Chapter 113: You've Returned, Congratulations on Your Purification!

Or rather, a bird-man whose wings have yet to fully grow!

...

Along the way, with the Fierce Tiger Ghost-Head Blade in hand, the sarira pulsing with power, and the candle flame lighting the path, any low-level demons or ghosts that dared to approach Lin Yi were instantly transformed into colorful, ominous energy and absorbed by the *Sutra of Severing Spirits*.

It was like using a cannon to swat mosquitoes—each shot hit its mark perfectly, without a shred of wasted effort.

Lin Yi found it incredibly satisfying; for the first time, he was slaughtering these monsters without even breaking a sweat. He felt like a humanoid savage, charging recklessly forward. Some of the fiends didn't even require his intervention; as soon as they neared the candle’s flame, they perished in an instant, becoming his rewards.

"Sealed and recorded low-level vengeful ghost. Reward: three days of cultivation."
"Sealed and recorded low-level demon. Reward: ten days of cultivation."
...

Such notifications rang out incessantly. To Lin Yi, these were the most beautiful sounds imaginable, like flowers raining from the sky. At the same time, as he utilized the *Secret of Moving*, the *Great Cave True Scripture* within him opened up completely. Lin Yi seemed like a blazing red sun, drawing the attention of all the nearby monsters.

Soon, Lin Yi had fought his way back to his original position. He arrived just in time to see the Demon King transforming into its current bird-man form, leaving Lin Yi momentarily stunned. Could it be that the Demon King’s true state was a bird-man? A human with wings—what else could it be but a bird-man? Suddenly, a thought occurred to him: on the other side of the planet, "bird-man" seemed to be a collective term for gods—the descendants of the most powerful deities, acting as their representatives in that world.

Shaking his head, Lin Yi decided not to dwell on it. He felt as though countless "fleeces" were floating in the air, the largest among them being Zhao Qilin, the hazy consciousness of the fragmented barrier space, and this bird-man Demon King!

"You actually dare to return... Hahaha... Heaven truly aids me! You must be carrying those treasures that helped you; now they belong to me. How foolish to seek your own death by coming back... Hahahahaha!"

The Demon King's orb projected from its mouth, leaving Zhao Qilin feeling both terrified and endure immense strain. He had not expected such an outcome; the Demon King had begun to manifest its true form in the air, complete with avian features. Zhao Qilin knew that with his current strength and the energy he had refined, he was no match for the Demon King. He had been preparing to make a desperate final stand, but upon seeing Lin Yi return, he immediately thought of the treasure Lin Yi had used to tear through the spatial barrier. If he could seize it, his power would surely skyrocket.

After Zhao Qilin finished speaking, the somewhat dull and not-so-bright consciousness of the small space couldn't help but mutter to itself: "So that’s how it is. If he has a treasure and I obtain it, then victory will be mine this time." It, too, began to focus on Lin Yi, itching to kill and loot!

"Hand over the treasure! Once I, the Demon King, am resurrected, I will grant you infinite benefits. Otherwise, for aiding the evildoer, I will utterly destroy you, ensuring you never reincarnate and suffer my torture for all eternity!"

The bird-man had started to speak as well. Lin Yi realized that villains were all cut from the same cloth! These fellows were truly archetypal antagonists—their mannerisms and speech were identical.

...

"Hehehehe... I’m here! I said I’d come back to bully you, Zhao Qilin, and so I have!"

"I don't care what transformations you've undergone. In short, I'm here now, and everything is mine. Zhao Qilin, you want to snatch my treasure? Don't be surprised if you're the first one I kill!"

"And you, the hazy consciousness of the fragmented barrier—always roaring at me and watching me—just you wait. Before you shatter completely, everything you have will be mine too!"

"Finally, you, the newly manifested bird-man Demon King. Right, you're a bird-man Demon King, aren't you? Because you look just like a bird-man. I don't care about the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; I’m telling you, I’m the kid with the slingshot waiting to shoot you down! You are all mine, all mine! I hereby declare that I am joining the fray, and you three are my enemies!"

Lin Yi roared in excitement. Neither the Fierce Tiger Ghost-Head Blade nor the sarira in his hands drew as much attention from the three powerhouses as the candle he held in his other hand. At this moment, dense swarms of monsters were drawn toward Lin Yi by the surging energy of his *Great Cave True Scripture*. Both the hazy consciousness of the small space and Zhao Qilin were manipulating their minions—monsters and zombies alike—to charge at him.

