Chapter 61 Magic Fighter 4: Was it intentional or accidental? ...
After receiving Xu Xing's telepathic message, Qianqian and Mei Zihan immediately took out all the remaining defensive magical artifacts to protect everyone. They managed to block most of the damage when the lightning struck, although they were slightly affected by the aftershocks, but fortunately it was not serious.
Are you alright?
Xu Xing and Shen Du stepped forward to check on everyone's condition, and all the alchemists expressed their gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoists."
Li Yuan was still thinking about the strange scales that had appeared on Xu Xing's face. He wanted to speak, but he was pushed to the back by the crowd. He couldn't help but look at the man standing next to Xu Xing. He had just heard her call out "Senior Brother". This man was also a sword cultivator. Could it be Shen Du?
A strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. They were supposed to be fellow disciples, but they weren't from the same sect. Now, Xu Xing not only lived on Xuanjian Peak, but was also so close to Shen Du...
"Cough! Cough!"
Pushing aside the collapsed alchemy furnace, Zhi Yan coughed as he got up, looked towards the side of the volcano, and said in a sinister tone, "Are you still going to watch the show? If this continues, they'll destroy this volcano alchemy furnace too!"
"Yuan Li! If I die here, do you think you can get away unscathed?!"
Upon hearing this, Ah Hao, the wolf boy following the demon clan, suddenly looked up at the sky. "Sister?!"
Everyone remembered that these demons were merely being manipulated by the Tiger Clan; the true mastermind had yet to reveal themselves!
They were on high alert when suddenly a male voice rang out, "I merely wish to invite you alchemists to refine pills; why make such a fuss?"
"Bah!" A fiery alchemist shouted, "Invite? You killed all my fellow Daoists who were traveling with me and sealed my spiritual power. Is this what you call an invitation? I didn't know the Tiger Clan had such audacity!"
"Hmph! You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" Rong Jun moved his divine sense and, in front of everyone, conjured a gust of wind, lifting the alchemist up and throwing him towards the volcano's crater.
The speed was so fast that no one could react in time. Just when it seemed that there was no time to rescue them, a white streak flew out from not far away, carrying a pure spiritual power, and swept the alchemist who was rolling in the gale back.
The alchemist, whose feet could almost feel the scorching heat of boiling magma and who thought he was doomed, looked in the direction from which the white ribbon had flown. He saw a group of demons, and a handsome man at the head of the group slowly stepped forward and said softly to the sky, "Is Tiger Lord going to act recklessly?"
His indifferent gaze swept over the group of alchemists, pausing slightly on Xu Xing, who was looking at him curiously, before turning his gaze away. "Most of the alchemists here are human. With the demon realm under lockdown, isn't the tiger clan's behavior putting the demons in opposition to the humans?"
"Tian Li?" Rong Jun recognized the identity of the Deer Clan's Junior High Priest. "How dare this brat spout such nonsense in front of me! You have no place to speak here!"
As soon as Rong Jun finished speaking, a group of tiger clan guards and demons such as Yuan Li descended from the sky. Suddenly, deep ravines cracked open in the ground around the volcano, and the earth's core fire suddenly burst forth, creating an insurmountable barrier between the volcano and Xu Xing and the others.
"I'd like to see if you can break through my natal flame!"
Rong Jun laughed loudly, "It's good that you've come! It's an honor for you all to witness my return to my peak!"
Shen Du plunged his longsword into the ground, and the golden sword light instantly spread out in a spider web pattern. He closed his eyes to sense the surroundings, and after a moment, he said in a deep voice, "The entrance to the secret realm has been closed."
In other words, even though the tiger clan's actions have been exposed, they will not receive any outside assistance.
Across the flames, Fu Shen stared coldly at Yuan Li, "Have you handed over the remnant soul yet?"
Yuan Li glanced at the battered and bruised Zhi Yan, her eyes devoid of any schadenfreude. She hadn't expected that in just one day, things would spiral out of her control like a runaway horse. She could play tricks on Zhi Yan, but the current situation left her no room to stand idly by.
