The deities had the power to shift mountains and seas and were capable of plenty of unthinkable deeds. They transcended worldliness and attained holiness; they posited themselves above the masses and were detached from the mortal world.

　　Regardless of how insignificant the masses were, the power they produced when they were united and joined their power of heart was unimaginable. The power of heart, when combined with the mountains and rivers, could produce a force that even the deities would fear.

　　Back when the Empress used to run the world, she performed plenty of good deeds. However, only when she was walking on the path of Shen now that she harbored the wish to protect the living beings.

　　The form of protection she offered was amalgamated with the survival instinct of the spiritual beings, and this had lent her immeasurable divine power. She finally stood a chance at victory in the battle against Huang Longzi.

　　The sky full of sword gleam fell onto Huang Longzi’s dragon scales as though it was raining orange day-lily. Some had managed to injure him, but most of them did not break apart his protective shield; the piercing pain made him angry, but even more so, he was afraid.

　　A giant wave rolled over, and endless Qi of Vitality formed around the Empress. It was like a giant millstone that was grinding Huang Longzi’s body of a real dragon.

　　The living beings at the river made Huang Longzi uncomfortable with their power of heart. On top of that, the words of the spell were dissolved into the Trial of Water and Huang Longzi’s technique of the Real Trial of Red Water lost its effect too. Moreover, the fate of the Dynasty contained within the imperial jade seal suppressed Huang Longzi’s spirit.

　　The roars of the real dragon and the mountains and rivers resonated in the night sky. The moon in the sky watched in silence, as though it was used to seeing the vicissitudes of life.

　　Within the District of Sky Demon, Shen Lian was faced with the most treacherous situation he had ever encountered in his life.

　　The giant cocoon formed by the surrounding Sky Demon Insect had grown to be as big as a little hill. At the heart of it, Shen Lian calmly drew out countless sword gleams. It was as though he was unaware of the fact that the more Sky Demon Insects he killed, the more Sky Demon Insects that would be reborn.

　　It was as if the saying, “For every foot that Dao had grown, the Demon would grow by ten feet” had come true. Shen Lian had literally cocooned himself like silkworms, and there was no escape from it.

　　A gentle voice rose slowly. In the quiet and isolate District of Sky Demon, Yanxu was akin to a deity. Even the slightest sound he made gave off the impression that he was in control here. “Do you still not understand that whatever you are killing is merely the thoughts in your heart? The thoughts came with the heart. There is no end to it,” he spoke.

　　The demonic voice sounded deep and it had traveled through a thick layer of demonic cocoon before reaching Shen Lian’s ears. However, Shen Lian seemed to be unaffected. He continued slashing repetitiously at a steady tempo.

　　After some time – perhaps a moment, perhaps a hundred year, sword aura akin to a long river had broken through the demonic cocoon. Just as the ancient Milky Way that crossed through countless stars, it had endless Dao meaning and was capable of washing away all form of filth.

　　As he slashed through the demonic insects, Shen Lian had been purifying his sword gleam. He stripped off the impetuous characteristics of the secular world from it, and he cleansed away the distracting thoughts that came from being a spiritual being. From there on, he was able to see his clean and bright nature. Just as the Milky Way that encapsulated a variety of changes and rolled forward eternally, it was indestructible.

　　“Where did you learn the Milky Way Swordsmanship from?” Yanxu asked in surprise.

　　“It does not seem authentic. Though, you must have seen the real Milky Way Swordsmanship. It seems that you have been through more than I have expected. However, it is me that you have run into today. How unfortunate,” Yanxu spoke lightly after the initial shock wore off.

　　The darkness was condensing, and Shen Lian remained in the demonic cocoon. Despite that the sword aura was rolling like the Milky Way, he was still in danger.

　　Suddenly, the brilliant Milky Way disappeared. It had turned into starlight that was as bright as the stars in the sky. The dots of starlight had dissolved the demonic cocoon completely, and the cocoon was replaced by a butterfly. The butterfly extended its wing as though it had just broken through the cocoon.

　　“Pipe dream,” those were the only two words that Shen Lian uttered.

　　Zhuangzhou had a dream where he did not know if he was the butterfly or the butterfly was him; it was difficult to differentiate between real and fake, oneself and others.

　　The butterfly flapped its wings gently, and someone snorted in the dark. Countless long ropes extended forward as they tried to restrain the butterfly.

　　Yanxu smiled coldly. This time around, it was the old fool’s meaning of Dharma. He could never forget this. Though, would he not have spent all these years in vain?

　　The world spun and the moon remained clear and bright.

　　Shen Lian’s light green Daoist robe was in a tattered state and his Daoist bun had been undone. His long hair flew freely in the air and he was pale as a white sheet of paper. There was no hint of blood on his face. At the same time, black evil Qi appeared and hovered over all of the acupoints on his body. With the strength of his mana, he vibrated it away slightly. However, the Qi still found its way into his body, and there were flashes of demonic marks appearing on his pale face.

　　Shen Lian did not have the luxury to contemplate about it. He jumped into the river water immediately.

　　Yanxu appeared the moment Shen Lian had jumped into the river water. He did not bother with the battle between Huang Longzi and the Empress and stared closely at the river water. He pointed his finger and a small boat appeared on the water surface. The small boat remained static amidst the rolling water. In a flash, he appeared on the small boat; his white clothes looked like clouds and snow and he stood atop the small boat. “Are you still trying to escape even after you have been subjected to my Supreme Heart Demon Chant?” He smiled.

　　However, Yanxu’s figure seemed translucent under the moonlight. The moonlight filtered past his body and his shadow was nowhere to be found on the small boat. He did not seem to be made out of blood and flesh. In fact, he was not as creepily scary as before. To be frank, Yanxu knew all too well that it was difficult to say who amongst the two of them had the upper hand. However, Yanxu was extremely focused this time around, as he was determined to capture Shen Lian.

　　At the rate Shen Lian was improving, it would be very troublesome for him if he had missed this chance. Previously, he merely saw Shen Lian as an outstanding youngling. However, he was treating him as equal now.

　　Shen Lian’s previous decision to slash away the Sky Demon Insects seemed to be the right choice. This was because the moment he stopped and focused solely on his defense, he might feel helpless for his predicament. At that moment, Yanxu would be able to leverage on that weak point of his and to defeat him completely.

　　However, Yanxu did not expect Shen Lian to be so rational and decisive. He polished his sword will with it and had even gone as far as utilizing the Milky Way Swordsmanship to create an opening in his District of Sky Demon. At that moment, he had almost gotten away with the old fool’s “pipe dream”.

　　All these thoughts flashed past, and the lone boat flowed along with the current. It was like a sharp arrow that pierced through the river current and had disappeared at a faraway point.

　　River water could cover a lot of traces, but it was difficult to hide from Yanxu. To a certain extent, dealing with Yanxu was tougher than dealing with certain land immortals. This was so as Shen Lian could hide his track with the Tongtian Concealment Skill. Even land immortals who were familiar with all sort of techniques would not be able to trace him down.

　　However, Yanxu’s Free Form Incarnation seemed creepier and was different from most spells in the world. Even after he had escaped to a few hundred miles away, Shen Lian still felt the shadow looming over his heart. Yanxu could roughly gauge his whereabouts and was tracing him down.

　　When he emerged from the river water, the moon was still high up in the sky. Shen Lian entered the dense forest and was performing countless secret techniques. He had left behind a wide array of Dao talismans.