Chapter 542: Tricky Sorcerer

The ancient Demon Master Kunpeng... Could he have been defeated so easily? Was he perhaps a fake?

To easily retrace their steps, Li Changshou and his group returned the way they came, arriving back at the "mountain cave dwelling" that Kunpeng had crashed through.

Most of the peculiar formations here were still active, and the environment within the cave dwelling was relatively stable. In this Sea of Chaos, finding such a secret place was truly difficult.

At this moment, Kunpeng remained in human form, looking utterly miserable. He was pierced through various vital points by the Soul-Piercing Lock and wrapped like a zongzi by the Dragon-Binding Rope. Yet, Li Changshou still felt uneasy, so he focused the power of the Taiji Diagram, originally meant for protecting one's own primordial spirit, entirely on Kunpeng's primordial spirit. Of course, these were just standard procedures; Li Changshou, after all, always took an extra precaution. He then arranged for a certain auspicious beast of high standing to sit beside Kunpeng. Bai Ze merely looked on.

And just like that, Kunpeng, heavily wounded, bound hand and foot, with the Immortal-Slaying Sword suspended above his head, became a prisoner.

Li Changshou didn't feel he had any right to accept a bow from Kunpeng. Therefore, when Golden Roc held Kunpeng down, intending for him to kneel, Li Changshou promptly intervened, saying sternly: "Though Demon Master Kunpeng is extremely wicked and fierce, he is still a powerful figure from the ancient and primordial eras of the Great Desolation. There's no need for such humiliation."

Kunpeng let out a cold laugh, gazing at Li Changshou with chilling eyes. His severed arm was still dripping blood, and his fierce nature remained undiminished.

By the way, Li Changshou carefully put away that inexplicable spherical object, adding another trump card to his collection.

Li Changshou said, "Kunpeng, your current predicament is entirely due to our actions. I will certainly not let you live to have a chance at revenge. Before I send you on your way, I shall respectfully address you as 'senior.' Do you have any last words?"

Kunpeng gave a cold smile and simply closed his eyes.

Bai Ze sighed from the side, "Lord Water God, may I have a word with him? Consider it sending him off."

Li Changshou slowly nodded, retreated a few steps, and exchanged a glance with Yun Xiao. A hint of emotion flickered in their eyes. A great power of an era, ultimately reduced to this.

Bai Ze sat cross-legged in front of Kunpeng, took out a jade flask from his sleeve, poured two cups of wine, and placed one in front of Kunpeng.

Kunpeng was unable to move at all at this point and was kicked by Golden Roc, falling clumsily to the ground. Yet, he showed no trace of anger, merely giving Golden Roc a cold stare and a snort.

"A wretch willing to be someone's mount."

"My teacher spared my life, saved my Phoenix clan's destiny, dispelled the confusion in my heart, and guided me on why I was born! To be my teacher's mount is the honor of this life!"

Golden Roc's eyes were filled with hatred as he declared, "Teacher, please permit me to tear apart Kunpeng's primordial spirit later, leaving him without a burial place!"

Li Changshou said, "You will certainly have your revenge, Golden Roc. Don't get too agitated. Let Mr. Bai have a word with him first."

"Old friends?" Kunpeng sneered, then burst into laughter: "You are merely afraid of me! Terrified of me! You want to confirm if I have any hidden tricks left! Hahahaha! Such pretense, I discarded long ago in the ancient times!"

Li Changshou smiled, but said nothing more. Instead, he summoned Golden Roc closer and inquired about the feud between the Phoenix clan and Kunpeng.

To Li Changshou's surprise, Kunpeng turned out to be the adopted son of the Ancestral Phoenix.

In ancient times, the Ancestral Dragon created many dragon sons, and the Dragon race prospered. However, the Phoenix clan, one of the two great races that followed Pangu in the war against the innate gods and demons, did not have many offspring.

The Ancestral Phoenix was proud by nature and unwilling to procreate with innate beings weaker than herself. Thus, she embarked on a path of clan expansion entirely different from that of the Dragon race.