Yuan Li was secretly annoyed, wondering if those two cultivators had fed the meat medicine demon blood. However, there was nothing he could do. He could only take out a crystal-clear bottle from his sleeve, open the lid, and a white figure floated out.
Deep within the Mountain Lord's Palace, Rong Jun, who had just uttered those harsh words, was not as arrogant as he appeared. He had transformed into a giant, striped tiger and was writhing in agony in the cave.
The countless ice needles grew even longer, almost tearing his body to pieces. Using his spiritual power at this moment was no less than torture, but the plan changed, and he had no choice but to take action to ensure the successful refining of the Heavenly Soul Azure Nether Pill.
He gasped for breath in agony, sweat mingling with blood streaming down his face, his massive golden eyes filled with a deep-seated hatred. "Fu Shuang—"
Having sensed Fu Shuang's presence earlier, Rong Jun assumed she had come to see his death in person, and every bone in his body was filled with excitement. He eagerly anticipated seeing Fu Shuang's eternally indifferent eyes again and feeling her icy, bone-chilling sword intent.
But what Rong Jun found even more unbearable than the physical pain was that Fu Shuang didn't come; she didn't even appear! He scanned the entire secret realm with his divine sense, but found no trace of her.
Fu Shuang remained the same as many years ago, indifferent to whatever Rong Jun did, her naturally ruthless eyes never having seen Rong Jun's shadow!
Good! What a fine Sword Master Li Shuang! Wei Shengyue perished, yet she could wipe out the Demon Realm with a single sword strike and suppress three powerful figures, but now she refuses to even glance at Rong Jun!
The giant tiger's tail slammed heavily against the cave wall in unbearable pain, and the cave was on the verge of collapsing under the strain. It was Fu Shen who came in and stopped Rong Jun's self-destructive behavior.
"My Lord! The remnant soul has been obtained, and the refinement of the Heavenly Soul Azure Nether Pill is in its final stage. Please be patient for a little longer!"
"Patience?" Rong Jun raised his head, a dark red glint of demonic energy flashing in his eyes. He said, word by word, "I have waited far too long!"
On the other side of the flames, Xiang Yuquan broke away from the demon race and came to Li Yuan's side. "Junior Brother Li, how are you?"
Li Yuan waved his hand, "I'm fine, thanks to..."
He remembered that Xu Xing's appearance had changed, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should mention her in front of Xiang Yuquan.
Xu Xing spotted Xiang Yuquan in the crowd and exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother Xiang? What are you doing here? Where's Linglan?"
Back then, Zhao Linglan and her senior brother Xiang went down the mountain for training together. Before Xu Xing left the Jade Cloud Sect, he regretted that he couldn't say goodbye to Zhao Linglan. Unexpectedly, he saw his senior brother Xiang in the demon realm.
Xiang Yuquan looked up and saw an unfamiliar female cultivator. His gaze was somewhat puzzled, and he said gently, "Who is this fellow Daoist...?"
Xu Xing remembered the scales and subconsciously touched his face. He found that the scales had faded and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to reveal his identity, he heard Shen Du speak first, "Junior Brother Xiang."
Xiang Yuquan was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is..."
He nodded to Xu Xing, clearly recognizing them, "Junior Sister Linglan is waiting for me in Luocang City."
Shen Du nodded slightly. "Now is not the time to speak. Let's see how the demon race deals with this matter first."
"Your Highness, perhaps you should first invite your fiancée over and bring her under our protection."
While asking Tianli, Na Yun couldn't help but secretly glance in Xu Xing's direction.
Not only her, but all the snake clan members' gazes were somewhat unfocused; they were struggling to suppress the urge to step forward and acknowledge the princess. The princess had disappeared just days after her birth, and they hadn't expected that she could grow into such an outstanding cultivator without the snake clan's nurturing!
As expected of their snake clan's princess!
