Chapter 72

A cultivator died on the spot, and due to the suddenness of the incident, the several hundred disciples of the Ling Cang Sect at the foot of Xiaolang Mountain were all stunned.

Zhang Yan looked up and saw a demon cultivator standing in the air, about ten feet tall, with a protruding jaw, broad cheeks, a pointed head, and skin as black as ink, wrapped in golden armor. He held a six-foot-long, fierce-looking beast-faced long saber in his hands.

The demon glanced around and, upon seeing the golden python, a glint of joy appeared in his eyes, which were as large as copper bells. With a strange laugh, he rushed over.

Surrounding the golden python were several dozen strongmen. Upon seeing this, they shouted and surrounded the python. However, the demon cultivator charged forward without hesitation. As he passed, an irresistible force was unleashed, and several strongmen were directly thrown away.

Several other strongmen tried to block him but were swatted away like dolls with a single wave of his hand.

Luo Xiao, who was in Zhang Yan's sleeve, exclaimed, "It's actually him?"

Zhang Yan lifted his sleeve and brought it close, asking in a low voice, "Luo Daoist, do you recognize this demon?"

Luo Xiao's voice, as fine as a mosquito's, came from the sleeve, "His name is Qu Chang, the son of Qu Bo from the Nine-Bend Creek Palace in Deep Spring Gorge. I wonder why he has come here?"

Zhang Yan frowned. The Nine-Bend Creek Palace? Hasn't it already been captured by Su Yihong? Even if there were any stragglers, they would have long gone into hiding. How could this person appear here? He vaguely felt that the appearance of the golden python and this person together seemed not to be a coincidence.

At this moment, Qu Chang had already reached the golden python and was reaching out to the Yuan Yang Golden Lock. Once the lock was opened, the demon python would be free.

Xie Zongyuan pointed at Qu Chang and shouted, "Everyone, capture this demon!" Qu Chang was merely at the Xuan Guang stage, and he had four Xuan Guang cultivators by his side, so he was not at all afraid and felt very confident.

These Xuan Guang cultivators had long wanted to act, but they were here to protect Xie Zongyuan and could not move without orders. Now, hearing this, one of them immediately stepped forward, fingers together, and coldly said, "Slash!"

A flying sword rose from his hand and slashed down at Qu Chang.

Qu Chang's hand was about to touch the Yuan Yang Golden Lock when he suddenly felt something strange behind him. He turned around and caught the flying sword with one hand. Staring at the buzzing sword in his hand, he grunted and, with a bit of effort, snapped it in half with a "crack."

A cultivator standing to Xie Zongyuan's right snorted and rushed forward. A blue light, like a large fan, swept toward Qu Chang.

Qu Chang's face twisted into a fierce smile. Instead of dodging, he charged forward. Just as they were about to collide, he shouted, "Ha!" and raised his beast-faced saber high. With a downward slash, "puh," the blue light was split, and the cultivator was cut in two, blood splattering everywhere, and his spirit scattered.

Everyone's faces changed. The leading Xuan Guang cultivator shouted, "Not good, this person has a divine weapon in his hand! Quickly retreat and use your magical treasures and flying swords!"

A divine weapon is a general term for the weapons used by cultivators, divided into human, earth, and heaven grades. These weapons are all forged by high-level cultivators using rare materials, capable of resisting magical treasures and breaking through the protective Xuan Qi of cultivators.

The remaining three Xuan Guang cultivators, seeing Qu Chang's ferocity, did not dare to approach. They cast spells and, from a distance of several dozen feet, their magical treasures and flying swords flew up, a series of lights converging on him.

Qu Chang swung his beast-faced saber, deflecting two flying swords. The last one, however, he could not avoid, and it struck his head. There was a "clang" as if it had hit metal, leaving only a white mark. He shook his head but was unharmed.

However, this sword seemed to have angered him. He ignored the golden python and instead charged toward Xie Zongyuan.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan asked, "Luo Daoist, is this demon following the path of 'strength,' which is why he is not afraid of flying swords?"

Luo Xiao's voice came from the sleeve, "Exactly. Qu Chang should have reached the third level of Xuan Guang, where the Xuan Qi has merged with his physical body, making him as strong as steel. Ordinary magical treasures and flying swords cannot harm him."

Xuan Qi, also known as "the essence of qi," after the stage of Ming Qi, if there are no external objects like Yun Sha to condense the light and form a shape, it will merge with the body, leading to the path of strength.

Most demon cultivators, lacking secret manuals and scriptures, and with their qi cultivation far behind human cultivators, focus on strengthening their physical bodies to leverage their strengths.

However, after reading the "Yuan Ming Jin Guo Book," Zhang Yan knew that the path of strength was not so simple, especially the higher-level methods, which required not only the cultivation of Xuan Gong but also the essence and blood of ancient great demons, requiring no less external materials than the path of qi.

Seeing Qu Chang charge forward with a ferocious momentum, Xie Zongyuan was not flustered. He took out a small green stele from his sleeve and said, "Go!"

The small stele rose into the air and became a massive three-zhang object, pressing down on Qu Chang.

