Chapter 247: Big Snake
Everyone was sweating inside. These Cores were worth a few thousand Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. Yet, Yun Kexin did not care about them at all. How strange!
After they cleared up the battlefield, Xiao Chen continued to scout out their path. By now, everyone knew Xiao Chen had a kind of sensory Martial Technique. So, they felt assured letting Xiao Chen scout ahead.
After a while, Xiao Chen suddenly stopped. His originally calm face had an extremely grave expression on it.
When Yun Kexin saw that there was something wrong with Xiao Chen's expression, she asked, "What's wrong? Is there a Demonic Beast blocking the way?"
Xiao Chen nodded silently. He smiled bitterly and said, "Those foul words came true. There is a Demonic Beast in front and based on its aura, it is at least a Peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. It might even be an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast."
When everyone heard that, their complexions drained. They all looked at Gao Xiang with a murderous look. Zhang Lie said in a bad mood, "Here is your chance to perform. Go kill it. We will be waiting here for you good news."
Gao Xiang said embarrassedly, "I was really just saying it casually, you can't blame me for this."
Yun Kexin's expressions did not change, she simply asked calmly, "Can you tell what Demonic Beast it is? Are we able to go around it?"
Xiao Chen shook his head, "I can't make out what Demonic Beast it is, I can only tell you that it is a huge snake. The area which its aura covers is very vast. If we want to move around it without startling it, it would take at least a day."
Because some Demonic Beasts had very strong auras, it would result in blurry images when using Spiritual Sense. Hence, Xiao Chen was not able to make out what Demonic Beast it was.
Yun Kexin thought for about ten seconds before making a quick decision. "Since we can't go around it, then we will fight it. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, Gao Xiang, and Ye Chen come with me. The rest will wait here for further orders."
Of the remaining eight people, these five people were the strongest. The other three people were slightly weaker, they would not be able to deal with a peak Rank 5 or Rank 6 Demonic Beast. Sometimes, if there were too many people, they would not be able to gain a huge advantage. They might even drag the rest down.
The three of them also understood Yun Kexin's intentions. They did not express any dissatisfaction and conscientiously remained at their original spot.
Under the lead of Yun Kexin, the five of them carefully walked towards the unknown Demonic Beast. As they closed in, the aura and pressure of a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast grew more and more obvious.
It was even starting to be difficult to breathe. Gao Xiang had an unsightly expression as he said, "This might not be a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. We might be dealing with a Rank 6 Demonic Beast here.
"It is impossible for the aura of a Rank 5 Demonic Beast to reach such a horrifying level. It is already at the point where we feel suffocated."
Zhang Lie smiled faintly, "In that case, what do you suggest? If you are afraid, no one will care about you."
Gao Xiang rebutted, "When did I say I was afraid? I was simply stating a fact."
Before the fight started, the two of them already started arguing. Yun Kexin frowned heavily and said in a cold voice, "All of you, shut up. We haven't even started fighting yet and you are already arguing. You are throwing yourselves off, are you tired of living?"
Yun Kexin's words were very effective. After she spoke, Zhang Lie and Gao Xiang immediately shut up; they only glared at each other.
"Ye Chen, what do you think are our odds of victory?" Yun Kexin turned around and asked Xiao Chen, who was leading the way.
Xiao Chen thought for a while and said, "If it was a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast, we have a fifty percent chance. If it is an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, we would likely only have a forty percent chance of victory."
Actually, there was one more thing Xiao Chen had not said yet. If he included the dark figure hiding in the darkness sneak-attacking them, their odds of victory would become even lower.
An expression of worry flashed on Yun Kexin's delicate face. She muttered, "I hope it is only a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast then."
"Rumble…!"
Just at this moment, the ground suddenly started to tremble. They all circulated their energies to stabilize themselves, as well as becoming more alert.
"Ka ca! Ka ca!"
The sound of trees breaking echoed in everyone's ears. Unfortunately, they could clearly feel a large creature getting close to them at a high speed.
Yun Kexin calmly said, "Danger, retreat!"
They all executed their Movement Techniques, retreating into the forest. "Hu chi!" A black shadow headed for the slowest person, Mu Heng.
Mu Heng's body lit up with purple light and he shouted, "Seven Stars Transposition!" He instantly vanished and appeared on the top of a tree.
"Bang!" There was a very loud sound.
A huge deep pit appeared on the flat ground in the next instant. It was about ten meters wide and several hundred meters long. As for its depth, it could not be estimated with the eyes.
Mu Heng took in a breath of cold air. If this had struck him, no matter how strong his body was, he would have suffered significant internal injuries. Simply thinking about it made him shiver.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone took a clear look at the Demonic Beast. It was black snake about two hundred meters long. Its scales were flashing with a cold black light.
Half its body was upright, its scarlet eyes were like two bright lanterns in the dark night sky. Its huge mouth opened as its forked tongue stuck out repeatedly.
When half its body was upright, it was more than a hundred meters tall, taller than the trees in the forest. Everyone was like an ant in front of it.
Xiao Chen was startled. He muttered, "This is the Scarlet Crown Snake. No that's not right, a crown has not grown yet. It is still immature. Even so, after it became a Demonic Beast, it has the strength of an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast."
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake saw Mu Heng suddenly disappearing, it seemed very angry. Its scarlet eyes swept through the land in front of it. Then, it saw Gao Xiang, who was holding a huge eye-catching saber.
"Damn it, stop staring at me!" When Gao Xiang said depressedly when he felt the gaze of the Scarlet Demonic Snake. He quickly retreated.
"Hu!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge body sprang up from the ground. It was not in the least bit slow. Its huge jaw was open, it was intending to swallow Gao Xiang.
Gao Xiang was startled, he did not expect the Scarlet Demonic Snake to be so fast. When the mouth was near, he rolled to the side, dodging it.
However, before he could catch a breather, the red tongue in the Scarlet Demonic Snake's mouth shot out, heading toward Gao Xiang.
"Lonely Peak's Fatal Blow!"
At a crucial moment, Zhang Lie executed the fifteenth move of the Lingyun Saber Technique. The saber light that filled the sky turned into a huge peak descending from the sky and pressed down on the body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
"Chi chi!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake felt pain and withdrew its tongue. Then, it turned around and spat out a black fireball at Zhang Lie.
The black fireball had a long comet tail trailing behind it as it flew in the air. Everywhere it passed, even the air was burnt to nothing. The mountain peak immediately disappeared.
His mysterious phenomenon forcibly broken, Zhang Lie vomited a large mouthful of blood. His face was very pale as he fell from the sky.
Gao Xiang stopped running. He did not expect Zhang Lie, who had been bickering with him, to save him at a crucial moment.
When Gao Xiang saw Zhang Lie was injured, he shouted, "You damn beast! I will put everything on the line and kill you!"
Three thousand clouds of fire, covering the sun, infusing into the saber—Heavenly Fire Clouds!
Three thousand clouds of flames started burning in the dark red sky. Suddenly, it seemed limitless, covering the sun and clouds. The fierce flames lit up the entire forest.
The unending chain of clouds of fire formed into a huge tornado of flames. Then, it flew into Gao Xiang's huge saber.
"Boom!
Instantly, Gao Xiang burst into red flames. He now looked like a flame giant. The large flaming saber swung forward fiercely.
The red flames howled like a flood dragon. The horrifying temperature caused all the trees within a hundred meters to melt. It rushed toward the Scarlet Demonic Snake's head at a fast speed.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's red eyes were flicking repeatedly. It spat out a black fireball from its mouth. It headed for the flames sent out by Gao Xiang.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The red flames and black flames met in the middle. The huge energy instantly exploded in the air, causing surging shockwaves to spread everywhere. Everywhere it passed, the ground would be scorched to ash.
The two flames starting burning in the air. However, the black flame soon enlarged explosively. Then, it defeated the red flame and rushed at Gao Xiang.
Gao Xiang did not dare to be careless, but he did not retreat either. He sent out flames after flames from his huge saber incessantly. After a few breaths' time, he finally managed to block the flames from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
"Swift Horizontal Saber Strike!"
Just as the Scarlet Demonic Snake wanted to spit out another mouthful of black fire, Mu Heng, who was on top of another tree, suddenly made a move.
Mu Heng's body lit up with a purple light, then he quickly moved across the air. His entire being turned into an unparalleled treasured saber, a sharp gleam was radiating off it, it was very dazzling.
"Bang!"
Mu Heng used his palm as a saber and hacked on the Scarlet Demonic Snake's head. This was a saber strike that could split mountains, used without holding back.
There was a depressed sound and the upright body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was hacked by this saber strike and knocked to the ground.
However, even with all this, this saber strike did not even break the Scarlet Demonic Snake's skin. The instant the Scarlet Demonic Snake landed, its huge tail gave off a thunderous sound as it tore through the air, smashing at Mu Heng.
Mu Heng, who was in the air, had no support to move around. Yet when he saw the Scarlet Demonic Snake's tail swinging at him, he strangely disappeared again.
"Pu ci!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake quickly sensed Mu Heng's location and swung its tail at him again, creating another thunderous sound.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's speed was now faster than before. Mu Heng had a grave expression. He used the Seven Stars Transposition and flickered around in the air seven times.
Every time he appeared, the tail would be following closely. Each time it happened, it was faster and more dangerous.
"Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds!"
Zhang Lie had eaten a Blood Replenishing Pill and Qi Returning Pill. His eyes were filled with an intent to battle as he stood up again.
He infused his Small Perfection saber intent into the Lingyun Saber Technique. Then, he turned into a lonely mountain peak, creating boundless strong winds. He smashed down on the Scarlet Demonic Snake violently.
Mu Heng got a chance to take a breather. He disappeared into the air again, finally managing to shake off the tail following him.
When the Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds infused with the Small Perfection saber intent struck the Scarlet Demonic Snake, the scales which were as hard as iron, were finally broken.
The wind was like sabers, causing black blood to spurt out in the air and spraying it all over the forest.
"Heavenly Fire Clouds!" The huge flaming tornado starting forming in the sky once again.
Chapter 248: Horrifying Battle
Mu Heng managed to catch a breather. After that, he stood, and his entire body glowed with a purple light. He was like a treasured saber as he attacked again.
While they were fighting this early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, the three of them did not dare make any probing attacks. They put in their full effort in every attack, executing all sorts of Martial Techniques.
The three of them did not care about the exhaustion of their Essence at all; they threw everything they had into their attacks. The horrifying Rank 6 Scarlet Demonic Snake was unable to do anything to the three of them in that short period.
The aftermath of the intense fight extended throughout the forest. Flames rushed towards the sky; shockwaves surged; the sounds of the fight were like thunder.
As a result of the fight, the tall trees within a thousand meters all burned down to nothing. The ground trembled non-stop as deep pits appeared.
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin were in no rush to make a move. The two of them raised their auras with their hands placed on the saber hilts. They watched the battlefield intently, preparing to make a fatal blow.
The two of them knew that, while it seemed like the three of them were putting the Scarlet Demonic Snake into a miserable state, it was not severely injured at all.
When the three of them exhausted their Essence, the situation would turn around. Thus, the two of them waited for the most opportune time to make a move. When they attacked, they had to end the fight in one saber strike.
---
Within the forest, when the three people who stayed behind as the flames rushed to the sky and the shockwaves surged, they felt fear in their hearts; they were terrified.
"What a horrifying battle! Could they have run into a Rank 6 Demonic Beast?" a female Gangyu Peak disciple asked with a face full of worry.
One of the others also had a face full of worry. He continued, "That sounds about right. With Yun Kexin's strength, she should be able to hold her ground against a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. Adding in the rest, they should have a fifty percent chance of killing one. Only a Rank 6 Demonic Beast would result in such great activity."
The last person said, "An early Rank 6 Demonic Beast is the equivalent of a Medial Grade Martial King. I'm not sure if Yun Kexin and the others can survive."
"I hope they survive. Otherwise, with our strength, it would be difficult for us to walk out of this forest. Death would be the only path remaining for us."
The female Gangyu Peak disciple thought for a while and said, "Should we go and take a look? If something happened, we can help them out."
The person to the side said, "Don't be foolish. If it were an ordinary Rank 5 Demonic Beast, it would naturally be better for there to be more people. However, when dealing with peak Rank 5 or Rank 6 Demonic Beast, we would only cause trouble. We should wait here for their good news."
The group of three stopped speaking. They simply waited there anxiously. This fight was a fight that concerned their lives and deaths.
"Senior Sister Bai!"
Suddenly, there a sound came from behind them. The female Gangyu Peak disciple felt it was strange; she turned around and discovered the two companions who had died earlier were standing there, smiling.
"Junior Brother Wang… Senior Brother Liu… didn't you two die earlier?" a look of confusion flashed in their eyes.
The two people walked closer by a few steps and explained, "Our luck was pretty good. We are not sure what happened, either. We suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. The ground where you buried us was quite soft, so we dug ourselves up."
"That's right; where are Senior Sister Yun and the rest?" the two of them asked suspiciously.
This scene was incredibly strange. They had clearly died. However, they suddenly appeared before them. This made them wonder what was happening.
The three people exchanged a glance, and they understood each other's thoughts. Then, they began asking some questions. In the end, the two of them were able to answer every question without hesitation.
After testing them for a long time, the three finally believed that these two people were the same two who died.
The female Gangyu Peak disciple revealed a joyful expression as she said, "That's great! The both of you are alive. Senior Sister Yun and the rest are in front…"
"Pu ci!"
Before this female disciple could finish speaking, a short saber appeared in her chest. The smile on her face froze. A life vanished, just like that.
"Junior Brother Wang! What are you doing?" one of the others exclaimed as he stepped forward. However, before he took more than a few steps, the other person stabbed him through the back.
Before the last, remaining person could react, four Shadow Demons appeared behind him. Each struck once, killing this person without a sound.
"Hu Hu!"
Three of the Shadow Demons entered their corpses. After they stretched the bodies, they smiled and said, "Humans are really stupid creatures."
The head of the Shadow Demons looked at the scene of battle in front. He said, "No wonder Master wanted us to make our move while they fought the Scarlet Demonic Snake. The strengths of those people are too strong."
"Indeed. It is likely the Scarlet Demonic Snake will not be able to deal with them. However, with these new corpses, it should be much easier to deal with them."
---
"Bang!"
Gao Xiang's huge saber carried a boundless flame as he hacked violently on the Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge tail flying at him. There was an exploding sound. Gao Xiang vomited a mouthful of blood and was knocked back.
Gao Xiang fell to the ground, revealing a pained expression. He could not stand when he tried to do so.
Zhang Lie, who was to the side, was also helpless. He simply sat there cross-legged. In the beginning, when his mysterious phenomenon broke, he received a significant amount of injuries. After that, he forcibly carried on fighting, increasing the severity of his injuries. Of the three of them, he was the first to lose his ability to fight.
"Seven Stars Transposition, Meandering Big Dipper!"
Mu Heng shouted and drew a circle in the air with his left hand, forming a strange area of Qi before him. This caused the black fire the Scarlet Demonic Snake spat at him to bounce back.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake was unable to dodge in time. The horrifying black flames struck it and burned its body. Its huge form thrashed on the ground.
