Nie Wushang was fleeing for her life.
She knew her luck had never been particularly good, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad.
After returning from Tianji, she had focused wholeheartedly on comprehending the Origin Demon Great Art. She had just grasped a few clues and left seclusion to attend a demonic cultivator trade fair when she was targeted by Demon Lord Yueying.
She didn't know how Demon Lord Yueying had learned of the existence of the Origin Demon Great Art, but handing it over was absolutely impossible. So, she took advantage of his momentary inattention and used a secret treasure to escape.
But that was one of the Three Great Demon Lords of Yunzhong! How could an early-stage cultivator compare to a late-stage one? Helpless, she could only ponder who might be able to help. She truly had few acquaintances in Yunzhong, and her Long-Range Communication Talisman couldn't cross the entire continent. If she hadn't accidentally encountered Ling Yunhe, she almost would have considered fleeing all the way back to Tianji. Even after entrusting the matter to Ling Yunhe, she didn't dare hold too much hope. Their interactions had been brief; who knew if he would really make the trip for her?
Fortunately, Jing Xingzhi was in Yunzhong and had received her Long-Range Communication Talisman. If he arrived smoothly, with the two of them joining forces, there might still be hope.
Jing Xingzhi, why hadn't this "scoundrel" arrived yet? She had been running for half a month already. To save her life, she had used up most of her secret treasures. If she kept running like this, it would be more cost-effective to just hand over the Origin Demon Great Art.
Even so, Nie Wushang didn't slow down one bit. She understood all too well the terror of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator and had no desire to entrust her fate to someone else's hands again.
Ling Yunhe had already swallowed his third Spirit-Replenishing Pill. Spiritual energy gradually filled him, and the watery moonlight essence was unleashed once more. Its clear, hazy radiance carried a chilling killing intent. The sea beast thrashed its tail wildly with a "hulu hulu" sound, its body covered in blood that dyed a patch of the sea red.
He stole a glance at the other two, his heart filled with doubt. These two had never swallowed any Spirit-Replenishing Pills or similar items, so why did they still appear brimming with spiritual energy?
Before he could think further, the sea beast went berserk, its power surging violently. Its entire body was covered in aurora light as it suddenly lunged at him.
Ling Yunhe retreated swiftly. Moonlight essence cascaded down, blocking the sea beast's attack. Simultaneously, a white-robed figure fluttering in the wind leaped into the sea beast's gaping maw and disappeared between its sharp teeth.
Ling Yunhe was horrified and was about to cry out when the corner of his eye caught sight of Mo Tiange. He then realized the figure just now was her puppet, not her.
The puppet, holding the Fusheng Sword, was swallowed into the sea beast's belly. Not long after, the sea beast became even more frenzied. For a moment, wind and waves surged violently, and aurora light flickered.
The three of them each controlled their magic treasures, retreating far away.
Blood flowed from the sea beast's mouth, followed by the glint of a sharp sword tip appearing at its abdomen. "Sizzle—" The Fusheng Sword flashed with lightning as it sliced open the sea beast's belly. The sea beast thrashed wildly before slowly calming down.
Mo Tiange wiped her face and retrieved the puppet and the Fusheng Sword. "Finally finished it off..."
Qin Xi's sword light flashed and plunged into the sea beast's massive head. Shortly after, he pulled out a multicolored, radiant sphere that seemed to have countless stars swirling within it. "Is this a Demon Core?"
Ling Yunhe nodded. "This beast is no ordinary demon beast. Its Demon Core contains magnetic force and tearing force. It cannot be consumed like a regular Demon Core."
Qin Xi nodded and looked at him inquiringly. "Fellow Daoist Ling, you..."
Ling Yunhe waved his hand. "We managed to kill this beast thanks to you two. I won't take the Demon Core." He swept a glance over the sea beast. "If possible, I'd like the beast's hide."
Qin Xi smiled slightly. "Please."
The three of them skinned the beast, dismantled its bones, and divided the corpse on the spot.
"Fellow Daoist Ling." Before getting up again, Mo Tiange looked at Ling Yunhe with a beaming smile and extended her hand. "My crystal jade."
