0116 When the Chinaberry Blossoms Fall

In truth, although the Great Wilderness bore the name of a mountain range, it was not located anywhere within the Nine Heavens Supreme Realm. It was a realm beyond the heavens themselves—so remote that even the demon clans could not come and go freely, let alone humans.

Until now, even when Chong Qianfan ventured into the Great Wilderness, he never returned. Other martial cultivators who fell into the demon pits were either assimilated or devoured; none had managed to successfully traverse them.

The fragmentary information that Jiang Feng obtained from the Curved Blade became an invaluable resource, one that Fan Gensheng repeatedly questioned him about. Particularly the red blood moon, the floating peak suspended midair, and the figure standing atop it—Fan Gensheng was desperate to extract every detail in full.

Jiang Feng strained his mind to describe it, only to suddenly realize that the image was fading from his mind, gradually dissolving into nothingness.

What was happening?

He suddenly pressed his hand to his forehead and shouted, “No! The Curved Blade is about to break free of control!”

He then realized that this was the fifth day of controlling her, and the time was almost up. The will that resided within the Curved Blade’s body was rapidly fading, while her own consciousness struggled to rise.

If this continued, she would regain awareness and become their enemy once more.

Jiang Feng had previously arranged with Ning Yueshuang and the others that when the five days were up, they would come to join him in surrounding and killing her before she could break free.

As a demon, her power was immense. Even if she stood still and let Jiang Feng attack, he might not penetrate her defenses. Only peers like Ning Yueshuang and the others could more easily eliminate her.

But now, with the moment approaching, Ning Yueshuang and the others had yet to appear. What was going on?

Fan Gensheng waved his hand dismissively. “A minor issue; don’t worry about it.”

He stepped toward the Curved Blade, asking as he walked, “You’ve had a demon woman aiding you for five days—don’t you think that’s a pity?”

Jiang Feng answered firmly, “She’s not human. She’s a demon!”

This was also a profound realization for him over the past five days. The Curved Blade’s fragmentary consciousness occasionally slipped into his mind. That chilling ruthlessness, her indifference and greed toward humans, made him repeatedly feel that demons were an entirely different species from humans.

They sought to enter the Nine Heavens Supreme Realm, to dominate this new world—humans were their enemies and their prey.

That was what a natural enemy truly meant.

Fan Gensheng gave a stiff smile. “It’s good that you have such awareness.”

His movements seemed slow but were in fact swift; in only a few steps, he reached the Curved Blade.

About to break free, her movements no longer flowed as smoothly as before. Her curved blade occasionally sank into a demon’s body, a flicker of confusion crossing her face before she resumed her actions.

Yet it was clear she harbored no mercy or sympathy even for her own kind. In those brief moments when she regained consciousness, she would still ruthlessly slash through the demons around her without hesitation.

Fan Gensheng stood before her but did not act immediately.

Jiang Feng shouted, “Hurry, she’s about to break free!”

Fan Gensheng replied, “Before she breaks free, she is our comrade. I will not harm a comrade.”

Jiang Feng was momentarily stunned; he felt this stance a bit old-fashioned but, truthfully, he also felt a certain respect deep down. He said no more and focused entirely on controlling the Curved Blade, sensing the faint connection between them.

The link weakened by the moment, on the verge of snapping. The Curved Blade’s autonomous consciousness grew stronger, pouring more information from the other side.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng collapsed to one knee with a thud, feeling a splitting headache. A barrage of vivid images swept through him, accompanied by a powerful, icy will. His own resolve shattered instantly.

In that moment, he finally grasped just how formidable the Curved Blade was as a demon. Even with the mysterious golden blood energy, his ability to control a demon of her caliber was a stroke of fortune unlikely to be repeated.

Fan Gensheng sensed something amiss and immediately shouted, “Release her! Now!”

Before the command finished, the Curved Blade’s eyes flashed, her expression undergoing a complete transformation. Confusion, shock, and fury swirled within them. The demon woman let out a roar, turning in rage to charge at Jiang Feng. She was determined to kill the one who dared control and dominate her.

Fan Gensheng sneered, rolling up his sleeves and extending a pale, gnarled hand like a tree root.

He made a grasping motion in the air, and the demon woman’s movements froze as if cut off from power. She looked down in shock at her chest.

There, a large hole had been torn open. Something was missing from within her body.

Fan Gensheng smirked coldly. “A mere school-level demon dares to act recklessly before me!”

The demon’s heart and its core were extracted by him. A school-level demon was utterly powerless before Fan Gensheng.

Jiang Feng knelt on the ground, his mind in chaotic disarray. Struggling to stay calm, he opened his eyes wide, utterly stunned.

The demon woman’s gaze lost all vitality, and with a thud, she collapsed.

Fan Gensheng rose into the air, flying to Jiang Feng’s side with concern. “How are you now?”

