0130 It's time to reserve something for oneself.

Jiang Feng extended his hand, and a small purple-black sprout appeared, swaying gently in the breeze. Its hue was peculiar—neither fully solid nor entirely illusory—and when one gazed upon it, it seemed to reveal countless past memories and dreams.

Ping Luanshan instinctively reached out to touch it, but a soft barrier of light gently intercepted his hand, preventing any contact.

Jiang Feng explained, “It’s currently protected by a demonic pact. It cannot be touched or destroyed.”

Hua Su and the others stared intently at the sprout germinated from the bi-born seed, finally piecing together the entire sequence of events. Fan Gensheng sighed, “The ecology of the demon race is truly extraordinary…”

Hua Su pondered aloud, “So you traded with him using the bi-born seed?”

Jiang Feng nodded, “The bi-born seed is crucial to the chaotic demon race. If it’s not returned to their body, they can neither mature nor live long. That’s why he insisted on having it.”

Ping Luanshan scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, “At first, I thought this demon was madly in love with that female demon, wanting to reclaim every part of her…”

Jiang Feng joked, “Are you implying I’m breaking up a couple?”

Ping Luanshan chuckled again, clearly affirming the suggestion.

Hua Su’s tone turned serious. “Humans and demons are worlds apart. You mustn’t apply human emotions and logic to demons. Besides, even if that were the case…” He fixed his stern gaze on Ping Luanshan. “Do you really think demons would spare a human’s beloved spouse or children? Would they show mercy toward human affection?”

Ping Luanshan’s smile vanished as he solemnly shook his head.

Hua Su continued, “Exactly! We and the demons are entirely different species—enemies, in fact! They show no mercy toward us, and we owe them no understanding!”

Ping Luanshan nodded firmly. “Understood. When we meet, it’s kill or be killed.”

Jiang Feng hesitated briefly, then nodded in agreement.

Hua Su paused, his expression softening slightly. He mused, “Though this deal may have shortchanged the demon a bit, it benefits the overall situation in Taicang City.”

He glanced toward the Changchuan River. “Sealing this demonic rift affects the linkage of all twelve demon rifts. Judging by current trends, this rift will reopen in three days. If this chaotic demon can seal it again, it would buy us an additional two days…”

Ping Luanshan asked, “Does reopening the rift accelerate the process?”

Hua Su explained, “Exactly. Sealing a demon rift requires a warrior of Enlightened Martial Lord rank or above, aided by appropriate artifacts. We’ve studied the demon rifts in Taicang City; all twelve are connected. Sealing one is extraordinarily difficult. Without this high-level chaotic demon, sealing it so quickly would be impossible. After sealing, resonance occurs, guiding the rift to reopen. Each reopening happens faster and strengthens the rift. After three times, the rifts fully merge and become nearly permanent, only stoppable by a divine martial saint.”

“Ah!” Ping Luanshan whispered, glancing cautiously at Jiang Feng. “So these two sealings are very risky?”

Jiang Feng shook his head. “It’s fine. The chaotic demons are rare and powerful, possessing special abilities—one of which is to harmonize demonic energy and suppress resonance.” He tapped his temple. “But this has limits: only two times. After two sealings, when the rift reopens, it will be the same as now, with no further deterioration.”

Hua Su gazed at the Changchuan River for a long while before agreeing with Jiang Feng. “It seems so. The demonic energy resonance is still somewhat mitigated.”

Wen Liangji approached quietly, having listened attentively. He nodded, “So, Jiang Feng has bought us five days!”

The group collectively exhaled in relief.

Though only five days, it was crucial. The configuration of the twelve demon rifts was exceedingly rare, and everyone was witnessing it for the first time. Gan Fuxing, a third-tier artifact maker, was strong but still needed more time to design new artifacts under these circumstances. Five extra days increased the chances of sealing the rifts.

Hua Su pressed a hand on Jiang Feng’s shoulder in silent gratitude. Suddenly recalling something, he asked, “Why did you come here? Since you’ve awakened, why not head to the provincial exam site?”

Jiang Feng’s eyes dimmed slightly before replying, “That’s not important. The key is that I have some information that might improve the Chain Enlightenment Technique…”

Upon hearing those words, the others’ eyes brightened. Hua Su took a deep breath and said, “Improving the Chain Enlightenment Technique is important, but so is your future! Don’t rush now—handle the main task first!”

He looked up at the sky and told Fan Gensheng and the others, “I’ll take him there.”

They urged, “Go quickly!”

