# Chapter 1968: The Divine Demon Rat's Father
"Swish."
Ling Feiyu grasped the returning Sky-Burning Sword, pointing it at Hong Yuantong and the other three, releasing a powerful killing intent.
"Ling Feiyu, do you realize that you have already committed a grave mistake that will bring catastrophic disaster upon the Divine Sect? Do you intend to continue down this wrong path?" Hong Yuantong shouted loudly.
A terrifying murderous gleam flickered in Ling Feiyu's eyes as she fixed her gaze on Hong Yuantong. "Hong Yuantong, even now you still refuse to repent? Do you think I dare not kill you?"
"Repent? What fault have I committed? Now that the Kunlun Realm is in turmoil and could collapse at any moment, I have been single-minded (yixin) for the Divine Sect, maintaining good relations with the Nether God Hall. Even if the Kunlun Realm ceases to exist in the future, the Divine Sect can still receive support from the Nether God Hall. This is the grand plan set by Sect Leader Shi. Do you dare to question Sect Leader Shi?" Hong Yuantong argued confidently.
With Shi Qianjue as his backing, he truly did not believe Ling Feiyu would dare to do anything to him. Thus, even though his schemes had been exposed, he still had plenty of confidence and was unafraid to confront Ling Feiyu.
Ling Feiyu's gaze grew even colder. "Do you dare to use Shi Qianjue to pressure me? Never mind you—even if it were Shi Qianjue himself who dared to commit betrayal against the Divine Sect, I would still kill him."
Hearing this, Hong Yuantong involuntarily stepped back, his bluster masking his fear. "Ling Feiyu, what are you trying to do? Do you want to tear the Divine Sect apart?"
"Clatter."
Ling Feiyu drew her sword, swift as lightning.
A flash of sword light passed, and before Hong Yuantong could react, his head was already separated from his body.
"Ling Feiyu, you dare to—"
Hong Yuantong's eyes bulged wide, filled with unwillingness.
Even in death, he could not believe that Ling Feiyu actually dared to kill him.
"Bang."
Hong Yuantong's head fell to the ground, his gaze dimming as his body and soul perished.
Though his cultivation was also at the Rule Grand Heaven realm, in terms of true strength, Hong Yuantong was not even one-tenth of Ling Feiyu's, yet he had been cultivating for a thousand years longer than her.
Seeing Hong Yuantong die beneath Ling Feiyu's sword, the remaining three Demon Sect Saint Kings trembled in fear, their minds shrouded in the shadow of death.
With a thud, the three knelt directly before Ling Feiyu, begging for mercy. "Spare us, Palace Master Ling! We were blinded by greed and deceived by Hong Yuantong. Please give us a chance. We will definitely atone for our crimes and from now on obey all your commands, never daring to have second thoughts."
How could they fail to see the situation now? Ling Feiyu was truly enraged this time, and no one they brought up would be of any use. If they did not beg for mercy, death was the only path.
They very much wanted to flee, but had they not just seen the three Domain Realm experts from the Nether God Hall and Hong Yuantong all cleanly killed by Ling Feiyu? And with Zhang Ruochen standing by, how could they possibly escape?
Ling Feiyu paid no heed to their pleas, her killing intent extremely fierce. "The Divine Sect cannot tolerate traitors who eat from the inside while feeding the outside. Since you dared to betray the Divine Sect, you should know what consequences await."
With that, Ling Feiyu prepared to strike them down with her sword.
Zhang Ruochen appeared beside Ling Feiyu out of thin air, stopping her. "Now that the Kunlun Realm faces a great enemy, killing them would be somewhat wasteful. Why not send them to the Merit Battlefield to kill Hell Realm cultivators and atone for their crimes?"
Hearing this, the three kneeling Saint Kings quickly said, "We are willing to go to the Merit Battlefield to kill enemies. Please, Palace Master Ling, give us a chance to redeem ourselves!"
As long as they had a chance to preserve their lives first, even if it meant going to the Merit Battlefield or even more dangerous places, they would eagerly go.
