Chapter 205: Chapter 205: The Counterattack of the Fox Clan Demon King, Mo Ying’s Breakthrough (Happy New Year)
“Continue the attack, grind him into ten thousand pieces for me!” the Fox Lady commanded coldly, clutching the corpse of the Fox Clan Princess.
“Yes,” the two protectors nodded.
They walked towards the ruins, ready to capture the heavily injured Fox Clan Demon King and eliminate him using the most cruel methods.
As for the dozens of Demon Generals who had once followed the Fox Clan Demon King, they were now all kneeling on the ground, not daring to make a move.
They dared not, nor were they qualified to meddle in the internal power struggles of the Three-tailed Fox Clan.
Whoever won, they would follow.
Boom!
Suddenly, the ruins exploded.
A massive figure tore through the dust and stood on the ground, towering like a mountain and exuding a great sense of oppression.
The Fox Clan Demon King stood atop the spine of the Giant Earth Ape, looking down at all the Demon Generals present with a slightly uplifted corner of his mouth, revealing a wicked smile.
“Eh!”
The two protectors of the Fox Clan frowned.
They had clearly used the Soul Seizing Order to sever the connection between the Fox Clan Demon King and the Giant Earth Ape. The Giant Earth Ape should have been uncontrollable, so why had it risen to its feet?
“What are the two protectors waiting for? Kill him and take revenge for my daughter!” the Fox Lady urged, holding the Fox Clan Princess, her eyes full of resentment and anger.
“Yes.”
Both protectors formed hand seals simultaneously, and a golden-red claw reached towards the Fox Clan Demon King standing on the spine of the Giant Earth Ape.
But then, the Giant Earth Ape suddenly moved!
The only remaining arm clenched into a fist and easily shattered the claw. With its powerful legs, it leaped tens of meters. A single punch sent both protectors flying, dragging out a trench a hundred meters long on the ground before they stopped.
“Ah!”
The two protectors vomited blood, their eyes wide with shock.
“How is this possible?” The Fox Lady’s hands trembled slightly as she held the Princess’s corpse, not understanding why, even after the connection was severed, the Fox Clan Demon King could still control the Giant Earth Ape.
“Surprised, aren’t you? The numerous life forces I had my troops collect from the battles were not used to power the Giant Earth Ape but to set up an incomplete Medium Four Symbols Demon Elemental Array,” the Fox Clan Demon King declared atop the ape’s spine, bursting into laughter.
“The Medium Four Symbols Demon Elemental Array!”
An immediate change came over the expressions of everyone else present.
This was a forbidden formation among the Demon Race!
Once used, it could fuse the bodies of two different types of strong demons into one, never to separate again.
Initially, this formation was invented to help injured demons replace lost limbs, but later, some greedy demons forcibly merged strong bodies for a significant increase in strength. However, they became cruel and belligerent, and thus the formation was labeled as forbidden.
And now, the Fox Clan Demon King had actually used the Medium Four Symbols Demon Elemental Array!
Could it be that he intended to merge with the body of the Giant Earth Ape?
“Hiss!”
Sounds of sharp intakes of breath suddenly filled the air.
“You… you stop right now!” the Fox Lady shouted urgently. Once the Fox Clan Demon King used the Medium Four Symbols Demon Elemental Array, they would no longer be able to continue refining the Giant Earth Ape, leading to a loss of top-tier combat power for the clan.
“Ha, after you’ve pushed me this far, do you really think I’ll stop?” the Fox Clan Demon King laughed as he looked up to the sky.
In the next instant, under the horrified gaze of the many powerful demons present, the Fox Clan Demon King transformed into his massive true form, and his head separated from his neck and attached to the neck of the Giant Earth Ape.
As for the body of the Fox Clan Demon King, it rapidly withered as its strength flowed into the Giant Earth Ape, causing its missing arm to regrow, albeit thinner than the other.
“Are you not going to stop him?” the Fox Lady rebuked.
