59: Demonic clouds cover the sky

As Xiao Zhuo stepped over the threshold of the study, his gaze fell upon a swordsman in a green robe seated in the guest chair.

The man was laughing and chatting with Prince Kang, Ji Buji.

The swordsman appeared to be in his early thirties, with a resolute face whose features were as if carved by a knife and axe; though not handsome, a sword Concept, both incomparably sharp and mellowly profound, flowed around him.

Even with Xiao Zhuo's current cultivation, he could clearly feel the invisible pressure emanating from the other party.

“This person's attainments in the Dao of the Sword are likely far beyond my current Saber Intent Realm,” Xiao Zhuo praised inwardly, then composed himself and bowed to Ji Buji: “Greetings, Your Highness!”

“You've come at a good time,” Ji Buji lightly tapped his teacup with a finger, then nodded slightly towards the green-robed swordsman, “This is the current head Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, Xiao Changkong.”

Xiao Zhuo turned to Xiao Changkong, cupped his fists, and said: “Xiao Zhuo of Yuyang Sect, greetings, Senior Brother Xiao!”

As top Sects that had been passed down for a thousand years in Jizhou, Yuyang Sect and Sword Pavilion had deep ties, so this address of “Senior Brother” was both reasonable and appropriate.

“Yuyang Sect truly has boundless Luck,” Xiao Changkong chuckled, unconsciously caressing the patterns on his ancient sword sheath, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Zhuo, “I cultivated bitterly at Buried Sword Cliff for ten years, enduring until I was thirty, before barely touching the threshold of the Divine Sea Realm. For Junior Brother to possess such astonishing cultivation at your age truly makes one... endlessly envious.” There was a hint of an imperceptible complex meaning in his words.

“Senior Brother overpraises; it was merely Luck,” Xiao Zhuo smiled modestly, keenly sensing the faint yet extremely pure Sword Intent fluctuations from the other party, “However, Senior Brother's Sword Intent is as condensed as substance, with its sharpness contained. It's probably not far from the Perfection Realm, is it?”

“Haha, Junior Brother's Divine Sense seems to be quite formidable as well...” Xiao Changkong raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly; though he didn't answer directly, a proud curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

Ten layers of Sword Intent were considered Perfection.

Judging by his demeanor, even if he hadn't reached the tenth layer, he was at least at the Peak of the eighth or ninth layer!

Under the augmentation of such Sword Intent, offensive power could increase by dozens of times. No wonder Prince Kang once said he could contend with ordinary Dominator Realm Demons.

“Alright! You two needn't be so polite here,” Ji Buji interrupted at the opportune moment, tossing a bronze-colored storage ring to Xiao Zhuo. The coiled Dragon pattern on the ring surface gleamed with a cold light under the candlelight, “Inside are the Demon-Slaying Crossbows and arrows I promised you, all complete.”

Xiao Zhuo steadily caught it, then once again cupped his fists in a solemn bow.

Ji Buji nodded with a smile, accepting his bow calmly.

In less than half an incense stick's time, four figures, imbued with powerful auras, arrived with the moon, landing outside the study.

The leader was a burly man with a full beard; three savage claw marks diagonally crossed his left eyebrow, and the Evil Qi around him was so dense it was almost tangible, assaulting one's senses.

These were the other powerhouses, besides Xiao Changkong, who were arranged to support Yuyang Sect.

Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense briefly probed, and his heart slightly trembled.

The cultivation of these four was at least at Divine Sea sixth-layer and above, and the leading burly man had even reached Divine Sea ninth-layer!

Their Qi around them was condensed like mercury, and their true essence was profound, clearly indicating that they were all Shattered Realm cultivators who had opened a Sea of Consciousness of nearly a Thousand-Mile Divine Sea, definitely not ordinary individuals.

After Ji Buji concisely finished his instructions, six brilliant streaks of light soared into the sky, tearing through the night, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared into the western horizon.

Prince Kang, Ji Buji, stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the gradually dimming sky, his fingers unconsciously caressing the warm jade pendant at his waist, a long sigh quietly fading into the deep twilight.

A time of trouble indeed... May Yuyang Sect safely overcome this calamity.

Yuyang Sect, in front of the Zhenyang Hall on the mountain Peak.

At this moment, Yuyang Mountain Peak was shrouded by boundless Devilish Qi, covering the sky and sun.

Sect Master Immortal Master Xuan Qing's hair and beard were all white, dancing wildly in the fierce gale; behind him stood the four Peak Masters, each with a solemn, iron-like expression.

In the sky, the surging Blood Cloud was like boiling lava.

Two glaring crimson figures stood in the air, like Devil Gods descended.

Behind them, hundreds of ferocious Demons roared and howled, the sound waves making the mountains hum.

Even the weakest among them clearly possessed Nightmare-level strength!

“Blood God! What are you trying to do?!” Situ Ming's hair and beard bristled; his furious roar pierced through clouds and cracked stones, and lightning crackled in his palm, ready to strike.

