74: Jingzhou "Tianjiao"

The wisdom seeking fruit tree's branches were gnarled and coiled, its jade-like emerald leaves rustling softly in the breeze.

Over twenty translucent, crystal-like fruits, glowing with silver light and brimming with Dao charm, hung from the branches.

Xiao Zhuo lightly raised his right arm, grasping at the air.

A grape-sized silver fruit broke through the air and landed steadily in his palm.

His fingertips brushed the cool, smooth skin of the fruit, and he unhesitatingly tossed it into his mouth.

The pulp melted instantly upon entry! A strange energy erupted in a flash—Devilish Qi and pure Qi like two intertwining Dragons!

The former, as soon as it showed its ferocity, was completely devoured by the Devouring Dao Body dormant within him, like a whale swallowing; the latter, carrying a refreshing, crisp current, surged directly into his Sea of Consciousness, finally merging into his Divine Soul Origin!

Buzz!

Xiao Zhuo clearly felt that his thoughts were being cleansed and broadened, and his Comprehension Ability was steadily climbing, bit by bit!

However, the speed of this improvement was far less rapid than when he first consumed it.

The Heaven-Defying effects of the wisdom seeking fruit had their limits, at most able to raise the consumer's Comprehension Ability by three major levels.

Xiao Zhuo's original Comprehension Ability was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person's, but after consuming two, it had leaped to a level comparable to an average Genius.

Now, if the Dao charm contained in this third fruit was fully absorbed, his Comprehension Ability would undergo a complete metamorphosis, enough to rival those true Prodigies of major sects!

Just like the dazzling Prodigy Xiao Changkong!

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound faintly echoed from afar.

Xiao Zhuo frowned slightly, instantly transforming into a golden stream of light that tore through the sky, shooting towards the outside of the mountain gate!

It was time again for the agreed-upon exchange of information with Laughing Sword One and his grandson.

Three hundred li (150km) of distance vanished in an instant.

Xiao Zhuo landed beside the familiar boulder, his gaze sweeping over it—the space beneath the stone was empty!

His heart sank sharply!

According to their agreement, even if everything was peaceful, Xiao Changkong should have left a mark!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense burst forth like an invisible tide, instantly covering a radius of three hundred li!

“Not good!” His expression changed abruptly, and his figure once again transformed into a dazzling golden light, piercing through the sky at an even more terrifying speed!

Over two hundred li away

Over a dozen Human Race Cultivators were fleeing for their lives, their Qi chaotic and their appearances disheveled.

Several li behind them, dozens of ferocious Demons were in hot pursuit, their Devilish Qi monstrous and their fierce Aura oppressive.

Among them, a figure in a blood-stained snow-white sword robe, yet still possessing a sharp Aura, was none other than Xiao Changkong!

“Whoosh! Boom!”

The Demons' long-range attacks poured down like a storm: fireballs, ice cones, corrosive venom, tearing wind blades... The Human Race Cultivators could only frantically raise their shields, passively defending, their protective barriers flickering under the continuous bombardment, clearly on the verge of collapsing!

“You go first!” A cold glint flashed in Xiao Changkong's eyes, and he abruptly stopped!

The han li sword in his hand erupted with bone-chilling coldness. With a tremor of the sword body, dozens of condensed, substantive azure Sword Qi suddenly appeared, like a peacock fanning its tail, and he fiercely turned to strike at the closest group of Demons!

Sword Qi crisscrossed, instantly forcing back several Demons and buying his companions a moment of respite.

“Still trying the same old trick?!” Among the Demon group, a Blood Demon wearing a wide red robe and with an eerie face sneered. He pressed his single palm into the air and roared, “Blood River—Bind!”

Splash—!

A viscous, foul-smelling, dark red blood river, emanating terrifying corrosive power, appeared out of thin air. Like a living giant python, it instantly encircled and swallowed Xiao Changkong, who had turned back to block the enemy!

Xiao Changkong was trapped in the center of the blood river, his light blue protective Sword Qi and raging ice-cold Sword Qi slashing frantically!

The blood river was constantly torn open with gaps, but under the Blood Demon's control, it rapidly healed and surged, like a constantly shrinking swamp of death!

Despite Xiao Changkong's sharp Sword Intent, he was temporarily unable to escape!

“To force this King to use his Natal Blood River, Human Race Sword Cultivator, you can be proud!” The Blood Demon stepped on the Void Realm, his red robe fluttering in the demonic wind, his crimson eyes filled with the confidence of controlling everything. “You continue the chase! He... is mine!” He ordered the other Demons.

The remaining twenty-odd King-rank Demons, hearing this, unhesitatingly bypassed this bloody battlefield and continued to pursue the fleeing Human Race Prodigies!

And of the trapped Xiao Changkong, not a single person returned to assist him!

Within the blood river cage, Xiao Changkong's surrounding Sword Intent condensed to its extreme. The han li sword emitted a clear hum, pointing directly at the Blood Demon: “Do you think... you alone can truly take me down?”