After Mu Heng used this move, the purple light on his body disappeared completely. His face was incredibly pale; blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He only managed to slowly stabilize himself after taking a few steps back.
Now! Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin exchanged a look. They did not hesitate as the strength they been gathering surged up and exploded out.
Bellowing Heavenly Melody, Piercing the sky!
Yun Kexin shouted and drew her saber. The slender saber started trembling, giving off a long and drawn out trill.
"Ding ding! Dang dang!" The sound was like thunder, chained together unceasingly before they gathered and formed a heaven-piercing melody. She pointed the saber at the Scarlet Demonic Snake, which had just put out the black fire burning it.
A soundwave-like saber Qi descended from the sky and entered the Scarlet Demonic Snake. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Sounds similar to thunder came from within the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
There were explosions going on inside its huge body, bouncing it up and down on the ground, making the ground tremble. The three who had exhausted their Essence were tossed about on the ground; they had to spend a lot of effort stabilizing themselves.
"Nine Skies of Lingyun, Twisting Road Around Peak!"
Xiao Chen gently pushed his feet off the ground and soared into the sky, going higher and higher. The layers of white clouds suddenly began to churn non-stop.
Within the white clouds, Xiao Chen was partly hidden. "Dang!" Suddenly, a crack of thunder came from the churning white clouds. Then, the white clouds all scattered.
Xiao Chen moved in an arc, down from the sky. As he descended, the outline of a mountain was being drawn out, starting from the top to bottom, slowly appearing.
Clouds shrouded the summit of the mountain. There were all sorts of plants and pavilions. It was like a real mountain had appeared above them.
Zhang Lie looked thoughtfully at the mysterious phenomenon Xiao Chen executed. There was a strange light in his eyes as he muttered, "There is a mountain, and there are clouds. Isn't this the real state of mountain and state of clouds?
"Clouds must be accompanied by thunder; the mountain should have birds, trees, and other plants. They all cannot lack. Nine Skies of Lingyun, Twisting Road Around Peak… so this is the true seventh move of the Lingyun Saber Technique."
"Shua!"
As Zhang Lie muttered in awe, the Great Perfection mountain suddenly vanished, merging into Xiao Chen's body.
In that instant, Xiao Chen's aura suddenly changed. He had the majesty of the mountain and the whimsical air of the clouds. His saber also became strangely swift.
Zhang Lie was stunned for a long time. Then, he suddenly said excitedly, "Twisting Road Around Peak… Twisting Road Around Peak… how laughable. I thought I understood. In the end, I was played."
The Scarlet Demonic Snake writhing in pain on the ground felt a dangerous aura. It endured the pain in its body and struck upwards with its huge tail, creating a loud thunderous sound.
In the instant its huge tail swung, there were explosions in the air.
The shockwaves generated by the explosions caused the Qi and blood of the Essence-depleted, helpless trio on the ground to churn, making them vomit another mouthful of blood.
"Bang!"
The saber and snake tail met in the air. A visible shockwave exploded out, spreading like ripples on the surface of the water.
Xiao Chen's body was like a mountain. Despite the huge force of the Scarlet Demonic Snake, he did not move at all; there were no signs of him moving back.
As a result of the huge force, Xiao Chen's Qi and blood churned. He did his best to circulate his Essence, his mind remaining clear. He unleashed the mysterious phenomenon that merged into his body via his saber.
"Pu ci!"
Wounds appeared all over the tail of the huge serpent. Under the saber, infused with the state of a mountain, the Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge body was knocked into the air.
Its black blood fell from the sky like rain, spraying relentlessly with 'zi zi' sounds. Xiao Chen's Essence trembled and blocked the corrosive black blood.
"Rumble…!"
The huge Scarlet Demonic Snake fell like a heavy sandbag after Xiao Chen knocked it far away. Then, it rolled for a distance. Its huge hill-sized body made the ground tremble.
"Sou!"
Xiao Chena and Yun Kexin did not stop moving; they did not wish to lose this window of opportunity. The lifeforce and recovery of the Scarlet Demonic Snake were astonishing; they could not give it any time to catch a breather.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake had already suffered from the relentless attacks from Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang. However, it did not suffer from any severe injuries. Now that they had heavily injured it after the sneak-attack, they naturally had to grab this opportunity and not give it the chance to turn things around.
The two of them arrived at the Scarlet Demonic Snake's side instantly and unceasingly launched all sorts of Martial Techniques. Every saber strike from Xiao Chen would leave a deep wound on the Scarlet Demonic Snake, inflicting incomparable pain.
However, when Yun Kexin's slender saber struck its surface, it was only created a shallow wound. It seemed her saber was only a Superior Grand Profound Ranked Spirit Weapon and was unable to break through the defenses of the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
Chapter 249: Surrounded by Shadow Demons
Xiao Chen took some time to take out the Roaming Dragon Saber and tossed it to Yun Kexin. He said, "Use my saber first!"
Yun Kexin nodded thanks, then received the Roaming Dragon Saber. The instant she grasped the saber hilt, a ripple appeared on her calm face. She said in shock, "This is a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon!"
Yun Kexin's firm mental state was temporarily shaken. She was wondering if Xiao Chen had thrown the wrong Spirit Weapon to her. To think he casually tossed a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon over.
"Bang!"
A strong wind blew in their faces, and there was a dangerous aura. Yun Kexin recovered her wits and quickly moved to the side, dodging an attack from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
Ever since the Scarlet Demonic Snake had been struck by the two sneak-attacks, it was attacked relentlessly by the two of them; it was now thoroughly angered.
Its hundred-meter-long upper body was drawn upright and it swung its tail in a circle. Its tail actually started to grow longer; it grew longer and longer, as well as sharper and sharper.
The sharp snake tail tore through the air, creating a piercing sonic boom as it stabbed at Xiao Chen. Its speed was as fast as lightning, startling Xiao Chen as he quickly retreated backward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The place where Xiao Chen had been standing exploded. A bottomless pit appeared on the ground. Xiao Chen kept retreating backward continuously, but the nail-like tail was chasing him relentlessly.
Very quickly, several bottomless pits had appeared on the ground. Each successive strike of the tail was faster than the one before. Xiao Chen did not even have the time to turn his head around.
While the snake's tail was attacking Xiao Chen, the Scarlet Demonic Snake did not wait idly, either. It was launching black fire at Yun Kexin unceasingly.
However, Yun Kexin's situation was slightly better than Xiao Chen's. After she obtained the Inferior Grade Heaven Ranked Roaming Dragon Saber, she was able to sweep away the black flames with a full-power strike if she was unable to dodge them.
"Weng!"
A dragon's roar was heard. Suddenly Yun Kexin stopped dodging and grasped the Roaming Dragon Saber tightly. There was a cold light gleaming on the saber and then it burst out with a boundless radiance.
Amidst the radiance, there seemed to be a roaming dragon moving around, circling the saber blade.
"Bang!"
There was a flash of saber light and it hacked apart a long black flame into half. Then, she rushed at the Scarlet Demonic Snake without hesitation and with no care for her body.
Next to the huge body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake, Yun Kexin was like a baby.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's red eyes were shining like lanterns as it watched Yun Kexin rushing over. A cruel gaze appeared in its eyes as it stopped spitting out black flames. Then, it lunged towards Yun Kexin and tried to swallow her.
Yun Kexin nimbly dodged, it was like she had eyes in the back of her head. She turned the saber in her hand and the sharp saber blade severed the incoming forked tongue.
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake felt the pain hit, the tail attacking Xiao Chen could not help but slow down. Xiao Chen senses were very sharp, and he instantly grabbed the opportunity.
"Flight On Wings, One Line Chop!"
The light on the snow-white saber blade withdrew. A cold gleam flashed on it, and it chopped off three meters of the long tail.
After it fell, Yun Kexin's and Xiao Chen's gazes met by chance; exchanging a smile with each other.
Even though it was a strong early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, after it suffered two full-powered strikes from peak Earth Rank Martial Techniques, it would still suffer from severe internal injuries.
After that, it suffered from the relentless attacks from the two of them. Every strike they threw at it drew blood, they were not simply for show.
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake was attacking relentlessly earlier, that was actually a last ditch effort. If the two of them could have held their ground, the Scarlet Demonic Snake was bound to lose; it was simply a matter of time.
If they were not able to hold up under its fierce attacks, then the Scarlet Demonic Snake would be the one to obtain the final victory. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang were already no threat to it anymore.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Xiao Chen brandished his saber and exhibited the state of mountain from the Lingyun Saber Technique to its extreme. He was as stable as a mountain, blocking every attack from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
As for Yun Kexin, who was holding a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon, she was creating opportunities to attack without stopping. One person focused on attacking, the other defense; this was a perfect combination.
The advantage of the fight was slowly tilting to Xiao Chen's group. The defeat of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was getting closer.
---
"Senior Brother Mu! Senior Brother Zhang! Are you two fine?!" The three Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples being controlled by the Shadow Demons suddenly walked over from the side of the battlefield. They had anxious expressions on their faces as they walked up to the three of them.
Zhang Lie felt it was strange, so he asked, "Why are you here? Did we not tell you to wait over there for us?"
"We saw that the activity here was intense, so we were worried. That's why we rushed over here." The female Gangyu Peak disciple helped up Gao Xiang, who was on the ground. Then, she asked, "How is the situation now?"
Gao Xiang thanked her first, then said, "More or less finished, the Scarlet Demonic Snake is at the end of its ropes. Ye Chen and Yun Kexin should be ending the fight soon."
---
"Pu ci!"
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin patiently waited for an opportunity. Then they moved together in the air. The streaks of saber lights lit up in the sky and a large amount of black blood spurted out.
The huge body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was attacked at the same spot by both of them, instantly chopped in twain
"Heavenly Melody Explosion!" Yun Kexin shouted and the Roaming Dragon Saber trembled in her hand. A formless soundwave-type saber Qi entered the wound in the Scarlet Demonic Snake's front half.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound waves spread throughout the Scarlet Demonic Snake's upper body, creating explosions. The hundred meters of its upper body was badly mutilated. Its main body was dripping with blood now, as dead as it could be.
Yun Kexin stretched her hand out and retrieved the Scarlet Demonic Snake's Rank 6 Demonic Core. Then, she casually tossed it to Xiao Chen and said, "This is for you, I don't need this."
Xiao Chen stretched his hand out and received it. He was in a little disbelief. This was a Demonic Core worth ten thousand Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. Yet, Yun Kexin tossed it over so casually, as though it was a valueless rock.
Yun Kexin explained, "I am not lacking in Spirit Stones. You can just split it with the rest. As for how to do it, I will leave it up to you."
Xiao Chen was not a pretentious person; he nodded and thanked her before putting it away. Yun Kexin was not lacking Spirit Stones, but Xiao Chen was not either. However, Spirit Stones were like money.
The more there was, the better things would be. Xiao Chen would not tire of having too much.
The two of them each consumed a Medicinal Pill and took out an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone before sitting down to recover their energy. They could be considered to have killed this Rank 6 Demonic Beast blocking their way unscathed. So, they relaxed slightly in their hearts.
After a short time, they completely drained all the Spiritual Energy in the Spirit Stones. Both of them stood up simultaneously.
With their current cultivation realms, an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone could only recover about half their Essence. However, the two of them knew that there was not enough time for them to continue recovering their Essence. So, they did not have any intention to take up more time recovering their Essence.
When they saw Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin get up, Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, Gao Xiang and the three people controlled by the Shadow Demons followed suit. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang suffered significant internal injuries. After they had rested for a while, they had only barely suppressed their injuries.
Yun Kexin saw that the other three people had a strange look in their eyes. Hence, she secretly gave Xiao Chen a look.
Xiao Chen was somewhat astonished and used his Spiritual Sense to scan them. After a while, he understood the situation.
"Why did the three of you come over? Didn't I say for you to stay there and wait for us?" Yun Kexin asked the three people calmly.
The female Gangyu Peak Disciple answered, "The activity of the fight was too big. We were worried, so we came over."
Yun Kexin did not continue to pursue the matter. She said, "Never mind, there is no more danger. However, we cannot continue traveling. We should make a retreat and rest."
The three people did not suspect her at all. They turned around and headed back the way they came from with Mu Heng and the rest.
"Pu ci!"
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin moved at the same time. The Roaming Dragon Saber in Yun Kexin hand gleamed with a cold light as it stabbed the heart of a Shadow Demon from the back.
Xiao Chen's figure appeared from nowhere and punched a Shadow Demon with a huge force. Then the two of them continued to attack. One person with a saber and the other with a fist, striking the final Shadow Demon.
All this happened within the time it took for a spark to fly. The three Shadow Demons simply could not react at all and got hit. Mu Heng and the others could not understand what they were seeing.
"Senior Sister Yun! Ye Chen! What are you doing!"
Yun Kexin did not answer their question. Instead, she said indifferently, "You will understand in a while!"
The three people on the ground let out painful hoarse cries. Then, right under Zhang Lie's astonished gaze, three columns of smoke came out from them. The three Shadow Demons had pained expressions on their faces as they collapsed to the ground; it was clear they had been severely injured.
"Hu chi!"
Seeing their comrades being exposed, the other Shadow Demons no longer hid themselves and came out from the ground. Seven pale-faced Shadow Demons appeared suddenly before everyone.
Three Shadow Demons did not hesitate to launch themselves at Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang. The remaining four started to surround Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin. The two Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples who became blood corpses also appeared slowly, launching themselves at Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin.
A big fight had just finished and they have not rested properly yet. However, they were in danger once again. Especially Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang, they had not even recovered a quarter of their strength yet. When the three Shadow Demons attacked, they were immediately in danger.
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin were not in a very good situation either. They both had to deal with two Shadow Demons each and a blood corpse. Furthermore, they had only recovered half their strength. They could not take out some time to help Mu Heng and the others.
The Shadow Demons' attacks were extremely weird. They were different from the Martial Techniques of the Tianwu Continent. They relied on their bodies to attack and were very direct; they were not fancy at all, more like a Demonic Beast.
However, if it was only so, Xiao Chen would not find it difficult to deal with. The thing that gave him a headache was their Movement Techniques. They were strangely swift, and there were no weak points to exploit.
Occasionally, they would strike one with their sabers, only to discover what they attacked was a clump of formless black smoke.
If Xiao Chen could hit them, he was confident of killing them in one strike. Unfortunately, they were everywhere; around him, below him, and above him. It was hard to differentiate the real from the fake. It was extremely troublesome.
Then, there were the two Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples who had been altered into blood corpses. Their strength had increased by twenty percent. When they were attacked, they could not feel pain, so they continued to attack.
I can't hold back anymore. Otherwise, even if I can save myself, Mu Heng and the others will die, Xiao Chen thought anxiously.
Chapter 250: The Rugged Road Ahead
After Xiao Chen made up his mind, he silently circulated the Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art as he fought. The bones in his body immediately started to crackle.