“Why play dumb!” A sinister laugh, like metal scraping, came from the Blood Cloud; under the impact of the sound waves, the protective Formation covering the Five Peaks violently trembled.

Blood God Venerable King stepped out, and the Void Realm beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the weight, leaving behind burning crimson footprints: “Hand over my son, otherwise...”

“Situ, no need for further words!” Li Miaoyi's figure flashed, and she was already standing beside Situ Ming, one hand resting on his arm, her gaze like an ice blade shooting towards Blood God Venerable King, her voice resolute: “Only war!”

“Good! Good! Good! What a 'only war'!” Blood God Venerable King laughed in extreme rage, taking another heavy step forward. In an instant, a pressure heavier than a collapsing mountain, like a blood-colored waterfall from the Nine Heavens, crashed down, making the entire Yuyang Mountain seem to shrink! “It seems if this King doesn't flatten your Yuyang Sect today, I won't be able to retrieve my son!”

“Blood God! You dare to invade my Yuyang Sect's mountain gate on such a scale, are you not afraid that this Immortal Master will use your Devil spawn as a sacrifice?!” Situ Ming's voice was as cold as ten thousand years of ice, directly unleashing his final threat.

Unexpectedly, Blood God Venerable King merely gave a sinister smile, his tone indifferent yet imbued with immense confidence: “Since this Divine Venerable has personally arrived, naturally... I have no fear!”

Before his words finished, he suddenly clenched his right hand!

Boom!

Terrifying Demonic Evil Qi instantly gathered in his fist, and he punched out!

A blood-colored beam of light, ten feet in diameter, carrying the Divine Thought pressure of world-ending power, like a spear of divine punishment, crashed down from the Nine Heavens, fiercely striking the light shield at the Peak of Zhenyang Peak!

Om—!

The light shield of the mountain protection Formation groaned under the immense pressure, violently twisting and fluctuating, its light instantly dimming by more than half, but it still stubbornly withstood this earth-shattering blow.

However, with Blood God Venerable King's move, the Demons behind him, who could no longer hold back, completely erupted!

Amidst roars, countless attacks rained down on the mountain protection Formation.

Further away, outside Yuyang Sect's mountain gate, a dense army of Demons, like a breached, turbid flood, roared as they surged across the mountains and plains!

“Senior Brother, it seems this battle is unavoidable! Fortunately, that Silver Moon has not appeared; if it's only these Demons brought by Blood God, we might not be without a chance of victory! Instead of waiting for the Formation to be broken, why not take the initiative to attack?” Immortal Master Xuan Wei looked at Sect Master Xuan Qing, suggesting with urgency. No matter how strong the mountain protection Formation was, it could not withstand such a sustained fierce assault from so many Demons.

“First, activate the Killing Formation at the foot of the mountain! Block their vanguard!” Immortal Master Xuan Qing's gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the surging demonic tide below, his voice as heavy as a mountain.

“Yes! Senior Brother!” Immortal Master Xuan Wei acknowledged the order, his figure flashing as he disappeared into the Zhenyang Hall.

At this moment, all Yuyang Sect Disciples had already retreated into the Five Peaks' mountain protection Formation. At the foot of the mountain, the unobstructed dark demonic tide, like viscous foul blood, flowed unimpeded over the foot and mid-slopes, heading straight for the Five Peaks.

However, just as the demonic vanguard was about to touch the mountain gate's stone steps—

Om! Om! Om!

At the foot of Yuyang Mountain, countless green Formation patterns suddenly lit up, as if sleeping giant Dragons had opened their eyes!

In an instant, fierce winds swept through the forest! Billions of fallen leaves were snatched up by an invisible force, their edges instantly glowing with dazzling green light, transforming into a sky full of rotating, flying, merciless blades, slashing towards the surging demonic tide!

Chii chii chii—!

The sound of blades piercing bodies was incessant! The tens of thousands of Baleful Rank and lower Demons rushing at the forefront were like being thrown into a giant meat grinder; in an instant, severed limbs flew everywhere, and foul-smelling black blood permeated the rocks like streams, gathering into puddles.

The Calamity-Grade Demons circling in the air, seeing this, roared and swooped down, while wielding their claws and demonic artifacts to resist the ubiquitous leaf-blade storm, they also violently bombarded the surrounding ground and rocks, attempting to find and destroy the Formation eyes.

However, the power of the Killing Formation was continuous.

As time passed, the leaf-blade storm at the foot of the mountain not only did not weaken but became even denser, like a green vortex of death!

Those Calamity-Grade Demons soon felt their pressure double, constantly accumulating deep, bone-visible wounds, and eventually were forced to retreat into the air in disarray.

The lower-tier Demons below were almost completely annihilated, and thick piles of demonic corpses accumulated at the foot of the mountain.

Blood God Venerable King, who had been observing with cold eyes, saw the heavy losses of his cannon fodder, and the blood light in his eyes surged, his killing intent boiling!

“Hmph! A mere Killing Formation dares to block me?!” He snorted coldly, and with an empty grab of his right hand, a crystal-clear heart, still beating and emitting an eerie blood-red glow, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The next moment, he slammed his five fingers together!

