25: Chapter 25 is out of the question...

Dozens of vultures dove from the sky, their sharp claws and beaks aimed straight at the head and eyes of the Earth Lizard Ancestor.

Countless snake spirits surged from the ground, entangling the limbs and tail of the Earth Lizard Ancestor.

"Courting death!"

The Earth Lizard Ancestor let out a furious roar as the Demon Power within his body exploded outward.

"Boom~~~"

A grey-black demonic light rippled outward, blasting the vultures and venomous snakes that had lunged at him.

Several vultures were struck by the demonic light and fell from the sky with miserable screeches, their feathers scattering; the venomous snakes suffered even heavier casualties, their bodies mangled by the shockwave, with broken limbs and remains scattered across the ground.

However, the Vulture Demon and the Python Demon were not like those lesser Yao Beasts.

The Vulture Demon flashed aside, evading the direct impact of the demonic light, and his sharp claws raked viciously at the Earth Lizard Ancestor's left eye.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor tilted his head to dodge, but the claws left three deep bloody gashes on his forehead, causing scales to fly and fresh blood to stream down.

Meanwhile, the Python Demon lunged from the side, its massive body coiling around the Earth Lizard Ancestor's hind leg, tightening violently. The Earth Lizard Ancestor groaned, lost his balance, and stumbled to one side.

"You... are courting death!"

The Earth Lizard Ancestor's voice was filled with fury and madness.

He struggled desperately, kicking out with his hind leg to fling the Python Demon away.

The Python Demon's body crashed into the stone wall with a dull thud, but it did not let go; its venomous fangs sank deep into the Earth Lizard Ancestor's flesh, injecting venom.

The Vulture Demon seized the opportunity to swoop in again, his claws raking toward the Earth Lizard Ancestor's throat!

Chen Yuanshan and those dozen Disciples stood where they were, watching this scene in stunned silence.

They had thought this was a hopeless situation with no chance of survival, yet it had turned into an infighting among the Yao Race. Zhao Heng's severed arm was still bleeding, but a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

"Elder Chen... should we... run or not?" a Disciple asked, his voice trembling.

Chen Yuanshan gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed intently on the three Yao Beasts locked in melee.

"Attack together!"

Chen Yuanshan had no intention of waiting for them to mutually destroy each other, although that would have maximized their benefits.

But... the opponent was a Tier 2 Demonic Beast, equivalent to a human Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Right now, regardless of what these two Yao Beasts were planning, he should not wait. If they just helped by watching from the sidelines, once the Vulture Demon and the Python Demon died, they would have to face the Earth Lizard alone.

Not far away, Wu Li crouched among the branches of a withered tree, his bean-sized black pupils fixed on the chaotic battle outside the cave, feeling not a shred of shock.

After all, this was in line with the characteristics of the Yao Race.

"Boom~" "Hiss~"

The battle continued.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor fought with increasing ferocity, his amber vertical pupils filled with madness.

Although he appeared exhausted, the foundation of a Tier 2 Demonic Beast remained; every claw strike carried terrifying Demon Power, tearing the lunging vultures and venomous snakes to shreds.

The Vulture Demon and the Python Demon attacked in turns; one dove from the sky while the other coiled from the ground, their coordination reasonably tacit.

But the Earth Lizard Ancestor's defense was too strong. Although his grey-brown scales were dull and lusterless, they remained as hard as iron, and ordinary attacks could not break through them.

The Python Demon lunged from the side once more, its massive body coiling around the Earth Lizard Ancestor's abdomen, tightening violently again in an attempt to crush the Earth Lizard Ancestor's ribs and suffocate him.

"Hiss!"

A fierce glint flashed in the Earth Lizard Ancestor's eyes. This time, he did not shake off the Python Demon; instead, he suddenly lowered his head, opened his gaping maw, and bit down on the Python Demon's vital spot!

"Snap!"

The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.