A layer of golden light slowly appeared on the surface of his body. The strength of the tiger and dragon slowly manifested. Then he stopped attacking, letting a Shadow Demon attack him without dodging.
When the Shadow Demon saw the change in Xiao Chen's movements, he thought Xiao Chen's Essence was exhausted and had revealed a weak point. He smiled malevolently as he stabbed his five sharp claws toward Xiao Chen.
"Keng Qiang!"
The sharp claws tore Xiao Chen's clothes in an instant. However, when they came in contact with his skin, they gave off a metallic sound and could not advance further.
What happened? The Shadow Demon wondered; he felt it was quite odd.
Although this attack failed to stab Xiao Chen's heart, the force struck his chest. This jolted his internal organs, and his Qi and blood surged.
Xiao Chen shouted, and the image of a tiger and dragon flew out from his body. The tiger howled, and the dragon roared. His body immediately filled with a horrifying strength.
"Fierce Tiger Leaving the Mountains!"
Before the Shadow Demon could dodge, Xiao Chen's punch, which carried six thousand kilograms of force, broke his head; the Shadow Demon died instantly.
When Xiao Chen saw the remained Shadow Demon and blood corpse rushing over to save him; the Qi whirlpool in his dantian spun twice, quickly.
A pure and surging lightning-attributed Essence traveled via his meridians and flowed into the snow-white blade of the Lunar Shadow Saber. Purple light instantly flickered within the dark forest; it was incredibly dazzling.
"Drawing the Saber!"
This was the first time Xiao Chen infused the pure state of Thunder into the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique. Dark clouds covered the sky as thunder roared angrily. It was like a massive army marching.
Xiao Chen's attribute was lightning. When he became a Martial Saint, the Essence in his body changed completely, becoming pure lightning-attributed Essence.
Under such a state, when Xiao Chen used the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique, the strength he could bring out was more powerful than the Lingyun Saber Technique with the state of mountains and state of clouds.
Three bolts of lightning broke through the night sky and gathered on Xiao Chen's saber. His body flashed in the air, and another Shadow Demon separated into half instantly.
The Essence containing the state of lightning was flickering where he was chopped in half, as well as on the wounds. It stayed there without fading for a long time.
"Arclight Chop!"
Xiao Chen kept moving. Then a chain of thunder crackled in the sky again. The saber drew an arclight in the sky. The blood corpse that tried to run was chopped in half as well; it had no way to resist.
"Rushing Heaven Chop!"
Xiao Chen pushed his feet off the ground, pointed his Lunar Shadow Saber to the sky, and soared upwards. There was no grace to his movements at all, but he surged with a boundless aura.
"Chi! Chi! Chi!"
Xiao Chen's body was like a bolt of lightning, flashing in the sky. With a 'shua' sound, the three Shadow Demons surrounding Mu Heng and the others were immediately pierced through and killed in that instant.
Xiao Chen's body paused in mid-air, and the chain of thunder stopped. It was like the calm before the storm; it instantly became very quiet.
"Rushing Thunder Chop!" Xiao Chen shouted. He held his saber with both hands and hacked downwards on the blood corpse attacking Yun Kexin.
"Pu Ci!"
A resplendent saber light sliced through the air like it was water, appearing from nowhere in the blood corpse's head.
In the next instant, the intense electricity in the saber light exploded, creating thunder louder than any that came before. With a 'shua' sound, this blood corpse was hacked into halves by the saber and was turned to nothing by the explosion.
"Rushing Thunder Second Chain Chop!" The momentum of the four moves from the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique completely unleashed at this moment. Xiao Chen's saber turned the Shadow Demon into a puddle of blood; he did not even have the time to cry out miserably.
The final Shadow Demon felt fear in his heart. He decisively gave up the attack on Yun Kexin and turned into a ball of black smoke, fleeing quickly.
"Trying to run? Are you able to do so?" Xiao Chen withdrew his saber and stood upright. He snorted coldly when he saw the Shadow Demon fleeing.
A limitless purple flame burned in his right eye. If one looked into his eye, they would see an ocean of flames.
The fierce flames gathered together before finally turning into a ball, turning into a strange purple flame in Xiao Chen's right eye.
"Purple Thunder True Fire, Shoot!"
The strange flame formed a purple arrow in the air. Like a ray of light, it quietly chased after the Shadow Demon who fled for more than a thousand meters.
"Boom!"
A horrifying explosion came from the distance. The purple flame discharged and the lightning in the flame released. Countless bolts of lightning filled the space.
Aside from Yun Kexin, the others stared at this scene, dumbfounded; they did not dare believe this was real.
Xiao Chen withdrew and stood upright. He already expected the strength of the state of thunder infused in Rushing Thunder Saber Technique to be very strong. However, he was still astonished at the might it displayed.
He believed that if he could completely grasp this Saber Techniques, aside from some late peak Martial Saints, he would be unrivaled within the Martial Saint realm.
Xiao Chen withdrew his thoughts and turned around. He discovered Gao Xiang holding his chest, lying on the ground in pain. His lips were black, and he trembled; these were the signs of poisoning.
Xiao Chen quickly walked over and asked Zhang Lie, "What's going on with him?"
Zhang Lie looked very upset. His voice trembled as he explained what happened to Xiao Chen.
When the Shadow Demons suddenly attacked them, the slowest was Gao Xiang. Furthermore, his injuries had not yet healed. The claws of a Shadow Demon pierced his chest.
Originally, the wound was not so deep; Gao Xiang did not care about it either. He had suffered similar wounds before when he trained outside. With the strength of a cultivator's body, this would not be a life-threatening wound.
However, he did not expect there to be a slow-acting poison in the Shadow Demon's attack. By the time he reacted, the poison had spread throughout his body; he could no longer force it out.
Mu Heng asked, "Ye Chen, can you save him?"
Xiao Chen shooked his head. Under the Medicinal Pills section in the Compendium of Cultivation, there were pills that would treat poison. Unfortunately, Xiao Chen had not practiced refining them. He had no way to produce one now.
Maybe Yun Kexin has a way, such a thought appeared in Xiao Chen's mind. This feeling was very strange; it was like instinct.
Yun Kexin had rushed over long ago. However, she was simply standing by the side, observing Gao Xiang's situation without saying anything.
When she felt Xiao Chen's gaze, she shook her head. "I do have Rank 6 poison antidotes. However, the poison has already permeated the bone marrow and heart vessels. Without a medical sage here personally or an Immortal Grade Holy Herb with at least a thousand years of age, there is no way to save him."
When Gao Xiang heard this, he did not have a bitter look on his face. Instead, he revealed a gentle expression. He smiled bitterly, "I started cultivating at the age of six and entered the Heavenly Saber Pavilion at the age of sixteen. Now, I am twenty-six and am a Medial Grade Martial Saint. I feel unsatisfied, dying like this!"
Like the final radiance of the setting sun, Gao Xiang's pained expression completely vanished. His complexion started to brighten. He removed the bag from behind him and handed it to Zhang Lie.
He muttered, "This is the Demonic Core I obtained on this trip. I originally thought I could exchange these for Medial Grade Spirit Stones and raise my cultivation to peak Medial Grade Martial Saint. It seems like I can only let you guys take advantage of me now.
"The path of a cultivator is rugged. Everyone who walks this path should expect such a day. Let my misfortune be a reminder to you. When in a fight, do not be careless."
After Gao Xiang spoke, a look of determination appeared in his eyes. Then, he circulated his final dregs of Essence and shattered his heart.
He chose to end his own life; this was a tragic way to die.
Gao Xiang's death made everyone feel somewhat depressed. They felt sympathy and sorrow, and at the same time, they thought of themselves.
In the Tianwu Continent, the strong ruled. The weak were ants in the eyes of the strong. They would kill if they wanted to. If they were upset, they would trample on your dignity.
Under such cruel circumstances, every cultivator would find all sorts of means to cultivate bitterly, seeking the path to grow stronger.
However, this path was too arduous. Aside from having to deal with both the open competition and hidden attacks by other humans, they still had to be very careful how they trained, avoiding dying at the hands of Demonic Beasts or Spirit Beasts.
Life was too fragile on such a path. This mission was a form of training too. Unfortunately, before they even reached the midpoint, six people on their team had already lost their lives.
Xiao Chen casually summoned a cluster of Purple Thunder True Fire and covered Gao Xiang's body with it. His body immediately began to burn quickly.
Burying a body in the forest was already known to be a wrong move. The enemy would only use them. Thus, no one felt Xiao Chen's actions were wrong.
As they watched Gao Xiang's body burn, a difficult-to-detect, complicated look flashed in Yun Kexin's eyes. However, it was just a flash; no one noticed it.
After a while, Yun Kexin said calmly, "We will rest for an hour. After that, we will continue on our way."
-----
Within the forest, similar things happened at other locations.
Murong Chong was drifting in the air. Then, a cool breeze blew. After a while, a saber light appeared, and a man in scarlet was torn apart.
The Blood Demon's body could be fixed back together. However, it was unable to do so; it turned into a corpse.
No emotions showed on Murong Chong's handsome face. He wiped his saber clean of blood and sheathed it.
The pieces of the Blood Demon's body on the ground suddenly exploded, turning into a puddle of blood, flying everywhere.
Behind Murong Chong, there were two members of the team with black lips. They had collapsed to the ground with unsightly expressions. They had also been afflicted with the slow-acting poison; it had spread throughout their bodies, and they could no longer be saved.
"Senior Brother Murong, do you have any way to save my Junior Brother? He is going to die," a Gangyu Peak disciple asked anxiously.
Murong Chong shook his head without saying a thing. Then, he picked up the Demon Core the Blood Demon left behind and put it away. He carried his saber and sat, alone, in a corner. He closed his eyes and recovered his energies.
[TL afterthoughts: I had to put this out here. Although I hated Gao Xiang at first, his death gave me the feels… As I was translating this, when I got to the part where he died, I really hoped he would live. I wanted to see a friendship begin with this group.]
Chapter 251: Demon General
The life of a cultivator is like an ant's. If they cannot become strong, they will only become cannon fodder for other people, Murong Chong thought to himself. That means that aside from becoming strong, there is no other choice. Otherwise, I will become like these people.
On an overhanging cliff, in a magnificent castle. The Blood Demon General draped in a scarlet cloak sat on a scarlet throne. He held a golden wine cup and sat there expressionlessly.
Without looking carefully, the face of the Blood Demon General was no different from a human youth's. However, the scarlet eyes on his pale face were filled with a boundless killing intent that would cause one to tremble.
Below the great hall, there were twelve pillars on the two side. Beside each pillar, there were ten Blood Demons dressed in scarlet.
The Blood Demon General raised the golden wine cup and took a gentle sip. A scarlet stain was left behind on his lips.
Apparently, this was not actually some magnificent wine; it was a cup of fresh human blood. It was very possible it came from a captured Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciple.
The Blood Demon General wiped the blood away from the corner of his lips and revealed a drunk expression. He said, "What delectable fresh human blood. I have not tasted it for twenty years in this space."
"Dang! Dang!"
Suddenly, a Blood Demon covered in blood came into the great hall anxiously. He walked forward and knelt below the throne.
He respectfully said, "Lord Demon General, the Shadow Demons you sent out were all eliminated. According to your instructions, I have sent out all the Blood Demons within the palace six hours ago.
"Because Lord Demon General was in closed-door cultivation, I could not report until now."
A faint smile was revealed on the Blood Demon General's face. He placed the golden wine cup on the table beside the throne and said, "Not a problem, it is something within expectations. They are just like dogs, I don't expect them to be of much use. Furthermore, we are just projections here, they can't even be compared to dogs. Even more reason to not care about them."
"Take your leave first, you have done a good job. As long as we can obstruct that group of people for one day and finish the ceremony, everything will be fine."
The person that knelt on the ground got up and gave thanks before he quickly left the great hall.
The Blood Demon General picked up the wine cup again. A frightening glow appeared in his scarlet eyes. He finished all the blood in the wine cup before he coldly spoke, "One day of time. All I need is one day and I can turn the Heavenly Saber Pavilion back into ruins."
"Is that so? I'm afraid you won't have such an opportunity!" A cold mocking voice suddenly resounded in the great hall.
-----
In the dark forest, Xiao Chen's group of four continued forward. The Scarlet Demonic Snake occupied a huge territory in this forest. Despite walking for an hour, they did not run into other Demonic Beasts.
After they walked out of the Scarlet Demonic Snake's territory, they met other Demonic Beasts again. The weakest of them were early Rank 5 Demonic Beasts. Occasionally, they would run into middle Rank 5 Demonic Beasts.
They even met a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. Fortunately, it was not a Rank 6. Although the fight was hard, they were not in any real danger.
Along the way, there would be the sudden attacks from Shadow Demons. The group had to deal with them even though they were tired. It could be said that danger was present at every step of the journey.
After they walked further, they finally met with the masters of the Shadow Demons. They were Demons that were composed of blood. Blood Demons had many insidious tricks up their sleeves, they were more horrifying than Shadow Demons. Their attacking methods were even more strange and varied.
The most important thing was that their bodies were formed by liquids. Ordinary methods would not be able to kill them. They were not afraid of their heads exploding or being chopped into several pieces.
Fortunately, Xiao Chen had lightning attributed Essence, it was the nemesis of these beings. After they were injured, the Essence that contained the state of thunder would stay on the wound without dispersing. This resulted in them being unable to reform.
Yun Kexin's Heavenly Melody Saber Technique was even more horrifying. When the sound waves entered their bodies, it could instantly enter into every drop of blood in the Blood Demon and explode them into oblivion.
"Lonely Peak's Fatal Blow!"
Zhang Lie shouted and formed a mountain, crushing a Shadow Demon. Then he retrieved the Demon Core with a 'shua' sound.
"Senior Sister, how much longer before we can get out?" Zhang Lie had finished his task. He leaned on a big tree and panted.
Along the way, they had been fighting non-stop. Aside from the various Demonic Beasts, they had to be wary of the sneak attacks from the Shadow Demons and the Blood Demons. The group was constantly on a high state of alert.
Furthermore, the road in the forest seems unending. The scene in the front was always the same: lots and lots of black trees.
Even though Zhang Lie had comprehended saber intent and had a stronger mental state than regular cultivators, he was still starting to get frustrated.
Yun Kexin tossed an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone to Zhang Lie and Mu Heng each. Then she said, "Should not be for much longer. We have been walking in a straight line. We should be able to exit the forest by dusk."
Yun Kexin seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of Medicinal Pills and Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. After every fight, she would hand out pills for treatment and recovering Essence.
If the Essence exhaustion was too high, she just directly gave out an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone. If not for Yun Kexin's supply, even if the group wanted to continue fighting, they might not be able to do so.
Mu Heng sat cross-legged and smiled faintly. "Just treat it as cultivating. After one day of continuously fighting, I feel that my strength has increased by fifty percent.
"I even made some breakthroughs in some Martial Techniques that I could not comprehend before. It is better than cultivating bitterly in the back mountains for three months."
Indeed, when compared to cultivating alone, a training session where your life was on the line had a significantly faster speed of training and cultivation.
