Chapter 113: Southern Wilderness Demon Territory, a Test of Life and Death
After leaving the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan continued their journey. Their experience in the Western Regions brought them great gains, especially Ye Li's understanding of karma and reincarnation, and Qin Yixuan's acquisition of the mysterious Buddhist rosary, which enhanced their strength and foundation.
Following the increasingly clear guidance of Qin Yixuan's divine essence, the next direction pointed south. To the south lay the vast, pristine and mysterious Southern Wilderness Demon Territory. It was a demonic paradise, dotted with precipitous mountains, deep jungles, and poisonous swamps. It was home to countless powerful demonic beasts and transformed demons. For human cultivators, traversing it was far more dangerous than in the Western Regions.
The two of them didn't venture too far into the core of the Demon Realm, instead navigating the relatively safer periphery, attempting to locate the source of the pulling sensation. The scenery of the Southern Wasteland was distinct from that of the Northern and Western Regions. Here, towering ancient trees and tangled vines filled the air, rich with the scent of life, yet also concealed a deadly threat. Venomous insects and ferocious beasts abounded, and seemingly tranquil pools of water or blossoms could instantly claim one's life.
They restrained their auras and moved cautiously through the dense forest. Due to their limited strength, the Youge team led by Sun Xiaohou was unable to follow into such a dangerous area. They could only establish a base outside the demon domain and maintain one-way communication through special means.
One day, tracking the scent of a rare "Red Sun Vermillion Fruit," known for its miraculous properties in restoring one's essence, they unknowingly journeyed deep into a dangerous area marked on the map as the "Misty Swamp." This area was perpetually shrouded in a gray-green, poisonous miasma, resulting in extremely low visibility and severely suppressed spiritual awareness. Countless strange and ferocious creatures lurked beneath the swamp.
"Be careful, the space here seems a little abnormal." Ye Li frowned slightly. She keenly felt that the rules of the world around her seemed a little distorted, and the fragments of the Samsara Mirror also emitted a faint warning fluctuation.
Qin Yixuan nodded, his sword tightly gripped in his hand. The Cang Hai Ming Yue Pearl and the Buddhist prayer beads radiated a brilliant light, dispelling the approaching poisonous miasma and evil aura. "The aura of the Red Sun Vermillion Fruit has become much weaker here. It seems... it's deliberately luring us here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, something strange happened!
The surrounding swamp suddenly surged violently. Eight massive stone pillars, engraved with eerie demonic patterns, broke through the mud and soared into the sky! An invisible force field instantly connected the pillars, forming a massive cage that trapped Ye Li and Qin Yixuan in the center! At the same time, a thick, gray, poisonous miasma surged from all directions like a living thing, frantically eroding their protective auras!
"It's a trap! An ancient demon formation!" Ye Li's face darkened, and the Xuanbing Sword was unsheathed in an instant. A sharp sword energy slashed towards the stone pillar, but it was like a drop in the ocean, only causing a ripple, and the stone pillar did not move at all!
Qin Yixuan also immediately activated the power of Xuanshui, trying to use softness to overcome hardness and dissolve the force field of the formation, but found that this demon formation was extremely strong. The force field was like a spider web, extremely tough, and had a strange property of corroding spiritual power and devouring vitality.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! I didn't expect to catch two big fish this time! A human Yuandan realm prodigy, and another... tsk, tsk, this aura truly makes me salivate!" A hoarse, greedy voice rang out from the depths of the thick fog. Then, a tall, ferocious-looking, transformed demon king, with a single horn atop its head and covered in dark green scales, slowly emerged. The demonic aura emanating from it was remarkably that of a late Yuandan realm cultivator! Its aura was ancient and fierce, far beyond the reach of an ordinary demon king.
Behind this demon king, there were several fierce-looking demons in the Nascent Soul stage.
"Who are you? Why did you set up a formation to trap us two?" Qin Yixuan shouted in a clear voice. Although he was in danger, he remained calm.
The demon king licked his lips, his scarlet eyes fixed on Qin Yixuan, particularly the pure divine aura she exuded. "I am the master of this misty swamp, the Green Scale Demon King! Little girl, you smell very unique, very much like those pesky gods from ancient times... By devouring you, perhaps I can return to my ancestral bloodline and achieve a breakthrough! As for that ice lump next to you, it's pure Yuan Dan and a great tonic! Become my blood food!"
It turned out that the demon king was interested in Qin Yixuan's divine origin and Ye Li's pure Yuandan!
"Delusion!" Ye Li shouted coldly, no longer holding back. His Yuan Dan realm cultivation fully erupted, and the power of the "Youhuan Emperor Sutra" and the "Ice Emperor Sealing Heaven Art" merged. The Xuanbing Sword transformed into an ice-blue dragon, carrying the will to freeze everything, and took the initiative to attack the Qinglin Demon King! This mastermind must be dealt with first!
"Hmph! You dare to resist, ants? In this 'Eight Desolations Soul-Locking Demon Formation,' your spiritual energy will be continuously devoured. Let's see how long you can hold out!" The Green Scale Demon King sneered and swung his sharp claws, bringing with him a bloody storm as he charged towards Ye Li's attack. Its body was incredibly powerful, its claws comparable to divine weapons, clashing head-on with the Mystic Ice Sword, a clanging sound of metal clashing!
Qin Yixuan immediately attacked, the Cang Hai Ming Yue Pearl radiating brilliantly. The Xuan Shui sword intent, like a celestial river flowing backward, attacked the Nascent Soul stage demons, relieving Ye Li of the pressure. The Buddhist prayer beads also automatically flew up, shedding a peaceful Buddha light that had a significant suppressive effect on demonic energy, temporarily holding off the demons' siege.
