You Guiqi jumped in the air and performed a double hand sign.
A demonic face appeared, twisted in malice and pain.
“Hell Valley’s profound ranked martial art, Demonic Face Seal!” Jian Suifeng shouted, “This martial art is focused on striking at one’s soul, it is undefendable. Even Radiant Stage cultivators will find it hard to cope with such an attack. The lightest injury is dizziness, while the worse would be death.”
His words traveled to Zhuo Fan’s ears as a clear warning.
You Guiqi noticed this but laughed instead, “Damn runt, if you dodge, the Demonic Face Seal will kill the girl. If you try to take her, you won’t make it!”
“Big brother Zhuo, forget about me and leave. I can die in peace knowing you will save my family.” Xue Ningxiang urged.
Zhuo Fan looked back with a smile, then spoke coldly at You Guiqi, “She is mine. As long as I’m here, you can’t harm her.”
“Then I will kill you, ha-ha-ha-ha…”
You Guiqi pointed and the demonic face wailed on its way towards Zhuo Fan. Xue Ningxiang was nervous and was about to jump in front, but Zhuo Fan stopped her with his wing.
Boom!
The demonic face smashed on Zhuo Fan and thousands of gray tendrils of energy wrapped around him. The cries of lamentation, similar to that of a being starved for centuries and finally finding food, were heard all around.
Xie Tianyang turned towards Jian Suifeng in anxiety, but the latter only sighed.
Even a Profound Heaven expert was powerless in the face of such an attack, least of all a Bone Tempering cultivator.
Xue Ningxiang couldn’t hold back her tears.
“Hi-hi-hi, damn runt, lust is your downfall. A demonic cultivator should be ruthless, yet you let emotion cloud your judgment and make you weak.” You Guiqi cackled as he turned to Xue Ningxiang, “Wench, his death is on you.”
Xue Ningxiang watched Zhuo Fan become gray and her cries became heartrending.
If not for saving her, he could’ve lived.
“Big brother Zhuo, forgive me, it’s all my fault!” Xue Ningxiang sobbed.
“Ha-ha-ha, foolish girl, don’t let that old goat see you cry. You’re only bringing him satisfaction!”
Suddenly, Zhuo Fan’s voice came from within the ball of gray tendrils. The crowd was shocked.
[Wasn’t Zhuo Fan wreaked with pain inside there, how is he so calm?]
You Guiqi cried in fear, “This isn’t possible! His soul should have been swallowed whole!”
“Ha-ha-ha, you want to kill me with a parlor trick? Aren’t you a tad bit naive, Insidious Demon?”
An azure flame flashed from within the gray tendrils. The gray energy retreated every time the flame moved.
As the gray energy withdrew, Zhuo Fan was soon revealed before the crowd with an azure light coming from his forehead.
Zhuo Fan muttered, “Demon Transformation Art!”
Suddenly, the gray energy wailed as they were devoured by the azure flame. And Zhuo Fan felt his soul growing stronger as result.
Demon Transformation Art was originally used to absorb everything to promote one’s cultivation. The reason he couldn’t absorb souls so far was because his own wasn’t strong enough. It would only be a detriment if the result would’ve harmed him instead.
But since he refined his soul, it grew in power, akin to Radiant Stage cultivator’s level. And having the strange azure flame as a protector, this measly amount of vengeful ghosts were nothing more than a snack after the flame removed the waste.
Eying You Guiqi in the air, Zhuo Fan mocked, “Is that it? If you have no trick up your sleeve, guess I’ll have to get serious.”
“Get serious? He-he-he, stop showing off. Are you saying you’ve been playing around all this time?”
You Guiqi was both angry and startled. Startled that Zhuo Fan could dismiss such a strong attack and angry from his contempt.
But that was how Zhuo Fan treated him, with naked contempt.
Wasn’t he Insidious Demon of Hell Valley, their number one sage?
Despite all that, fear grew inside him. This was a foreign feeling to him since he always grasped his opponent’s weakness before striking them down.
But when he looked at Zhuo Fan, he only felt powerless despite everything he threw at the kid. Furthermore, he had a nagging feeling that all his moves were within Zhuo Fan’s calculations.
Zhuo Fan played him like a fiddle, leaving him without a shred of dignity. This fear he had was the worst he ever felt.
