Within the territory.
Yan Ruyu landed gently, holding Zhao Shuning in his arms.
He chose a perfect spot.
Gently laid her under the shade of a tree.
His hand gently brushed through her hair.
The look in his eyes was as tender as ever.
A smile played on Yan Ruyu's lips.
His voice was soft.
"Ning'er, be good. Just think of it as taking a nap and having a dream. When you wake up, you'll come back to me."
He leaned down.
Placed a gentle kiss on Zhao Shuning's forehead.
He was so tender.
So careful.
Such a Yan Ruyu didn't seem like someone who would massacre the people of the Nine - Continent Realm.
However.
The truth.
Was just like this.
Yan Ruyu turned around.
All the tenderness on his face vanished.
"Emperor Venerable, this woman is the ominous star. We have no choice but to get rid of her. What we're doing is just for the safety of the Nine - Continent Realm," someone said.
Yan Ruyu gave a soft laugh.
His ice - cold countenance.
At this moment, was like a blood - thirsty flower blooming in hell.
It was so terrifying that it made people tremble.
"This woman deserves to die. Emperor Venerable, you are a divine being. Surely you won't take action against us cultivators just for such a woman," another one said.
These were the very people who said Ning'er deserved to die.
Yet they were the ones Ning'er had tried so hard to protect.
It was really ironic when you thought about it.
No.
That was wrong.
What Ning'er wanted to protect was him.
Because she thought.
He was the origin of everything in the Nine - Continent Realm. It was his duty to protect all the people. So, she had made such a decision.
Ultimately.
It was actually him who had caused Ning'er's downfall.
"Emperor Venerable, you mustn't—ah—"
A shrill scream echoed.
The person who had just spoken.
Was actually broken in two at the waist by Yan Ruyu.
What divine being?
What imperial teacher?
What founding ancestor?
All these were just inexplicable shackles.
If these shackles.
Were the reason Ning'er left him.
Then.
Now.
He would break these shackles one by one with his own hands.
If, as a divine being, he couldn't do as he pleased, couldn't protect the one he loved, and could only watch the person he cared about die in front of him for some so - called "sense of mission".
Such a title.
Didn't matter.
In Yan Ruyu's eyes.
It seemed as if red lotuses were blooming.
On the sacred mountain.
Tens of thousands of powerful cultivators.
Didn't even dare to move a muscle at this moment.
It was these people.
Who had previously set up the blood formation, without a second thought, used their spiritual and mental powers to infuse the magical artifacts, creating sharp iron chains that pierced through Ning'er's shoulder blades.
Completely piercing through her body.
How could she have endured such excruciating pain?
Yan Ruyu couldn't imagine, and didn't dare to imagine.
"Devil! You're simply a devil. That woman isn't the ominous star. You're the real one. What you're doing will destroy all of us!" someone shouted.
Yan Ruyu looked at the crowd with a mocking look in his eyes.
Yes.
That was exactly what he planned to do.
In mid - air.
The bound shadow seemed to smell a glimmer of hope.
It began to roar.
Shouting, "It's them. They're the ones who harmed that little thing. Feng Buran, you don't know that when I merged with that little thing, in her heart, no, in her entire spiritual world, you occupied the most important place."
"There's no one in this world who cares about you more than that little thing. It's them. They destroyed your beloved with their own hands. They made you never see that little thing again."
"Feng Buran, since you have such power, you should fight. Fight for the little thing, for your woman. No one can stop you."
The thousand - year stone spirit.
Normally fed on people's greed and malice.
For a thousand years.
It had never chosen Yan Ruyu.
Because this man was perfect both in appearance and character, leaving no room for it to take advantage of.
However.
Now it was different.
In Feng Buran's heart.
There was hatred.
Anger.
And desire.
These.
For the thousand - year stone spirit, were the most useful things that could help it carry out its plan.
Moreover.
In Feng Buran's body.
There was the power of the ancient great emperor.
As long as it made good use of it.
Maybe—
But the thousand - year stone spirit didn't even have time to be happy.
It felt its body being roasted by a raging fire.
It lowered its head.
Before it knew it.
Its body had already been swallowed by red lotuses.
The consciousness of the thousand - year stone spirit.
Vanished into the heavens and earth in an instant.
Yan Ruyu devoured the power of the thousand - year stone spirit.
Moreover.
Without any medium.
He simply devoured it brutally.
The sadness in Yan Ruyu's eyes deepened a little.
The thousand - year stone spirit.
Was just a clown.
Did it really think it could control his mind? How ridiculous.
Yan Ruyu stretched out his hand.
The jade flute at his waist.
Returned to his hand again.
He soared into the air.
Looked at Zhao Shuning under the tree again.
She was really beautiful.
At this moment, Ning'er.
Really looked like she was sleeping.
Then he looked at the crowd.
The crowd was in a panic.
They retreated in horror.
There was nowhere else to retreat.
Yan Ruyu's ten slender fingers stroked the jade flute, and the sound of the flute flowed out.
Everyone on the ground.
Whether they were spiritual pharmacists above the seventh rank or high - level alchemists, their expressions changed drastically the moment the sound of the flute rang out.
This sound of the flute.
Was the soul - destroying melody.
This flute melody was a combination of the alchemist's supreme mental methods: Thunderous Fury, Half - Moon Dragon's Roar, and Rainbow Light Holy Explosion.
You should know.
No matter which one of these three mental methods.
In today's world.
They were no match for it.
With all three mental methods used together.
The Emperor Venerable.
Was going to sacrifice them all here!
First destroy their spiritual roots, then take their souls, and finally inject all the blood in their bodies into the formation to nourish the newly born soul.
This move.
Was extremely cruel.
They would die in extreme pain.
Until the last drop of blood in their bodies dried up, until the last bit of mental power in their spiritual roots was squeezed out, until all the spiritual power in their souls was taken out.
Only then would they face real death.
Being skinned and having their tendons removed.
Being slowly cut to death.
Would be much more pleasant than turning into blood under this soul - destroying melody.
The crowd tried to dodge.
But their bodies were no longer able to resist.
They went limp and fell to the ground.
A sharp pain suddenly hit their minds.
It intensified.
A massacre of unprecedented scale was about to begin.
The ancient dead trees.
The century - old dry rivers.
Would all be moistened and irrigated by this endless stream of fresh blood.
There was not a shred of emotion in Yan Ruyu's eyes.
The sound of the flute in his hand didn't stop because of the pleas of the people on the ground.
Instead.
It grew louder and more intense.
"Clang—"
The sound of the flute suddenly stopped.
From behind Yan Ruyu.
Another lotus flower bloomed. The difference was.
This lotus flower.
Wasn't as fiery as the red lotuses around Yan Ruyu.
It carried a sense of cool water.
It was a green lotus.
The green lotus bloomed.
A hand reached out from it and directly snatched the jade flute from Yan Ruyu's hand.
Yan Ruyu turned around.
His eyes were filled with rage.
After that.
The person in the green lotus completely appeared in front of the dying crowd.