After seeing Ye Bin use her sword intent to slay multiple foes, Yu Ci had gained a deeper understanding of its mysteries. He realized that the sword Qi, which was like an ethereal mist, lingered between the tangible and intangible. Once it penetrated the body, it caused severe internal damage. The external wounds on the demonic beast were already severe, but the internal injuries were likely even worse.
Ye Bin had once stated that the demonic beast would be incapacitated for over a decade. With her cultivation and insight, this was as good as confirming that the demonic beast was gravely injured. Even if there were some slight discrepancies, the difference wouldn’t be too significant.
In this context, the demonic beast’s current battered state was understandable.
The two-headed demon and the demonic beast were locked in battle within the mist, with their forceful blows spreading several miles. Blood and flesh splattered across a wide radius. The stench of blood filled the air. On the outskirts of the battlefield, the other Core Refinement-level demons, who had struggled to keep up, slowly began to close in.
Through the Divine Map, Yu Ci could faintly sense the emotions of these demons.
He felt that these demons were both terrified of the demonic beast and yet also deeply covetous of it. A quick scan revealed that many of them were swallowing nervously, as if the demonic beast, engaged in fierce combat, was a feast prepared by a master chef.
It was truly bizarre.
Finally, one demon couldn’t hold back any longer and, with a roar, charged toward the fearsome battleground. Where one led, others followed, and soon dozens of demons surged forward. The burst of energy was like a massive, unstoppable tidal wave, even more formidable than the force of the two-headed demon.
Yu Ci, merely an observer, felt his scalp tingle. Under such an assault, he feared that even a glancing blow would reduce him to dust.
However, at this moment, the demonic beast finally displayed the prowess of a top-tier predator of Sky Rift Valley. Instead of retreating, it charged forward, forcibly breaking free from its entanglement with the two-headed demon. Covered in wounds, it hurled itself directly into the attacking demons.
In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere. One demon was struck head-on by the demonic beastās massive body. Before it could be thrown away, the demonic beastās sharp teeth clamped down on half of its torso, tearing it in two. The demon was thoroughly dead.
A Core Refinement-level demonā¦ killed so easily?
Seeing this, Yu Ci began to doubt his own judgment. Were these really Core Refinement-level demons?
He quickly confirmed it again, and there was no mistake!
The Divine Map clearly showed that each of these demons’ attacks shook the very surroundings. The dark clouds above seemed almost ready to ignite before evaporating in the violent waves. Even cliffs several miles away had layers scraped off by the gusts of wind.
There was no need for the Divine Map. Looking out from the rock crevice, Yu Ci could clearly see the bright flashes of True Qi colliding with the atmosphere, producing loud explosions that echoed alongside the howling winds through the ravine.
But the demonic beast was even more astonishing. Though it didnāt display overwhelming power, its massive body seemed to lose its physical form as it darted like lightning through the encircling demons. The gusts of wind and waves of True Qi that hit it were reduced to a mere fraction of their strength. Meanwhile, it seized every opportunity, grabbing and biting, taking down another demon.
Yu Ci stared intently at the Divine Map, not even blinking, feeling a burning sensation in his chest.
This inhuman battle was both brutal and exhilarating, as well as extremely dangerous. If not for the Divine Map and the “One Breath, Three Calls” technique that elevated his refinement level, he would have likely been torn apart by the chaotic winds before he even got close enough to observe the fight.
Yet, despite the danger, he couldnāt help but yearn to one day join such a battle. Of course, not as a victim to be slaughtered.
The battle between the demonic beast and the demons raged on, but Yu Ci noticed that the strongest of them, the two-headed demon, had quietly retreated to the outskirts of the fight, waiting for the right moment to strike. Its four eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and powerful energy was gathering around it. Even with the One Breath, Three Calls technique supporting him, the scene depicted by the Divine Map began to distort noticeably.
It was drawing a talisman!
At this moment, the demonic beast had just crushed a demonās head. Its long tail swept another demon far away, displaying its mighty prowess. However, the old wounds on its back and shoulders had split open again, and a mixture of bl0od and pus gushed out, staining half of its body. Although it was panting heavily, its speed did not decrease. Lowering its head, it charged through the gap it had just opened.
The demons’ attacks fell upon it, but compared to the two-headed demon, they were clearly of a lower caliber. Most of the attacks were blocked by the flames and smoke swirling around the demonic beast, and the few that did land only left shallow wounds.
However, the sheer number of demons was still overwhelming, and their ranks were well-organized. The demonic beast had barely made it a mile before being blocked by the outermost demons. Despite its ferociousness, killing two more demons in its fury, the others had already caught up, and the second encirclement was about to close in.
A little farther away, the two-headed demon had nearly finished gathering its power. Yu Ci, who had been keeping an eye on it, felt as if his horizons had been broadened. Despite its hideous appearance, the demon’s skill was truly impressive.
As it gathered its power, the four long arms it used to trace talismanic symbols in the air felt strangely similar to the ghostly runes found in the Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual. What was even more shocking was that as the symbols took shape, the thick black aura radiating from the two-headed demon merged with the surrounding void. It seemed as if the barrier between dimensions had been broken, summoning countless ghostly and demonic figures from the abyss, filling the area and pooling together in an ocean of Yin energy.
Who said that demons and monsters have low intelligence? This super-strong talisman technique belongs to the realm of demon patterns and ghost designs. Yu Ci believed that even after ten more years, he wouldn’t be able to replicate it. However, by observing the changes in the talisman technique, Yu Ci found that he gained quite a bit from it.
