101: Unyielding Sword Heart, Wrath of the Demon Lord

The giant claw, covered in pitch-black scales and wreathed in blood-red Devilish Qi, was only halfway extended, yet it already blotted out the remaining daylight above Liuyun City.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended like a physical tsunami, causing the surviving buildings within the city to groan under the unbearable weight before collapsing one after another.

Countless commoners who had not yet been devoured by the blood sacrifice Formation collapsed to the ground, their minds shattered in the face of this fear rooted in life's instinct.

Even some of the weaker Dark Hall Cultists turned pale and trembled.

Although the true form of the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable had not fully arrived, its might was already shaking the heavens and earth!

"Demon Venerable... It is the Demon Venerable!" The remaining Dark Hall Cultists erupted into fanatical cheers, as if they had seen a supreme deity.

Yun Canghai's expression changed drastically. Feeling the terrifying Devilish Qi that threatened to freeze even his Protective Aura, he shouted urgently, "Ye Chen! We must stop him! Before he fully crosses the boundary, this is our only chance!"

Ye Chen didn't need Yun Canghai's reminder; he was already in motion.

He felt the power of the Guixu within that claw—capable of annihilating everything—more clearly than Yun Canghai. Yet, this power was filled with tyranny, deathly silence, and destruction, completely different from the Guixu Sword Intent he had comprehended, which contained a glimmer of life and tolerance!

"Slash!"

Light of Chaos exploded in Ye Chen's eyes as he poured his newly formed Chaos Gang Qi into the guixu sword without reservation.

The sword vibrated, its dark blue light receding and transforming into a thin, extremely refined line that seemed capable of slicing through the barrier of the Void Realm. It struck out fiercely toward the wrist of the giant claw!

This sword strike was the ultimate sublimation of his Dao of the sword after his Breakthrough, incorporating the Concepts of annihilation, Guixu, and a trace of immortality!

"A light of ants, and you dare to compete with the Demon Moon?"

A grand consciousness filled with disdain and indifference exploded like thunder in the Sea of Consciousness of both Ye Chen and Yun Canghai.

The extended claw didn't even dodge; it merely curled a finger slightly. A condensed beam of blood-red Devilish Qi seemed to traverse space, arriving first despite being launched later, and collided with the thin line of sword qi Ye Chen had unleashed.

"Boom—!!!"

There was no stalemate as imagined. Ye Chen's supreme sword strike, capable of instantly killing an Earth Fiend Realm Late Stage expert and severely injuring an Early Stage Tiangang Realm expert, shattered like glass the moment it touched the blood-red Devilish Qi!

The Concept of annihilation and Guixu contained within it was forcibly crushed by a more overbearing and purer power of destruction!

"Pfft!"

With his sword technique broken and his Qi connection severed, Ye Chen felt as if he had been hit by a heavy blow.

His body shook violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward as the Qi in his body instantly became chaotic.

"Ye Chen!" Yun Canghai was shocked. He flashed forward to catch Ye Chen, pouring pure Star Protective Aura into his body to help stabilize his churning blood and Qi.

"I'm fine..." Ye Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes still sharp as blades, staring fixedly at the giant claw. "As expected... the gap is still too large."

Just a casual blow had such power. The strength of the Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable's true form likely already exceeded the scope of the Tiangang Realm!

"To be able to take a thought from this Venerable and not die, you ants actually have some skill." The grand consciousness sounded again, carrying a trace of playfulness like a cat playing with a mouse.

"Within your body, there is an aura that is both familiar and disgusting to this Venerable... Ah, right, it is that damned Chaos, and also... a trace of insignificant immortal Sword Intent?"

The claw swayed gently, seemingly feeling something. "Pity, too weak. Devouring you might compensate for one ten-thousandth of the consumption this Venerable spent crossing the boundary this time."

Before the words faded, the claw opened its five fingers and, toward the direction of Ye Chen and Yun Canghai, grasped into the void!

In an instant, the space around Ye Chen and Yun Canghai seemed to freeze and compress! An irresistible, massive force squeezed in from all directions, intending to crush them and that space into dust!

"Star Protection, ten thousand laws cannot invade!" Yun Canghai roared, pushing his Tiangang Realm Late Stage cultivation to the limit. A brilliant starlight barrier expanded, attempting to resist the spatial crushing.

"Crack... crack..."

However, the starlight barrier held for less than a breath before cracks appeared on its surface!

Yun Canghai's face turned deathly pale, and blood seeped from his seven orifices. In the face of this absolute power gap, even he appeared so powerless.

Ye Chen's eyes turned blood-red as he frantically drove the chaos primordial fetus. The guixu sword let out an unbearable wail as he tried to use his own Guixu Sword Intent to disintegrate this sealed space.

But the Demon Venerable's power level was too high; his Sword Intent was like a drop of water trying to extinguish a volcano, with little effect.

The shadow of death was unprecedentedly thick.

