Chapter 92: Fulfilling the Promise

The cult leader’s lower half was shattered by Xu Yang, leaving him lying on the ground like a pile of mud. Though near death, a sinister smile still lingered on his face.

As he met Xu Yang's icy gaze, the cult leader’s laughter grew wilder.

"Boy, I don't know your identity, but the secret of the Three Thousand Dao States, mentioned by your deceased acquaintance, is undoubtedly connected to you. If you spare my life, I might be able to help you overcome this tribulation. Otherwise, a great disaster awaits you in the future!"

"Hahahaha!"

Xu Yang couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Honestly, many villains and foes have died by my hand, but you're the first to beg for mercy in such a manner."

With a raise of his hand, an incredibly solid beam of spiritual energy shot forth. The Heartslaughter Cult Master’s primordial spirit was instantly shattered, and his head and remaining upper body disintegrated into nothingness.

At the same moment, the golden lotus suppressing Zhao Peng's head began to dim, its radiant glow fading. Zhao Peng's face twitched, and the seal showed signs of loosening.

"Now!"

Huang Tian acted immediately, sending a ray of spiritual light into the golden lotus artifact. It quickly melted the blood-light seal within. Without the cult leader's own bloodline power to sustain it, the seal could not last much longer.

A resounding boom echoed.

Zhao Peng completely broke free from his restraints and regained consciousness, rushing immediately to the ice coffin where his wife lay.

"There's no time left, Huang Tian. Protect me. I must immediately perform the Soul Revival Heavenly Art on his wife. Any more delay, and there will truly be no chance."

Huang Tian nodded in agreement. Xu Yang's fingers moved rapidly, touching Zhao Peng's brow to fully release the wisp of soul sense sealed within the golden lotus. He then drew all the spiritual essence from the lotus into the ice coffin.

In an instant, an enormous spiritual Tai Chi diagram manifested out of thin air. Xu Yang, controlling the diagram, sat cross-legged in the void, channeling the purest life essence from heaven and earth into the ice coffin.

Dappled golden specks of light completely covered the sleeping body of the beautiful woman from head to toe. Aided by Xu Yang's peerless cultivation, the process of recalling her soul began.

Zhao Peng was now fully awake. Seeing Xu Yang exert himself to cast the spell, a wave of inexplicable emotion surged within him.

"Brother, it's all up to you. If you succeed, I, Zhao Peng, will serve you for life!"

Zhao Peng didn't speak these words aloud, but he truly meant them. His wife was his everything. If Xu Yang truly fulfilled his promise, Zhao Peng would unhesitatingly choose to exchange his own life for hers.

Boom!

The sky-reaching technique emitted incredibly powerful spiritual fluctuations, causing the surrounding spatial energy to roar and rumble. This, however, attracted many of the Heartslaughter Cult's peripheral disciples.

"Audacious intruders, trespassing into our Heartslaughter Cult! Kill them!"

Over a hundred low-ranking disciples, mostly at the Golden Core realm, stormed in, condensing their spiritual energy and rushing forward.

Huang Tian picked his teeth and snorted with a chuckle. His entire being instantly manifested dozens of phantom figures from the void, crushing the remaining Heartslaughter Cult members.

Rumble!

Wherever Huang Tian's phantoms passed, they utterly crushed and eradicated the remnants of the cult. In just a few rounds, the buzzing shouts of killing, like flies, fell silent.

With a single finger pointed in the air, Xu Yang's powerful spiritual force quickly guided Zhao Peng's wife's soul essence. Using a heaven-defying technique, he forcefully revived her spirit and restored her consciousness.

"Whew..."

Xu Yang let out a soft sigh and withdrew his hand. Moments later, Zhao Peng and his wife in the ice coffin met each other's gaze, both shedding tears of emotion.

"It worked! It really worked! Senior Xu Yang, you truly are a living deity!"

Zhao Peng was so overwhelmed he almost knelt before Xu Yang, but his wife's emotional tears melted away all his other thoughts, and he embraced her tightly.

Huang Tian wiped his nose and turned away. "Alright, another one of these sickeningly sweet scenes. I can't stomach it!"

Xu Yang smiled wryly and shook his head. "I had no choice. I had to fulfill my promise to him, and this also repays the favor of the Deep Sea Blue Heart."

Huang Tian suddenly thought of something. With a wave of his hand, the golden lotus floated back before Xu Yang.

"What do you plan to do with this?"

Xu Yang's gaze lingered for a moment. "I have a premonition that this item is far more complex than it appears on the surface. The Heartslaughter Cult itself is likely connected to that great secret of the Three Thousand Dao States. We need to temporarily secure this mountain. We'll release news in the Southern Ridge, inviting other sects to come clean up the mess and claim this territory."

Huang Tian nodded in acknowledgment and vanished like a phantom.

At that moment, Zhao Peng, supporting his still slightly weak wife, approached Xu Yang.

"Stop! There's no need for thanks. At most, we are now even."

Zhao Peng smiled wryly and shook his head. "Very well, I'll consider this a favor received. I just want to know if you have any other plans next?"

Xu Yang glanced meaningfully beyond the clouds. "I'm returning to my sect to revive my disciple immediately. The shocking secret hidden within the Three Thousand Dao States can only be unveiled through her."

Zhao Peng nodded. "In that case, let us part ways here. Once I'm done with other matters, I'll seek you out in Qi Territory!"

Xu Yang smiled faintly. "We'll meet again!"

A wisp of smoke-like light ascended. Zhao Peng, with his wife, bowed respectfully to Xu Yang, then boarded a spirit ship and departed first.

How could Dongling be merely ten thousand *li* from Qi Territory? Now that Zhao Peng's beloved wife was revived, there was no longer any reason for him to remain by Xu Yang's side. A temporary farewell was the best choice.

That night, beneath the starlit sky, Xu Yang and Huang Tian stood side-by-side on the void spirit ship, looking down as the Heartslaughter Cult's mountain was divided among the various major forces of the Southern Ridge. The emotions in Xu Yang's heart became even more complex.

"Tell me, although you've acquired the Deep Sea Blue Heart, your disciple has, after all, been asleep for twenty thousand years. Are you truly confident you can revive her? Even if you manage it, the difficulty won't be as easy as reviving Zhao Peng's wife!"

Huang Tian raised this question out of concern for Xu Yang.

"Don't worry. All my resources are within my sect. As long as I return to Qi Territory, even if I have to use heaven-defying methods, I will achieve my goal!"

This had been Xu Yang's unwavering obsession since he emerged from seclusion.

On another note, Ling Qingshu had been temporarily called back to the sect by him earlier and had not entered the city. With no news for such a long time, Xu Yang was more or less worried.

After all, times had changed. The deterrent power of the Tianlan Sect was long gone, and Xu Yang wouldn't be surprised if something truly happened. Only by returning as quickly as possible could he feel more at ease.