However, both had its advantages and disadvantages. Cultivating alone was stable and does not include any life threatening danger. Experiential training could quickly raise one's cultivation but it was very dangerous and there were too many uncertainties.
In summary, both methods had to be used, alternating between bitter cultivation and experiential training. Only by achieving a good balance could one's cultivation grow the fastest.
"Pu Ci!"
Xiao Chen, who was scouting out the situation in front, jumped down from a tree. He said, "We can rest for a while, there are no Demonic Beasts in the surroundings. The nearest Demonic Beasts are about one thousand meters in front of us."
"They are early Rank 5 Demonic Wolves. If they were alone, they would be easy to deal with. Unfortunately, this kind of Demonic Beasts has a pack mentality. They are about five in number so there will be a hard battle later."
Yun Kexin muttered for a while before speaking, "Same method then. The three of us will deal with the Demonic Wolves. Ye Chen will be on the defensive, preventing any sneak-attacks from the Shadow Demons and the Blood Demons."
After an hour, everyone had completely recovered their Essence and they started their journey again.
"Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds!"
Zhang Lie shouted and a strong wind blew. A mysterious phenomenon was created, a lone mountain was formed. Then he rushed at the pack of Rank 5 Demonic Wolves.
"Swift Horizontal Saber Strike! Seven Stars Transposition!"
Mu Heng did not want to lag behind. A purple light lit up his body and he was like a saber. He flickered around the pack of wolves. Each time he appeared, his palm would slash once and a wolf head would be sent flying.
Within the wolf pack, the huge wolf king stared at them with scarlet eyes; it was howling furiously.
Like soldiers getting into a tactical formation, every time it howled, the formation of the wolves would change. After a while, the irresistible force that was Zhang Lie and Mu Heng received a strong counter attack under the lead of the Wolf King.
The wolves had blocked the attacks of the two and then counter-attacked without care for themselves. This left a few wounds on the two of them.
"Chi! Chi!"
A piercing sonic boom was heard on the battlefield. A white figure moved in an arc in the air and landed before the Wolf King.
The Slender Saber in Yun Kexin's hand trembled and the Wolf King's huge body was knocked backward. The formation of the wolves became very messy. When Yun Kexin distracted the Wolf King, the pressure on Zhang Lie and Mu Heng decreased.
Xiao Chen held onto the Lunar Shadow Saber and shut his eyes. He used his Spiritual Sense to cover every corner of the battlefield, especially the area where the three of them were fighting.
They were now wary of the Demon's attacks. When compared to Demonic Beasts, they knew how to hide themselves and play tricks. The crafty Demons were the biggest threat to the group.
"Shua!"
In the world of his Spiritual Sense, a figure different from Demonic Wolves and humans appeared. It was a pool of blood flying very quickly toward Yun Kexin.
Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and executed the Lightning Evasion. A bolt of lightning tore through the dark night sky.
"Huang dang!" Xiao Chen drew his saber. The light on the Lunar Shadow Saber was even more resplendent than lightning, it was very dazzling.
"Pu Ci!"
There was a flash of cold light and the blade struck into the blood on the ground. Its speed was very fast, even the lightning in the sky had not disappeared yet.
A mournful and miserable shriek came from the ground. The blood on the ground took a human form. Both its hands grabbed the Lunar Shadow Saber that glowed with an electric light as it howled non-stop.
"Despicable human beings! I will feast on your blood sooner or later. I will make you suffer the most painful torture in this world."
"Xiao Chen smiled faintly as he said softly, "My apologies, you do not have that chance anymore. Explode!"
The Lunar Shadow Saber stabbed into the Demon's heart erupted with a horrifying electric light. There were arcs of electricity jumping around and crackling.
The Blood Demon's body was blasted into tiny droplets of blood before eventually vanishing.
Suddenly, four Shadow Demons flew over and launched themselves at Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, who were in the middle of an intense battle. The timing of the Shadow Demons was very good. They chose the moment they were occupied by the wolf pack and were unable to react.
A fierce flame started burning in Xiao Chen's right eye and it soon condensed into a purple electric flame. The flame elongated rapidly and turned into a sharp arrow.
"Pu Ci!"
The arrow tore through the air like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the dark forest. It surpassed the speed of sound as it pierced the bodies of the four Shadow Demons.
The Shadow Demons exploded and turned into a rain of black blood that covered the sky.
-----
In the palace on the overhanging cliff, the Blood Demon General was stunned when he heard that sudden mocking voice.
There was someone who had evaded his perception and infiltrated his palace.
"Pu Ci!"
The ten Blood Demons standing below the throne in the great hall all cried miserably and exploded, turning into a mist of blood.
Lu Chen, Liu Ruyue, and their team slowly appeared in the great hall. They had completely unleashed their auras. Their gazes were as sharp as sabers as they stared at the Blood Demon General on the throne.
This was the Demon that had once brought a calamity to the Heavenly Sabar Pavilion.
The Blood Demon looked at the ten people and his lips curled up. He revealed a faint smile on his face. "There I was thinking how high your cultivations were for you to be able to hide from my perception. Actually, you used an Aura Concealing Talisman."
Chapter 252: Merely A Chess Piece
"Does the Heavenly Saber Pavilion not have other people? Or are they sending you here to die?"
Lu Chen's expression was calm as he said, "You are only a projection. We are sufficient to kill you."
A cold light appeared in the Blood Demon General's scarlet eyes. He said indifferently, "I was originally somewhat worried about who the Heavenly Saber Pavilion would send. Seems like I have worried too much. Coincidentally, I still require some materials for the ceremony. Since you have sent yourselves to me, then I shall not stand on ceremony."
"Boom!"
After he spoke, a red light from the Blood Demon Emperor rushed into the sky. A horrifying killing Qi surged out at the group.
There were many things going on in his eyes, like they were purgatory with countless vengeful spirits crying out miserably. A horrifying illusion appeared in front of the group. It was difficult to differentiate the real from the fake in this strange space.
"Huang Dang!" Everyone drew their sabers at the same time. The orderly sound reverberated in the air. With a 'shua' sound, the illusion instantly disappeared.
-----
Within the forest, after Yun Kexin killed the Wolf King, the remaining Demonic Wolves became disorganized. They all fled when the group attacked.
Zhang Lie and Mu Heng started to sweep the battlefield, extracting the Demonic Wolves' Demonic Cores. Xiao Chen continued to stay on guard, preventing any Demons from sneak-attacking them.
"Boom!"
Just at this moment, a bright scarlet light rushed up into the sky in the distant horizon.
A horrifying aura extended out from a distance. Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, who were sweeping the battlefield, felt a cold shiver.
Mu Heng stopped moving and looked at the red light. He muttered, "What is this? What a horrifying aura! Who is it from?"
Actually, everyone already had a guess in their hearts. However, they did not dare to be sure about it. They could not help but fix their gazes on Yun Kexin.
When Yun Kexin saw that red light, she revealed a grave expression on her previously calm face.
When she felt everyone's gazes, she turned around and slowly said, "Your mission is already complete. If you have a Divine Flame Talisman, you can leave now. If you don't have one, I can give you one."
Zhang Lie and Mu Heng were stunned when they heard this. A doubtful look appeared on their faces, as they could not understand what was going on, "Senior Sister Yun, didn't you say we have to go through the forest and meet up with the other teams?"
"That's right, we are almost at our destination already, why are we not going there?
Yun Kexin's unexpected words caused the two of them to not know what to do. They simply could not understand what was going on. The plan was to go out of the forest. How was it that the mission was over before they had done so?
When Xiao Chen heard Yun Kexin say that the mission was finished, he was mildly stunned as well. Then he looked at the red light rushing toward the sky from the mountain summit, and felt the aura that filled the entire space.
After a while, Xiao Chen understood the crux of the situation. A bitter smile appeared on his calm face as he looked toward the sky.
Xiao Chen slowly got up and said to Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, "Just go out. After all, you guys have already collected ten Demon Cores each. You have already accomplished half your mission. The hundred Medial Grade Spirit Stones are not going to run away. There is still a large number of Demonic Cores. Your harvest is very significant already."
After a pause, Xiao Chen continued, "More important than the harvest was the difficult battles you experienced. Zhang Lie, after some cultivating, you should be able to reach peak Inferior Grade Martial Saint without any problems."
Then Xiao Chen turned to face Mu Heng, "Mu Heng, although your cultivation will not experience an explosive increase, I believe the increase in your strength will be higher than Zhang Lie's."
Zhang Lie thought for a long time. At this point in time, he had more or less understood what was going on. He revealed a complicated expression and said, "Ye Chen, that's not what I meant, Gao Xiang and the rest…"
Suddenly, a sharp light appeared in Xiao Chen's originally calm gaze. He said, "Experiential Trainings are always filled with dangers. Stop thinking about it. Just go!"
Mu Chen looked deeply at the calm Yun Kexin. He did not say anything as he took out the Divine Flame Talisman. After a while, he was slowly enveloped in a ball of fire, vanishing from this space.
Zhang Lie was shaken by Xiao Chen's gaze. He stopped saying anything else and took out a Divine Flame Talisman as well. Then he turned into a ball of fire and slowly vanished from the space.
After the two of them left, the atmosphere between Yun Kexin and Xiao Chen slowly turned strange. Neither of them spoke and the forest became extremely quiet.
"Rumble…!"
Suddenly, the ground started shaking. However, it was not the ground shaking, but rather the entire sub-space.
Trees toppled over one after another and countless Demonic Beasts ran out from the forest in horror. The entire forest became incredibly chaotic.
However, the atmosphere between the two of them remained incredibly silent. The surrounding chaos did not affect the two of them at all.
After a long time, Yun Kexin sighed gently, "Are you not leaving yet? If you don't have a Divine Flame Talisman, I can give you one."
Xiao Chen shooked his head, "No need. Can I ask you a few questions?"
There were no fluctuations on Yun Kexin's calm face. She nodded, "I knew you would blame me. I also know what you are going to ask. I can tell you the answer."
"That's right, from the very start, the Elders' Assembly had not intended for you all to complete the mission. The ones to complete the mission is Lu Chen's team.
"The mission of our team is to distract the Blood Demon general, to cause him to send out all the Blood Demons from the palace. While we got rid of the hindrances, Lu Chen's team can use the Aura Concealing Talisman to infiltrate the palace and focus on fighting the Blood Demon General."
Xiao Chen said indifferently, "I have already guessed this much by myself. You misunderstand what I meant. I am not blaming you. I just want to ask you. What are the odds of Lu Chen's team killing the Blood Demon General.
As Yun Kexin had said, Xiao Chen had already guessed most of it based on the clues he had gotten and what he had observed. To put it simply, the Elders' Assembly used them as cannon fodder to distract the main force and create an opportunity for Lu Chen's team.
What Zhang Lie could not understand earlier was why the Elders' Assembly had not clarified this and simply sent them to die. Thus, when he had guessed the answer, he was feeling dissatisfied.
However, Xiao Chen was not concerned with this question. There was a very simple reason behind it: if the Elders' Assembly had told them in advance, out of the hundred people, most of them would not have participated in the mission. No one would be silly enough to volunteer as cannon fodder.
From the same reasoning, Xiao Chen could not blame this on Yun Kexin. At least she was not the person who had issued the mission. As a team captain, she had already done her duty.
Every time they were in a fight, Yun Kexin was on the frontlines. If there was someone injured, she did not hesitate to hand out Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills. She had already done her best to ensure everyone's safety.
Thus, Zhang Lie's emotions were starting to get out of control, so Xiao Chen had used his strong mental strength to help him recover his calm.
The strong feed on the weak; without sufficient strength, in the eyes of the people in control, you were only a chess piece to be moved. If you were strong enough, you would naturally be given a Divine Flame Talisman to ensure your safety.
Xiao Chen did not blame anyone, or bear a grudge. This matter only allowed him to see this world more clearly.
Without sufficient strength, every step was filled with danger. Thus, he had to become strong. He had to grow stronger, and then grow even stronger. Only by doing this could he control his own fate.
Now, Xiao Chen was only concerned about whether Lu Chen and the others could kill the Blood Demon General. If they could kill him easily, then there would be no problems. He could ignore the mission given to him by Liu Tianyu and leave this place.
If their odds were bad, then he would have to go take a look. At the very least, he had to use that heaven-splitting saber strike Liu Tianyu had hidden in the Lunar Shadow Saber before he left.
Yun Kexin was mildly surprised to see Xiao Chen being so calm. She thought to herself, before saying, "They have a sixty percent of victory. Out of Lu Chen's team, there are seven people who have grasped the Blood Demon Self-Disintegration Technique. They can burn their lifeforce and temporarily increase their combat prowess.
"These seven people did not intend to come out alive in the first place. They are the deathsworn warriors of the Divine Saber Camp. In the situation where they do not hold back, they can raise their combat prowess by ten times."
When Xiao Chen heard this, he was shocked. Liu Ruyue was among the ten people. If the seven people included her, he could not sit and watch idly.
"My apologies, I have to leave first." A silver warship flew out of Xiao Chen's right eye and he quickly leaped onto it. Before he left, he seemed to have thought of something. He said, "Actually, you don't have to blame yourself. You have already done a very good job."
After he spoke, Xiao Chen rode off on his silver warship and headed to the palace on the overhanging cliff very quickly. He was as fast as lightning, disappearing in a flash.
Yun Kexin watched as Xiao Chen left. She revealed a faint smile on her delicate face. Then she waved the Roaming Dragon Saber around gently as she spoke to herself, "Interesting… what is so urgent that he would forget about a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon?"
Within the forest, Murong Chong saw the red light rushing into the sky. He slowly stopped and thought for a long time.
"Senior Brother Murong, Why are we not moving?" one of the team members asked in confusion.
Murong Chong did not reply. He turned around and walked to the team. He went to the front of a severely injured core disciple and slowly placed a Divine Flame Talisman on his chest.
After that, before everyone's shocked gazes, that person was enveloped in a ball of flames and vanished from the space.
After Murong Chong did this, he took out another Divine Flame Talisman and said, "Just stay here, there is no need to advance further. This is my last Divine Flame Talisman, I will pass it to you and you can decide what to do with it for yourselves."
After Murong Chong spoke, he soared into the sky. As his body pushed against the air, he created a sonic boom as he flew quickly towards the palace in front.
"Senior Brother Murong! Don't leave!" The group called out after Murong Chong left behind the Divine Flame Talisman and flew off. They did not know what to do.
They were able to get this far and only had three deaths by relying on Murong Chong's strength. Now that he was gone, they immediately panicked.
A similar scene happened to the other teams in the forest. The core disciples leading the teams stopped when they saw the red light rushing into the sky.
However, their actions were different from Murong Chong and Yun Kexin. They simply used their Divine Flame Talisman and left the sub-space, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded core disciples.
The winds howled in Xiao Chen's ears as he stood on the bow of the warship. His hair and clothes fluttered in the wind.
Chapter 247: Big Snake
Everyone was sweating inside. These Cores were worth a few thousand Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. Yet, Yun Kexin did not care about them at all. How strange!
