Chapter 583 A Battle of Myriad Stratagems

In the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool, among the many demons, was one named Abdominal Insect.

The Abdominal Insect had a bizarre appearance and equally bizarre abilities. Its body was highly toxic, and it possessed the power to conceal auras and conjure illusions of natural disasters.

Right now, under the cover of the Abdominal Insect’s Strange Technique, a Bear Demon was roaring impatiently. Unable to resist the temptation, it repeatedly tried to rush into the lotus pool to pick the Lotus Seeds.

The other Great Demons naturally wouldn’t allow it and pulled it back. But the Bear Demon, dazed and confused, said, "What’s the harm in one bite? If I eat it today, with Brother Abdominal Insect right here, maybe we can even pull out that Alien Gu! We could take it back, raise it, and turn it into a whole army!"

It tempted the other demons, saying, "I’ll be the guinea pig and test this thing out for all of you. If I die, that’s on me. But if I don’t, and I end up gaining something, then it’s a gain for everyone! Fellow Daoists, I, this old bear, am putting my life on the line for all of you! You should all feel a little sorry for me..."

Hearing this, the other Great Demons were actually moved.

One of the Corpse Demons, who had the appearance of a beautiful woman, let her eyes dart about. The female Corpse Demon was the first to speak. "The Bear Demon makes a good point. Xing Lan of the Human Race is taking her sweet time, and we’re all bored from waiting. Why not find some entertainment? What do all of you think?"

Her gaze was captivating. She was a dead person, yet also a Living Demon. The seductive charm in her expression seemed to rival the allure of the Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod itself.

The Great Demons began to loosen their grip on the Bear Demon. Even those who hadn’t let go were now pulling with much less force.

It’s funny, really. Demonic nature and human nature have quite a lot in common.

Humans are subject to greed, hatred, and delusion. So are demons.

It is the fundamental nature of living beings, something that almost no creature can escape. The only difference lies in the individual and the intensity of these traits.

Demons, however, tend to be more direct, more impulsive, more intense, and find it much harder to practice restraint.

To put it plainly, demons are often more feral, and this feral nature is difficult for even them to tame.

Why do demons love to imitate humans? In a way, what demons are actually learning is human civilization and restraint.

To indulge is to be a beast; to control is to be Human.

Of course, this is just the ideal. The reality is that while demons learn from humans, humans are also learning from demons!

Some are just better students than others.

The Bear Demon was clearly one of the latter. Boosted by the Abdominal Insect’s aura-concealing technique, it leaped onto a wide lotus leaf with a movement that was both light and clumsy. It then reached out a furry paw to cup a Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod.

The Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod struggled faintly, as if resisting the Bear Demon’s grasp.

But the more it struggled, the more excited the Bear Demon became. A low roar rumbled in its throat as Demonic Power surged through its thick arms. With a pair of limbs that could shake mountains, it gripped the strange plant and pulled upward with enough force to uproot it completely!

SNAP—

A crisp, cracking sound echoed out.

The Bear Demon had clearly failed to uproot the strange plant. It had only managed to snap off the head of the Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod.

The detached head of the Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod flew high into the air from the excessive force, and the Bear Demon leaped after it. Its massive body, three zhang tall, landed on a wide lotus leaf as lightly as a floating willow catkin.

Its demonic arm suddenly elongated, snatching at the airborne Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod.

Just then, a figure in white descended from the mouth of the deep sinkhole.

A white robe, a Flying Sword—the figure drifted down gracefully.

As the Bear Demon looked up, its eyes met the white-robed figure’s. It roared in a voice mixing shock, joy, and Fury, "Xing Lan of the Human Race! You’ve kept me waiting!"

Joy overwhelming its Fury, the demonic arm reaching for the Nine Transformationed Lotus Seedpod instantly changed course, swerving to grab the white-robed Xing Lan.

With that grab, the demonic arm elongated again like a bolt of lightning.

The arm, already two zhang long, shot out to a length of ten zhang. In a flash, it had the white-robed Xing Lan clutched in its grasp.

But at that very same moment, the Flying Sword that had descended with the figure suddenly accelerated—

The speed of the Flying Sword was indescribable, faster than Celestial Thunder from the highest heavens.

It was a speed that utterly transcended space. This was the Void Escape Sword!

The Sword Intent was chilling, like Ten Thousand Years Profound Ice. It carried an ultimate sharpness as it stabbed directly toward the giant bear’s brow.

The brow—the very location of its Demon Core.

The giant bear roared. Unable to dodge, it could only surge its Demonic Power and take the blow head-on.

PSHHH!

The Void Escape Sword pierced into the Bear Demon’s brow, getting lodged in its hard skull.

The Bear Demon shrieked in rage, the powerful force of the Flying Sword sending its body crashing toward the western side of the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool below.

Meanwhile, the white-robed Xing Lan, who had been caught in its grasp, somehow flashed and slipped free from the Bear Demon’s clutches.

The white-robed Xing Lan dove down, pressing the Attack.

"Xing Lan" was unaware that to the west of the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool below, what appeared to be a simple Earth Palace tunnel was, in fact, the hiding spot for the Abdominal Insect and several other Great Demons.

The Great Demons were waiting there to ambush and kill Xing Lan.

Had the Bear Demon really run out just because it was craving Lotus Seeds?

The Corpse Demon urged in a sweet, cooing voice, "Brother Abdominal Insect, you’d better hurry. The Human Race is full of trickery. This Xing Lan is a Celestial Pride and a top-tier Medical Cultivator. I’m afraid her elders have given her plenty of life-saving treasures. She won’t be easy to kill..."

Without any need for the Corpse Demon’s prompting, the Abdominal Insect had already raised its featureless head—

—only for a massive mouth to suddenly split open at the very top!

The cavernous mouth opened wide, and the Abdominal Insect let out a silent shriek.

There were no sound waves, no visible Attack. Yet, at the exact moment the Abdominal Insect let out its silent shriek, the "Xing Lan" pursuing the Bear Demon suddenly froze mid-air.

The next moment, an unstoppable force descended upon the white-robed Xing Lan.

CRACK, CRACK—

And just like that, the body of the white-robed Xing Lan fractured.

"Her" head fell off. "She" was dead...

’This is... this is a technique of causality, of life and death!’

High above the sinkhole, Song Ciwan, who was remotely directing her Daoist Soldier to scout and fight, performed a quick divination with her fingers. Perceiving a strange fluctuation, she finally understood the source of her earlier unease.

’So among the demons lying in ambush below, there’s actually a uniquely gifted strange demon like the Abdominal Insect.’

’The Abdominal Insect’s Innate Divine Techniques... it’s a skill of causality, of life and death.’

’The Bear Demon and the Abdominal Insect have a pact. Any creature that attacks the Bear Demon falls under the sway of the Abdominal Insect’s causality.’

’If I had gone down into the sinkhole myself, instead of my Daoist Soldier, I would have likely died just now.’

’The technique of causal life and death, much like Upright Shadowless, is a Rule Strange Skill. It doesn’t listen to reason; it only follows its own rules.’

’Tonight, this strange Abdominal Insect demon must die.’

Down in the sinkhole, the white-robed Xing Lan’s head fell and its body crumbled. The next moment, "it" self-destructed!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Streaks of icy Sword Qi erupted like the onset of a harsh winter, spreading with raw Fury in all directions and converging on the hiding place of the Abdominal Insect and the other Great Demons.

The Abdominal Insect’s aura-concealing technique was rendered completely useless. The Corpse Demon shrieked, "This is bad! That wasn’t Xing Lan! What died was an avatar! Bear Demon, get to cover!"