Hua Su gripped Jiang Feng’s shoulder and smiled, “You’ve bought us five days; you should save some time for yourself.” He grabbed Ping Luanshan with his other hand, “No matter how the results turn out, complete the exam process!” With that, he lifted both into the air and flew toward the provincial government building.

...

...

Wan Qiuyu increasingly regretted his rashness.

Among Fu Liu Jun’s twelve disciples, he was known for his careful mind and control over situations. That was precisely why Fu Liu Jun sent him here at this critical moment.

The demon war in Taicang City was a catastrophe for the locals but a rare opportunity for Fu Liu Jun’s faction.

He had made many arrangements, believing everything was under control—but now, signs of losing control were evident.

And all this chaos centered around one boy—Jiang Feng, who was only at the Dawn Realm!

A mere Dawn Realm youth had actually confounded him!

Wan Qiuyu sat in his study at the provincial government building, trying to untangle the mess and find where he’d gone wrong.

First, Jiang Feng was too young and too weak, so he never took him seriously or investigated his background or associates.

In truth, clues existed before.

What was his relationship with that young lady? How could he fuse with the Mind Enlightening Seed and become the leader in the provincial exam? How did he contact Hua Su from a thousand miles away and even take him as a master? Whose influence was behind all this?

What did he do near the demon rift during the exam to sway so many city guards and even ordinary citizens?

How did Hua Su know Jiang Feng had been taken away by him and find the dungeon so accurately and timely when he tried to hide it?

Wan Qiuyu should have thoroughly investigated all this when he seized Jiang Feng, avoiding the current passive situation!

Now, countless veterans had arrived, forming a new force. If they succeeded in sealing the demon rift using the Chain Enlightenment Technique, his own plans would be useless. Without that, the Taicang City incident would become a scandal, directly implicating Fu Liu Jun through him.

Wan Qiuyu’s corpulent body sat rigid in his chair, sweat faintly beading his temples.

What was the way out now?

His fingers traced lightly over the desk, each movement carving deep marks into the hard surface.

Should he go with the flow or resist it?

At that moment, a knock came at the study door. Two men entered with three others. These three were Shangguan Qing and his two black-clad subordinates. As soon as they released him, Shangguan Qing collapsed like a heap of rotten flesh, while the two black-clad men stood silently by.

Wan Qiuyu rose and approached Shangguan Qing, disdainful. “I know you like to stir trouble, but are you stupid? You should’ve handled the urgent matter quickly instead of dilly-dallying!”

He kicked Shangguan Qing, bent down, and pressed a finger between his brows, murmuring, “Come on, tell me, what did you find during that time…”

The mingled energy of enlightenment and Wan Qiuyu’s consciousness entered Shangguan Qing’s mind. After a short while, he withdrew, disappointed.

Shangguan Qing’s mind and even his skeletal structure had been shattered, leaving no intact part. Now he was a crippled husk—alive only in breath, but otherwise a lump of flesh.

Whatever he had discovered was lost and could no longer be conveyed to Wan Qiuyu.

Sighing, Wan Qiuyu turned to the two black-clad men.

Standing, he noticed something odd about them. He eyed them suspiciously, immediately on alert.

He stepped back, coldly asking, “Who are you?!”

The two men stood still like statues.

Wan Qiuyu tentatively emitted a faint enlightenment energy, lightly touching them. To his shock, neither their bodies nor minds responded—they were as lifeless as wooden stakes.

Wan Qiuyu frowned. These two were not Fu Liu Jun’s disciples but Shangguan Qing’s direct subordinates, more like personal enforcers. He hadn’t interacted much with them before, but in his memory, they behaved normally—only slightly sinister. Why were they like this now?

He stepped back further, a golden light flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, his enlightenment energy surged forth, forming a whirlwind that whipped off their hoods.

He froze.

Their faces were ashen, eyes vacant, skin and muscles slack—devoid of any life. They were clearly corpses.

Almost immediately after the cloaks were lifted, they collapsed, and a strong stench of decay filled the study.

Wan Qiuyu covered his nose, stunned. They had been dead for a long time, already rotting. This alone was not the worst; he knew certain secret arts could manipulate corpses to mimic living beings.

What terrified him most was that he had no idea about this until he lifted their hoods…

His enlightenment energy swept over them repeatedly, revealing no signs of life.

Lowering his gaze, he uttered a low sound of surprise and bent down to inspect their bodies.

The stench intensified, but his expression grew more grave.

He found their hearts were missing!