However, just as the Demon King had said, this ancient demon formation was extremely powerful. Within the formation, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan both felt their spiritual energy rapidly draining away, constantly being devoured and absorbed by the eight stone pillars and the pervasive poisonous miasma. Furthermore, the formation's force field continued to compress their movement space, exerting heavy pressure.
The battle was brutal. Ye Li wielded her "Universe Traceless Step" and "Frost Condensing Finger" to the utmost, engaging the Green Scale Demon King. Every clash of swords sent her blood surging. The Demon King's strength far surpassed that of an average late-stage Yuan Dan cultivator, and coupled with the support of the formation, the pressure on her was immense.
Qin Yixuan, while relying on her divine essence and Buddhist treasures to temporarily fend off several powerful demons, was losing her spiritual energy at a faster rate, and her face grew increasingly pale. In a moment of carelessness, she was struck in the back by a shadow demon skilled at sneak attacks. Although she quickly blocked the blow with her water shield, she still sustained severe internal injuries and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Senior Sister Qin!" Ye Li's heart suddenly tightened when he saw Qin Yixuan injured. His attack became a little disordered, and the Green Scale Demon King seized the opportunity and slapped him on the shoulder with a claw!
"Puff!" Ye Li also spat out a mouthful of blood, her shoulder a bloody mess, and the pain was excruciating! If her body hadn't been tempered many times and nourished by the essence of the Samsara Mirror, this claw would have crippled her arm!
"Ye Li!" Seeing this, Qin Yixuan ignored his own injuries and forcibly mobilized his divine power. A purifying divine light forced back the besieging monsters, and he rushed to Ye Li and stood back to back with her.
Both of them were injured, their spiritual energy was greatly depleted, and they were trapped in a desperate formation. Facing a powerful enemy, the situation was extremely precarious!
"It seems that we really have to fight to the death side by side today." Ye Li wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes became increasingly cold and determined, without any fear.
Qin Yixuan looked at Ye Li's bloodstained face, felt the warmth coming from her back, and the inexplicable emotions in her heart grew like wild weeds. She gently held Ye Li's uninjured hand, and although her voice was weak, it was filled with a resolute warmth: "If I can fight side by side with you, why should I fear death?"
At this moment, the differences between sects, the reservedness of a young girl, seemed insignificant in the face of life and death. An emotion that transcended friendship, a bond of life and death, erupted in despair, clearly manifesting itself in the hearts of the two.
The Green Scale Demon King looked at their affectionate appearance and sneered, "Still being so affectionate when death is imminent? I will send you to be a pair of mandarin ducks with the same fate!"
It roared, unleashing its most powerful transformation! The demonic patterns on the eight stone pillars shone brightly, condensing into destructive gray spears of light that rained down upon the two like a torrential rain! Simultaneously, its body transformed into a streak of green light, charging forward to kill!
There is no way to avoid it! There is no way to stop it!
A true life-or-death moment!
"Let's fight!" A hint of madness flashed in Ye Li's eyes. She was ready to do whatever it takes to forcefully activate the origin of the Samsara Mirror again, and might even burn her soul to perform forbidden techniques!
"I'll help you!" Qin Yixiuan also made the same decision. She wanted to completely detonate the source of divinity and the power of Buddhist treasures!
At this critical moment, something strange happened again!
Perhaps it was the complete connection between their minds and their auras at the critical moment of life and death that triggered some mysterious opportunity. The fragments of the Samsara Mirror within Ye Li, the divine essence within Qin Yixuan, and the Buddhist prayer beads unexpectedly resonated with each other in a strange way!
Buzz!
An indescribable force, transcending mere spiritual energy, spread out from the two of them! This force seemed to combine the profoundness of reincarnation, the purity of divinity, the compassion of Buddhism, and... an unwavering strength stemming from their mutual belief in protecting each other!
The gray spears of light that shot from the sky, upon contact with this force, melted away like ice and snow in the sun! The Green Scale Demon King, charging at him, was also violently sent flying by this force, his face filled with horror and disbelief!
"What kind of power is this?!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ye Li had an idea. She no longer thought about fighting hard, but immersed all her mind in the wonderful resonance, guiding this fused power and pouring it into the Xuanbing Sword!
"Reincarnation... break the karma! Freeze... suppress the demons and evil!"
She swung her sword, without earth-shattering force, only a faint, grayish sword energy that seemed plain yet contained the profound principles of heaven and earth. As the sword energy passed through, the incredibly solid ancient demon formation, the demonic energy flowing within it, was forcibly severed! The demonic patterns on the eight stone pillars instantly dimmed and cracked!
Boom! The demon formation...collapsed!
Under the backlash of the formation, the Green Scaled Demon King and several big demons were all seriously injured. They screamed and fled into the depths of the swamp, not daring to show their heads again.
The crisis was resolved in such an unexpected way.
After surviving the disaster, Ye Li and Qin Yixuan both collapsed on the ground exhausted, smiled at each other, and saw the relief, fatigue, and the burning emotions that could no longer be concealed in each other's eyes.
"We... survived." Qin Yixuan said softly, her hand still tightly holding Ye Li's hand.
"Yeah." Ye Li nodded and held her hand tighter with his backhand.
After this life-or-death ordeal in the Southern Wilds' demonic realm, the relationship between the two has reached a crucial stage of development. A seed of love, nurtured by blood and fire, has broken through the earth and flourished. They will walk hand in hand on the road ahead, no matter what hardships or obstacles they face.
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