Chapter 54: The Demon King of Ruyue
Even as he dodged, the mysterious figure struggled tremendously. The colossal fist, swinging with tremendous force, generated a fierce gale and immense pressure, leaving him barely able to evade.
While human and ape engaged in a fierce, deadlock battle, Qin Shu dared not linger in the river for a moment. He submerged himself in the water, remaining hidden beneath its surface.
This was possible only because the Profound Origin Banner had been upgraded once, granting him the power to escape undetected through water.
“Yuan Wuji, if you’ve managed to finish your task, hurry over and support me!” the mysterious figure roared furiously, his tone urgent.
In the next instant, a flash of white light streaked across the horizon.
Finished? What do you mean, ‘finished’? Yuan Wuji was utterly confused as he unleashed a punch. The massive, hundred-meter-wide fist clashed with the Celestial Dragon’s attack, shielding his comrade from the full force of the blow. “I heard you calling for help before I even arrived. You’re really quite useless, you know.”
The two stood suspended in mid-air, confronting the Celestial Dragon.
“Not arrived yet?” The mysterious figure was dumbfounded. Then how is this Celestial Dragon acting like its home has been stolen?
“Humans, don’t think you can escape just because you found a helper. Once you’ve taken my royal blood tree, our conflict will never end.”
“What? You have a royal blood tree?” The mysterious figure was taken aback.
“Stop pretending! You sly human, it’s time for a final confrontation.” The Celestial Dragon roared furiously, its massive voice vibrating through the air. The resulting sound waves indiscriminately targeted both humans in a powerful attack.
As for the attack’s effect, it was almost negligible.
But this was clearly just the might of the Celestial Dragon’s roar, not a true attack.
With a single beat of its wings, the dragon’s body emitted an even stronger green glow, which condensed at the center, as if tangible.
“It’s going all out,” Yuan Wuji perceived the power of this move, knowing that if he made a move now, he would inevitably face a torrential onslaught. There was no escape.
“Qin Yuan,” he said, “I think someone must have secretly stolen this beast’s home.”
“Of course I know!” Qin Yuan snarled angrily. “If I find out who it is, I’ll tear them apart.”
Even as they talked, neither forgot to keep up their attacks.
On the other side, the Celestial Dragon had finished forming its own move: Heavenshaking Palm!
A massive hand flew forth from the green light, transforming into a colossal palm that pressed down on the two warriors, covering the entire sky in its path. There was no place to hide, no way to escape.
“I’m sorry,” Qin Yuan’s voice whispered in Yuan Wuji’s ear.
“What?” Yuan Wuji felt a sudden oppression in his mind as a white turtle materialized before him.
“Your defenses are strong; help me block this first,” Qin Yuan said, then darted behind the massive white turtle.
Yuan Wuji remained motionless, standing his ground. As he faced the descending palm above, his heart pounded and his courage faltered. “When did this happen?”
Qin Yuan remained silent as Heaven’s Collapse descended. The white turtle shattered, and in that instant of vulnerability, a blood-red light escaped.
Yuan Wuji’s soul scattered, leaving no trace of his existence.
The immense green palm forcefully pressed down, creating a massive basin on the earth with a diameter of fifty kilometers, altering the surrounding mountain peaks.
The Celestial Dragon watched the fleeing blood-red light and roared furiously, issuing a pursuit command.
His colossal figure gazed forward, eyes blazing red with boundless killing intent. He bellowed, driving monster beasts for thousands of kilometers.
Sensing the Celestial Dragon’s psychic fluctuations, the monstrous beasts on the mountains sprang into action, slaughtering humans in a frenzy.
It mattered not whether they flew in the sky, ran on land, or swam in water.
Alas, it was all in vain. In a mere moment, the blood-red light representing Qin Yuan had traversed 7,000 kilometers, appearing at the northern outskirts of the Cu Yue Mountain Range.
Clutching his chest, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. “Lucking out with that brute Yuan Wuji saved my ass. Shame about the meatshield; such a waste for this battle.”
As the fiery glow subsided, his once-tall frame instantly hunched over. His red hair rapidly turned streaked white, while wrinkles etched deep lines across his face.