Ling Feiyu turned her gaze to Zhang Ruochen, staring at him for a moment before restraining her fierce killing intent. In a cold voice, she said, "I will give you this one chance. Take your people and head immediately to the Merit Battlefield to fight against the Hell Realm army and display the might of the Divine Sect. If any of you slack off, do not blame me for showing no mercy with my sword."
"Yes, yes, yes."
The three felt as if they had received a great pardon, responding repeatedly.
Shooting a grateful glance at Zhang Ruochen, they did not dare to delay and withdrew from the Demon Emperor Sacred Hall as quickly as possible, fearing that Ling Feiyu might suddenly change her mind.
If they had known things would turn out like this, they truly should not have listened to Hong Yuantong's instigation.
If they had chosen to resolutely resist the Nether God Hall, then when Ling Feiyu returned, it would have been a great merit. Why would they now be forced to go to the Merit Battlefield to fight?
The Merit Battlefield was extremely dangerous. Once they went, they might never have the chance to return to Wuding Mountain.
Of course, this was already the best possible outcome. If Zhang Ruochen had not spoken up, they would all have become corpses beneath Ling Feiyu's sword by now.
So, in a sense, they really had to thank Zhang Ruochen.
That very day, the three highly respected Demon Sect elders led several hundred Demon Sect cultivators at the Saint realm and above, leaving Wuding Mountain and heading straight for the Merit Battlefield in the Central Domain.
Meanwhile, Ling Feiyu and Zhang Ruochen arrived at the Cold Ice Dungeon where the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect held its prisoners.
Those Demon Sect experts who had supported Ling Feiyu and refused to collude with Hong Yuantong and his ilk were all imprisoned here.
The Cold Ice Dungeon was extremely ancient. No one knew exactly how long it had existed. It was unfathomably deep, and the further down one went, the more bone-piercingly cold it became.
Legend had it that at the very bottom of the Cold Ice Dungeon, even Great Saints dared not stay for too long, unable to withstand the icy chill there.
Going down level by level, Ling Feiyu released many imprisoned Demon Sect experts.
Fortunately, these experts had only just been locked up; Hong Yuantong had not yet had time to do anything to them, so they were all unharmed.
It was also fortunate that this was the case; otherwise, Ling Feiyu would not have shown any mercy and would have killed all the traitors.
Just as they entered a layer with extremely heavy cold air, Zhang Ruochen spotted a familiar face in one of the prison cells.
"Senior Sister Qi, long time no see."
Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
The person in the cell was none other than Qi Feiyu, whom he had met back in the Liangyi Sect. She was a Saintess of the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect's Saintess Palace.
Back when Zhang Ruochen had stormed Wuding Mountain for Mu Lingxi, he had seen Qi Feiyu. Many years had passed since then, and Qi Feiyu had now become a Saint King realm expert, holding a very high position in the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect.
Speaking of which, when the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect had split in two back then, the entire Qi family had chosen to follow Shi Qianjue, except for Qi Feiyu, who chose to follow Ling Xiu—or more precisely, to follow Ling Feiyu.
It was precisely because of this that Ling Feiyu took special care of Qi Feiyu, allowing her to cultivate to the Saint King realm so quickly. Many affairs of the Saintess Palace were almost entirely handled by Qi Feiyu.
Now, the top experts of the Qi family had all been sent off to the Merit Battlefield, and Qi Feiyu had once again become the sole exception.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Qi Feiyu was somewhat surprised. She then rose and bowed respectfully to Ling Feiyu. "Greetings, Palace Master."
Ling Feiyu nodded slightly and waved her hand, opening the prison cell door.
"Palace Master, you have returned safely. The Divine Sect will finally not fall into the hands of that treacherous Hong Yuantong," Qi Feiyu said.
Ling Feiyu replied, "Hong Yuantong colluded with the enemy and betrayed the sect. I have already slain him. All the Saints and Saint Kings involved in this matter have also been sent to the Merit Battlefield. So you need not worry about anything."