In an instant, a strange force seemed to envelop the area. Qu Chang, who had been moving quickly, fell from the air. Even after struggling to stand, he found it difficult to move, as if he were stuck in quicksand.

Suddenly, the sky above darkened, and the massive stele fell. Qu Chang shouted and raised his saber to block it. A loud noise followed, and he managed to hold it back, but the force was too great, and he was slowly being pressed down.

Feng Ming, watching from above, was shocked and asked, "Senior Brother Fang, what kind of magical treasure is this? It's so powerful?"

Fang Zhen snorted, "This is the Sea-Taming Stele, a spirit treasure. However, Xie Zongyuan is only at the second level of Ming Qi, so he can only exert a fraction of its power. Otherwise, this demon would have been crushed by now, without any chance to struggle."

Seeing that Qu Chang was struggling to hold on, Xie Zongyuan smiled faintly, cast a spell, and saw the massive stele slowly shrink, but its power did not diminish. When it was about a foot in size, he drew a gleaming short blade from his sleeve, clearly not an ordinary item, and handed it to a Xuan Guang cultivator by his side, saying, "Go and finish him off."

The cultivator bowed and took the blade, walking step by step toward Qu Chang. Seeing that the latter was panting heavily but could not break free from the stele's pressure, he sneered, stepped forward, and raised his blade to strike.

The disciples watching thought this strike would kill the ferocious demon, but suddenly, Qu Chang lifted his head, a fierce smile on his face, and grabbed the cultivator's arm. With a wave of his other hand, the back of the beast-faced saber struck the cultivator's head, and with a "crack," his head exploded, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere.

Xie Zongyuan exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

Qu Chang stood up again, shook his head, and stared at Xie Zongyuan with fierce eyes, seemingly unaffected by the Sea-Taming Stele.

The Sea-Taming Stele, though still floating in the air, emitted a mournful sound. Upon closer inspection, a small talisman was supporting the stele, preventing it from falling and seemingly fixing it in place.

Now, only two Xuan Guang cultivators remained by Xie Zongyuan's side. Seeing Qu Chang charge toward them with a fierce smile, one of them shouted, "Fourth Brother, run! We'll hold him off!"

Xie Zongyuan's face turned pale, but he did not flee. Instead, he stood firm, a fierce look in his eyes. He turned to the sky, clasped his hands, and said, "Senior Brother Fang, I know you have a magical treasure. Please help me kill this demon, and the Xie family will reward you handsomely!"

Fang Zhen and Feng Ming, who had initially wanted to watch the spectacle and were glad to see Xie Zongyuan's predicament, now felt the situation was wrong and had the urge to retreat. Seeing Xie Zongyuan's plea, they coldly sneered and ignored him, waving their talismans and turning to leave.

Zhang Yan's eyes flashed, thinking that Fang Zhen seemed to have a high status among the disciples, with even Feng Ming showing him great respect. However, this person had tried to scheme against him, thinking he wouldn't notice. He decided to take the opportunity to trap him.

He urged his flying boat to block Fang Zhen's path and said, "Senior Brother Fang, with a great enemy ahead, where are you going?"

Fang Zhen was taken aback and angrily said, "Zhang Yan, why are you blocking me? Xie Zongyuan is a disciple of a noble family; if he dies, so be it. Why do you meddle in this?"

Zhang Yan said solemnly, "Senior Brother Fang, I'm not blocking you for Xie Zongyuan."

He pointed downward and shouted, "Look, there are several hundred disciples below, all our fellow disciples. They don't have flying boats and can't fly away. If you leave and Xie Zongyuan is defeated, these disciples will be at the mercy of this demon. Although this demon is at the Xuan Guang stage, I've heard you have a magical treasure. If we join forces, we might not be outmatched. Let's go and kill him together."

Zhang Yan's words made sense, and Fang Zhen's face twitched. He reluctantly said, "This demon is powerful. We need to report back to our sect and make a decision."

With that, he maneuvered his flying boat to avoid Zhang Yan's and turned to run. Feng Ming looked at Zhang Yan with a complex expression. He had been swayed by Zhang Yan's words but thought he alone could not make a difference, so he remained silent.

Zhang Yan smiled and, looking at Fang Zhen's retreating back, shouted, "Fang Zhen, as a disciple of Master Yan of the Micro Light Cave Heaven, you actually retreat in battle, disregarding the lives of your fellow disciples and the reputation of your master. Do you have any shame? What use are you to the sect? I, Zhang Yan, am ashamed to be your companion!"

His voice echoed, and the several hundred disciples below heard it clearly, their expressions varied.

Fang Zhen's face turned red with anger, and he felt like spitting blood.

Feng Ming's face also turned red, feeling guilty. He hesitated and said, "Senior Brother, perhaps we should..."

Fang Zhen shouted, "Bah! If Zhang Yan wants to die, let him. Do you want to go too? Yes, I have a magical treasure, but I don't want to help them. So what?"

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PS: Thank you all for your concern. I feel much better after taking the medicine. This is the first update, and there will be another one in the evening, which will be a bit late.