Chapter 494: Despicable

When the young Human-faced Pigeons saw the beautiful pink butterflies, they immediately grew excited. “CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!” they trilled, opening their beaks to peck at them.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Daoxing pushed off lightly with his feet and leaped into the air.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

He landed silently on the dragon-shaped skeleton, ascending step by step without alerting a single fledgling.

Seeing this, Fu Ren and Fu Yi exchanged a joyful glance before turning to Shen Daoxing, their faces alight with excitement. “Go for it, Junior Brother!”

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Shen Daoxing tapped his toes lightly across the skeleton, his figure ascending steadily.

“Demon Ape Meteor Step!”

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing’s figure flickered. He leaped, reached out, and grabbed a rib. With the agility of a monkey, he swung himself around in a circle, propelling himself upward. He caught another rib, spun again, and continued his rapid ascent.

He moved like a Demon Ape leaping nimbly through a mountain forest.

The young Human-faced Pigeons, completely captivated by the pink butterflies, failed to notice Shen Daoxing at all.

Soon, with a nimble mid-air flip, Shen Daoxing soared past the Human-faced Pigeons’ nest. He traced a graceful arc through the sky, landing atop the dragon’s skull, right in front of the Immortal Soldier.

Without hesitation, Shen Daoxing reached out and gripped the longsword’s hilt.

Shen Daoxing felt an immense power erupt in his palm. He instantly released his grip and was sent flying backward.

He lightly tapped a foot on the skeleton below to launch himself upward again, returning to the top of the dragon’s skull.

‘This Treasure Sword is rejecting me.’ At the same time, Shen Daoxing could feel the colossal power within the weapon. ‘It really is a fine blade.’

Meanwhile, inside Shen Daoxing’s Sumeru Ring, the Great Ming Demon Sparrow, the Shattering Void Sword, and Ta’e all began to tremble, as if wanting to burst out and battle this Half-Immortal Soldier.

Venerable Power surged forth from within Shen Daoxing’s body.

BZZZT! BZZZT!

Black arcs of electricity flashed across his hand.

Resolutely, Shen Daoxing reached out once more and seized the Half-Immortal Soldier.

Instantly, he felt a sharp, aggressive power surge from the weapon.

BZZZT! BZZZT!

Black arcs of electricity shot out from Shen Daoxing’s palm, and the very space around him began to distort, stretching one moment and compressing the next.

Suddenly, the aggressive power twisted and spun before dissipating like smoke. The Half-Immortal Soldier trembled, let out a mournful hum, and fell quiet.

Seeing this, Shen Daoxing smiled faintly. With a gentle pull, the Half-Immortal Soldier slid out with ease. It glinted fiercely in the sunlight, its brilliance so dazzling it forced one’s eyes shut.

‘What a sword!’

Shen Daoxing marveled.

“Excellent, we got it!” Down below, still clinging to the dragon’s tail, Fu Ren and Fu Yi whispered excitedly, unable to contain their joy.

But at that moment…

“CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!”

A sudden chirping sound arose.

Shen Daoxing looked up to see that a few young Human-faced Pigeons had, at some point, poked their round heads out right in front of him. They were now staring at him with wide, curious eyes.

Shen Daoxing instantly froze, halting all movement, terrified of startling the fledglings.

Down below, Fu Ren and Fu Yi also froze, holding their breath. It was as if the fledglings were staring at them, and they dared not make a single move.

Suddenly, Fu Ren snapped out of it. He quickly waved at Shen Daoxing, signaling for him to throw the Half-Immortal Soldier down first.

Shen Daoxing paused. He slowly extended one hand and waved it gently in front of the young Human-faced Pigeons, drawing their full attention.

Then, with a flick of his other wrist, he tossed the Half-Immortal Soldier down.

Fu Ren scrambled to catch it. He brought the Dark Blue Treasure Sword close to his eyes, nodding in admiration. He couldn’t bear to part with it. Beside him, Fu Yi craned his neck over. “Let me see!”

SLAP!

But Fu Ren slapped Fu Yi’s hand away and snapped, “Let’s get down first! Can’t you see Junior Brother is still dealing with those Human-faced Pigeons? We need to get down so we don’t distract him.”

With that, Fu Ren and Fu Yi carefully climbed down the dragon’s tail.

However, just as the two of them touched the ground…

“Heh heh heh heh!”

A domineering laugh suddenly echoed from the sky.

A dark figure shot in from the distance, arriving before Fu Ren and Fu Yi in an instant. The figure reached out to snatch the Immortal Soldier from their hands.

Fu Ren and Fu Yi were both startled. “Who are you? How dare you try to steal our prize!”

As they spoke, the brown auras around their bodies flared. They simultaneously raised their hands and unleashed a vicious palm strike.

Yet, the person opposite them merely burst forth with brilliant golden light and an overwhelming, resolute aura.

“Argh!”

Fu Ren and Fu Yi cried out, spitting mouthfuls of blood as they were sent flying backward.

The Half-Immortal Soldier they held had already fallen into the dark figure’s grasp.

The dark figure then leaped up, landing atop a towering, ancient tree. He slowly raised the Half-Immortal Soldier in his hand, a smirk spreading across his face as he began to laugh.

“Heh heh heh heh, so this is a Half-Immortal Soldier? A peerless Magical Artifact? What a fine sword! A fine sword indeed! Heh heh heh… To the members of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, thank you for all your hard work. As for this gift you’ve delivered, I, Sikong Ao, will deign to accept it! Hahahaha!”

The dark figure threw his head back and roared with laughter.

This newcomer was none other than Sikong Ao.

With pale faces, Fu Ren and Fu Yi staggered to their feet. They looked up in shock and fury. “Sikong Ao, you bastard! We worked our asses off for that Half-Immortal Soldier! It’s ours!”

“Yours?”

Sikong Ao’s lips curled into a disdainful smirk. “If it’s yours, then why is it in my hands? Heh heh heh… Since you claim it’s yours, feel free to come and take it.”

As he spoke, Sikong Ao looked down on Fu Ren and Fu Yi with a cold, arrogant gaze. “To deal with the two of you, I could do it with one hand tied behind my back. No, I could tie both hands behind my back. How about it?”

Sikong Ao was a master at the late stage of the Refining Dust Realm. He naturally held Fu Ren and Fu Yi, who were merely at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm, in complete disdain. As for Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying, he thought even less of them.

Fu Ren and Fu Yi’s expressions froze. They didn’t dare to move, let alone attack. They were only at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm and hadn’t even reached the Refining Dust Realm. How could they possibly be a match for a late-stage Refining Dust expert like Sikong Ao? Even if he didn’t use his arms, they would still be utterly defeated.

Seeing the aggrieved and helpless expressions on their faces, Sikong Ao couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh triumphantly.