As soon as Fengyun Wuji saw the Kunpeng transform into a human form, he bolted at full speed. Down below, hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers guarding the teleportation gate spotted a lone human diving from the sky. Shocked and enraged, they immediately launched into the air, converging on him from all directions.
But before they could even get close, Fengyun Wuji struck without a word—his fist crashed down like a falling star.
A vast burst of demonic energy engulfed an area several hundred meters wide. Outside that radius, all one could see was an impenetrable shroud of black mist—nothing else was visible.
The demons, alarmed by this development, halted their advance. One by one, they flared their own demonic auras, preparing to attack the moment the mist cleared.
But when the darkness dissipated, they were stunned to find that—aside from a few low-level demons who had suffered light injuries—nothing had happened. The mysterious human had completely vanished.
As they stood in stunned confusion, the sky suddenly darkened. The golden-winged roc was diving straight down, landing squarely in front of the massive teleportation gate.
The entire Demon Realm knew of this creature's fearsome reputation. Not merely because it was the overlord of the Abyssal Sea—a region so forbidden that few demons dared set foot there—but because once every month, the beast would take flight in its true form, patrolling the skies of the Demon Realm on a gruesome hunt.
It didn't do this out of hunger; there were more than enough monstrous beasts in the Abyssal Sea to keep it well-fed. No, the beast simply liked to indulge itself, to change things up—an occasional "delicacy run."
The Kunpeng's true form was unimaginably massive. Whenever it emerged, entire regions fell under its shadow. With a voracious appetite, it could devour tens of thousands of demons in a single meal.
By all logic, such a menace should have been wiped out long ago. Yet the beast had cultivated for billions of years and possessed overwhelming power. Even Demon Emperors thought twice before provoking it. No one had managed to lay a finger on it.
Its arrogant ways and unmatched power had made its name one of legend.
The demon guarding the teleportation gate was a high-ranking brute—a monstrous figure three zhang tall, arms as thick as barrels, body covered in blood-red scales, with two heads on a single neck and a pair of bat-like wings fluttering ceaselessly behind him.
Though not particularly bright, even he wasn't that stupid. Seeing his subordinates trying to encircle the golden-winged youth, cursing and getting ready to strike, he barked at them furiously.
"You idiots! That's the Golden-Winged Daming King! And you're not even bowing?! Are you all trying to get yourselves killed?!"
A collective gasp rang out. The surrounding demons stared at the youth in terror, their expressions as if they'd just seen a ghost.
"You little runts, listen up," said the handsome youth, hands on his hips, speaking in an ancient, condescending tone. "I just had a full meal today. I'm not in the mood to use you as snacks. Line up nicely. I'm looking for a shameless human. Behave, and I might let you live."
Despite the Kunpeng's notoriety, there were always fools who didn't know better.
One low-level demon scoffed, "You think we'll just do whatever you say? Who the hell do you think you are? What do you take us for? You dare disrespect the Demon Emperor? You're just asking to die!"
The Kunpeng was proud by nature—he could tolerate anything but provocation.
That was exactly why he had chased after that human over a mere inner core. Upon hearing the insult, his fury exploded.
"I don't know what happens to those who offend the Demon Emperor," he snarled. "But those who offend me—this is their end!"
With that, he shot into the air, reverting to his ferocious true form. His massive beak opened wide, unleashing a terrifying suction force aimed directly at the heckler.
Thousands of demons screamed in fear as the overwhelming pull dragged them all toward the gaping maw.
"Fight back!" came a sudden voice—Fengyun Wuji's voice, distorted and shifting in direction. "This beast is no friend! It's being so polite because it wants to pick us off one by one! Don't fall for it! Attack together and bring down this feathered monster!"
"Feathered what!?"
The phrase hit a nerve. The Kunpeng's eyes burned with rage. With a shrill cry that pierced the heavens, it shouted, "Enough talk! I'll just eat you all and be done with it!"
Its jaws opened wide again, this time unleashing a suction force several hundred times stronger than before. Demons were hurled through the air like ragdolls, sucked straight toward its enormous mouth.
Yet even in its fury, the Kunpeng did not lose its mind. It used its massive body to block the colossal teleportation gate behind it.
"You damned beast! Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"
A voice boomed out again—it was Fengyun Wuji, laughing as a streak of light shot toward the Kunpeng. "Very well! I'll just enter your belly again and collect all your inner cores while I'm at it!"
The Kunpeng's heart skipped a beat. In panic, it reversed its suction into a violent gust and lunged forward, claws—sharp enough to tear the heavens—reaching for the figure.
But—boom!
With a sudden eruption of soil and debris, a body shot up from beneath the teleportation gate like lightning.
The Kunpeng, distracted by the fake target, had unknowingly shifted its bulk away from the gate.
In that instant, Fengyun Wuji burst out from the ground, sprinting straight into the portal without looking back.
Only then did the Kunpeng realize it had been tricked. Looking down, it saw it had been chasing a dead low-level demon.
Too late.
It let out a furious roar. With a swipe of its claws, the corpse exploded into a rain of blood and gore, scattering from the sky.
"You damned human! I won't let you get away with this!"
Its furious roar echoed in the air, but for some reason, it dared not step into the teleportation gate itself.
Fengyun Wuji, now breathing the familiar air on the other side, finally relaxed. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath and murmured, "At last… I'm back."
But even here, waves of immense pressure pressed against him. The pure demonic aura within him was being rejected by the very laws of this primordial realm.
With a brief grit of his teeth, Fengyun Wuji compressed all the demonic energy in his body into his lower dantian. At the same time, he unsealed the sword energy stored in his upper dantian.
A clear sword hum rang out.
Looking down, he saw a glimmering light shoot from his chest, hovering in the air, circling around him with a soft, resonant cry.
It was none other than his Fifth Sword Soul.
He reached out, letting it land in his palm. As he gently brushed a hand across its blade, the sword soul trembled with joy.
"There you are," he said softly, affectionately. With a mere thought, the sword soul curled up again, nestling into his palm.
Suddenly, voices echoed in the distance—it sounded like a large crowd gathering.
He raised his head and looked over a towering mountain. Before he could make out what was happening, the mountain began to shake—then, with a tremendous rumble, it lifted off from the ground and soared into the sky…