Chapter 404 - 221: A Casual Hand Turns the Tide (Part 2)

Chapter 404: Chapter 221: A Casual Hand Turns the Tide (Part 2)

However, Xuzhuang reacted in time and never allowed it to get close. Instead, with a flash in his eyes, he saw an opening to counterattack. Draping himself in his Myriad Phenomena Immortal Robe, he brazenly shot through the cloud.

Using a Divine Technique to block the aftershocks, Xuzhuang flashed through the chaos. He parted the smoke and abruptly appeared before the Celestial Demon Child. Forming a sword finger, he pointed down, and lightning immediately erupted!

Xuzhuang was an expert in concealment, and with the chaotic energy for cover, this attack seemed utterly abrupt to the Celestial Demon Child. His expression changed drastically. A pitch-black tumor suddenly bulged from his neck, and a grotesque demon burst from his flesh. Opening its cavernous, bloody maw, it actually swallowed the lightning whole.

This demonic creature had the ability to devour lightning and could even convert it into Demonic Qi to replenish itself. It was a demon he had refined with a Secret Technique specifically to counter Mysterious Sect Thunder Techniques. But at this moment, the Celestial Demon Child didn’t dare rely on it at all!

Then, Xuzhuang rained down alternating strikes of Heaven-Opening Yang Thunder and World-Ending Yin Thunder—hundreds, perhaps even thousands of them. In an instant, the Thunder-Devouring Demon’s satisfaction turned to agony. Its abdomen swelled up like a balloon before violently exploding with a deafening ROAR, unleashing a tide of lightning that swept across the area.

But for an opponent with profound Daoist arts like the Celestial Demon Child, even a single moment to react was enough to escape with his life. Sure enough, a sudden, explosive shout came from the sky: "Break!"

Xuzhuang glanced back to see streams of flame scattering through the air. A sudden attack had destroyed half of the thirty-six Great Sun Fire Dragons, and the Celestial Demon Child had shockingly reappeared right beside Han Fashou.

Han Fashou’s brow twitched. He freed a hand to swat the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow Sword away, sending it flying for several hundred zhang, and commented lightly, "Not bad."

The higher one’s cultivation, the steeper the cost of using a Life Substitution Technique. The Celestial Demon Child stood in the air, his face pale. But upon hearing Han Fashou’s words, his face flushed red. He said grimly, "Han Fashou, you who pride yourself on flawless planning! Didn’t you say you had a sixty percent chance of winning against this man?"

"So how is it that with me helping, we’re still at a disadvantage against him?"

Han Fashou shot him a sideways glance and said coldly, "Alone, I only have a forty-percent chance of victory against him. Adding a waste like you doesn’t even raise it by another ten percent."

The Celestial Demon Child knew Han Fashou’s character well; the man was exceptionally cruel and had no regard for face. Since he’d said it, it was undoubtedly the truth. The Celestial Demon Child’s face fell. "Then why were you spouting such nonsense?" he demanded.

In the time it took them to exchange a few words, Xuzhuang was already in hot pursuit. This monster fought as if he had no concerns about his Magical Power, wildly unleashing Divine Techniques and spells. The Great Sun Fire Dragons that the Celestial Demon Child had destroyed were summoned again with a casual wave of his hand, and he charged over once more, brandishing his Taiyi Rainbow Sword.

The Celestial Demon Child was unaware that Xuzhuang’s way of fighting was actually a calculated choice to conserve Magical Power. But his own spiritual soul had already been wounded by the Mind-Killing Sword, and on top of that, he had used a Life Substitution Skill to dodge Xuzhuang’s thunder techniques. His condition had hit rock bottom. Seeing Xuzhuang’s relentless charge, the urge to retreat immediately rose within him.

"How many men did you lose in your rash attack on the Magic Altar?" Han Fashou asked coldly. "If you retreat now, we can forget about breaking the grand formation. The rising momentum of our four great Demon Sects will be instantly crushed by a third by the Tai Su Family."

"Right now, our only sliver of hope is to press the attack and kill Xuzhuang in one fell swoop."

Without waiting for the Celestial Demon Child to reply, he glanced toward the heavens and said indifferently, "Don’t be anxious. The situation will soon change."

With that, he violently flung the string of Bone Pearls from his neck and pressed his palm downward. A deafening series of explosions thundered out, powerful enough to blast the clouds apart. In the very next moment, however, Xuzhuang emerged from the dispersing mist. His Immortal Robe shimmered with a myriad of images, exuding a radiant majesty.

’This monster,’ the Celestial Demon Child cursed under his breath. He knew that each of the Bone Pearls on Han Fashou’s necklace was refined from a living Nascent Soul Cultivator, created specifically to self-destruct. And yet, they hadn’t harmed Xuzhuang in the slightest.

* * *

「Thousands of miles away, another pagoda floated amidst the clouds.」

This pagoda was quite famous within the Innate Demon Sect. Although it was only a Magical Artifact, it possessed the wondrous ability to regulate demonic techniques and suppress Celestial Demons. It was also extremely difficult to refine; only three such pagodas currently existed in the entire Innate Demon Sect.

The Celestial Demon Child possessed one such pagoda, which was often entwined with venomous dragons. This particular demonic tower, however—with golden bells and chimes hanging from its eaves and banners of Five-Colored Cloth draping its corners—belonged to the Innate Demon Sect’s current lead disciple, Ye Xuanzhang.

A streak of light tore through the sky, and seeing the pagoda’s gates wide open, it flew directly inside.

The pagoda’s interior was vast and empty, with only a single person seated on the main throne. The newcomer took a few steps forward, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Ye."

