The site of the incident was still some distance from where the demons had gathered, but the group of demons had already sensed something was amiss, causing a commotion within. Judging by their behavior, they were clearly somewhat hesitant. Those in the front were retreating while those in the back were pushing forward, resulting in a chaotic mess that they couldn’t sort out for a while.
“Though they have a sense of group awareness, most of them still lack sufficient intelligence,” remarked Old Daoist Yu Zhou, offering his evaluation of demons, especially the lower-level ones.
Now looking at the current scene, his words seemed very fitting.
Because of this, the group of demons lost the opportunity to calmly reorganize.
Two shadows, speeding at a high velocity, finally entered the demons’ field of vision, and what they displayed was an unparalleled speed. In a single flash, they leapt from the farthest edge of the demons’ sight directly into their midst without slowing down at all!
Yu Ci finally saw the image reflected on the Divine Map. In that instant, he moved deeper into the crevice, allowing the shadows to completely cover his body.
Just as he completed these actions, a thunderous roar exploded like a bolt of lightning, shaking the clouds and stirring the winds.
Even though the roar was tens of miles away, the crevice Yu Ci was hiding in still trembled with a buzzing sound, and the cliff walls, stretching vertically for tens of thousands of feet, seemed to quiver.
Amid the roar, the foremost shadow had already charged into the demon horde.
The demon gathering felt as though it had been struck by an invisible boulder or as if thunder had slammed directly into its head. Hundreds of demons exploded into fragments, scattering in all directions. In that instant, at least half of the demons lost their ability to fly, plummeting like dumplings into the bottomless abyss. Of those who survived, about half fled in panic.
Even from Yu Ci’s vantage point, he could almost hear the panicked cries of the demons. In the blink of an eye, fewer than two hundred demons remained in the area.
Breaking through the obstruction ahead, the two shadows, one in front and one behind, showed no signs of stopping as they drew a diagonal line, rushing straight toward where Yu Ci was hiding.
The Divine Map abruptly went dark. In the crevice, Yu Ci remained motionless, like a lifeless stone, showing no sign of life.
In the next moment, amidst the dark cloud of mist, a flash of fire shot past, bringing with it a fierce wind that sliced through the crevice, scraping his face like a blade. Following that, countless sharp blasts of energy shot forth like arrows, cutting diagonally across the path of the fire flash, striking the cliff walls with rapid thuds, dense as a torrential downpour.
Wherever the energy blasts landed, they instantly bored deep finger-sized holes into the cliff walls, the openings corroding like mud. The sheer destructive power was terrifying. One of the energy blasts, by an uncanny coincidence, pierced the crevice, grazing past Yu Ci’s hair. With a muffled thud, Yu Ci’s face twitched slightly, but his body remained stable, though a chilling sensation crawled down the back of his head.
Accompanying this ferocious onslaught, another figure rode the turbulent winds, roaring past. Fortunately, both parties were solely focused on each other and did not spare even a glance at this inconspicuous place.
After about ten more breaths, Yu Ci finally exhaled his first long breath. In the darkness of the crevice, a faint green light emerged. Yu Ci stared at the Divine Map, his expression complex:
“Never thought I’d run into an old friend here!”
Yu Ci couldn’t help but feel emotional. The image displayed on the Divine Map was none other than the demonic beast whose sharp horn he had severed and whom Ye Bin had gravely wounded with a single sword strike.
The one who had just shattered the demon horde and flew past like lightning was none other than it, soaring through the clouds and mist as though walking on flat ground. However, its current condition was far from ideal. Chasing closely behind it was another demon.
Having seen all kinds of strange monsters recently, Yu Ci’s tolerance had improved significantly. So, when he saw a monster standing over ten feet tall, with two heads, four arms, a green face, and tusks, he wasn’t too shocked. Upon closer inspection, this demon’s entire body was bare, its skin and flesh resembling the color of iron or gold. It had no wings on its back nor was it using any tools, yet it could walk on air and fly at lightning speed.
