Chapter 980: Chapter 980

The intense pain began to subside, and Nanli’s pale face showed a grim determination as she regained her composure. She was fully aware of the situation with both herself and her child. Clutching his hand, her voice was firm as she spoke, "This is our son."

The child’s soul was still present, though it was now tainted by the Demon Soul of Asura King, a situation that still held a glimmer of hope. No matter the cost, Nanli would never easily abandon her own flesh and blood.

Siheng, his face marked by scars, appeared more fragile, his eyes reddened with emotion. He spoke in a manner that was part plea, part warning:

"A’Li, you must understand, he’s using the child’s power to recover. Once he’s fully healed, not only will those two be in danger, but you will be too."

Having already tasted the pain of almost losing her, Siheng could not bear to face it again.

Nanli’s gaze darkened, her tone unyielding as she responded, "I know you want to sacrifice him to protect us, but until the final moment, I will not allow anyone to harm my child!"

"Not even you, Siheng!"

This was her child. She was the one who would decide!

The spiritual energy gathering in her Dantian expelled the celestial magic from her body. The formation beneath her flickered and dimmed, dissipating into nothingness. The Demon Soul attached to the child’s soul twitched as though crying or perhaps feeling excited, but eventually, it settled down again.

Nanli brushed Siheng’s hand away. The distance between them only deepened the pain in Siheng’s heart.

He had fought his way back through a life-or-death battle, expending a great deal of spiritual power to form the protective array. Now, he was exhausted. Seeing Nanli’s anger directed at him only added to his weariness. His body swayed, unable to find a solid ground.

"Celestial Sovereign!" Yun Yubai rushed to support him.

Nanli’s anger began to fade as she noticed Siheng’s torn clothing, stained with blood. He had a deep wound on his side, one that exposed his bones, and the blood was still flowing. More alarming was the unmistakable mark of the Demon Slayer Technique on him.

Her worry intensified. She knelt beside him and took his pulse. "How could you be so badly hurt?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

The Demon Bone was damaged, the Demon Core wounded, and even his meridians were flowing in reverse. He must have fought desperately, pushing himself to the brink.

Siheng, looking weak and frail, leaned into her for support. He coughed lightly, then whispered, "I... I really am hurt badly... A’Li, I was just so worried about you, putting you first in my mind, that I said those things. No... I was trying to negotiate with you. I didn’t mean it..."

Yun Yubai raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

Siheng speaking so much at once didn’t exactly align with someone who was gravely injured. He looked more like someone trying to mask his true feelings. For a moment, Chu Yang had to avert his gaze to avoid witnessing Siheng’s unusually vulnerable and almost pitiable side.

Nanli rolled her eyes. "I know! Stop pretending."

If Siheng had truly intended to sacrifice the child, he would have acted decisively. He wouldn’t have tried to explain himself.

Upon hearing this, Siheng let out a sigh of relief and unabashedly leaned into Nanli’s shoulder. But then he seemed to remember something, and immediately waved his hand to dispel the formation Yun Yubai had set up.

The situation was gradually being brought under control, but at that moment, one of the onlookers, a cultivator, seized the opportunity to approach the formation. He attempted to remove the Crimson Nine Lands weapon from the array.

To his shock, the Crimson Nine Lands had no light emanating from it, and the Ware Elf seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness.

The cultivator was about to put the weapon into his Qiankun Bag when the formation finally broke, causing him to freeze in shock.

"I... I... I was only trying to return the immortal weapon," he stammered.

Chu Yang quickly intervened, landing a solid punch on the cultivator and knocking him out. "Who are you fooling? I clearly saw you trying to pocket the weapon," he said, grabbing the Crimson Nine Lands back from the unconscious cultivator.

Looking down at the weapon, Chu Yang’s thoughts were conflicted. He was the master of the Crimson Nine Lands, but now, in front of Siheng and Nanli, he had lost all face. When the child was born, he didn’t even expect them to call him ’uncle.’

As he prepared to kneel and apologize for his actions, Siheng, still supported by Nanli, managed to get to his feet.

The members of House Sima were already retreating, and with Yan Hu’s defeat, they were scrambling to escape.

Siheng raised his hand, forming another array. With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of powerful beams of spiritual energy shot out, rapidly hitting their targets. Despite the swift movements of the House Sima cultivators, the attacks pierced through their defenses, causing screams and resulting in several of them falling to the ground, wounded in varying degrees.

The onlookers were left stunned, whispering in awe. They had never seen Siheng unleash such a powerful array before. The precision and power of his remote attacks were truly exceptional.

Sima Yue, who was still alive but bleeding profusely, managed to climb to his feet, clutching his wound. He took one look at the fallen Yan Hu and remained frozen in place, unsure of whether Yan Hu was alive or dead.

Then, his gaze shifted to Siheng. His heart sank when he realized that Siheng had returned, meaning that Shang Jue’s side had failed.

Immediately, Sima Yue knelt, his head lowered in submission. "Jifeng Celestial Sovereign, it was Yan Hu who forced my hand. I had no choice but to act against you!"

Siheng’s expression remained cold. "Anyone who dares to challenge the Jialan Celestial Mountain will meet the same end."

Despite his words, there was a slight hesitation. The divine mark he bore was still a major hindrance. While these people had committed numerous wrongs, he couldn’t bring himself to slaughter them all.

He paused, then continued, "Given the loyalty your old subordinates have shown, I will spare them today, but only if you take your own life here and now."

The former members of House Sima stood in stunned silence. Hope rekindled in their eyes, and they looked to Sima Yue, silently pleading for him to make the sacrifice.

Sima Yue cursed inwardly. This was clearly Siheng’s attempt to sow discord between him and his former subordinates!

If he didn’t die, his subordinates would no longer be loyal to him. How could the heavens be so blind as to bestow such a divine mark upon Siheng?

Despite his resentment, Sima Yue was no emotional fool. He couldn’t let his pride blind him to reality. He struggled to rise to his feet and pointed accusingly at Yun Yubai.

"Jifeng Celestial Sovereign is the strongest in the Immortal World, and as such, should set the example. If I am to die, then Yun Yubai must also die! After all, many have seen the Demon Clan Asura’s powers in him!"

Cinian and the others’ expressions shifted slightly. This was the final step. They had known it might come to this.

The surrounding cultivators were hesitant. Though they didn’t dare speak loudly, the glances they exchanged showed their growing unease toward Siheng.

Yun Yubai, however, remained calm. He had expected this moment ever since revealing his Demon Core powers. The only silver lining was that, with his protection, the others believed that the demonic energy emanating from Siheng had been his doing.

Yun Yubai stepped forward, his voice clear and firm.

"Indeed, I am a half-blood of both the celestial and demon races."

The crowd gasped in unison.

Wang Lun and the others’ eyes widened in disbelief. Sima Yue quickly seized the moment, shouting, "Since Jifeng Celestial Sovereign insists on my death, then he must first eliminate this demon-half-blood! Only by doing so can we convince everyone of his righteousness!"

Before Siheng or Nanli could speak, Li Changyun leaped forward, standing firmly in front of Yun Yubai.

"Everyone!" Li Changyun shouted. "Though my junior brother is of celestial-demon blood, he has always followed the righteous path and never harmed the innocent!"

"You all saw with your own eyes that it was Yan Hu who framed him!"

"Anyone who dares harm my junior brother will face the full wrath of the Seven Peaks Sect!"