“How would you know without trying?” The Blood Demon's lips curled into an evil, charming arc, his blood-red eyebrows slightly raised, revealing his absolute arrogance.

He had absolute confidence in his own strength; even facing a Human Race Prodigy, he was sure he could kill him here!

“Hmph! Then... let's try!” Xiao Changkong said no more. His han li sword, which had been accumulating power for a long time, slashed out fiercely!

A hundred-zhang ice giant sword, seemingly capable of freezing the Void Realm, tore through the blood river, carrying a sharp Aura that could cut through anything, and cleaved down towards the Blood Demon!

The viscous blood river surrounding him was completely cut open and evaporated by this sword strike!

Xiao Changkong transformed into a brilliant sword light, seizing this fleeting gap, and instantly broke through the blood river's blockade, rushing directly towards the Blood Demon's Main Body!

The ice giant sword condensed again and swept out horizontally!

“Excellent!” The Blood Demon was not surprised but delighted. He spread his arms, and the severed blood river rolled back, instantly condensing into an enormous, blood-red warhammer, exuding a strong fishy smell, which slammed fiercely against the ice giant sword!

“Clang—!!! Boom!!!”

Ice shards and dark red blood mist exploded violently like fireworks! The deafening roar of clashing metal echoed!

The violent shockwave simultaneously sent both of them flying backward!

Just as the energy raged and both figures were unstable—

A golden stream of light, swifter than lightning and brighter than the sun, suddenly appeared from the edge of the sky!

In just a flash, it had torn through the sky and fiercely inserted itself into the center of their battlefield!

“Senior Brother Xiao!” Xiao Changkong stabilized his figure, and upon seeing the newcomer, his eyes instantly erupted with wild joy!

“What?!” The Blood Demon's pupils suddenly constricted to pinpoints!

From that golden figure, he felt an unprecedented, fatal sense of terrifying danger! It was a shiver that originated from the depths of his Soul!

“Senior Brother Xiao,” Xiao Zhuo's gaze swept over the slightly disheveled Xiao Changkong, his tone relaxed with a hint of teasing, “You broke your promise.”

“Ran into a little trouble!” Xiao Changkong's spirits lifted greatly, and he locked onto the Blood Demon with murderous intent, “Let's deal with this guy first!”

“A trivial matter.” Xiao Zhuo smiled faintly, as if he was merely facing an annoying fly.

“Arrogant and ignorant!” The Blood Demon was furious! He was a well-ranked Genius within the Blood Demon Clan, rarely encountering rivals of the same rank, and even dared to challenge Dominator Rank powerhouses!

This Human Race person dared to despise him so much?!

“Blood Sword—Burying Heaven!” In a fit of rage, the Blood Demon unleashed his full power! The vast blood river surrounding him instantly boiled, transforming into countless crimson sharp swords, condensed like reality and exuding destructive Aura, which rained down like a storm, overwhelmingly shooting towards Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Changkong!

Before the swords even arrived, the pungent smell of blood and the terrifying killing intent were already suffocating!

Facing this terrifying attack, which was enough to slaughter an ordinary Dominator, Xiao Zhuo calmly raised his right hand, pointed gently in the direction of the Blood Demon, and uttered a single cold word:

“Perish.”

The Blood Demon's sneer instantly froze on his face! An irresistible, great terror originating from the deepest part of his Soul instantly seized him! His entire body's blood seemed to freeze, and his mind went blank!

The next moment!

Puff—!

Without any warning, without any resistance!

The Blood Demon's crimson, horrified eyes instantly lost all their luster!

The Devilish Qi boiling around him and the sky full of blood swords suddenly dissipated like burst bubbles!

His powerful body, like a puppet with cut strings, plummeted straight down from high in the sky towards the earth below!

“...” Xiao Changkong looked at the falling corpse, speechless for a moment. His powerful enemy, whom he had fought bitterly for a long time without being able to defeat, was actually... instantly killed by Xiao Zhuo so effortlessly?! After a long while, he forced a bitter smile: “Junior Brother Xiao, your Divine Soul attack... is becoming more and more unfathomable! This guy was extremely strong, I wasn't even sure I could defeat him, yet you...”

“A mere King-rank, what's there to talk about.” Xiao Zhuo shook his head, unconcerned, and with a raise of his hand, he put the Blood Demon's corpse into his storage ring.

Xiao Changkong's mouth twitched upon hearing this, completely speechless.

We're both in the Divine Sea Realm, aren't we?!

Forget it... there's no reasoning with such a freak.

“Junior Brother! Ahead, there are still over a dozen aristocratic Disciples from Jing Prefecture, being pursued by over twenty Demons! The situation is critical, we need to go save them quickly!” Xiao Changkong suppressed his urge to complain and said urgently.

Xiao Zhuo nodded, and two streaks of light immediately streaked across the sky, chasing in the direction the Jing Prefecture Prodigies had fled!

Just a few dozen breaths later, the intense energy roar and shouts from ahead clearly reached them!