Countless monsters threw themselves at Lin Yi one after another. The moment they touched him, the flame on the candle flared up with a sizzling sound, and they began to perish in droves.

After his roar, Lin Yi no longer cared for these small fry and charged toward the beam of light. They only provided minor cultivation rewards, and he was hardly short on that now! Striding forward, he ignored the three powerhouses who were fixated on his candle and stepped directly into the beam of light.

As he entered, the sizzling grew more intense, and the power of the candle began to radiate outward.

The light pillar had split into three. The Demon King’s portion shone with a distinct blood-red light; Zhao Qilin’s had turned black; and the consciousness of the fragmented barrier was a mix of black and white. As Lin Yi entered, the *Great Cave True Scripture* within him caused a layer of golden light to shimmer around his body. Combined with the candle's flame, his aura appeared as a golden-yellow glow that began to expand.

The blood-red light of the bird-man Demon King, which had held the advantage, was the first to be suppressed. Next came the ominous energy of the fragmented barrier, followed by the dark, evil energy of Zhao Qilin.

"I am not a bird-man Demon King! I have a name—I am the Blood Demon! My name is the Demon King Blood Demon!"

"Ahhh... what is that worn-out candle you hold? Why is it so strong? Why can it corrode my blood energy..."

While bellowing his name, the Blood Demon frantically retracted its red light, trying to avoid contact with the golden-yellow radiance emitted by Lin Yi's candle. But how could Lin Yi let it off so easily? He swung the Fierce Tiger Ghost-Head Blade toward it.

As Lin Yi attacked, Zhao Qilin and the hazy consciousness of the small space could no longer hold back. Zhao Qilin stared at the candle with bloodshot, greedy eyes, gritting his teeth. He even wanted to reach out with his withered hands to snatch the small candle away, because it was clearly a top-tier treasure. But he was powerless to do so.

Now that Lin Yi was closer, he saw that Zhao Qilin’s yellow robes were in tatters, and he was so gaunt he resembled a skeleton, with parts of his body rotting away—even his eyeballs were nearly gone. Zhao Qilin had clearly refined himself into a zombie; no wonder he had survived in this place for half a year.

Lin Yi had truly become the fourth powerhouse of this realm, something none of the other three had anticipated. However, they all assumed Lin Yi’s strength came solely from the candle, and that his true self must be weak. They were already adjusting their strategies, wondering how to seize the candle.

Meanwhile, the Demon King Blood Demon was suffering. Lin Yi’s blade struck repeatedly, causing its demonic energy to dissipate. Combined with the relentless burning of the candle, the Blood Demon could barely hold on. Finally, with a "bang," it shrank back into the form of the Demon King's orb.

Radiating a faint red light, it suddenly dove toward the hazy consciousness of the fragmented barrier. Clearly, the Blood Demon intended to defeat the small space first.

Just as Zhao Qilin prepared to reach out, Lin Yi knew the time was right. He pivoted, his golden-yellow light completely isolating the black energy mass of Zhao Qilin from the black-and-white energy of the barrier’s consciousness. They were now blinded to each other.

Lin Yi could now focus on Zhao Qilin and take him down first!

Zhao Qilin sneered as he watched Lin Yi, his greed flaring. With a thought, he acted.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Zhao Qilin was not without talent. He realized that the candle was too powerful for Lin Yi to fully control, and he could exploit that! He used the zombies under his control to do so. In the blink of an eye, swarms of zombies surged forward, disregarding their lives, and charged toward the golden light!

Amidst them, Zhao Qilin grinned ferociously and charged as well. His black corpse energy compressed into a ball, following the monsters and zombies.

"Success, I must succeed! Little one, you will be mine. I will possess you! You seem to have many secrets; possessing you is likely better than possessing this secret realm... The candle is mine, the blade is mine, you are mine! Hahaha, I return those words to you..."

The arrogant and triumphant Zhao Qilin prepared to say more as he crossed into the golden light. While the candle’s flames burned his minions, he reached out to grab it. To his shock, he saw Lin Yi’s face—not filled with worry or anger, but with a joyful smile!

In the next moment, he saw Lin Yi move forward instead of retreating, pressing right up against him.

"Congratulations. You are the first to be killed by my *Sutra of Severing Spirits* bug-purification ability... Oh, you turned yourself into a corpse, so are you human or dead? Regardless, congratulations, my little treasure, the first living being to be purified by the *Sutra of Severing Spirits*!"