Seeing her like this, Ling Yunhe curled his lip. "Stingy." Even as he said this, he still took out the crystal jade she had originally placed on the ship and returned it to her. Though he called her stingy, Ling Yunhe actually knew that several dozen pieces of crystal jade could incite a brawl among Nascent Soul cultivators. How could they possibly be given away for free? Her willingness to take out the crystal jade earlier was already extremely generous.
A wisp of Demonic Qi suddenly arrived, getting closer and closer to Nie Wushang.
Nie Wushang didn't even dare look back. Over these past days, she had encountered countless dangerous situations. She knew Demon Lord Yueying possessed secret tracking techniques and would catch up to her from time to time. If she hadn't stolen many of her master's secret techniques, she would have been captured long ago.
She pushed her escape speed to the limit, yet the Demonic Qi behind her still slowly closed in. Anxiety filled her heart: Why hasn't that guy Jing Xingzhi arrived yet? By the time she exhausted her secret treasures, his arrival would be useless.
As she thought this, she suddenly sensed powerful spiritual energy fluctuations ahead. Joy surged in her heart—there were people.
Whoever it was, the situation couldn't be worse than now. Nie Wushang took out a jade talisman entwined with Demonic Qi, crushed it with a finger, and her speed suddenly increased as she flew forward.
"Hmph!" From within the Demonic Qi behind her, a figure entirely concealed in a black cloak suddenly approached. "Little girl, do you think you're the only one with secret arts?"
The voice was low and dark, indistinguishable from its original tone. Demon Lord Yueying remained as mysterious as ever, not revealing the slightest trace.
Without stopping her flight, Nie Wushang said, "Senior has chased this junior for so long without using a secret art. The cost must be extremely high, I presume? And how does Senior know this junior possesses only this one secret art?"
"Then let's try again!" Demon Lord Yueying said. The Corpse Puppet beside him suddenly shot forward, pouncing toward Nie Wushang.
A flash of light appeared on her body as a black jade tablet blocked the Corpse Puppet's strike. Nie Wushang flicked her sleeve, and a strand of Origin Demon Qi flew out, transforming into a starlight that suddenly exploded, momentarily hindering Demon Lord Yueying.
Just ahead. Hold on a little longer...
Thinking this, Nie Wushang crushed another demonic talisman.
Three people... Sensing the other party's aura, and noticing they were also flying toward her, Nie Wushang prayed inwardly, hoping these weren't enemies.
Two at mid-stage, one at early-stage... Not Mo Qingwei and the others... Nie Wushang felt somewhat disappointed, only hoping the other party wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Just as she thought this, her primordial spirit suddenly sensed something—the point of connection was right ahead. Nie Wushang was delighted. Were these helpers Ling Yunhe had found? That was good. Two mid-stage and two early-stage cultivators still held hope against Demon Lord Yueying.
Nie Wushang sprinted desperately toward the front.
Demon Lord Yueying sneered behind her. "Hmph! You think a few people like this can help you? Too naive!"
"They're coming!" A black dot on the horizon grew closer and closer, followed by two clouds of black mist. Ling Yunhe's spirits lifted.
Mo Tiange spotted Nie Wushang at a glance and flew forward to meet her.
Upon clearly seeing the person before her, Nie Wushang was overjoyed. "Tian Ge!"
This was the first time she had called her by this name. When they first met, there was no name 'Mo Qingwei,' only 'Mo Tiange.' Reuniting after a long separation, under the pressure of crisis, she instinctively called out this name.
Mo Tiange was taken aback for a moment before a smile bloomed on her face. "Wushang."
The three of them each made their move, attacking Demon Lord Yueying behind Nie Wushang.
Qin Xi held nothing back, mobilizing the Vermilion Bird's breath within the Yang Spirit Pearl to unleash the sword formation, Vermilion Bird Scorches the Heavens. Countless sword energies gathered into a vast, mighty ocean, surging toward Demon Lord Yueying.
Mo Tiange did the same. With an "Ao Wu!" roar, an Azure Dragon materialized from the Heaven-Earth Fan, spewing a mouthful of golden lightning that transformed into a golden rain curtain, enveloping Demon Lord Yueying.
