"Yan Shouyi, you will ultimately die by my hand," the National Preceptor sneered. "The malevolent energy Qing Jiang left within you, while granting you the strength to contend with me, only affords you that much. You are destined to lose, and furthermore, you cannot control that energy."
Yan Shouyi slowly raised his head, his remaining eye fixed on the National Preceptor.
"You already possess the world's most formidable power and have found a way to attain immortality. Why then must you cling to the folk sects and seek dominion over all? Is ruling the world so alluring to you?"
"What do you know?" the National Preceptor scoffed. "You were born a high and mighty General of Qing Jiang, while I, this National Preceptor, climbed from the very bottom. You think I covet power, that my desires are boundless? Do you not understand the pain of being trampled underfoot, of being powerless to protect one's loved ones?"
The National Preceptor seemed to have a painful past he wasn't about to fully recount.
He merely spread his wings, as if shaking off a long robe from a thousand years ago, wanting to cast aside everything with a nonchalant flourish.
"After being your adversary for a millennium, it feels strange to kill you now," the National Preceptor sighed. "The only thing I can promise you is that after your death, I will slaughter all your family and friends, including Yan Chou and Lin Zhitong. However, I will spare your children and take them as my disciples."
Yan Shouyi let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Do you think I will be grateful for that?"
"They will forget who you are, forget that Lin Zhitong is their mother. They will call me Father, and I will teach them everything I know, then have them succeed me in ruling the world."
As the National Preceptor spoke, a cruel smile spread across his face. It turned out all his actions were not out of mercy, but a desire to destroy his spirit.
The mere thought of such a future felt like being carved by a knife.
"National... Preceptor!"
Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth. He suddenly gripped his Zanpakuto and lunged at the National Preceptor!
But the National Preceptor was prepared. A ball of malevolent energy blocked the Zanpakuto, and in the next moment, it sliced through Yan Shouyi's waist, cleaving him in two!
"Brother Yan!!!!"
Long Feicheng watched this scene, his eyes about to burst.
He stumbled to Yan Shouyi's side, showing no fear of the world's most powerful fiend standing nearby.
Yan Shouyi's body was severed at the waist, the wound a ghastly sight, with a faintly visible, still-beating golden heart.
The National Preceptor glanced at it and burst into laughter. "Tianshu Yang point? So you hid the heart of the Sky Fiend Puppet here. This is your fatal weakness!"
Long ago, Old Jin had replaced Yan Shouyi's heart with a Fusang wood, restoring warmth to his body. But this Fusang wood was also Yan Shouyi's sole vulnerability.
Other parts of his body could potentially recover if damaged, but the destruction of his heart meant certain death, even for a Sky Fiend Puppet.
Long Feicheng spread his arms, shielding Yan Shouyi, his eyes locked onto the National Preceptor.
"If you want to kill my Brother Yan, you'll have to step over my corpse!"
The National Preceptor sneered dismissively. "Long Feicheng, do you even qualify to speak to me? If not for Yan Shouyi, in my eyes, you are but a being smaller than an ant. Killing you is as easy as lifting a finger!"
"Try me if you dare!!"
"You said it!"
The National Preceptor had long been displeased with this ill-mannered brat. Back in Taoyuan Village, this fellow had even vowed to kill everyone in the village.
Him?
Heh.
A tentacle formed of malevolent energy suddenly pierced towards Long Feicheng. To deal with someone like Long Feicheng, the National Preceptor didn't even want to waste half a breath.
The tentacle moved too fast for Long Feicheng to react!
*Shlurp!*
The tentacle directly pierced Long Feicheng's heart!
"Little Long!!!!!"
Yan Shouyi's remaining eye was about to pop out. Seeing Long Feicheng take such a fatal blow was a thousand times more agonizing than his own injuries!
Long Feicheng was just an ordinary person. With his heart pierced, he had almost no chance of survival!
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating yourself! Overestimating yourself!! Hahahahaha!"
The National Preceptor laughed maniacally, flicking Long Feicheng into the air as if playing with a tiny bug.
Long Feicheng, gravely wounded, bled ceaselessly from his mouth.
He knew his life was short, but it seemed he had achieved some goal. Instead of sorrow, he smiled at Yan Shouyi.
"Brother Yan..."
Long Feicheng clasped the tentacle piercing his chest, spitting blood as he whispered, "I am fortunate to have met you again in this life. In the next, we'll continue being brothers."
Yan Shouyi's eyes turned red. He didn't notice the deeper meaning in Long Feicheng's words. All he knew was that his dearest brother was about to die before his very eyes.
Suddenly, Long Feicheng madly tore open his clothes.
On his exposed back, intricate tattoos of strange incantations had appeared!
At this moment, the incantations on Long Feicheng's body erupted with blinding light!
The National Preceptor frowned, greatly surprised. Did the weakest being in his eyes, Long Feicheng, also harbor a hidden trump card?
But the National Preceptor still didn't take Long Feicheng seriously—he was just a mortal, how much skill could he possess?
However, in the next second, the National Preceptor felt something was wrong.
The malevolent energy within him was being siphoned away by Long Feicheng at an astonishing rate!
"What are you doing?!" the National Preceptor exclaimed in shock, frantically trying to shake Long Feicheng off.
But Long Feicheng, having absorbed a large amount of malevolent energy, had become incredibly strong. He grabbed the tentacle with his free hand, preventing the National Preceptor from leaving!
Long Feicheng burst into laughter. "You all look down on me! Now you've flipped your boat in a ditch, hahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!"
Yan Shouyi stared at Long Feicheng in shock. He quickly understood what was happening.
Back in Qiantang, Long Feicheng must have asked the Yin Master Liu Zhiqiao to tattoo something on him.
He never expected it to be useful at this moment!
"Let go, let go!!!"
The National Preceptor, enraged, lifted Long Feicheng high into the air and smashed him violently onto the ground.
Long Feicheng, with his mortal flesh and bone, was shattered after just a few blows. Yet, his willpower was so strong that he refused to let go!
The National Preceptor's malevolent energy was rapidly being absorbed by Long Feicheng!
With no other recourse, he summoned several more tentacles to seize Long Feicheng's limbs.
"Let go! You scoundrel!" the National Preceptor roared.
Long Feicheng sneered. "Damn you, National Preceptor... Damn you, Li Genmiao... You're nothing more than this. In the end, you will still be defeated by me, the Little White Dragon of Rongcheng, Long Feicheng..."
"Ahhhhhhhhh! I'm furious!!!"
The National Preceptor could no longer bear it. With a sudden surge of power, the tentacles tore Long Feicheng's body into pieces!
*Riiip!*
Long Feicheng's blood rained down, splattering onto Yan Shouyi.
"Little Long!!!!!"
At this moment, Yan Shouyi felt as if all his strength had vanished. Blood streamed from his eyes as tears, and grief threatened to drown him.