0128 Khujand? (Please Vote)

In reality, Jiang Feng’s current situation was far better than what Hua Su and the others had imagined.

At that critical juncture, he had unleashed Fan Gensheng’s power, forcing it out. Fan Gensheng had originally injected that Ming energy into his brain to help him, and the energy had obediently followed his command, coalescing into a single force to strike at Ku Zhan.

This energy had originally been intended to control the consciousness that the curved blade had injected into Jiang Feng’s brain. Once it vanished, that consciousness became uncontrolled, triggering a small explosion within Jiang Feng’s mind. It shattered into countless fragments, sweeping through every corner of his awareness.

Countless memories and emotions crashed into him frantically; a violent, desperate, and somber past washed over him, and he almost forgot who he was.

But this moment was fleeting; the very next instant, he regained his clarity.

He discovered that these fragments had suddenly become docile, as if another will had suppressed them. Jiang Feng quickly identified the source—it was the golden bloodline beneath the Heavenly Heart Seed!

While in the dungeon, Jiang Feng’s body had suffered life-threatening injuries, and the golden bloodline had become active as if to protect itself. It had decomposed into countless tiny particles that spread throughout his body. His blood regenerated and his wounds healed; by the time Hua Su brought him out, his body had completely recovered, leaving not a single trace on his skin or within his organs.

Hua Su had noticed this when bandaging him; the wrappings were less about medical treatment and more about concealing his secret.

Now, the bloodline sensed something once more and began to accelerate. With this movement, all the foreign consciousness fragments stopped as if they had received an order.

That strand of golden bloodline moved lazily, like a monarch, completely cowing the fragments into submission before settling down. Then, the Heavenly Heart Seed, like a greedy shark, began to devour these fragments of consciousness frantically.

Every time a piece was consumed, a stream of information entered Jiang Feng’s mind—it was the memories of the curved blade. They were incomplete, but they told him a great deal.

The curved blade’s real name was Zhe Zhi, and she was a Guiyi Demon. The nature of this demon species was peculiar; the ten personalities that had previously appeared to be distinct were actually one, much like ten buds growing on a single flower stem.

Upon reaching a certain stage, these "buds" would automatically merge to form a whole.

The split-body stage was equivalent to the larval stage of the Guiyi Demon; only after merging could they be considered adults.

A larval Guiyi Demon possessed ten bodies, which gave them greater combat power and allowed them to acquire resources and cultivate ten times faster than ordinary demons. Because of this, they grew extremely quickly and were destined to become high-ranking demons.

Zhe Zhi’s split bodies had been killed during the Lieutenant-rank stage, forcing her to mature prematurely. Had she been given more time, her power would have been terrifying.

Another piece of information arrived, and Jiang Feng’s expression turned strange.

Larval Guiyi Demons had no gender; their gender was determined at the moment of maturity. During her larval stage, Zhe Zhi had already been betrothed to the demon general known as Ku Zhan, destined to become female upon maturity and unite with him.

Ku Zhan had discovered that she had not returned, and upon learning that she had been controlled by Jiang Feng and subsequently perished, he was filled with both shock and rage. He had come to find Jiang Feng not only to discover the truth but also to avenge Zhe Zhi.

Beyond the past of the curved blade, her memories contained much regarding the demons and the Great Desolate Mountain. Jiang Feng had no time to focus on these matters now and temporarily set them aside.

The Heavenly Heart Seed devoured the fragments ravenously, with the Heavenly Mechanism Cube assisting on the side. It broke down various data regarding the demons and the Great Desolate Mountain, absorbing them all with excitement.

From beginning to end, these memory fragments remained incredibly docile, honestly allowing themselves to be consumed and integrated. Despite being the consciousness of a powerful demon, under the intimidation of that golden bloodline, they were more obedient than a tamed puppy.

Soon, the Heavenly Heart Seed swallowed the last fragment, and Jiang Feng’s mind returned to a state of clarity.

His head felt a bit swollen, but he felt wonderful, as if everything had returned to his control.

He opened his eyes and saw that he was lying on the ground, with Ping Luan Shan guarding him nearby, looking upward nervously.

Above, Hua Su and Fan Gensheng were fighting side-by-side against the enemy, while Wen Liangji stood by, his long whip striking out like a venomous snake to assist them.

Even so, both sides were evenly matched.

When Ku Zhan had exited the demon lair, he had suppressed his power, and now he was roughly at their level, perhaps even slightly weaker.

However, while his demonic power was reduced, his physical body remained that of a demon general!

Moreover, they were currently extremely close to the demon lair, and the dense demonic energy greatly enhanced his body's regenerative powers.

Most importantly, a large number of demons were appearing around him; although they were all below the School rank, their sheer numbers were like a mountain or sea, surrounding the three of them.

Ku Zhan shouted commands from time to time, leading the demons to launch assaults on the trio. He also frequently seized opportunities to charge toward Jiang Feng, attempting to drag him back to the demon lair.

The area around the Changchuan River had descended into total chaos. Demonic energy churned violently, fluctuating between dense and clear.

Large swaths of demons died and fell into the Changchuan River, their black blood staining the water like ink.