After they cleared up the battlefield, Xiao Chen continued to scout out their path. By now, everyone knew Xiao Chen had a kind of sensory Martial Technique. So, they felt assured letting Xiao Chen scout ahead.
After a while, Xiao Chen suddenly stopped. His originally calm face had an extremely grave expression on it.
When Yun Kexin saw that there was something wrong with Xiao Chen's expression, she asked, "What's wrong? Is there a Demonic Beast blocking the way?"
Xiao Chen nodded silently. He smiled bitterly and said, "Those foul words came true. There is a Demonic Beast in front and based on its aura, it is at least a Peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. It might even be an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast."
When everyone heard that, their complexions drained. They all looked at Gao Xiang with a murderous look. Zhang Lie said in a bad mood, "Here is your chance to perform. Go kill it. We will be waiting here for you good news."
Gao Xiang said embarrassedly, "I was really just saying it casually, you can't blame me for this."
Yun Kexin's expressions did not change, she simply asked calmly, "Can you tell what Demonic Beast it is? Are we able to go around it?"
Xiao Chen shook his head, "I can't make out what Demonic Beast it is, I can only tell you that it is a huge snake. The area which its aura covers is very vast. If we want to move around it without startling it, it would take at least a day."
Because some Demonic Beasts had very strong auras, it would result in blurry images when using Spiritual Sense. Hence, Xiao Chen was not able to make out what Demonic Beast it was.
Yun Kexin thought for about ten seconds before making a quick decision. "Since we can't go around it, then we will fight it. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, Gao Xiang, and Ye Chen come with me. The rest will wait here for further orders."
Of the remaining eight people, these five people were the strongest. The other three people were slightly weaker, they would not be able to deal with a peak Rank 5 or Rank 6 Demonic Beast. Sometimes, if there were too many people, they would not be able to gain a huge advantage. They might even drag the rest down.
The three of them also understood Yun Kexin's intentions. They did not express any dissatisfaction and conscientiously remained at their original spot.
Under the lead of Yun Kexin, the five of them carefully walked towards the unknown Demonic Beast. As they closed in, the aura and pressure of a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast grew more and more obvious.
It was even starting to be difficult to breathe. Gao Xiang had an unsightly expression as he said, "This might not be a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. We might be dealing with a Rank 6 Demonic Beast here.
"It is impossible for the aura of a Rank 5 Demonic Beast to reach such a horrifying level. It is already at the point where we feel suffocated."
Zhang Lie smiled faintly, "In that case, what do you suggest? If you are afraid, no one will care about you."
Gao Xiang rebutted, "When did I say I was afraid? I was simply stating a fact."
Before the fight started, the two of them already started arguing. Yun Kexin frowned heavily and said in a cold voice, "All of you, shut up. We haven't even started fighting yet and you are already arguing. You are throwing yourselves off, are you tired of living?"
Yun Kexin's words were very effective. After she spoke, Zhang Lie and Gao Xiang immediately shut up; they only glared at each other.
"Ye Chen, what do you think are our odds of victory?" Yun Kexin turned around and asked Xiao Chen, who was leading the way.
Xiao Chen thought for a while and said, "If it was a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast, we have a fifty percent chance. If it is an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, we would likely only have a forty percent chance of victory."
Actually, there was one more thing Xiao Chen had not said yet. If he included the dark figure hiding in the darkness sneak-attacking them, their odds of victory would become even lower.
An expression of worry flashed on Yun Kexin's delicate face. She muttered, "I hope it is only a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast then."
"Rumble…!"
Just at this moment, the ground suddenly started to tremble. They all circulated their energies to stabilize themselves, as well as becoming more alert.
"Ka ca! Ka ca!"
The sound of trees breaking echoed in everyone's ears. Unfortunately, they could clearly feel a large creature getting close to them at a high speed.
Yun Kexin calmly said, "Danger, retreat!"
They all executed their Movement Techniques, retreating into the forest. "Hu chi!" A black shadow headed for the slowest person, Mu Heng.
Mu Heng's body lit up with purple light and he shouted, "Seven Stars Transposition!" He instantly vanished and appeared on the top of a tree.
"Bang!" There was a very loud sound.
A huge deep pit appeared on the flat ground in the next instant. It was about ten meters wide and several hundred meters long. As for its depth, it could not be estimated with the eyes.
Mu Heng took in a breath of cold air. If this had struck him, no matter how strong his body was, he would have suffered significant internal injuries. Simply thinking about it made him shiver.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone took a clear look at the Demonic Beast. It was black snake about two hundred meters long. Its scales were flashing with a cold black light.
Half its body was upright, its scarlet eyes were like two bright lanterns in the dark night sky. Its huge mouth opened as its forked tongue stuck out repeatedly.
When half its body was upright, it was more than a hundred meters tall, taller than the trees in the forest. Everyone was like an ant in front of it.
Xiao Chen was startled. He muttered, "This is the Scarlet Crown Snake. No that's not right, a crown has not grown yet. It is still immature. Even so, after it became a Demonic Beast, it has the strength of an early Rank 6 Demonic Beast."
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake saw Mu Heng suddenly disappearing, it seemed very angry. Its scarlet eyes swept through the land in front of it. Then, it saw Gao Xiang, who was holding a huge eye-catching saber.
"Damn it, stop staring at me!" When Gao Xiang said depressedly when he felt the gaze of the Scarlet Demonic Snake. He quickly retreated.
"Hu!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge body sprang up from the ground. It was not in the least bit slow. Its huge jaw was open, it was intending to swallow Gao Xiang.
Gao Xiang was startled, he did not expect the Scarlet Demonic Snake to be so fast. When the mouth was near, he rolled to the side, dodging it.
However, before he could catch a breather, the red tongue in the Scarlet Demonic Snake's mouth shot out, heading toward Gao Xiang.
"Lonely Peak's Fatal Blow!"
At a crucial moment, Zhang Lie executed the fifteenth move of the Lingyun Saber Technique. The saber light that filled the sky turned into a huge peak descending from the sky and pressed down on the body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
"Chi chi!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake felt pain and withdrew its tongue. Then, it turned around and spat out a black fireball at Zhang Lie.
The black fireball had a long comet tail trailing behind it as it flew in the air. Everywhere it passed, even the air was burnt to nothing. The mountain peak immediately disappeared.
His mysterious phenomenon forcibly broken, Zhang Lie vomited a large mouthful of blood. His face was very pale as he fell from the sky.
Gao Xiang stopped running. He did not expect Zhang Lie, who had been bickering with him, to save him at a crucial moment.
When Gao Xiang saw Zhang Lie was injured, he shouted, "You damn beast! I will put everything on the line and kill you!"
Three thousand clouds of fire, covering the sun, infusing into the saber—Heavenly Fire Clouds!
Three thousand clouds of flames started burning in the dark red sky. Suddenly, it seemed limitless, covering the sun and clouds. The fierce flames lit up the entire forest.
The unending chain of clouds of fire formed into a huge tornado of flames. Then, it flew into Gao Xiang's huge saber.
"Boom!
Instantly, Gao Xiang burst into red flames. He now looked like a flame giant. The large flaming saber swung forward fiercely.
The red flames howled like a flood dragon. The horrifying temperature caused all the trees within a hundred meters to melt. It rushed toward the Scarlet Demonic Snake's head at a fast speed.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's red eyes were flicking repeatedly. It spat out a black fireball from its mouth. It headed for the flames sent out by Gao Xiang.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The red flames and black flames met in the middle. The huge energy instantly exploded in the air, causing surging shockwaves to spread everywhere. Everywhere it passed, the ground would be scorched to ash.
The two flames starting burning in the air. However, the black flame soon enlarged explosively. Then, it defeated the red flame and rushed at Gao Xiang.
Gao Xiang did not dare to be careless, but he did not retreat either. He sent out flames after flames from his huge saber incessantly. After a few breaths' time, he finally managed to block the flames from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
"Swift Horizontal Saber Strike!"
Just as the Scarlet Demonic Snake wanted to spit out another mouthful of black fire, Mu Heng, who was on top of another tree, suddenly made a move.
Mu Heng's body lit up with a purple light, then he quickly moved across the air. His entire being turned into an unparalleled treasured saber, a sharp gleam was radiating off it, it was very dazzling.
"Bang!"
Mu Heng used his palm as a saber and hacked on the Scarlet Demonic Snake's head. This was a saber strike that could split mountains, used without holding back.
There was a depressed sound and the upright body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was hacked by this saber strike and knocked to the ground.
However, even with all this, this saber strike did not even break the Scarlet Demonic Snake's skin. The instant the Scarlet Demonic Snake landed, its huge tail gave off a thunderous sound as it tore through the air, smashing at Mu Heng.
Mu Heng, who was in the air, had no support to move around. Yet when he saw the Scarlet Demonic Snake's tail swinging at him, he strangely disappeared again.
"Pu ci!"
The Scarlet Demonic Snake quickly sensed Mu Heng's location and swung its tail at him again, creating another thunderous sound.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's speed was now faster than before. Mu Heng had a grave expression. He used the Seven Stars Transposition and flickered around in the air seven times.
Every time he appeared, the tail would be following closely. Each time it happened, it was faster and more dangerous.
"Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds!"
Zhang Lie had eaten a Blood Replenishing Pill and Qi Returning Pill. His eyes were filled with an intent to battle as he stood up again.
He infused his Small Perfection saber intent into the Lingyun Saber Technique. Then, he turned into a lonely mountain peak, creating boundless strong winds. He smashed down on the Scarlet Demonic Snake violently.
Mu Heng got a chance to take a breather. He disappeared into the air again, finally managing to shake off the tail following him.
When the Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds infused with the Small Perfection saber intent struck the Scarlet Demonic Snake, the scales which were as hard as iron, were finally broken.
The wind was like sabers, causing black blood to spurt out in the air and spraying it all over the forest.
"Heavenly Fire Clouds!" The huge flaming tornado starting forming in the sky once again.
Chapter 248: Horrifying Battle
Mu Heng managed to catch a breather. After that, he stood, and his entire body glowed with a purple light. He was like a treasured saber as he attacked again.
While they were fighting this early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, the three of them did not dare make any probing attacks. They put in their full effort in every attack, executing all sorts of Martial Techniques.
The three of them did not care about the exhaustion of their Essence at all; they threw everything they had into their attacks. The horrifying Rank 6 Scarlet Demonic Snake was unable to do anything to the three of them in that short period.
The aftermath of the intense fight extended throughout the forest. Flames rushed towards the sky; shockwaves surged; the sounds of the fight were like thunder.
As a result of the fight, the tall trees within a thousand meters all burned down to nothing. The ground trembled non-stop as deep pits appeared.
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin were in no rush to make a move. The two of them raised their auras with their hands placed on the saber hilts. They watched the battlefield intently, preparing to make a fatal blow.
The two of them knew that, while it seemed like the three of them were putting the Scarlet Demonic Snake into a miserable state, it was not severely injured at all.
When the three of them exhausted their Essence, the situation would turn around. Thus, the two of them waited for the most opportune time to make a move. When they attacked, they had to end the fight in one saber strike.
---
Within the forest, when the three people who stayed behind as the flames rushed to the sky and the shockwaves surged, they felt fear in their hearts; they were terrified.
"What a horrifying battle! Could they have run into a Rank 6 Demonic Beast?" a female Gangyu Peak disciple asked with a face full of worry.
One of the others also had a face full of worry. He continued, "That sounds about right. With Yun Kexin's strength, she should be able to hold her ground against a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. Adding in the rest, they should have a fifty percent chance of killing one. Only a Rank 6 Demonic Beast would result in such great activity."
The last person said, "An early Rank 6 Demonic Beast is the equivalent of a Medial Grade Martial King. I'm not sure if Yun Kexin and the others can survive."
"I hope they survive. Otherwise, with our strength, it would be difficult for us to walk out of this forest. Death would be the only path remaining for us."
The female Gangyu Peak disciple thought for a while and said, "Should we go and take a look? If something happened, we can help them out."
The person to the side said, "Don't be foolish. If it were an ordinary Rank 5 Demonic Beast, it would naturally be better for there to be more people. However, when dealing with peak Rank 5 or Rank 6 Demonic Beast, we would only cause trouble. We should wait here for their good news."
The group of three stopped speaking. They simply waited there anxiously. This fight was a fight that concerned their lives and deaths.
"Senior Sister Bai!"
Suddenly, there a sound came from behind them. The female Gangyu Peak disciple felt it was strange; she turned around and discovered the two companions who had died earlier were standing there, smiling.
"Junior Brother Wang… Senior Brother Liu… didn't you two die earlier?" a look of confusion flashed in their eyes.
The two people walked closer by a few steps and explained, "Our luck was pretty good. We are not sure what happened, either. We suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. The ground where you buried us was quite soft, so we dug ourselves up."
"That's right; where are Senior Sister Yun and the rest?" the two of them asked suspiciously.
This scene was incredibly strange. They had clearly died. However, they suddenly appeared before them. This made them wonder what was happening.
The three people exchanged a glance, and they understood each other's thoughts. Then, they began asking some questions. In the end, the two of them were able to answer every question without hesitation.
After testing them for a long time, the three finally believed that these two people were the same two who died.
The female Gangyu Peak disciple revealed a joyful expression as she said, "That's great! The both of you are alive. Senior Sister Yun and the rest are in front…"
"Pu ci!"
Before this female disciple could finish speaking, a short saber appeared in her chest. The smile on her face froze. A life vanished, just like that.
"Junior Brother Wang! What are you doing?" one of the others exclaimed as he stepped forward. However, before he took more than a few steps, the other person stabbed him through the back.
Before the last, remaining person could react, four Shadow Demons appeared behind him. Each struck once, killing this person without a sound.
"Hu Hu!"
Three of the Shadow Demons entered their corpses. After they stretched the bodies, they smiled and said, "Humans are really stupid creatures."
The head of the Shadow Demons looked at the scene of battle in front. He said, "No wonder Master wanted us to make our move while they fought the Scarlet Demonic Snake. The strengths of those people are too strong."
"Indeed. It is likely the Scarlet Demonic Snake will not be able to deal with them. However, with these new corpses, it should be much easier to deal with them."
---
"Bang!"
Gao Xiang's huge saber carried a boundless flame as he hacked violently on the Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge tail flying at him. There was an exploding sound. Gao Xiang vomited a mouthful of blood and was knocked back.
Gao Xiang fell to the ground, revealing a pained expression. He could not stand when he tried to do so.
Zhang Lie, who was to the side, was also helpless. He simply sat there cross-legged. In the beginning, when his mysterious phenomenon broke, he received a significant amount of injuries. After that, he forcibly carried on fighting, increasing the severity of his injuries. Of the three of them, he was the first to lose his ability to fight.
"Seven Stars Transposition, Meandering Big Dipper!"
Mu Heng shouted and drew a circle in the air with his left hand, forming a strange area of Qi before him. This caused the black fire the Scarlet Demonic Snake spat at him to bounce back.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake was unable to dodge in time. The horrifying black flames struck it and burned its body. Its huge form thrashed on the ground.
