Xiang Shaoyun had placed Mu Qingyu and Wang Xin under his control prior to this, but he had ordered them to stay with Feng Xiaosha as spies. Since they hadn't sent news regarding the assassination, they probably knew nothing about it. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun shook his head and was not too bothered by their lack of warning. He could further investigate after returning to the academy. It was certain now that he had provoked two powerful enemies, and he had to focus on increasing his strength.

Xiang Shaoyun quickly left, afraid that something else might happen if he remained. Since he had parted with Shou Xie and the others, he could either complete the dragon liquid mission alone or return to the academy first. He selected the former option, deciding to temper himself within the mountain range and advance into the Dragon Ascension Realm before returning.

And if he was lucky enough to get the dragon liquid while he was at it, that would be even better. As for Li Haonan, he couldn't even be bothered with him. In any case, he was the one who had gone against their initial agreement of finishing the mission together. Li Haonan's anger was understandable.

Xiang Shaoyun then sent away the two peak Emperors he had just placed under his control. He would only put them to use during crucial moments. That way, they could play a greater role than if they had remained by his side.

And thus, Xiang Shaoyun started adventuring alone with Money by his side. The Dragon Phoenix Mountain Range was filled with powerful demonic beasts. Each step he took was akin to walking on thin ice. Any sort of carelessness would turn him into beast fodder. Though, he still felt somewhat at ease with the nether prison devil puppet. He also had the Nether Soul Domain, which could help him reverse any dangerous situation.

Three days later, Money advanced yet again, advancing two stages to become a seventh-stage Demon King from the fifth-stage. Xiang Shaoyun could sense that the change of cultivation base wasn't the biggest change Money underwent. Rather, the durability of his body had become even scarier than before.

He was certain of the change because Money had undergone two lightning tribulations in a row, but he had suffered barely any injuries. Although Money grew up within the silver lightning core, as he grew in strength, the lightning tribulation he faced became even scarier. In fact, any lightning tribulation a demonic beast faced scaled in destruction with the demonic beast's strength.

And yet Money was able to completely ignore his lightning tribulations. After some questioning, Xiang Shaoyun learned that this was a result of physical strengthening after Money absorbed the nine-colored fog. Money's breakthrough had also attracted many powerful demonic beasts, but Xiang Shaoyun had dealt with all of them.

Xiang Shaoyun's draconic aura formation had returned to 99 percent completion, and only 1 percent was required for him to step into the Dragon Ascension Realm. He thus stopped traveling and started focusing on increasing his grasp over the powers he cultivated. At the same time, he also meditated on the draconic aura, trying to understand it more.

But before he could fully focus, he smelled a certain scent ahead of him, a scent that caused him to suddenly feel extremely comfortable and calm. Money reacted even more poorly and directly shot toward the scent's source like a bolt of lightning.

That forced Xiang Shaoyun to give chase. Shortly after, he heard demonic beasts battling halfway up the mountain before him. From the sounds, it seemed like a battle among Demon Emperors.

"Has an emperor medicine appeared?" Xiang Shaoyun wondered as he continued ahead. When he approached, he saw a massive red lizard battling a bear with spikes on its back.

They were fighting with their lives on the line, snapping at and clashing against each other, raining destruction on their surroundings. It was worth noting that a certain spot in their surroundings was completely undamaged. Both parties seemed to be exerting great care to not let any of their attacks fly in that direction.

Their actions allowed Money, who had reduced his size, to approach the spot. Soon, he left with something hanging in his mouth. Leaving with the prize finally caught the attention of the massive red lizard and the spiked bear. Both stopped attacking each other and charged Money. They roared. Xiang Shaoyun didn't even get a chance to get a clear look at what Money had in his mouth before he was forced to charge the lizard and the bear.

"Bring it on! An intense battle is just what I happen to be looking for!" shouted Xiang Shaoyun with his battle intent raging.

He controlled the power of earth, making use of the profundity of earth he had comprehended. His body shone with a brownish light, and he repeatedly threw his fists at the two Demon Emperors. Both of them were peak third-stage Demon Emperors, and they possessed combat prowess comparable to a fourth-stage human Emperor's.

For Xiang Shaoyun to dare face them head on, his courage had truly been bolstered by his strength. The lizard swept its massive destructive tail forward while the bear slammed its mountain-like paws down, sending two completely different but dreadful powers toward him.

Rumble! Rumble!

A series of explosions erupted, the impact turning the nearby trees into fine powder and kicking up a cloud of dust. The impact pushed Xiang Shaoyun's body tens of meters backward. If he wasn't borrowing the power of earth, the two attacks would have killed him through impact alone.

"Again!" A look of excitement covered Xiang Shaoyun's face as he roared and drew even more earth energy from his earth star. At the same time, an unending stream of earth energy flowed into his body from the earth beneath him.

The power of earth allowed him to battle the two beasts to his heart's content, but this much power was not enough to defeat them. In fact, under the joined assault of the two beasts, things got dangerous for him many times.

He was forced to change the way he fought. He fully unleashed his speed and fully activated his gift of instincts, baring the attack trajectories of the two beasts to his eyes. He then attacked with numerous powerful techniques, and slowly, he started getting the upper hand.

Devil Severing Edge!

Lightning Bolt Fist!

Seven Scorching Sun Claws!

The attacks of wind, lightning, and flame spiraled around each other as they blasted the two beasts, causing them to wail in pain. However, the two had freakishly durable bodies. It was rather hard for Xiang Shaoyun to defeat them with pure brute force.

Thus, he used his strongest technique: the Cosmos Dao Destroying Fist.

The moment he threw his fist out, it was as if his fist had turned into a star, flooding the surroundings with an ancient aura that was overbearing and oppressive, shocking both the beasts.

One punch to overturn the cosmos, one punch to obliterate the myriad daos.

Nine bright stars appeared at the same time, sending nine-colored energy rippling outward, destroying the nearby mountains. It was at this moment that the two beasts decided to flee, but it was too late. Their tough bodies were unable to withstand the torrential fist energy, and they were turned into mincemeat.

The demonic beasts in the surroundings sensed the terrifying power and fled far away in fear. They did not dare to stay nearby, as they were afraid that whatever was happening would somehow implicate them as well.

When the dust settled and Xiang Shaoyun got a clear look at the destruction around him, even he himself was stunned. He had known that the Cosmos Dao Destroying Fist was terrifying, and he had also known that the nine-colored fog was destructive, but the damage the two had caused still filled him with disbelief. This attack was even scarier than the Nine Overlord Skyslaying Saber Technique!