At this moment, Ji Yuan finally witnessed what true demon-corrupted heavens were!
With a roar that resounded through the sky, billowing demonic energy surged upwards, causing countless falling raindrops to explode!
Torrential crimson flames burned fiercely, joining the demonic energy to obscure the entire sky!
The old man stood in mid-air, slowly extending a hand towards the depths of the sky, then clenched it with immense force!
No visible power erupted, but above the demonic flames, lightning suddenly flashed. In just two or three breaths, a surge of pháp lực collapsed, its resulting fluctuations instantly dissipating into the demonic flames.
Immediately after, Lin Yubai's figure plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
His entire body flickered with faint lightning, his physique stained with patches of dark red demonic flames, his aura visibly weakened by half. He struggled to rise from the ground.
“Extinguish!”
Ji Yuan recalled the flying Heavy Water Beads, and with the infusion of pháp lực, a torrent of water light surged forth, extinguishing the demonic flames on Lin Yubai's body.
Simultaneously, he gazed solemnly towards the sky. Beneath the sky-obscuring demonic flames, he saw a figure with dishevelled hair and beard, emitting a terrifyingly powerful spiritual pressure!
This was his first time directly facing a cultivator of the Ming Dao Realm. Feeling the seemingly insurmountable spiritual pressure, he finally realized how laughable his previous actions were in the eyes of true powerhouses.
“That old codger is going all out!”
Lin Yubai took a deep breath, then whispered.
As he spoke, the old demon cultivator opened his hand, and demonic flames surged towards him, condensing into a long, narrow blade in his palm.
Under the burning black and red demonic flames, this blood-red blade, bordering on black, exuded an astonishing killing intent that swept outwards in all directions.
In just a few breaths, it felt as if a vast canopy had descended, pressing down upon them. Even with the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda above them, emitting brilliant rays of light for protection, the two of them couldn't help but sink downwards.
Merely the killing intent emanating from the blood blade caused Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai's calves to sink into the earth, their bodies creaking as if unable to bear the burden.
“Going all out!”
Lin Yubai gritted his teeth, forcing out two words with difficulty.
In the next moment, disregarding his internal injuries, he fiercely circulated a secret technique. As he formed the hand seals, his weakened aura completely recovered in an instant, even becoming two to three parts stronger than at his peak!
Unable to contain his emotions, he let out a fierce roar to the sky, followed by an eruption of boundless lightning from his body, a destructive intent sweeping outwards.
At the same time, Ji Yuan consumed a Spirit Nurturing Pill, and immense, pure spiritual energy surged within his body, instantly filling his entire physique!
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals. Six Heavy Water Beads spun rapidly around him, forming dense vortices of water light that frantically drew in spiritual energy and water vapor from dozens of feet around.
Just as the old demon cultivator, wielding the blood blade, swung it downwards from afar, Lin Yubai suddenly transformed into an incredibly dazzling bolt of lightning, shooting towards the sky!
*Boom!!!*
An explosion resounded in the sky, a mixture of the sound of lightning and the roar of collision with the blood blade!
In an instant, the entire world suddenly froze. All sounds vanished, and even the blinding light dissipated as if from nowhere.
One breath… three breaths… five breaths…
*Boom!!*
No one knew how long it had been. The frozen world returned to normal, and a deafening roar echoed, causing the entire earth to shake violently under the ferocious aura!
Within the potent light, a power seemingly capable of destroying the heavens and earth erupted, directly tearing through the demonic flames in the sky and causing the ground below to crack!
Amidst this apocalyptic scene, a crisp sound suddenly emerged. If not for Ji Yuan's exceptionally acute spiritual senses, he would not have even registered it.
He infused his eyes with pháp lực and looked intently, immediately seeing that the blood blade in the old man’s hand had a crack running across its entire length amidst this violent power!
However, before he could feel any joy, he saw Lin Yubai fall from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the ground once more, his aura utterly depleted.
“Go!”
Ji Yuan immediately shouted. The six Heavy Water Beads, which had been poised for action, shot through the air!
“Overestimating yourself!”
In mid-air, the old demon cultivator let out a cold snort. With a wave of his arm, a surge of sharp energy was unleashed, burning with fierce demonic flames!
This surge of energy swept past, instantly causing the pháp lực on the six Heavy Water Beads to collapse, their dense water light shattering into pieces!
Amidst a series of roars, the sharp energy pierced through the air. After shattering the power of the six Heavy Water Beads, it still retained nearly half of its might. In just one or two breaths, it arrived before Ji Yuan!
He took a deep breath, a hand seal already formed in his hand, and brilliant rays of light descended, protecting him within.
Simultaneously, his sleeve fluttered slightly, and three copper coins detached and fell in three different directions. They then burst forth with radiant spiritual light, forming a barrier that enveloped him.
*Bang!!!*
As the sharp energy descended before him, the radiant light protecting him instantly exploded. Even the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda above was knocked back over ten feet!
Ji Yuan's expression drastically changed. This was the first time an attack had directly breached the pagoda's protection, and it hadn't even lasted a single breath!
In the next moment, the three copper coins at his feet let out a mournful cry. Under his full activation, the spiritual energy they contained was completely depleted, and this happened in less than half a finger’s snap!
