“Now!” the middle-aged man uttered in a low, grave tone, forming hand seals. The demonic head before him let out a piercing shriek, baring its fangs as it viciously lunged at Patriarch Ji Yin.
Simultaneously, the magical instruments and treasures of Han Li and the others shot forth, blanketing the sky as they rained down upon the traitors of the Miaoyin Sect.
Elder Zhao and the others by Patriarch Ji Yin’s side naturally had no intention of waiting idly for death. They, too, released beams of multicolored light to meet the onslaught.
For a moment, magical instruments and treasures clashed and intertwined in a chaotic dance.
Patriarch Ji Yin cast a detached glance at the scene before him, then turned his gaze to the demonic head hurtling toward him. A cold smirk curled his lips as he hurled two black fireballs from his hands.
The fireballs morphed mid-air, transforming into two ink-black snakes, each as thick as a thumb. With a sharp hiss, they shot like arrows into the gaping maw of the demonic head.
The middle-aged man’s expression instantly shifted, a silent curse forming in his mind.
The demonic head came to an abrupt halt, its skull swelling rapidly before exploding with a deafening “boom,” scattering countless shards of black demonic flame in all directions.
Witnessing this, the middle-aged man’s face paled, but he quickly drew a deep breath, his features hardening with resolve.
He struck the back of his head forcefully, and a thumb-sized pearl slowly emerged from between his brows. It was small, exquisite, and crystalline white, emanating faint wisps of chilling cold.
“Brother Chi, the Patriarch’s Celestial Corpse Fire can only be countered by a treasure of extreme Yin and cold. I will use this Cold Frost Pearl to draw his attention. Seize the opportunity to trap the old demon with your Aqua Demon Art—that is our only chance of victory.” As soon as the pearl emerged, the middle-aged man spoke solemnly, secretly transmitting his words to the Red Flame Fiend hovering in the sky.
A muffled “Hmm” echoed from within the dark clouds, bolstering the middle-aged man’s spirits.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide and expelled a cloud of blood mist, enveloping the pearl. The pearl spun rapidly, absorbing every trace of the blood mist. Then, the white energy contracted and expanded, transforming into a dazzling silver sphere nearly ten feet in diameter, radiant and awe-inspiring.
“Old demon, behold the power of the Cold Frost Pearl, forged from Deep Sea Profound Crystal!” The middle-aged man glared at Patriarch Ji Yin, his face contorted with ferocity.
Pointing at the pearl, he uttered the incantation “Strike!” The silver sphere trembled slightly, emitting a clear, resonant hum before morphing into a white python as thick as a bowl, charging fiercely toward Patriarch Ji Yin.
“Oh?” Patriarch Ji Yin showed a flicker of surprise but quickly regained his composure, smirking disdainfully. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, seven or eight streams of black energy, each as thick as a bowl, shot out from behind him.
The black energy writhed with uncanny agility, coiling in mid-air before transforming into several wolf-like demonic beasts of varying forms, claws bared as they lunged at the white python.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man’s eyebrows shot up in anger. He let out a roar, his fingers dancing incessantly as he channeled multicolored spells into the white python.
The python’s eyes flashed with green light as it coiled its body, releasing a thick cloud of silent, frigid white mist that instantly obliterated the opposing wolf-like beasts. Without pause, the mist surged relentlessly toward Patriarch Ji Yin.
Only then did a flicker of genuine surprise cross Patriarch Ji Yin’s face. Yet, he remained composed, casually drawing a line in the air before him. With a “whoosh,” a thick black barrier erupted from the ground, blocking the advancing white mist.
“Now, Brother Chi, strike!” the middle-aged man urgently transmitted, seeing that the white mist had momentarily captured Patriarch Ji Yin’s full attention.
“Understood!” the Red Flame Fiend responded without hesitation from within the dark clouds.
A deafening roar erupted above the middle-aged man as the dark clouds rapidly expanded, churning and swirling before plummeting downward with lightning speed.
“Red Flame Fiend, you—!” The middle-aged man’s horrified cry was cut short as he was engulfed by the endless expanse of dark clouds, spanning over a hundred yards.
Patriarch Ji Yin let out a series of eerie cackles. A massive black hand shot out from the blinding white cold mist, seizing the white python in an instant and crushing it with brutal force. The python’s form dissipated into mist, reverting to its pearl form.
The pearl flickered desperately within the grasp of the giant hand, releasing waves of cold energy as if refusing to yield.
