“Lu Xuan! If you dare lay a hand on her, I swear the entire Grand Dao Sect will pay for Qianhong’s life!”
The voice thundered, ripping through the void like exploding stars. Several monstrous great demons, radiating light like miniature suns, blazed across the boundless starry expanse, hurtling towards them. Trailing in their wake were dozens of spectral Yin Soldiers, conjured by the Demon Court, moving with terrifying speed, their killing intent a palpable, suffocating wave.
At the sight, Xuan Shang Old Ancestor and his companions exchanged looks of utter shock. “How could so many Half-step Supremes have been alerted?” Xuan Shang muttered, his voice laced with disbelief.
Lu Xuan merely flicked a dismissive glance, then casually extended a foot, kicking the multi-legged demoness Qianhong.
A thunderous boom echoed as Qianhong was sent hurtling a hundred thousand li through the void. She slammed into the distant landscape, pulverizing several mountain peaks before skidding to a halt directly before Chen Changsheng. A gaping maw had been torn in her abdomen, from which viscous green venom gushed, instantly corroding the earth into a deep, smoking crater. Emerald blood splattered everywhere.
Qianhong glared at Lu Xuan, her eyes burning with venomous hatred. She couldn’t accept it! Defeated? Just like that? Supreme bloodline flowed through her veins, a legacy of ancient power! Her aura flickered, rapidly diminishing, yet her fury was boundless. Just then, Chen Changsheng calmly approached, manifesting an ancient iron cauldron. Intricate runes, shimmering with arcane light, were etched across its surface.
Chen Changsheng’s fingers danced through a series of Spirit Arts. The gaping wound in Qianhong’s abdomen widened further, and the green venom surged out like a torrent, flowing directly into Chen Changsheng’s Dao Profound Iron Pot.
Qianhong stared at Chen Changsheng, her eyes wide with unadulterated horror. “Who... who are you?” she rasped. Even on the brink of death, extracting the potent venom from her body should have been an impossible feat, like trying to pluck stars from the sky. Yet this unassuming man, with his plain face and unassuming robes, was effortlessly siphoning the poison from her deepest reserves! When had the Grand Dao Sect ever harbored such a terrifying figure? She recalled the ancient war between the Grand Dao Sect and the Supreme Profound Sect, a cataclysm that shook the heavens. Every Supreme Magnate from both sides had been meticulously recorded in the Demon Court’s archives. But neither Lu Xuan nor this man had ever appeared! Her body convulsed, but she was utterly helpless, paralyzed before Chen Changsheng, forced to endure his every action.
Just then, from the depths of the void, a chorus of booms and cracks heralded the arrival of several more Demon Court Half-step Supremes. Behind them, dozens of Yin Soldiers shimmered with dark, ancient Dao patterns, each radiating an aura on par with a Half-step Supreme. Leading this formidable contingent was the White-haired Giant Ape, his face contorted into a mask of savage fury as his gaze fell upon Qianhong. The other Demon Court powerhouses mirrored his icy expressions. Another Half-step Supreme had fallen!
The White-haired Giant Ape roared at Chen Changsheng, his voice a chilling thunderclap. “You damned Human Race scum! Release her!” Chen Changsheng calmly turned, stowing his Dao Profound Iron Pot. He then nudged Qianhong’s lifeless form with his foot. “She’s already dead,” he stated flatly, before casually sweeping her entire corpse into his Storage Ring.
A guttural roar tore from the White-haired Giant Ape’s throat, veins bulging on his face as boundless killing intent erupted. He pounded his chest with massive, white-knuckled fists, bellowing, “Grand Dao Sect! You will all perish!”
Meanwhile, the other Demon Race magnates extended their Divine Senses, meticulously probing Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng. Ever since Lu Xuan’s arrival in this starry expanse, their Demon Court’s fortunes seemed to have taken a nosedive! Who were these two? Two formidable experts, seemingly conjured from thin air by the Grand Dao Sect! Moments later, the Demon Court powerhouses’ faces grew even colder, a chilling realization dawning. They couldn’t perceive Lu Xuan or Chen Changsheng’s true depths at all! This was utterly baffling! Lu Xuan clearly exuded the aura of a Nine-star Emperor Realm cultivator, yet he had effortlessly slain a Half-step Supreme. And the unassuming man in gray robes, Chen Changsheng, was as placid as an ancient, undisturbed well. These two were truly an enigma! Lu Xuan stood in the void, seemingly riddled with vulnerabilities, yet radiating an undeniable sense of danger. Chen Changsheng, in the distance, appeared utterly flawless, a perfect void.