The Python Demon's body stiffened abruptly, its snake head roaring toward the sky, and the strength of its coil instantly slackened.

Subsequently, the Earth Lizard Ancestor instantly bit down on the Python Demon's head, shaking it crazily; blood splattered everywhere, and the Python Demon's miserable shrieks echoed outside the cave.

A few breaths later, the Python Demon's body went limp, hanging on the ground like a dead snake.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor raised his head, his throat undulating as he swallowed the Python Demon's head along with a small portion of its body.

The Python Demon was dead.

"Hiss~"

The snake swarm instantly erupted into chaos.

Countless snakes fled in terror, some burrowing into stone crevices, others slithering into bushes, and some even turning back to bite the vultures nearby. With the snake swarm routed, they no longer posed a threat.

The Vulture Demon's pupils constricted sharply, and his body shot upward into the sky, dodging a follow-up claw strike from the Earth Lizard Ancestor.

A glimmer of fear flashed in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by madness. The Python Demon was dead, and the Earth Lizard Ancestor was also heavily injured; as long as he persisted for a little longer, victory would be his.

"Elder Chen, are we still attacking?" Zhao Heng asked, his voice trembling and his face as pale as paper, yet a glimmer of hope burned in his eyes.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor had killed the Python Demon and consumed a massive amount of Demon Power; now was the best opportunity.

Chen Yuanshan gritted his teeth and waved his right hand: "Attack!"

The dozen Disciples attacked in unison, and Talismans were unleashed one after another, exploding into bursts of light outside the cave.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor's body trembled violently, and wounds burst open on his grey-brown scales, fresh blood streaming out. He turned his head, his amber vertical pupils fixed on Chen Yuanshan and the others, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"Yunshan Sect... scum..."

The Earth Lizard Ancestor roared, raised his front claw, and slammed it violently into the ground!

"Boom!"

A crack exploded in the ground, and gravel flew; several Disciples could not dodge in time and were struck by the flying rocks, screaming as they were knocked flying.

The Vulture Demon seized the opportunity to dive, his sharp claws raking toward the Earth Lizard Ancestor's back.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor tilted his body to dodge, but the claws grazed his back, tearing off a large patch of scales and causing blood to gush out.

Having succeeded in his attack, the Vulture Demon pulled up rapidly, not giving the Earth Lizard Ancestor a chance to counterattack.

He circled in the sky, searching for the next opportunity to attack; each dive was precise and ruthless, never letting the Earth Lizard Ancestor catch him.

This was the Vulture Demon's advantage; he could fly. Although the Earth Lizard Ancestor was powerful, he could not fly, and could only passively defend against aerial attacks, unable to counterattack at all.

"Wear him down!" the Vulture Demon shrieked, diving down once more and adding several more wounds to the Earth Lizard Ancestor's body.

Under such circumstances, a glimmer of madness flashed in the Earth Lizard Ancestor's eyes.

He stopped all movement, no longer paying attention to the human Disciples harassing him, and not even caring about the Vulture Demon's attacks. His amber vertical pupils slowly swept across the surroundings, finally fixing on Chen Yuanshan.

In that instant, every hair on Chen Yuanshan's body stood on end.

He did not feel killing intent, but rather a deeper, more ancient... hunger. It was as if something had locked onto his Soul.

"Won't wait anymore..."

The Earth Lizard Ancestor whispered, his hoarse voice carrying a determined calm.

He opened his mouth, and beneath his tongue, a black box was slowly pushed out.

The box was the size of a fist and entirely pitch-black.

The Earth Lizard Ancestor's teeth bit into the black box.

"Snap!"

The black box shattered, and a crimson pill rolled out. The Earth Lizard Ancestor's tongue curled around it, swallowing it into his belly.

In an instant.

"Boom!"

A black-purple ghostly light exploded from within the Earth Lizard Ancestor's body, rippling outward in all directions.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an oppressive force that chilled the heart; wherever it passed, the vulture flock fled in terrified disarray.