With the two of them going all out, the cautious Ling Yunhe seemed less impressive. A crescent moon sprinkled clear radiance, meeting the Corpse Puppet.
Nie Wushang quickly retreated behind them, grabbed a handful of demonic pills and swallowed them. The Origin Demon Qi on her body surged violently, transforming into a massive black cloud.
"Hmph, a few juniors!" Demon Lord Yueying waved his cloak. Demonic Qi surged wildly before him as the Corpse Puppet charged toward Nie Wushang.
Demonic Qi met the ocean of swords and golden rain. "Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle"—only soft sounds, but they began to devour each other.
The Demonic Qi was powerful and initially gained the upper hand, but the ocean of swords and golden rain were more tenacious. Though some were extinguished, they continuously reignited, forming a pincer. When the ocean of swords and golden rain began to counterattack, Demon Lord Yueying's heart jolted in alarm.
Clearly, his cultivation was higher and his techniques more powerful, yet he was being strangely suppressed. Whether it was the ocean of swords or the golden rain, both carried a vast, sacred aura that seemed to naturally counter him...
Demon Lord Yueying couldn't help but recall the Azure Dragon that had just appeared. Could it be these people cultivated techniques that countered demonic arts?
Before he could think further, over there, Qin Xi summoned the Vermilion Bird Bow. The Vermilion Bird flames within the Yang Spirit Pearl surged out wildly once more, forming a flaming arrow as he drew the bowstring.
The bow bent like a full moon; an arrow shot toward the Celestial Wolf. Qin Xi released his hand. The Vermilion Bird Arrow shot out swiftly, tracing a perfect arc as it streaked toward Demon Lord Yueying.
Demon Lord Yueying wanted to dodge, but he was already trapped by the ocean of swords and golden rain, as if stuck in a quagmire. In this emergency, he employed a secret art and abruptly vanished from his spot.
"Sizzle—" Still a soft sound, but this one carried far greater power. Even though Demon Lord Yueying had teleported, he was still grazed by the tailwind of the Vermilion Bird Arrow, a large mass of Demonic Qi scorched.
"Ugh..." He stared fixedly at the Vermilion Bird Bow in Qin Xi's hand, secretly seething with hatred. So this was the Vermilion Bird Bow that the Jiuyan Sect had schemed to obtain for a hundred thousand years. Truly worthy of being a sentient magic treasure possessing an artifact spirit.
He knew he was defeated. His main body was blocked by these two juniors, and his Corpse Puppet was intercepted by Ling Yunhe and the others joining forces. He couldn't kill them.
With a sweep of his cloak, he gathered the Corpse Puppet and prepared to flee far away.
At that moment, dazzling, brilliant light suddenly exploded all around him. Its sharpness pierced the heavens; its killing intent pressed upon people.
A Sword Cultivator's sword.
Demon Lord Yueying's heart shuddered. Being openly defeated by these juniors was one thing, but what was with this suddenly appearing Sword Cultivator? He, a dignified late-Nascent Soul cultivator, one of the Three Great Demon Lords of Yunzhong, had already fallen to this state?
This Sword Cultivator was more powerful than any Sword Cultivator he had encountered before. His strength lay not in his cultivation level, but in his sword intent. His entire person vanished within the sword intent; only the sword intent remained while the person was absent. Therefore, when he concealed his killing intent, he was formless and intangible. When he released his killing intent, the sword intent surged to the heavens.
Failing to land a hit with one strike, the Sword Cultivator retreated far away, looking at him with a smile, yet shouting to those juniors, "I'm not late, am I?"
Nie Wushang snorted from afar. "The matter's already resolved, Master Latecomer!"
"Better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early!" Jing Xingzhi shouted back, then said to Demon Lord Yueying, "Senior, you're old. You need to accept your age. The world belongs to us young people now!"
Demon Lord Yueying snorted coldly. "Thinking of keeping me here? You're still too green!"
With that, his figure flipped, transforming into a wisp of black mist, and vanished into the distance in an instant.