!"

With a furious roar, Li Yue's Thunder Pattern Electric Fire Gun transformed into a bolt of lightning, appearing in the blink of an eye to block the blade.

With a loud clang, as if half the sky had exploded, a large rocky mountain fell from the sky to the ground, causing the surrounding trees and rocks to tremble violently in the strong wind.

The Thunder Pattern Electric Fire Gun bent into a breathtaking arc under the eight-zhang-long broadsword. As Li Yue suddenly increased the flow of spiritual energy, the spear straightened up abruptly, deflecting the broadsword.

However, in that instant, the broadsword split into countless incredibly sharp tiny blades.

"Go!"

The moment Chen Dengming clenched his fist, the blade, accompanied by countless golden, shimmering metallic currents, formed a terrifying vortex that engulfed Li Yue entirely.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

The air was filled with sharp, razor-sharp currents and blade-like turbulence, like a pot of boiling muddy water, roaring and churning violently.

Li Yue was caught in the blast, screaming in pain and roaring in anger. Suddenly, a ring of flames appeared around his body, shaped like a dragon, as if five Golden Dragons were swimming and spinning rapidly in the opposite direction, resisting the torrent of metal.

In an instant, a golden and crimson flame and whirlwind seemed to form in mid-air.

They collided violently and devoured each other.

The surrounding air seemed to explode with a layer of white, shimmering mist, creating a hazy, indistinct effect.

As these two immense spiritual auras clashed, powerful energy surged in all directions.

Chen Dengming's face, which had been blackened by the electric shock, now shone brightly, his tiger-like eyes radiating fierce power. He struggled to drift toward Li Yue's location, almost pushing his spiritual energy to its limit.

Fortunately, the Life Force and Spiritual Qi absorbed by the Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique he had just used replenished his body, not only healing many of his burns but also rapidly restoring his depleted spiritual energy.

Even so, the difference in Spiritual Qi between the two was still extremely obvious when facing Li Yue, who was in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Fortunately, the other party was already injured, so it was unlikely that the situation could be delayed for long.

Sure enough, with a loud clang, the Five Dragons Fire Shield around Li Yue suddenly collapsed.

At that very moment, Li Yue's mind was in turmoil, and his spiritual energy was depleted as his old and new powers were being replaced.

"Knife!!"

Chen Dengming seized the opportunity and shouted loudly. The Divine Transformation Blade changed again, and the mother blade shot out like lightning. The momentum of the blade was like striking straight at the heart of the enemy, with a murderous aura as cold as frost, sweeping past in an instant.

The Thunder Pattern Electric Fire Gun transformed into a bolt of lightning, violently deflecting the mother blade.

But the numerous blades that followed, like a swarm of locusts crossing a river, did not lose momentum and suddenly accelerated, their sharp airflow transforming into endless flashes of blade light.

Li Yue's body jolted, and he was thrown back and slammed hard against the rocky cliff behind him, hanging there on the cracked rock, his spiritual power dissipating.

Chen Dengming flew closer, and the two locked eyes, and he fell silent for a moment.

Li Yue stared intently at Chen Dengming, still breathless, forcing a smile despite blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "I never imagined I'd die at your hands. I misunderstood you back then, bringing you into our Mountain Gate. I guess this is just fate."

His eyes suddenly darkened, and blood began to seep from the wounds all over his body from where the blades had pierced him. He managed to utter two barely audible words before dying on the spot.

These two words.

Chen Dengming heard it.

He can pretend he didn't hear it.

Since the misunderstanding between him and Li Yue was a misunderstanding, they owed each other nothing.

Unfortunately, Li Yue was using him and misunderstood him. The person who wrote those two words was not him; in fact, it was the one he had approached first, asking for help, and who ultimately offered sincere assistance.

Although it was a case of doing something wrong by mistake, it was ultimately done with good intentions.

"I don't know if I've now succeeded in my mission and passed the test, or if my identity has been exposed and I'm about to be expelled? If I'm expelled, I won't be able to help anyone."

Chen Dengming sighed, smiled, and shook his head.

Seeing that the battle between He Yingyu and the others was nearing its end, Liang Yunsheng's combat power, which he had unleashed through Guan Le's body, did not seem to have reached the level of a pseudo-core cultivator, but it still surpassed that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator. With He Yingyu's assistance, although the four Devil Cultivators were strong, the outcome of the battle was not much of a surprise.

He then turned his gaze to Li Yue's corpse and casually made a gesture.

'Whoosh whoosh whoosh--'

Hundreds of blades returned, and the mother blade, like a giant magnet, shimmered with spiritual light, attracting the nine hundred and ninety-nine Dao Child -blades to it, which then reformed into the complete Divine Transformation Blade.

Chen Dengming's gaze sharpened slightly as he noticed that two sections of the blade were cracked.