The Flaming Crow caustically smiled, unimpressed. Such pets were akin to apostles—instinctively loyal and hierarchically organized, with essentially a shared mind. While these attributes made them suitable for guarding an area, they lacked the subtlety to discern deception or detect stealth. Essentially, they operated on a 0-1 binary principle: if there was no threat, they remained idle; upon detecting a threat, they attacked without hesitation.
A powerful spiritual soul secret technique could be planted imperceptibly into the unguarded minds of those with weaker souls.
This Confusion Seed would grow in tandem with its host’s spiritual soul, remaining extremely discreet.
Long ago, through Qin Yuan’s deliberate efforts, he had cultivated a close friendship with Yuan Wuji. At some point, Yuan Wuji must have fallen prey to his deception.
Under the bewitching influence of the Confusion Seed, Yuan Wuji stepped forward to block the fatal strike meant for Qin Yuan, sacrificing his life and dissipating his cultivation base.
Having lost this spiritual soul seed, and compounded by the blood escape and the Celestial Dragon’s lethal blow, Qin Yuan now suffered from a severe depletion of vital energy. His lifespan had drastically diminished, necessitating an urgent ascension to the Void Transformation realm. Without this, his days were numbered.
“Aaaaah!” he roared furiously. “Who could have disrupted my plans?!”
His voice cracked, betraying the frailty of a man on death’s door.
In the river, Qin Shu had fled with a single breath, emerging from the water five thousand kilometers away.
He assessed his surroundings: the spiritual energy was sparse, indicating the outskirts of a mountain range.
For now, he had escaped immediate peril. However, a lingering sense of danger reminded him that he must move swiftly away from this place.
With the apricot-yellow flag enveloping him, he merged into the earth, employing Soil Escape as he headed north.
Moments after he vanished into the ground, a tremor began to radiate from the entire Cu Yue Mountain Range.
Below Yuantian Peak, the Celestial Dragon soared out, slamming into a nearby mountaintop with such force that its ribcage shattered.
“Is this how you guard the Golden Blood Tree?”
A small figure slowly flew out. Barely three feet tall, he was fair and delicate, resembling a china doll.
He was none other than the most powerful ruler in the Cu Yue mountain range—the Cu Yue Monster King, an extraordinary monster of the ninth rank. The king had formed from a beneficial jade stone, possessing tremendous potential.
The Celestial Dragon had already lost half its life force from this blow, but it still struggled to emerge from within the mountain and knelt on the ground. “This humble one failed in his duty and awaits Your Majesty’s punishment.”
“All I want now is the Golden Blood Tree. Your life holds no value.” The Cu Yue Monster King’s voice was icy cold, completely at odds with his childlike appearance.
“Didn’t he head north? Initiate a bestial tide for me. I’ll make those humans pay the price in their own blood.”
“As you command, my king. Subordinate will issue the order at once.” Through the excruciating pain, the Celestial Dragon attempted to rise.
“No need. Leave this to the Purple Tiger. You’ve proven your incompetence. Stay there.”
As the Monster King’s words hung in the air, the Celestial Dragon sensed impending doom.
Before it could react, the pressure around it surged, and every bone in its body began to crackle.
“Have mercy, my king.”
Before the words had finished echoing, the Celestial Dragon exploded into a cloud of blood. The blood mist then coalesced into a blood jade, containing pure life essence.
“General Purple Tiger, this is for you. Don’t disappoint me.”
From the crowd of monsters, a purple tiger stood up on its hind legs and stepped forward. Its body was a hundred meters tall, its fur a purple canvas with black stripes. Its claws had transformed into human hands, and it carried a long spear made of a tiger’s fang.
It dropped to one knee and extended both hands to receive the blood jade. “This humble one will not fail our great king.”
“Consume it first. After your breakthrough, I want you to kill ruthlessly!” Cu Yue Monster King’s voice brimmed with murderous intent.
“As you command, great king.” General Purple Tiger swallowed the blood jade whole, bloodlight radiating from his body.
Within the crimson glow, that enormous form rapidly inflated, then swiftly shrank, transforming completely into a human shape just three meters tall. He was draped in a purple tiger skin cloak and knelt, crying out, “Many thanks for the great king’s generous gift. This minor demon takes his leave.”
“Go forth.” With a small wave of the Cu Yue Monster King’s hand, the General Purple Tiger soared into the sky, his roar echoing throughout all of northern Cu Yue Mountain Range.
Hordes of beasts began to assemble; the tide of battle was about to surge.
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