【Year 34,000 — the grudge-thoughts of many demons are all but scattered; only a bare few remain, their expressions vacant, sitting as motionless as wooden men, just as you do】

Plainly, the time was still not enough.

Shen Yi braced both hands against the ground and dragged in great gasping breaths, in a state of disarray rarely seen on him.

With Li Xuanqing's insights exhausted, forcing the deduction of Heavenly Reckoning Forty-Nine had savaged his spirit-soul beyond anything he could have imagined.

And not Shen Yi alone.

Every one of the demon souls that had travelled this far with him had come close to scattering out of existence — even the sixth-layer Return-to-Void flood-dragon-headed great general had lost itself somewhere inside Heavenly Reckoning Forty-Nine.

Not enough.

Shen Yi wiped the corner of his mouth and raised his eyes.

He would have to bring in another demon that was a true prodigy.

Otherwise his mind would break before the technique reached Minor Accomplishment.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 115,000 years】

Shen Yi sat up, meaning to rest a while and to get the feel of the technique he had just entered.

At the Return-to-Void level, moving mountains and filling seas were minor arts and nothing more.

And yet there were still people delving into a so-called way of fist and palm.

There had to be some profundity in it.

He sat there for three days and three nights.

At last his flagging spirit-soul rallied a little.

He got to his feet and took out the Dao token, and Liu Qianyun's message came through.

"Sect Master Shen, how are your preparations coming? We're waiting for you at the Heaven-Sword Sect. How many have you brought? Shall we come and meet you?"

"Hm?"

Shen Yi put the Dao token away.

How many, indeed. What help did he have to speak of?

At that thought he shook his head, opened the grand formation, and swept out.

On the relief outside the Heaven-Sword Sect.

The crowds came and went without a break, and the sword robes on them looked keen-edged and formidable beside the dress of the…