The damage from this battle is quite significant.

With a casual wave of his hand, he pulled Li Yue's mangled corpse down to the ground.

In the opposite valley, the roar of battle gradually subsided, accompanied by one or two screams.

After half a cup of tea.

Chen Dengming changed his clothes, cast a Cleansing Technique on himself, and then calmly flew over to He Yingyu and Guan Le.

"Junior Brother Chen, are you alright?"

He Yingyu looked concerned, her hair damp with sweat, clinging messily to her fair and smooth forehead, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chen Dengming.

"It's alright! Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. I didn't consume as much energy as you did; I haven't even used the bottle of pills you gave me."

Chen Dengming nodded and responded with a smile.

He Yingyu's pretty face flushed slightly, and she suddenly looked at Guan Le, her beautiful eyes revealing a hint of worry.

"Senior Brother Liang"

Guan Le chuckled, a hint of appreciation flashing in his dark eyes as he gazed at Chen Dengming, and said.

"Junior Sister He, don't worry. Junior Brother Chen has proven himself. Neither the sect leader nor I will pursue his identity any further. A hero's origins are irrelevant."

Chen Dengming felt relieved upon hearing this.

He Yingyu breathed a sigh of relief, but then sighed, "Senior Brother Liang, what I'm actually worried about is your current state."

Chen Dengming was surprised, not only by Liang Yunsheng's decision not to pursue the matter further, but also by He Yingyu's words.

Did Liang Yunsheng really pay a heavy price to break Li Yue's trap?

"Junior Sister He, when this plan officially began, we both knew that someone had to make a sacrifice."

Guan Le looked at Li Yue on the ground with his hands behind his back and sighed, "This Devil Cultivator not only planted such an excellent inside agent Li Yue, but also sent so many experts, and even set their sights on Sect Master Qiu's Longevity Incense."

"How could we possibly annihilate them so easily without paying any price?"

He Yingyu said unwillingly, "But Senior Brother Liang, the price you paid was too high. You lost the power of a fake core. Even if you recover it in the future, you will have no hope of ever reaching the Golden Core stage again."

"No hope for the Golden Core Path?" Chen Dengming's body trembled, somewhat taken aback.

The price to pay would be far too high.

A hint of complexity and melancholy flickered in Guan Le's eyes, but he could only manage a broad-minded smile and say...

"Enough! You know that in my attempt to expel the Nightmare Seed from Junior Brother's body, I was already tricked in that brief exchange with the Nightmare Country Lord."

Even without making this sacrifice, the hope of achieving the Golden Core in the future would be slim. Someone always has to sacrifice, and no one is more suitable than me.

At least for now, the meticulously planned scheme of these Devil Cultivator has failed, resulting in the deaths of so many people, while the sect leader's Longevity Incense has been preserved.

Presumably, the sect leader and his group have no such worries, and that matter has been completed quite smoothly. This is yet another huge blow to the Devil Cultivators."

"It seems that the real purpose of these Devil Cultivator is to destroy the sect leader's Longevity Incense, thereby disrupting another major event that Sect Master Qiu is currently undertaking. This is truly a case of one thing leading to another."

So all this fierce fighting on our side was just a prelude to something much bigger that the Golden Core Cultivator were doing."

As Chen Dengming pondered, he noticed Guan Le's gaze falling on him. He immediately looked up and met the familiar, elder-like kindness in Guan Le's eyes, the kind that belonged to Liang Yunsheng.

This sent a chill down his spine, and he finally understood the feeling he had when Zixia, possessed by Pigsy, hugged Supreme Treasure and said "Kiss me" in the movie A Chinese Odyssey. It was quite disgusting.

"Junior Brother Chen, don't hold a grudge because of this incident. After all, you were recruited by Li Yue. Although we have observed and determined that you may be fine, we still need to conduct some necessary tests. This is for everyone's safety."

You wouldn't want Master Crane to be in danger because of this, would you?

Chen Dengming quickly shook his head with a smile, "Of course not, that's normal. If I were in your position, Senior Brother Liang, I might have used even more drastic measures."

"Junior Brother Chen, you're too wicked!"

He Yingyu smiled brightly, "Actually, I was worried before, but I believe in Junior Brother Chen. You are definitely not one of the Western Regions' Devil Cultivator."

"Oh? Why?"

Chen Dengming was surprised and felt a strange unease. He couldn't help but think there was some reason behind it.

He Yingyu covered her mouth and laughed, "Because you're too poor, Junior Brother. If you were planted by the Devil Cultivator, you might be poor, but not as poor as you, who even had to borrow fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stone from me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengming felt immediately embarrassed.

To everyone's surprise, the person who helped clear his name was actually just too poor.

These Senior Brother and sisters probably already have a pretty good idea of my background.