A hint of helplessness flickered in Tian Li's gentle eyes. "It's not settled yet, so it's really offensive to keep calling her 'fiancée' all the time."
"yes!"
Thinking of the princess being with a human, and how the human race cared most about such reputations, Na Yun quickly covered her mouth, which drew a burst of laughter from Yun Xi. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Tian Li looking at her.
"This is Tiger Clan territory. It's not wise to rush in before things are resolved, lest we cause her trouble. It would be better to wait until things are settled before we acknowledge each other separately. Yunxi, what does the Snake Clan think?"
Yunxi felt uneasy at the thought that the guy in front of her was the princess's fiancé, but she knew he was right, so she reluctantly agreed.
strangeness……
Xu Xing turned her head and looked around. Why did she suddenly feel like a lot of people were looking at her? Was it just her imagination?
She felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively moved closer to Chen Du.
Shen Du glanced in the direction of the group of demons, then looked down at her and said softly, "Don't worry."
Li Yuan squeezed next to Xu Xing, "Don't worry, once my cultivation is restored, I'll definitely teach these demons a lesson!"
"The demon race just now managed to withstand the siege of a group of demons and puppets without losing a single person, which shows that they were well prepared."
Xiang Yuquan explained, "I've been with them these past few days, and from what I've observed, the young priest of the Deer Clan has unfathomable cultivation and may have a way to deal with this."
Mei Zihan, however, was somewhat worried. "Back then, Rong Jun dispersed his cultivation and lost absolute control over the Exploration Realm. That's why everyone felt safe entering the realm. But this blazing flame is so intense. I'm afraid Rong Jun had a backup plan all along. It's not as uncontrollable as he appeared before."
He had already tested the waters; the flames separating the volcano were extremely fierce, impossible for ordinary people to pass, and even the combined efforts of all the Golden Core cultivators might not be enough to cross them successfully.
“He is seriously injured, and every time he uses his spiritual power, his injuries worsen.” Qianqian looked at the flames tainted with wisps of demonic energy, her expression unreadable.
This is Rong Jun's natal spirit fire. Since it carries demonic energy, it means that Rong Jun is showing signs of demonic possession. So, it seems that their previous attempt to contaminate the alchemy materials by throwing the demonic cultivator into the volcano has failed.
Li Yuan snorted, "Mere demons, I..."
He thought of the suspicious scales on Xu Xing's face that resembled those of a demon, and suddenly stopped talking. Not knowing how to continue, he just kept his mouth shut until his face turned red.
Xu Xing, however, did not notice Li Yuan's "consideration." She looked at the rising mist from the crater opposite the flames. The remnant soul had actually begun refining pills. If the remnant soul that Yuan Li found was indeed Wei Shengyue, then what about the female phantom she saw? Could there really be two remnant souls?
"Everyone, the Tiger Clan has colluded with the Demon Clan, putting the Demon Clan in an unjust position. I ask all fellow human cultivators to bear witness that the Deer Clan and the Snake Clan have never been involved in the Tiger Clan's schemes."
Tian Li finally spoke. His eyes were clear and his appearance was otherworldly, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Behind them, demons brought out several puppets they had captured, which had been made from tigers, and displayed them to the crowd.
Knowing that he was a highly respected junior priest of the deer clan, everyone was very polite. "Junior priest, you are overthinking it. We will need the help of the demon clan to leave the secret realm."
"I will do my best."
Tian Li stepped forward, and the white ribbon poured down like water, rushing straight at the blazing flames. However, the flames only shrank a few inches, and then suddenly intensified, engulfing the white ribbon completely.
Yunxi's eyes widened in surprise, and she complained softly, "They spoke so confidently, I thought they had some great ability."
"Nonsense! Don't..."
Na Yun subconsciously wanted to refute, "The High Priest is naturally close to water spirits and was born from the holy spring. He can overcome all fires in the world. How could he not be able to get rid of this flame?"