Even though there are some differences in the realm conversions between demons and human cultivators, this level of cultivation is still astonishing. Of course, he wouldn’t forget the fleeing demonic beast ahead; the two monsters are clearly of the same nature.
In the Divine Map, the demonic beast is still shrouded in a layer of fiery smoke, swirling and steaming, causing the scene to slightly distort. Even now, as he uses “One Breath, Three Calls” to activate the potential of the treasure mirror, it remains the same. Meanwhile, the pursuing two-headed demon is enveloped in the customary black mist of its kind, forming a huge vortex around its body. Just by looking, one can feel its overwhelming power.
One can only imagine how distorted the Divine Map would appear without the “One Breath, Three Calls” technique.
The strength of these two creatures is clearly the strongest Yu Ci has seen besides Ye Bin.
In terms of size, the demonic beast is significantly larger. If they were compared side by side, the weight of the demon would be merely enough for the demonic beast to swallow in one bite. However, at this moment, the demonic beast finds itself at a clear disadvantage. It runs like the wind but cannot shake off its pursuer. As it bolts through the clouds and mist, Yu Ci can see that the two remaining sharp horns on its head have long since shattered, and bright bl0od seeps through its long fur, already staining its entire surface, making it hard to tell where it has been injured.
Meanwhile, on the other side, six or seven Core Refinement realm demons, just emerging from the “entrance,” are closing in on the battlefield. They may have received news and temporarily changed direction to rise onto the escape path of the demonic beast, intending to leap up and hinder the shadow’s speed. But at that moment, a second roar erupted!
More than ten miles away, Yu Ci felt a tremor as if his head had been struck hard by a heavy hammer. bl0od surged through his body in an instant, and he felt as though his head had swelled by a whole circle. Amidst the turbulent bl0od flow, an uncontrollable wave of agitation spread within him, making him want to roar loudly and even rush out to engage in a fight to alleviate his frustration.
However, in the end, Yu Ci did not act on this impulse. He forced himself to control his breathing, making it as calm as possible, then reached out to take an object from his storage ring and put it into his mouth.
The Heart-Binding Horn is a treasure he obtained by severing the demonic beast’s head with the Nine Yang Talisman Sword. According to the words of the female immortal Ye Bin, this object, when held in the mouth, can ward off most of the illusionary mist in the world, and it is especially effective against the demonic beast’s own illusionary power.
After some time contemplating its usage, Yu Ci roughly understood how to use this horn. The Heart-Binding Horn has little effect against common illusions that confuse the five senses through sound and light changes. Still, it is very effective against those higher-level techniques that directly interfere with the soul and induce hallucinations. It is “preventable but not breakable,” making it a rather unique treasure.
Yu Ci’s choice was indeed correct. As soon as the sharp horn was placed in his mouth, a cool, slightly spicy sensation spread throughout his mouth and seeped into his brain, clearing his mind. Earlier, those demons trying to block the road had already lost their senses and were now battling each other with red eyes, punching and biting, completely forgetting their intention to stop the demonic beast.
In the past, a single roar from the demonic beast had driven the creatures within a radius of several dozen miles in Sky Rift Valley to madness, causing a great upheaval. Now, as it is nearly forced into a dead end, the roar it unleashes is without reserve, its power far exceeding that of its previous shout, to the point that even alchemical demons at the same level cannot escape unscathed.
The impact does not stop there; the sound waves spread out and even swept all the way to the “entrance” dozens of miles away.
Tens of thousands of demons and monsters were crowded together, struggling in a life-and-death battle, creating an atmosphere of intense violence. At that moment, the sound waves infused with “Illusory Demonic Force” poured in like hot oil over a roaring fire.
In that instant, Yu Ci saw nothing else but the ugly bl0od flowers blooming successively in the black mist that enveloped the void, eventually merging into a grotesque mass, solidifying amidst the splattered flesh and bl0od.