Despite their injuries, the two protectors immediately took action.
“Get lost!” The Fox Clan Demon King would not allow them to interfere with his plan. With a mere thought, the Giant Earth Ape erupted with the terrifying oppressive force of the Demon King. With all its strength, it slapped one protector to death, devouring his abundant life force.
“Brother!” The other protector cried in heart-wrenching pain.
But the ruthless Fox Clan Demon King immediately had the Giant Earth Ape act, slapping the remaining protector to death with its palm and devouring his life force.
“You madman! Our Three-tailed Fox Clan’s legacy of a thousand years will ultimately be ruined by your hands!” the Fox Lady discarded the corpse of the Fox Clan Princess, transforming into a three-tailed Demon Fox as she fled in a frenzy.
“Bitch, how dare you cheat on me, do you think you can escape?”
The Fox Clan Demon King now had complete control over the Giant Earth Ape, and with its terrifying presence, the Fox Lady’s form stiffened as she was smacked by the ape’s palm, her spine breaking, leaving her motionless on the ground.
Afterwards, the Fox Clan Demon King devoured her life force, growing stronger still.
“Who else?”
The Fox Clan Demon King’s foot came down upon the corpse of the Fox Lady, his gaze sweeping around indifferently. Wherever his eyes landed, all members of the Demon Race knelt, not daring to even let out a fart.
“Hehe… so this is the power of a Demon King.”
The Fox Clan Demon King was getting used to his new body, feeling a surge of power throughout.
By now, he had completely integrated with the body of the Giant Earth Ape Demon King. Standing on the ground, he was ten meters tall with the body of a giant ape but the head of a Demon Fox. Although it looked incredibly bizarre, the head was perfectly proportioned to the body, and if one didn’t look closely, they couldn’t even see the seam at the neck.
“You all quickly build the Demon City. This king will return to the ancestral lands to go into seclusion for a time. When I emerge, the name of Demon City will echo throughout the Southern River Basin!”
With his hands behind his back, the Fox Clan Demon King walked toward a nearby underground cavern.
That was the ancestral land of the Three-tailed Fox Clan, the place where they had initially been sealed, and it housed a Spirit Blood Pool suitable for conditioning one’s body.
The Demonic Beasts of the Demon City watched as the Fox Clan Demon King left, first in fear and then with excited cries.
“Although we lost several powerful members of the Fox Clan in this battle, our Demon King has integrated with the Demon King’s body, possessing the true combat strength of a Demon King. The spine of our Demon City has finally stiffened.”
“Hehe, following the Demon King will definitely fill our bellies.”
The strong among the Demon Race looked at each other and energetically set about rebuilding the Demon City.
Atop a stone mountain.
Souhun Zhenren watched that imposing figure, swallowing hard and muttering, “Truly fierce, to think he combined with the Demon King’s body using a Medium Four Symbols Demon Elemental Array. Now, I can stay in the Demon City with peace of mind.”
Half a stick of incense later.
In an underground cavern.
The Fox Clan Demon King crushed the last Elder of the Three-tailed Fox Clan who resisted him and lay in a huge crimson-gold Blood Pool. He circulated his bloodline to further condition his body, reaching a truly perfect integration and unity.
“Technically, I am no longer of the Three-tailed Fox Clan. So, my name should change too. With the head of a fox and the body of an ape, henceforth… I shall be called—”
“Hu Yuan!”
The Fox Clan Demon King gave himself a homophonic name.
Hu Yuan.
A Demon King rose from this moment!
…
Misty Peak.
Ye Feng felt a shiver through his body, his sense of crisis growing stronger. He quickly sat up from his reclining chair, fanning himself with a Banana Fan, and looked into the distance.
“Why do I feel so restless, as if something big is about to happen?”
Ye Feng frowned.
He stood up and looked towards the Demon City, murmuring, “The main threat at this stage should be the Demon King of the Demon City. But once I refine the Five Elements Spirit Sword, I should have the strength to fight.”