After Mu Heng used this move, the purple light on his body disappeared completely. His face was incredibly pale; blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He only managed to slowly stabilize himself after taking a few steps back.
Now! Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin exchanged a look. They did not hesitate as the strength they been gathering surged up and exploded out.
Bellowing Heavenly Melody, Piercing the sky!
Yun Kexin shouted and drew her saber. The slender saber started trembling, giving off a long and drawn out trill.
"Ding ding! Dang dang!" The sound was like thunder, chained together unceasingly before they gathered and formed a heaven-piercing melody. She pointed the saber at the Scarlet Demonic Snake, which had just put out the black fire burning it.
A soundwave-like saber Qi descended from the sky and entered the Scarlet Demonic Snake. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Sounds similar to thunder came from within the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
There were explosions going on inside its huge body, bouncing it up and down on the ground, making the ground tremble. The three who had exhausted their Essence were tossed about on the ground; they had to spend a lot of effort stabilizing themselves.
"Nine Skies of Lingyun, Twisting Road Around Peak!"
Xiao Chen gently pushed his feet off the ground and soared into the sky, going higher and higher. The layers of white clouds suddenly began to churn non-stop.
Within the white clouds, Xiao Chen was partly hidden. "Dang!" Suddenly, a crack of thunder came from the churning white clouds. Then, the white clouds all scattered.
Xiao Chen moved in an arc, down from the sky. As he descended, the outline of a mountain was being drawn out, starting from the top to bottom, slowly appearing.
Clouds shrouded the summit of the mountain. There were all sorts of plants and pavilions. It was like a real mountain had appeared above them.
Zhang Lie looked thoughtfully at the mysterious phenomenon Xiao Chen executed. There was a strange light in his eyes as he muttered, "There is a mountain, and there are clouds. Isn't this the real state of mountain and state of clouds?
"Clouds must be accompanied by thunder; the mountain should have birds, trees, and other plants. They all cannot lack. Nine Skies of Lingyun, Twisting Road Around Peak… so this is the true seventh move of the Lingyun Saber Technique."
"Shua!"
As Zhang Lie muttered in awe, the Great Perfection mountain suddenly vanished, merging into Xiao Chen's body.
In that instant, Xiao Chen's aura suddenly changed. He had the majesty of the mountain and the whimsical air of the clouds. His saber also became strangely swift.
Zhang Lie was stunned for a long time. Then, he suddenly said excitedly, "Twisting Road Around Peak… Twisting Road Around Peak… how laughable. I thought I understood. In the end, I was played."
The Scarlet Demonic Snake writhing in pain on the ground felt a dangerous aura. It endured the pain in its body and struck upwards with its huge tail, creating a loud thunderous sound.
In the instant its huge tail swung, there were explosions in the air.
The shockwaves generated by the explosions caused the Qi and blood of the Essence-depleted, helpless trio on the ground to churn, making them vomit another mouthful of blood.
"Bang!"
The saber and snake tail met in the air. A visible shockwave exploded out, spreading like ripples on the surface of the water.
Xiao Chen's body was like a mountain. Despite the huge force of the Scarlet Demonic Snake, he did not move at all; there were no signs of him moving back.
As a result of the huge force, Xiao Chen's Qi and blood churned. He did his best to circulate his Essence, his mind remaining clear. He unleashed the mysterious phenomenon that merged into his body via his saber.
"Pu ci!"
Wounds appeared all over the tail of the huge serpent. Under the saber, infused with the state of a mountain, the Scarlet Demonic Snake's huge body was knocked into the air.
Its black blood fell from the sky like rain, spraying relentlessly with 'zi zi' sounds. Xiao Chen's Essence trembled and blocked the corrosive black blood.
"Rumble…!"
The huge Scarlet Demonic Snake fell like a heavy sandbag after Xiao Chen knocked it far away. Then, it rolled for a distance. Its huge hill-sized body made the ground tremble.
"Sou!"
Xiao Chena and Yun Kexin did not stop moving; they did not wish to lose this window of opportunity. The lifeforce and recovery of the Scarlet Demonic Snake were astonishing; they could not give it any time to catch a breather.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake had already suffered from the relentless attacks from Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang. However, it did not suffer from any severe injuries. Now that they had heavily injured it after the sneak-attack, they naturally had to grab this opportunity and not give it the chance to turn things around.
The two of them arrived at the Scarlet Demonic Snake's side instantly and unceasingly launched all sorts of Martial Techniques. Every saber strike from Xiao Chen would leave a deep wound on the Scarlet Demonic Snake, inflicting incomparable pain.
However, when Yun Kexin's slender saber struck its surface, it was only created a shallow wound. It seemed her saber was only a Superior Grand Profound Ranked Spirit Weapon and was unable to break through the defenses of the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
Chapter 249: Surrounded by Shadow Demons
Xiao Chen took some time to take out the Roaming Dragon Saber and tossed it to Yun Kexin. He said, "Use my saber first!"
Yun Kexin nodded thanks, then received the Roaming Dragon Saber. The instant she grasped the saber hilt, a ripple appeared on her calm face. She said in shock, "This is a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon!"
Yun Kexin's firm mental state was temporarily shaken. She was wondering if Xiao Chen had thrown the wrong Spirit Weapon to her. To think he casually tossed a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon over.
"Bang!"
A strong wind blew in their faces, and there was a dangerous aura. Yun Kexin recovered her wits and quickly moved to the side, dodging an attack from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
Ever since the Scarlet Demonic Snake had been struck by the two sneak-attacks, it was attacked relentlessly by the two of them; it was now thoroughly angered.
Its hundred-meter-long upper body was drawn upright and it swung its tail in a circle. Its tail actually started to grow longer; it grew longer and longer, as well as sharper and sharper.
The sharp snake tail tore through the air, creating a piercing sonic boom as it stabbed at Xiao Chen. Its speed was as fast as lightning, startling Xiao Chen as he quickly retreated backward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The place where Xiao Chen had been standing exploded. A bottomless pit appeared on the ground. Xiao Chen kept retreating backward continuously, but the nail-like tail was chasing him relentlessly.
Very quickly, several bottomless pits had appeared on the ground. Each successive strike of the tail was faster than the one before. Xiao Chen did not even have the time to turn his head around.
While the snake's tail was attacking Xiao Chen, the Scarlet Demonic Snake did not wait idly, either. It was launching black fire at Yun Kexin unceasingly.
However, Yun Kexin's situation was slightly better than Xiao Chen's. After she obtained the Inferior Grade Heaven Ranked Roaming Dragon Saber, she was able to sweep away the black flames with a full-power strike if she was unable to dodge them.
"Weng!"
A dragon's roar was heard. Suddenly Yun Kexin stopped dodging and grasped the Roaming Dragon Saber tightly. There was a cold light gleaming on the saber and then it burst out with a boundless radiance.
Amidst the radiance, there seemed to be a roaming dragon moving around, circling the saber blade.
"Bang!"
There was a flash of saber light and it hacked apart a long black flame into half. Then, she rushed at the Scarlet Demonic Snake without hesitation and with no care for her body.
Next to the huge body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake, Yun Kexin was like a baby.
The Scarlet Demonic Snake's red eyes were shining like lanterns as it watched Yun Kexin rushing over. A cruel gaze appeared in its eyes as it stopped spitting out black flames. Then, it lunged towards Yun Kexin and tried to swallow her.
Yun Kexin nimbly dodged, it was like she had eyes in the back of her head. She turned the saber in her hand and the sharp saber blade severed the incoming forked tongue.
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake felt the pain hit, the tail attacking Xiao Chen could not help but slow down. Xiao Chen senses were very sharp, and he instantly grabbed the opportunity.
"Flight On Wings, One Line Chop!"
The light on the snow-white saber blade withdrew. A cold gleam flashed on it, and it chopped off three meters of the long tail.
After it fell, Yun Kexin's and Xiao Chen's gazes met by chance; exchanging a smile with each other.
Even though it was a strong early Rank 6 Demonic Beast, after it suffered two full-powered strikes from peak Earth Rank Martial Techniques, it would still suffer from severe internal injuries.
After that, it suffered from the relentless attacks from the two of them. Every strike they threw at it drew blood, they were not simply for show.
When the Scarlet Demonic Snake was attacking relentlessly earlier, that was actually a last ditch effort. If the two of them could have held their ground, the Scarlet Demonic Snake was bound to lose; it was simply a matter of time.
If they were not able to hold up under its fierce attacks, then the Scarlet Demonic Snake would be the one to obtain the final victory. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang were already no threat to it anymore.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Xiao Chen brandished his saber and exhibited the state of mountain from the Lingyun Saber Technique to its extreme. He was as stable as a mountain, blocking every attack from the Scarlet Demonic Snake.
As for Yun Kexin, who was holding a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon, she was creating opportunities to attack without stopping. One person focused on attacking, the other defense; this was a perfect combination.
The advantage of the fight was slowly tilting to Xiao Chen's group. The defeat of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was getting closer.
---
"Senior Brother Mu! Senior Brother Zhang! Are you two fine?!" The three Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples being controlled by the Shadow Demons suddenly walked over from the side of the battlefield. They had anxious expressions on their faces as they walked up to the three of them.
Zhang Lie felt it was strange, so he asked, "Why are you here? Did we not tell you to wait over there for us?"
"We saw that the activity here was intense, so we were worried. That's why we rushed over here." The female Gangyu Peak disciple helped up Gao Xiang, who was on the ground. Then, she asked, "How is the situation now?"
Gao Xiang thanked her first, then said, "More or less finished, the Scarlet Demonic Snake is at the end of its ropes. Ye Chen and Yun Kexin should be ending the fight soon."
---
"Pu ci!"
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin patiently waited for an opportunity. Then they moved together in the air. The streaks of saber lights lit up in the sky and a large amount of black blood spurted out.
The huge body of the Scarlet Demonic Snake was attacked at the same spot by both of them, instantly chopped in twain
"Heavenly Melody Explosion!" Yun Kexin shouted and the Roaming Dragon Saber trembled in her hand. A formless soundwave-type saber Qi entered the wound in the Scarlet Demonic Snake's front half.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound waves spread throughout the Scarlet Demonic Snake's upper body, creating explosions. The hundred meters of its upper body was badly mutilated. Its main body was dripping with blood now, as dead as it could be.
Yun Kexin stretched her hand out and retrieved the Scarlet Demonic Snake's Rank 6 Demonic Core. Then, she casually tossed it to Xiao Chen and said, "This is for you, I don't need this."
Xiao Chen stretched his hand out and received it. He was in a little disbelief. This was a Demonic Core worth ten thousand Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. Yet, Yun Kexin tossed it over so casually, as though it was a valueless rock.
Yun Kexin explained, "I am not lacking in Spirit Stones. You can just split it with the rest. As for how to do it, I will leave it up to you."
Xiao Chen was not a pretentious person; he nodded and thanked her before putting it away. Yun Kexin was not lacking Spirit Stones, but Xiao Chen was not either. However, Spirit Stones were like money.
The more there was, the better things would be. Xiao Chen would not tire of having too much.
The two of them each consumed a Medicinal Pill and took out an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone before sitting down to recover their energy. They could be considered to have killed this Rank 6 Demonic Beast blocking their way unscathed. So, they relaxed slightly in their hearts.
After a short time, they completely drained all the Spiritual Energy in the Spirit Stones. Both of them stood up simultaneously.
With their current cultivation realms, an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone could only recover about half their Essence. However, the two of them knew that there was not enough time for them to continue recovering their Essence. So, they did not have any intention to take up more time recovering their Essence.
When they saw Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin get up, Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, Gao Xiang and the three people controlled by the Shadow Demons followed suit. Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang suffered significant internal injuries. After they had rested for a while, they had only barely suppressed their injuries.
Yun Kexin saw that the other three people had a strange look in their eyes. Hence, she secretly gave Xiao Chen a look.
Xiao Chen was somewhat astonished and used his Spiritual Sense to scan them. After a while, he understood the situation.
"Why did the three of you come over? Didn't I say for you to stay there and wait for us?" Yun Kexin asked the three people calmly.
The female Gangyu Peak Disciple answered, "The activity of the fight was too big. We were worried, so we came over."
Yun Kexin did not continue to pursue the matter. She said, "Never mind, there is no more danger. However, we cannot continue traveling. We should make a retreat and rest."
The three people did not suspect her at all. They turned around and headed back the way they came from with Mu Heng and the rest.
"Pu ci!"
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin moved at the same time. The Roaming Dragon Saber in Yun Kexin hand gleamed with a cold light as it stabbed the heart of a Shadow Demon from the back.
Xiao Chen's figure appeared from nowhere and punched a Shadow Demon with a huge force. Then the two of them continued to attack. One person with a saber and the other with a fist, striking the final Shadow Demon.
All this happened within the time it took for a spark to fly. The three Shadow Demons simply could not react at all and got hit. Mu Heng and the others could not understand what they were seeing.
"Senior Sister Yun! Ye Chen! What are you doing!"
Yun Kexin did not answer their question. Instead, she said indifferently, "You will understand in a while!"
The three people on the ground let out painful hoarse cries. Then, right under Zhang Lie's astonished gaze, three columns of smoke came out from them. The three Shadow Demons had pained expressions on their faces as they collapsed to the ground; it was clear they had been severely injured.
"Hu chi!"
Seeing their comrades being exposed, the other Shadow Demons no longer hid themselves and came out from the ground. Seven pale-faced Shadow Demons appeared suddenly before everyone.
Three Shadow Demons did not hesitate to launch themselves at Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang. The remaining four started to surround Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin. The two Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples who became blood corpses also appeared slowly, launching themselves at Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin.
A big fight had just finished and they have not rested properly yet. However, they were in danger once again. Especially Mu Heng, Zhang Lie, and Gao Xiang, they had not even recovered a quarter of their strength yet. When the three Shadow Demons attacked, they were immediately in danger.
Xiao Chen and Yun Kexin were not in a very good situation either. They both had to deal with two Shadow Demons each and a blood corpse. Furthermore, they had only recovered half their strength. They could not take out some time to help Mu Heng and the others.
The Shadow Demons' attacks were extremely weird. They were different from the Martial Techniques of the Tianwu Continent. They relied on their bodies to attack and were very direct; they were not fancy at all, more like a Demonic Beast.
However, if it was only so, Xiao Chen would not find it difficult to deal with. The thing that gave him a headache was their Movement Techniques. They were strangely swift, and there were no weak points to exploit.
Occasionally, they would strike one with their sabers, only to discover what they attacked was a clump of formless black smoke.
If Xiao Chen could hit them, he was confident of killing them in one strike. Unfortunately, they were everywhere; around him, below him, and above him. It was hard to differentiate the real from the fake. It was extremely troublesome.
Then, there were the two Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples who had been altered into blood corpses. Their strength had increased by twenty percent. When they were attacked, they could not feel pain, so they continued to attack.
I can't hold back anymore. Otherwise, even if I can save myself, Mu Heng and the others will die, Xiao Chen thought anxiously.
Chapter 250: The Rugged Road Ahead
After Xiao Chen made up his mind, he silently circulated the Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art as he fought. The bones in his body immediately started to crackle.
