Shen Yi knew perfectly well how great a risk he was taking.

But if he could cut down the Venerable Lingyun with his own hands, then besides the demon lifespan he stood to gain an Anchor-Stone very likely to come out at third grade.

And when the time came to break through to the second layer of Return-to-Void, his chances of drawing the gift of heaven and earth would be that much better.

All the way up he had settled for whatever would serve; but an opportunity delivered to him like this was not one he could let pass.

Backed by the Heavenly Phoenix Undying True Body.

Shen Yi tore the long sword free in a surge of blood, seizing the moment while the Venerable Lingyun was weak and stunned.

The sword swept through the air like a rainbow,

and at an exquisitely precise angle bit hard into the sika-deer demon's neck.

In timing, and in sheer practised skill at cutting down demons, there was hardly a fault to be found in it.

But then came a clear ringing clang.

The keen spirit-treasure sword had struck the deer-demon's spine head-on.

Even with the Heavenly Phoenix Undying True Body behind it at full strength, the shock left Shen Yi's hands numb, and all it left on the bone was a thread of white.

This old deer's demon body was a great deal tougher than Zhang Laifu's!

That was the gap between bloodlines.

At the same time the deer-demon came to itself. Demon qi so thick it was near to turning solid poured wholly into its palm, and it struck savagely at Shen Yi.

Its life was going anyway. What did it care now about a Sect Master?

Exchanges between demons were easy to misread. The toad's palm strike earlier had looked just as unremarkable, and had drawn no reaction at all from the old dog.

One would take it for granted that there was no force in such a blow.

Crude, and useless.

But only by taking one did a man learn why these creatures of heaven and earth could drive…