The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1713: Chapter 1810: Similar

Demon beasts can withstand fire, but that doesn’t mean they are completely unafraid of it.

Skyfire, after all, is still Skyfire. The flames released by the eight Ancient Lamps of Flame God are immensely powerful. Even this mysterious demon beast cannot rely solely on its physical body to resist the might of Skyfire.

“Strike again. Cut off all its arms,” Fang Lin said to Nangong Shoujian.

Nangong Shoujian responded with a nod. Bamboo Shadow Sword whistled through the air once more, green light spreading wherever it touched, Sword Qi slicing in all directions.

The demon beast now focused all its efforts on combating Fang Lin’s Skyfire, leaving it defenseless against Bamboo Shadow’s Sword Qi. Its only choice was to endure the strikes head-on.

Thud thud thud thud thud!!!!

The Sword Qi of Bamboo Shadow Sword was incredibly sharp. All ten of the demon beast’s arms were severed cleanly, with none remaining intact.

The demon beast howled in pain, letting out a series of piercing cries. Yet, its body seemed devoid of blood or anything resembling it—no liquid spilled forth.

Instead, more gray mist surged from the severed arm stumps, making the gray mist within a radius of several hundred miles even thicker.

“Should we just cut off this monster’s head too?” Nangong Shoujian asked, his face animated with eagerness.

Fang Lin hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Don’t rush. What if it ends up eating your sword again?”

On hearing this, Nangong Shoujian’s old face immediately darkened, abandoning any thoughts of attacking the demon beast’s head.

No joke—his bronze greatsword had just been swallowed whole by the demon beast earlier. He could live with losing the greatsword, but if Bamboo Shadow were to be consumed as well, Nangong Shoujian might cough up blood and pass out from sheer frustration.

Even if his own life were lost, Bamboo Shadow Sword had to remain intact, or this old man wouldn’t rest easy even in death.

To him, Bamboo Shadow was more precious than his own life.

“The gray mist is nearly upon us; shall we retreat for now?” Zhong Wuwei asked, his brows knitted tightly.

Indeed, the gray mist was fast approaching Fang Lin and the others, and in less than half an incense stick’s time, they would be engulfed.

“Wait a bit longer.”

As Fang Lin spoke, a Fire Lotus began to materialize before him. He was concentrating the power of the Ancient Lamp of Flame God, attempting to deliver a fatal strike to the demon beast.

Nangong Shoujian and Zhong Wuwei stood guard on either side of Fang Lin, ensuring that no interruptions reached him.

Though Skyfire could suppress the demon beast, the beast’s enormous black eye emitted a shadowy glow capable of absorbing and neutralizing the power of the Skyfire. This delicate balance allowed the demon beast to resist, though it could progress no closer.

Meanwhile, the ten arms severed by Nangong Shoujian’s sword continued to wriggle on the ground, eventually climbing up the demon beast’s legs.

Upon seeing this, the expressions of Fang Lin and the other two turned grim. It was clear that merely cutting off the demon beast’s arms wouldn’t suffice—it had to be destroyed entirely. Otherwise, the beast could perpetually regenerate.

Predictably, the severed arms rapidly reattached themselves to the demon beast’s body, merging perfectly with the stumps. The beast now possessed ten fully restored arms as though nothing had happened.

Nangong Shoujian wore a helpless expression. This demon beast was beyond strange—its severed limbs could simply reconnect themselves. How were they supposed to fight such a thing? It seemed nearly impossible to kill.

Luckily, Fang Lin still had the Ancient Lamp of Flame God; without it, suppressing the demon beast would have been inconceivable.

When the gray mist was within a hundred paces, the Fire Lotus in front of Fang Lin finally finished its formation.

“Go!”

With a brief commanding shout, the Fire Lotus radiated brilliantly, streaking toward the demon beast with an overwhelming, terrifying aura.

The approaching Fire Lotus stirred a sense of profound danger within the demon beast. Its massive eye turned pitch-black, its entire body transforming into darkness.

Roar!!!

The demon beast let out a furious howl, and for a moment, the skies seemed to darken, the entire land plunging into a chilling cold.

The Fire Lotus reached the demon beast and erupted instantaneously. The fiery explosion dispelled the encompassing darkness within that single moment.

Enveloped by the raging flames, the demon beast’s form vanished, while nearly a thousand miles of land was consumed by fire, leaving nothing behind but scorched earth.

Fortunately, these thousand miles had already been void of living beings—either they had fled in terror upon the demon beast’s arrival, or their vitality had been stripped away by its deadly gray mist.

Otherwise, Fang Lin’s strike could have caused untold casualties to humans and demon beasts alike. While this wouldn’t weigh heavily on Fang Lin’s conscience, it would still violate heavenly principles.

“Did it work?” Nangong Shoujian and Zhong Wuwei both turned their gaze toward the center of the fiery burst, where smoke billowed profusely, obscuring the demon beast’s fate.

Fang Lin’s expression remained heavy, his brows never relaxing.

“It’s not dead yet,” Fang Lin stated gravely.

At these words, the disbelief on Zhong Wuwei’s and Nangong Shoujian’s faces was palpable. The power of the Fire Lotus was enough to obliterate a Great Longevity practitioner—was the demon beast truly as powerful as an Immortal master, impossible to destroy with even the Fire Lotus?

As the smoke dispersed, the demon beast’s body still stood tall on the scorched earth. Though the area had been reduced to desolation, the beast remained alive.

Its appearance, however, was wretched—its ten arms were completely gone, and its body bore multiple injuries from which more gray mist constantly seeped.

The Fire Lotus’s might, while failing to destroy the demon beast completely, had undoubtedly inflicted grievous injuries.

After all, the Fire Lotus could slay Great Longevity practitioners instantly, and even Immortal masters were forced to avoid its wrath. Despite its strength, the demon beast couldn’t emerge unscathed.

“At least it’s looking worse for wear now. A couple more strikes and we should be able to finish it off,” Nangong Shoujian said with a relaxed expression.

Fang Lin, however, remained silent, his eyes fixed on the demon beast’s condition while he began concentrating on forming a second Fire Lotus in front of him. Regardless of the beast’s origins, he knew it must be utterly annihilated—its existence posed a threat not only to the Sky Swallowing Palace but to all living beings.

At that moment, the demon beast let out an eerie howl. Its enormous eye glared at the three combatants before it suddenly sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

This unexpected development left Fang Lin and the others completely stunned.

“Maybe it fled,” Zhong Wuwei said.

“That’s possible, but I can’t shake this uneasy feeling,” Fang Lin muttered. For reasons unknown, the sight of this demon beast filled him with an inexplicable sense of heaviness and dread.

Furthermore, Fang Lin had an uncanny suspicion that this demon beast bore a striking resemblance to something he had seen before. Throughout their encounter, his thoughts kept circling back to one question—what was this beast so reminiscent of?

Suddenly, Fang Lin’s gaze shifted eastward, his face revealing a look of shock.

“The ancient magic tree!”

PS: First chapter complete, continuing to write