A layer of golden light slowly appeared on the surface of his body. The strength of the tiger and dragon slowly manifested. Then he stopped attacking, letting a Shadow Demon attack him without dodging.
When the Shadow Demon saw the change in Xiao Chen's movements, he thought Xiao Chen's Essence was exhausted and had revealed a weak point. He smiled malevolently as he stabbed his five sharp claws toward Xiao Chen.
"Keng Qiang!"
The sharp claws tore Xiao Chen's clothes in an instant. However, when they came in contact with his skin, they gave off a metallic sound and could not advance further.
What happened? The Shadow Demon wondered; he felt it was quite odd.
Although this attack failed to stab Xiao Chen's heart, the force struck his chest. This jolted his internal organs, and his Qi and blood surged.
Xiao Chen shouted, and the image of a tiger and dragon flew out from his body. The tiger howled, and the dragon roared. His body immediately filled with a horrifying strength.
"Fierce Tiger Leaving the Mountains!"
Before the Shadow Demon could dodge, Xiao Chen's punch, which carried six thousand kilograms of force, broke his head; the Shadow Demon died instantly.
When Xiao Chen saw the remained Shadow Demon and blood corpse rushing over to save him; the Qi whirlpool in his dantian spun twice, quickly.
A pure and surging lightning-attributed Essence traveled via his meridians and flowed into the snow-white blade of the Lunar Shadow Saber. Purple light instantly flickered within the dark forest; it was incredibly dazzling.
"Drawing the Saber!"
This was the first time Xiao Chen infused the pure state of Thunder into the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique. Dark clouds covered the sky as thunder roared angrily. It was like a massive army marching.
Xiao Chen's attribute was lightning. When he became a Martial Saint, the Essence in his body changed completely, becoming pure lightning-attributed Essence.
Under such a state, when Xiao Chen used the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique, the strength he could bring out was more powerful than the Lingyun Saber Technique with the state of mountains and state of clouds.
Three bolts of lightning broke through the night sky and gathered on Xiao Chen's saber. His body flashed in the air, and another Shadow Demon separated into half instantly.
The Essence containing the state of lightning was flickering where he was chopped in half, as well as on the wounds. It stayed there without fading for a long time.
"Arclight Chop!"
Xiao Chen kept moving. Then a chain of thunder crackled in the sky again. The saber drew an arclight in the sky. The blood corpse that tried to run was chopped in half as well; it had no way to resist.
"Rushing Heaven Chop!"
Xiao Chen pushed his feet off the ground, pointed his Lunar Shadow Saber to the sky, and soared upwards. There was no grace to his movements at all, but he surged with a boundless aura.
"Chi! Chi! Chi!"
Xiao Chen's body was like a bolt of lightning, flashing in the sky. With a 'shua' sound, the three Shadow Demons surrounding Mu Heng and the others were immediately pierced through and killed in that instant.
Xiao Chen's body paused in mid-air, and the chain of thunder stopped. It was like the calm before the storm; it instantly became very quiet.
"Rushing Thunder Chop!" Xiao Chen shouted. He held his saber with both hands and hacked downwards on the blood corpse attacking Yun Kexin.
"Pu Ci!"
A resplendent saber light sliced through the air like it was water, appearing from nowhere in the blood corpse's head.
In the next instant, the intense electricity in the saber light exploded, creating thunder louder than any that came before. With a 'shua' sound, this blood corpse was hacked into halves by the saber and was turned to nothing by the explosion.
"Rushing Thunder Second Chain Chop!" The momentum of the four moves from the Rushing Thunder Saber Technique completely unleashed at this moment. Xiao Chen's saber turned the Shadow Demon into a puddle of blood; he did not even have the time to cry out miserably.
The final Shadow Demon felt fear in his heart. He decisively gave up the attack on Yun Kexin and turned into a ball of black smoke, fleeing quickly.
"Trying to run? Are you able to do so?" Xiao Chen withdrew his saber and stood upright. He snorted coldly when he saw the Shadow Demon fleeing.
A limitless purple flame burned in his right eye. If one looked into his eye, they would see an ocean of flames.
The fierce flames gathered together before finally turning into a ball, turning into a strange purple flame in Xiao Chen's right eye.
"Purple Thunder True Fire, Shoot!"
The strange flame formed a purple arrow in the air. Like a ray of light, it quietly chased after the Shadow Demon who fled for more than a thousand meters.
"Boom!"
A horrifying explosion came from the distance. The purple flame discharged and the lightning in the flame released. Countless bolts of lightning filled the space.
Aside from Yun Kexin, the others stared at this scene, dumbfounded; they did not dare believe this was real.
Xiao Chen withdrew and stood upright. He already expected the strength of the state of thunder infused in Rushing Thunder Saber Technique to be very strong. However, he was still astonished at the might it displayed.
He believed that if he could completely grasp this Saber Techniques, aside from some late peak Martial Saints, he would be unrivaled within the Martial Saint realm.
Xiao Chen withdrew his thoughts and turned around. He discovered Gao Xiang holding his chest, lying on the ground in pain. His lips were black, and he trembled; these were the signs of poisoning.
Xiao Chen quickly walked over and asked Zhang Lie, "What's going on with him?"
Zhang Lie looked very upset. His voice trembled as he explained what happened to Xiao Chen.
When the Shadow Demons suddenly attacked them, the slowest was Gao Xiang. Furthermore, his injuries had not yet healed. The claws of a Shadow Demon pierced his chest.
Originally, the wound was not so deep; Gao Xiang did not care about it either. He had suffered similar wounds before when he trained outside. With the strength of a cultivator's body, this would not be a life-threatening wound.
However, he did not expect there to be a slow-acting poison in the Shadow Demon's attack. By the time he reacted, the poison had spread throughout his body; he could no longer force it out.
Mu Heng asked, "Ye Chen, can you save him?"
Xiao Chen shooked his head. Under the Medicinal Pills section in the Compendium of Cultivation, there were pills that would treat poison. Unfortunately, Xiao Chen had not practiced refining them. He had no way to produce one now.
Maybe Yun Kexin has a way, such a thought appeared in Xiao Chen's mind. This feeling was very strange; it was like instinct.
Yun Kexin had rushed over long ago. However, she was simply standing by the side, observing Gao Xiang's situation without saying anything.
When she felt Xiao Chen's gaze, she shook her head. "I do have Rank 6 poison antidotes. However, the poison has already permeated the bone marrow and heart vessels. Without a medical sage here personally or an Immortal Grade Holy Herb with at least a thousand years of age, there is no way to save him."
When Gao Xiang heard this, he did not have a bitter look on his face. Instead, he revealed a gentle expression. He smiled bitterly, "I started cultivating at the age of six and entered the Heavenly Saber Pavilion at the age of sixteen. Now, I am twenty-six and am a Medial Grade Martial Saint. I feel unsatisfied, dying like this!"
Like the final radiance of the setting sun, Gao Xiang's pained expression completely vanished. His complexion started to brighten. He removed the bag from behind him and handed it to Zhang Lie.
He muttered, "This is the Demonic Core I obtained on this trip. I originally thought I could exchange these for Medial Grade Spirit Stones and raise my cultivation to peak Medial Grade Martial Saint. It seems like I can only let you guys take advantage of me now.
"The path of a cultivator is rugged. Everyone who walks this path should expect such a day. Let my misfortune be a reminder to you. When in a fight, do not be careless."
After Gao Xiang spoke, a look of determination appeared in his eyes. Then, he circulated his final dregs of Essence and shattered his heart.
He chose to end his own life; this was a tragic way to die.
Gao Xiang's death made everyone feel somewhat depressed. They felt sympathy and sorrow, and at the same time, they thought of themselves.
In the Tianwu Continent, the strong ruled. The weak were ants in the eyes of the strong. They would kill if they wanted to. If they were upset, they would trample on your dignity.
Under such cruel circumstances, every cultivator would find all sorts of means to cultivate bitterly, seeking the path to grow stronger.
However, this path was too arduous. Aside from having to deal with both the open competition and hidden attacks by other humans, they still had to be very careful how they trained, avoiding dying at the hands of Demonic Beasts or Spirit Beasts.
Life was too fragile on such a path. This mission was a form of training too. Unfortunately, before they even reached the midpoint, six people on their team had already lost their lives.
Xiao Chen casually summoned a cluster of Purple Thunder True Fire and covered Gao Xiang's body with it. His body immediately began to burn quickly.
Burying a body in the forest was already known to be a wrong move. The enemy would only use them. Thus, no one felt Xiao Chen's actions were wrong.
As they watched Gao Xiang's body burn, a difficult-to-detect, complicated look flashed in Yun Kexin's eyes. However, it was just a flash; no one noticed it.
After a while, Yun Kexin said calmly, "We will rest for an hour. After that, we will continue on our way."
-----
Within the forest, similar things happened at other locations.
Murong Chong was drifting in the air. Then, a cool breeze blew. After a while, a saber light appeared, and a man in scarlet was torn apart.
The Blood Demon's body could be fixed back together. However, it was unable to do so; it turned into a corpse.
No emotions showed on Murong Chong's handsome face. He wiped his saber clean of blood and sheathed it.
The pieces of the Blood Demon's body on the ground suddenly exploded, turning into a puddle of blood, flying everywhere.
Behind Murong Chong, there were two members of the team with black lips. They had collapsed to the ground with unsightly expressions. They had also been afflicted with the slow-acting poison; it had spread throughout their bodies, and they could no longer be saved.
"Senior Brother Murong, do you have any way to save my Junior Brother? He is going to die," a Gangyu Peak disciple asked anxiously.
Murong Chong shook his head without saying a thing. Then, he picked up the Demon Core the Blood Demon left behind and put it away. He carried his saber and sat, alone, in a corner. He closed his eyes and recovered his energies.
[TL afterthoughts: I had to put this out here. Although I hated Gao Xiang at first, his death gave me the feels… As I was translating this, when I got to the part where he died, I really hoped he would live. I wanted to see a friendship begin with this group.]
Chapter 251: Demon General
The life of a cultivator is like an ant's. If they cannot become strong, they will only become cannon fodder for other people, Murong Chong thought to himself. That means that aside from becoming strong, there is no other choice. Otherwise, I will become like these people.
On an overhanging cliff, in a magnificent castle. The Blood Demon General draped in a scarlet cloak sat on a scarlet throne. He held a golden wine cup and sat there expressionlessly.
Without looking carefully, the face of the Blood Demon General was no different from a human youth's. However, the scarlet eyes on his pale face were filled with a boundless killing intent that would cause one to tremble.
Below the great hall, there were twelve pillars on the two side. Beside each pillar, there were ten Blood Demons dressed in scarlet.
The Blood Demon General raised the golden wine cup and took a gentle sip. A scarlet stain was left behind on his lips.
Apparently, this was not actually some magnificent wine; it was a cup of fresh human blood. It was very possible it came from a captured Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciple.
The Blood Demon General wiped the blood away from the corner of his lips and revealed a drunk expression. He said, "What delectable fresh human blood. I have not tasted it for twenty years in this space."
"Dang! Dang!"
Suddenly, a Blood Demon covered in blood came into the great hall anxiously. He walked forward and knelt below the throne.
He respectfully said, "Lord Demon General, the Shadow Demons you sent out were all eliminated. According to your instructions, I have sent out all the Blood Demons within the palace six hours ago.
"Because Lord Demon General was in closed-door cultivation, I could not report until now."
A faint smile was revealed on the Blood Demon General's face. He placed the golden wine cup on the table beside the throne and said, "Not a problem, it is something within expectations. They are just like dogs, I don't expect them to be of much use. Furthermore, we are just projections here, they can't even be compared to dogs. Even more reason to not care about them."
"Take your leave first, you have done a good job. As long as we can obstruct that group of people for one day and finish the ceremony, everything will be fine."
The person that knelt on the ground got up and gave thanks before he quickly left the great hall.
The Blood Demon General picked up the wine cup again. A frightening glow appeared in his scarlet eyes. He finished all the blood in the wine cup before he coldly spoke, "One day of time. All I need is one day and I can turn the Heavenly Saber Pavilion back into ruins."
"Is that so? I'm afraid you won't have such an opportunity!" A cold mocking voice suddenly resounded in the great hall.
-----
In the dark forest, Xiao Chen's group of four continued forward. The Scarlet Demonic Snake occupied a huge territory in this forest. Despite walking for an hour, they did not run into other Demonic Beasts.
After they walked out of the Scarlet Demonic Snake's territory, they met other Demonic Beasts again. The weakest of them were early Rank 5 Demonic Beasts. Occasionally, they would run into middle Rank 5 Demonic Beasts.
They even met a peak Rank 5 Demonic Beast. Fortunately, it was not a Rank 6. Although the fight was hard, they were not in any real danger.
Along the way, there would be the sudden attacks from Shadow Demons. The group had to deal with them even though they were tired. It could be said that danger was present at every step of the journey.
After they walked further, they finally met with the masters of the Shadow Demons. They were Demons that were composed of blood. Blood Demons had many insidious tricks up their sleeves, they were more horrifying than Shadow Demons. Their attacking methods were even more strange and varied.
The most important thing was that their bodies were formed by liquids. Ordinary methods would not be able to kill them. They were not afraid of their heads exploding or being chopped into several pieces.
Fortunately, Xiao Chen had lightning attributed Essence, it was the nemesis of these beings. After they were injured, the Essence that contained the state of thunder would stay on the wound without dispersing. This resulted in them being unable to reform.
Yun Kexin's Heavenly Melody Saber Technique was even more horrifying. When the sound waves entered their bodies, it could instantly enter into every drop of blood in the Blood Demon and explode them into oblivion.
"Lonely Peak's Fatal Blow!"
Zhang Lie shouted and formed a mountain, crushing a Shadow Demon. Then he retrieved the Demon Core with a 'shua' sound.
"Senior Sister, how much longer before we can get out?" Zhang Lie had finished his task. He leaned on a big tree and panted.
Along the way, they had been fighting non-stop. Aside from the various Demonic Beasts, they had to be wary of the sneak attacks from the Shadow Demons and the Blood Demons. The group was constantly on a high state of alert.
Furthermore, the road in the forest seems unending. The scene in the front was always the same: lots and lots of black trees.
Even though Zhang Lie had comprehended saber intent and had a stronger mental state than regular cultivators, he was still starting to get frustrated.
Yun Kexin tossed an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone to Zhang Lie and Mu Heng each. Then she said, "Should not be for much longer. We have been walking in a straight line. We should be able to exit the forest by dusk."
Yun Kexin seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of Medicinal Pills and Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. After every fight, she would hand out pills for treatment and recovering Essence.
If the Essence exhaustion was too high, she just directly gave out an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone. If not for Yun Kexin's supply, even if the group wanted to continue fighting, they might not be able to do so.
Mu Heng sat cross-legged and smiled faintly. "Just treat it as cultivating. After one day of continuously fighting, I feel that my strength has increased by fifty percent.
"I even made some breakthroughs in some Martial Techniques that I could not comprehend before. It is better than cultivating bitterly in the back mountains for three months."