"Become my son!" When Golden Roc said this, the image that surfaced in Li Changshou's mind was surprisingly of a certain burly old man from his previous life, whose beard was as white as a scimitar... Clearing his mind, Li Changshou re-imagined a scene in the style of the Great Desolation.

Under the bright sunlight, the proud and beautiful Ancestral Phoenix, with her Nirvana Fire Wings, extended her hand towards the kneeling figure before her, gently stroking their head.

In ancient times, the idiom "all birds paying homage to the Phoenix" did not mean that once the phoenix appeared, all birds followed. Rather, it referred to many powerful avian beings who were adopted into the Phoenix clan, accepted the Ancestral Phoenix's Nirvana Blood, and transformed into phoenixes.

In ancient times, Kunpeng was the adopted son of the Ancestral Phoenix. He wasn't very prominent within the Phoenix clan, being an avian form transformed from the divine fish, Kun.

But with the Dragon-Phoenix War, Kunpeng rapidly rose by devouring the essence of the fallen Phoenix clan members. When the ancient Great Desolation was shattered and the experts of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin races were largely decimated, he declared himself King of the Northern Sea, dominating the region and breaking ties with the Phoenix clan.

He later became the Demon Master of the Demon Court.

At the end of the War between the Witch and Demon races, Kunpeng was pursued by human experts, fled into the Sea of Chaos, secretly escaped to the Undying Volcano, deceived the Primordial Phoenix's trust, and then betrayed her, stealing a portion of her essence.

Kong Xuan and the Golden-Winged Great Roc, upon leaving the Undying Volcano to venture through the Three Realms, also had a plan to investigate Kunpeng's whereabouts and kill him.

However, it was no longer necessary now.

Li Changshou asked, "Then, if Kunpeng is refined, can the Primordial Phoenix's essence be restored?"

"Well," Golden Roc thought carefully, then said, "That is unknown, but some part should be recoverable."

"You don't need to trouble yourselves," Kunpeng said calmly. "When a Saint pursued me in the past, and I was gravely wounded and dying, I had already used all of the Primordial Phoenix's essence to heal my injuries."

Golden Roc was enraged, immediately wanting to kill him, but was stopped by Li Changshou.

Bai Ze said slowly, "Kunpeng, considering we once worked together in ancient times, I offer you a drink today."

Kunpeng remained silent, staring at Bai Ze, his eyes seemingly contemplating something.

Bai Ze smiled: "You don't need to overthink it. Today, your death is certain. As you said, for safety, we indeed need to ascertain if you have any hidden tricks left. Life in the Sea of Chaos must have been difficult, wouldn't you agree? There's a human saying, 'When a man is about to die, his words are good.' Now that you've reached a dead end, why not share a few more words with me?"

Kunpeng's expression was calm and indifferent, as if he no longer cared much about his own life or death.

Li Changshou secretly observed this from the side, and a strange suspicion rose in his heart... Kunpeng's will to live was surprisingly weak.

Yun Xiao transmitted her voice: "This Demon Master seems quite different from the one in the legends."

"Indeed," Li Changshou replied with his arms crossed, "I just feel like the process of subduing him was too simple..."

Even when transmitting her voice, Yun Xiao's tone was soft and gentle, making one's Dao heart feel exceptionally comfortable. She said, "It wasn't simple, actually. Kunpeng's most troublesome aspect is his extreme speed, unmatched for a long time in the Sea of Chaos. The Golden-Winged Great Roc is already a rare and exotic species, and your Way of Balance is an unheard-of Dao from ancient and primordial times. Kunpeng was already heavily wounded and had long resided in the Sea of Chaos; crashing into you, his nemesis, it's only reasonable that he met this end."

"Though this provides a reasonable explanation, something still feels off," Li Changshou slightly shook his head, gazing at Kunpeng's current expression.

Yun Xiao did not disturb him further, allowing him to focus on thinking and fully prepare for any sudden attack from Kunpeng.

