Once the Demon Lord had completely turned to stone and crumbled into dust, Yuan, his wives, and the Fang Family finally sighed in relief, knowing the Demon Lord was truly defeated.
"Finally, that thing is slain... If it had escaped the Secret Realm, it would have caused chaos in the outside world," Grandpa Fang mumbled, releasing a deep sigh of relief.
"It's thanks to Yuan's Demon Slaying technique that we were able to defeat the Demon Lord. That creature must have been planning something..." Grandma Fang said with a soft smile.
Grandpa Fang nodded. "Indeed. Without him, we wouldn't have stood a chance. Even my Phoenix Flames were useless against it."
"How very strange..." Grandma Fang added, puzzled.
Grandpa Fang continued, "Phoenix Flames have the power to purify. Anything they touch either burns to ash or is purified. Yet, the demon was unharmed, even though the flames had a Divine Attribute."
"And with the Demon Lord's terrifying regeneration ability, your flames couldn't affect him," Grandma Fang said thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Anna and the others stood in shock at all that had transpired, particularly Mireya, Sylvia, and Valeria, who were left speechless by the experience.
"It seems the demons living in the outside world aren't actually demons... They're just another race, like demi-humans," Valeria mumbled, clearly shaken by the revelation.
Aside from the vampire race, none of the so-called demons drank human blood or seemed particularly bent on killing humans.
"Indeed," Mireya said, nodding with a serious expression. "They're not demons at all, just another race like us—like elves and dwarves. But because they possess dark powers and have dark skin, humans labeled them demons—a race of dark origin that would supposedly bring chaos to the world."
"And then the humans attacked the elven race out of greed, trying to dominate and enslave the other races..." Sylvia added, a vicious grin spreading across her face. "That Holy Light Empire—I feel like destroying them!"
After a few minutes of rest, Yuan approached the Demon Lord's core, which lay on the ground. He picked it up, immediately surprised.
"Whoa! This thing is not only huge but also really heavy!"
Yuan was shocked by the weight and the vast amount of chaotic energy emanating from it.
"Well, the Demon Lord's cultivation was at the peak of Spirit Lord, so that core contains a lifetime of accumulated Chaotic Energy," Grandpa Fang chuckled at Yuan's reaction.
Grandpa Fang then added, "Now that the demons are defeated, let's head back to the cabin and rest. You can leave the Secret Realm tomorrow."
"I'm tired after the battle with the Demon Lord. It'll take some time to recover my Qi," he sighed.
"Grandpa Fang, since I've reached Spirit Master, I should be able to fly now, right? Can you teach me how?" Yuan asked after storing the Demon Core in his system storage.
"Of course! I'd be happy to teach our new Lord how to fly. Hahaha!" Grandpa Fang laughed heartily.
"But before you can fly, have you learned Qi Manifestation? Without that, you won't be able to fly," Grandpa Fang explained.
"Well... I haven't learned it yet," Yuan replied with an awkward smile, realizing it might be more complicated than he thought.
"I see... Don't worry, with your heaven-defying talent, you'll pick it up in no time. After all, you've already mastered Divine Sense, and Qi Manifestation is quite similar," Grandpa Fang said after thinking for a moment.
"So how do I begin?" Yuan asked.
"The Demon Lord and the demons have been slain? This is incredible!" Fang Ling exclaimed, looking at Yuan with wide eyes, finding it hard to believe he had defeated such a formidable foe.
"Well, he is a genius among geniuses. Knowing that the Demon Lord is gone, the citizens of Xian City will finally feel at ease," Fang Ming added with a smile.
Fang Ling nodded, her expression softening. "Indeed. And it seems our daughter has grown closer to him. I think she might be ready to give us a grandchild soon," she said with a teasing tone.
"I hope so," Fang Ming replied.
"But we can't force her into it just for our sake. We must respect her feelings and let nature take its course." Fang Ming sighed thoughtfully.
Some time later, Grandpa Fang asked Yuan to step outside with him so he could teach him how to fly. Yuan nodded eagerly and followed him out of the house.
Once outside, Grandpa Fang took a deep breath before speaking, "Now that you've learned Qi Manifestation, learning how to fly should come easily to you."
"First, try to manipulate the Spiritual Energy around you and gain control over it. Once you can control it, you'll be able to alter the gravity around your body, allowing you to levitate freely. With enough practice, you'll be able to fly however you wish."
"I understand. Thank you for the valuable advice," Yuan said gratefully.
He then distanced himself from Grandpa Fang, closed his eyes, and stood perfectly still, almost like a stone statue. Yuan focused on using Qi Manifestation to manipulate the Spiritual Energy around his body.
After a few minutes, as he became more familiar with the sensation, he visualized his energy lifting his body into the air. Within a short time, he managed to levitate a few inches off the ground.
"What a fast learner... At this point, I really shouldn't be surprised anymore," Grandpa Fang muttered to himself as he watched Yuan practice, seated in a wooden chair nearby.
After a couple of hours of practice, Yuan had learned to soar into the sky without any issue, though he flew a bit slower compared to when he used Empyreal Oblivion as a flying sword.
[You have learned: Fly]
[Fly]
[Rank: Earth]
[Description: Allows you to fly in the sky. The faster you fly, the more Qi you consume.]
"Amazing! Flying without a sword is really fun. But honestly, flying with a sword looks way cooler," Yuan remarked after flying for a few minutes. He slowly descended to the ground, and Grandpa Fang congratulated him on his achievement.
Later, Yuan and his wives retired to the room provided by the Fang Family. Sitting on the bed, Yuan spoke with a serious expression.
"We'll leave the Secret Realm tomorrow. We've been here long enough, and there's nothing left for us to do. It's time to continue our journey."
After a brief silence, Valeria suddenly asked, "So, what will our next destination be? The empire? You still need to meet my family before we leave the Lionheart Empire."
"Well, if I visit your family, don't be surprised if I end up scolding one of your nephews. One of them almost sacrificed an entire city just because he wanted a pet for himself," Yuan said with a slight smile, hoping Valeria wouldn't take offense.
"What?! One of my nephews did what?!" Valeria exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.
Yuan nodded and began recounting the entire incident from Monroy Village, leaving out no detail.