A massive, protruding rock above was smashed down by an immense force, sending debris and dust billowing down. Amidst the swirling dust, a colossal, suffocating shadow slowly descended.

Steel-feathered chicken.

However, it was no longer the monster with iron-like feathers and sharp claws and beak that they knew.

Its enormous body swelled several times its original size, and its originally iron-gray feathers became as if soaked in viscous ink, pitch black without a trace of luster. An indescribable, viscous, and chilling pressure, like an invisible giant wave, crashed down.

Pei Lang's arm around Chu Xiao instantly stiffened, his face turned ashen, and immense fear, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart, rendering him unable to utter a single word.

Monster? !

The Lingzhou Secret Realm has always been born from the spiritual energy of heaven, so there's no way that demons could exist here!

Moreover, demons are not the same as ordinary monsters at all. Even if their cultivation levels seem similar, demons will be a hundred times more ferocious. After all, they have greed for the flesh and blood of cultivators etched into their bones. Once they gain intelligence, they become even more cunning and vicious, and will seize any opportunity to tear you apart and devour you alive.

Pei Lang's expression hardened, and almost the instant he saw the demon's scarlet eyes, he jerked his fingers, which were holding the talisman, away!

Several streaks of crimson light tore through the viscous air, slamming into the enormous demonic shadow with scorching heat and violent force. Flames exploded on the pitch-black demonic energy, producing muffled bangs.

The massive body of the demonized Steelfeather Chicken swayed slightly from the impact, and a few charred feathers fell off, revealing the equally blackened, yet even more grotesque, flesh beneath.

The demonic rooster let out a violent, shrill screech, its scarlet eyes fixed on Pei Lang, and its wings suddenly spread, creating a gale!

It was utterly enraged!

"Pei Lang!"

However, at this moment, a clear voice pierced through the oppressive demonic energy, and a golden lightning bolt tore through the dust and came to an abrupt stop in front of Pei Lang.

Shen Zhaozhao leaped off Xiao Huang's back with swift and decisive movements. The moment she landed, she scanned the dying Chu Xiao in Pei Lang's arms and the broken cold iron longsword beside him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Zhaozhao flipped her wrist, and a small jade bottle shot straight at Pei Lang's face with a whooshing sound: "Feed him, keep him alive for now."

Pei Lang instinctively caught it, and it was icy cold to the touch. The five small characters "Nine-Turn Life-Sustaining Pill" on the bottle caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he hurriedly tried to pry open Chu Xiao's tightly clenched teeth.

At the same time, Shen Zhaozhao's sword was already drawn from its sheath, its blade ringing out clearly.

She pointed her fingers like a sword, and with a flick of her wrist, the seemingly ordinary longsword instantly hovered in mid-air, its tip pointing directly at the demon in front of it, ready to strike!

The demonized Steelfeather Chicken let out a disdainful roar, its scarlet eyes sweeping over the suspended flying sword, its destructive intent seemingly mocking—yet another foolish swordsman who dared to challenge it with a piece of junk.

"Awoo!"

Just as the Demon Chicken's attention was drawn to Shen Zhaozhao's flying sword, Little Yellow, who had been lying prone to the side, suddenly let out a deafening roar!

Its back arched, its golden fur stood on end, and a powerful demonic force belonging to the early stage of the Golden Core realm, mixed with the innate ferocity of a top predator, pressed down on the demon chicken like an invisible mountain.

The scent of a natural enemy!

The massive body of the demon chicken suddenly stiffened, and a rare glint of fear, stemming from its life-or-destruction, flashed across its scarlet eyes, which were filled with madness and destruction!

It has an ingrained fear of this aura!

Almost instantly, Little Yellow exerted force with its hind legs, and its huge body transformed into a golden meteor that tore through the demonic energy, its fangs bared, and it lunged straight at the thick neck of the demon chicken covered with jet-black feathers!

It moved so fast that it left only a blur in the spot!

Shen Zhaozhao's eyes narrowed, and her suspended finger pressed down sharply. The sword that had been suspended emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that, with an unstoppable momentum, pierced straight into the head of the demon chicken.

Just as the demonic rooster was barely recovering from the shock of the enemy's oppressive aura, it saw the sword light already upon it. It let out a furious screech, and its wings suddenly folded together, like two huge black shields, the viscous demonic energy wrapped around them instantly boiling!

"Clang—Snap!"

A piercing clang of metal clashing against metal, accompanied by a cracking sound, rang out.

Shen Zhaozhao's sword, imbued with spiritual power, collided with the iron wings of the demonic rooster, which were shrouded in torrents of demonic energy. It was as if it had struck an indestructible demonic mountain. The sword trembled violently, then let out a mournful cry of being unable to bear the weight, and shattered into pieces.

Countless shards of broken swords, gleaming with a cold light, scattered and flew in all directions like hailstones whipped up by a gale!

However, Shen Zhaozhao showed no surprise whatsoever.

From the moment she saw Chu Xiao's broken cold iron sword, she had anticipated this outcome. An ordinary spirit sword simply couldn't withstand the iron feathers enhanced by the demonic energy of the demonized steel-feathered chicken.

However, this does not mean that the broken sword is useless.

Without the slightest pause, her suspended fingers made a sword gesture again the instant the sword shattered. The scattered, about-to-fall fragments of the broken sword seemed to be instantly pulled back by invisible threads, abruptly suspending them in mid-air!

Every fragment was vibrating, emitting a sharp, piercing buzzing sound, and then—

Countless fragments of broken swords, gleaming with a cold light, like poisoned steel needles fired from a powerful crossbow, with a resolute determination to perish together, transformed into a dense rain of light, rushing straight towards the demon chicken's unsuspecting eyes, which gleamed with a savage red light.

Hurry up.

It's so fast!

The exhilaration of the demon chicken shattering the flying sword hadn't even had time to fully spread in its scarlet eyes before countless gleaming metal fragments pierced and penetrated its eyes!

"Bah!"

A piercing scream, loud enough to shatter eardrums, suddenly burst from the grotesque chicken's torn throat.

Suddenly losing sight, the demon chicken flapped its wings wildly. At that moment, Little Yellow's golden figure, which had been poised to pounce, landed precisely on the demon chicken's neck, which was raised high and thrashing wildly in pain.

Click!

A sharp, teeth-grinding sound, like bone being bitten off, echoed clearly in the deathly silence of the valley.

As the monster crashed to the ground, Little Yellow expertly ripped open the still-twitching chest of the Steel Feather Chicken with a single claw, and thick, foul-smelling black blood gushed out instantly. It disgustedly shook the filth off its claws and began to probe inside with its sharp claws, preparing to pull out the spirit core for Shen Zhaozhao.

But as soon as its paws reached in and stirred things around, the big, furry head suddenly stopped, its beady eyes widening instantly, filled with unbelievable horror.

"Zhaozhao, come quick!"

As if its paws had been scalded by boiling oil, Little Yellow's massive body sprang back a considerable distance with a "whoosh": "What... what is this thing?!"