At this moment, Kunpeng's mental defenses seemed to be gradually crumbling. Facing Bai Ze, this 'old acquaintance' with whom he had debated countless times in the splendid halls of the Demon Court, his face gradually turned ashen, and he gave a slightly self-mocking smile. The sharp glint in his eyes slowly faded.

Li Changshou's brows furrowed slightly... He couldn't detect any problems. Kunpeng's current state seemed to be that of someone who had hidden in the Sea of Chaos for too long, becoming somewhat self-abandoning. This made perfect sense...

"It seems you won in the end," Kunpeng's voice became a bit hoarse. "Bai Ze, you have once again found an enlightened master to follow."

"This humble Daoist has not pledged allegiance to the current Heavenly Court," Bai Ze said with a faint smile, setting down the wine cup and placing his hands on his knees. "To be precise, this humble Daoist was forced into a corner by Lord Water God. To survive, I pledged allegiance to Lord Water God."

"Your divine ability, to seek fortune and avoid disaster, made my many assassination attempts against you in ancient times futile." Kunpeng said, "Have you also grown old?"

"It's a long story, but ultimately, I was outmaneuvered by half a step," Bai Ze sighed. "He used my own divine ability to force me into a dead end, and even found my location before I could hide in the Sea of Chaos. Don't feel you were wronged in your defeat today. When you stumbled upon us, your fate for today was already sealed. This is not the Great Desolation; it's the chaotic Sea of Chaos, and there's no Heavenly Dao to influence your judgment. In short, you sought your own demise."

"Haha..." Kunpeng's laugh turned into a look of profound sorrow. "I never imagined that I, who roamed freely my entire life, would now be buried here, by the hands of a junior."

Bai Ze said, "You went to extremes in everything, committing all sorts of evil. In the end, Heaven's wrath and spiritual resentment led to you being intolerable in the Great Desolation. This outcome is what you deserve."

"Stop spouting nonsense with 'destined by fate'," Kunpeng said. "You believe you've calculated everything, won supremacy in the Great Desolation, and single-handedly built the Demon Court and established the ancient sacred race. In reality, you were merely a chess piece played by the Heavenly Dao, a magical artifact manipulated by those beings who reached the pinnacle of the Great Desolation before you. Bai Ze, do you know what is most absurd in the Great Desolation?"

Bai Ze was silent for a moment, his face showing a hint of helplessness, and said: "Your experiences and encounters differ from mine, so naturally our insights differ. I understand you somewhat; let me try to guess. The most absurd things to you are probably nothing more than two matters. Firstly, you feel that you were merely following the old path of the great powers in ancient times—seizing treasures, killing, using any means to strengthen yourself—yet you are branded an extremely evil being by later generations' concepts of good and evil, which originally had nothing to do with you. You were a hegemon of ancient times, yet you are scorned by juniors who only know how to flaunt their goodness and benevolence. Secondly, the Demon race itself."

"All wrong."

"Oh?" Bai Ze raised an eyebrow.

Kunpeng laughed: "I act without regard for good or evil, only for cause and effect. I don't follow rules; I use any means necessary. So-called good, evil, benevolence, and righteousness are merely illusions. The Great Desolation has always been about the supremacy of the strong, and so-called order is merely a barrier imposed by the strong on the weak to consolidate their own status. The strong want to prevent the birth of beings in later generations that could threaten their existence. Bai Ze, if you weren't sitting here today, facing me, who is about to be annihilated, you probably would never know why the Demon race was established."

Bai Ze said, "Saying all this is useless now."