He had previously thought he could play it safe, but Liang Yunsheng, that old master of hiding, had probably been doing it for countless years. The path he had taken was just a routine that others had already used. His self-proclaimed cleverness had actually been seen through by others.

But does fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stone really make you poor?

The rogue Rogue Cultivator in the Gathering Place can't even afford a bowl of spiritual rice. You stinking Foundation Establishment experts actually look down on fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stone. Sure enough, poverty has limited his imagination. He's become a bumpkin among the rich, a husky among wolves.

"Since fifty Spirit Stone is nothing, then Senior Sister, do I not need to pay it back?"

What do you think? No matter how small the debt, you have to pay it back.

For a moment, Liang Yunsheng also burst into laughter.

The atmosphere seemed to instantly become much more relaxed, and any barriers or grudges disappeared at that moment.

"Hahaha, hiccup." Laughing, Guan Le suddenly hiccuped, his eyes gradually becoming blank, as if he had truly transformed from a wolf into a silly husky.

Only when the confusion in his eyes completely cleared did he react, looking at Chen Dengming and He Yingyu, then at the corpse on the ground, and he was stunned.

"The battle is over? The enemy is all dead?"

After receiving affirmative replies from Chen Dengming and He Yingyu, Guan Le Lecai was filled with reminiscence and sighs.

"It's a pity. Senior Brother Liang also said that as long as I strengthen my resolve and experience it properly for a period of time, I might be able to feel the power of the fake elixir and his manipulation of Daoist techniques, and I will gain a lot."

Unfortunately, my will was not firm enough; just now, I seemed to be lost in the five aggregates and fell into a deep sleep.

Chen Dengming was taken aback upon hearing this.

This Senior Brother Guan, you could say fools have good luck, but it's a pity he didn't seize such a good opportunity. Otherwise, if he hadn't even had a chance to reach the Golden Core stage, at least his progress to the False Core Realm would have been much smoother.

However, Chen Dengming wouldn't envy such a stroke of luck as having someone else possess his body. He had too many secrets to keep up with.

He Yingyu's tone carried a hint of admiration, "Senior Brother Liang's Shifting Heaven and Earth technique has been cultivated to the point where he can transfer power into other people's bodies, which is something I didn't expect."

If it weren't for this incident, this would probably have remained Senior Brother Liang's trump card forever. Revealing it would have come at a much higher price. Li Yue thought he had calculated all the variables, but how could he have foreseen that someone else held such a trump card?

Her gaze fell on Li Yue's corpse, which had been pierced by a thousand blades, and a complex emotion flashed across her eyes.

"Let's bury him. Then we'll go check out the Mist River Beach; the fighting there might have already ended."

Unlike Eagle Wind Ravine, the Mist River Beach gathered seven Foundation Establishment from the Evergreen Sect, including Old Man Mo, the steward of the Transmission Hall.

There were only four Devil Cultivators on the other side, and all of them were only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage; there wasn't a single one at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

With such a lineup, He Yingyu and the others naturally had no worries.

Sure enough, by the time the three arrived at the Battlefield, the battle was already over.

Three of the four Devil Cultivators have already been killed, while the third escaped via the swift-flowing river. Old Mo and the others are searching along the riverbank, determined to wipe them out completely and eliminate them at the last moment.

The terrain here was probably planned by this group of Devil Cultivator long ago.

Four people were assigned to take the risk and hold off the seven members of the Evergreen Sect on the Mist River Beach, trying their best to hold out until Li Yue and the others finished the battle and provided support, or until the Blood Ghost Daoist arrived to provide support and hold out for a while longer.

As it turned out, man proposes, God disposes; the devil is one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall. Li Yue and his men fell into a trap within a trap, while the Blood Ghost Daoist never showed himself from beginning to end.

At this time.

In a mountain hollow hundreds of miles away from the Mist River Beach, the Blood Ghost Daoist, panting heavily, hid in a cave he had prepared beforehand. He kicked away the Blood Demon who had shrunk in too close, feeling both fear and sneer, and cursed under his breath.

"Idiots! A bunch of idiots! Luckily I sensed something was wrong and didn't actually show up to help, otherwise I'd probably be a corpse by now."

According to the plan, Li Yue and his team will complete the planned objectives within the specified time and then provide immediate support.

Once the time limit is up, the Devil Cultivator on the Mist River Beach will stop their maneuvering and try their best to escape. At that point, it will mean that the plan has changed.

According to the original plan, once the time Blood Ghost Daoist was up, he was required to immediately step in to provide support and cover everyone's escape.

However, this cunning and treacherous old man had already made his plans. If Li Yue and the others appeared before the deadline, he would take the opportunity to make his move.

Otherwise, they will never make a move and will flee as far away as possible.

Sure enough, it now seems that the plan has most likely failed, something terrible has happened, and he doesn't even know why it failed.