Seeing the look on Tian Li's face as he gazed at the blazing flames, Na Yun knew that His Highness was probably deliberately stalling for time. She had no choice but to swallow her rebuttal and instead suggested, "After all, it is the spiritual fire of a Mahayana cultivator. Even though he has dispersed his cultivation, it should not be underestimated. Why don't we join forces and give it a try?"
So Na Yun and Yun Xi led the demons to use their water-based spells, but to no avail. Instead, they seemed to add spiritual power to the flames, making them burn higher and fiercer.
"this……"
Everyone was dumbfounded. Could it be that neither the snake clan nor the deer clan could handle this fire? Even Rong Jun in his current state couldn't deal with it. Once he regained his cultivation, wouldn't they become lambs to the slaughter?
Hahahaha!
With a burst of wild laughter, the tall man suddenly appeared above the volcano. Rong Jun was dressed in a black robe, and his long black and gold hair, intertwined with gold, fell loosely over his shoulders. A wicked smile appeared on his handsome face. "Tian Li, you little brat, you think you can break my spiritual fire with these low-level cultivators? Wishful thinking!"
In the eyes of Mahayana cultivators, those at the Golden Core stage are indeed low-level cultivators.
Mei Zihan frowned and said, "Everyone, let's lend a hand to the demon race!"
Everyone present who still possessed cultivation rushed forward to try and extinguish the fire, but how could a Golden Core cultivator extinguish the natal spiritual fire of a Mahayana cultivator? In an instant, countless spells were unleashed, and various colored spiritual lights rose and fell, but none of them could extinguish the flames.
Xu Xing followed behind the group and casually launched a few water spirits, but to no avail. She simply stood aside and stared blankly at the flames.
Rong Jun wasn't a very good Tiger Lord, but his Blazing Flame was of exceptional quality, ranking among the best of all the flames Xu Xing had ever seen. Such a fine spiritual fire, though tainted with demonic energy, wasn't unpurifiable. If some could be collected, it would be a great resource for refining artifacts.
Thinking this, Xu Xing looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, secretly took out a round-bellied bottle. Because her own spiritual fire was not strong enough, Xu Xing mostly used purchased spiritual fire for refining weapons. This fire-gathering bottle was a special container that she had refined herself, which was very suitable for storing spiritual fire.
Xu Xing stood on tiptoe and looked around. She had been standing there in a daze for a while, and the people next to her thought she was running out of spiritual energy, so they pushed her to the back. Now, there was a row of people in front of the flames, and she couldn't find any gaps to squeeze into a corner to steal some fire.
In the corner, a young snake-clan boy was trying his best to cast water-based spells, constantly rushing towards the flames. However, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and the water spirit he condensed evaporated before it even touched the flames. But he was not discouraged and continued to try.
He was sweating profusely from the flames when he suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder. Who was it, disturbing him at this hour?
The snake-man boy turned around impatiently, and when he saw the face of the person behind him, he was stunned.
"Um..." Xu Xing pointed to his seat and whispered, "Could you move over a little to make room for me? I'll be done soon!"
Your Royal Highness, the King!
She's an incredibly powerful princess! She single-handedly wiped out an entire demon race!! He must be the first snake to be approached by the princess!!!
The snake-clan boy stared blankly, his face, already flushed from the steam, turned an even redder as if it were about to bleed, and he remained speechless for a long time.
"Ah...is that not allowed?"
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Xu Xing was a little disappointed. She looked around, wanting to find another inconspicuous place, when she heard the boy stammer, "C-okay!"
Seeing that she was about to leave, the snake-clan boy jumped three feet high, instantly making room for Xu Xing. "Please, please make your way!"
"Thanks."
Unexpectedly, the demon race was so easy to talk to, and Xu Xing thanked them politely.
Thinking about her mysterious identity, and the fact that her true form might also be a snake, she should try to build good relations with the demon race. She reached into her sleeve and very tactfully pulled out a bottle of Beast Spirit Pills, saying, "Here you go."