"You're scared," a faint light flickered in Kunpeng's eyes. "Wasn't the Demon race established by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who single-handedly supported them to scheme against Pangu's descendants? Do you really believe that your divine ability to seek fortune and avoid disaster was given to you for free by the Heavenly Dao? Every step you took, every choice you made—not just you, but also those two Demon Emperors, and everything about the Demon Court—was under Hongjun's control. It was only because the Witch race were Pangu's descendants, inherently uncontrollable, that the War between the Witch and Demon races occurred. In your terms, what is supreme evil? Dao Ancestor was that trailblazer, the one who truly reached the pinnacle of all beings in ancient times. Do you know what divine ability Dao Ancestor used to kill Rahu back then? I saw it; it was a battle of peak physical combat. What did Dao Ancestor transmit in the Great Desolation? The Primordial Spirit Dao, which can be easily influenced by the Heavenly Dao. This is the most absurd thing. Clearly, I admired Dao Ancestor Hongjun the most, yet in the end, when the Demon Court fell, I only received a glance from him and ended up in this miserable state. It was only after I was pursued by Tongtian, gravely wounded and on the verge of death, and then narrowly escaped with my life, that I finally understood this truth. Hongjun would never allow a second him..."

"Mr. Bai," Li Changshou's voice interrupted Kunpeng. He floated over from behind, now standing before Kunpeng, and said, "There's no need to let him speak further. The Demon Master of that era is already dead; what stands before us now is merely a lonely spirit from ancient times unwilling to fade, full of resentment, and utterly lacking in grandeur."

Bai Ze sighed softly, stood up, and took two steps back.

"Go ahead, Golden Roc."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Golden Roc clasped his hands in a Daoist salute, then gripped the small God-Slaying Spear, pouring almost all his strength into thrusting it towards Kunpeng's head.

For safety, the moment the small God-Slaying Spear pierced Kunpeng's forehead, Li Changshou activated the power of the Taiji Diagram, annihilating Kunpeng's primordial spirit.

Kunpeng's remaining body tried to transform into its original form. The Qiankun Ruler in Li Changshou's hand flew out on its own, invoking the complete Way of Qiankun to suppress it, so that when Kunpeng transformed, he was only ten feet long.

Subsequently, the Qiankun Ruler and the Hunyuan Golden Dou joined forces. Li Changshou and Yun Xiao acted together, placing Kunpeng's remains into the Hunyuan Golden Dou.

The Hunyuan Golden Dou possessed the power to trace back to origins. Immortal Yun Xiao, having received repeated instructions from Li Changshou, now fully exerted her power to refine Kunpeng's body...

A formidable figure of the Great Desolation, a notorious evil being, was thus reduced to nothing but dust.

In response, Bai Ze merely let out a long sigh and sprinkled the wine that had been placed before Kunpeng onto the floor of the cave dwelling.

Li Changshou, on the other hand, carefully searched for any lingering remnants of soul and meticulously burned away Kunpeng's bloodstains and fragments with Samadhi True Fire.

Golden Roc leaned on the God-Slaying Spear, bowed his head in salute, and then remained silent for a while.

Li Changshou asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"After all, he was once considered a spirit of our Phoenix clan."

Yun Xiao completely refined Kunpeng's body. After about half an hour, according to Li Changshou's perception, the group embarked on their journey back.

On the way back, Golden Roc still flew at high speed with outstretched wings, but Bai Ze also transformed into human form, sitting before Li Changshou and Yun Xiao, his face filled with lament.

The old mount of the Human School needed to unburden himself.

Kunpeng's true body was already riddled with holes, so dealing with it wasn't a difficult task.

But after killing Kunpeng, Li Changshou's mood was surprisingly calm. There was no sense of accomplishment or joy, but rather a desolate sadness, as if witnessing the end of an era. And, a lingering doubt in his heart.

Kunpeng's words did not shake Li Changshou's Dao heart; he still respected Dao Ancestor as always.

Different perspectives on a problem naturally lead to different conclusions.

The current order of the Great Desolation originated from 'Dao Ancestor merging with the Dao and the Six Saints taking their positions.' It was only natural for Kunpeng, as an 'old remnant' from ancient times, to say such things.

It would truly be a joke if he were easily swayed by Kunpeng's few words. Of course, Li Changshou himself was sufficiently wary of Dao Ancestor and absolutely did not want to become a second Senior Lang.

But why did he keep feeling that something was off about today's events?

Soon, Yun Xiao retrieved Kunpeng's 'legacy' from the Hunyuan Golden Dou. The doubt in Li Changshou's Dao heart grew increasingly obvious.

