Chapter 408 — Nurturing and Transforming All Things

To save his Dao-heart, he finally hit upon a solution.

Since the great taboo between master and disciple forbade him from loving his own disciple, then he could simply become Si Youyou and live on while possessing that beautiful body. He resolved to use his power and prestige to accomplish one thing. Those in the sect who opposed him were driven away, exiled, killed, or imprisoned.

At last he got his wish, divorced his wife, and married his disciple. That night, Si Youyou rose up and killed him.

But it had been within his expectations.

He had turned himself into a heart demon lurking in his disciple's Dao-heart, waiting for the moment when he would become this woman.

Recalling all of this, Fan Xuanshu stood stunned.

"I am defeated. My Dao-heart was defeated from that bright morning, from the first moment I saw her.

.

. " Under Xing'an's heavy blows, Fan Xuanshu spat blood and kept retreating.

That morning, when the young Patriarch had brought Si Youyou to him, from the very first glance he had fallen in love with his own disciple. What had broken his Dao-heart was not Si Youyou but himself.

It was his own Dao-heart, twisted over time by love and by the barrier between master and disciple, that had finally become what it now was—a laughingstock in other people's eyes. He had not wanted to obtain her body. From beginning to end he had loved the person, not her body.

It was his twisted Dao-heart that had made him think he wanted to become Si Youyou. "The moment I first saw her, I had already lost. Patriarch, you have ruined me.

.

. " Fan Xuanshu summoned her spirit and remembered another phrase the young Patriarch had said on that morning when he brought Si Youyou over.

"The Great Nurturing Nether Demon Scripture—the two words 'great nurturing' mean education and inheritance.

As Holy Sect Leader, do not fail those two words. " At that time, his eyes had held only this girl; the words had drifted vaguely past his ears. Now they had become exceptionally clear.

"The two words 'great nurturing'—I have never achieved them! " Fan Xuanshu let out a fierce cry.

Suddenly, terrible demonic light burst from Si Youyou's body, shot from her heart, and pierced Xing'an's heart. The black light was like a bridge. Fan Xuanshu's primordial spirit stepped onto it and crossed, charging at Xing'an.

"Good disciple, run!

" He bored into Xing'an's Dao-heart. At this moment he was calmer than he had ever been. Granny Zhu regained consciousness, somewhat dazed.

Yu Zhaoging, spitting blood, fell from the air. The Blind Old Man's Dragon-Breaker Divine Spear was bent, his arm broken.

Emperor Yanfeng was lifted high by Xing'an and thrust headfirst into the ground.

The Empress Dowager and the others were unsteadily getting to their feet. In the hall, the Lame Old Man braced both hands on the floor, trying to rise; the Deaf Old Man, blood at the corner of his mouth, tremblingly raised his brush to paint, but could no longer command brush or ink.

Shen Mu was frantically refining elixirs to heal the wounded flood dragons.

Everyone had been defeated—and thoroughly.

Xing'an's palm came swinging down at her, intending to destroy her primordial spirit.

Suddenly, the palm stopped short before her, took on a hint of gentleness, and softly smoothed the disheveled hair at her temple. One of Xing'an's heads bowed to look at her, as though they had returned to that morning a hundred years ago, with tenderness. "Youyou, live happily as a beautiful woman.

Go—now! " From that head came Fan Xuanshu's voice, shrieking, "Xing'an, come with me! Heavenly Demon Disintegration—" "Sect Leader Li, you are too presumptuous!

A mere demon seed, and you think to seize my flesh?

" Furious roars came from Xing'an's other two heads.

Boom!

A violent explosion tore through Xing'an's body; his frame shook, his limbs flailing out of order. The Lame Old Man pushed off with both hands, flew out from the hall, and thrust both hands toward Xing'an's eyes.

Yu Zhaoging unleashed the last of her strength; streams of multicolored light pinned Xing'an's body. The Blind Old Man, holding the spear in his single arm, stabbed with all he had into Xing'an's chest. Emperor Yanfeng roared, shot up headfirst into the sky, and pulled down one thunderbolt after another, each as thick as a dragon, madly striking Xing'an!

"A pack of trash! " Xing'an's body suddenly split apart.

Heads, arms, chests, hearts, and legs flew out from the box; the heads raged, "A pack of trash!

Even with your Heavenly Demon Disintegration, what can you do to me? " Everyone was flung in all directions, spitting blood endlessly.

Shen Mu leaped into the air and flew at him.

One flood dragon after another frantically caught up and wound around his body, causing his aura to surge, while he drove his flying sword at Xing'an's still-reassembling form. "Scram! " Xing'an's arms peeled off from his body one by one and in an instant struck more than a dozen blows, gravely wounding more than a dozen flood dragons again; they collapsed and did not rise. Xing'an drew his arms back, reattached them to his body, and flicked a finger, blasting Shen Mu away.

Coldly, he said, "If you were not still of use, with your skill I could blow you dead with a single breath.

. . Hm?

" The arm he had just reattached suddenly came loose at the armpit and fell to the ground.

Xing'an was dazed. He looked down at the fallen arm. Then one of his eyes dropped from its socket and rolled around the floor twice.

"What is this?

" He was stunned, then saw an ear fall from one of his heads. He was about to raise a hand to catch the ear when, abruptly, that arm too fell off from his body.

He hurriedly looked up at Shen Mu—and his head rolled off, shouting from the ground, "Did you poison me? " Shen Mu picked himself up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and said viciously, "Just refined a tonic to build you up! Right on the mark!

"