Having finished speaking, Ye Feng looked at the Refining Furnace floating mid-air, clinking merrily.
He had been constantly pouring various refined materials and Spirit Stones into it, and behind him, ten Lower Grade Spirit Swords had already been forged.
As for Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts, for the time being, there was only the one he made for Mo Ying.
Even though the Middle Grade Refining Furnace can forge Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts, the current grade of materials is not high; cobbling together from various sources, he had just enough to forge a single Middle Grade Spirit Sword.
…
South of the Nanlu Mountain Range, along the Flowing Water River.
Ji Ziling and Mo Ying stood at the prow of a large boat, drifting downstream.
“Senior sister, Tonggu City is up ahead. Rumor has it that it’s quite similar to Five-Colors City and Beacon Fire City, with no one from the Element Gathering Realm holding it. However, I heard that the City Lord is very strong. Although not at the level of the Element Gathering Realm, he is still several times stronger than the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. In my opinion, that person must be an old powerhouse who failed to break through to Element Gathering and isn’t to be trifled with,” Ji Ziling said, consulting the map and continuously providing information.
“Hmm, leave it to me,” Mo Ying nodded.
Today, as they passed by Ancient Town of Quicksand, the two ladies heard that the lord of Tonggu City was brutal and tyrannical, a source of misery for the people who cried out in distress.
Thus, Mo Ying, craving a great battle to break through, decided to head to Tonggu City.
Thud!
The wooden boat docked at the pier of Tonggu City.
Mo Ying and Ji Ziling leaped from the boat and followed a cobblestone path into the barely five-mile-wide Tonggu City, only to discover the citizens being treated like livestock, prodded by bullies with sticks to carry heavy loads.
“Such chaos in this city,” Ji Ziling clenched her fists, brimming with indignation.
“There’s more like this; you just haven’t seen it,” said Mo Ying, carrying the Middle Grade Spirit Sword that Ye Feng had given her, and holding her Breeze-riding Sword.
Before breaking through the Element Gathering Realm, she had no intention of using the Middle Grade Spirit Sword, and had not even named it.
“Well, look at what we have here, two pretty ladies. Come keep this master company…”
Clang!
The sword light flashed by.
An evildoer at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement clutched his throat and fell to the ground, terrorizing the surrounding villains who then rushed toward the City Lord’s Mansion, preparing to ask the City Lord to take action.
“Senior Sister, is this too cruel?” Ji Ziling whispered.
“If we lacked cultivation, what kind of terrible experience would await us? Think about it and you’ll agree that these people deserve to die,” Mo Ying sheathed her sword and continued on.
As Ji Ziling thought about her words, she shuddered and kicked the fallen villain’s body away with a look of disgust.
“How dare you run wild in Tonggu City, it seems you no longer wish to live!” An experienced practicer from the Qi Refining Realm at the seventh layer attacked, and before getting close, he maneuvered a lower-grade flying knife from behind toward Mo Ying.
Clang!
Mo Ying formed a sword with her fingers, using a Sword Combat Technique to control her Breeze-riding Sword to split the flying knife behind her. Then she took a wide turn and cut down the Qi Refining bully at the seventh layer, before stretching out her hand to catch the Breeze-riding Sword that flew toward her, her movements as smooth as flowing clouds and water.
Ji Ziling watched with great admiration.
“So it’s a troublesome little lady, heh, at the peak of the Qi Refining ninth layer, your cultivation is not weak, but you dare to run wild in my territory, have you eaten the guts of a bear and a leopard?”
A terrifying oppressive force arrived like a whirlwind, lifting the rooftiles into the air, transforming them into a giant claw that smashed down.
Mo Ying wielded her sword and slashed, causing the claw to crumble.
At the end of the street, a tall man cloaked in a cloak stepped forward, leaving footprints an inch deep on the ground.