How could this Kunpeng be so poor?

Li Changshou obtained a supreme-grade storage spiritual treasure, a jade thumb ring. Inside, there was only a pile of lifeless broken tiles and rotten copper, along with a few rare but useless precious materials.

Thinking carefully, this was also reasonable. Kunpeng was injured and couldn't recover his magical power from the spiritual energy in the Sea of Chaos, so he could only rely on his own reserves. After a long period, his injuries had not healed, his magical power had not recovered, and his reserves had long been exhausted. He dared not return to the Great Desolation, nor even get too close to it, thus he couldn't get 'supplies.' Kunpeng was ultimately a being of the Great Desolation; although he could survive in the Sea of Chaos, he couldn't live comfortably.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Li Changshou's troubled frown, Yun Xiao softly asked.

"I still feel something is off," Li Changshou did not hide. "Kunpeng died too easily; it's truly abnormal. Mr. Bai, did Kunpeng have any powerful magical treasures?"

Bai Ze said, "I haven't heard of that. Most beings who witnessed Kunpeng's attacks have already been annihilated by him. To be honest, even the two Demon Emperors weren't entirely clear about Kunpeng's divine abilities and magical treasures back then."

Golden Roc, however, said: "Kunpeng had a cauldron, a precious gourd, and an ancient lamp."

Li Chang Shou searched the jade thumb ring briefly and soon took out these three innate spiritual treasures, which were completely devoid of spiritual energy. These treasures were 'dead.'

Bai Ze sighed, "Their spirits were completely drained by Kunpeng, leaving them like mere useless stones... Tsk, this time it was all for naught; he didn't even spare his magical treasures."

Immortal Yun Xiao said, "To be able to eliminate such a great evil is already a blessing; perhaps this was Teacher's special arrangement."

Li Changshou asked again, "What was refined from Kunpeng's body? Was there any Phoenix clan essence?"

Yun Xiao said, "Only some spiritual energy, and a few fragments of Dao principles, all of which have dissipated on their own."

"Mr. Bai, are you sure this is Kunpeng?"

"Water God, that extreme speed is unique to him."

"That's true..." Li Changshou was slightly bewildered, the doubt in his heart never receding.

He sat cross-legged on Golden Roc's back, thinking carefully. Soon, he took out a blank scroll and began to write and draw with his head down.

After an unknown period, Li Changshou looked up at Bai Ze and smiled, "Mr. Bai, how about a challenge?"

"How shall we compete?"

Li Changshou laughed, "Suppose you and I were Kunpeng, trapped in such a desperate situation at the end of ancient times. After stealing the Primordial Phoenix's essence and narrowly escaping a Saint's pursuit, how would we arrange things to survive?"

Bai Ze was startled, then lowered his head in thought for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Something is amiss..."

Li Changshou asked with a smile, "What exactly is amiss?"

"Why would Kunpeng linger on the edge of the Great Desolation instead of fleeing into the depths of the Sea of Chaos?"

Bai Ze's eyes widened, and he was greatly invigorated. He said, "He was already so weak, not daring to approach the Great Desolation, so why would he insist on building that cave dwelling at the edge where the power of Heavenly Dao is projected? To let the Six Saints know he's still alive?"

The smile at the corner of Li Changshou's mouth deepened. "Anything else?"

Bai Ze pondered for a moment, and Yun Xiao beside him also gently furrowed her brow, beginning to think seriously.

Soon, Bai Ze fell into deep thought, Yun Xiao fell into deep thought, and even the Primeval Lord of Heaven, observing the scene through the Immortal-Slaying Sword, fell into deep thought.

After another unknown period, Yun Xiao softly said, "Could it be that Kunpeng was too arrogant and proud of his extreme speed?"

Li Changshou said, "Why would an extremely arrogant being turn and flee decisively after only two exchanges with us, when he hadn't even fallen into a disadvantage?"

"Kunpeng is not arrogant," Bai Ze explained. "He is fierce and cunning. Even when dealing with someone like Ji Wuyou, the Sect Master of Du Xian Sect, who could barely be considered a master, he would go all out and leave no lingering troubles."