This was the power of controlling the air—flight! The strength of a Mind-Aware Martial Ancestor!

To think that a demon capable of matching two Mind-Aware Martial Masters was so easily defeated. Was the gap between a school-level demon and a Mind-Aware Martial Ancestor truly so vast?

Jiang Feng pressed his forehead, speaking in a low voice, “At the… last moment, some information… flooded in…”

A sharp pain surged, and he gritted his teeth.

Fan Gensheng frowned, extending a finger to lightly touch Jiang Feng’s forehead. A cold energy poured into him, immediately easing his discomfort.

Shaking his head, Fan Gensheng said, “You controlled her too easily before. I forgot—after all, you’re still just a Dawn Realm child.”

Jiang Feng gradually returned to normal, sensing new information wrapped in the bright energy, quietly resting within his mind.

Fan Gensheng said, “Your level is too low now. The demon’s will is too strong to be lightly touched. When you advance to the Mind-Aware Realm, you can gradually resolve this cluster of bright energy and the information it contains.”

Jiang Feng asked, “But isn’t the information on the Great Wilderness extremely important?”

Fan Gensheng was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter. If anyone else saw his expression, they would not believe it was him. Yet now, his gaze was sincere and gentle.

The Mind-Aware Martial Ancestor gently patted Jiang Feng’s head and said kindly, “No matter how important, it’s never more important than a promising martial cultivator.”

Jiang Feng felt a warmth in his heart. He lowered his head to look at the demon woman’s corpse and suddenly said, “I want to bury her.”

Fan Gensheng nodded and waved his hand. “Go ahead.”

He then strolled beside the demon pit, and wherever he went, demons fell like a tide collapsing. His overwhelming presence was terrifying, yet it brought a powerful sense of security.

Jiang Feng reflected on the difference between the Mind-Aware Martial Ancestor and the Mind-Aware Martial Master. The strength disparity between these two ranks was truly like heaven and earth.

He was certain that Ning Yueshuang and Jiang Xue, both early Mind-Aware Masters, could fight the Curved Blade, a peak school-level demon, two against one. But if she were to advance one more rank to become a general-level demon, Ning and Jiang would be instantly defeated without any chance to resist.

In fact, if not for the unique circumstances in Taicang City, Jiang Feng would never have had the chance to meet such a high-level expert face-to-face, let alone engage in conversation.

Only warriors of this caliber could seal the demon pits. And the situation in Taicang City’s demon pit was so severe that it required a full twelve Mind-Aware Martial Ancestors.

So far, including Fan Gensheng, only six had been gathered—only half the needed number. The remaining six would be truly difficult to find.

Jiang Feng withdrew his thoughts, dragging the Curved Blade’s body aside to begin digging a grave.

Bitterwood Street had been nearly destroyed; only an ancient bitterwood tree stood firm against a half-collapsed wall. The street had once been named after this tree, and now it alone testified to its past.

Jiang Feng dug a large pit beneath the tree and buried the Curved Blade.

When the demon woman first appeared before him, she was alluring and mysterious, full of temptation. Later, she became silent and bloodied, loyally guarding him.

Now, staring at her face, Jiang Feng felt a swirl of complicated emotions. He gently closed her eyelids and whispered, “Rest in peace,” before shoveling earth over her face.

One handful of soil after another covered her, and thus the demon woman found eternal rest beneath the great tree.

Having finished, Jiang Feng stood up.

Suddenly, someone approached and bent down to pick up a bitterwood flower that had fallen from the tree, placing it before the freshly made grave.

Jiang Feng looked up and saw a sincere-looking soldier of the city’s defense, his shoulders wrapped in thick bandages.

Another smaller soldier hurried over and called out, “A Tong, what are you doing?”

The soldier called A Tong scratched his head and said, “She was a demon, yes, but if she hadn’t saved me last time, I wouldn’t be just this lightly wounded…”

He smiled at Jiang Feng, “Of course, I know she was following your orders, so I should thank you too!”

The smaller soldier scratched his head thoughtfully and also picked up a bitterwood flower to place at the grave.

Their gesture soon caught the attention of others. With Fan Gensheng overseeing, the demons had been wiped out, and the soldiers finally had a moment of peace.

They paused for a moment, then one by one approached. Before long, all the fallen flowers from the bitterwood tree were gathered and piled at the grave’s head.

They said nothing more, simply placing the flowers before walking away. Jiang Feng stood silently, watching this scene, feeling a complex mixture of emotions welling up within him.

After laying the flowers, the soldiers returned to the battlefield, clutching their weapons tightly.

All bore various wounds, yet they stood firm here without a single complaint.

“What are you thinking about?” Fan Gensheng’s voice came quietly from beside him, his eyes fixed on the pile of yellow-green flowers.

Jiang Feng was silent for a long while, then shook his head and exhaled deeply.

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