Jiang Feng sat up. Ping Luan Shan was startled, then overjoyed: "You're awake? Are you all right?"

He watched Jiang Feng cautiously, fearing any change. Jiang Feng smiled slightly and patted his shoulder. A stream of warm Ming energy surged into Ping Luan Shan’s body, instantly steadying his mind.

This was partly due to the soothing effect inherent in Jiang Feng’s Ming energy, and partly because he could sense a familiar aura!

If Jiang Feng had been controlled by the demons' consciousness, let alone whether he could continue to use Ming energy, the attributes of that energy would certainly have changed. This current energy was, without a doubt, his own.

Ping Luan Shan felt relieved, glanced worriedly at the battle, and said decisively: "Let's go! That guy is clearly after you!"

Jiang Feng shook his head, walked to the riverbank, and suddenly took a deep breath, shouting loudly: "Ku Zhan!"

The demon general’s body shuddered, and a flaw appeared in his movements. Hua Su seized the chance and struck his chest with a palm, causing the demon general to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Even so, he looked at Jiang Feng with a mix of shock and rage, roaring: "You, how do you know my name?!"

Jiang Feng tapped his own temple and called out: "I have a portion of Zhe Zhi's memories, and they contain things about you. Do you want to know?"

Ku Zhan’s eyes widened, and he lunged toward him violently. A flash of a whip shadow from Wen Liangji sent him rebounding back.

Ku Zhan bellowed: "Tell me!"

He tried desperately to charge forward, but was blocked back by the joint efforts of Hua Su and the others several times.

Jiang Feng took a step forward. Ping Luan Shan tried to stop him, but Jiang Feng shook his head and whispered: "It’s fine."

He walked to the edge of the Changchuan River, where a pebble wobbled and rolled off his foot into the water.

Jiang Feng looked up and shouted: "I can tell you!"

Ku Zhan was immediately overjoyed and yelled: "Speak!"

Jiang Feng said: "Stop your attack first."

Ku Zhan sneered: "Stop now? If I stop now, there is only death for me!"

Jiang Feng said gently: "Stop first, and I will persuade them to stop as well."

Ku Zhan suddenly roared in fury: "I know it! You are lying to me, you want to trick me into being killed by them!"

Jiang Feng did not speak again. He extended a hand.

Ming energy flowed out of his body, swirling around his palm. The air shifted constantly, and the light and shadows distorted along with it.

Finally, a blurred figure appeared above his palm—graceful and alluring—it was the image of the curved blade!

She brushed back her long hair, lifted her head, and cast a glance toward Ku Zhan. Ku Zhan was completely stunned, his movements coming to a halt before he even realized it.

Jiang Feng signaled upward. Hua Su and the others were puzzled, but followed his plan, only repelling the attacks of the surrounding demons and temporarily ceasing their assault on Ku Zhan.

Jiang Feng enticed him: "You haven't seen the real her, have you? Don't you want to see? Come down, and I will tell you what you want to know."

Without realizing it, the wings of demonic energy behind Ku Zhan truly retracted, and he flew toward him.

The demons around him suddenly hissed. A School-rank demon rushed to his side and cried out in a hoarse voice: "Lord Ku Zhan, this is a human trick, you must not be deceived!"

Ku Zhan reached out a hand, and the School-rank demon let out a muffled groan. He looked at Ku Zhan’s hand in horror, then down at his own chest. His heart, along with his demonic core, had been ripped out and held in Ku Zhan’s grasp!

Ku Zhan said coldly: "Do not block my path!"

As he spoke, he crushed the heart, and his body plummeted toward Jiang Feng. Behind him, the School-rank demon fell with an expression of disbelief, dropping into the Changchuan River.

This time, no one stopped Ku Zhan. He landed right beside Jiang Feng, looked at him, then at the figure in his hand, his eyes filled with a ravenous hunger.

Jiang Feng flicked his hand, and the shadow vanished. Ku Zhan roared: "No!"

With that, he clawed at Jiang Feng!

Behind Ku Zhan, Hua Su and the others were shocked, but Jiang Feng showed no fear. He did not move, staring fixedly at Ku Zhan.

Sure enough, Ku Zhan’s hand hovered before Jiang Feng’s throat, frozen.

Jiang Feng nodded. Suddenly, a strange, tangled syllable escaped his lips. The syllable carried a bizarre echo, and the demonic energy around the Changchuan River seemed to vibrate in response.

Ku Zhan’s body trembled violently, and he involuntarily lowered his hand.

Jiang Feng watched him and said calmly: "You should know what to do."

Ku Zhan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly turned and charged toward his own kin!

The wings of demonic energy flapped behind him. He flew toward the vicinity of the demon lair, into the center of the demons, and suddenly let out a wild roar. Then, he opened his mouth wide and inhaled forcefully!

The demonic energy turned into a black dragon and was sucked into his body; all the demons within a kilometer radius of him shriveled up instantly!

Ku Zhan’s body swelled visibly. He took a deep breath and exhaled toward the demon lair.

A massive black sphere surged toward the lair and fell inside.

The next moment, the demon lair underwent a cataclysmic change!