Chuckling, Zhuo Fan mocked again, “Seventh elder, I wonder, do you remember what you told me a few months back in the Allbeast Mountain Range? Against true power, all schemes are moot.”
You Guiqi’s eyes dilated, his heart sped up, and a bad feeling crept its way down his spine.
“Today, I throw this line right back at you!”
Grinning, Zhuo Fan pointed at the sky, “In just one move, I will have your head.”
“Bullshit!”
You Guiqi could no longer take it and snapped.
He now realized, Zhuo Fan’s end goal this time was revenge against him while he was only saving Xue Ningxiang in passing.
From the moment Zhuo Fan showed up, he smacked the old man’s face at every corner, to show him how useless his Insidious Demon moniker was before true power.
[My intelligence is laughable when it comes face-to-face with raw power. My cunningness falls short to his.]
Zhuo Fan wanted to crush his pride as an insidious person, to die in pain.
“What a dreadful kid, far worse than even You Guiqi!” Jian Suifeng felt overwhelmed with shock.
[He is even more terrifying than Zhuge Changfeng.]
This thought helped Jian Suifeng understand Zhuo Fan’s actions so far. [It is unknown if he will one day be friend or foe. Observing him now is for the best!]
Ignoring the gazes around him, Zhuo Fan stared down You Guiqi with delight in his eyes.
Perhaps all demonic cultivators were at their happiest in the throes of slaughter.
Zhuo Fan laughed, “You Guiqi, ready? It’s time you see what real power looks like.”
He jumped the next moment.
Bam!
He shot for You Guiqi like a rocket.
You Guiqi attacked with his Yin Yang Chains. But with a flap of his wings, Zhuo Fan slipped right past them.
Yin Yang Chains couldn’t even touch him and he was already punching at You Guiqi.
“Ha-ha-ha, got you!”
You Guiqi laughed and a black and white chain flew at Zhuo Fan’s chest. But Zhuo Fan only said, “Oh, so you had another set of chains besides those two!”
“But so what? With my power, all your plans are moot, including all you’ve hidden so far!”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed and a golden light flew from his body. It was the Blood Infant after being refined with Diamond Sand.
The Blood Infant, which was comparable to a 5th-grade demonic treasure, charged at the black and white chain.
The chains couldn’t last even a second as Blood Infant tore through it along with You Guiqi’s arm.
You Guiqi was shocked to find that the golden light, which passed by his ear, had taken away not only the chain but also his arm.
He only now woke up to the validity of Zhuo Fan’s previous words, so much so that Blood Infant’s power scared You Guiqi.
He had no time to feel the loss of his arm when Zhuo Fan’s punch was right at his face.
“Damn runt, you think you can kill me in one move?”
He knew his death was sealed, but he wasn’t about to let Zhuo Fan determine how he died.
Or he really would never rest in the afterlife. The only reason he still fought was for his honor.
Whoosh!
3rd-grade demonic treasure Twisted Needle flew from his sleeve towards Zhuo Fan’s fist.
As long as he stopped the fist, he wouldn’t die in one blow. Such was the glorious mind of the number one sage in Hell Valley reduced to after fighting with an equally insidious demon.
Zhuo Fan was here to make sure he would be left without a scrap of honor.
The punch still moved without hesitation, meeting with the Twisted Needle, to the joy and hope of You Guiqi.
But the crisp sound that resulted from the contact revealed that the Twisted Needle broke in two. The fist was unaffected in the slightest as it bore into You Guiqi’s chest.
You Guiqi watched in horror and muttered, “W-what kind of damn monster are you?”
“Humph, I don’t mind telling you. My body is as strong as a 5th-grade demonic treasure. Yours was only a 3rd-grade demonic treasure! And as for why I’m such a freak…”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed as he recalled the endless anguish and torment he had to live through, “Isn’t it all your fault?”
Roaring, Zhuo Fan threw his fist and flung You Guiqi into the ground, smashing a few buildings.
Blood flew from You Guiqi’s mouth as he watched Zhuo Fan in the air with shock and loss.
[How does your freakish change have anything to do with me?]
With this final thought, You Guiqi’s head sagged and breathed his last. His eyes were wide open, never to find peace…