As a result, Yu Ci became increasingly eager to see what kind of strike the two-headed demon would unleash after a long buildup of energy, and he held his breath in anticipation.
However, at this moment, an unexpected change occurred.
The Divine Map suddenly extinguished and then brightened again.
In the blink of an eye, it seemed as if a curtain that blocked the sun had come from far away, sweeping across the scene. Though it was only for an instant, it was as if the sun and moon had lost their light, and the entire Sky Rift Valley seemed to be engulfed, completely under its control.
In that moment, Yu Ci felt as if he had fallen into an endless deep sea or plunged into a bottomless ice cavern, his body and thoughts frozen entirely.
When he regained consciousness, he saw the scene in the Divine Map had become fragmented, as if someone had slashed it into thousands of pieces and then carelessly reassembled them!
The only thing he could confirm was that the world within it was shaking. In fact, Yu Ci himself felt an uncontrollable sensation of weightlessness. It was as if the cliff he relied on had tilted, toppling into the boundless fog ahead.
He instinctively tried to control his muscles, but the more he struggled, the worse it became. The world spun around him, and when Yu Ci finally reacted, the Sky Rift Valley remained unchanged, and the cliff he stood upon still stood firm. However, his originally seated body had somehow tumbled into a jumbled heap in the narrow rock creviceāhe had no idea how that happened!
The “Heart-Binding Horn” he had severed from the demon beast had no effect whatsoever.
What kind of illusion was this?
Although Yu Ci had a very superficial understanding of illusions, he could still sense the difference. The illusions previously used by the demon beast were on an entirely different level from the earlier overwhelming technique. The earlier illusions merely “bewildered,” but that last one could even flip the heavens upside down!
Enduring the intense dizziness, Yu Ci looked at the Divine Map. The blue light was still wavering, but the scene gradually began to clear up after a moment of blurriness. However, the image displayed was now completely different from before.
In the Divine Map, the two-headed demon was letting out a silent roar. Its four long arms now only had half remaining; the two on the left, along with half of its body, had been ripped off and swallowed by the demon beast that had charged in from who knows where.
Blood smeared around the demon beast’s mouth, and its eyes were a fiery red, like burning coals radiating incredible heat.
This turn of events came too quickly; Yu Ci hadn’t even registered what was happening before he saw the demon beast’s long tail whip out, sharp as a knife, decapitating the two-headed demon in one strike. This “tail technique” sent a chill down his spine, reminding him that months ago, he had also been struck by the demon beast’s tail…
He finally understood just how much “face” the demon beast had given him back then when he was just a tiny “bug.”
The remains of the two-headed demon fell into the depths of the fog, and the demons in the distance were still lost in the earth-shattering illusion cast by the demon beast. By the time they regained their senses, the leader was already dead. The atmosphere turned cold for a moment, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, someone initiated a retreat; one by one, they hurriedly turned back, disappearing into the thick darkness of the fog.
The demon beast did not pursue; instead, it stood firm in the clouds and mist, opening its mouth to let out a thunderous roar. The sound waves resonated in all directions, and moments later, Yu Ci clearly heard it as well.
Below, the demon army at the “entrance” was covered by a fresh layer of fog. However, as the demon beast’s roar approached, they all shrank back in unison, completely intimidated by the demon beast’s fierce power.
Yu Ci blinked, suddenly sensing that the situation was somewhat peculiar. While the demon beast’s actions indeed intimidated the crowd, upon closer observation, something felt off!
This feeling was entirely baseless, born from years of experience and intuition in similar situations.
Just as he was pondering, dozens of dark figures suddenly leapt up from the dim area below, fanning out in the air as if tearing apart a large net, rushing aggressively toward the demon beast.
“Have they reacted so quickly?”
Yu Ci was quite surprised. At this moment, the demon beast had also stopped roaring; it sensed the impending danger. Its old wound was still bleeding profusely, and its right forelimb was soaked in blood, making it look fierce yet somewhat bedraggled.
If another battle were to commence…
The demon beast made a shocking move. It turned its body around and, with its tail tucked, ran away. Its speed was still astonishing, and the faster it went, the more its form faded until it completely merged into the rolling fog, leaving no trace behind.
When the horde of demons charged in, they found nothing but the blood-soaked fog.
After a moment of shock, the demons grew frantic, scattering in different directions to expand their search range, attempting to find any trace of the demon beast. But how could they possibly do so?
Meanwhile, Yu Ci felt the threat posed by these demons. To avoid becoming a victim, he climbed up out of the rock crevice.
Before, he hadnāt felt it inside, but now that he was exposed to the air after the fierce battle, Yu Ci could feel the aftereffects of the conflict. The fog, just recently stirred by the battle, was slowly coalescing. In the cold atmospheric tide, various strange whirlwinds of hot and cold air mixed with a heavy stench of blood swirled around, ebbing and flowing.
At that moment, Yu Ci detected a different kind of aura swirling in the fog.
It was unlike the stench of the surrounding demons and fierce beasts. This scent, at first, seemed light and pleasant, but upon entering his throat and lungs, it transformed into an icy chill that nearly froze the breath he exhaled.
Yu Ci was certain he had never encountered such an aura before. A scent like this, once caught, would be unforgettable for a lifetime.
Just now, had someone been here? No, there definitely had been someone!
At the moment that earth-shattering illusion was unleashed, the visitor had made no attempt to conceal their presence, arriving swiftly and leaving just as quickly, leaving it up to others to catch any information amidst the chaos.
Yu Ci scratched his head, holding onto a rather bold guess: it couldnāt be related to the Illusory Demonic Force, could it?
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.
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