Chapter Thirty-Eight: A cornered beast will fight on.
The scales of victory have tipped completely.
However, right there in this hall, which was gradually being brought under the control of order, a violent aura suddenly erupted.
The source was none other than the Great Elder Youchi.
He gazed at the rebel soldiers kneeling and begging for mercy, his eyes finally settling on Jiu Ya, who stood before the throne, sword in hand.
Hundreds of years of management, strategic planning, and manipulation of power, all within reach of the highest position... were destroyed by this young girl he had never taken seriously, whom he regarded as a puppet.
Resentment! Vengeance! Madness! In an instant, they devoured the last shred of his sanity.
His cloudy old eyes instantly became bloodshot, turning completely red. "You little bitch... it's you... it's all your fault! You ruined everything I had!"
His hands moved with an incredibly fast, almost uncanny speed, forming hand seals as he chanted incantations, uttering ancient and obscure syllables. "With my soul! With my blood! With my lifespan! I beseech the Ancestral Ancestor... to grant me the power to slay my enemies!"
An indescribable, terrifying magical power erupted from his aged body; it was not normal demonic energy at all.
Countless eerie, dark red lines instantly appeared on Youchi's skin, as if lava were flowing within them. His body visibly swelled, his withered muscles bulging and tearing his magnificent elder's robe. His fingernails turned jet black and long, and his hair grew wildly.
An overwhelming pressure, far exceeding his usual level, pressed down on the entire Daqing Palace like a tangible mountain. Some soldiers and maids with lower cultivation levels couldn't help but groan, their faces turning pale as they retreated hastily.
"Forbidden technique! He burned his soul and life!" The knowledgeable Changdong's expression changed, and he shouted sharply, "Protect the Venerable One!"
Without hesitation, Li Yue immediately wanted to rush forward and stand in front of Jiu Ya.
"Step back!" Jiu Ya's voice was unusually calm. "This is a feud between him and me. Li Yue, Fifth Elder, clear the area and seal off the surroundings. Do not let the aftershocks harm others! This is an order!"
Her gaze was fixed on You Chi, whose form had drastically changed. She activated the "Shadow Secret Insight Chapter" to its limit, frantically analyzing the surge of his power, which was extremely unstable. She could sense that You Chi's power was increasing wildly, but this power was filled with an aura of destruction and chaos, rapidly depleting his very essence, like a brilliant but fleeting ephemera.
"You little bitch! Prepare to die!" You Chi's voice was distorted. He stomped on the ground, and the solid obsidian floor tiles shattered. His figure turned into a blood-red afterimage and appeared in front of Jiu Ya almost instantly.
A sharp claw covered in dark red demonic patterns pierced straight into Jiu Ya's heart.
Jiu Ya's pupils contracted slightly. The enhanced perception and predictive abilities granted by the "Secret Knowledge of Shadows" played a crucial role at this moment. Just before the sharp claws reached her body, she narrowly dodged to the side, her Kunwu Blade slashing upwards to parry the opponent's wrist.
A deafening clang of metal clashing rang out! Sparks flew everywhere.
Jiuya felt an overwhelming force emanating from the blade, which made her arm go numb, her blood surge, and she involuntarily slid back several feet.
Such immense power! This forbidden technique is truly sinister!
Yu Chi missed his first attack, then roared and pounced again, his claws lashing out, creating a flurry of bloody claw shadows that completely enveloped the space around Jiu Ya. The attack was like a raging storm, completely chaotic, yet it was purely an overwhelming display of power and speed.
Jiuya was instantly forced into a defensive posture. She brought the movement techniques of the "Shadow Secrets Chapter" to their extreme, each dodge was exquisite, and she always avoided fatal attacks at the last second. The Kunwu Blade transformed into a swirling ball of ghostly light, constantly blocking, parrying, and deflecting the force. The sound of the blade and claw colliding was as dense as a torrential rain hitting banana leaves.
However, she was still completely suppressed; the difference in absolute power was obvious. Each of You Chi's attacks shook her internal organs, causing her demonic energy to be consumed rapidly. Even more troublesome was the resentment and venom contained within that crimson energy, which constantly tried to erode her mind and interfere with her judgment.
"Dodge! Let's see how long you can hide!" You Chi laughed wildly, his attacks becoming increasingly frenzied, even willing to exchange injuries for injuries, a fight of mutual destruction. A claw gust of wind swept past, tearing the clothes on Jiu Ya's shoulder, leaving three shallow bloodstains. Immediately, a burning pain and a strange numbness came from the wounds.