Ye Xuanzhang’s eyes were partially closed. "Speak," he said curtly.

The newcomer’s expression tensed slightly as he reported, "The Celestial Demon Child gathered over a hundred of our brethren and has presumptuously gone to attack the Gate of Life."

Ye Xuanzhang had cultivated for over nine hundred years. His Daoist attainment was exceptionally high, and he carried a heavy air of authority. Within the sect, his status was second only to the Patriarch.

For this matter of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect opening Nanzhan, the sect’s Patriarch had personally given Ye Xuanzhang a decree, putting him in charge. To ascertain the details of the great formation, Ye Xuanzhang had even made a solo trip into one of its gates. Afterward, he formulated a strategy to break it.

He had ordered the Celestial Demon Child to gather their allies and had personally consulted with Han Fashou of the Bone Sect and Zheng Ah of the Manifestation Sect. Both had agreed to his plan and were willing to attack the Gate of Life alongside the Celestial Demon Child, forcing the Tai Su Orthodox Sect members guarding the other formation gates to return as reinforcements—

Once that happened, it would be child’s play for Ye Xuanzhang to either intercept and kill the reinforcements or take advantage of the situation and break through the formation gates left undefended, thereby slaughtering his way into the Nanzhan Treasure Continent.

Of course, if the Tai Su Orthodox Sect was unwilling to weaken the defense of their gates by sending reinforcements, then they could simply break through the Gate of Life with a frontal assault.

This strategy clearly shared a similar ingenuity with the Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s own arrangements—it was nothing more than a grand, overt plot. But in Ye Xuanzhang’s eyes, it had a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.

However, the Celestial Demon Child had only gathered a hundred or so of his comrades and launched the attack on his own authority, without even waiting for Han Fashou and Zheng Ah. This was a clear defiance of Ye Xuanzhang’s command.

Having delivered this report, Elder Chen was filled with apprehension. Unexpectedly, Ye Xuanzhang only said a single sentence: "I am already aware."

Elder Chen asked, stunned, "Then... what should be done?"

Ye Xuanzhang’s expression was impassive. "I have already sent a message ahead of time asking Zheng Ah of the Manifestation Sect to hurry over. You need only keep a close watch on the formation gates."

Hearing this, Elder Chen couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. He bowed and replied, "Yes."

* * *

「In mid-air.」

With a shift of Xuzhuang’s Gangyun, innumerable bolts of Five Elements Divine Thunder came crashing down. The Celestial Demon Child held his Demon Cloud aloft like a vast, sky-blotting canopy. As the rain of thunderbolts descended, he managed to part the Demon Cloud, creating voids for the strikes to pass through.

Who would have thought the Celestial Demon Child possessed such an exquisitely refined control over his arts? This way, although the detonating lightning could still disperse some of the Demon Cloud, he avoided taking any major damage.

And so, the Celestial Demon Child was able to hide within the Demon Cloud, doing his utmost to hold his ground against Xuzhuang.

’The longer this scoundrel fights, the more vigorous he becomes.’ The Celestial Demon Child had already guessed that not only was his opponent’s Magical Power immense, but he must also possess a rare treasure capable of replenishing his energy.

However, while Xuzhuang seemed to fight with increasing ease, Han Fashou was also unleashing his divine might. He clashed with Xuzhuang head-on, with the Celestial Demon Child providing support from the side, periodically intervening to reverse his disadvantage. Coupled with his efforts to deal with the Great Sun Fire Dragons that countered his Bone Demon God, he was just barely managing to stave off defeat.

Han Fashou’s Bone Demon God was indeed terrifyingly powerful. Its every move contained the force to sunder mountains and split seas. It could also transform energy into Bone Soldiers that, while lacking special abilities, were durable enough to clash with Magical Artifacts.

His White Bone Sword was created this way, which was why it could withstand repeated clashes with Xuzhuang’s Taiyi Rainbow Sword. Otherwise, if it were an ordinary Magical Artifact, the Flying Sword would have been shattered long ago.

Moreover, his Bone Demon God also seemed to have a separate source of Magical Power. Han Fashou’s own consumption was surprisingly low to maintain such a fearsome presence. Therefore, although Xuzhuang’s Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture could suppress him, engaging in a direct contest of strength was a losing proposition.

An opponent like this, whose cultivation was a level higher than Xuzhuang’s, was truly a troublesome foe. However, Xuzhuang was unhurried. His attacks weren’t aimed at a quick victory but purely at suppression. After a hundred or so exchanges, he had still managed to put both the Celestial Demon Child and Han Fashou in a sorry state.

Suddenly, Xuzhuang’s Swordsmanship changed abruptly. The tip of his sword closed to within three zhang of Han Fashou, forcing him to retreat several thousand zhang in alarm. Then, Xuzhuang sharply changed direction.

The Celestial Demon Child’s heart leaped, but Xuzhuang just twitched his shoulder, and a torrent of aquamarine light, like a waterfall from the Celestial River, came crashing down toward the Demon Cloud, blanketing the sky.

’This man still has tricks he hasn’t shown?’

This was already the umpteenth time Xuzhuang had freed up a hand to deal with him, and now he had used yet another Divine Technique that the Celestial Demon Child had never seen before. A terrible premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

But he didn’t know that due to the wondrous synergy of Xuzhuang’s Three-Element Elephant Body, and with the constant replenishment from his Moon in the Well, although he had currently used up nearly half of his Magical Power, the two elemental bodies hidden within him had already recovered seventy to eighty percent of their strength. This was more than enough for Xuzhuang to handle any change in the situation.