But now, none of that matters. What matters is how he will explain this to the Devilish Son Prince.

Others could survive, and so could he; he has now managed to survive to the very end.

Now he can neither stay in the Eastern Region nor dare to return to the Western Region, and he may not even be able to leave the Eastern Region smoothly. This situation is quite precarious.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

In the blink of an eye.

Three days later.

Within the Evergreen Sect.

Chen Dengming sat in his cave abode, enjoying a rare moment of peace and tranquility in his cultivation.

Having ended a month-long battle to exterminate demons and survived a perilous ordeal even more thrilling than a life-or-death struggle, he can now sit peacefully within the Evergreen Sect, serving as Foundation Establishment cultivator and enjoying precious resources such as a free cave abode and Second-Rank Spirit Vein...

He was truly content and cherished it.

Looking back on his previous experiences, perhaps if he had taken just a slight misstep, such as choosing to escape when faced with Liang Yunsheng's probing, he might never have had to come back.

Even if they returned, they would likely be turned away, let alone join the Longevity Sect in the future.

Fortunately, he held onto that Xianxia spirit within him. Even though he had no intention of risking his life for Li Yue and He Yingyu, at least he went, instead of running away or chickening out without even looking back...

This precious courage and loyalty helped him pass the test by accident, truly clear his name, and be fully accepted. It is truly a case of the cycle of the sun and moon, the separation of fortune and misfortune, the vastness of the sky and the boundless earth. People with affection and loyalty have many friends, and the earth with virtue has no dead ends.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared inside the Storage Bag.

Chen Dengming's heart stirred, and he made a hand seal, sending a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman flying in front of him.

The soft, melodious voice of He Yingyu emanated from within.

"Junior Brother Chen, the sect's decree has been issued. The Wu Family has colluded with the Devil Cultivator of the Western Regions. Wu Yongwang, the patriarch of the Wu Family, and a group of key Lineage have been executed. The rest of the innocent people have been scattered and exiled."

After investigation, it was found that Li Yue's cousin Li Rong and his niece Li Xue were only involved in this incident with their Junior Brother, and had no other similar connection with Li Yue.

Furthermore, the sect has determined that neither Li Rong Li Xue are Devil Cultivator, and has decided not to pursue any further responsibility against them, but simply to expel them from the Evergreen Sect's Inner Domain."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengming breathed a sigh of relief and transmitted his voice.

"Thank you so much, Senior Sister!"

The two words Li Yue mentioned before his death were those of Li Rong.

Chen Dengming felt that the only person who was truly sincere and genuinely helped him was Li Rong.

The other party may have been influenced by the impressive feat he created to break through to the Foundation Establishment, and there might have been an element of investment and gambling involved, but ultimately it was he who guided them, not exploitation.

Therefore, the day before yesterday, I asked He Yingyu and Liang Yunsheng if, after investigation, it was found that Li Rong was not Devil Cultivator, the sect could spare his life.

Surprisingly, they actually released them.

At this moment, the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman flashed again, transmitting He Yingyu's voice.

"No need to thank me. I wasn't able to help in any way. In fact, the one who truly helped Li Rong was himself."

"Himself?"

"Li Rong has a wife named Yun Xue, who is also the mother of his daughter Li Xue. Yun Xue disappeared in a battle seven years ago, and Li Rong always thought she was dead."

But in fact, Yun Xue is a very important person. She was rescued by Li Rong when she was in trouble, and ended up giving birth to Li Xue.

Seven years ago, she deliberately faked her disappearance, leaving without saying goodbye, making Li Rong believe she was dead. But in reality, she had been keeping an eye on Li Rong and her daughter. It was she who spoke up for this incident; otherwise...

Chen Dengming fell silent for a moment, almost bursting into tears.

What a waste of your time!

Old Li next door is the real protagonist.

My cousin is an undercover Devil Cultivator; he's incredibly skilled at playing double agents, and he almost got me killed.

Years ago, he could easily pick up a wife who was a big shot, and even had a beautiful daughter with that big shot. He was completely unaware of this and kept complaining that he was sorry to the mother of his child.

"Brother Li, Brother Li, didn't someone knock on your door back then and ask you: 'Old Li, want a wife? If you do, I'll send her to you'?"

Chen Dengming shook his head inwardly and put away the jade talisman.

Now it seems...

It wasn't that Li Rong wronged the mother of his child; it was clearly that powerful woman who wronged Li Rong. She probably saw that Li Rong looked like a jinx who might not even be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment, and felt that she would probably have to see him off in the future. So she left without saying goodbye, thus ending this ill-fated relationship in the mortal world.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Xu Wei.

I've thought about a lot of things.

I was also filled with many feelings at that moment.

(Just a little short of monthly votes, so I'll add an extra chapter tonight! A long chapter! Let's go!)