“Such strong oppressive force, indeed it’s from someone who failed to break through the peak of the Qi Refining Realm,” Mo Ying analyzed the strength of the cloaked man.
“Die!” The cloaked man struck instantaneously, leaving no room for negotiation.
Ji Ziling prudently moved to the side.
Mo Ying held the Breeze-riding Sword firmly and brought it down with force.
Clang!
The flying sword was blocked by a claw.
Mo Ying’s pupils contracted as she saw the tiger claw emerge from the cloaked man’s garments: “So it’s a Demi-transformed Tiger Demon, no wonder its strength far exceeds the ninth layer peak of Qi Refining.”
Clang!
With a shake of its tiger claw, Mo Ying was forced back three steps, her eyes burning with even greater fighting intent.
She had hit a bottleneck and required an exuberant and unrestrained battle to break through her cultivation limit, and a Demi-transformed Tiger Demon was the perfect opponent.
“Quite the formidable strength, little beauty!” The Tiger Demon sneered.
That single sword strike had numbed its palm. Although it wore a smiling face, it grew wary of Mo Ying in its heart.
Misty Peak.
Ye Feng opened the Heaven-Asking Mirror.
Watching Mo Ying who was contending with the Tiger Demon, he immediately sat up straight and watched the battle attentively.
Tonggu City.
On the streets, two figures intertwined in a high-speed battle, unleashing countless rays of light, sharp gleams, bursts of energy, and shockwaves that shattered the surrounding buildings to smithereens.
Ji Ziling hovered mid-air to watch the battle, not daring to get too close.
Her strength wasn’t bad.
However, even if she attacked with all her might, she could not withstand a single strike from either Mo Ying or the Tiger Demon. The gap between them was too large to bridge.
Not only Ji Ziling could only watch from afar, but other villains too sucked in a breath of cold air and stood over a hundred meters away on the rooftops, looking towards the center of the battle.
On Misty Peak, Ye Feng was also looking into the Heaven-Asking Mirror and could hear the sound of the battle site clearly—after all, the two locations weren’t far apart, and there was no interference from any formations.
“This half-transformed Tiger Demon is quite powerful. It would be easy for Mo Ying to kill it with a middle-grade Spirit Sword, but relying solely on the Breeze-riding Sword does pose some difficulties,” Ye Feng shared his opinion.
On the streets.
Bang!
The battling adversaries suddenly collided with longsword and claw, creating countless tidal waves that sunk the ground below and pushed them both back dozens of meters.
The Tiger Demon looked at the sword mark on its claw and fumed with rage.
But soon, it sneered, “Very impressive sword technique, but it’s a pity that your cultivation isn’t as high as mine. This is as far as you go.”
Mo Ying remained silent.
She was only at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
The Tiger Demon, on the other hand, was a Demi-transformed Demon Beast, half a Major Realm higher than her. To have fought this long was already quite an achievement.
“Although my realm is lower, it is precisely because of this that I can enjoy a hearty and exhilarating battle,”
Mo Ying whispered, closing her eyes.
But since the Tiger Demon couldn’t see her eyes beneath the black veil, it mistook her closed eyes as a cold stare, its claws rubbing together, ready to launch an ambush.
“Hmph, forget it, I might as well use my killer move and erase you,” the Tiger Demon inhaled deeply after a moment’s hesitation and suddenly roared.
Thump!
An eerie shockwave appeared on its body, and in an instant, it split into two silhouettes, one real and one illusionary.
“This is my innate talent, ‘Shadow Following Form’. This illusory shadow only possesses one-third of my strength, but it has an undying body. Let’s see how you contend with me after my power has increased,”
The Tiger Demon laughed heartily as both the real body and the shadow attacked at the same time.
Mo Ying pinched a sword technique with her left hand and gripped the sword handle tightly with her right, still with her eyes closed, using the First Grade Spell “All-Dimensional Spiritual Perception” to sense her surroundings.