Indeed, when compared to cultivating alone, a training session where your life was on the line had a significantly faster speed of training and cultivation.
However, both had its advantages and disadvantages. Cultivating alone was stable and does not include any life threatening danger. Experiential training could quickly raise one's cultivation but it was very dangerous and there were too many uncertainties.
In summary, both methods had to be used, alternating between bitter cultivation and experiential training. Only by achieving a good balance could one's cultivation grow the fastest.
"Pu Ci!"
Xiao Chen, who was scouting out the situation in front, jumped down from a tree. He said, "We can rest for a while, there are no Demonic Beasts in the surroundings. The nearest Demonic Beasts are about one thousand meters in front of us."
"They are early Rank 5 Demonic Wolves. If they were alone, they would be easy to deal with. Unfortunately, this kind of Demonic Beasts has a pack mentality. They are about five in number so there will be a hard battle later."
Yun Kexin muttered for a while before speaking, "Same method then. The three of us will deal with the Demonic Wolves. Ye Chen will be on the defensive, preventing any sneak-attacks from the Shadow Demons and the Blood Demons."
After an hour, everyone had completely recovered their Essence and they started their journey again.
"Spinning Mountain Destroys Clouds!"
Zhang Lie shouted and a strong wind blew. A mysterious phenomenon was created, a lone mountain was formed. Then he rushed at the pack of Rank 5 Demonic Wolves.
"Swift Horizontal Saber Strike! Seven Stars Transposition!"
Mu Heng did not want to lag behind. A purple light lit up his body and he was like a saber. He flickered around the pack of wolves. Each time he appeared, his palm would slash once and a wolf head would be sent flying.
Within the wolf pack, the huge wolf king stared at them with scarlet eyes; it was howling furiously.
Like soldiers getting into a tactical formation, every time it howled, the formation of the wolves would change. After a while, the irresistible force that was Zhang Lie and Mu Heng received a strong counter attack under the lead of the Wolf King.
The wolves had blocked the attacks of the two and then counter-attacked without care for themselves. This left a few wounds on the two of them.
"Chi! Chi!"
A piercing sonic boom was heard on the battlefield. A white figure moved in an arc in the air and landed before the Wolf King.
The Slender Saber in Yun Kexin's hand trembled and the Wolf King's huge body was knocked backward. The formation of the wolves became very messy. When Yun Kexin distracted the Wolf King, the pressure on Zhang Lie and Mu Heng decreased.
Xiao Chen held onto the Lunar Shadow Saber and shut his eyes. He used his Spiritual Sense to cover every corner of the battlefield, especially the area where the three of them were fighting.
They were now wary of the Demon's attacks. When compared to Demonic Beasts, they knew how to hide themselves and play tricks. The crafty Demons were the biggest threat to the group.
"Shua!"
In the world of his Spiritual Sense, a figure different from Demonic Wolves and humans appeared. It was a pool of blood flying very quickly toward Yun Kexin.
Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and executed the Lightning Evasion. A bolt of lightning tore through the dark night sky.
"Huang dang!" Xiao Chen drew his saber. The light on the Lunar Shadow Saber was even more resplendent than lightning, it was very dazzling.
"Pu Ci!"
There was a flash of cold light and the blade struck into the blood on the ground. Its speed was very fast, even the lightning in the sky had not disappeared yet.
A mournful and miserable shriek came from the ground. The blood on the ground took a human form. Both its hands grabbed the Lunar Shadow Saber that glowed with an electric light as it howled non-stop.
"Despicable human beings! I will feast on your blood sooner or later. I will make you suffer the most painful torture in this world."
"Xiao Chen smiled faintly as he said softly, "My apologies, you do not have that chance anymore. Explode!"
The Lunar Shadow Saber stabbed into the Demon's heart erupted with a horrifying electric light. There were arcs of electricity jumping around and crackling.
The Blood Demon's body was blasted into tiny droplets of blood before eventually vanishing.
Suddenly, four Shadow Demons flew over and launched themselves at Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, who were in the middle of an intense battle. The timing of the Shadow Demons was very good. They chose the moment they were occupied by the wolf pack and were unable to react.
A fierce flame started burning in Xiao Chen's right eye and it soon condensed into a purple electric flame. The flame elongated rapidly and turned into a sharp arrow.
"Pu Ci!"
The arrow tore through the air like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the dark forest. It surpassed the speed of sound as it pierced the bodies of the four Shadow Demons.
The Shadow Demons exploded and turned into a rain of black blood that covered the sky.
-----
In the palace on the overhanging cliff, the Blood Demon General was stunned when he heard that sudden mocking voice.
There was someone who had evaded his perception and infiltrated his palace.
"Pu Ci!"
The ten Blood Demons standing below the throne in the great hall all cried miserably and exploded, turning into a mist of blood.
Lu Chen, Liu Ruyue, and their team slowly appeared in the great hall. They had completely unleashed their auras. Their gazes were as sharp as sabers as they stared at the Blood Demon General on the throne.
This was the Demon that had once brought a calamity to the Heavenly Sabar Pavilion.
The Blood Demon looked at the ten people and his lips curled up. He revealed a faint smile on his face. "There I was thinking how high your cultivations were for you to be able to hide from my perception. Actually, you used an Aura Concealing Talisman."
Chapter 252: Merely A Chess Piece
"Does the Heavenly Saber Pavilion not have other people? Or are they sending you here to die?"
Lu Chen's expression was calm as he said, "You are only a projection. We are sufficient to kill you."
A cold light appeared in the Blood Demon General's scarlet eyes. He said indifferently, "I was originally somewhat worried about who the Heavenly Saber Pavilion would send. Seems like I have worried too much. Coincidentally, I still require some materials for the ceremony. Since you have sent yourselves to me, then I shall not stand on ceremony."
"Boom!"
After he spoke, a red light from the Blood Demon Emperor rushed into the sky. A horrifying killing Qi surged out at the group.
There were many things going on in his eyes, like they were purgatory with countless vengeful spirits crying out miserably. A horrifying illusion appeared in front of the group. It was difficult to differentiate the real from the fake in this strange space.
"Huang Dang!" Everyone drew their sabers at the same time. The orderly sound reverberated in the air. With a 'shua' sound, the illusion instantly disappeared.
-----
Within the forest, after Yun Kexin killed the Wolf King, the remaining Demonic Wolves became disorganized. They all fled when the group attacked.
Zhang Lie and Mu Heng started to sweep the battlefield, extracting the Demonic Wolves' Demonic Cores. Xiao Chen continued to stay on guard, preventing any Demons from sneak-attacking them.
"Boom!"
Just at this moment, a bright scarlet light rushed up into the sky in the distant horizon.
A horrifying aura extended out from a distance. Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, who were sweeping the battlefield, felt a cold shiver.
Mu Heng stopped moving and looked at the red light. He muttered, "What is this? What a horrifying aura! Who is it from?"
Actually, everyone already had a guess in their hearts. However, they did not dare to be sure about it. They could not help but fix their gazes on Yun Kexin.
When Yun Kexin saw that red light, she revealed a grave expression on her previously calm face.
When she felt everyone's gazes, she turned around and slowly said, "Your mission is already complete. If you have a Divine Flame Talisman, you can leave now. If you don't have one, I can give you one."
Zhang Lie and Mu Heng were stunned when they heard this. A doubtful look appeared on their faces, as they could not understand what was going on, "Senior Sister Yun, didn't you say we have to go through the forest and meet up with the other teams?"
"That's right, we are almost at our destination already, why are we not going there?
Yun Kexin's unexpected words caused the two of them to not know what to do. They simply could not understand what was going on. The plan was to go out of the forest. How was it that the mission was over before they had done so?
When Xiao Chen heard Yun Kexin say that the mission was finished, he was mildly stunned as well. Then he looked at the red light rushing toward the sky from the mountain summit, and felt the aura that filled the entire space.
After a while, Xiao Chen understood the crux of the situation. A bitter smile appeared on his calm face as he looked toward the sky.
Xiao Chen slowly got up and said to Zhang Lie and Mu Heng, "Just go out. After all, you guys have already collected ten Demon Cores each. You have already accomplished half your mission. The hundred Medial Grade Spirit Stones are not going to run away. There is still a large number of Demonic Cores. Your harvest is very significant already."
After a pause, Xiao Chen continued, "More important than the harvest was the difficult battles you experienced. Zhang Lie, after some cultivating, you should be able to reach peak Inferior Grade Martial Saint without any problems."
Then Xiao Chen turned to face Mu Heng, "Mu Heng, although your cultivation will not experience an explosive increase, I believe the increase in your strength will be higher than Zhang Lie's."
Zhang Lie thought for a long time. At this point in time, he had more or less understood what was going on. He revealed a complicated expression and said, "Ye Chen, that's not what I meant, Gao Xiang and the rest…"
Suddenly, a sharp light appeared in Xiao Chen's originally calm gaze. He said, "Experiential Trainings are always filled with dangers. Stop thinking about it. Just go!"
Mu Chen looked deeply at the calm Yun Kexin. He did not say anything as he took out the Divine Flame Talisman. After a while, he was slowly enveloped in a ball of fire, vanishing from this space.
Zhang Lie was shaken by Xiao Chen's gaze. He stopped saying anything else and took out a Divine Flame Talisman as well. Then he turned into a ball of fire and slowly vanished from the space.
After the two of them left, the atmosphere between Yun Kexin and Xiao Chen slowly turned strange. Neither of them spoke and the forest became extremely quiet.
"Rumble…!"
Suddenly, the ground started shaking. However, it was not the ground shaking, but rather the entire sub-space.
Trees toppled over one after another and countless Demonic Beasts ran out from the forest in horror. The entire forest became incredibly chaotic.
However, the atmosphere between the two of them remained incredibly silent. The surrounding chaos did not affect the two of them at all.
After a long time, Yun Kexin sighed gently, "Are you not leaving yet? If you don't have a Divine Flame Talisman, I can give you one."
Xiao Chen shooked his head, "No need. Can I ask you a few questions?"
There were no fluctuations on Yun Kexin's calm face. She nodded, "I knew you would blame me. I also know what you are going to ask. I can tell you the answer."
"That's right, from the very start, the Elders' Assembly had not intended for you all to complete the mission. The ones to complete the mission is Lu Chen's team.
"The mission of our team is to distract the Blood Demon general, to cause him to send out all the Blood Demons from the palace. While we got rid of the hindrances, Lu Chen's team can use the Aura Concealing Talisman to infiltrate the palace and focus on fighting the Blood Demon General."
Xiao Chen said indifferently, "I have already guessed this much by myself. You misunderstand what I meant. I am not blaming you. I just want to ask you. What are the odds of Lu Chen's team killing the Blood Demon General.
As Yun Kexin had said, Xiao Chen had already guessed most of it based on the clues he had gotten and what he had observed. To put it simply, the Elders' Assembly used them as cannon fodder to distract the main force and create an opportunity for Lu Chen's team.
What Zhang Lie could not understand earlier was why the Elders' Assembly had not clarified this and simply sent them to die. Thus, when he had guessed the answer, he was feeling dissatisfied.
However, Xiao Chen was not concerned with this question. There was a very simple reason behind it: if the Elders' Assembly had told them in advance, out of the hundred people, most of them would not have participated in the mission. No one would be silly enough to volunteer as cannon fodder.
From the same reasoning, Xiao Chen could not blame this on Yun Kexin. At least she was not the person who had issued the mission. As a team captain, she had already done her duty.
Every time they were in a fight, Yun Kexin was on the frontlines. If there was someone injured, she did not hesitate to hand out Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills. She had already done her best to ensure everyone's safety.
Thus, Zhang Lie's emotions were starting to get out of control, so Xiao Chen had used his strong mental strength to help him recover his calm.
The strong feed on the weak; without sufficient strength, in the eyes of the people in control, you were only a chess piece to be moved. If you were strong enough, you would naturally be given a Divine Flame Talisman to ensure your safety.
Xiao Chen did not blame anyone, or bear a grudge. This matter only allowed him to see this world more clearly.
Without sufficient strength, every step was filled with danger. Thus, he had to become strong. He had to grow stronger, and then grow even stronger. Only by doing this could he control his own fate.
Now, Xiao Chen was only concerned about whether Lu Chen and the others could kill the Blood Demon General. If they could kill him easily, then there would be no problems. He could ignore the mission given to him by Liu Tianyu and leave this place.
If their odds were bad, then he would have to go take a look. At the very least, he had to use that heaven-splitting saber strike Liu Tianyu had hidden in the Lunar Shadow Saber before he left.
Yun Kexin was mildly surprised to see Xiao Chen being so calm. She thought to herself, before saying, "They have a sixty percent of victory. Out of Lu Chen's team, there are seven people who have grasped the Blood Demon Self-Disintegration Technique. They can burn their lifeforce and temporarily increase their combat prowess.
"These seven people did not intend to come out alive in the first place. They are the deathsworn warriors of the Divine Saber Camp. In the situation where they do not hold back, they can raise their combat prowess by ten times."
When Xiao Chen heard this, he was shocked. Liu Ruyue was among the ten people. If the seven people included her, he could not sit and watch idly.
"My apologies, I have to leave first." A silver warship flew out of Xiao Chen's right eye and he quickly leaped onto it. Before he left, he seemed to have thought of something. He said, "Actually, you don't have to blame yourself. You have already done a very good job."
After he spoke, Xiao Chen rode off on his silver warship and headed to the palace on the overhanging cliff very quickly. He was as fast as lightning, disappearing in a flash.
Yun Kexin watched as Xiao Chen left. She revealed a faint smile on her delicate face. Then she waved the Roaming Dragon Saber around gently as she spoke to herself, "Interesting… what is so urgent that he would forget about a Heaven Ranked Spirit Weapon?"
Within the forest, Murong Chong saw the red light rushing into the sky. He slowly stopped and thought for a long time.
"Senior Brother Murong, Why are we not moving?" one of the team members asked in confusion.
Murong Chong did not reply. He turned around and walked to the team. He went to the front of a severely injured core disciple and slowly placed a Divine Flame Talisman on his chest.
After that, before everyone's shocked gazes, that person was enveloped in a ball of flames and vanished from the space.
After Murong Chong did this, he took out another Divine Flame Talisman and said, "Just stay here, there is no need to advance further. This is my last Divine Flame Talisman, I will pass it to you and you can decide what to do with it for yourselves."
After Murong Chong spoke, he soared into the sky. As his body pushed against the air, he created a sonic boom as he flew quickly towards the palace in front.
"Senior Brother Murong! Don't leave!" The group called out after Murong Chong left behind the Divine Flame Talisman and flew off. They did not know what to do.
They were able to get this far and only had three deaths by relying on Murong Chong's strength. Now that he was gone, they immediately panicked.
A similar scene happened to the other teams in the forest. The core disciples leading the teams stopped when they saw the red light rushing into the sky.
However, their actions were different from Murong Chong and Yun Kexin. They simply used their Divine Flame Talisman and left the sub-space, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded core disciples.
The winds howled in Xiao Chen's ears as he stood on the bow of the warship. His hair and clothes fluttered in the wind.