The snake-clan boy named Yunlan, feeling dizzy, accepted the medicine bottle, and was then pulled away by the other snake-clan members.
"You brat! What did Her Highness the Princess say to you?! Tell me now!"
Xu Xing approached the flames, the heat almost blinding her. Seeing everyone else trying to extinguish the fire and no one paying attention to her, she quietly opened the fire-collecting bottle and brought it closer to the flames…
At the edge of the crater, Fu Shen was watching the movements of the phantom closely. There wasn't enough meat and medicine. Just now, the Lord had directly sent in twelve Tiger Clan guards. These were all young men he had personally trained. Fu Shen told himself that for the great cause of the Tiger Clan, sacrifice was inevitable.
The indistinct, remnant soul had no expression and its movements were extremely stiff, but the medicinal liquid under her hands was exceptionally compliant. As she kneaded it, with a burst of brilliant light, the last drop of medicinal liquid gathered, and a perfectly round, full, bluish-black elixir gradually took shape.
"Boom—"
A faint rumble of thunder sounded overhead, but it was firmly blocked by an invisible barrier.
Upon hearing the thunder, Fu Shen's heart finally settled. The fact that it could attract heavenly thunder meant it must be the ninth-tier Heavenly Soul Azure Nether Pill!
"My Lord, the elixir is complete!"
Rong Jun took the pill and turned it over, noticing a faint black color inside. He looked at Zhi Yan and said unhappily, "You can't even handle a volcano properly, and you let demons be thrown in. You're useless!"
Zhi Yan's face was pale. Needless to say, the demons who were used as meat medicine must have been the work of those human cultivators who were impersonating his subordinates.
The Demon Clan and the Tiger Clan have a cooperative relationship. Rong Jun was quite polite before, but he failed to do his job well, so now he can only endure Rong Jun's humiliation.
Fu Shen knew nothing about alchemy, and upon hearing this, he exclaimed in surprise, "There's a demonic spirit inside? Then this pill..."
"It's alright."
Rong Jun curled the corners of his mouth, but the smile did not reach his eyes. So what if he became a demon? When he returned to the Great Ascension stage, broke the restrictions of the Guixu Secret Realm, and obtained Wei Shengyue's legacy, even Fu Shuang would not be his match!
Thinking of the increasingly dense demonic energy within the Venerable One's body, Fu Shen lowered his head and swallowed his worries.
After Rong Jun consumed the Heavenly Soul Azure Nether Pill, bursts of azure light emanated from his body, the ice needles dissipated, and the feeling of his spiritual body being repaired brought him a satisfied sigh. The pain that had been tormenting him constantly finally subsided.
He let out a long sigh, a cold sneer in his heart. Fu Shuang would never have imagined that in the end, it was still the pill refined by Wei Sheng Yue that broke her sword intent. So what if she was left with only a remnant soul? She could only be used by him anyway.
Rong Jun's original plan was to take the Heavenly Soul Azure Nether Pill, then use the Primordial Spirit Transformation Pill to restore his cultivation, and then sacrifice all the cultivators who entered the secret realm to open the Guixu Secret Realm with the remnant souls. However, the pills are now missing. Although he has recovered most of his injuries, his scattered cultivation is difficult to restore. He can only rely on others to silence these cultivators who did bad things.
Rong Jun opened his eyes, waved his wide robe sleeves, and said with high spirits, "Fu Shen, go kill those eyesores and capture that rude brat from the Deer Clan alive."
He then looked at Yuan Li, who remained silent in the corner, and said, "The agreement between Qiong Cang and myself still stands. However, if anyone escapes from the secret realm and leaks the information, you will get nothing."
This meant she was to lead the remaining demons to fight for the tiger clan.
Knowing that Rong Jun harbored ill intentions, the powerful Deer Clan Junior Priest could only nod coldly, pondering how to escape.