Clang! Clang!
Two sounds rang out in succession, the flying sword repelled the Tiger Demon’s real claws and also split its shadow in half.
But in the next moment, the Tiger Demon’s shadow reappeared, swinging its claws from behind towards Mo Ying’s back, only to be sliced away again with a “clang”.
“Backstab!”
Mo Ying vanished into thin air, leaving the Tiger Demon with a spine-tingling sensation. It quickly spun around to grab behind itself but, to its surprise, there was no one there!
Slash!
The Breeze-riding Sword pierced through the Tiger Demon’s chest.
“Augh!”
The Tiger Demon, in pain, tensed all its muscles in a desperate effort to clamp down on the Breeze-riding Sword, but no matter how hard Mo Ying tried, she couldn’t pull it out.
Bang!
The next moment, the Tiger Demon’s claws had smacked Mo Ying away, leaving a scratch on her shoulder as blood flowed freely.
“Earth Escape!”
Mo Ying burrowed into the ground and disappeared from sight.
Tens of meters away, Ji Ziling was fraught with worry.
Mo Ying’s realm was originally lower than that of the Tiger Demon, and being attacked by both the phantom and the body had put her at a disadvantage. Now that she was wounded, her combat ability had undoubtedly fallen, and she might not be a match for the Tiger Demon anymore.
“Get out here!”
The Tiger Demon looked around but couldn’t find Mo Ying.
It then turned its attention to Ji Ziling.
But before it could pursue her, it suddenly felt a horrifying premonition and just as it was about to defend itself, a pair of delicate hands grasped the Breeze-riding Sword lodged in its body and with a “plop” pulled it out.
Mo Ying had reappeared!
At first, she had planned to hide underground but had to circle to the Tiger Demon’s back and pull out the Breeze-riding Sword when she realized it had targeted Ji Ziling.
“Haha, got you now!”
The Tiger Demon suddenly revealed a fierce grin, its paws gripping the Breeze-riding Sword tightly, leaving Mo Ying no chance to resist.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Demon’s shadow appeared behind Mo Ying.
Its paws slammed onto her back, causing her to vomit blood, and she could no longer suppress her aura. The highly concentrated spiritual energy in her meridians automatically transformed into a liquid True Yuan, striking at the Element Gathering realm.
In that moment, her aura surged several times over.
Though she had yet to break into the Element Gathering Realm, she had already become incredibly formidable.
“You… you actually broke through!” The Tiger Demon was shocked and scrambled backward, but it didn’t expect Mo Ying to suddenly unleash her full power, firmly grasping the Breeze-riding Sword. The tip of the sword burst forth a fearful aura, easily piercing through the Tiger Demon’s brow.
Thus, the half-transformed Demon Beast finally met its end.
Mo Ying, gasping for breath, staggered and almost fell to the ground.
“Senior Sister!” Ji Ziling exclaimed in shock, quickly flying over and taking out a bottle of Spirit Spring Water containing Life Spirit Force added by Yan Ruyu. She gave it to Mo Ying to drink and poured the rest on her wound.
Soon after, Mo Ying’s injury started to heal.
“This is bad, I can’t suppress my cultivation level, I’m about to forcibly break through the realm… Junior Sister, help me protect during my cultivation,” Mo Ying, with no time for anything else, immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, forming a hand seal and attempting to break through the realm.
As she circulated her cultivation technique, the spiritual energy coursing through her meridians continuously liquefied into True Yuan, causing the aura around Mo Ying to skyrocket. She was soon at nine times the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, on the verge of developing a Spiritual Sense and entering the Element Gathering Realm.
“Hang in there!” Ye Feng, watching Mo Ying through the Heaven-Asking Mirror, breathed heavily, hoping she would be alright.
Ji Ziling stood by Mo Ying’s side, holding a slim sword, vigilant of her surroundings to prevent anyone from launching a surprise attack.