Is this where it ends?

No!

He still had unfulfilled promises, enemies unslain, and people to protect!

Intense desire to survive and unyielding Battle Intent burned in his chest like a raging fire.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the chaos primordial fetus seemed to sense its master's will, its rotation speed suddenly increasing.

That trace of drawn-out immortal Sword Intent, under this extreme pressure, became more solid and clearer, like refined iron being forged!

"My sword, annihilation is not the end, Guixu holds life!"

"Even if you are the Demon Venerable, you cannot break my sword heart!"

A majestic Sword Intent, mixed with the vast vitality of the beginning of Chaos and the stern deathly intent of Guixu, erupted from Ye Chen's body!

The quality of this Sword Intent was extremely high, actually temporarily pushing open a sliver of the spatial confinement!

"Hmm?" A flash of surprise passed through the Demon Venerable's consciousness.

It was this very gap!

"Dean! Attack that one point!" Ye Chen shouted hoarsely.

Yun Canghai understood instantly. Ignoring his own injuries, he gathered all his power at the tip of his sword, transforming it into a condensed beam of starlight.

Cooperating with the peculiar Sword Intent erupting from Ye Chen, he fiercely pierced at that single point of spatial confinement!

"Boom!"

Combining the power of both, they finally tore a gap in the invisible spatial confinement!

Their figures shot out from the gap like arrows released from a bow, narrowly avoiding the destructive crushing grip.

"I underestimated you." The Demon Venerable's consciousness turned colder. The giant claw no longer played around, and its five fingers, like heavenly pillars, pressed down on the two.

Wherever the claw wind passed, space collapsed layer by layer, forming an absolute Domain of death.

This strike was even more terrifying than the last! There was nowhere to hide!

A flash of determination crossed Ye Chen's eyes, and he was just about to burn his Origin and perform a forbidden technique.

Just at this moment—

"Hum!"

A clear sword hum, not from Ye Chen or Yun Canghai, but from the direction of the distant Tianfeng Academy!

The next moment, a brilliant sword qi, condensed purely from countless starlight Sword Intents, crossed a hundred miles of the Void Realm like a silver river falling from the Nine Heavens.

Carrying an awe-inspiring, majestic, and immortal will to protect all living beings, it slashed with unparalleled precision toward the descending giant claw!

"Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation, execute the demon!"

It was Liu Qingfeng's voice! He had used the initially repaired Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation to slash out this sword strike, which gathered the hope of the entire academy, from across the distance!

"Boom—!!!"

The starlight sword qi collided violently with the giant claw, erupting with light blinding enough to pierce human eyes and a thunderous roar.

A terrifying energy storm swept out, cleansing away the Devilish Qi and blood light in a large area below.

The downward pressure of the giant claw was actually stopped by this one strike!

"Humph! A broken Formation, and you dare to show off?" The Demon Venerable's anger rose, and the Devilish Qi on the claw surged, grasping fiercely.

"Bang!"

That brilliant starlight sword qi, after all, lacked follow-up power and was crushed by the claw, dissipating into specks of light across the sky.

But, this precious moment gained was enough!

Ye Chen and Yun Canghai took the opportunity to retreat far away, escaping the direct attack range of the claw.

"Elder Liu..." Ye Chen looked toward the academy, his heart settled.

Yun Canghai was also greatly encouraged: "The sword Formation has been initially restored, the academy is safe! Ye Chen, we may not be without the strength to fight!"

"Dying struggles." The Moon-Erosion Demon Venerable's patience seemed to have run out.

The blood-red vortex rotated faster, and the claw extended further, with a small portion of the arm covered in hideous bone spurs now clearly visible. Even more terrifying Devilish Qi surged in like a tide.

"This Venerable wants to see how many more times your turtle shell can block!"

The claw raised again, and this time, the target was directed straight at Tianfeng Academy! He wanted to destroy this annoying sword Formation first!

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, knowing he absolutely could not let him attack the sword Formation. He took a deep breath and poured all the power in his body, including that increasingly solid immortal Sword Intent, into the guixu sword.

On the sword body, dark blue, Chaos, and starry gold lights flickered alternately, and an unprecedentedly destructive aura began to condense.

Just at this critical juncture—

"Wicked creature! Daring to invade the territory of my Human Race and slaughter living beings, do you really think my Human Race has no one?!"

An aged, yet majestic and angry shout, like thunder from the Nine Heavens, suddenly exploded from the eastern horizon!

Before the voice faded, a giant blade qi spanning the long sky, like a silver ribbon tearing the firmament, containing a sharp will to slash through everything, slashed down fiercely toward that Demon Venerable's claw with the momentum of splitting the heavens and earth!

The power of this blade was not inferior to the Demon Venerable's claw just now!

Another powerhouse had arrived! And, a friend, not a foe!

Ye Chen and Yun Canghai were shaken simultaneously, looking toward the east.

The final turning point had finally arrived!