Chapter 80

As the woman leaped into the air, she bared her fangs and spread her claws, resembling a giant bat, with a greedy and ferocious smile on her face. Wei Shiban was well-prepared, and he swung his iron staff, a streak of black light mixed with yellow, pushing the earth qi to its limit.

"Wow, so powerful..." The woman suddenly curled up her body, standing on the iron staff with her hands and feet, as light as a cat, impossible to shake off. Wei Shiban exerted his strength, smashing the staff and the woman into the mountain rock. At the moment of impact, she jumped to the side, landing steadily on the ground and swaying from side to side.

Wei Shiban's vision blurred slightly, sensing something was amiss. Instinctively, he used the move "Storms from All Directions," swinging his iron staff to create a sphere of black light, protecting himself. Indeed, the figure before him was just a shadow, vanishing in an instant. At the same time, a faint panting sound came from behind, indicating that such a move had cost her considerable energy.

The woman did not attack, swaying unsteadily, unable to stand firmly. She muttered, "Not bad, quick reflexes, and cautious. Which sect are you from?"

Wei Shiban stepped back a few paces, on high alert. The woman's movements were faster than the iron-backed wolf demon of Jietian Ridge. If not for her lack of strength, he might have been caught off guard.

"Answer me, speak up!"

Wei Shiban sensed she was stalling to regain her strength. He tested her with a couple of strikes, but she easily dodged them with jumps and hops. Chasing and attacking her would be futile, merely wasting his energy. He stopped and stood with his staff.

"Hehehe, why aren't you attacking? Tired after a few swings?"

Ignoring her provocation, Wei Shiban said, "You look exhausted. By the way, how long have you been sleeping underground in this hot spring?"

"How many years? Twenty, thirty, who knows? Anyway, the last time I had a full meal was a very, very long time ago. Those fresh organs, they tasted so good!" The woman licked her lips, her eyes glowing green like a hungry wolf in the dark.

Over thirty years ago... Room Yang... Six trial disciples... Empty organs... Severely injured by Xi Huzi... Disappeared...

Wei Shiban's mind became clear. The woman before him was the culprit behind the tragedy in Room Yang.

After a moment's panting, the woman seemed to regain some energy. Her long hair moved without wind, and she used some unknown power, her figure gradually becoming ethereal. In the next moment, she transformed into a dark shadow, rushing at Wei Shiban.

Wei Shiban exerted all his strength, making his iron staff impenetrable. The woman moved rapidly around him, circling several times but finding no opportunity to strike. In her frustration, she attacked recklessly, and her arm was immediately struck by the iron staff, breaking into two pieces.

The woman kicked off and floated three zhang away, frowning at her broken arm, thoroughly disappointed with her frail body. Human bodies were like tofu, requiring careful handling; any misstep could lead to injury.

She spat out a pale red demon core, the size of a walnut, rolling it over the broken arm, which quickly healed. Holding the demon core in her palm, she said coldly, "Indeed, without paying a price, you can't get what you want!"

She took a deep breath and blew on the demon core, unleashing an invisible demon wind that swept across the area. Snow on the ground rose into the air, forming countless sharp blades that rained down on Wei Shiban.

The ice knives and snow swords came too fast for Wei Shiban to avoid. He could only swing his iron staff to block them, his earth qi rapidly depleting. The staff became increasingly cold and heavy, and a moment's lapse left his chest and abdomen hit repeatedly. Fortunately, his body training allowed him to barely withstand the blows.

The woman's face grew paler, her hands trembling, and the demon core in her palm darkened and shrank. She thought fiercely, "Is this freak even human? With such low cultivation, how can he still hold on?"

Her true form was a three-eyed spirit cat named Miaozi, a victim of the Tongtian Array. Her soul was hidden in the demon core, suppressed under Jietian Ridge. She managed to escape the restrictions and, to avoid being pursued by Kunlun disciples, possessed the body of a trial disciple, infiltrating the Xiandu Sect. She planned to hide for a few years, recover some energy, and then find a chance to escape Kunlun Mountain. However, her demon core suddenly cracked, and in a desperate situation, she killed five people, using a blood sacrifice ritual to temporarily stabilize it.

The blood sacrifice ritual required a large amount of essence blood, and the higher the cultivation, the better the effect. The five trial disciples were new and had not yet reached a proper level of cultivation, so they were not very useful. In desperation, she killed her way up to Immortal Cloud Peak, collecting essence blood from cultivators to perform the blood sacrifice ritual and stabilize her demon core. This led to a confrontation with the Xiandu Sect's leader, Xi Huzi, resulting in a fierce battle that left her even more injured. She fled down Immortal Cloud Peak, pursued by Xiandu disciples. Finally, unable to continue, she jumped into the hot spring, hiding at the bottom, suppressing her demon aura and entering a state of hibernation, sleeping for thirty years.

Finally waking from hibernation, she was emaciated and dizzy. The first blood meal she encountered was a troublesome thorn. Even using her demon core, she couldn't take him down. When did the world and fate change, making the once mighty demon race so weak and vulnerable?