Amid the thunderous roar of flames, the middle-aged man’s enraged and horrified voice echoed. “Old demon! Red Flame! You two are in cahoots!” His voice dripped with boundless regret and venom.
“Hmph! You were merely too foolish to see it. Entertain yourself with Red Flame for now. I will deal with the others and return to… reminisce about our master-disciple bond.” As these cold words fell, the black hand’s glow receded, revealing Patriarch Ji Yin’s form.
He cast a cold glance at the dark clouds before turning his attention to the Cold Frost Pearl in his hand. Without hesitation, he spat out a faint stream of black energy, enveloping the pearl. The pearl’s radiance dimmed instantly, tainted and dull.
A smug smile flickered across Patriarch Ji Yin’s icy features. With a flip of his hand, the pearl vanished without a trace.
From the Red Flame Fiend’s sudden betrayal to Patriarch Ji Yin’s retrieval of the Cold Frost Pearl, it all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving the Meng surname cultivator and the others—who had moments ago held the upper hand—stunned and speechless.
A look of utter disbelief filled Fairy Zi Ling’s beautiful eyes!
But most quickly grasped the situation. After exchanging glances, they withdrew the treasures that had been overwhelming Elder Zhao and the others, scattering silently in all directions without a word.
None were fools. To resist now would mean certain death, with no hope of a whole corpse. Fleeing in all directions at least offered a sliver of hope for survival. The fastest to escape were, of course, the Core Formation cultivators.
Surprisingly, Fairy Zi Ling, Lady Fan, and Zhuo Ruting—the three female cultivators—employed some secret technique, jointly piloting a stele-like magical instrument that transformed into a tri-colored beam. Their speed rivaled that of the Core Formation cultivators.
However, the quickest to act were undoubtedly Han Li and Qu Hun, who had long been prepared to flee. Almost as soon as the Red Flame Fiend betrayed the middle-aged man, Han Li and Qu Hun retracted their treasures and, without a word, transformed into yellow and green streaks, bolting ahead of the others.
By the time the other cultivators reacted and took flight, Han Li, his face dark, was already thirty or forty yards away, glancing back to assess the situation.
What he saw left him utterly astonished!!
The Core Formation cultivators of the Hidden Fiend Sect had not all fled. The four cultivators who had appeared alongside the middle-aged man were instead launching a frenzied assault on the Red Flame Fiend and Patriarch Ji Yin. Their faces bore expressions of chilling madness, fighting with reckless abandon, entirely on the offensive without any regard for defense. The two demons were, for a moment, thrown into disarray, unable to break free.
This sight filled Han Li with elation!
“Excellent! Excellent! I never imagined you are all Fiend Core Doppelgangers. Very well, this Patriarch shall grant you your wish!”
Yet, this assault seemed to have truly enraged Patriarch Ji Yin. His voice, thick with fury, rang out, followed immediately by a blood-curdling scream from one of the four. Black flames engulfed the cultivator, reducing them to nothingness in an instant.
A chill ran down Han Li’s spine. He dared not look further, urgently channeling all his energy into the Green Glow Sword.
Still, he couldn’t help but cast a peculiar glance at Qu Hun. The words “Fiend Core” and “Doppelganger” had torn away the last veils of ambiguity in his mind.
He had long suspected a connection between Wu Chou’s “Profound Yin Art” and the “Profound Yin Canon” mentioned in the jade slip obtained from the Yue Emperor. Now, hearing Patriarch Ji Yin speak of “Fiend Core” and “Doppelganger,” his suspicions were confirmed.
As for why one was in the South Heaven and the other in the Chaotic Star Sea, it was likely due to an ancient teleportation formation—probably the very one he had used.
Recalling the multicolored skeleton beside the ancient formation, it now seemed highly suspicious!
Moreover, while he had sensed something amiss, the Red Flame Fiend’s betrayal had caught him completely off guard. Thus, his first move as a Core Formation cultivator ended as ingloriously as his days in the Foundation Establishment stage—fleeing for his life.
This left a bitter taste in Han Li’s mouth, filling him with frustration.
Yet, he couldn’t help but see parallels between this scene and the hunt for the “Infant Carp Beast.” Opposing sides poised for battle, only for one to suddenly turncoat and slaughter their allies.
His thoughts drifted to the plaque carved with the fierce demonic head. He felt certain it was connected to all of this.
But Han Li could ponder no further, as two more faint screams echoed from behind, tightening his chest.
Now, his only hope for escape lay in Patriarch Ji Yin’s overconfidence—that he had truly left no backup plan in place.
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