Fu Shen and Yuan Li led the tigers and demons down. Rong Jun glanced at the bewildered remnant soul beside him, feeling annoyed, but since he still needed it to open the Guixu Secret Realm, he kneaded the remnant soul into a ball and put it in his mouth.
Rong Jun glanced down casually, and in that instant, he saw his natal flame vanish without a trace. He stood up abruptly. How could this be?!
Where's the fire?
The crowd was stunned that they couldn't dim the flames even slightly despite their best efforts. They all looked in the direction where the flames had disappeared. Everyone in the corner scattered, and Xu Xing, who was squatting on the ground with a fire-gathering bottle in his hand, was instantly exposed to everyone's sight.
Xu Xing, who originally only wanted to sneak a fire when no one was looking, was speechless.
“Um…” She stood up awkwardly, secretly hiding the fire-gathering bottle behind her back, her eyes darting around, and gave a dry explanation, “I didn’t mean to.”
After his initial surprise, Shen Du immediately went to Xu Xing's side, but a woman suddenly darted out from beside him, not only getting ahead of him but also grabbing Xu Xing's hand, saying excitedly, "Your Majesty... this fellow Daoist actually used such a powerful magic weapon to help us escape our predicament! Fellow Daoist, you are truly righteous!"
Yunxi secretly touched Xu Xing's hand while shaking hands. How smooth and fair it was! Its body temperature was a little cool. Hmm! It must be their snake clan's princess!
Look closely, although Her Highness's face is quite ordinary, her eyebrows and eyes actually resemble the Snake King's! They're clearly mother and daughter!
The others were taken aback, only to see a group of demons rushing forward, praising the young female cultivator who had put away her blazing flames. They were a beat slow to realize that yes, they should thank her, but why were these demons reacting so strangely?
Shen Du held his longsword horizontally in front of him, pushing aside several disgruntled demons as he approached Xu Xing. He slapped down Yun Xi's incessantly touching hand with the hilt of his sword, his eyes cold and his tone carrying a warning, "Fellow demon, please have some self-respect."
Where did this troublesome swordsman come from?
Yunxi was about to retort when she heard Rong Jun's furious shout from above, "How dare you!"
The next instant, Fu Shen and Yuan Li, along with a group of tiger clan guards and demon soldiers, pounced on them, each move brimming with killing intent!
Several streaks of white light rushed forward, and Tian Li drew away Fu Shen, who had the highest cultivation level. Her gentle and pleasant voice reached the ears of everyone present, "Everyone, please join forces to fight the enemy."
Meanwhile, in the Golden Serpent Palace, far away in the Serpent Clan's territory, Serpent King Shengqing suddenly sneezed. Several handsome men serving him immediately surrounded him, asking, "Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?"
"No, that's not it. Prince Qing must be worried about Princess."
"Lord Yunxi will surely bring the young prince back safely, so please do not worry, Your Highness."
As one handsome man was talking, he leaned into Sheng Qing's arms, causing the other men who arrived a little later to grit their teeth in secret.
These handsome men, each with a different appearance, were all presented by various large and small demon clans living within the snake clan's territory. They were all first-rate beauties, but they paled in comparison to the snake king Shengqing, the most beautiful woman in the demon clan.
Despite being surrounded by two beautiful women, Sheng Qing showed little interest and seemed unconcerned about her only daughter. She lifted the face of the handsome man in her arms, then pushed him away with a look of weariness and left the palace.
The maid followed closely behind and whispered, "We received a message from Yunxi. They have indeed discovered a demon clan member who resembles Princess. After dealing with the Tiger Clan, they will bring Princess back."
Sheng Qing waved his hand dismissively, seemingly unwilling to hear the news. The maid understood and was about to leave when Sheng Qing asked, "Her eyes..."
Eyes? The maid asked, puzzled.
Sheng Qing rubbed his temples and sighed, "Fine, if she's willing, let's bring her back."
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Author's Note: Shen Du: Are all snake people such offensive and rude guys?
Xu Xu: Huh?
Shen Du: Except for you.
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