*Crack!*
In precisely one finger’s snap, the Three Talents Treasure Coins suddenly cracked, their spiritual essence completely gone!
Ji Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood with a ‘pfft’, and the pháp lực within his body surged outwards, attempting to resist the sharp energy about to strike him!
However, the demonic flame-burning sharp energy flashed by, instantly piercing through his body, and then plunging deeply into the ground.
“Ah!”
He couldn't help but let out a low roar subconsciously.
Compared to the physical pain, the sensation of his soul being torn apart was even more intense; ‘heart-wrenching’ felt like an understatement.
At this moment, Ji Yuan could feel as if his dantian, and even his purple mansion and sea of consciousness, had been cleaved open. Amidst the intense pain, his pháp lực and soul light poured out like a bursting dam.
In mere instants, at least half of his pháp lực and soul light were lost, and it was the kind that couldn’t be recovered, requiring immense effort to cultivate anew!
Enduring the searing pain, he quickly formed treasure seals with both hands, recalling the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda, which had been knocked back over ten feet, and commanded it to suppress his lower dantian.
At the same time, Ji Yuan fully circulated the Profound Origin Manifestation Divine Art, using this body-refining secret technique to guard his sea of consciousness and purple mansion.
It took him a full ten-plus breaths before he could barely stabilize his internal condition. However, for the time being, he couldn't make any further moves. If he did, not only would his pháp lực be completely depleted, but his soul itself would become like a candle in the wind, liable to dissipate at any moment!
At that point, he would truly be soul-scattered, with no chance of even entering the cycle of reincarnation.
“Lad, the taste of being severely wounded in both body and soul should be unpleasant, shouldn't it?”
The old man landed slowly, demonic flames swirling above him and pouring into his body.
The potent spiritual pressure of the Ming Dao Realm pressed down, making it difficult for Ji Yuan to breathe. His back felt as if a mountain were crushing it, and all his bones creaked under the immense strain.
“Hand over that Saintly Item, and I may spare your life.”
The old demon cultivator wore a strange smile, with a flicker of apprehension in the depths of his eyes.
The reason he hadn't immediately killed the young Daoist before him was precisely his fear of a final desperate counterattack, of the boy exhausting all his power to activate that Saintly Item.
Even though his strength far surpassed the young Daoist's, a cultivator of the second realm, facing death, could still potentially unleash a Saintly Item.
As someone who had lived for over two hundred years, he wouldn't easily court danger, would he?
If there was even the slightest possibility, he would approach it with caution. After all, it was a Saintly Item with unknown power. Who knew what wondrous abilities it possessed?
It wasn't unheard of in the world for a mere mortal, wielding a Saintly Item, to kill a Golden Core Great Cultivator!
“Do you think I'm easily fooled?”
Ji Yuan smiled faintly, his pale face covered in sweat.
His hand moved with difficulty, and then a sheathed short sword appeared in his palm. The aura of a Saint immediately emanated from it.
He glanced at the sheathed short sword in his hand and said with a hint of bitterness, “If I hand this over, it will likely be the moment of my death.”
The moment the other party didn't immediately kill him, he understood their intentions.
Only with this Saintly Item in his possession would the other party be hesitant, fearing that he would expend all his remaining strength before dying to fully activate the item's power, taking them both down with him.
Hearing this, the old man's expression darkened. He felt a surge of anger due to the boy's stubbornness, and even more so because his intentions had been seen through.
If not for this Saintly Item, he would have killed the boy outright. His current words were indeed meant to deceive him; once the sheathed short sword was handed over, death would swiftly follow.
“As long as you hand over this Saintly Item, I will take you as my disciple. Wouldn't that save your life?” Kuai Shu Ge.
The old man's eyes flickered, and he then said with a chuckle.
At the same time, the immense spiritual pressure radiating from his body suddenly retracted, and the killing intent on his face vanished, replaced by a smile.
At this moment, he seemed not like a third-realm demon cultivator, but a benevolent elder from a righteous sect, kindly offering to take Ji Yuan as his personal disciple.
Furthermore, the old man declared that he would swear a Great Dao oath, guaranteeing that this was not a deception but a sincere offer from the heart.
“Do you think I would believe you?”
Ji Yuan scoffed, utterly unwilling to believe the other party's words.
A Great Dao oath could indeed be binding, but as a demon cultivator, the old man had plenty of ways to circumvent it.
If a righteous cultivator with impeccable character were to make a Great Dao oath here, he might reluctantly believe it. But as for this old demon before him, he wouldn't believe a single word.
“But do you have any other choice but to believe me?”
The old man smiled slightly, not answering, but posing a question instead.
Although he smiled and his words sounded rather amicable, a subtle killing intent could still be felt from his brows, sending a chill down Ji Yuan's spine.
At these words, Ji Yuan's pupils constricted uncontrollably, and his grip on the sheathed short sword tightened.
Given the current circumstances, it seemed he truly had no other choice but to gamble that the other party would uphold the Great Dao oath and not play any dirty tricks, or to fight to the death.
“Your talent is excellent. To have reached the second realm at such a young age, and with such strength…”
The old man sighed, speaking with feigned emotion. “I truly feel a sense of admiration for your talent. If you were to join the Chi Yan Mountain sect, your future achievements would undoubtedly be limitless.”