Jiuya gritted her teeth, her eyes growing increasingly cold and calm. She struggled to dodge and parry while frantically circulating the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique." The characteristics of this domineering technique began to manifest—it not only refined her own demonic energy but also subtly devoured invading foreign energies.
Although You Chi's power was immense and violent, the resentful and poisonous energy that tried to invade her body was quickly burned, dissolved, and even forcibly devoured by the magic of the "Burning Marrow and Eroding Heart Technique," transforming into a scorching torrent that nourished her.
At the same time, the Kunwu Blade in her hand underwent a strange change. As the battle continued, the eerie light emanating from the blade grew stronger, and the ancient patterns seemed to come alive. It was no longer just a sharp weapon, but rather a greedy black hole, silently absorbing a trace of Youchi's magic power with each clash with Youchi's blood-red claws.
Yuchi also sensed something was wrong. He felt as if the magic he had poured into his opponent's body had sunk without a trace, while the opponent's power seemed to grow stronger with each battle. The strange short sword made his heart tremble; with each clash, he felt as if a sliver of his life force was being secretly gnawed away.
"What kind of evil technique or demonic artifact is this?!" You Chi was both shocked and furious, and his attack faltered slightly. The power of the forbidden technique was strong, but it was depleting his very essence; if the battle dragged on, he would be the first to collapse!
Jiuya keenly sensed the opponent's mental fluctuations in that instant, and activated the "Shadow Secret Insight Chapter" at full power. The opponent's movement trajectory, the flow of magic power, and even the soul weakened by the backlash of the forbidden technique, were all clearer to her than ever before.
Instead of simply dodging and blocking, she took a deep breath, and the magic of the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique" erupted with unprecedented intensity, causing the air around her to distort slightly due to the scorching and domineering energy.
"You old fool! Your end is nigh!"
Jiuya let out a clear shout, her body sliding into You Chi's inner circle as if weightless, brushing against his heavy claw attack. This move was extremely risky, practically placing herself within the opponent's attack range.
A look of astonishment and ecstasy flashed in You Chi's eyes. Without hesitation, he grabbed at Jiu Ya's slender neck with his other claw, confident that this claw would be enough to tear her to pieces.
However, Jiu Ya was faster. Her body twisted at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding being grazed by the deadly claws on her neck. The force of the attack tore a few strands of her hair.
At the same time, the Kunwu Blade in her hand transformed into a dark stream of light, relentlessly piercing You Chi's relatively weak chest.
Yu Chi's ecstatic joy froze instantly, turning into extreme terror. He wanted to defend himself, to dodge, but his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated. The immense power brought by the forbidden technique had now become a hindrance to his evasion.
All he could do was frantically unleash all the magic power within him, "Abyssal Blood Protection..."
Before he could finish his incantation, the tip of the Kunwu Blade pierced through the hastily formed blood shield without any resistance.
The blade's momentum was unstoppable; it continued its advance.
It pierced through Youchi's chest with perfect precision, penetrating his demonic energy.
Yu Chi's movements froze completely. His claws, aimed at Jiu Ya's neck, stopped in mid-air, only inches away from her skin, unable to advance any further. His bloodshot eyes widened, staring intently at Jiu Ya's cold face so close to his.
"No...it...is...possible..." He opened his mouth, making a hoarse, escaping sound, and black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
The magic power of the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique" and the power of the Kunwu Blade that had invaded his body erupted instantly. You Chi's body convulsed violently, and the dark red magic patterns on his body surface flickered wildly before quickly fading. His swollen body deflated rapidly like a punctured balloon, and his skin turned charred and cracked.
He let out a piercing, desperate scream, filled with endless pain and resentment.
The screams abruptly stopped.
Jiuya suddenly drew her Kunwu sword.
Yuchi's withered, charred body swayed, and the crimson light in his eyes went out completely. He fell straight backward, crashing heavily onto the cold, broken ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Yu Chi, the ambitious and powerful elder of the Demon Realm who had held sway for centuries, was thus completely annihilated.
The violent and foul aura surrounding him receded like a tide, quickly dissipating into the air.
Inside the main hall, there was a deathly silence.
All eyes were focused on the proudly standing young demon lord and the charred corpse at her feet that was rapidly losing its life.
Sunlight streamed in through the wide-open door, falling precisely on Jiu Ya, bathing her in a dignified and unapproachable aura. She was slightly out of breath, blood still seeping from the wound on her shoulder, her right hand holding the knife trembling slightly, but her spine was ramrod straight, her sharp gaze sweeping across the entire room.
Every demon who met her gaze, whether loyal or surrendered rebel, involuntarily lowered their heads, their hearts filled with awe.
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