Puchi!

The heart exploded! A blood-colored long river, over a hundred zhang wide and flowing incessantly, appeared out of thin air!

Like a heavenly river pouring down, it carried monstrous bloody Evil Qi and defiling power, crashing down upon the entire Yuyang Sect!

Dense blood Evil Qi instantly permeated, covering the entire Yuyang Mountain, making even the air thick and suffocating.

Boom boom boom—!

Under the impact of the blood river, green lights at the foot of the mountain continuously flashed and exploded! Each green light explosion meant a Formation eye was forcibly destroyed by the defiling blood Evil Qi, and the flying leaf blades instantly lost their luster, falling weakly onto the crimson blood river, quickly being swallowed and dissolved.

“The Great King is invincible!!”

“The Great King is invincible!!”

The surviving Demons, witnessing this scene, let out deafening, fanatical roars!

The arrogance that had been suppressed by the Killing Formation instantly surged, and more Demons roared from afar, treading on the viscous blood river, once again frantically surging towards the Five Peaks!

The Killing Formation was broken! Cloud Gazing Peak and Xuanyuan Peak, due to their lower terrain, bore the fiercest impact of the Demons.

The light shield of the mountain protection Formation flickered and twisted violently under the rain-like bombardment of Devilish Qi, on the verge of collapse!

“Crack... Boom!”

Just a moment later, the light shield of Xuanyuan Peak was the first to emit a crisp sound, then shattered with a crash!

Large numbers of Demons roared as they surged into the Peak.

However, the Peak was already deserted—Peak Master Xuan Lun had been prepared, having either dispersed or transferred his Disciples to Zhenyang Peak.

Xuanyuan Peak's Formation was merely bait!

After a dozen breaths, Cloud Gazing Peak's mountain protection Formation also exploded under the continuous fierce assault!

“Kill!!” The demonic tide surged in!

“Yuyang Disciples, follow me to slay the enemy!” An old yet resolute roar echoed from the mid-slope of Cloud Gazing Peak!

Thousands of sharp sword lights, like exploding stars, suddenly erupted, instantly shredding dozens of Demons at the forefront into a bloody mist!

It was the Cloud Gazing Peak Elders leading the Disciples, forming a Formation to meet the enemy!

The Calamity-Grade and Nightmare-rank Demons in the air, seeing this, shrieked and swooped down, joining the battle.

In an instant, saber and sword light crisscrossed on Cloud Gazing Peak, and Devilish Qi and demonic power raged!

Roars, screams, clashes of weapons, and the sound of bones breaking intertwined, flesh and blood flew, and the battle was extremely tragic!

Situ Ming stood atop the Zhenyang Hall, watching his Disciples and Elders fighting valiantly on Cloud Gazing Peak, his eyes blood-red, his fists clenched, knuckles cracking from excessive force, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

Just then, a Cloud Gazing Peak Elder had just swept his sword, fending off a dozen pouncing Demons, when a Nightmare-level Wolf Demon suddenly sprang out from the shadows behind him, its sharp claws bringing a foul wind, fiercely tearing at his back!

The Elder reacted extremely quickly, barely blocking the wolf's claw with a “Su Qin Carrying Sword” move, then spun around, his long sword like a venomous Dragon emerging from its lair, precisely piercing the Wolf Demon's throat!

Unexpectedly, the Wolf Demon went berserk, locking its claws tightly onto the sword blade piercing its throat! The Elder pulled hard, but couldn't extract it!

In this flash of lightning, a strong wind rose again from his side! A Ox Demon, wielding a giant hammer, crashed down with immense force! The Elder wanted to abandon his sword and dodge, but it was already too late!

Puff!

With a dull thud, his head exploded like a watermelon! The headless corpse fell limply.

The Wolf Demon, whose throat was pierced, grinned sinisterly and pulled out the long sword; the flesh and blood at the wound wriggled frantically, actually healing rapidly!

The Physical Body of Demons was far stronger than that of Human Race of the same rank.

In battles of the same rank, the Human Race was often at a disadvantage; only true Prodigy powerhouses could fight against many and overpower several Demons.

As more Nightmare-level and Calamity-Grade Demons joined the siege, Xuan Yi, the only remaining Divine Sea Elder of Cloud Gazing Peak, was also entangled by several powerful Demons, and the situation became increasingly precarious!

Immortal Master Xuan Qing's face was ashen, his gaze fixed on Blood God Venerable King, who stood with hands behind his back in the air, like a Devil God.

Behind Blood God, a Blood-Robed Figure with an equally profound and eerie aura floated silently, and further back, six Demons of various forms, exuding terrifying King-rank pressure, were like six moving demonic mountains, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

This was why Xuan Qing had been holding back! he not only had to deal with Blood God Venerable King but also had to guard against this unfathomable Blood-Robed Figure and the six King-rank Demons!

Moreover, a huge shadow always lingered in his heart—had that equally terrifying Dominator, Silver Moon... truly not come?