Chapter Twenty-Four: Shattering the Seven Heavens with a Single Step

“If that had hit you, something terrible would have happened. But it’s different with me—I have a treasure bestowed by the elders of my clan.” As all the smoke dispersed, Waterplume’s clothes vanished, revealing a suit of golden-blue scale armor.

“I should have known you’d have a defensive treasure. How could those old men not give you one?” King Yurong, supporting Yuan Wuji, understood just how dire the situation was for him. “Brother, you need to go. He’s wearing the Wave-Tossing Chainmail, a high-grade postnatal defensive spirit treasure. With our cultivation, it’ll be nearly impossible to harm him. I’ll hold him off—escape while you can.”

King Yurong truly didn’t want Yuan Wuji to die on his behalf. Waterplume might dare kill Yuan Wuji, but he wouldn’t dare kill King Yurong. King Yurong planned to exploit this, using his life to stall Waterplume so Yuan Wuji could get away.

“Run? That’s not my way.” Yuan Wuji pulled King Yurong, who tried to shield him, behind. “You stand behind me, brother—watch as I slay the enemy.”

“You’re half-dead and still dare talk big?” Waterplume readied himself to deliver the final blow. If King Yurong blocked him, he truly wouldn’t dare kill King Yurong, but now that Yuan Wuji insisted on standing his ground, he couldn’t let the opportunity slip.

“Brother, go! He won’t dare kill me, but you… you’re different!” King Yurong, seeing Waterplume preparing to strike, grew desperate. Ignoring Yuan Wuji’s protests, he flew straight at Waterplume.

King Yurong unleashed his forbidden arts, his aura surging, even more powerful than when he fought Yuan Wuji before.

“Let me show you the difference between the Heavenly Immortal and Taiyi realms.” Waterplume hadn’t expected King Yurong to risk his life against him.

In Waterplume’s memory, no one had ever stood up for King Yurong. Even his own followers would sometimes desert him if things looked bleak. Since when had King Yurong shown such backbone?

Waterplume unleashed his Mountain-Sweeping Waters technique, but this time he put away his Water Spirit Blade, attacking instead with his fists, wary that the blade combined with his divine power might kill King Yurong in a single blow. He’d seen King Yurong use his forbidden arts before and knew well their cost—unmatched strength in the moment, but utter weakness after. If he used the Water Spirit Blade to injure King Yurong under the forbidden arts, King Yurong could very well die during his weakened state. If King Yurong died by his hand, his parents were not ones Waterplume could afford to offend. To suffer punishment on King Yurong’s behalf wasn’t worth it.

So Waterplume abandoned the blade, relying on his superior cultivation to easily subdue King Yurong.

Bang! Bang! Bang! With the power and speed of a Taiyi cultivator, Waterplume easily evaded King Yurong’s attacks, his fists relentlessly pummeling King Yurong’s chest. Eventually, he even withdrew the Mountain-Sweeping Waters technique, afraid that an accident would kill King Yurong outright.

King Yurong kept coughing blood under the onslaught. Behind him, Yuan Wuji used the Earth-Piercing Golden Light technique to pull the battered King Yurong back. Waterplume, fearing King Yurong might die if this went on, allowed Yuan Wuji to rescue him.

“Brother… why… why won’t you leave?” King Yurong spat blood, still urging Yuan Wuji to escape.

Why? Why did his brother’s refusal to leave make him so happy?

Yuan Wuji could not fathom King Yurong’s thoughts, but he knew his own anger—he wanted Waterplume before him utterly destroyed.

“You’ve truly angered me.”

“So what?” Waterplume raised his Water Spirit Blade once more, aiming it at Yuan Wuji, bringing himself to peak condition. He sensed something terrifying about Yuan Wuji now, but the pride in his blood gave him the courage to fight on.

Yuan Wuji conjured a white cloud with his magic, gently laying King Yurong upon it. “Rest and recover for now.”

Yuan Wuji’s aura kept climbing. He knew there would be a price to pay for unleashing the Fourfold Golden Execution Grand Divine Art, but even so, he would let annihilation descend upon the world.

“What are you doing?” A growing sense of danger gnawed at Waterplume’s heart. He could not let Yuan Wuji continue; he raised his Water Spirit Blade and unleashed the Mountain-Sweeping Waters technique at full force.

“Do you think that will work? Sevenfold Heaven-Shattering Step!” Yuan Wuji slowly raised his foot. With the motion, the surrounding space seemed on the verge of shattering, the power still rising. As his foot was about to come down—

Yuan Wuji suddenly vanished. Waterplume, attacking, jerked back dozens of feet, the sense of crisis intensifying.

With a boom, Yuan Wuji appeared directly above Waterplume, bringing his foot down. The surrounding space seemed ready to collapse with that step.

Waterplume raised the Water Spirit Blade to shield his head, but in the instant Yuan Wuji’s foot descended, the force transmitted through the blade and his Wave-Tossing Chainmail, crushing down upon his body. Yuan Wuji’s attack penetrated the armor, hitting his flesh directly.

“You mustn’t kill me! The elders of my clan will never spare you!” True terror now seized Waterplume, cracks spiderwebbing across his body, threatening to shatter him at any moment.

“Do you think I fear your so-called Ancient Water Ape Clan? Die! Sevenfold Heaven-Shattering Step, Second Step!” Unleashing the Fourfold Golden Execution Grand Divine Art, Yuan Wuji could at most take the second step, especially given his grievous injuries. As his foot fell a second time, all his wounds burst open, blood gushing madly from a dozen gashes. Angering one’s enemy has never ended well—this was the lesson Mother Golden Spirit had repeated most, and Yuan Wuji believed it to his core.

With the first step, Waterplume’s body was already ruined. He should have died beneath Yuan Wuji’s foot, but the Water Spirit Blade saved his life. Yet the instant Yuan Wuji took the second step, Waterplume’s head exploded, and that was with Yuan Wuji holding back—Waterplume’s demon body still had uses for him.

As Waterplume’s head burst, Yuan Wuji cast his innate divine power, sucking the fleeing Waterplume’s soul into the Devouring Demon Heart.

“I won’t dare again! Please, spare me!” Waterplume’s soul screamed in terror, but Yuan Wuji ignored him, drawing the soul into the Devouring Demon Heart.

Before Yuan Wuji could refine the newly captured soul, he lunged for the falling headless corpse. Severely wounded, he could not pass up such a precious resource.

With a flash, Yuan Wuji seized the corpse and immediately activated his innate divine power. With the Heavenly Astral Golden Pellet within him, he didn’t need to devour the entire body; his hand clamped on the corpse, divine power surging.

The ancient water ape’s bloodline power was drawn in all at once. The once robust corpse shriveled into a desiccated husk, while the blood pouring from Yuan Wuji’s wounds slowly ceased. However, refining the bloodline power of an ancient water ape was no quick task—it would require a safe environment and time to complete.