Hearing this, Qi Feiyu was first startled, then broke into a smile. "The Palace Master is wise."
Without needing further explanation, Qi Feiyu could already guess that the Divine Sect's survival of this crisis must have had a great deal to do with Zhang Ruochen.
Ling Feiyu reached out and removed the seals on Qi Feiyu's body, then said, "Go out first and stabilize the situation in the Divine Sect. Prevent the sect from falling into panic."
"Yes, Palace Master."
Qi Feiyu immediately responded.
Nodding slightly to Zhang Ruochen, Qi Feiyu swiftly flashed out.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, a strange light flickered in Zhang Ruochen's eyes as he detected something.
"Swish."
Zhang Ruochen transformed into a streak of light and dashed into a passageway beside him.
Seeing this, Ling Feiyu was somewhat surprised and quickly followed.
At the end of the passageway, Zhang Ruochen stopped. There was also a prison cell here, and inside it was another familiar face.
The person imprisoned in this cell was none other than the first among the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect's thirty-six Guardian Beast Generals, the First Rat—also known as the Divine Demon Rat.
Back then, the Divine Demon Rat had been arrogant and overbearing, but had unfortunately encountered Xiao Hei, his natural nemesis, and had to obediently follow orders, responsible for protecting Mu Lingxi within the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect.
At this moment, inside the cell, besides the Divine Demon Rat, there was another person present.
It was because Zhang Ruochen had sensed this person's existence that he had rushed over immediately.
This person was short and thin, with a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks. Two large, yellowed front teeth protruded from his mouth, and his eyes were as small as mung beans. He looked incredibly sleazy, practically a carbon copy of the Divine Demon Rat.
"A Waker."
The thought instantly flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind.
Having met Jiang Yunchong and Hong Tianji, he had become increasingly familiar with the aura of Wakers.
The Divine Demon Rat's eyes darted around, landing on Zhang Ruochen. He immediately showed a delighted expression. "Master Chen, have you come to rescue me?"
"I thought you had already run away. I didn't expect you to be imprisoned in the Cold Ice Dungeon as well," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
From his understanding of the Divine Demon Rat, this fellow was the most slippery of them all. When trouble arose, he would slip away faster than anyone else. Toughness was completely foreign to him. So theoretically, the Divine Demon Rat should not have ended up here.
The Divine Demon Rat's eyes widened, and he said somewhat indignantly, "If those bastards hadn't been so treacherous and ambushed me, how could Lord Rat have been caught by them?"
Turning his head, the Divine Demon Rat saw Ling Feiyu who had just arrived and immediately broke into a grin. "Palace Master Ling, it's great to see you safe and sound. That old bastard Hong Yuantong said you had been captured by the Nether God Hall. You absolutely must not let him off."
"Don't worry. Hong Yuantong has already died by my sword. And this person beside you is?" Ling Feiyu directed her gaze at the middle-aged man who looked extremely similar to the Divine Demon Rat.
The Divine Demon Rat chuckled slyly. "Let me introduce you. This is my old man."
Hearing this, both Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu showed expressions of surprise.
The Divine Demon Rat had been unearthed by the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect from a Middle Ancient ruins decades ago. He was a solitary being. How could he suddenly have a father appear?
Moreover, both of them could tell that this middle-aged man, who looked very similar to the Divine Demon Rat, had extremely high cultivation, giving off a feeling of unfathomable depth.
"May I ask how this senior should be addressed? What connection do you have with the Divine Sect?" Ling Feiyu asked quite seriously.
She asked this because, before now, she had never seen this middle-aged man, nor had she ever heard of his existence. She was uncertain whether he was a member of the Divine Sect.
The middle-aged man had the same demeanor as the Divine Demon Rat, grinning sleazily. "You can call me Soul Devouring King. I was already in the Divine Sect a hundred thousand years ago. What do you think my connection with the Divine Sect is?"