Boom!
As if thunder roared across the heavens, a violet serpent, ferocious and wrathful, emanated an overwhelming yang energy—domineering and violent—as it surged toward the monstrous foe.
The creature with crimson wings wasn’t a brute like the yellow ox demon. Even under the influence of the “Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds,” suffering splitting headaches and being pulled and spun by the sound force, it still thrust its long spear.
Although the “Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds” was an external scenery technique, its grade wasn’t high. Ruan Yushu only had six orifices opened, and despite her zither being unique and her heart naturally attuned to music, she couldn’t unleash its full power. Each note was only equivalent to resolving a half-step external scenery opponent.
Blood dripped from her nose and mouth corners, staining the zither’s wooden grain red and blooming crimson plum blossoms on her white skirt, but she didn’t stop. She was determined to interfere and distract the flying demon to give Meng Qi and Zhang Yuanshan a chance to win.
The demon in flight hurled its spear. The spearhead quivered, resonating with nine layers of thunderous impacts, blossoming into nine spear flowers. Each thrust forth a scarlet lotus of flame, blazing fiercely and detonating soundlessly, presenting an utterly terrifying sight.
On the ground where Meng Qi had stood earlier, flames suddenly erupted, scorching everything, leaving the ground charred black.
Boom! Boom! Nine consecutive explosions. Purple lightning and crimson lotuses collided, electric snakes dancing wildly, red flames flying everywhere, filling the sky with interwoven purple and red!
Meng Qi’s “Thunder Shocking the Ninth Heaven” was limited by his own cultivation realm and strength, only able to fight the half-step external scenery demon, restrained by the “Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds,” to a draw.
This was very reasonable.
But also very cruel!
However, he wasn’t fighting alone. Zhang Yuanshan attacked from below, a mortal body transforming into the form of Zhenwu, severing the sky!
Slightly startled, the demon saw a dark sword descending, its connection to the true fire of heaven and earth after forming its demon core completely severed. The surroundings swayed, as if it had been separated from heaven and earth, forming an isolated prison!
Unable to borrow heavenly power anymore, it could only flap its crimson wings, relying on its own flight. It thrust the spear backward, using the butt end to meet the Teng She sword, while flames spewed from its hands, releasing internal demonic fire, turning the spear into a torch that ignited the sword from afar.
Clang!
The piercing friction sound continued. The Teng She sword slid along the flame-covered spear, slicing through blossoms of “fireworks,” advancing along the spear shaft, and finally severing the demon’s hands.
The demon had just barely resisted the “Thunder Shocking the Ninth Heaven,” and now was too exhausted to recover, giving Zhang Yuanshan the opportunity!
Howls of pain echoed as the fiery demonic aura scattered, fingers flying off. In an instant, the demon became a five-fingered creature, with three fingers on the right and two on the left.
It swung its spear like a snake or dragon, finally knocking away the Teng She sword.
But at that moment, Meng Qi, descending from above, had already thrust his left-hand sword, using the Zi Shang, delivering a death note. A purplish-red sword qi erupted, pure and clean, exuding a chilling aura of death.
Nearby trees split down the middle, their cores bearing marks of sword qi cuts, instantly wilting, devoid of life.
Meng Qi’s spirit was utterly drained, his head throbbing painfully as if he wanted to roll on the ground, blood streaking the corners of his eyes and mouth. Yet his left hand remained steady on the sword hilt, not trembling even slightly.
The demon had no time to bring its spear back to defend against this strike. Facing an unstoppable and relentless sword beam, it roared loudly and spat out a bright red pearl.
This pearl, surrounded by flying flames and crimson mists, directly collided with the purplish-red sword qi.
This was the demon’s life-cultivated core, initially formed from its fiery demonic aura, symbolizing its century of cultivation.
Crack! The fire pearl blocked the purplish-red sword qi. The tip of the Zi Shang sword met the pearl directly. At the point of contact, the fiery core cracked like a net, the sound of damage ringing crisp and clear.
The demon’s seven orifices spewed blood violently. Gritting its teeth, it roared, “Break!”
Bang! The demon core exploded, unleashing a surge of demonic flames—crimson and intensely concentrated—that shot forth along with the Zi Shang Sword, engulfing Meng Qi mid-air where he struggled to evade.
Meng Qi’s vision turned red. Instantly, he felt searing pain all over, his clothes melting away. He had no choice but to discard the Zi Shang sword, pull out the Da Huan Dan, and hold it in his mouth without swallowing, to prevent it from burning.
Plop, he fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented from the impact, flames rising several feet high around his body.
The Jin Zhong Zhao and the Eight-Nine Mystical Arts automatically activated, but under the demon’s century-old concentrated flames, Meng Qi’s dark golden protective aura melted away, like ancient bronze thrown into a furnace, being forged and refined.
Crackling sounds heralded the Jin Zhong Zhao nearing collapse.
Meng Qi’s spirit was exhausted, unable to muster more power. Rolling on the ground did nothing to extinguish the demonic flames.
Feeling the excruciating pain as if his skin were peeling off, his vision darkening, he gritted his teeth and used the “Sacrifice Technique,” instantly restoring nearly half his spirit. The Jin Zhong Zhao stabilized again, unmoving amidst the raging flames, as if being tempered of impurities, precisely as the saying goes: “True gold is forged in fierce flames!”
While fully resisting the demonic fire consuming his body, Meng Qi had no strength left to assist Zhang Yuanshan.
Seeing the demon core shattered, Zhang Yuanshan understood that the opportunity was fleeting. He similarly employed the “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art,” a layer of crimson light flashing over his body, and launched another strike of “Zhenwu Severing the Heavens.”