Apparently, that group of aristocratic Disciples from Jing Prefecture had been caught by the Demons and were engaged in a bitter battle!

From afar, the battle was tragic! Three people had already fallen in pools of blood, their bodies even being torn and gnawed by several ferocious Demons!

A strong smell of blood permeated the air.

Xiao Zhuo's brows instantly furrowed, and a cold light burst forth in his eyes!

“Whoosh—!”

His escape speed suddenly increased again, instantly leaving Xiao Changkong behind!

At the same time, platinum light flowed in his eyes, and an invisible Divine Soul power erupted fiercely!

Twenty-three Thorn of Nothingness, condensed to their extreme, ignored spatial distance and instantly plunged into the Sea of Consciousness of the twenty-odd King-rank Demons that were currently wreaking havoc!

Thud! Thud! Thud... As if harvested by an invisible scythe, the twenty-three Demons, who were frantically attacking the Human Race Cultivators, all stiffened simultaneously!

The light in their eyes instantly extinguished, and they fell from the sky like dumplings dropping into a pot!

Xiao Zhuo's figure appeared like a ghost in the center of the battlefield. With a wave of his large hand, an invisible force swept over, collecting all twenty-three Demon corpses of varying sizes into his possession!

Only then did Xiao Changkong's figure barely arrive.

“Xiao Changkong!” A furious roar, full of malice and accusation, suddenly rang out! A young man in luxurious golden clothes, with a superficial Aura, pointed at Xiao Changkong and sharply questioned: “Laughing Sword One ordered you to protect us! Why are you so late?! Why didn't you stop these damned Demons?!”

Xiao Zhuo had just finished collecting the Demon corpses. Hearing this, his brow raised, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Is this person... not right in the head?

“Protect?” Xiao Changkong's face instantly turned as dark as if it could drip water, his voice as cold as frost, “My grandfather only told me to lead you out of danger! He never said I should be your nanny! If I hadn't covered your retreat and blocked the enemy all the way, you would have been torn to shreds long ago! Now... you dare to turn around and blame me?!”

“Xiao Changkong!” Another golden-clothed young man stepped forward a few paces, his face arrogant, and the pressure of Divine Sea Realm nine-fold unceremoniously pressed down on Xiao Changkong, his tone imperious: “I am the Great Chen Fourth Imperial Prince! Protecting the safety of the Imperial Family is the duty of you commoners! How dare you talk back? Get down on your knees and accept your punishment!”

As soon as these words came out, Xiao Changkong was so angry he almost laughed out loud, his face completely black like the bottom of a pot.

He looked at Xiao Zhuo, his eyes filled with absurdity and annoyance: “Junior Brother, let's go! This place is defiled!”

“I was just thinking the same.” Xiao Zhuo nodded, his gaze sweeping over this group of so-called Jing Prefecture aristocratic Prodigies as if looking at idiots, then turned to leave.

“Stop!” The golden-clothed young man who called himself the Fourth Imperial Prince flashed, arrogantly blocking their path, and commanded: “Xiao Changkong! And whoever you are! I, the Great Chen Fourth Imperial Prince, command you! Immediately protect us and search for spirit fruits! If anything goes wrong, your entire clan will be exterminated!”

Xiao Zhuo was completely speechless. He looked at Xiao Changkong, his tone filled with incredulous sarcasm: “Senior Brother, is this... a Jing Prefecture Prodigy? I think 'Jing Prefecture idiot' is closer to the mark!”

Xiao Changkong was now so angry he laughed, too lazy to even speak.

He waved his large hand, and a powerful, condensed stream of true essence fiercely shot out!

“Bang!”

The arrogant Fourth Imperial Prince was sent flying hundreds of meters away with a scream, as if struck by a giant hammer, tumbling helplessly on the ground. Although not seriously injured, his luxurious clothes were torn, and he was covered in dust, looking utterly wretched.

Xiao Changkong had, after all, held back.

“Junior Brother, let's go!” Xiao Changkong didn't even look at the fool, and stepped into the air, ready to leave.

“Bastard! Xiao Changkong! How dare you attack an Imperial Prince, a superior!” The other golden-clothed young man, who had first attacked, holding a golden long saber, saw this. His eyes flashed with ferocity, and he roared: “Die for me!”

Before his words finished, his figure shot up, the golden saber in his hand drawing a fierce arc, slashing directly at Xiao Changkong's neck!

This saber strike was utterly merciless, aiming to kill!

A cold light burst from Xiao Changkong's eyes, and killing intent instantly surged! However, before he could make a move—

Buzz!

A giant hand, composed entirely of condensed golden true essence and emanating terrifying pressure, appeared out of thin air above the head of the saber-wielding young man!

The giant hand's five fingers spread apart, and like pinching a chick, it instantly grabbed him, man and saber, tightly in its palm!

No matter how he struggled and roared, he couldn't budge an inch!

The one who struck was, of course, Xiao Zhuo.

He looked at the ant in his palm with cold eyes, as if looking at a corpse.