After a moment, the “entrance,” now shrouded in bl0ody mist, was completely empty, with hardly a demon in sight. Of course, there were still countless shadowy figures of demons in the lower levels, eager to rush forward. However, seeing the example set before them, even the most reckless demons had to think twice.
The “entrance” suddenly fell silent, and Yu Ci took a deep breath; this was the power of the “Illusory Demonic Force”!
Before he could finish his admiration, a sharp howl erupted, reminiscent of a human voice but harsh and grating. Yet its force was no less than the roar of a monstrous beast, crushing through the air from ten miles away, almost tearing his eardrums apart.
Turning to look, he saw that the source of the sound was a two-headed demon. Both heads were raised and howling, but there was no harmony in their voices.
Yu Ci pressed down on his racing heart, which had quickened due to the howl, feeling quite uncomfortable as his bl0od surged erratically. Suddenly, he realized: both heads were indeed producing sound, but one of the sounds had exceeded the threshold of what his ears could bear, rendering it inaudible.
The two-headed demon’s howling was not aimless. As the howl passed, despite its discomforting nature, the demon companions engaged in combat slowly regained their senses, no longer distracted by the monstrous beast’s frenzied sound.
Seeing this, Yu Ci finally understood why the monstrous beast had chosen to flee; it had encountered its nemesis!
Amidst the howling, the two-headed demon accelerated rather than slowed down. In contrast, the monstrous beast, despite its attempts to hold on, continuously employed the Illusory Demonic Force, causing its spirit to become even more lethargic. This back-and-forth quickly led to the two-headed demon catching up to the monstrous beast.
“Boom!
A dull explosion erupted as the massive body of the monstrous beast was forcibly sent flying off its path, crashing against the cliff wall below. The impact was so great that even the ground beneath Yu Ci trembled slightly.
From that moment on, the two-headed demon and the monstrous beast became entangled in a fierce battle, plunging the surroundings into chaos.
The fighting among demons was exceptionally wild and straightforward. There were no apparent rules, and every part of their bodies became a weapon. Biting and tearing with their teeth was commonplace, resulting in bl0ody and brutal injuries.
The monstrous beast was still at a complete disadvantage. In the blink of an eye, dozens of new wounds appeared on its body. Previously, when Yu Ci struck with his sword, he couldn’t even cut through the thick fur of its resilient body. Yet now, under the blows of the two-headed demon, it was as if it were merely rotten flesh, with deep gashes appearing at every swipe.
At that moment, Yu Ci finally noticed that the monstrous beast actually bore old injuries.
Using the Divine Map to close the distance, he saw a visibly bare patch of skin on the beast’s shoulder and back, where the fur had fallen away. The area was a bl0ody mess, poorly treated, to the point that it had turned to pus, and the flesh around the wound had begun to rot.
Old injuries… Could they be the work of Immortal Ye Bin?
The situation certainly seemed that way.
I NEED YOUR HELP: During the recent unrest in the country I am from, our family hardware store was broken into and looted by thugs. I don’t know why they did it, since my family has always been minding our own business, without bothering anyone else. I’m guessing some people are taking advantage of the current lawless and chaotic state of the country.
Anyways, the incident now leaves me as the only earning member of my family. Long time readers know that I was already dealing with a mountain of trouble (that I inherited from my father), and was already struggling. I had created a plan of action, and was steadily moving forward. But this incident destroyed whatever plans I had, again. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me again and again. I might as well be cursed or something.
So here I am, after much hesitation, once again asking for your support. If you are reading this, please help if you are able to, I repeat, help only if you are able to. I am not asking something for free, you can become a Patron at Patreon to gain access to more chapters, or sponsor as many chapters you can from any of the novels you enjoy on Goblinslate here at BuymeaCoffee. Or if you just want to help, you can donate any amount at the Wishlist at BuymeaCoffee. Thank you.