Although he had already opened seven orifices, his spiritual energy was still slightly inferior to Meng Qi’s, who had absorbed the essence of the Demon Lord. Continuously using external scenery techniques was very difficult for him. To ensure success, he used the “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art,” increasing his strength by fifty percent for thirty heartbeats, enhancing the power of “Zhenwu Severing the Heavens” by fifty percent as well.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ruan Yushu’s zither strings all snapped, and she collapsed weakly to the ground. Prolonged use of the “Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds” had already exceeded her limits. However, her final strike struck the demon like a massive hammer, causing it to spew blood violently and slow its movements.
The dark sword light severed the demon’s connection with the heavens and earth, isolating it from the outside world. However, it was still a half-step External Scenery level demon. Though its core had shattered and it suffered severe backlash, its body remained largely unharmed—unlike the lion demon that had been disemboweled by Meng Qi and later struck by the Eye of Devastation. The demon struggled to swing its spear, trying to parry the Teng She sword.
Crack!
The enhanced “Zhenwu Severing the Heavens,” fifty percent stronger, was no ordinary strike. The spear was torn in half, the upper and lower sections flying apart as if belonging to different worlds!
But the demon managed to deflect the Teng She sword slightly, avoiding the fatal spot. The dark sword light passed, severing its left arm at the shoulder, carrying the spear butt to the ground. The cut was flat and smooth as a mirror, with fiery blood spurting out only after a while.
After blocking the sword strike, with Ruan Yushu no longer restraining it and Meng Qi unable to strike from above, the demon flapped its wings and soared high, escaping Zhang Yuanshan’s attack range.
Still shaken, it had nearly died just now, and it hated Zhang Yuanshan bitterly!
Under normal circumstances, a half-step external scenery opponent would certainly be killed if facing Meng Qi, Ruan Yushu, and Zhang Yuanshan working together. But the demon could fly, while Meng Qi and the others had lost their Demon-Revealing Mirror and Demon-Piercing Arrows.
Looking up at the demon in the high sky, Zhang Yuanshan felt a sense of helplessness and despair, knowing that after using the “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art,” he could only use “Zhenwu Severing the Heavens” one more time.
The “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art” could only last thirty heartbeats, and even shorter after using “Zhenwu Severing the Heavens” once.
“Haha, just wait to be eaten by this Great King!” The demon laughed wildly in the sky. It could probably discern Zhang Yuanshan’s condition. Once he weakened, the matter would be resolved.
Although it was already severely injured, perhaps unable to defeat even a slightly stronger human, the others were wounded or crippled. The only one left unharmed was a young girl, no match for it.
Hearing its laughter, Meng Qi felt anxious but couldn’t relax even for a moment, or the flames would melt his Jin Zhong Zhao and burn him to ashes. He had no choice but to fight desperately against the flames, striving to dispel them before Zhang Yuanshan’s “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art” and his own “Sacrifice Technique” wore off, hoping to wield the Zi Shang sword again.
“You don’t want an opportunity? If you eat us, where will you find another chance?” Zhang Yuanshan said calmly.
Usually unflappable, he now appeared calmer than anyone else, suppressing his despair and helplessness, trying to find a way to buy time, waiting for Jiang Zhiwei and Luo Shengyi to recover or for Meng Qi to extinguish the flames.
Moreover, if the demon was genuinely willing to cooperate, it might be a path forward. After all, by dawn on the eighth day, they could return.
After the flying demon arrived, Jiang Zhiwei and Luo Shengyi focused on healing their wounds, ignoring the battle outcome, as they couldn’t control it. Their priority was to recover as soon as possible.
Qi Zhengyan barely managed to slash out his “Bai Xue Zhen Qi” (Frosty Snow True Qi), transforming into countless ice crystals falling onto Meng Qi, attempting to extinguish the flames. It had some effect, but not significant.
Ruan Yushu secretly took out a Da Huan Dan and swallowed it. Once she regained a little strength, she would use a secret technique to play a single note from the “Twelve Langhuan Divine Sounds” to pull the demon down.
Fu Zhenzhen quietly held her toxins, stealthily moving behind Zhang Yuanshan, planning to let the wounded demon taste poison when it descended.
Everyone refused to give up, employing various methods, fighting desperately for a sliver of hope.
“That’s true,” the flying demon still circled above, laughing loudly in reply. “But let’s talk after your secret technique ends.”
It inwardly sneered, “You’ve cost me an arm; you must pay the price!” As for opportunities, “Without the Great Sage or Demon Kings, I can roam freely. Otherwise, I’d only be a minor leader. So, if there’s an opportunity, it’s good—I can gain inheritance and power. If not, I’ll be even happier.”
Different demons had different thoughts. Some were determined to rescue the Great Sage, while others schemed for their own small gains.
The flames on Meng Qi’s body gradually dimmed, his dark golden aura shining like a solemn Buddha statue. Zhang Yuanshan’s breath began to weaken, the effects of the “Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art” fading irreversibly.
“Should I escape with Zhenzhen, using fake death to survive the last day and a half, then wait to revive Meng Qi and the others?”
“Or wait until the demon descends again and use the ‘Blood-Burning Spirit-Consuming Great Art’? But I’ve already used it once. Using it again so soon might kill me…”
“The demon isn’t beyond cooperation. Even if it’s crippled and maimed, returning to the Reincarnation Space makes it a trivial matter…”
“We can just say the opportunity appears on the eighth day…”
Zhang Yuanshan’s mind was filled with conflicting thoughts, unable to decide whether to flee, surrender and “cooperate,” or take a desperate gamble for that slim chance of survival.
Thinking too much and considering too many possibilities led to hesitation.
Seeing that Zhang Yuanshan’s breath had weakened to a certain extent, certainly unable to unleash another strike like before, the demon raised the broken spear in its right hand, flew down, and cackled, “So, what exactly is this opportunity?”
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