Li Changshou said, "Such a being was easily annihilated by us."

Bai Ze said, "But his fear in that final moment before death was not feigned. We also witnessed Kunpeng's extreme speed just now; there couldn't be a second Kunpeng."

"Why couldn't there be a second Kunpeng?" Li Changshou countered, leaving Bai Ze speechless.

Yun Xiao said, "After tracing his body back to its origin, not a trace of the Primordial Phoenix's essence could be found. This is hard to explain. In ancient times, I also sensed the aura and Dao rhythm of the Primordial Phoenix, and I couldn't find any of it on this Kunpeng."

Bai Ze stroked his goatee and murmured, "Why are my hairs standing on end?"

With two claps, Li Changshou clapped his hands and chuckled, "Let's make a bold hypothesis. This hypothesis is the only one that can clearly explain all the various doubts after I exhausted all possibilities just now. The crucial point is when Martial Uncle Tongtian pursued Kunpeng, and Kunpeng was gravely wounded and on the verge of death but fortunately escaped. The huge scar on Kunpeng's back should have been inflicted by Martial Uncle Tongtian. And that time, the dying Kunpeng made a choice."

Bai Ze couldn't help but lean forward: "What choice?"

"Cicada shedding its shell, or self-division, or some other divine ability... In short, I don't know what method he used to reshape another self. Let's assume it was the shedding method."

Li Changshou said slowly, "He might have left his original old husk at the edge of the Great Desolation, waiting to be killed by a Saint, while his newly born spiritual body fled far into the depths of the Sea of Chaos. The old husk would possess all memories from before his self-division, but with the memory of making this decision erased. In other words, the old husk didn't know it had split, mistakenly believing it was immortal due to the Primordial Phoenix's essence. And the newly born spiritual body, apart from taking the method of primordial spirit division and the Primordial Phoenix's essence, took no other treasures or spirit stones. A perfect feigned death escape plan was thus achieved. What we killed today was just the old husk, while the true Kunpeng has long been rooted in the Sea of Chaos."

Bai Ze's face turned somewhat pale, and he frowned, asking, "Is there any corroborating evidence?"

Li Changshou smiled, took out a stone slab from the jade thumb ring, and handed it to Bai Ze.

"There are two sentences on it, which should be the old husk Kunpeng's realization of the anomaly. One sentence reads, 'Why do I always feel a deficiency in my primordial spirit?' The other reads, 'Why do I always not want to go deep into Chaos?'"

Bai Ze took the stone slab, lowered his head, and examined it carefully for a moment, his face turning somewhat pale.

Li Changshou immersed his immortal consciousness into the thumb ring, beginning to search for other evidence to support his bold hypothesis.

But as he spread out the pile of useless treasures, his pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at the object pressed down by two rusty cymbals... a metallic spiral-bound notebook enveloped in an inexplicable Dao rhythm!

Could Kunpeng be Senior Lang?! Li Changshou was stunned for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought, confirming that this 'notebook,' whose style clearly belonged to his previous life but whose material was a Great Desolation treasure, was a collectible of Kunpeng.

Yun Xiao softly asked, "Have you discovered something else?"

"Yes," Li Changshou nodded, taking out some of the discarded treasures, but he did not touch the 'notebook.'

This matter was already a forbidden secret in the Great Desolation; the fewer people who knew, the better, otherwise it could easily bring trouble upon them. It could also be considered an unexpected gain.

In the depths of the Sea of Chaos, an unknown distance from the Great Desolation. A dark mountain range stood tall in the Sea of Chaos. The circulating power of the Great Dao around it isolated wisps of chaotic energy, establishing an 'order' similar to that of the Great Desolation. If judged by the standards of the Great Desolation, this mountain range was thousands of miles long; and the moment Kunpeng's primordial spirit was annihilated by the Taiji Diagram, on the highest peak of this mountain range, a pair of black eyes, like abysses, opened to their widest extent...