A tense silence descended. The White-haired Giant Ape’s eyes, blazing like twin furnaces, swiveled to Xuan Shang Old Ancestor. “When did your Grand Dao Sect acquire such formidable experts?” he snarled. Xuan Shang Old Ancestor spread his hands, a picture of bewildered innocence. “Beats me,” he shrugged. “I’ve been in seclusion for countless ages. When I woke up, the Grand Dao Sect was... like this.” The other Old Ancestors, equally perplexed, turned to Lu Xuan. “Once we’re out of this Bronze Ancient Palace, you’d better give us a full debriefing,” one of them demanded. Lu Xuan’s lips twitched, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. Oh, this is going to be fun.
The White-haired Giant Ape scoffed, his disbelief evident. He certainly wasn’t buying Xuan Shang Old Ancestor’s flimsy excuse. His eyes, and those of his fellow demons, turned cold and calculating. They remembered the ancient war between the Grand Dao Sect and the Supreme Profound Sect. Though the Southern Wilds’ historical records were fragmented, what little remained spoke volumes of the unparalleled might of the Grand Dao Sect’s founder, Dao Yi. Had Dao Yi not inexplicably relinquished his claim, the Supreme Profound Sect’s founder, Liu Ruyan, would never have ascended to Supreme status! That epoch, the Grand Dao Sect had held dominion over every province in the Southern Wilds! Could Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng be secret trump cards, left behind by the Grand Dao Sect’s founder? Impossible! Even if the Grand Dao Sect’s founder was heaven-defying, he was still no Supreme. The Demon Court, however, boasted three Supremes! Before the might of the Demon Court, the Grand Dao Sect was nothing but a pathetic fart!
With that thought, the White-haired Giant Ape turned his ferocious gaze back to Xuan Shang Old Ancestor. “Grand Dao Sect,” he snarled, “you should have been wiped out ages ago! The best time to annihilate a faction was epochs past; the second best time is now!” As his declaration ripped through the void, the White-haired Giant Ape swept a massive hand. His aura exploded, and his body began to swell, transforming into a colossal, mountain-like form. Thick, crimson veins pulsed beneath his fur, coiling like ancient tree roots across his monstrous frame. He pounded his chest with earth-shattering force, letting out a deafening roar. “Kill!” Several Demon Court Half-step Supremes surged forward, each step manifesting brilliant Dao patterns across the heavens. Multiple Star River Grand Daos condensed, blazing trails directly towards Lu Xuan. Their terrifying killing intent was so dense it seemed to solidify into a tangible, suffocating pressure! Simultaneously, dozens of Yin Soldiers shrieked as they too charged, launching a combined, cataclysmic offensive!
In that very instant, Lu Xuan’s white robes billowed around him, and he moved. Not a charge, but a casual, almost leisurely drift forward. Divine Radiance erupted from his form, transforming him into a radiant Divine King. His light blazed, a brilliant white star against the darkest starry canvas, illuminating the vastness. He casually extended a palm, striking out. That single palm strike manifested a heaven-reaching power, an aura of absolute dominance, as if he were invincible across all realms!
A deafening boom! A Divine Arc, a beam of pure, incandescent power, tore through the void, descending directly upon one of the Demon Race Half-step Supremes. Its momentum was overwhelming, its dominance absolute. This particular demon, a gray-robed elder, instantly shed his human guise, transforming into his true form: a colossal Giant Lizard Demon, a beast as vast as a small island. Its scales, blazing with fiery red light, shimmered as it unleashed a scorching river of Spirit Fire directly at Lu Xuan.
The very next instant, Lu Xuan’s Divine Arc roared forward, a force of nature. It effortlessly annihilated the scorching river of Spirit Fire, then surged onward, a relentless tide of destruction, straight for the Giant Lizard Demon. The massive demon panicked, a primal terror seizing its ancient heart. That single strike had laid bare the terrifying chasm between their powers. “If my combat power is six thousand,” the Giant Lizard Demon stammered, its voice trembling with fear, “then Lu Xuan’s... Lu Xuan’s is at least ten thousand, if not more!”
The Giant Lizard Demon frantically conjured defensive Dao patterns, a desperate last resort! But it was utterly useless! CRACK! His defensive Dao patterns shattered like fragile glass. His supposedly indestructible spine was ripped open by a colossal, bloody gash that stretched from head to tail, a gaping abyss of flesh and bone. “No! No...!” the Giant Lizard Demon shrieked, its voice choked with agony and disbelief. Lu Xuan’s strike had cleaved the monstrous demon clean in two. With a thunderous crash, its bisected body plummeted from the void, showering the starry expanse with torrents of crimson blood. An instant, absolute annihilation! Witnessing this, the assembled great demons were utterly frozen, their minds reeling in stunned horror.